REVIEW: SOMETHING FIERCE - MODERN GIRL EP

ATTN: STEVEN FIERCE. ATTN: NIKI.7. ATTN: DRUMMER WITH THE BIG RED HAIR THAT WE PRESUME HAS A NICKNAME OF SOME SORT BUT WE AREN’T AWARE WHAT IT IS: We need to talk. You see, ever since the events of 2/3, the particulars of discourse about this town has changed. Changed significantly. And, on your new otherwise Rack of Casta hot new EP, Modern Girl, you have a song called “Hey Houston” that contains some un-patriotic criticism of our town. Remember Something Fierce, to love something is to embrace it unquestioningly with freedom, and not to point out ways in which it could be improved. You have to understand that you go to rock with the scene you have. Your words give comfort to our enemies, especially Ume and The Sour Notes who should never have learned the lesson that it is possible to make even better music in Austin than they were making before treasonously moving there. We don’t want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud.

The Constitution may not be a suicide pact, but the freedom to love the Greater Houston Partnership is. Remember too that freedom of expression is a right, not a privilege, and like other rights it can be taken away faster than you can say ‘hebus corpus’ should you not be privileged enough. Also, we have seen you out on the town with drive-by liberal media journalist Dusti Rhodes, so we must therefore take it as a justice-y truth that you hate all things Patriotic and Houston including the San Jacinto Monument, Junction Jack the Astros mascot, the local Municipal Utility District and Jenny Westburry. Don’t think we haven’t noticed that you no longer wear an enameled Mayor White lapel pin. Why do you hate our freedom?

But for serious – do we even need to review this EP? It’s from Something Fierce, after all, and it continues to sharpen the trajectory of their already catchy-as-all-hell pop garage punk whateverness. The songs here take everything that we love about Come for the Bastards and the Teenage Ruins 7" and pistol-whips it up a notch. Sure, eventually it behooves our un-hoofed trio to branch their sound out from the original intent they have now mastered, but it’s not like they’re even on their second full-length yet. We are stoked.

Do we even need to review this EP part two: It’s totally free. See, if we had said that at the beginning you would have just clicked and downloaded and could have saved yourself the trouble of reading all this. Sometimes the notion of a ‘free album for download’ makes us think ‘oh great more crap to clog up our iPod.’ So not the case. We’re not sure WHY you would make your entire EP available for free while you’re still in the process of potentially having it released, or atleast until we understood the intent, to promote the new houstonpunk.com message board. Giving away your hard work to try and bring people together, create some more dialogs and a tighter, more connected, more fun scene? Now that’s Patriotism. Like a powerdance winner, RECOMMENDED TO THE EXTREME.

NOTE: To Clarify and so there is no doubt in your mind, no one knows more about what is going on in this town than Dusti Rhodes, who also does a hell of a good job giving locals their due. Props.

Download: Something Fierce - Modern Girl EP

GET THE NEW SOMETHING FIERCE EP FOR FREE. LIKE RIGHT NOW. FOR SERIOUS!

WOAH. So, Something Fierce, when they aren’t ripping it up in the Starbucks parking lot or working inside of it, write and record songs with the unstoppable mailbox-destroying power of Lance Berkman wielding a bat while riding on a bike for two piloted by Lance Armstrong. Their forthcoming, the Modern Girl EP, isn’t due out for a little bit longer. BUT people with internet browsers and the gumption to type houstonpunk.com into their web browsers can go download a copy of it for free. People without the gumption can simply click on this link, but you really should get out more and be careful with the clicking cause you know we love the rickroll.

Because we couldn’t possibly turn off the Sour Notes forthcoming debut even if we tried, we can’t really comment as to Modern Girl’s content, though the demo of the title track has been floating around for the past year or so and is more excellent than hearing there’s a sale on wig powder (if you wear a wig, that is). Download and post yr thoughts in the comments! OBEY!

PS - we apparently now have a punk message board in our city now. Who knew? If only we could get one for emopop. Oh wait.

PREDICTION: SOMEWHERE TODAY THE BLAGGARDS WILL BE PLAYING

You know what is one of our favorite books here in the office? If you said How the Irish Saved Civilization, then you, good friend, have a psychic gift similar to the person our chief editor met last night who guessed his birthday five minutes after meeting her. He's still freaked out by it. He tells us he'll get out from under the bed soon. MEANWHILE! Being a civilization-saving people is no easy burden, and therefore when we celebrate our most famous non-Bono countryman, it's somewhat sad but true that many of the songs sung to not extol the virtues of remaining on the wagon.

And this St. Patty's day is neigh an exception. For the love of the County Claire, we beseech you to check out one bit of music or another brought to you by lovable local lads who may or may not be of the finest stock on the planet (note - just a friendly reminder to all you goolge calendar users out there: you can have our show list appear as a layer on your schedule. Click here to add it. How civilization saving).

So Many Dynamos, Blarney Back the Guns, Something Fierce, Gentleman Auction House @ Boondocks
Pitchfork, in their recount of SXSW happenings noted that "Very few bands manage to put on a spazzy, high-energy live show and still have great songs (think Brainiac and the Dismemberment Plan), and So Many Dynamos are one of them." But many of us already knew that. So be sure to catch them before they become a bunch of designer-jeans wearing sell out jerks like Bring Back the Guns, who stopped taking our phone calls ever since they were on some Oprah-hosted reality show last night with Tony Hawk. SK8 OR DIE! There is no feed for us to fawn over Something Fierce of Gentleman Auction house (currently on tour with the Dynamos. Also, this show is free.

Birds of Avalon, Monotonix, Dark Meat, Sharks and Sailors @ The Mink
OH MAN OH MAN! Monotonix was blowin up at SXSW like our IRA!! (Our retirement account, not the terrorist group. jerk). We seriously got alot of good feedback about this band over the weekend, and it won't be long before the abuzz about them means they'll never come to Texas again. Also, Sharks and Sailors just posted some pretty BA new tracks on their MySpace - a surprising departure from what they've done in the past that works unicorns on us.

Little Claw, Tyvek, The Wiggins @ Jet Lounge
Really? All three of these shows are tonight? Wait a sec, we need to put something in here.



Ah there it is. Doesn't really make us feel any better about it. What can be done. Oh well. Seriously Jet Lounge on a Monday sounds like a nice respite from the Orangemen for real. Party call me.

PS: The Blaggards are playing in Austin today. BOO!

REVIEW: SOMETHING FIERCE/THE HANGOUTS SPLIT

SIR! I must insist that you not stand there with disdaining faces next to us in the elevator. We are both in suits dubiously labeled as 'designed' and not 'made' in Italy, and though the candy-apple punk of Something Fierce is pouring out of my earbuds so loud that it causes you to pretend not to look, I must note that this is my sonic equivalent of your non-fat vanilla grande latte. Its gets me going in the morning and kicks the sleep right out of the corner of my eyes. You see this - the sprite in my step and the pepsi in my perk? I am attempting to meet up with Peter Pan as often as possible, oh Mr. Graying Capitan Hook of the Marriott express elevator, and to do this I need to dyke out the bleakness of what otherwise would be another day far from friends and family and close only to the hearth of Willie Lowman. THESE TWO SONGS are primary in the elixir for numbing the shouting priority of tasks that require my shoes be shined this morning as there is no time to buy their much needed replacements. I cannot go jogging. I will not use the health and fitness center. But if I did, you would hear this outpouring again. It has been a long time since I spent any time with Teenage Ruins, but you are On Your Own, just as I am, and there is no damn good reason why we shouldn't be sharing these headphones and vigor together. We both need it my friend, we both need. DING! DOOR OPEN! Go kick the shit out of that meeting, friend. Be fierce.

Stream: Something Fierce - Various Tracks

STOLEN: SOME VERY FIERCE CLOTHING

Have you been following Something Fierce's tour blog and video? It's over on the Chron. Great idea. Not much in the way of performance video, mind you, just short snapshots of the other parts of being on the road - driving, sitting, waiting, selling records to stores, recovering from the previous night and, of course, going to wal mart to replace the clothes you had stolen. Yes, it turns out that in Atlanta, not even shorts are safe from pillage. SO LAMENTETH STEVEN:

While departing from Atlanta, Niki and I realized that we had been swindled. After we went for a swim in the pool, we left our wet clothes outside to let them dry. Unfortunately, our pool clothes were stolen in the night. So, if you see a sneak-thief wearing a Social Distortion t-shirt and/or women's shorts and underwear, feel free to destroy their very being!

NOW GO SHOPPING ON TOUR IN THIS VIDEO:

(ok so apparently we can't embed chron.com videos, so you are going to have to go here to view it)

Certainly the theft is not nearly as bad as others suffered recently, and is more comic than anything (SBT if those shorts were sentimental). The tour diary (or whatever) and the tour itself winds down August 4th. Something Fierce, btw, is nominated for Best Punk in the Press Music Awards, and is our recommended pick. Don't forget to vote.

SOMETHING FIERCE GET AWARD NOD; PREP YET ANOTHER 7"

The other day we were at a BBQ and were pretty sure we saw Steven Fierce rocking it out on Guitar Hero II. Before we could we could finish setting up our delectable anti-pasta spread and go say hello, he was gone. Presumably, his early departure from the foody festivities was because, well, Something Fierce always has a ton of stuff going on. Just today, for example, they announced that not only had they been contacted by the Press about being a nominee (in an unknown category), but that they have yet another seven inch coming out.

We say "yet another" because, as of this writing, it will still be another month before their split EP with College Station's The Hangouts will drop. Slated for an October Release, the next next 7" will be put out by Indiana's Bitchin Riffage Records, and is said to include their recently demoed "Modern Girl" plus three other brand new jams. Stoked.

Back to the Houston Press Music Awards, we have a suspicion that the nominees for this year's go-around will be announced as soon as this week. We'll have the Real Talk you expect on the ballot after a suitable period of digestment. Mind control you then.

Stream: Something Fierce - Various Tracks

REVEALED: SOMETHING FIERCE SPLIT

NO! NOT SPLITSVILLE! As far as we know, there is no danger of a Burt and Loni anywhere in Something Fierce’s walk on the Hollywood Stars. We’re talking about their upcoming split 7” with College Station’s The Hangouts. The kids who come correct sent us a few of the deets about the new record, which comes out July 7th on Manic Attack Records. ALLOW US TO CUT AND PASTE THEIR WISDOM:

“The Hangouts are the sole reason there is any sort of "scene" in College Station. They've got kids, real jobs, and a love for Punk Rock like you wouldn't believe. We make it out there frequently, and we even recorded our demo tracks with AtariMatt, the guitarist and leader of the band, in his cozy, avocado painted bedroom. He records everything out of his house.

Manic Attack Records is Matt's baby, and our Split 7" is just another one of his self-funded projects. He has a giant garage full of pinball machines, ancient Atari arcades, and he even takes Atari's apart to make music. He's one of the coolest people I've ever met.”

MMMM avocado. The strangest fruit at the core of the crucial guac. MMMM. Check out Something Fierce (you know, when we say 'check out' we're not just saying that - like seriously, check this band out. They is wicked fresh like guacamole that a waiter makes at your table) tomorrow night (April 20th) with The Marked Men and The Points @ Rudyards.

NEW TRACKS: SOMETHING FIERCE

Hey Something Fierce, remember our first and only skateboard and the frenetic pace of life when backpacks and a set of three numbers and lunch menus and somebody having a cool older brother with a car mattered? Grass was pushing up faster, and the lawn had to be mowed with increasing frequency, but its cool because after another six weeks the three months that followed were gonna last forever, and we don’t even have a job but its chill because allowance will get us by and we got this ten speed and a watch.

Yeah, we could have used you in our walkmen back then, but SERIOUSLY we don’t really hold a beef up on that because you can’t go back, but you can go forward and we just wanna say thanks for posting these new tracks ‘Teenage Ruins’ and ‘On Your Own’, cause they really are taking us back to a seriously better revisionist vision of what our life was back then, and giving old people a trip back to before they had to shave and manage the allocation of their 401(k) assets is a real gift, so please keep doing it. WE DON’T WANNA!

Stream: Something Fierce – Teenage Ruins; On Your Own

DUMB QUESTIONS/SMART ANSWERS: BRIGHT MEN OF LEARNING

Every now and then, we subject someone in a band that reps the real to some pretty dumb questions and post their responses. This week, we sent off our set of music journalism 101 prompts to Marshall Preddy, vocals and guitars for Bright Men of Learning.

What's your favorite record lately?
Brian McManus left a comment on my year-end Top 10 list recommending Ghostface Killah's Fishscale. I'm embarrassingly ignorant about rap/hop music, and I don't own a single Wu-Tang record, but I bought Fishscale, and I can't stop listening to it. Not being a rap music aficionado, I can't reliably tell you why it surpasses the limited number of other rap musics I've heard. But along with the new ones from Clipse and Lupe Fiasco, it's among my best purchases this year.

Is there a Houston band who you've been digging lately?
I love Something Fierce. LOVE THAT BAND. Love their record. They're really nice kids, and their songs -- this will sound dorky -- are really well constructed. All the tracks on their new one have these swell choruses that avoid leaning on the typical LOUDsoftLOUD dynamic. They're just loud. But like the Dimes, you can hear a clear Pixies influence in the changes. Yeah, it's still formulaic punk, but it's easy to forget they're using a formula. And it's nice to hear a modern pop-punk band get their guitar tone right. I'm not sure why all these emo bands take their stacks into the castrati zone, but it needs to stop.

Also, I saw Inoculist recently (probably for the last time, unfortunately since I think John Hunter and/or Heath Flagtvedt are moving). The entire show was pretty great, but I love listening to Heath play guitar. He's been a pal of mine for ever, but that Inoculist show surprised me. He's vastly improved from his days with Matty and Mossy, and he was really good then. He's just one of those gifted players who can get away with these sweetly languorous guitar solos. He's no technical virtuoso, but his brand of slowhand is full of purpose and grace. I could listen to him play all day long.

What is your day job?
I need to get one pretty soon. Right now I'm a law student at the University of Houston. I am also good at the Internet. And lately I've been playing a lot of Zelda on the Wii.

REAL TALK: CRUCIAL WEBSITES?
I don't read a lot of Music sites anymore. The music sites I do read are local blogs, namely Nonalignment Pact and Houston Calling. Ramon Medina and company have been doing a really nice job with NAP. And Skyline Network, of course. Mostly though, I read a mix of Web/tech blogs ( e.g., Techcrunch, Ars Technica) and legal blogs (The Volokh Conspiracy, Concurring Opinions). Lately I've been doing a ton of reading on Insurance Law. I know that sounds fascinating.

Sites I use on a regular basis:
News: Slate, NYTimes
News reader: Google Reader
Music: Last.fm, Emusic, ReverbNation
Social networking: Facebook (so much better than Myspace)
Blogging: I use Vox for my personal blog.

What's your secret Houston place?
I'm not sure I have a secret Houston place. I've lived here continuously for more than 30 years, so there's definitely some nooks and crannies I prolly know about. Recently, though, I ate at the District 7 Grill for the first time. They've been around since 2003, but I have yet to talk to any pals who know the place. Part of the problem is they're located on Hutchins, to the east of Downtown. But they have a new location in Midtown at 501 Pierce. Holy crap, it's seriously the best all-American food I've had in this city. It's the only place I know of that comes correct with their gumbo. It's working class gumbo. Not as good as that what my cajun folk make, but it's close.

Who is skipping Houston on an upcoming tour that kinda has you bummed?
I just got my tickets to Yo La Tengo. First time they're coming in six years, and they've been my favorite band since '93. Nothing else matters. I am a happy man.

What is never far from your side?
My girlfriend, Jordan.

What does BMOL have in the works right now?
We're about to go into the studio to start our second record. We start tracking March 24. We're using Chris Ryan (aka Dead City Sound) again, since he did a great job with our last one. He's got a new place now, with isolation rooms and all that. We recorded the last record at Clark's (a nightclub), which, uh, was less than ideal. This is also the first time that we're recording with Ben Murphy as our glorious fifth wheel/cowbell specialist. Since he can play several instruments and knows a crapload about recording, I think adding him is going to have a pretty big effect on how this record sounds. It's probably going to be a bit more polished and pretty. There will definitely be some keyboards, some harmonies, and a few other nice touches. And there's going to be a lot more variety in the songwriting. Yeah, I'm still writing and singing lead nearly every song, but there's a bit more range among our new tracks. There are some nice slow jams, some guitar freakout stuff, and a few other curveballs. So yeah, there will be differences. We're still trying to rip of the Replacements, though.

But before that record comes out, you can check out Bright Men of Learning Friday (March 2nd) 2pm live on KTRU, or at about the same time on Saturday where they will be playing the Rise Benefit at the Last Concert Cafe.

MP3: Bright Men of Learning - Cross

WEEK IN REVIEW: Other News

A Summary of our Other News links from last week.

• Matt Brownlie: RE: PHILLIP GLASS - HOUSTON IS RETARDED
• NonAlignment Pact on Sharks & Sailors, My Education and Red Swallows
• Billy Gibbons on next Queens of the Stone Age LP
• KTRU Battle of the Bands Tonight
• BUMMER: Visa Issues Force Jesu to Cancel Houston Appearence
• VIDEO: Something Fierce Live @ Beerland
• New Exhibition at Museum of Printing History Features Local Show Playbills
• Paris Falls Unveil New Track "Shelter"
• FREE: Sharks and Sailors' new EP
• Stream: Smoke Eaters playing Gouge Away
• DJ Claire Taylor Opines about KTRU

Last Week in Other News

Repost of our "other news" links from the past week, archived for your eternal pleasure.

• 14K to Perform at Rockbox on Thursday
• Something Fierce Demo Tracks now Available for Download
• Houstonian Robyn Troup Helps Push the Grammys Even Further from Relevancy
• Stereogum's Live Blog of the Grammies
• Jana Hunter Signs with Gnomonsong Records
• Pitchfork Disses on Paul Wall
• Mutant Hardcore setlist- 2/8
• Olivia Flores Alvarez Dumbs it Up at a DJ Sun Gig
• Monocles/Sporatics/Cop Warmth Feb 21st @ The Mink
• Anna Nicole Smith Dies!
• R. Kelly has emergency appendectomy!
• MV & EE, Jana Hunter, Graustark @ Rudz this Saturday
• SXSW Band List FINALLY Up
• The Juan Mclean DJ set at next MFAH Mixed Media Event
• Austin's Sound Team Playing the Proletariat Saturday
• Chron.com Hometown Showdown Announced
• Flowers to Hide Post New Recordings
• SXSW Confirmed List Swells to Over 500

Everyone you Know to play Noise and Smoke Fest

The weekend before you and your mates will be trying to figure out how to foist one another over the wall at Stubbs, Emos and other SXSW venues for which you will not have the proper credentials, the two day Noise and Smoke festival will be underway here in Houston. For an insultingly low $8/day, you’ll spend Friday (at Notsuoh) and Saturday (at Walter’s The Axiom) seeing just about every act in Houston not signed to French Kiss records. From the cryptically entertaining Cop Warmth to the Pitchfork Mix-tape appearing Indian Jewelry to an apparently drummer-only incarnation of God’s Temple of Family Deliverance, the weekend promises to be an all out race to the finish for livers and eardrums alike. Lineup time:

Friday, March 9th – Notsuoh
Ume, The Ka-Nives, Satin Hooks, Bring Back the Guns, Finally Punk, Jana Hunter, Eat Grapes and Cop Warmth

Saturday, March 10th – Walter’s on Washington The Axiom
Indian Jewelry, Something Fierce, Skullening, God’s Temple of Family Deliverance, The Wiggins, Blades and The Dimes The Sporatics.

Update: word now coming from festival co-organizer and recent brain-drain encourager Joey Promahoney that Noise and Smoke will not only be an annual event, larger in size and scope, but that they anticipate it will include other, smaller, events during the year as well.

CTRL+C; CTRL+V: "Future festivals will more likely not be in a bar setting. ex. Outdoors, a larger hall, or possibly in the middle of nowhere. In addition to the festival, Noise and Smoke will be hosting smaller events, for example, we will be announcing a show seperate from the festival very soon"


More Info: Noise and Smoke Festival