Nikki Corvette

This week we start a column for touring shows that will appear on occasion. Often times it seems great artists come through but are overlooked for various reasons so the intent is to spotlight artists coming through town that my be off your radar but really shouldn't be and shoot them 5 questions. We kick this column off with Detriot garage pop queen Nikki Corvette who is playing this Sunday August 31st at the Continental with the Paul Collins Beat and the Boss Martians. (Link)

This weeks music preview for the week of 29 August

Fuck it! It's labor day weekend! You sit on your furry ass and drink your crappy beer all you want kitty! You've earned it! But when you've had enough of doing nothing, I suggest you get out and check out all the great music events going on around town because it's over the top this week.

You want your shitty aging glam metal heroes? You got it! You want Soul and R&B? You Got it! You want Metal? No problem. Punk Rock, Power Pop, Garage Rock, Hip Hop...hell you name it it's going on. You've got Born Liars, Awake, Indian Jewelry, Wiggins, The Mighty Hannibal, GZA, Archie Bell, Octopus Project, Tom Petty, GBH, Jeremy Engigk, Elaine Greer, Riff Tiffs, O'Jays, Lazy Horse, 500 Megatons of Boogie, The beat, Nikki Corvette, Airon Paul Dugas, Tambersauro, Tense, Wiggins, Thousand Cranes...oh it just goes on and on!!!! Check it out for yourself (Link)

B L A C K I E, The Goods, The Mathletes, Giant Princess, Reverse X-Rays, and Generation Landslide this Thursday at Numbers

Heard B L A C K I E? Go do it now.

Also, Austin's Reverse X-Rays added to the already incredi-lux bill. (More details)

I want to break free: Have you ever quit smoking before?

Man- I am sick of being a smoker. I have reached the apex of hating smoking yet continuing to subject myself to feeling like dog shit. I woke up last night with a fever and a possible ear infection. Have a success story? Gimme some inspirado!

Musical Soapbox - 10 Things not to do!

Yea, verily, for as sure as Thor (right) rocks the halls of Valhalla with his mighty sword metal, will a hungover writer dispense with dubious advice. Therefore, in the place of the weekly live review, we have 10 things you should refrain from doing as a band (Link).

This Week's Music Preview - August 22nd, 2008

This week we pay tribute to the only man who can sing about rainbows and still be metal! Yes, Dio is on town with his Black Sabbath mates which gets one of these \m/. That's not all though. We've got Rad Rich's birthday bash, Rudyard's birthday weekend, Jonbenet, Guitars, Something Fierce and a whole lot more. (Read more in the Music Section)

CANCELED- Something Fierce, Alkari, Television Skies, and Generation Landslide for this Recession Thursday

This Thursday is gonna be a lil' different folks with Something Fierce calling for the equivalent of a house party by deciding to play in the small crawlspace on the 2nd floor of Numbers. They always put on a stellar show and this promises to ooze joy. Also on the bill are Television Skies, Alkari, and Generation Landslide.

UPDATE: Yup show's cancelled. If you must know - Something Firece would describe Steven Garcia's flu while Television Skies decided to break up. C'est la vie folks. Stay dry and maybe go see the Melvins show if you still have a live music hankering.

Axe to the brain!

Music Review - The Riff Tiffs, The Wild Moccasins, and The Eastern Sea

Let's go back in the way back machine to this past Friday's Warehouse party! No controversy, just awesomeness and fun. (Link)

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Some say Woody'a back. I say he never left. Vicky Cristina Barcelona ...

Kung Fu Theatre presents: The White Swan

It's ain't quite up to Jackie Chan or Bruce Lee action but the White Swan's had some serious fisticuffs on Thursday night. Like any story there are three sides - one person's account, another person's account, and the truth. We make no attempt to give the third but we do have the first two for you. (Link)

This Week's Music Preview - August 15th, 2008

If you are like us (and made some brilliant mistake like umm paying your car note a pay cycle early- D'OH!) and find yourself scraping a bit more than you usually would, then you are in luck. This is your week! There is a hella lot of stuff going on which will cost you not a penny in your pocket. We have Two Star Symphony, Wild Moccasins, Radio Broadcasts, Bun B, Cactus and Sound Exchange Instores, Secret Saturday shows....Houston on nigh zero dollars a day - it's possible. There's also a lot of not free stuff going down that's worth your while. So no excuses; get out of the house. (Link)

HOT OFF THE PRESSES - Houston Grindcore Band Sells Out!!

OK posers, listen up! Gulf Coast Grindcore is getting some love from across the pond. One of our finest is striking a pretty sweet deal with one of the genre's most esteemed labels. Find out the scoop in our music section (Link)





Photo Uncredited from metal-archives.com (Link)

Riff Tiffs, earnie banks, Eastern Sea, !ALARMA!, Lazy Horse, Old Coyote, and Electric Attitude all play Aug.14th Recession Thursday!

This one is gonna be off the chain! Whatever that means! (more details )

Man on Wire

Man on Wire documents what has to be the ultimate performance art crime of all time. Artist and acrobat Philippe Petit schemed and planned and surreptitiously assembled an international crew, snuck into both towers of the World Trade Center at the appropriate time, strung cable throughout the night and at daybreak walked across the span about eight times over a period of forty minutes. All this went down on August 7, 1974 although Petit had planned the walk for several years. Petit flew to New York a few times during his planning and as he tells the story in director James Marsh’s Man on Wire he was planning it like a noir crime caper. (cont.)

Penis! Vote for FPH in Houston Press awards!

Okay kids! Make sure and vote for us in the Houston Press Awards under the options "Best Magazine' and Westheimer Block Party under 'Best Music Festival'! Do it mayne!

Sid Meirer's Civilization Revolution reviewed

By Tyler Barber

Publisher: 2K Games | Developer: Firaxis Games | Platform: Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3 & Xbox 360 | Rating: E10+ | Players: 2-4 via Online & Wi-Fi



Final Grade: B+
In three words: Deep, Accessible & Addictive

I'm at E3, at a demo of Borderlands and BioShock, when 2K rep comes over, asking if I want a demo of Sid Meirer's Civilization Revolution.
"No thanks," I respond. "I have a meeting in 15 minutes, and I don't want to be late."
"It only takes 15 minutes," the rep quipped.
"Thanks, but I gotta get going," I said, thinking myself: "Yea, like I'm going to miss my hands-on with Fallout 3 to see the absolute train-wreck of Civilization's PC exodus to home consoles."

And my pessimistic attitude stood firm, until I got home from E3 where a review copy of CivRev was waiting for me. I felt a little bad for declining the demo at E3, so the first night I got home (even though I had my fill of gaming) I popped the disc into my Xbox 360, and gave it a try. Next thing I know it's 4 a.m., and I've just won my first campaign. CivRev is addictive in the just-one-more-turn kinda way. Each new turn meant I would have another infantry unit to defend my home base, that I'd be one more turn closer to finishing my Nuclear research. Would a great leader abandon their civilization at a time like this? Hell no.

Read the full review here.

Music reviews - Paris Falls, Wild Moccasins, and Tody Castillo

We asked the bobble heads if they liked Paris Falls at Sig's lagoon on Friday as much as we did and they all nodded YUSSS! We also asked them if they'd join us at Rudz for the Wild Moccasins and Tody Castillo and they gave and agreeable nod. Unfortunately, we didn't realize they were under 21 and couldn't get in. No worries, if you missed out on one or both, we cover 'em this week in the music section (Link).

Bad motherfucker Isaac Hayes dies

They say they come in threes. Well, here is the third. RIP Isaac Hayes

Budget 'priorities'

This is where your tax dollars go folks..

RIP Mahmoud Darwish and Bernie Mac

Poet Mahmoud Darwish (died in Houston) and Comedian Bernie Mac.....both gone today..

" I don't hate people,
I trespass on no one's property.
And yet, if I were to become hungry
I shall eat the flesh of my usurper.
Beware, beware of my hunger"

-Mahmoud Darwish


"Vanessa: You ever notice that Bernie Mac is always calling himself 'Bernie Mac'? "Bernie Mac so smart". "Bernie Mac so great". Bernie Mac just likes to say Bernie Mac.

Bernie Mac: Now wait a minute, Bernie Mac don't do that."

Tody Castillo and Wild Mocassins at Rudz Tonight (Friday the 8th)

C'mon folks, it's just 3 bux! That's $1.50 a band. If they average 10 songs each that's 15 cents a songs. What a bargain!

Rudyard's
2010 Waugh

This Week's Preview for the week of August 8th

Relax, this isn't another insane week of festivals but this week there's still a lot of lovely music stuff to see and do - solo tramps, nifty use of floodlights at a record store, $3 Toady Moccasins, a tribute to a Pain Teen, the return of Recession Thursday, the beginning of old fogies Wednesday, and some other nifty stuff. (Link)

Recesson Thursday is on Recess this week but will be back Next week with 7 bands!

I know what you are thinking. No Recession Thursday? What the hell!

Yes, of course, you deserve an explanation and we here at the Free Press, being beholden to you the reader, owe you an honest explanation*. So, while I didn't want to go out and say the reason, I feel I have no choice but to come clean. You see, what started out as a drunken and drug induced tryst involving Carolyn Farb and FPH illustrator Tim Dorsey (one that ended with a blood sacrifice of one of our staff members to Satan) has clearly gotten out of hand. Said Dorsey, "I mean sure it was fun at first - the sex, the drugs, the blood...I mean, who doesn't enjoy that every once in a while - but after a week of it...well, Farbi just couldn't let me go. I tired to let her down easy. You know explain to her that I have other obligations - I work for an internationally famous publishing empire and I have my responsibility to Angelina Jolie and our newborn child but it seemed that, whenever I talked, all she would do was to check out my ass. Anyhow, to make a long story short, the restraining order doesn't kick in until next Thursday and since she blames Omar I had to ask him to cancel this week if only to assure his safety. Hey, you're not recording this are you?"

When asked for comment Mrs. Farb (through a spokesman) denied any of this though she does concede that Dorsey does in fact have a "fine ass."

Don't worry, Recession Thursday will be back next week at Numbers with a whole lotta kick ass bands including Alarma, Lazy Horse, Eastern Sea, and a whole lot more.

*but you're not getting one so I'm just gonna bullshit.

Almost a true story..

Her Satanic Majesty, Carolyn Farb who is our 2007 Worst of Houston 'Worst Philanthropist' and so called 'First Lady of Philanthropy', took FPH illustrator Tim Dorsey and I out for a night of debaucherous worship of the malevolent demigod Sabeoth. After a chance meeting at one of the various and sundry Red Bull Art of can parties, she lured young Dorsey and I back to her lair where we engaged in dark rituals and drunken shenanigans till the wee hours of the morning. We drank the blood of the innocent from infant skulls and danced to Wagner in various states of undress. I must say, that despite her 143 years of age, her stamina exceeds that of a teenager. After an evening of exhausting and near tortuous licentiousness, we grew hungry and decided to hit up La Tapatia. She had the Verde Enchiladas whereas Timmy and I shared a Burrito. Bewildered and still reeling from our first blood rituals, she dropped Tim and I off at home and bid us farewell.

This just in from the National Weather Service - Edouard not up to Bogle standards!

TROPICAL STORM EDOUARD INTERMEDIATE LOCAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
153 PM CDT TUE AUG 5 2008

...EDOUARD MOVING FARTHER AWAY FROM THE AREA IN SHAME...

.AT 100 PM CDT...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM EDOUARD WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 30.0 NORTH...LONGITUDE 94.8 WEST OR ABOUT 40 MILES WEST OF BEAUMONT TEXAS.

EDOUARD IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 10 MPH...AND THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE OVER THE NEXT DAY OR TWO...TAKING EDOUARD ACROSS CENTRAL TEXAS.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE DECREASED AND ARE NOW NEAR 50 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. ADDITIONAL WEAKENING IS FORECAST AS EDOUARD CONTINUES MOVING FARTHER INLAND.

ERIC BOGLE DECLARES EDOUARD “TOTAL BULLSHIT.” HE ADVISES RESIDENTS THAT EDOUARD “FUCKING SUCKS” AND THAT “IT’S BARELY EVEN RAINING”. FUTHERMORE, IT IS NOTED THAT MR BOGLE WANTS “SOME DESTRUCTION” AND IS PERPLEXED THAT HE “STAYED HOME FOR THIS SHIT!”

photo by Dr. Murphelz

Awesomeness - April5K of Alarma and Guitars blogs Secret Saturday Festival for Us!

As if being in kick-ass bands like Alarma and super-group Guitars isn't enough to have under her belt of awesomeness. April5K was cool enough to share her Secret Saturday Festival Blog with us. Lots of pictures and lots of awesomeness! Check it out in the Music section. (Link)

Red Bull: Can of Bullshit

by Buffalo Sean

Now it doesn’t bother me that they cost twice as much per ounce as any other energy drink. Or that they have introduced a new and legal high to America. No, it bothers me that Red Bull decided to throw their bullshit Art of the Can in Houston. READ MORE

Opiates for the Masses

Prescription opiate addiction in Houston and the secret world that facilitates it

By Anonymouse

“Well, Doctor, I got into a car accident, hurt my back, and can’t sleep at night," I told the crooked doc as confidently as possible. We both knew that was bullshit. He mumbles under his breath and writes me a prescription, lickety-split. “That’s it?” I asked myself. So there I had it: A prescription in hand for 150 Lorcets, 100 Xanax, and 100 Soma. There are dozens of these crooked ‘Pain Management Clinics’ here in Houston and across the nation that conveniently facilitate legions of prescription opiate addictions. READ MORE

Live Music Reviews Sharks & Sailors (Friday) and Papermoons (Wednesday)

This week I had hoped to bring you coverage of the Secret Saturday Fest and even showed up and paid my $6 but, like Jeremy Hart of Space City Rock, I have a wee one. Let's face it, no matter how good Co-Pilot's awesome set of quiet to loud shoegaze was, a six year old is just going to be bored and suggest he engage in something more befitting his adventurer archaeologist status. So, for proper coverage coverage of the fest, you can read Dusti Rhodes nice bit of live blogging of both days in the Houston Press which ends here (Link). Hopefully, you can go back and read the rest from the sidebar. Also, ADR did some nice coverage of Day 1 (Link).

While we failed to cover SSF, we nevertheless are bringing you not one review but two reviews of two awesome shows for your consideration. Here you are the links to the articles in the music section:

PART I: Papermoons and Elaine Greer at Boondocks 30 July 2008

Part II : Sharks and Sailors's CD release party with Ume and The Jonx at Walters 01 August 2008

Reminder: Secret Saturday Festival Today and Tomorrow

This event is both Bring You Own Liquor and has Vegetarian Food setups. So go and check out the gaggle of great bands slated to play, get sauced in the 100 degree heat, and munch on some lentils and corn. More than 20 grrrreat bands...

Shark week music shows - 01 August 2008

We're feelin' a lot like Captain Quint here these days. Show after show opens its big jaws then pulls us down with its awesomeness and much like Robert Shaw's character we haven't got a chance against the beast.


So, get ready to slide down the deck of the Orca kids because this week we have three release parties (Sharks and Sailors, American Sharks, and Balaclavas), a hella lot of festivals (Secret Saturday Festival, Leave your Genre at the Door, Texas Ska Fest, Soul Blues Festival), one benefit with a happy ending (Hell City Kings), and the usual ass whoopings around town (Valiant Thor, Golden Axe, The McKenzies, PLF, Giant Princess, The Wiggins, Wicked Poseur, Flowers to Hide and so on). So "Farewell and adieu to you, fair Spanish ladies" here's what's ahead for you this week (Read more int he music section)

Shark Week Continues with Sharks & Sailors

This month in the we visit with the scurvy dogs of Sharks and Sailors who greet the month with their first full length album Builds Brand New. (Read it in the Music Section).