The Houston Music Roundtable is a chance to meet other members of the music & arts communities in Houston. Started by John Nova Lomax, music editor of the Houston Press, the rountable meets every Tuesday at Under The Volcano, 349 Bissonnett near Rice Village. There is free admission, happy hour drink prices, and free appetizers.

Tell your friends, and come on out. If you’re interested in hosting a roundtable, please email Ian Varley (of Drop Trio) for more information.

This Tuesday night’s topic is “Getting the most out of the Internet” and is hosted by Al Delaney from Outbound Music.

Al will present some information on how to use the internet to its best effect for promoting your act, selling your merchandise, and making contact with new fans. We’ll invite several folks who do online promotion of one sort or another in Houston, and give everybody a chance to see all the stuff that’s out there.

Upcoming roundtables:

Date: Jul 27
Topic: CD Production process
Hosted by Pete Bawa and Bruce Stone of Todville Road

Pete and Bruce are in the process of putting out a record with their band, and they thought it would be cool to share info, stories, tips, leads, etc. on the CD production process. Did you know there are great CD production companies at all levels in Houston and surrounding cities? There are, and some of them will be on hand to show their stuff. We’ll also talk about everything you need to know to do-it-yourself.

Date: 3 Aug
Topic: “Spread The Word” Mixer
Hosted by Ian Varley

This will be a general ‘meet & greet’ mixer, with a twist: let’s see how far and wide we can spread the word about the gathering. Just for the heck of it. Tell everybody you know who’s involved in music, and let’s see if we can’t get 100 folks in that little bar. No formal program, just getting together to meet each other. Oh, and drink.

Date: Aug 10
Topic: Interact with the American Book Cooperative (ABC)
Hosted by Entertainment Attorney Mary Jane Hancock (www.hancockslaw.com)

This is a bit of an oddball–going to try out a non-music-themed gathering, to see how it goes. If you feel like showing up (or you’re interested in the Book business), there will be a few surly musicians hanging out too.

Be sure to come out and find out more about the music scene in Houston.

Thanks to Ian from Drop Trio for handling this.

Now Playing in My iPod: Ramones Anthology

It seems like a lot of bands have been coming to America from Australia recently to gain a wider audience. There’s been The Vines and Jet, End of Fashion and Ground Components, Silverchair–like I said, there’s a lot of bands from Australia trying to make a name for themselves in the USA. But one that’s been around longer than most of those bands, you’ve probably never heard of. They’re called Gerling.

Gerling have been together since the early nineties and have been steadily making a name for themselves in their native Sydney and around Australia (and Japan as well). Gerling is currently touring to support their newest album, Bad Blood !!!. They’ve played U.S dates with The Suicide Girls, The Pleased and The Shore, and are now touring with Canada’s The Red Light Sting.

The show stops in Houston this Thursday night (July 15th). It is sure to be a rocker, so be sure to come out to Mary Jane’s Fat Cat. Doors are at 8, cover is $8. Houston’s By The End of Tonight will get the show started around 9 p.m.

Gerling’s Darren Cross was kind enough to answer a few questions for Houston Calling. Hope you enjoy.

Ten Questions for Gerling

HC: How did Gerling get started?

Darren: Gerling was formed in the outer western suburbs of Sydney, Australia, at the peak of grunge in 1992, by three teens who dabbled in metal and rock in their formative years but were warped by an independent radio show whose signal barely bled out to the Gerling homeland.

The weekly transmission exposed them to the classic first outings from twisted west coast guitar geeks, Truman’s Water. Combined with a steady diet of early pre-slanted Pavement, Sonic Youth, and Huggy Bear, the trio set up their equipment in a warehouse in an industrial estate and created a chaotic and joyous noise that was certainly unheard of in metropolitan Sydney up until then.

Darren Cross, Paul ‘presser’ Towner, and wunderkind Burke Reid set about remapping the geography of Australian music by going where ever the hell they wanted.

Never having relied on, well, reliable equipment or technology, Gerling invested in battered analogue keyboards; moog copies and farfisas came and went as did 4-track technology. Way before digital sampling and looping came into the common vocabulary, Gerling were three teens with a pause and record button, a cassette 4-track, and splicing knives.

HC: What do consider to be your musical influences?

Darren: Tom Waits, Sonic Youth, The Carpenters…mostly anything that we like…we love music…every style.

HC: You guys have been making albums as Gerling since the mid-nineties, which in my opinion is a long time to stay in the music business these days. To what do you attribute Gerling’s longevity? Do you have any particular advice for bands just starting out?

Darren: For bands starting out, make you sure you understand everything that is happening–from merchandise to record company stuff. Make sure everyone has the same goals and don’t spill beer on your record contract.

HC: Your latest album, Bad Blood !!!, was just released in the U.S. (Tuesday, July 13th). How do you think the album compares to your previous records, such as Headzcleaner? How you describe your music to someone who’s never heard it before?

Darren: Bad Blood !!! is darker than Headzcleaner. Also, we don’t have any guest vocalists on Bad Blood !!!, where on Headzcleaner we have Kylie Minogue, Kool Keith, and Solex.

We hate describing our music–we leave that up to you.

HC: You toured with The Pleased earlier in the year and now are on tour with The Red Light Sting. How have the shows been received so far on the tour? Any interesting stories yet?

Darren: The shows have been going incrediably well. Most people seem to get right into us and shake their asses by the end of our set. Since we’ve been here we’ve met Lionel Richie, shot a Magnum, saw a forty-year-old Mexican breakdance to “Black Magic Woman,” went to Charles Bukowski’s grave, ate the biggest pizza slice, collectively downed 45 beer bongs, became pirates, heard Gary Coleman tell where to get free cash, hi-fived Robin Williams, listened to Appetite for Destruction six times, scared 12 maids, lost our minds, and slept in the desert next to Rattlesnake Jake.

HC: What’s your take on the state of the music industry? Are you for or against the MP3 “revolution”? How are you using the internet as a tool to market yourself?

Darren: Well, we just downloaded 9,023 songs from our hotel’s free high speed internet service. We don’t use the internet as a marketing tool really–we have a website and that’s it. We are pretty indie when it come to that kind stuff. The internet is awesome–we are addicted to information.

HC: If you could have any band cover one of your songs, what song would it be and what band?

Darren: Elton John, Tom Waits, Olivia Newton-John, 2 Live Crew, and The Pogues singing with Slayer as the back-up band playing our song, “Blood on the Microphone.”

HC: What is the one description that you hate to hear about your music?

Darren: [no comment]

HC: What’s next for Gerling? More touring?

Darren: Go back to Australia and do some all ages shows. Probably go to Japan. Write a new album.

HC: What is in your CD player right now?

Darren: 9,023 downloaded songs. Really, Guns’N’Roses, Michael Jackson, Olivia Newton-John

Thanks again to Darren for taking the time to respond. And to Ever for making it happen.

Be sure to check out Gerling’s new album, Bad Blood !!!. And those in Houston can catch Gerling this Thursday night (the 15th) at Mary Jane’s Fat Cat on Washington Ave. with The Red Light Sting and Houston’s own By The End Of Tonight (these guys seriously rock so come early and show your support).

This Wednesday night around 10 p.m., Mansion is playing at The Proletariat as part of Commune Music. Come out and show your support for local music.

Now Playing in My iPod: Gun Crazy — Dropping Like Flies

Finally, someone has put together another festival to promote local music. This should be me, but I am prone to slack.

Billed as “A Festival of All Star Proportions,” the Three Days in Summer festival, smartly held this weekend (same as the Major League Baseball All-Star game and related downtown festivities),is being held at Houston’s newest music venue, The Meridian. [website]

A lot of Houston bands are on the bill–some you’ve probably heard of, some you probably have not. Anyway, this is a good, cheap way to spend the weekend so come out and support the local music scene.

The doors open at 4 p.m. Entry is $10 per day, or you can get the bargai-priced three-day pass for $15. Advance tickets can be purchased at Sound Exchange and Chemistry Records.

Schedule (subject to change, of course):

Saturday, July 10th
Main Room:
4:00 Witnes
8:15 Secret Beat Society
8:45 Long Paper
9:00 Mystere
9:15 Desperado
9:30 Scenic Woods
9:45 Strange Company
10:00 Nathan Stewart / Ben Clark
11:00 Joe B.
12:00 Chris Anderson
1:15 Lunatex
2:00 Andrei Morant
3:00 BMC

Red Room:
4:00 DJ Cef
7:00 Steve Swift
10:00 Cee Plus
12:00 Brio Kids

Sunday, July 11
Main Room:
5:15 Camino
6:15 Absolute Pistol (interview coming soon–check back often)
7:15 Pilot Radio
8:30 The Handsomes
9:45 Silverleaf
12:00 “special mystery guest” (reportedly a national touring act)

Red Room:
5:45 D.R.U.M.
6:45 Dubtex
7:45 Organ Failure
8:45 The Krinkles
9:45 Opie Hendrix
11:00 Bad Acid Trip

Monday, July 12
Main Room:
5:15 Yorkk
6:15 TBA
7:15 De Sangre
8:30 Chango Jackson
9:45 Los Skarnales
11:00 Motograter

Red Room:
5:15 New Jack Hippies
6:15 Hollister Fracus
7:15 Citizen Change
8:30 Dimitri’s Rail
9:45 Tin Henry
11:00 Bad Acid Trip

The event is sponsored by the usual suspects (Shiner, the Free Press) but is being put on by Teysha Enterprises, three men–Richard Tomcala, M. Martin, and Brett J. Foley–whose combined experience in entertainment and related fields spans decades.

Special thanks to these guys for getting this together. Hopefully next time, the event will include even more bands–or at least a wider variety. Heh.

I know the Major League Baseball All-Star game is coming to town so there are plenty of opportunities to see bands play at downtown venues during the hype. I don’t know them all, so check local listings.

Also, please make sure to cast your votes in the Houston Press Music Awards by clicking here.

Here is this weekend’s schedule:

Friday
Arthur Yoria @ Crossroads Coffee (Rice Village) 8:00 show, no cover
Tody Castillo @ The Vintage Bar, 9 p.m.
Faceplant/Deep Above Surface @ Fitzdown
Smile Empty Soul/Crossfade/Strata @ The Meridian
Trish Murphy/Bonnie Bishop @ The Engine Room
Fight Like a Robot, featuring Dialtone Theory, The SugarBeats, OSSUM, & Kingdom of the Seahorse @ Super Happy Fun Land
Cyd Wright Benefit Potluck House Party, featuring Asch & Abrams, Selia Qynn, Annie Benjamin, Saylor White, Brian Kalinec & Jeff Chambers, Jim Kam, David Fahl, & more @ 2017 W. Main (7:30PM; $10 donation)
Southtrak/The Buddhacrush/Lise Liddel @ Rhythm Room
The Bellamy Brothers @ Sam Houston Race Park

Saturday
Three Days in Summer, featuring BMC, Strange Company, Cee Plus, Andrei Morant, Lunatex, Chris Anderson, D.R.U.M., Scenic Woods, Ethan Klein, Joe B. and Friends, Tru Sol, Nathan Stewart, Ben Clark, & Witnes @ The Meridian (4PM)
Casino w/ Flowers to Hide and 8-Track Charade @ Rudyard’s
Arthur Yoria @ Whiskey Blues (Galveston), 10 p.m. show
Tody Castillo @ Ashford Arms pub, 9 p.m. show
dUNETX @ Hard Rock Cafe, 9 p.m. free show
Clouseaux/Les Saucy Pants @ Helios
The Kants/UME @ The Feagan House (Feagan & Waugh, 9PM; $5)
D12/Slum Village @ H-Town’s Arena Theatre
DuneTx @ The HardRock Cafe
Diana Krall @ Jones Hall
Blendt/Flavor Conductors @ Rhythm Room
The StoneKings @ Papa’s Icehouse (Spring)

Sunday
Three Days in Summer, featuring a special mystery band, Bad Acid Trip, The Krinkles, Silver Leaf, Pilot Radio, Organ Failure, Dubtex, Opie Hendrix and the Texas Tallboys, Absolute Pistol, Kristoph and the Communist Manifesto, & De Sangre @ The Meridian (4PM)
Sounding Women: A Benefit for Edith Gutierrez, featuring Susan Alcorn/Maria Chavez/Rose Lange & Donna Huanca @ Super Happy Fun Land
MindFlow @ The Engine Room

Enjoy your weekend!

Now Playing in My iPod: The Shore — The Shore

As a long-time fan of The Cure, I’m always happy with anticipation (yes, Cure fans can be happy) when I hear rumors about a new album or tour. This year, I almost choked on my Manic Panic when I found out that not only is The Cure releasing a new album (June 29), but that the band is also headlining the Curiosa Festival with Mogwai, Interpol, and The Rapture.

Let’s transport back to my bedroom sometime in the mid-eighties. There’s a Howard Jones poster on the wall. Maybe Sting and Tears for Fears. My pillow’s stained from the Oxy. My feet stink. So does my bedroom. My haircut sucks. My nose is too big for my face, and I am plagued with a horrid case of virginity. Basically, I’m a stereotypical teenage male.

A trip to the England and Switzerland over the summer helped to broaden my musical horizons a bit (Live Aid was going on at the time, and one of my fond memories was sitting in a cafe in Interlaken for hours, listening to the broadcast on BBC radio while eating fries and drinking Coke). That summer was an eye-opener. Not only did I hear a lot of bands I had never even heard of before (I led a pretty sheltered existence), the trip was the first time–well, let’s just say there were some firsts on that trip. You remember coming back from a summer vacation and swapping stories with your friends, right?

Musically, I had yet to venture much past the first two Tears for Fears albums, hadn’t yet fully embraced skateboarding or Black Flag (although In My Head was in my tape deck a lot), and had yet to discover a taste for beer. Music and girls were the only things on my mind. A close friend went out with some girl once or twice–his affinity for Mr. Mister, The Hooters, and The Outfield just wasn’t cutting it for her so she let him borrow a copy of Yaz‘s Upstairs at Eric’s. I loved it. Finally, something so different, something not on the radio a hundred times a day. A trendy girl in science class gave me a copy of The Swing by INXS. Another winner.

Then Pretty in Pink came out, and I found out about a lot of bands that I still enjoy 20 years later (that in itself makes me both laugh and cringe). That soundtrack helped shape my musical direction more than anything else until I got to college. I’ve written of this a bit before.

One day around that time, I received a package of tapes from the Columbia House Record and Tape Club (the suburbanite’s music store), and my musical life as I knew it was over. New Order‘s Low Life was in there. A favorite. What else? Depeche Mode‘s People are People and A Broken Frame. Maybe Synchronicity as well. But the one that most affected me was The Head on the Door by The Cure.

I cannot put my finger on why I liked The Cure so much, nor do I exactly remember why I chose that particular album–maybe I had heard a song on TCU’s radio station or George Gimarc played it at one point. Maybe it was the only one they had. Regardless, I was an instant fan and couldn’t stop myself from telling my friends, finding like-minded fans at school (there were a few, actually), and getting the band’s early albums like Faith and Pornography (which Smith has called “an extremely stressful, self-destructive period in my life,” something all young people can relate to). I was even able to snag copies of The Top and Boys Don’t Cry at some point. And I still have the vinyl bootleg of some shows from the early eighties–Fading Roots. The records are mislabeled, I was told, to get them through customs. Doesn’t matter.

The first CD I ever owned (thanks Mike & Brad) was Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me, the album that got The Cure noticed in the U.S. It was 1987 and it had just been released–“the 12-inch remix of “Why Can’t I be You?” was starting to be big in clubs; Just Like Heaven” wasn’t yet a staple on the then-in-its-infancy alternative rock radio. I vaguely remember people at school who normally dismissed The Cure started to pay attention when this album was released–I think the local hard rock station (“Texas’ Best Rock” had played the intro track, “The Kiss,” whose searing guitars caught the attention of even the most ardent headbanger.

This album, and its follow-up, 1989’s Disintegration (with “Fascination Street” and “Pictures of You”) were the albums that took The Cure from the underground goth scene and propelled the band right upfront into the mainstream. Everyone, it seemed, was suddenly a fan. The late eighties and early nineties were not a good time for long-time Cure fans–we went from being able to see the band at normal-sized venues to being forced to endure stadium shows.

The Cure’s music has always made it to radio since, but the band has never really been able to reclaim the success of those two albums (although their albums consistently sell). There were a few attempts in the nineties, each with their share of decent songs, and always followed-up with lead singer Robert Smith’s claim that each album would be the last.

Bloodflowers, released in 2000, was hailed by many as the closest thing to their classic Pornography album, and long-time fans were not disappointed. It was a great effort, with long songs, loud guitars–and the typical gloom that is trademark Smith.

Fast-forward a few years. There’s a war going on. On more than one front. The music industry is in an uproar over piracy. Suing music fans–kids even. Radio conglomerates are at war with censors. Musicians are, in a few cases, at war with fans (Lars, I’m looking at you, you hack.)

But this seems the perfect time for The Cure to release a new record. With bands like Interpol, BRMC, and The Rapture paying homage to Joy Division, The Jesus & Mary Chain, and The Cure, respectively, the air is right for the old guard of new wave to swoop in and reap some of the rewards.

So this brings us to the new self-titled release by The Cure.

At once dark and gloomy, like basically everything the band has done before, The Cure again leads the listener into a winding world of depression and dementia. You can read my review of the new album on Swizzle-Stick’s website.

Any Cure fans out there? Discuss here.

You can get your tickets for Curiosa at Ticketmaster.

A great interview with Robert Smith from 1987 can be found here.

Oh, and for the very few people that came out to see The Pleased and The Shore (along with Gosling and Three Fantastic) last night at Fat Cat’s, thank you. At least the bands know there is a handful of people in Houston who appreciate good music. I saw Tody Castillo hanging about–good to see local musicians going out to see touring bands that are just starting out nationally. Granted, it is a holiday weekend but I think I counted just under 50 people there (including the four bands and the bartenders). Just sad. Not that I am not glad to have been able to see them play in such a small venue without the hassle of a crowd, but it just reaffirms what bands from other cities always relate to me–that the music scene in Houston is dead. Now, we know that not to be the case but it definitely doesn’t help when no one goes out to the shows. Too bad this wasn’t a Hands Up Houston show–that would’ve helped.

This just in: Rolling Stone and Filter both have articles on Robert Smith and The Cure.

Now Playing in My iPod: The Killers — Hot Fuss

Earlier this year, I saw The Pleased, a great band I had never heard of before, open for Psychedelic Furs here in Houston. Hailing from San Francisco, this band came out and blew the crowd into stunned appreciation. My jaw repeatedly dropped throughout their set–it was an amazing show that seemed to come out of nowhere. Their mix of early nineties shoegazer rock, sixties psychedelia, and late seventies garage/punk is the perfect sound for today.

I quickly ordered their album, Don’t Make Things, from their website and have been spreading the word ever since. This is one you’ve got to hear (and, at only $11.98 w/ shipping, you really have no excuse). It’s one of my favorite albums so far this year. Seriously.

I recently found out that the band is on tour with another California band, The Shore–who have a CD coming out on Maverick in August. Their sound is late Verve crossed with Oasis–a good combination. They seem to be getting the push since I heard one of their songs on TV the other night. They will stop in Houston for a gig at Fat Cat’s this Saturday night (July 3rd).

If you’re a fan of bands like Coldplay, The Cooper Temple Clause, The Verve, or Oasis, this is a show you won’t want to miss. Unless you’re heading out to the Gun Crazy show (see the interview in a previous post), which you should do also. Somehow.

I very seriously doubt that we will again be given the opportunity to catch these bands in such a small atmosphere. Gosling and Three Fantastic are also on the bill. It’s an 8 p.m. show.

I got in touch with The Pleased, and vocalist/guitarist Rich Good was kind enough to endure my repeated emails. Thanks to Rich for agreeing to the interview.

Ten Questions for The Pleased

HC: How did The Pleased get started?

Rich: We all fell into the same place and time a couple of years ago–Noah and I had been wanting to do something for a while prior to that, but the band was not fully formed until 2002 when Genaro and Luckey found their way to a practice room above a bar called the Mine Shaft. We take our time.

HC: I first saw The Pleased when you opened here in Houston for the Psychedelic Furs (one of my favorites from the eighties). You were a great surprise–it made up for me missing The Alarm (another of my all-time favorites from that era). Anyway, The Pleased got a great response from the typically fickle Houston crowds, which was nice to see. You guys are from San Francisco yet your sound is more of what came out of the U.K. in the early to mid-nineties–but not dated at all. What do consider to be your musical influences?

Rich: Everything is influential–but musically anything from Terry Riley to Roxy Music to whatever is on the radio. We all have widely differing tastes and probably the last thing we listen to is anything that sounds remotely like us–influences define themselves in our music more as a feeling rather than riffs and notes. I don’t think we have a regional sound–SF or UK–and we don’t pay enough attention to any one genre of music to really expose the influences as one defineable type of music. We’ve been playing together is a small room long enough to have developed a distinct Pleased sound.

HC: Don’t Make Things is a great album, and the comparisons to The Strokes are vastly unwarranted in my opinion. I noticed that you guys have gotten quite a bit of press in the U.K. as a result of the album. And you have played shows with bands like The Vines, Hot Hot Heat, and The Von Bondies as well, both of which get a lot of press world-wide. How do you guys go about creating your music? Is it a collaborative effort or do you all piece it together?

Rich: Vast and unwarranted. The songwriting is very collaborative–the seeds of songs obviously start with one person’s idea for a melody, progression, lyric, or whatever but I could say that the songs are almost entirely written in our recording space with all members present throwing ideas into the pot.

Sometimes it take ages–“One Horse” took about 15 minutes, understandably.

HC: One thing that impressed me when I saw you guys play was that you seemed to be genuinely enjoying yourselves while playing. A lot of bands (like The Strokes or Interpol, for instance) tend to take themselves too seriously and can come across as snobs or “indier-than-thou”-types. Basically, you guys didn’t come off as pretentious at all. Do you think that being accessible to fans is an important part of being in a band? And why or why not?

Rich: We all have different levels of how comfortable we are with the concept of a rock show. Personally, “Indier-than-thou” is not really my style; stage presence and performance is important but why try to separate yourself from the audience? I prefer to include them–otherwise you may as well play at home.

HC: You guys are not on a major label and put out Don’t Make Things independently (on Big Wheel Recreation). I think it’s ridiculous that a lot of bands without a sliver of the talent of other bands get signed and get promo where some have to fight and slog it out just scraping by. What’s your take on the state of the music industry today? Are you for or against the MP3 “revolution”? How does The Pleased use the internet as a tool to market itself? I saw the album on iTunes recently–that’s a good start.

Rich: The music industry is what it is. It’s not like no one has done this before– you go in with your eyes open and try to make decisions based on your own goals in music not what some one else wants you to do. It’s amazing that this industry of creativity is overflowing with dickheads who want to make you do it to some predefined model of “how to be a band.”

HC: What is the one description that you hate to hear about your music?

Rich: Personally, that we sound like a New York band.

HC: I read an interview in which Noah was quoted as saying, “You don’t need recording studios anymore if you’ve got a computer and a garage…Anybody that spends over $20 on a record is spending too much.” Was Don’t Make Things really recorded in someone’s bedroom? How did that process come about?

Rich: Yes it was predominantly recorded here in Nevada City. Some of the takes we had done here and there but it was basically recorded in two rooms at my place. I converted my garage into a tiny studio and so we moved from the bedroom into there for the second half of the recording process. We like being in control of everything we do so it makes sense to do it that way for us.

HC: If you could have any band cover one of your songs, what song would it be and what band?

Rich: Devendra doing “Wake Up Instead” might be interesting. I’m not a huge fan of covers so I’d probably rather listen to an original. Either that or have
stereolab do our entire repetoire in their drone style.

HC: What’s in store for The Pleased in 2004 and beyond? Any plans for another record?

Rich: We’ll get back off this tour and layabout at the river for a while and then set about recording some of this new stuff later in the year. Either that or we’ll start listening to what people tell us to do and we’ll be on a fast food commercial by September.

HC: What is in your CD player right now?

Rich: Right now? TV on the Radio, Devendra Banhart, Roxy Music, Bach Cello Suites, and of course, Joanna Newsom.

Thanks again to Rich Good for taking the time to answer these questions. Please be sure to catch The Pleased at Fat Cat’s this Saturday night with The Shore and Gosling.

Also, there is an early show starting at 2 p.m. that same day, featuring The Rocket Summer, The Plain White T’s, Number One Fan, and Kevin Devine. Enjoy.

Be sure to support these independent artists by purchasing their CD, Don’t Make Things, from their website.

Now Playing in My iPod: The Shore — [self-titled]

The Damnwells are playing tonight (Wednesday, June 30) at Engine Room with Juliana Hatfield. Check out the band’s website for more information on the band, and get their latest album, Bastards of the Beat.

Read the interview I did with The Damnwells’ Alex Dezen here.

Last time I saw Juliana Hatfield was when Fig Dish played with her at Numbers in 1997. She’s touring to support her new record.

Also, remember that Houston’s own Gun Crazy is playing this Saturday (July 3) at The Axiom to kick off their tour of the West. You can buy Gun Crazy’s album for only $10 here.

Read my interview with Jimmy from Gun Crazy below.

Now Playing in My iPod — The Damnwells — Bastards of the Beat

Houston punk rock act Gun Crazy is playing a gig at The Axiom this Saturday, July 3rd. Please make sure to check them out before they leave for their tour of the West coast. Also on the bill are Austin’s Sex Appeal and the Pink Swords.

Gun Crazy plays loud, fast, and great punk rock–think The Clash, The Saints (in a minor way), and (at times) Social Distortion (hey, I hear it so it must be true). The band is vocalist/guitarist Jimmy Sanchez, lead guitarist Geoffrey, bassist Steven Garcia, and drummer Ken Dannelly.

Jimmy Sanchez from Gun Crazy recently answered a few questions for Houston Calling. Enjoy.

Ten Questions for Gun Crazy

HC: How did Gun Crazy get started?

Jimmy: Me and Geetha Mahadevan, who also played guitar, started the around 1999 or so. Like a lot of bands, it took us a while to get going cause of line-up problems. She left the band in 2001–right after our first real tour. Since then, we’ve had a ton of different line-ups…with the band always hanging on by a thread.

HC: What do you consider to be your primary musical influences?

Jimmy: That’s always a hard question. As far the band goes, we’re influenced by anything from the obvious punk rock stuff like the Saints, X, the Weirdos, the Real Kids…to earlier bands like the New York Dolls, Iggy and the Stooges, MC5, and Dr. Feelgood to 60s bands like the Yardbirds, Pretty Things and the Small Faces…to even older stuff like Chuck Berry, Larry Williams, and Eddie Cochran. I mean, we definitely don’t sound like any of these bands…we just kind of get inspiration from them. It’s not really a secret or anything new, we’re just taking rootsy rock and roll and playing it faster and louder.

HC: What do you think of the music scene in the Houston area?

Jimmy: There are just way too many bands here. There are so many shows going on at once, its sometimes hard to get good crowds. Shows also seem to be set up around genre types, which can be kind of a drag. Its boring as hell when all three bands on a bill sound like Billy Childish or like Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers. Also, I wish the main clubs weren’t scattered so far from each other.

HC: Your album was released on Mortville Records (out of Austin). What can you tell me about the label? Good experience so far?

Jimmy: It’ s a cool label out of Austin. They’ve put out some good recordings?mainly Austin bands. I’m happy that they released our album.

HC: Your album Dropping Like Flies is described as being in the same vein as The Dictators and The Saints. Do you think that’s an accurate description?

Jimmy: Yeah, I think the description is adequate enough. Even though I know we don’t sound like the Saints or the Dictators, two bands I really like, Mortville’s mentioning of those bands just gives someone a general idea of what we’re like. These days, you can’t just say that we?re a punk rock band, cause punk rock can mean a lot of things. The same goes for referring us as a rock and roll band. That?s really generalized…someone might get the wrong impression and think we sound like Buck Cherry or something…or some classic rock band like Foreigner or Bad Company.

HC: What can you tell me about the record–where did you record it, how long did it take, who produced it, etc.?

Jimmy: We recorded the album at the Bubble in Austin. Frenchie, from the Young Heart Attack and formerly of Sixteen Deluxe, runs the studio. It took a few weekends over a four month period to finish the album. Mike Mariconda produced the album. He used to play in a great band called the Raunch Hands and he’s produced albums by the New Bomb Turks and the Devil Dogs.

HC: What’s your take on the state of the music industry? Are you for or against the MP3 “revolution”?

Jimmy: Again, there are too many bands…the market is just saturated. I don’t own a computer so I’ve never messed around with MP3s.

HC: What is the one description that you hate to hear about your music?

Jimmy: That it sucks.

HC: If you could have any band cover one of your songs, what song would it be and what band?

Jimmy: The Medicine Show or J.W. Americana.

HC: What’s next for Gun Crazy?

Jimmy: We?re doing a two-week west coast tour in mid-July 2004. We’ll be playing shows all the way up the west coast to Portland and Seattle, then to Missoula, MT and Denver…and then we’re coming back. It should be about 13 shows.

HC: What is in your CD player right now?

Jimmy: A Bukka White comp I just got, Elvis Costello’s Get Happy, a live Ike and Tina album, the Kinks’ Arthur, Dr. Feelgood’s Down by the Jetty, Skip James, Bowie’s Hunky Dory, Love’s Forever Changes and a Solomon Burke best-of.

Thanks to Jimmy for taking the time to answer the questions. Please be sure to pick up Gun Crazy’s great album, Dropping Like Flies, from Mortville Records. C’mon, it’s only $10–you really have no excuse.

Visit the official Gun Crazy website here. Be sure to check out the band this Saturday night at The Axiom with Sex Appeal and the Pink Swords.

Also playing this Saturday night are The Pleased (from San Francisco) and The Shore (from Los Angeles). Both are great bands. You can catch their Britrock stylings at Fat Cat’s. Cover is $10.

Now Playing in My iPod: Wilco — A Ghost is Born

Gene Loves Jezebel in Houston? Say is isn’t so. Rush is here as well this week? Oh, to see Neil Peart live…

Normally, I’d write some long thing on the eighties and how much I love certain bands from that era. You’ve seen it before, so I’ll spare you the nostalgia and just let you know that the most recent version of goth/rock band Gene Loves Jezebel is playing on Thursday night at Fitzgerald’s. If you can stand listening to what they tried to pass as music during the nineties, rest assured you’ll hear your favorite club hits from the mid- to late-eighties. Come and get it.

You know, I really do have a good Gene Loves Jezebel story. But I said I’d spare you and spare you I will.

There are, however, a few upcoming shows I must make you aware of–most notably, The Damnwells are playing on June 30th (next Wednesday) with Juliana Hatfield at Engine Room. Those of you who were lucky enough to catch NYC’s The Damnwells at Walter’s last time they were in town know that this is one band not to miss. Their debut for Epic Records, Bastards of the Beat, came out in April and anyone who hears it becomes a fan (well, almost). Cactus Music loves it and so should you. Check out the band’s website for more information on the band.

Last time I saw Juliana Hatfield was when Fig Dish (such a great band) played with her at Numbers in 1997. She spilled a beer in my lap at Emo’s (R.I.P.) after the show. I have pretty much hated her since, although I doubt she meant anything by it. You never know. I did buy her Please Do Not Disturb EP, which was pretty good.

You can read the interview I did with The Damnwells’ Alex Dezen here.

Also, one of my new favorite bands, The Pleased, are coming to Fat Cat’s on Saturday, July 3rd, with The Shore (another one that will be good to see live). Both of these bands do their best to revive early 90’s Britrock. I cannot stop listening to The Pleased’s Don’t Make Things (available at their website for $9.98) and just came across an advance copy of The Shore’s self-titled debut and am liking it a lot as well. It’s going to be a great night of live music so be sure to come out.

In Houston band news, Gun Crazy is playing that same night (ugh!) at The Axiom to kick off their tour of the West. The band will play 13 or so dates before returning to Houston for a shower and some sleep. If you haven’t yet heard Gun Crazy’s album, do yourself a favor and get it–only $10 here.

One of my favorite Houston popsters, Arthur Yoria, is back from his tour and is playing a lot of shows in Houston this summer. I caught one of his sets at C.Lantro’s on Memorial (near Westcott) last Saturday evening and it was great as usual. He’s playing there again this Saturday night from 7 to 9:30 p.m. so bring some friends, come sit out on the patio, and enjoy the music. The food’s not bad either–I suggest the tacos with the pineapple salsa.

Yoria is also playing this Thursday at Vintage Bar (4356 Westheimer on Mid Lane between San Felipe & Westheimer) from 8:00 to 11:00 pm. This is another free show (and is smoke-free as well). On Friday, he plays downstairs at Helios around midnight. Rumor has it that those in attendance will get a speaking part in the “Arthur Yoria Live” video.

Other shows this week include:

Wednesday
Rooney with Straylight Run and Ozma @ The Engine Room
Commune Music–featuring Groceries (or whatever their name is now) & So Many Dynamos @ The Proletariat
MC5 (uh huh, right) w/ Mark Arm, Evan Dando, Marshall Crenshaw, Bring Back The Guns (wait–isn’t that Groceries new name?), and The Riverboat Gamblers @ The Meridian
Undying w/ If Hope Dies, Fordirelifesake, and The Sleeping @ Walter’s on Washington
Organ Failure @ Rhythm Room

Thursday
Piebald with The Jealous Sound, Northstar, and Spitalfield @ Fat Cat’s
Bad Boyfriend, Bethesda, Copius, Fall To None, Dine Alone, and Canton High @ The Engine Room
Gene Loves Jezebel @ Fitzgerald’s
Red Hot Polka Dots @ Rudyard’s
Pamela Laws @ The Continental Club

Friday
Volatil is playing The Grab–809 Pierce @ Milam (next to I-45). NO COVER.

Also, the Vans Warped Tour is in town, featuring Bad Religion, The Vandals, Simple Plan, Dynamite Boy, Atmosphere, NOFX, Coheed and Cambria, the Alkaline Trio, The Tossers, Guttermouth, The Early November, Anti-Flag, Rise Against, Motion City Soundtrack, The (International) Noise Conspiracy, Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards, Senses Fail, Taking Back Sunday, Arcane, O’Doyle Rules, & many many more interesting acts @ Reliant Center
DuneTx @ Rhythm Room
Golden Boy, Darling Waste @ Fitzdown
The Thrones, Sedan, Torches of Fury, White Whale, and Menace of a Heartless Monster @ The Axiom
Carolyn Wonderland @ The Continental Club
J4 and Dodd Michael Lede @ Fat Cat’s
Erase The Virus, A Canvas Waiting, Redweather, and Next To Last @ The Engine Room
Liviya Compean w/ Dreamtrybe @ Rudyard’s — should be interesting
Mofro w/ The Greyhounds @ The Meridian
Childcraft @ Super Happy Fun Land
The StoneKings @ Froggie’s Saloon (13845 Cypress North Houston)
Don Williams @ Sam Houston Race Park
Seraphin, Eden Nox, New and the Old, and Sevrin @ Java Jazz Coffeehouse

Saturday
Summer Love Fest 2004, at The Wink (2910 Winkler Dr.), $5 cover. Come support some of Houston’s finest talent, including Volatil, Insomnia Cerro, Red Planet, The Myrna Sanders Band, Generic, Art Navigator, Teqnica, F7, and more. Los Gallos will provide the intermission music.

Tody Castillo is playing at the Flying Saucer downtown. @ 10 p.m.

Also on Saturday:
Rush @ The Woodlands
Carter Brown w/ The New Mexicans @ Fat Cat’s
Gates Ensemble, Josh Russell, James Rippie, and Price Taggery @ Commerce Street Artists Warehouse
Deep Ella and Chemistry Set @ Rudyard’s — should be good
Papa Grows Funk @ The Continental Club
25th Anniversary of Urban Animals, featuring Dr. Rockit and the Sisters of Mercy, Hershell Berry & The Natives, Romeo Dogs, and Marie English @ Fitzgerald’s
Shinedown w/ Soil @ The Meridian
Battle of the Bands Finals, featuring Dawn Over Zero, Thru The Glass, Co Factor, Door Number 2, Cellcyst, Styll Standing, & Rhenium @ The Engine Room
The Flametrick Subs w/ The Von Ehrics @ Walter’s on Washington
Zombilly w/ Los De Verdad and Greaser @ The Axiom
Bahrain, Dead Roses, and Rotten Piece @ Super Happy Fun Land
RemuSRadio Compilation CD Release Party, featuring Hollister Fracus & more @ Forgettaboutit 2 (in Copperfield)
The StoneKings @ Al’s Sports Bar (3838 S. Dairy Ashford)

Sunday
The Contingency w/ The Down & Dirties, and Archaeology @ The Proletariat
Tish Hinojosa @ The Continental Club
Desperate Measures, Mental, Righteous Jams, Protagonist, Daggermouth @ Fat Cat’s
Neopocracy, Meanpeace, Since The Ashes, Kristoph and The Communist Manifesto, and Omnioid @ The Engine Room

Come out and support your local music scene. Hope to see you out at some shows.

Now Playing in My iPod: The Shore — [self-titled]

Houston’s The Heist at Hand are going to play their last Houston show for a while this Monday, June 21st, at Fat Cat’s. Also on the bill are Glasseater, The Trademark, and Halifax.

The Heist at Hand are: drummer Matt Valentine, bassist Tim Wigly, keyboardist/rhythm guitarist George Perez, percussionist Trent, guitarist Fausto Malik, and vocalist Bianca Montalvo.

Bianca and Fausto recently answered a few interview questions for Houston Calling. Enjoy.

Ten Questions for The Heist at Hand

HC: How did The Heist At Hand get started?

It was actually coincidental and a long story: In the summer of 2001, Matt (drums) and Jared (former rhythm guitar) moved to Houston from Lafayette to start a band, met Fausto (lead guitar) who was, at the time, playing with Los Skarnales, and Tim (bass) through a youth group. At that time, the band had gone through a few male vocalists. In the late summer of 2003, Jared got into a car accident after a show. He was hit by a semi, and put into a coma for a few months. (He’s okay now. He’s recovered and marrying his beautiful fiance soon.) That’s when Matt, Tim, and Fausto decided to make some changes and audition for a new singer. Bianca (vocals), after turning down a recording contract in the middle of the project, had been auditioning for bands for 10 months with no results.

B: I was celebrating my birthday and ran into some old friends, one of which happened to be Fausto’s girlfriend at the time, but had no idea they were looking for a singer. They had an ad up in Space City Rock, but I decided not to answer because I had heard their singer was all screamo and I wanted to sing. I also had an ad but listed no English influences, and surprisingly, they responded to mine. I tried out and have been with them ever since.

F: So, I email her ad and she responds: “Hey, it’s me, Bianca, your friend’s friend”…and after six months of practice, we played our first show at The White Swan with The Satin Hooks. Not only did we change singers, but the music did a one-eighty as well. We had had a much wider spectrum to work off of and hints of everyone’s potential were coming out. We later added George of Murphee K, a punk band from Florida, on keys and rhythm guitar, and Trent, bassist of the now defunct Civillian, on percussion.

HC: I get a hint of Deborah Harry in your vocals, yet your music is nothing poppy like Blondie. What do you consider to be your musical influences?

B: I look up to Debbie Harry as a great example of the power of women in music, however I grew up on Spanish music. I discovered At The Drive In around 14, so when my ears graced the soundscapes of their compositions I was blown away. I credit them with turning me onto rock and have been a fan ever since.

HC: You guys have been playing together as The Heist at Hand since 2001. A lot has gone on in the Houston music scene since then–both good and bad. What is your opinion of the music scene in Houston?

B: There’s definitely allot of undiscovered treasure here in Houston. I’ve noticed the scene to be in heavy competition with each other. Personally, I just want to perform and do shows worth attending.

F: Yeah, there’s a lack of sense of community in Houston. The indie scene is actually getting some attention thanks to bands like Little Compass and Panic in Detroit, but for the most part it’s very clique-ish. In my past experiences in the Houston scene I’ve come to realize you have to get the hell out of here to make it.

HC: How does the band approach the songwriting process? It is a collaborative effort, or do you all come up with separate things and bounce them off each other to see what works?

B: We all feed off each other’s energy when it come to the songwriting proccess. Fausto and I sit down for hours in heated discussion and that’s where some of our topics come from. We’ll present the blueprints to the guys and it takes off from there. Lyrics are always the last thing to develop. I need to decipher the perplexity and emotions of the soundscapes before adding any words.

F: See, the music can be bombastic and driving, but its the words that have the strongest effect. As far as writing influences, we’re big fans of Naruda and Frost. Bianca is very cryptic and has a darker yet optimistic feel to her writing.

HC: If you could have any band cover one of your songs, what song would it be and what band?

B: Hedwig and the Angry Inch doing our song “Pengiun Nuts.” They’re the one band that could do it gracefully. Plus, I’d love to see John Cameron Mitchell rock it out a la Heist at Hand!

HC: What’s your take on the state of the music industry? Are you for or against the MP3 “revolution”? How are you using the internet as a tool to market yourselves?

B: There’s nothing wrong with artists doing their thing as long as their music is an accurate respresentation of “their” creativity, and not a team of producers composing minimalist, watered down crap. The majors take their watery cow and milk it for all it’s worth leaving the rest of us unnourished. I’m all for the MP3 revolution. It’s definitely helping us get heard by people outside of Texas. The indie scene has been aided tremendously since the development of both the MP3 and the internet. We’re using purevolume.com, myspace.com and we have a website as well to network and market ourselves. We’re also taking the grassroots approach in getting our name out there, meaning we’re personally inviting people, passing out flyers, supporting other bands, etc.

HC: How has being in a rock band changed your life?

B: It’s giving us a louder voice in expressing our opinions on social/political matters. We’ve come to realization that we can’t change the world but it’s really great to be able to use our gifts to do what you can to raise awareness on such issues. Although we tally up the majority, we’ve (Latinos, Asians, etc…) been mentally crippled into the idea that we’re the minority and forced to give up our national identity to become part of the ‘American” culture.

HC: What is the one description that you hate to hear about your music?

B: That it sounds like No Doubt, me specifically. They’re a great band but we sound nothing like them and I definitely sing nothing like Gwen. It’s a compliment, nonetheless, to be compred to a band of their stature…or whatever.

HC: What’s next for The Heist at Hand?

B: We’re currently shopping our demo to independent labels so we can release our EP followed by our full-length. We’re starting to perform outside Houston quite often and hopefully launch our first tour soon, and one day be internationally recognized.

HC: What is in your CD player right now?

B: At The Drive In, Mars Volta, Dead Prez, Bjork, Eros Ramazotti

F: Brand New, David Cross, Fisherspooner, and Mos Def

Thanks to Bianca and Fausto for taking the time to answer the questions. Please make sure to go and check out The Heist at Hand (with Halifax, The Trademark, and Glasseater) this Monday night at Fat Cat’s (on Washington Ave.–formerly Mary Jane’s).

Now Playing in My iPod: Skalpel — [self-titled]