The Juan Maclean at Numbers tonight

Get Some Rest, You're Gonna Need It

How about this, there are so many things to do Saturday night, if someone can prove that you went to all the things I mention here I'll give you a prize. (Prize to be determined, and not guaranteed to be all that mind blowing.)

But yeah CHECK IT OUT.

Open Call for artists at Westheimer Block Party

FPH openly invites artists of all mediums to make the street come alive at this March 28th Westheimer Block Party. Whether it be live painting, decorating the street, performance art, or an installation piece, we urge you to come participate in the transformation of the block! Table space is available for exhibits. For more info, editors@freepresshouston.com

Soooo Saba @ SoVino

Tonight at SoVino Bistro & Wine Bar (from 6pm to 8pm), there's an opening reception for local-ish artist Saba Jawda. 

Saba, now residing in Houston, left her home in Basra, Iraq in 1991.  Since 2002, Saba's work has been shown all over Houston and Texas; in New York and Italy.  She participated in the 2008 ArtCrawl and The Houston Press' 2009 Artopia.

"I use my architectural and design background to paint a spectacle of abstract paintings."

"My satisfaction comes from promoting the creative process and stimulating one's senses."

-Saba Jawda

Saba was sooooo nice to answer a few questions for us:

Is there such a thing as bad art?

No. Art is a form of self-expression and who is to question beauty in the eye of the beholder?

Do you think the commercialisation of "art" makes being an "artist" more "fun"?

A big part of art is having an avenue in which to showcase it... so I think this so called "commercialism" comes with the trade.

Are you going to come to the FPH WESTHEIMER BLOCK PARTY ON March 28th?

Perhaps. I love going out and discovering new talent and what my city has to offer.

Will you rise to Jedi status by walking around the Block Party, selling your art like a crazy gypsy?

Probably not...

Fair enough.

Tonite @ SoVino from 6pm - 8pm

507 Westheimer

Across from Dolce Vitta

Westheimer Block Party Commercial

Thanks Donny Hall!

'Pirate Radio USA' at Rice Media Center Wednesday

As part of its monthly film series, Houston Indymedia will screen 'Pirate Radio USA’ at 7:00pm, Wednesday, February 25th at Rice Cinema.

Pirate Radio USA is a documentary about the underground world of illegal radio in America, where people play what they want and say what they want–unless the FCC catches them…

DJ’s Him and Her, from their live Pirate Radio USA Studio, take you on a rock -n-roll journey inside rogue radio stations across the country to see why Americans defy Federal Law to free the radio airwaves. On the way see the rise of Big Media, the growth of Citizen Media to encounter it, and witness their showdown over the truth during the 1999 World Trade Organization meetings in Seattle. See the battle to free the airwaves live–and find out the real price of freedom.

6100 Main St, Houston, TX 77005

This event is being cosponsored by KPFT, 90.1FM and benefits Houston Indymedia and KPFT, Radio for Peace.

I forsee clutch shenanigans tonight at IndieHouston house

posted by Omar

First off. This shit is free. Good, cause we know your steadily saving your precious dollars to afford the $20 wristband for the evening portion of the Block Party w/ St.Vincent, Valient Thorr, Devin the Dude, HEALTH, Belaire, and more. That said, I am excited to see Muhammid Ali. Gotta say, I first discovered them when they tried to add FPH on myspace and their profile pic was Prophet Muhummad (PBUH) with a bomb on his head. Despite the myopic image selection, Ali has some real clutch tunes and an even clutcher soundscape. We will declare them the 'it shit' now and shower them with praise and accolades but will soon bask in their demise and declare their predictability. Thus is the natural order of things. Anyways, they got an aces (word borrowed from the sadly defunct Skyline Network-Thanks ADR) lineup tonight at our comrades in arms IndieHouston house also including The Tontons, Tax the Wolf, and Giant Battle Monster. It's BYOB yet there will be limited Keg Beer.

1816 Calumet Doors
at 6PM

Ron Hoover Memorial

The Station Museum for Contemporary Art honors artist and social commentator Ron Hoover with a memorial in honor of the late Houston painter. In the words of friend and collector Rodney Rogers, "Ron revealed the untold truths behind little known allegations of crime, corruption, and social injustice" and "never shied away from matters that was important to him."

Station Museum of Contemporary Art Friday, Feb. 20, 6-8 pm Through February 20. (713) 529-6900

Trail of Dead, Funeral Party at Walter's

Austin's And you will know us by the Trail of Dead return to Houston with their standard-bearing bombastic shows and bring along young disco-punk aficionados Funeral Party. These East LA kids bring a tidal wave of peripheral percussion and sing-along chants sure to make thine ass rumble. See em' at Walters on Washington tonight Friday the 20th along with Midnight Masses.

Born Liars at Sound Exhange and KTRU Tonight

Born Liars are staying super busy for there Record release with both a performance at Sound Exchange at 8PM and on KTRU 91.7 at 10PM. Their shit be reall ass clutch.

Are you Bored?

Don't be butthurt! There's way too much to do this weekend!


Check it out!(Apparently there has been some confusion in the past, so click on that, yo.)

The McKenzies are not Donk

"Donk" is the newest form of British "Happy Hardcore". It is a successor in some ways to the brash and bloody Grime scene, but thanks to it's techno lineage, really really god-awful. Using disruptive video game clatter to form the beats, it is guaranteed to make any listener with the slightest bit of taste puke.

The McKenzies are not Donk (Click).

I Know What I Did Last Weekend

I've had a super busy past few days and I did what I could to get out there and report back. I've got no pictures for you today, unfortunately, but I've got some words.

Read 'em.

Worst Economic Collapse Ever?

Valentine's Exclusive

I've got something amazing for you behind the cut. You can only get 'em here, they're the must have this cupid season.

GREAT!

'A Jewel-Encrusted Pathology' opens at ArtStorm Friday

The Jedi practitioners at ArtStorm continue their great string of shows and events with the opening of A Jewel-Encrusted Pathology Friday Feb. 12 and describe it as such (lazy blogger style quoting follows):

"Artists and frequent collaborators Alicia Seale and Megan Whitenton have conjured up a provocative combination of art and entertainment for a pre-Valentine’s Day extravaganza at ArtStorm this February. As original members of the board of directors at ArtStorm, the artist/curator team first joined forces to present work from national artists in Anywhere But Here at the gallery’s previous location last year. For A Jewel Encrusted Pathology, in a unique and transformative installation, Seale and Whitenton will display their mixed media works on paper and decorative works together in a fabricated space that is more reminiscent of a comfortable, inviting residential room than traditional “white cube”. In an effort to place their work in an informal context, the artists are truly exploring the notion of a “living room”, as it relates to their own visual art.

On opening night, Lenny Zieben, founder of Voluptuous Tusk, A Thousand Cranes, and Organ Failure will treat visitors to an energetic, whimsical live theatrical and musical performance, utilizing multiple exterior and interior spaces to perform their original compositions. In addition to the one-night-only performance, ArtStorm will feature special V-Day refreshments for guests at the opening reception."

4828 Caroline St
Opening Reception: Friday February 13 7-10pm
On Display Until: Saturday March 14, 2009
Regular Gallery Hours: Saturday 12-7pm and Sunday 12-5pm

Skyline bids us farewell.

Today, our favorite local music blog ,the Skyline Network decided to close up shop. This is obviously a great loss to the local blogosphere and musical landscape.
I have loved Skyline, it's whit and 'ear to the streetness'. Thanks ADR for all the great work you have done and how much better you have made this town. But I gotta say, there is a self-righteous pontificating voice in the back of my head that says with your talents and insights, you have an obligation to the community you evidently so love to continue in some medium writing and disseminating info. Maybe that sounds silly but I encourage ADR to continue in any capacity. You are always welcome to contribute to FPH (my fat ass would do a somersault) but we hope to just be able to read your stuff somewhere even if ya can't pull it off as often as you have. Either way, thanks ADR.

Just go ahead and ask music to be your Valentine

It's a good weekend, it's not a crime to be good to yourselves (and others).

Here it is!

Interview: Dee Rail

By Anthony Obi



"Cats love to steal my shit, I call 'em turd burglars."

Born April 2nd, 1985 was Dee Rail, a Houston based Hip Hop artist with a heart of (black) gold (more along the lines of the Texas tea variety than Care Bear-esque). He is a man passionate about good times, good wine, good music, and good pine. On his records he sings of introspective insights, pain & pleasure, night time escapades, and smashing the shit out of any rapper he deems to be lacking in the talent department. A member of Devin the Dude's Coughee Brothaz crew, Dee Rail assembles all-American stoner wit, boyish charm and lung wrenching inner city blues into a Martini-like shaken not stirred collage of rap-croons.
READ ON..

From the Sportsdesk...

by Mills-McCoin

“For once let us try to think about a political convention without losing ourselves in housing projects of fact and issue. Politics has its virtues, all too many of them -- it would not rank with baseball as a topic of conversation if it did not satisfy a great many things -- but one can suspect that its secret appeal is close to nicotine. Smoking cigarettes insulates one from one’s life, one does not feel as much, often happily so, and politics quarantines one from history; most of the people who nourish themselves in the political life are in the game not to make history but to be diverted from the history which is being made.”
-Norman Mailer
READ ON...

Interview: Spain Colored Orange

By Adam P. Newton
Photo by Eric Hester

While it may be a familiar and clichéd whipping boy for the masses, there really is no disputing that the modern music industry sucks and sucks hard. There are all manner of stories chronicling how major record labels are willing to drop a popular band over artistic differences (Reprise v. Wilco) or mine a popular act’s back catalog once they’ve left the fold (Capitol v. Radiohead). In the case of Houston’s own Spain Colored Orange, the band recorded a full-length record a couple years back, only to see their efforts locked away by their record label because of a contract dispute.

READ ON..

Pre-sale for Westheimer Block Party Evening Festival

Valient Thorr | St. Vincent | Devin the Dude | HEALTH | The Show is the Rainbow | Daniel Francis Doyle | Belaire | Pictureplane

Thanks Houston! FPH 100th Issue Celebranza finds new upper eschelon of clutchness

photos by Pam Cantu

Thanks go out to the 700+ bat-shit-crazy folks that came to Saturday night's 100th Issue Celebranza. The night was filled with great bands, local and national, and it felt like one of those nights where some proverbial genie was let out of the bottle and inhibitions were withered away. I like to think with SO many bands with such disparate dynamics, crowds get crunk from the simple celebration of music. Nevertheless, Montonix owned the evening. If you have never had the pleasure of witnessing their live performance, do so with haste. I could try and describe their erratic dynamics, their center floor set-up, their maximum crowd involvement, the way the drum set is in constant motion, or the frenzy in which they rile participant up BUT mere vernacular could do it no justice. Somebody out there was shooting video and if you know who that special someone is, drop us a line. Anyways, thanks for joining us and thanks to: Rebelution, State Radio, Tha Fucking Transmissions, American Fangs, The Tontons, and Monotonix, Jagi, Shelby, Martin,the crew at Numbers and Pam Cantu for the grrreat photos. For those of you who missed it, our 200th Issue Anniversary is slated for 2015. Assuming human existence continues beyond the great cataclysm of 2012, it should be a great show full of reptilian overlords, shape-shifting Lone Stars, and the same restroom set-up at Numbers.

Watch Luther Vandross at 3:18

Lots of Free Stuff Saturday: Tix to Block Party evening, Shirts, Chocolate Cake

You can be a genious too.

Here's the coming week. Embrace it. Enjoy it

Interview: Christy Karacas

By Shelby Hohl

FPH had the chance to chat with animator Christy Karacas about his new cartoon Superjail which is currently airing on Adult Swim. We picked his brain on everything from gaining artistic exposure to new wave punk band Les Savy Fav. Read on fellow scribes, within lie magnificent secrets to creative justice!
READ ON..

People's Party II: A history of Houston’s Black Panthers

By Robinson Block

"The pigs assassinated Carl in an attempt to destroy the party, but their attempt failed because pig brutality and murder is one of the phenomena that brought the party to birth. The oppressive conditions that Black people and all poor people suffer from is the reason why the party managed to stay together and it is because of these conditions that it will continue to get stronger.." – James Aaron, Chairman of People's Party II
READ ON...

Weekend Dudes.

Now that we’ve all “gotten over ourselves” and started a new week let’s make those last grasps to remember what was. Now there were a lot of great things that happened since Thursday and I had a case of hard week sleepies, but I did my best to scoop up what I could. So, if you made it out to any of the 1.2 million other events of the past 4 days feel free to share your hot takes in the comments, I’d like to hear about it…as would everyone else, I’m sure.

CHECK IT, YO.

Saw this today and had to share it with you...

This Month in The Free Press - Really Red

When I started doing features about Houston bands for the Free Press, one band whose story I felt needed to be told was that of Houston hardcore legends Really Red. Be you a fan, someone whose only exposure to Really Red was American Hardcore, or someone completely ignorant of Houston's Punk Past, I say to thee, "Grab your Texas flag and get in the van!" (Link)

Picture Courtesy of Ronnie Bond