CLEAR YOUR CHANNELS: THE WATERMARKS ARE CATCHING A BUZZ

Occasionally, Clear Channel gets some things right. Like the time they had approximately half the people we know on their payroll. Or when they thought it would be hilarious to bring the Smashing Pumpkins back to Houston after they swore they would never return. Plus, we’re pretty sure the last time Stereolab came through town, it was a Clear Channel event. Now, we can exchange lots of heated (and generally chorus-preaching) words about how massive network-owning radio conglomerates homogenize broadcasts and remove local flavor vs. the need to consolidate operations and appeal broadly in light of competing new-media outlets for advertising revenue till we’ve bored even ourselves. And we can bitch how the company was the only place ever that our Chief Senior Editor in Chief in Command ever had a job interview for where he wasn’t made an offer. Fortunately, this is not the sort of place where we talk about media ownership laws (and real talk – the overwhelming majority of the time nearly anything on any Clear Channel station is more listenable to that whatever bush-league amateur talking head is spouting off about on KPFT).

Nope, this is a place where we talk about music so whips, we’re apt to put the band’s name on a t-shirt. Among those screened and printed are stalwarts of the hybrid electro indie pop, The Watermarks, who, it seems, are being taken a shine to by more than a few fans of the New Music Alternative.

Clear Channel, which owns The Buzz and quite a number of few other similarly programmed stations across the country, have started letting unsigned bands submit their jams (sweet or otherwise) to the network, which are posted online. The more the songs are played, the higher they rise in the charts. Granted, you could see this as a cynical ploy to unwittingly enlist working musicians as street teams to drive traffic (and therefore eyeballs and therefore ad clicks and therefore cash) to CC’s various local sites, but in the end, successful acts get some broader exposure as well, and so everybody wins (bands that make it to the top ten, for example, get featured on the ‘New Music’ section of The Buzz’s website).

SO – WHAT OF THE WATERMARKS? Well, they submitted a track of their own, and why the heck not. Free publicity is free publicity. As of this morning (the charts are updated in real time), their song ‘Face The Wall’ had risen above thousands of other tracks to claim #82 on the charts. Fantastic. Granted, the number one song has been listened to over 500 times for every instance of someone hearing The ‘marks, but that just illustrates the serious promotional appeal of being in the top ten (ATTN PEOPLE IN BANDS – Did any of the rest of you throw a track in the ring?).

So – if you haven’t heard the watermarks in a while (and we sheepishly admit we hadn’t heard anything studio-produced since their ACES debut ep), here’s as good a chance as any to take a listen to what their up to. Bzzzzz.

Stream: The Watermarks - Face the Wall

DUMB QUESTIONS/SMART ANSWERS: THE WATERMARKS

Every now and then, we take time off from the rather time consuming task of serving as our own real estate agents to ask someone that rock it like a socket some pretty dumb questions. This week, we were just-in-the-nick-of-time fortunate to be able to sit on the crumbling stoop of our current headquarters building and pester Jason from The Watermarks our patented blend of insufferable inquisi-poo.

What records have you been listening to lately?
Lately, the new Paul McCartney, Memory Almost Full, U2's Achtung Baby; played that just the other day.

What do you think of the new Paul McCartney record?
I think it's kind of creepy how much he references Beatles things. Like the line "the end of the end" and it starts out with the same piano chords as 'The End,' how Abbey Road ends.

Is it wrong to reference yourself, he is Paul McCartney?
I don't think it's wrong, I think it's kind of spooky

Is it kind of "I'm old now" now thing, like the last Johnny Cash record?
I hope not, but I kinda got that feeling from it.

Did you buy it at Starbucks?
No, I didn't

Are there any Houston bands you are into lately?
A band called Ladyheat, they used to be called Cluster Fck, prolly the best show in Houston

What's their story - what do they sound like, what do they do? Why is it the best show in town?
It's kind of like Electric Six; a couple of guys having a good time, singing stupid songs. When You're Older, for example - one of their songs. They just put on a great show, great energy. I think it reminds me of a drunken Mic Jagger.

Do you have a secret Houston spot?
No, not really. I have places I go, but nothing secret. I go to the Mink alot.

Why don't more people goto the Mink - why do all these rock and roll types end up at the Proletariat or Poison Girl or Rudyards or Catbirds?
Familiarity, I guess. The Mink is still relatively new. Almost Midtown, but not quite

What's your ringtone?
It's one of the default ones. My phone died a couple days ago. This is my girlfriend's old phone.

Are you going to get an iPhone?
No

Why Not?
I dunno. I have a phone, I have an iPod. I don't think i need to combine the two just yet. Maybe someday.

Just use some duct tape maybe?
I could. I hadn't thought about that. Or maybe velcro.

What do The Watermarks have going on right now?
We have five shows coming up. The next show we have is with local bands - DJ Sun, D.E.M.O., Heist at Hand.

Oh yeah. So, Heist at Hand hasn't played in town for like, two years - how do you know those guys?
One of the guys from D.E.M.O. just asked us to play the show. Then we're playing with Lady Heat July 13th.

Are you recording anything right now?
Yeah. We're always working on new stuff.

How long have you guys been together now?
Cesar and I have three years now working on stuff.

Catch The Watermarks next Friday, June 29th, playing the show Jason talked about above at The Engine Room. To check out some of their retardedly good jams or peep the rest of their upcoming schedule, head on over to their MySpace.

LATE PASS: FGHOTS PHOTOS

Well, like we said, we didn't much have time to take any snapshots of the various goings on that took place a few weeks ago at the more-successful-than-the-George-Forman-Grill Feel Good Hits of the Summer Fest. Fortunately for us, and for you, a few people did. Please enjoy the following thousand-word encapsulments of a few of the day's performers, and don't forget to send any you might have hiding on your flickr our way. Also, please do not forget we are the kings of R&B. Just sayin.

WATERMARKS (photo by Mindy)


DIZZY PILOT (photos by Erica Cleveland)




PARIS FALLS (photos by Erica Cleveland)

WEEKEND WRAP-UP: FALLING ON OUR ASS EDITION

You may have heard, but we were a little busy this weekend. So much so that we let a number of things not get done. The fruit-fly population in our office kitchen is beyond epic, to say the least. But, back from a trip to Austin and with the planning and preping and decorating and stage managing and pure rockuledge of some festival or another behind us, we are stoked to be back on the job. Here's the dirt on this past weekend.

• The Feel Good Hits of the Summer Fest was a great time. A big thanks to all the bands, especially Paris Falls, who was kind enough to bring their lighting rig when some problems popped up with The Proletariat's array. The Western Civilization and The Watermarks both moved their cribbage piece up a notch in the category of ACES Local Indie Pop Band You Have Never See Live Which have a Definitive Article in Their Name (we should stop and point out here that Coach Springer, owner of more enviable records and listening taste than we will ever have and consulting muse to the Skyline Network seemed pretty stoked on The Watermarks' set). We could go on and on about all the performances - like whats up Kimonos, way to shred the heck out of a Zeppelin tune?! - but how about that decorating?!
  

• A big thanks again to all the bands, the Proletariat, Gilbert, Dunnock, the hard working folks behind the bar, and the door and in the sound-booth and all the people that showed up. With as much of a success as it was, very unlikely that this will be a one-off. Also, while we didn't see too many flash-bulbs throughout the evening, we did see a few - if you took some pictures, post links in the comments section.

• Speaking of Paris Falls, their first CD, the succinctly titled Volume One, was finally available at the show on Saturday. We picked up a copy and are looking forward to bringing our review of it to you soon.

• Speaking of the Kimonos, their next release is in the mastering stage and we are hopeful to have a sneak peak for you soon.
  

• Speaking of record reviews we are looking forward to bringing you soon, we've been blaring Wicked Poseur's 7" ep around the office for the last week, though sadly we were unable to come up with the words to describe it in time to share with you before his show with Dan Deacon at the Mink last night. We also were so flubterghasted from Saturday that not one of our correspondents actually made it to the show. Had we wrote about it in advance, we would have told you that, Mr Deacon, in an inspired moment, was the source behind the name for Jana Hunter's dance troupe, Bony Poner.
  

• Speaking of Jana Hunter, she left Sunday morning for the next stretch of her tour. Pitchfork has the dates as well as the deets on some other stuff she has going on. For this stretch of the tour she is joined by Ray of the Castanets as well as a photographer whose name we are completely drawing a blank on and cannot locate the napkin we used for notes.
  

• Speaking of people who practice in Jana's living room, we learned that Bring Back the Guns have been notified that they are up for a Houston Press Music Award; ditto for the Fatal Flying Guilloteens (we had previously reported that Something Fierce is also on the ballot).

• Speaking of things we are unable to connect to other things, we ran into Bianca of Heist at Hand over the weekend. She's moved back into town after a series of escapades we'd eventually like to get a summary of, and HAH is gearing up for some shows once again. Welcome back kid.

Houston Press Music Awards Showcase – Recap

I nearly stayed home. That would have been an incredible (but sadly, in character) mistake). From the sounds to the sidewalk to the people to the brink, one of the best Sundays I can remember (photos online here). My afternoon got started at 4 PM at Ultra, who played host to God’s Temple of Family Deliverance.

God’s Temple of Family Deliverance – 4pm @ Ultra
Oil does not exist underground in big cavernous pools. Though we see it this way in cartoons, it’s actually is packed into the pores of rocks under fantastic pressure, trying desperately to reach the surface, but is trapped by a shale. Once the seal is punctured by a drill-bit thousands of feet underground, the pressure the oil is under causes it to rush upwards with tremendous force. When done improperly, a reservoir the size of Kentucky might attempt to barrel out of a single hole with fantastic consequences for the eyes and ears.

This is how I view God’s Temple of Family Deliverance; as a black broth whose sound fills a room and bores itself into the tiniest crevices of the walls looking to escape and equalize the pressure. They are tuned down to the Pliocene. They are mightier than their instruments. But, I don’t want to give the impression that they are uncontrolled or undisciplined. They are not a sonic Spindletop, with sounds flailing about wildly and uselessly, moving from curiosity to bore-inspiring in the course of a few minutes.

There is a discipline. There is a science. There is a massive floating platform in the cold North Sea, controlling the resource, bringing it to market in an orderly (though not uninspiring) fashion. A platform moored in 20 foot seas where once only Vikings dared sail.

Comparisons to Pelican are likely as common as they are incorrect. This Norse Tanker stops and turns on a dime. Nothing is let to hang overboard, and the blast of their Graben winds never lets up. What a way to start the day.


The Watermarks – 5 pm @ The Speakeasy
I like these guys. They have a great, if not too conspicuously identifiable, sound. Drum machines, bass, guitar and all the trimmings. Besides, how can you not smile when someone covers The Crystals “Then He Kissed Me.” This group will only get better. The club being insufferably stuffy and hot, I slipped out once the set was over. Guilty as hell.


VIP Lounge @ The Rice Hotel
Wow, did I stay here waaaay longer than I intended. When I should have been seeing meowCifer and Spain Colored Orange, I instead had some free drinks and food, and hung out with some folks. Hell, I even ran into Dustin Jones’ younger sister.


The Rhinestone Life – 8pm @ The 12 Spot
Packed. Couldn’t even get in the front door. So instead, I was stuck with the best seat in the house – outside looking in through the window. I could hear great, and I had a bands-eye view of the club (not to mention elbow room). Every note of soul in my body might last up to 25 or 27 seconds into one of their sets; so much heart with so much head and so so much sex. I’m not going to ramble on and on about how good friends blow my mind, cause that’s lame. But they do.


Slim Thug/Bun B/Devin the Dude – 9pm @ Verizon Wireless
At this point in the evening, I had descended into silliness. But fortunately I was not alone. With $10 margarita yard in hand, entourage in effect, and three short and sweet rap sets on the stage, the evening winded down. I don’t know if I was supposed to know all of those songs or none of them – but I shook my ass and watched out for falling hipsters regardless. I have to say that the turn-out at this show was most disappointing. Hip-Hop is, really, the only scene in Houston that is big nationally, but you wouldn’t have known it last night. All things being equal, though, it was nice to have the room to get down.