Thank you Houston for making this event such an amazing experience!

Check out these links for Summer Fest pictures and reviews:

Note: Make sure to look around sites like Houstonist and Houston Press because they have multiple posts about the event!

Under the Radar

Houston Press

The Houston Chronicle

Houstonist

29-95

Space City Rock

Made Loud

Get your $10 presale tix now

Watch out: The days on your calender are nearly all crossed out. You wake up in the morning shaking, thinking, “Just a few more days… just a few more days…” Well the wait is nearly over; Free Press Summer Fest approaches and with it 50+ local and national bands (like you need reminding). The question: Have you bought your tickets yet? Quick! Act fast! Go to www.freepresssummerfest.com to get your $10 presale tickets while presale continues til the end of the week.

The best strategy always is to ride your bike. But, if you deem it necessary, there will also be PLENTY of parking available. Let’s avoid mincing words and get to the point:

Standard Parking – Chevron Texaco Lot
1204 Bagby St, Houston, TX, 77002
.1 miles, 1 minute walk

Central Parking System (Clay)
333 Clay St, Houston, TX, 77002
.1 miles, 2 minute walk

Standard Parking – Heritage Plaza
1111 Bagby St, Houston, TX, 77002
.1 miles, 2 minute walk

Standard Parking – (Clay 1)
333 Clay St, Houston, TX, 77002
.1 miles, 2 minute walk

Standard Parking – (Clay 2)
300 Clay St, Houston, TX, 77002
.2 miles, 4 minute walk

Central Parking System (Smith)
1100 Smith St, Houston, TX, 77002
.2 miles, 4 minute walk

Parking Services of Houston
1000 Bagby St, Houston, TX, 77002
.2 miles, 4 minute walk

Ampco System Parking (Louisiana)
1000 Louisiana Sy #184, Houston, TX, 77002
.4 miles, 7 minute

Hobby Center
800 Bagby, Houston, TX, 77002
.3 miles, 7 minute walk

Central Parking System (Rush)
511 Rush St, Houston, TX, 77002
.4 miles, 8 minute walk

Central Parking System (Walker)
710 Walker St, Houston, TX, 77002
.5 miles, 9 minute walk

Republic Parking System
511 Rusk St, Houston, TX, 77002
.4 miles, 8 minute walk

Central Parking System (Rusk)
610 Rusk Ave, Houston, TX, 77002
.5 miles, 9 minute walk

Ampco System Parking (Main)
1111 Main St, Houston, TX, 77002
.5 miles, 9 minute walk

Ampco System Parking (Walker)
815 Walker St, Houston, TX, 77002
.5 miles, 10 minute walk

Allright Parking
1313 Main St, Houston, TX 77002
.5 miles, 10 minute walk

Allright Parking of Texas Inc – Main Garage
1301 Main St, Houston, TX, 77002
.5 miles, 10 minute walk

Central Parking System (Jefferson)
600 Jefferson St, Houston, TX, 77002
.6 miles, 11 minute walk

Central Parking System (Jefferson 2)
500 Jefferson St, Houston, TX, 77002
.6 miles, 11 minute walk

Central Parking System (Louisiana)
1700 Louisiana St, Houston, TX, 77002
.6 miles, 11 minute walk

Allright Parking of Texas Inc – Esperon Garage
806 Rusk St, Houston, TX, 77002
.6 miles, 11 minute walk

McKinney Place Garage
930 Main St, Houston, TX, 77002
.6 miles, 11 minute walk

One City Centre Parking Garage
1101 Fannin St, Houston, TX, 77002
.6 miles, 11 minute walk

Central Parking System (McKinney)
1001 McKinney St, Houston, TX, 77002
.6 miles, 12 minute walk

Heritage Clay Street Lot
1804 Bagby, Houston, TX 77002
.6 miles, 12 minute walk

Standard Parking (Lamar)
1331 Lamar St, Houston, TX, 77002
.7 miles, 14 minutes

Standard Parking (Rusk)
1100 Rusk St, Houston, TX, 77002
.8 miles, 15 minute walk

Park and walk at your own risk, but remember to come early to avoid any time listening to traffic rather than music. Also, remember, while parking for bikes will be free, parking in lots may cost you. It is advisable to bring some spare cash to pay for your stay.

Thou shall not bring in:
Guns
Weapons
Alcohol
Pets
Coolers
Camping Equipment
Negative Hipster Attitudes

Though shall be allowed:
Water
Sunscreen
Mosquito Repellent
Phones to let your love light shine

Any divergence from these rules set down by Free Press Houston shall lead to 100 years of burning in the hell fires as well as very, very pouty faces.

UME - Photo Credit: Brigitte B. Zabak

While a large majority of my heart belongs to the awesome Houston bands that will be performing at the Summer Fest, I thought I’d take a couple of minutes to update you all on some of the bad ass music heading our way from Austin.

Explosions in the Sky:

If you haven’t already heard the beautiful, ambient noise that EITS makes, I feel sorry for you. Seeing them in a live, outdoor setting is probably one of the best, if not the best, ways to see this band perform. Do not miss this. I’m not kidding.  I say this even if I’ve held a grudge against them for years since their last show in Houston at Numbers. They can be forgiven for agreeing to play the Summer Fest.

Check out their music here:

Website

Myspace

What Made Milwaukee Famous:

I’m sure you were wondering the same thing. I haven’t had the chance to see these guys live, but I’ve listened to their music and it’s pretty gosh darn good. Check out my album review of  What Doesn’t Kill Us and see for yourself.

Check out their music here:

MySpace

UME:

Of all the Austin-based bands that exist, Ume is probably one of my very, very favorite. Their rock/punk/experimental fusion is just the right mixture of noise for me. Not to mention the fact that I totally dig bands with bad-ass female leads.  Ume is definitely going places and I know this because I saw a recent Twitter update from Threadless that mentioned Ume. It doesn’t get more solid than that…or something.

HP Rocks Off Review of Ume at Walter’s

Check out their music:

MySpace

Other Austin locals you cannot miss:

Indie:

The Eastern Sea

Voxtrot

Octupus Project

Metal:

The Sword

My Abbreviated Two Cents:

B L A C K I E isn’t easy to describe. The first time I saw him perform was at one of the handful of Recession Thursdays put on by FPH. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but had been hearing a lot of buzz about him from I’m not really sure where. His performance kind of left me speechless. I am still not sure if I really loved it or really didn’t get it. His music/performances remind me a little of a surrealistic painting. You look at it, you want to love it, more than anything, you want to understand it. I viewed most of that performance behind a lens trying to capture a moment in that experience that would help make heads or tails of what B L A C K I E was all about; I don’t think it ever happened.  The music can be described, most aptly by  B L A C K I E himself, as American Grime. I suppose that means it’s a combination of a few genres of music including rap and inspired by UK Grime with a lot of random noises thrown in for shits and giggles.  I’ll admit, I am still intrigued by the music and by his potential as an artist and curiosity has definitely killed my proverbial cat when it comes to seeing him perform for a lot of people in a festival setting.

That’s why you need to get out to the Summerfest and see for yourself.

B L A C K I E will be performing on Friday, August 8 at 2:50 PM on Stage 2. Don’t miss it.

What People Are Saying:

With his hoodie on and a mike in hand, BLACKIE finished off the night with an incredibly intriguing performance. The random background noise he used to complement his words drowned those words out, but, in those moments where he let you hear him rant, his prose made you shudder. Locked inside his thoughts, BLACKIE meandered throughout the almost empty venue, speaking softly to himself at some points and screaming into walls at others. His journey led him back to the small group who stood still – engrossed by his presence. The night ended with a circle of toy kazoo playing fans blowing in discord to the soul of BLACKIE’s verse.

– Brigitte B. Zabak (As Printed in Rocks Off – Houston Press Blog – Aug. 29, 2008)

Check out the B L A C K I E Wikipedia Page for more info and reviews.

The Music:

MySpace

Watch!

Free Press Houston Summer Fest Commercial

My Abbreviated Two Cents:

If you’ve been living in or around Houston in the last couple of years,  I’m  sure you’ve heard an excited whisper or two in regards to The Tontons.  They’ve wasted no time in capturing the ears of many a local music fan.   Their sultry brand of jazz/rock/blues/indie fusion made a buzz almost instantaneously and their live performances have gotten tighter and more representative of the quartet’s true talents.

Though they’ve only been pounding the proverbial pavement for a couple of  years, they’ve already landed some pretty impressive gigs and some stage time at SXSW. Don’t take my word for it though – be sure to check them out at the Summer Fest on Friday, August 8th at 1 PM.

For More Information on The Tontons:

The Tontons

Hater Magazine’s Interview with The Tontons

I’m a pessimist when it comes to indie music.

I always think that a band sucks until they prove otherwise.  I’ve spent countless evenings at live music venues resisting the urge to yell “boo!”, but that was until I heard the seductive sound of The Tontons.  Asli Omar, Adam Martinez, Justin Martinez and Tom Nguyen make up this motley crew of young and incredibly talented musicians.

Despite being consumed with the recording of their new album, the brood was gracious enough to meet with me at Café Brasil to discuss their inevitable future success.  Adam Martinez, lead guitarist, who apparently has an issue with tardiness, was absent  for the first half of the interview, but the other present and accounted for members more than made up for his absence.

Though excited about the April release (hopefully!) of their first full-length album, the band openly admits that deadlines are no friend of theirs.  They tend to work better under pressure and fans will appreciate the final product, even if it takes a little longer. The album is an eclectic mix of almost every genre of music. “It has a little bit of everything except metal…right now,” admits Justin.  Asli giggled in agreement, “As of right now, it’s really similar to the last album. The signature things are still there, but it’s more mature.  We don’t have as many solos and weird endings that we didn’t have figured out. Overall, it’s just a little more developed.”

After receiving the 2008 Houston Press Best New Act award, the band has seen new and important doors open up for them – making life as an up and coming indie band a lot easier.  “We just get offered shows now and I think we take that for granted,” Tom says.  In the same respect, the endearing quartet recognizes that fame, while exciting, is also limited in scope.  “It’s fun being big in Houston, but it only means something to a certain extent. Once you step outside of the city, the way people react to us is mostly like wondering who the hell we are. It’s nice to be big in Houston, but I’d rather be big in Austin because that means most likely you are big outside of Austin.  If you’re big in Houston, then you’re just big in Houston,”

And outside of Houston, the Tontons will be the only American band to play the Reeperbahn Festival showcase at SXSW. The band made their SXSW debut in 2008 and Asli encountered her first international fan. “I got stopped on the street by a foreign girl and asked me if I was the singer from The Tontons. I told her yes and her only reply was that I look really thin in person.  That would have been great to hear, but she was really negative about it.  I went and ate some barbecue and cried myself to sleep!” she joked.

Maybe being big in Houston ain’t so bad after all, guys!

Monique Crump

Reprinted with permission

It’s crunch time people!! The Free Press Houston Summer Fest is only TWO, count ‘em -  one and two, weeks away. FPH has been teasing you for weeks with its awesome lineup and now it’s time to school you all on some of the local performers who will no doubt blow the unsuspecting crowd away.

My pick for this week (and every week if I had the choice) is News on the March.  NOTM is probably the one up-and-coming local band that got me excited about local music again.  I think the first time I saw them live was last summer at Walter’s for the EP release show for The Eastern Sea. That whole show was filled with amazing local talent, but NOTM really stuck out to me as a band that would just continue to grow artistically the more they played and produced music. I’m glad to see my instincts were right.

Below is a brief article that ran in FPH about News on the March. Be sure to check out their MYSPACE page to hear some tunes, read more nice stuff about the band and keep track of what’s coming next.

News on the March
“In Xanadu did Kubla Khan a stately pleasure dome decree…”
One of the greatest things about Houston bands, in this writer’s humble opinion, is that even when a given band seems uncomplicated – they rarely are. The process of making the music they do is the result of countless hours of hard work and dedication spawned from the minds of musicians that are anything but predictable.
News on the March hasn’t been in the scene for very long, but in the short time that they have been writing, performing and producing their music, they have proven themselves to be one those bands that cannot be taken at face value. The music they play – which the band describes as “60′s pop meets western swing with a dash of tin-pan alley” – may seem effortless on stage, but what their audience may not know is how much time and energy goes into making sure their songs sound flawless when you listen.
The production of their soon to be released EP Glory Be! has not been an easy task. Set to release pre-Hurricane Ike, Glory Be! had to be placed on the back burner due to the extensive damage to their home and studio. Drummer Ryan Odom talked about the issues he and his band members had to endure in order to get this gem of a record out to the indie music masses, “It’s been quite the struggle to get this little release out. We had hurricane destroy our studio/home and were lucky enough to save our instruments and recording equipment, but not lucky enough to  make the deadline we gave ourselves.”
And the actual making of the EP in and of itself is a testament to how special News on the March really is. The are musicians before anything else and every twang-filled note is a reflection of how much they just love to make music. “We recorded Glory Be! in our home with a very minimal setup. We had 2 inputs running into a ten year old computer. What was great about doing it this way is that we spent a lot of time getting comfortable in the studio together and really got involved in the production of our songs, which we think really shows in the new songs we’ve recorded since then. Joe [NOTM's guitarist] has since built what he calls Master Bedroom Studios into a very legitimate studio,” explains Odom.
The loveable quintet are avid fans of other local musicians and are always racking their collective craniums to come up with a show or a concept that can propel not only the band but also Houston indie music into a new realm. Anyone who attended the Halloween madness that took place at Walter’s this year can attest to the band’s ingenuity, humor and ability to have a fucking great time.
The universe always has a plan and while the the originally scheduled EP release soiree would have no doubt been epically entertaining, their upcoming show will prove to be one you will kick yourself for missing. They have had a little more time to polish their performance and put that little something extra into the music. Besides, how can you go wrong spending an evening at Rudyard’s watching a band of bearded men (and one lovely, not bearded cellist) belting out original tunes that they worked darn hard to create? (Brigitte B. Zabak, Free Press Houston 12/08 issue)

My Two Cents:

When I was a teenager, one of my favorite things to do was to familiarize myself with the best local music (in my opinion – of course). Back then, we had more venues willing to play live music and, for awhile at least, it seemed Houston had more local musical talent than we knew what to do with.  I had all the music I could ever want right at my fingertips. It was great. Then, I moved away for college and when I returned, my passion for local music had waned and I never felt the overwhelming urge to try to resurrect it.

When I finally came around, I was fortunate enough to be writing about music and entering back into the Houston music scene as it was taking a turn upward. There are a handful of truly talented indie-type bands in Houston and time has helped many of them develop into really solid performers. One of those bands – Young Mammals – seem to have just been born into greatness.

I’d heard about Young Mammals for years – but back in the day they were known as The Dimes. I’m fairly certain that from the moment they began playing – people could not stop talking about them.  It was awhile before I got to see them  live, but when that day finally came – I was not disappointed.

Over the last couple of years, I’ve seen them perform in tiny venues like Club 1808 in Austin and Butterfly Lounge and people are always crammed wall to wall in sweaty goodness to see them play. Describing their music as energetic really is doing a disservice to how fun and animated their live performances are.  From start to finish – their shows just never stop being fun and each one is a unique experience separate and distinct from the last.

The music overall is really catchy and well constructed. Their songs ebb and flow with a nice ratio of subtle indie chords to manic powerpop and Carlos’ voice is distinct enough to carry the power of the instrumentation all the way home.

The guys recently finished their LP “Carrots” and will be kicking off a small tour on July 9 at Mango’s. Check their Myspace page to see if their playing in a town near you – and if they aren’t – bring your butt down to Houston and check them out at the Free Press Houston Summer Fest!

Get to know the band in their (or their publicist/etc./etc.) words:

YM Band Bio via SXSW 2009  Showcase Artists Page (which they did in fact play this past March!)

Like any good story of biblical proportions, Young Mammal’s origins begin with brothers: The Sanchez’s. In 2004, front man Carlos Sanchez and bassist Jose Sanchez would share their mutual musical appreciation with guitarist and world geography classmate Cley Miller. Soon after, the three joined forces during their freshman and sophomore years of high school and become the Young Mammals.

The young men began by rocking the usual battles of the bands and local gigs, the whole while revealing some of their most obvious influences (Talking Heads, Pixies, Television, Beatles, Beach Boys), while keeping some of them to themselves (The Zombies, Neutral Milk Hotel, Taj Mahal, Nick Drake). Taking their brand of intensely youthful (and some times sexy) indie rock pop to the streets, Young Mammals began recording a handful of tracks in the studio in 2006.

Armed with their self-titled EP, the band garnered local and statewide attention, having been nominated for four 2007 Houston Press Music Awards (Best Indie Act, Best New Act, Best Song for “Delilah” and Best Local Artist) and winning three. The Young Mammals went on to play the 2008 South by Southwest music festival and deservedly won the Houston Press’ “Best Band Name” award in 2008.

The Young Mammals recently finished recording CARROTS, their first LP, with Houston producer Steve Christensen. And while they continue to open with an impressive roster of music acts (including The Walkmen, Tapes ‘n’ Tapes, HEALTH, French Kicks, Dios (Malos), Voxtrot, Dr. Dog, Matt & Kim and others), the Young Mammals plan to play at a stage near you in 2009.

Get to know their music:

Myspace

Sonicbids

It’s finally here! A music festival worthy of our great city.  Free Press Houston is working in conjunction with all sorts of cool local folks to bring Houston (and well, Texas) one of the biggest, most bad ass events we’ve seen in awhile. It doesn’t need to be some big fancy music fest in Austin to be worthy of your auditory time.

FPH just released their Summer Fest schedule to the masses and over the next month, I (your humble, but inconsistent blogging gal pal) will be posting info on many of the bands playing the Summer Fest. Go here to view and print the stage guide: http://freepresssummerfest.com/schedule.html

I know all you indie-music-loving fools are already well acquainted with bands like Broken Social Scene, Of Montreal, Explosions in the Sky and Devin the Dude.  But,  can you say you’ve had the privilege of spending a night rocking out to local favorites like Young Mammals, Muhamadali or The Ton Tons at one of our many (or few)  fine local establishments?

Well the Summer Fest will change all that. It’s a fun, inexpensive way to do the following:

1) Spend a little money to see 2 days worth of  Local AND National acts ( Advanced tickets are only $10 a day or $16 for the weekend). Not to mention the fact that a portion of the money you spend to have a good time will go to benefit a local non-profit that does great things for our community!

2) Catch up on your summer tan.

3) Put that expensive, but rarely utilized bike to good use by riding it instead of your car down to the park.

4) Eat yummy local food and support the local arts and music scene!

5) Attending the Summer Fest  allows you the rare opportunity to tease your non-Houston friends about “that cool, cheap music festival” that you’re going to and they aren’t! (This is my personal favorite. You have no idea how much time, money and miles I’ve put into trekking over to Austin to see music. It’s time those guys come to us for a change!)

Come back and visit IKMH for more info on many of the bands you’ll be seeing in August!

Hello everyone out there!

It’s been too many months since I’ve last posted on IKMH.  So much has been going on lately – most of which is non-music related. I think after writing for as long as I have been, and at the pace in which I was writing, I got a wee bit burnt out (as if you couldn’t tell – assuming you were payin’ attention).  So, the last several months have been filled with a number of other creative endeavors – most of which, oddly enough, focus on film.

Since my last post in December of 2008 (damn!), I kept up a steady pace of attending live gigs. I had the good fortune of  covering SXSW 2009 and saw a handful of bands that have been playing on repeat for months now. Not to mention the amazing opportunity I had in getting to see PJ Harvey (pictured above) perform for the first time ever. I’ve waited over 20 yrs to see her perform live and every minute of it was captivating.  If you want to check out some of the bands that peaked my interest – I’ve provided a linky link to the article I wrote for Amplifier.

I also got a chance to check out Morrissey – whom I haven’t seen since the Kill Uncle tour in like ’92 – and Mogwai. Morrissey was great, because, well,  he’s Morrissey.  But, I have to say, I was a little disappointed in the fact that he played more Smiths songs than he did retro Morrissey tracks. I love The Smiths, obviously, but I guess I have always ever wanted to hear their music played when the band was together in its entirety. Though – I have to admit – it was pretty darn cool to hear him play the song I named this humble lil blog after!

Mogwai’s latest album The Hawk is Howling is a slightly new direction for the band and it was a real pleasure to see it in live form. I’ve seen these guys a handful of times, and while I always wish it was just a wee bit louder, I’ve never been disappointed.

Since Mogwai’s show – I’ve taken a step back from writing and from shows and from approaching music in any way other than for personal enjoyment. Two bands in particular – Camera Obscura and Mumford & Sons - brought me back to my musical life. It feels good to just love music again and not be crippled with the fear of not writing a good enough piece to articulate my thoughts on a show, an album or a song. I’m not sure what my next steps are with that, but for now, I am just enjoying the simple pleasures of singing along to the same 4 songs as I drive to and from the 9 billion things I have going on in my life.  I suppose I’ll elaborate on some of those things in future posts.

For now, my main goal is to figure out with the F to do with this blog. I should probably update at least once a week and I need ideas for what direction to take this in!!  Any guidance?