Space and the City
Posts tagged Indian Jewelry
PRESS REVEALS THEIR BEST OF HOUSTON LIST
Sep 29th
Most Spooked Cover Model
HUZZAH! What’s our second favorite local BEST OF (aside from our own) every year? You got it, the, uh, Houston Press’ Best of Houston issue, where bands who might have missed out of the Trophey earlier in the year vie for a wall plaque, and many of the fine folks, eateries, establishments and abstract concepts get their gloss-covered due. Since there’s about a thousand categories and it’s actually contained inside an issue of the Press that you’ll have to read as well, we thought we’d wade into the picks and point out a few that might be of interest to folks as attractive as you are. SHAKA!
Best Benefit to Living Downtown: Not Driving a Car
Until you have to goto a grocery store, that is.
Best Place to Meet Single Women: Vinyl Ranch at Leon’s Lounge
Uhh, This monthly wax-only golden-era country throw down may be one of most underrated and WHIPS evenings of fun in the 713, but we’re pretty sure the number of women there tends to be pretty low. Granted, retina burner Rachel Hewlett is usually one of them, and quality does go a long way addressing quantity. But we think you’re better off going to the Starbucks on West Grey to catch all the women that will be heading there now that it’s been recognized as the best place to meet single men.
Best Contribution to Downtown Development: Discovery Green
Someone needs to get their act together and throw a festival here. There are TWO outdoor stages. Who wouldn’t want to play a show while people piloted remote control sailboats in the background.
Best Lawsuit: Walters Takes on its Tormentors
THIS CLUB IS AN INSTITUTION AND WAS THERE BEFORE YOU. When are we going to all get together and do the thing where we put all the for sale signs in their yard?
Best Local Blog: Off the Kuff
SNOOZE. His helicopter can only hold like four people.
Best Band Name: Young Mammals
This is a terrible band name. It doesn’t have ‘wolf,’ ‘fire,’ ‘black’ or ‘Jandek’ anywhere in it. Just name yourself Young Young Mammals Mammals and get it over with.
Best Bar Bathroom: Rudyards Downstairs Men’s Room
We prefer bathrooms where we don’t have to stand on our tip toes to minimize urine exposure, but we’re kind of prissy that way.
Best CD: Indian Jewelry – Free Gold
Holy Crap, we still haven’t reviewed this record. We’re fired. If it weren’t for POWERHOUSE!, we might have to agree. Def in our top five for the year.
Best New Club: Boondocks
We’re gonna go ahead and agree on this one.
Best Club For Local Acts: Continental Club
WHICH LOCAL ACTS?! We’d kill to see some of our favs here, but apparently you need to play a Telecaster through a tweed amp to get onto the stage. Oh yeah, the bands that play here tend to know their songs too.
Best Club for Out of Town Acts: Warehouse Live
We needed this club so bad. Sure, we’re not particularly interested in most of their lineups, but think of what a catastrophe it would be if it hadn’t opened and now we were without the Engine Room?
Best Performance Space: Backroom at the Mink
The little room that could, that’s for sure. We’ve been to (and held) more than our fair share of shows here, but we might give the edge to Boondocks upstairs if they had shows that weren’t just on weeknights. Also, they have Barenjaeger.
Best Patio: El Pueblito Place
Also a winner for least attentive service ever. But seriously, if you can snag a cabana table and are more concerned with ambiance and tasty food/drinks than cost, this is the place to be.
Best Bachelorette Party Entertainment: You(genious)
Confirmed.
Best Bar: Poison Girl
OMG PG HH ASAP PLZ
Best Bar Atmosphere/Decor: Lone Star Bar
Also: Loudest Jukebox, drunkest Metro patrons and most morbidly hilarious shot ($1 Firehouse Specials available only when you can hear emergency vehicle sirens).
Best Coffeehouse: Catalina Coffee
Ahem. The owners of this place COVERED UP their electrical outlets in the aftermath of Ike. Antidote in the Heights let patrons use theirs even when they were running on a GENERATOR. Guess who gets our business?
Best New Bar: Pearl Bar
Funny how a Brad Moore bar won best new bar in 2007 (Pearl Bar, back when it was just a Patio), 2008 (the renovated and finally fully open Pearl Bar) and 2009 (Big Star Bar, which has been open for just a few weeks and is already our new Jam).
Best Unsigned Band: News on the March
Woah. It’s nice to see these guys getting attention like this already. It’s weird to thing about being signed versus unsigned in these times, however. Team Science put out the Papermoons records – does that make them signed? Are there actual documents anymore, or are negotiations carried out via text and MySpace? Where are our funny pills?
Best Concert Series: Saturday Secret Shows @ Shady Tavern
WE KEEP TELLING YOU! Two awesome things about the winter: 1) Cold Weather Clothing. 2) Listening to music on a crisp clear Saturday afternoon, where the beer is only slightly colder than the wonderfully still air.
Best Dive: Crowe Bar
We’d like to say that this is incorrect and that the award should goto the Shiloh club, but we keep forgetting that this last resort of townie culture in the Heights has an internet jukebox and a big-screen TV. However, the people watching is intense and the drinks are heavier than a Dodge, so we might stick with our guns on this one. Tie goes to DUTCHMAN.
Best Local Rapper: K-Rino
WHO?
Best Place to Lie Around Drinking Beer: Valhallah
Bwahahah. Until it got SHUT DOWN.
Best Midtown Club: Shoeshine Charlie’s Big Top Lounge
Known as ‘Big Top’ to everyone not involved in it’s paperwork, it is a great place to catch a drink when you need to sneak out of the Mink, or just want to chill after catching Beetle at Continental. Wait a sec, so every bar on the block where the Press’ Music Editor lives got an award? Next thing you know we’ll be reading about Sig’s Lagoon .
Best Novelty Store: Sig’s Lagoon
Oh.
Best Beach: Crystal Beach
Oh.
Best Place to Buy Music: Cactus Music
We gotta say, we never really liked the old Cactus. Dunno why, just never did anything for us. We really dig the new incarnation. Granted, we drop more dime at Sound Exchange, but we sure spend a heckuva a lot of time digging through the Cactus bins. I mean, somehow they scored a massive portion of the old KILT 45 library – it’s like the sun opened up and rained down 97.1 FM onto our turntable. Genius.
Best Vintage Record Store: Sound Exchange
Also – best place to buy local releases of the non hip-hop, navy rock, or en Espagnol persuasion.
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALMOST NO-ONE!
Jul 31st
Weeeell, the results are in from the 2008 Houston Press Music Awards, and while there were some winners in the scene we all breathe and love, we have to say that our enthusiasm for the results is tempered. Be it voter apathy or competitive categories splitting the Hands_Up vote, it looks like that the sector of the city long regarded as being the most into that rock and roll music walked away with little more than its back beat and a post-showcase hangover. HIGHTLIGHTS:
Best New Act: The Tontons
Grand Opening, Grand Closing as the band is set to go for an extended period without doing much of anything while vocalist Asli Omar is out of town. Catch their smoky picnic table blues Friday at Fitz, Saturday at the Secret Show Festival, or next week at a few shows in Savannah Georgia.
Best Drummer: Shane Lauder (Sideshow Tramps/Born Liars)
Good to see the Liars getting some recognition (but it wouldn’t be going out on a limb to say that he won because of the words “sideshow” and “tramps.” Real talk, their recent release (among others) makes us think there should be a Best 7 Inch category next years. Actually scratch that, we are saving it for our annual awards.
Best Experimental: Studemont Project
Jandek snubbed again, and, as if UGK sweeping the Album, Song and Musicians of the year categories was not hint enough, we are all reminded that H-Town is a Rap Town, so notions of what constitutes “experimental music” varies widely.
Best Indie Rock: Spain Colored Orange
Ok dudes. Real talk. It’s time for the album to come out.
Best Keyboard Player: Gilbert Alfaro (Spain Colored Orange)
Hey dude. Real talk. It’s time for you to drop that album on us.
Best Tribute Band: Beetle
Beetle freaking rules and if you are thinking to yourself “gee, I really could use some wholesome fun on a Thursday early evening” then you clearly have not been to their FREE weekly Happy Hour gigs at the Continental. Epic. Yes, we were so shut out of the awards this year that we are digressing into the Tribute category.
Best Unclassifiable Band: Black Math Experiment
Hahah, pulled out of a nearly month-long retirement to both play a nominating showcase and then collect an award. For serious, though, BME’s fans have voted them at the top of every contest they have ever been up for (remember when they were elected to open for The Misfits?). ATTN OTHER BANDS – are the people who come to your shows that stoked about you?
Best Metal: Golden Axe
Agreed
Best New Club: Boondocks
We still haven’t quite figured out what all the hate is about this place. They have freaking free BBQ on Sundays, a photo booth and an upstairs. FREE BBQ SUNDAYS. Plus, $0 shows atleast once a week and a cheap as plastic Happy Hour. Oh, and the staff are all LORDS OF WHIPS. Although real talk, they got to do something about that late afternoon sun on the patio. Totally killing their scene.
Best Live Music Venue: Warehouse Live
Considering the number of defuncts (or nearly) to win and be nominated this year, we cannot believe that the Engine Room did not win.
Best Record Store: Cactus Records
Gotta say it, we never liked the old Cactus. Never did it for us, not really sure why. We like what the new one is doing in a big way. So even though Sound Exchange cannot be beat for the local selection, we dig heavy on this place now.
Best Equipment Store: Guitar Center
I hope the higher-ups at Guitar Center Corporate know that Levi Johnson has done more to ingratiate their brand to Houston musicians than all the radio spots and glossy direct mails they can produce combined. One aces as Mata dude with a love for music and musicians (and great taste in it too – now on our check-out list due to his recommendation: World’s Most Dangerous) did more for them than Evan’s Music City having an in-venue banner at every place where a vote was cast Sunday.
Best Radio Station: KPFT
Not even by a long shot. Although there are notable exceptions, the quality of programming at KPFT continues to spiral to new identity politics-driven lows. If you think nothing makes your blood boil more than the way Ed Mayberry pronounces “business”, spend a little time listening to this station.
Best Local Label: Mia Kat Empire
Buxton, Hollywood Black and others make up their roster. Serious props are due for beating out more nationally known outfits like Swisha House or Rap-A-Lot.
CONDOLENCES TO:
Fatal Flying Guilloteens and Indian Jewelry, who both lost in four categories each; Arthur Yoria and Buxton who walked away 0 for 3; Hearts of Animals, Sharks and Sailors and Scattered Pages who were likewise shut out of their two-each nominations; and Balaclavas, Bring Back the Guns, By The End of Tonight, Hell City Kings, Insect Warfare, Jana Hunter, The Literary Greats, The Mathletes, Penny Royal, Something Fierce, Two Star Symphony and Whorehound who each blew their one shot at fame. Better Luck Next Year.
Real talk: Thats a long list of talent and a helluva good impression of our record collection. What was your biggest suprise or upset?
TODAY IS BALLOT DAY!!! YUSSS!
Jul 2nd
UPDATE: 2:26 PM: Breakdown of the Ballot by Artist and number of nominations. Fatal Flying Guilloteens and Indian Jewelry come out on top in our cloud with four each:
- Fatal Flying Guilloteens (4) – Musician of the Year, Best Guitarist, Best Punk, Best Male Vocalist
- Indian Jewelry (4) – Best Album, Best Song, Musician of the Year, Best Unclassified Band
- Arthur Yoria (3) – Best Songwriter, Musician of the Year, Best Male Vocalist
- Black Math Experiment (3) – Best Album, Best Song, Best Unclassified Band
- Born Liars (3)– Best New Act, Best Drummer, Best Traditional
- Buxton (3) – Best Local Album, Miscellaneous Instrumentalist, Best Neo-Folk
- Spain Colored Orange (3) – Best Miscellaneous Instrumentalist, Best Keyboard Player, Best Indie Rock
- The Tontons (3) – Best Local Album, Best New Act, Best Female Vocalist
- Hearts of Animals (2) – Best New Act, Best Experimental
- Scattered Pages (2) – Best Drummer, Best Neo-Folk
- Sharks and Sailors (2) – Best Bassist, Best Indie Rock
- Balaclavas (1)– Best Indie Rock
- Bring Back the Guns (1) – Best Guitarist
- By The End of Tonight (1) – Best Experimental
- Golden Axe (1) – Best Metal
- Hell City Kings (1) – Best Punk
- Insect Warfare (1) – Best Metal
- Jana Hunter (1) – Best Neo-Folk
- The Literary Greats (1) – Best New Act
- The Mathletes (1) – Best Experimental
- Penny Royal (1) – Best Unclassified Band
- Poor Dumb Bastards (1) – Best Punk
- Something Fierce (1) – Best Punk
- Two Star Symphony (1) – Best Unclassified Band
- Whorehound (1) – Best Metal
UPDATE 1:56 PM: Born Liars are (oddly) in the Roots Rock category, while Buxton, Jana Hunter and the Scattered Pages all turn up in another new designation “Neo-Folk.” Arthur Yoria and Shawn Adolph (Fatal Flying Guilloteens) are both up for best Male Vocals, while The Ton Tons Asli Omar is in for the Female side of things. Everything else is just details and write ins! Phew what a rush!
UPDATE 1:52 PM: The Experimental category is unreal, with Hearts of Animals, The Mathletes, By the End of Tonight and The Wiggins all competing for the glory. Likewise Indie Rock with veterans Spain Colored Orange, Sharks and Sailors and Young Mammals being joined by newcomers Wild Moccasins and Balaclavas. Something Fierce, Hell City Kings, Fatal Flying Guilloteens and the Poor Dumb Bastards will all likely lose to Los Skarnales in Best Punk. The new category (we think) best Unclassified Bands sweeps up The Small Sounds, Black Math Experiment, Penny Royal, Two Star Symphony and Indian Jewelry. Metal has a tough call to make between Whorehound, Golden Axe and Insect Warfare.
UPDATE 1:46 PM: Moving into the instrument categories, Erik Bogle (Bring Back the Guns, Fatal Flying Guilloteens) is up for Best Guitarist, Shaun Lauder (Born Liars) and Andy McWilliams (Scattered Pages) for drums, Erik Jackson (Spain Colored Orange) and Jason Willis (Buxton) for Miscellaneous Instrument, Melissa Lonchambon (Sharks and Sailors) for Bassist and Gilbert Alfaro (Spain Colored Orange) for Keyboards.
UPDATE 1:42 PM: Best New Act is another full slate of our favorites: Born Liars, Wild Moccasins, The Tontons, Hearts of Animals and The Literary Greats. Arthur Yoria gets a nod for Best Songwriter, and is also up for Local Musician of the Year along with the Guilloteens and Indian Jewelry.
UPDATE 1:39 PM: Skyline Favorites sweep Best Local Album, with releases by Indian Jewelry, Buxton, Black Math Experiment and The Tontons up for nomination. BME and Indian Jewelry also up for best song with “Everyone is Gay” and “Swans”, respectively.
UPDATE 1:32 PM: Ok, Our sources indicate that the truck has arrived. Banner ads have started popping up on the Houston Press website with links to the ballot. We’re pouring over it now. We couldn’t be more excited. We’re huge dorks. From our initial look, it’s full of CONTROVERSY! For example: Neither Bring Back the Guns’ Dry Futures or The Fatal Flying Guilloteens Quantum F*cking are nominated for Album of the Year.
WOAH WOAH HOLD ON THERE VACATION – WE ALMOST FORGOT A THING. Yep, it’s our favorite day of the year – BALLOT DAY. Today, The Houston Press will unveil the candidates for this year’s Music Awards. Then the PR campaigns begin, including a bacchanalian showcase of showdowns (July 27th this year, when you will be no doubt recovering from your evening spent at HOOTENANY 2: TWOTENANNY!), and culminating in an awards show complete with musical performers, trophies, no-shows and Michael Garfield, the High Tech Texan! STOKED! It’s like Oscars season, just with different zip codes, somewhat smaller budgets and a much higher percentage of fixed-gear bicycle ownership.
SO – it being the start of the season, we have rushed back to Houston on The Skyline Network Most Extreme Party Call Me Of The Gods jet and touched down only hours ago, going full tilt on our Segways to the nearest Houston Press corner newspaper box only to discover…. LAST WEEK’S ISSUE!!! We messaged our most extremely secret contact at the Press, and they told us that there may be a problem with the truck delivering the papers, and that they weren’t out on the street yet. OH MAN WE NEED A NEW STORY GRAPHIC:
“TRUCK PROBLEMS” delivering the ballots?! Sounds kinda Mugabe to us!!! Don’t worry Houston – we will be sure to keep our eyes of the freedom eagle on this breaking story, and will post updates as needed. It’s good to be back home and we’re super stoked about today and the month to come. PARTY CALL US!!!
HOUSTON LABELS READY TO FLOOD YOUR COLLECTION WITH MANY NEW ACES RECORDINGS
May 29th
Man OH Woman! The fine folks behind three of Houston’s most extreme party call me record labels have been busier than a Clintonian mathematician lately, putting together a slate of forthcoming releases that dazzles the mind and empties the wallet. Who said you can’t buy happiness? Let’s get to listing.
Team Science Records, which still floats so far above the radar we have trouble keeping up with their steady-streamin lazy river of releases (singles club please), is kicking the summer of with a vinyl release of friends of Houston Matt and Kim’s To/From EP. Though the songs were available on cd before, this is the first time they’ll be getting the 10” treatment, with a hand-screened cover to boot. They’re also putting out the next full length by Wolverine state punks The Swellers. But have our boys (who also do the whole I Heart You Productions thing too) forgotten our local champions? Hardly.
Team Science was smart enough to pick up the option to do the first Teenage Kicks 7”, who’ve been making quite the hay with their live shows and the strength of their first Grey Ghost release. Though we’ve mentioned this before, TS is still planning on putting out a double seven inch from Golden Axe, which makes us cry tears of pure metal joy. And this is a fun one, also on the horizon is a CD from Lisa’s Sons, the pop electronica project that divided the hands_up board rather sharply into PRO/CON camps around the time of the Westheimer Block Party. We’re kinda in the Pro side. This band is alleged to have members of By The End of Tonight in it too, which might be a joke or might be the reason they haven’t put out a new record in the past month.
Dull Knife, hot on the tail of the so- fresh- its- in- the- counter- rack- at- Sound Exchange RTFO Bandwagon New Jack 7” is alleged to be putting together a split 12” from Indian Jewelry and the Future Blonds (both of whom have already put out records in the past month or so – dang dudes, take some time off and read the paper or something). People in the know also count in their trivia cards that DK will be putting out a Wiggins 7” before too long too. Note to bands in Houston wanting to get a Dull Knife release: Don’t use real drums.
Mia Kat Empire (hey look, they ditched the cat from their logo – one down, billions to go) has a brand new EP coming out by Christ punks Hollywood Black, along with one for Framework (which happens to be the solo side-project of Hollywood Black member Ben Ellis). Then later on we can expect a split from ambient kids Wood and Felt and Convair.
All of these records will most likely be available for sale from their respective label’s website, or at quality local record stores like Sound Exchange, Cactus, Soundwaves and Sig’s Lagoon. Party.
PS – You thought we were behind on our reviews before?! YIKES
