WE VISIT THE MIA KAT EMPIRE HOUSE: TOTALLY DON'T RUN INTO NO CATS!

Earlier this year we made a joke (prolly not online) about how the score for geographic record label releases in town being Kingwood: 3, Spring: 2, Montrose: 0. We had a big chuckle about it. Of course, it isn't entirely accurate. Passionateyouththing is, essentially, a Montrose label. And though the mysterious Feow! is ramping up towards a bean-dip worthy (aka, amazing) roster of '07 hits (we can't wait to start talking about this, btw), there really isn't yet much in the way of a label emanating out of the good ghetto that was the 77006.

Well, turns out you can change out that score for Kingwood, as Mia Kat Empire has relocated themselves, area codes and all, to the Heights. Not the bands, necessarily, but their entire pro-gear pro-attitude operations into a front-porch sporting house on 9th street. The quaint little 1930's hide-away might have previously boasted "Two Bedrooms" and "Vaulted Ceiling" in a craigslist posting, but now it features "acoustically treated live and control rooms," a "six color screen-printing tree" and, potentially, "a treehouse."

Dang. Who are these kids? Funny you should ask, we have some background. The three kids who got it all started are Reggie O'Farrell (in-house producer and go-to guy), Matt Ellis (inventory and Matt Pinfield-esque indiemusicknowledgist) and Amanda Ellis (administrator and bookkeeper). Also on the team is label full-timer Sonia Parga, whose duties include getting the word out and showing nosy bloggers around the house.

The label has big plans, and hopes to use its resources not just for the records they put out, but to rent out to kids who want to record rock of their own, or make merch that suits their fancy. We're told that next up in the studio is Buxton, who have a couple of tracks out on the label's sampler comp, and are in the process of knocking out a full length like Warren Moon. Championship (and next time we'll take a camera). Wanna learn more? Stop by the Mia Kat Empire table at next Saturday's Feel Good Hits of the Summer Festival, where you can also take in the sounds of signees The Western Civilization.