Guardian of the Non Sequitur

bare pate roue

2007 Houston Press Music Awards Showcase

If you’re a fan at all of live music, this is the weekend you have to go out. . . on Sunday!

The Houston Press Music Awards Showcase is the best bang-for-your-buck on music anywhere in Texas! I’ve been to many a SXSW, this year it cost me $130. I’ve avoided many an ACL Fest - they’re overcrowded and underserved. Houston Press Music Award 2007 alien mascotAt $10 (2 for $15 if you buy early), the HPMAS is a 6-hour, 13-venue juggernaut. It provides a great cross section of the huge variety of music that can be found week-in week-out in this city, but here you don’t have to go looking for it. If you miss this one, you lose all authority to whine about Austin getting good music festivals come Labor Day.

Here’s a map I made - couldn’t find one on the Press’ site.

A quick reading of the one paragraph descriptions of bands should help you on your way. Or, you can hit your old favorites. I guarantee that at least one act/venue won’t be what you want, so be ready to exit and hit the second one on your list. Or know where all the venues are and go to the next closest one. See a random band. You might just like it.

The Houston Press has once again shown an inability to grasp that the grid is the ideal layout for a festival lineup. I sent them a nasty email last year. I guess they sent that to the bucket.

Oh, and if this alien mascot is on the t-shirt for this year, I’m gonna hafta get one.

From their site: Band names, venues & times subject to change”. Be warned, the bands’ names are subject to change!

July 26th, 2007 Posted by bshirley | houston, music, weekend | one comment

Sax Houston

I was talking to one of my sister’s friends.  She commented that she’d just returned from Austin and there were lots of street performers, and lamented the lack of them in Houston.  I was puzzled.  I’ve noticed lots of buskers (of varying quality) throughout the downtown area, and a few in the medical district along the rail line.

So, today I stumbled across a discussion around these photos on flickr.  All of Houston sax players on the streets.

Houston Sax Player 1Houston Sax Player 2

Houston Sax Player 3

July 26th, 2007 Posted by bshirley | houston, music | no comments