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B L A C K I E in Brooklyn at Afropunk Festival

2009-07-09T15:33:00.000-07:00

B L A C K I E - In Brooklyn, NY at the Afro Punk Festival from Christopher Patterson on Vimeo.

Nasty Pictures: Twisted Film from Houston Artists

2009-07-09T11:19:00.000-07:00

Saturday, July 11 is Free Film Night at Frenetic Theater, 5102 Navigation Blvd, Houston. Sean Morrissey Carroll has curated Nasty Pictures: Twisted film from Houston artists...

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Chase Hamblin at Cactus Music July 10th

2009-07-08T11:47:00.000-07:00

This Friday Chase Hamblin and his band will be performing live at Cactus Music to promote the release of his new EP A Fine Time. There will be no cover, free refreshments provided by Saint Arnold's beer, and A Fine Time will be on discount. Cactus does a great service for bands and fans by having free in-store performances. They are always a good time! Cactus music is located at 2110 Portsmouth, Chase Hamblin and the band will be performing at 5:30.

5 Things I Want From the Next Mayor of Houston

2009-07-07T10:44:00.000-07:00

by Jay Crossley

1. Better transportation planning
2. Emphasis on sidewalks
3. Return general mobility funding to METRO
4. RSS feeds
5. The mayor needs to read the Free Press Houston

On November 3, 2009, you will vote for your pick for the next Mayor of Houston. This person will guide the city for the next two to six crucial years in our region’s development into a major global metropolitan region for the 21st Century. Because our city is so young, we have the opportunity to do many things right, to build a city of the future as we grow instead of retrofitting the city of the past. Also, as Dr. Stephen Klineberg at Rice University so eloquently says, we are a microcosm of what America will look like at the middle of the 21st Century, a racial and ethnic (and sexual and political) melting pot. He believes that how we learn to live together and to prosper from our diversity will be a test bed of how the nation changes over the coming decades.

READ ON>>>>>

West Fest Revisited: Houston Photographer releases book chronicling the historic Houston festival

2009-07-06T09:51:00.000-07:00

By Shiraz Ahmed
Photos By Charles Tatum

A complete, unbiased account of the history of our city cannot be written with out the inclusion of West Fest, or its' latest incarnation, the Westheimer Block Party. The infamous music-and-art street festival that dominated Montrose twice a year began as an offshoot of the diverse-bohemian-alternative community that called the neighborhood home in the early 70's, and evolved in to what can only be called one of the largest, most exciting street festivals to have ever occurred in Houston. Local, self-taught photographer Charles Tatum II began attending and chronicling West Fest in the mid-nineties and continued through today capturing images at the most recent Westheimer Block Party. Last month he released his first solo-book project, "West Fest: Portrait of a Street Festival," containing over 400 full-color photos featuring the wildness and quirkiness that makes up Westheimer.
“West Fest is a great people-watching event, and four days a year (originally) and two days a year now, folks can come out and see their neighbors,” commented Tatum. “It's a big party, a big celebration.” The book certainly shows the spirit of Montrose and the wilder days of the festival, what Tatum refers to as the “vintage” West Fest photos. Flipping through, these images stand as hallmarks of the old days: a drag queen dressed as Tina Turner, a Pee Wee Herman impersonator, a man balancing a flaming chair on top of his head. “I wanted to create something to bring some of that wild Montrose spirit back to the fore - when high-dollar town homes started moving in, Montrose became a little more bland. I want to see more chicks in leopard-skin clothes. I want to see more spiked green hair.”
The book is a testimony to Tatum’s own talent as much as it is to the festival. Published through Blurb Publishers, Tatum was in complete control of every aspect of the book start to finish. “Everything you see in the book – the cover design, the commentaries, the layouts, the type selection, reviews of hundreds of photos, everything – all that is my work.” The evolution of Tatum’s book from film to final print is to be admired as an artist forging his own path in the world. The collection started out as just “a bunch of photos I took because I was having fun capturing all this wild, wacky color on film.” Long before Facebook and Myspace existed, amateur artists had to find other ways to release their art to the community. Tatum created his own website and then approached neighborhood hangouts to feature his work: Dietrich’s Coffee, Southmore House, 11th Street Café. Eventually, Tatum discovered Blurb Publishers at SXSW, a company that does on-demand publishing where the creation of the book is done entirely online. “I saw samples at their booth at the SXSW trade show and was blown away. I figured, let's do this. It's been much easier and freeing to control every aspect of the book myself. Why should I deal with sleazy hangers-on?”
The topsy-turvy tale of West Fest is well known throughout Montrose. “West Fest: Portrait of a Street Festival,” depicts the rise through community support, the fall due to tighter City control and property owner complaints, and the eventual triumphant resurrection as the Westheimer Block Party by Free Press Houston. The book also serves as a calling to bring the festival back to its former glory. “I guess the thing I've noticed about West Fest since its incarnation as the Block Party is that it's not as wild as it was during the 90's when I went. No drag queens. Almost no guys walking around shirtless. No reptiles. What happened to all that?” The book can be previewed and bought online at www.blurb.com for $94.95. Although the asking price may seem steep, 95% of it goes in to the printing of the actual book, and increased support of the book could lead to wider release. Maybe another small way to support the community and pay tribute to the past? “It's kind of like this: imagine I've taken all these cool photos and put them in a photo album. I give you the photo album to leaf through and you say you really like it. Then I tell you that you can keep the album. That's what this book is; it's a kind of neighborhood photo album covering a very special event.”

Check out Charles Tatum's work at www.ctphotoartist.com, and click here to purchase the book.

Tagore Fest July 10th and 11th

2009-07-05T10:10:00.000-07:00

By Sarah Cook

A few hours ago, I had no idea who Tagore was. Or, actually what Tagore was. I guessed (correctly) that it was a noun. However, turns out it's not a food or a place (my first two guesses). It's the name of one of the most versatile and prolific intellectuals of the 20th century, Rabindranath Tagore . He was a poet, novelist, playwright, philosopher, visual artist, social activist, and still managed to maintain a kick ass beard. All of these (okay probably not the beard) made him one of the most important influences on Bengali and Indian culture ever.
This guy was Asia's first Nobel laureate, wrote about 2,230 songs, spent time with Gandhi and Einstein, and rejected knighthood from the British crown in protest against the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre. This incredible life inspired the Tagore Society of Houston to form in 1974. Since then, they have worked to spread Tagore's teachings to all ages, faiths and backgrounds.
To spread awareness about Tagore and his message of “a Borderless World”, The Tagore Society of Houston will throw Barnali '09, their Second Annual Tagore Fest on July 10th and 11th . The festival will host well known artists and musicians from Bangladesh and India. Rezwana Chowdhury, a Rabindra Sangeet singer who is immensely popular in Bangladesh, will be the featured musician. She will provide her own interpretations of some of Tagore's most popular songs. Jhinook Mukherjee, Bhoomi and Rathna Kuma will also provide artistic interpretations of Tagore's work. To showcase local talent, the festival will also include Rathna Kumar and the Anjali School of Dance and an Art Music Recital of Tagore Poems by Prof. Karim Al-Zand from Rice University. There will also be an Arts and Craft show to showcase paintings, photographs and articrafts by local artists. If that's not enough to get you there, there's a delicious food fest both nights.
The festival will take place at Durga Bari Auditorium, located at 13944 Schiller Road. Tickets for the show are $25/per person for each day, $40/per person for both days, $100+ /per person for VIP seating on both days. Students tickets are $15/day.For details contact: Raja Banga: 281-627-2533, Partha Sen: 713-839-1904, Surajit Dasgupta: 281-265-4105. Or visit www.tagoresociety.org for event updates.

The SportsDesk is now on Twitter

2009-07-04T08:28:00.000-07:00

Yao is out for the season (most likely). Tradey McGrady is also (most likely). Ron Artest has signed with the Lakers. So he's a douche bag. All this to ask the question: "Daryl Morey, what are you going to do with your Jedi math skills now?"

Click to find out.

You can now follow the FPH Sportsdesk on twitter @FPHSportsdesk.

Interview: Geoffrey Mueller

2009-07-02T08:51:00.000-07:00

By Omar Afra
Photo by Cecilia Johnson

Geoffrey Mueller is a musical chameleon having mastered several instruments such as banjo, guitar, bass, saw, voice, and whatever else you stick in his hands. Playing in such notable bands as Sideshow Tramps, I am Mesmer, Grandfather Child, Chase Hamblin’s band, Perfect Penis, and more, Mueller manages to be everywhere yet not spread himself thin. Frankly, if you spend any night of the week watching live music in this town then you are surely to run into this local musical treasure. In the 90’s as an adolescent he was well known as an amazing pop-and-lock break-dancer and as the front man for local metal band Lower ( I shared a studio with him more than a decade ago when I played in a similarly mook-ish band) . The SceneWiki says “He's embarrassed about this so be sure to ask him about it.” But Geoffrey is one of those rare hyper-talented performers that are just straight up nice guys. He brings smiles wherever he goes and we here at FPH are just smitten with him. He was also gracious enough to answer a few probing questions.
READ ON >>>>

Uneasy Rider: Bicyclist Safety in Houston

2009-07-01T08:47:00.000-07:00

By Shiraz Ahmed
Artwork by Michael C. Rodriguez

When I was a boy of eight, I jumped in the cage and joined the Ultimate Fighting Championship. At the age of 12, my parents had to call security because they discovered I had climbed into a pit with eight live tigers; by the time the guards got there only I was alive. I frequently enjoy the company of El Salvadorian MS-13. You could say I'm a bit of a thrill-seeker so much so that the lure of escaping Death's cold, bony hands gives me a rush drugs can't mimic. But recently I undertook a challenge that I'm afraid might be too much for even me to handle: I threw down for a bicycle and took it for a spin in our fair town. I've never really appreciated the value of life until I was run off the road by the SUV on my tail.
It's no secret that Houston is notorious for being a dangerous place for any vehicle not running on diesel. While cycling has been viewed by those whose eyes are hooked on their speedometers as a mere past time or pleasure, growing numbers of commuters and day-to-day cyclists have said "no!" to the gas pump and flooded the narrow bike lanes painted on the sides of streets. Now 1,200 cyclists commute to the Texas Medical Center everyday. Between 1998 and 2000, over a fourth of Texas's bicycle crashes occurred in and around Houston. Growing numbers of riders on two-wheels indicates a need for the right infrastructure to support them and the right legislation to protect them.

READ ON>>>>

Summer Fest Schedule Revealed

2009-07-01T08:38:00.000-07:00

Get tix now for only 10 bux!

Building Reuse Warehouse is Ready for Your Stuff

2009-06-28T11:33:00.000-07:00

For years, other major metropolitan cities have offered warehouse space for building materials to be stored so they can be diverted from landfills and be used by non-profit building organizations. Well, better late than never because as of last Tuedsay, City of Houston will now take reusable building materials from anyone in order to divert material from landfills. Over 20 tons have been diverted already. The goal for this year is 150 tons. The building materials go to non-profit building organizations. After a few small kinks get worked out, donations will be tax deductible.
Plywood, lumber, glass, windows, doors, plumbing parts, electrical parts, shingles, bags of dry redimix concrete, nails, screws, cabinets, all that stuff . . . as long as it can be reused, bring it on in.

Location: 9003 N. Main at Whitney (The end of Main Street just North of Crosstimbers Drive in Independence Heights).

Moonwalking to the Afterlife

2009-06-28T10:34:00.000-07:00

What is a world without Michael Jackson? The man who moonwalked into our hearts when we were children. The man that is larger than Coca Cola. So if the world stopped spinning...it wouldn't surprise me. May your music live on for eternity.
We will miss you.

"He was a great challenged man who gave to the world everything he was. He lived on the stage his entire life and now only in death will the curtain be allowed to close. Rest in peace." - Eli Sebastian Brumbaugh (Art Storm)

"Total shock, and immediately saddening. Loved his music all my life and he's just gonna be celebrated even more now. He seemed everlasting. Damn shame. RIP." - Fat Tony

"I LOVE MICHAEL JACKSON!!!" - Andrew W.K.

"I felt like a big part of my childhood is gone" Carlos (Young Mammals)

Pride 2009 Wild Fruit Tonight!

2009-06-27T10:56:00.000-07:00

Hydrating the Homeless

2009-06-26T13:10:00.000-07:00

Beginning Saturday July 4th, 2009, the My Fellow Man Alliance homeless advocacy agency will partner with Fast Track Airport Parking in an effort to provide much needed relief from the heat to the Houston homeless community.

The plan is to provide aid during the hottest times and months of the summer.

This outreach endeavor entitled “Hydrating the Homeless” will occur between the hours of 12pm -4pm every Saturday (in the months of July and August 09’). Cold bottles of water, as well as sun visors will be distributed to the homeless in downtown Houston.

With the City’s temperatures swiftly moving into the triple digits, it is becoming dangerous to be exposed to the sun for long periods of time. However, for men, women and children without permanent housing, it will become increasingly difficult to avoid it.

Although the very complicated problems of the homeless community will not be solved by a bottle of water and a visor, My Fellow Man Alliance and Fast Track Airport Parking is attempting to reach-out to provide just a little relief, while keeping the homeless cooler.

Both organizations are sending out a challenge to the Houston community to get involved.

Riverboat Gamblers added to Summer Fest!

2009-06-24T19:05:00.000-07:00

Dinner and a Movie @ Sedition: The Edukators

2009-06-24T12:23:00.000-07:00

Dinner at 7pm: Vegan Spaghetti with a delicious sauce!

Movie at 8pm: The Edukators

Your Days of Plenty are Numbered!

Jan and Peter are a pair of leftist political activists who have their own ideas of how to strike out in the name of economic justice. Jan and Peter like to break into the homes of the rich, re-arrange their belongings, and leave behind a note crediting "the Edukators" with the invasion, satisfied that their efforts will teach their victims a lesson about the futility of wealth.

Peter's girlfriend, Jule, who has found herself homeless and deeply in debt after a car accident, moves in with the two friends and starts joining them on their periodic missions. Jule convinces Peter and Jan that they should hit the home of the businessman who caused her so much trouble.

$5 suggested donation (per person). Cheapest date in town!

Despite Israel’s efforts, Palestinian festival celebrates world-class literature

2009-06-23T12:11:00.000-07:00

By Sousan Hammad; Free Press contributor currently in West Bank town of Ramallah

For many Palestinians, the month of May is associated with the commemoration of the Nakba. But with the increasing popularity of the arts in Palestine, the second annual Palestine Festival of Literature harmoniously unfolded to the final days of spring, a time also for lavender and lilies.
Ahdaf Soueif, an Egyptian-born novelist, along with Brigid Keenan, a travel writer, and Victoria Brittain, a former editor of The Guardian, came up with the idea of having a world-class literature festival in Palestine.
“Last year we brought a festival to Palestine, and Palestine taught us so much in return. Palestinian cities – even under siege and a cruel military occupation – manage to produce brilliant art and top class education. PalFest aims to contribute to that rich cultural life,” Soueif said.
READ ON>>>>

Boogadaboogadaboogada!

2009-06-21T12:45:00.000-07:00

The moment I learned that Screeching Weasel was coming to town I set my alarm clock at 9:50am so that I could get my tickets when they went up at 10am. I bought 3 tickets for my two friends and me. We 3 were in a band in '97. Our only existence was because of Screeching Weasel. For one night I wanted to have us three together to reminisce the times we shared and the reason why we were involved in punk rock.
Joe Queer sings it best, Ben Weasel is an asshole. Without really saying hello or anything the band starts playing with an already aggravated look, but can you blame him? On the first song someone stole Ben's setlist, the mic wasn't working, and stage divers were in the way.
They played a slew of songs from each record. With short pop songs and playing them fast they must have played two hours worth of jams into one hour with a short encore.
Overall it was amazing. Screeching Weasel reunited so many friends together on this night. I saw many people hugging and saying how good it was to see them. I too ran into a lot of old friends from my Screeching Weasel days. I lost my shoe, my glasses broke, and my shirt was drenched in beer and sweat. It was perfect. I have now died and gone to punk rock heaven. I finally saw Screeching Weasel! Ben Weasel has been stated that there will be more Weasel shows in the future. So perhaps this is not just an exhibition. I'm happy to see that Ben is back at it again playing music. So now that I've seen this I am now expecting Jesse Michaels to go on tour with Rancid to play some Operation Ivy shows....please.

Punk This: Double Dagger at SHFL 6/23

2009-06-20T11:56:00.000-07:00

Brigitte B. Zabak

I know what all you folks out there in the Houston music scene must be thinking right about now. It probably involves something along the lines of – “What the hell does she know about punk music when all she writes about is indie this and indie that?” Well, while my knowledge of punk, post-punk, and pseudo punk is limited in scope, I am still fairly confident in my ability to know when music is good and when it ranks up there with American Idol rejects.

In recent weeks, I have had the good fortune of discovering the existence of a trio from Baltimore that makes lots and lots of noise without all the bullshit. Double Dagger is a three piece ensemble that utilizes drums, bass and vocals to create more volume than should be possible when using so little instrumentation. The nerd-centric crew has an impressive background in graphic design and has channeled their inherent visual creativity into its very geeky and loud auditory counterpart.
READ ON>>>>>

Interview: Chase Hamblin

2009-06-17T10:49:00.000-07:00

by Shelby Hohl

Chase Hamblin's debut release A Fine Time marks a prompt beginning for an aspiring singer-songwriter. Chase spent time in local Houston outfit Penny Royal, establishing a musical partnership with Derek Dunivan who would later help produce and arrange the album. The opening title track, A Fine Time bounces along a pleasant breeze of melody and beauty while carrying lyrical undertones hinting towards a great enlightenment of human consciousness, transcending the ills of society. The rest of the record touches on the golden era of rock and roll where multi-instrumental layers in well crafted songs reign supreme. We spoke with Chase recently and got a few questions out that Houstonians are DYING to know.

The opening song on your album , A Fine Time carries some pretty heavy political connotations. Do you mind elaborating?

A Fine Time is written from the perspective of the "everyman" who is idling along in the modern world and who begins to wonder if life was always so cold and disconnected. It was inspired by the state of being following 9/11 in which the average citizen, including myself, is lost in the rhetoric and fear of terrorism, while being offered only soul-less bureaucracy and fake religion as a solution. However, a collective memory, a spirit of inspiration, allows this person to access a distant time, Atlantis, the Garden of Eden, the beginning of our higher selves and consciousness itself, yet also a simpler time when the wonders of the natural world were enough to inspire the creation of meaning, when every word spoken was poetry. The song is about that memory, that spirit, that place of unity and unbound creation, which I believe we all have deep in our psyche. It is also a warning about fundamentalism, absolutism, commercialism, consumerism, and the destruction of our beautiful planet, to add a quick caveat.

What kind of records did you grow up listening to? Was there anything in particular that inspired you while making the record?

The first record I remember, which I made my parents buy for me, was Michael Jackson's "Thriller." My siblings and I would lip-sync to that album and put on little shows for my folks. They used to play us Neil Diamond's "Hot August Night," which I loved as a kid. I really started to get into music though when I heard a Doors album. It was so different from anything I had heard, but it was still catchy and melodic. Of course I was raised on lots of Beatles and Beach Boys as well.

As far as the album, we (engineer Josh Applebee, producer Derek Dunivan, and I) were mainly inspired by late 60's recordings by The Beatles, The Kinks, the Bee Gees, and The Zombies, and early 70's T-Rex and David Bowie. Those artists captured a vibe, in terms of arrangement, performance, and sound, that we were looking for on these songs.

How long did your record take to complete and were there any new sounds or instruments you got a chance to play with during the process?

Derek Dunivan and I played all the rock instruments on the album, so we had to take some time to track everything. We probably spent an average of three very long days on each song of the EP, with the exception of "We're Gonna Make It," which Derek and I did in one day at our old Penny Royal studio. We did all our parts over the space of a month or so at Sugar Hill, but then Hurricane Ike hit, so it was several months later before we could reschedule the horn and string sections. This was the first time Derek composed complete string and horn arrangements, so it was very excited to hear the players come in and bring it to life. We did get to do quite a bit of playing around with sounds. We used a vintage Space Echo on "Never Let You Go" to create really warped out effects and I play an African Mbira on "A Fine Time." We used this great overdrive called the Super Hard On for a number of parts. One of the coolest things was that Robbie Parrish brought us a bunch of his personal percussion items and he had meditation bell he claimed was kissed by the Dalai Lama. It happened to be in the perfect pitch to play the major third in "A Fine Time" when the song shifts from minor to major. That was quite nice. A lot of the experimentation was with getting tones just right in the room so that we didn't have to tweak anything in mixing.
Do you plan on touring behind the album once released?

Not yet. I have just got together an amazing All-Star band for my CD release (June 19th at the Continental Club) with my former Penny Royal bandmate (and "A Fine Time" producer) Derek Dunivan on keys, Geoffery Muller of I am Mesmer and Sideshow Tramps on bass, Corey Power of Ragged Hearts on guitar, and singer/songwriter Robert Ellis, also in I am Mesmer, on drums, and everyone is singing harmony. A small regional tour is a possibility in July, but we have literally all played together twice now and everyone has other projects as well.
Any chance you'll be performing with a full band any time soon? More often?

Yes. After the band debuts at my CD release I am going to stop doing solo acoustic gigs and only book shows with the band. Other than the CD release, we are also playing the Sugar Hill Sessions on August 6 and the Free Press Summer Fest.
Chase Hamblin's CD Release is June 19th at Continental Club.

The very un-Kosher Something Fierce video for Aliens.

2009-06-16T08:26:00.000-07:00

How better to say "Good Morning" than with Something Fierce's Aliens (love it!!) Mike Sims in a tour de force performance as a bartender at Rudz (Acting!!), and a steamy scene with Nikki making-out with a puppet pig (hot!!).

US Airguitar Championships hits Houston, TX

2009-06-15T23:33:00.000-07:00

Air guitarists from all around Houston came to Warehouse Live to compete to win a chance at competing at the US Air Guitar finals in Washington DC. Saturday night showed that YOU can be the next air star. Joha Lopez came to support me, Jacob Calle (Golden Ghost) at the competition. After a few drinks Joha decided to sign up and went under the name, Mojo GoGo. She destroyed the stage and took it to the top with first place while I fell in 4th. "I have no idea what I was doing! I'm drunk!", says Joha. It is my duty to train Mojo GoGo to compete in DC. There she will compete up against the number one air champion in the world Hot Lixx Hulahan and along with Sparks fiend, William Ocean and more air guitar heroes. We two leave Aug 6th to DC along with supporter Emily Rose to get our airage on! Winner at the US Finals will be flown to Finland to compete the world finals. Good luck Mojo!

The link below is a video montage of air guitar, alcohol, and some beastiality with
Air Bear.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sem36DQVeAY

Prince Paul and Devin the Dude added to SummerFest Line-up!

2009-06-14T22:35:00.000-07:00

I mean, sure there is that Indian cat in Voxtrot and there is probably a Jew or 2 in Broken Social Scene but a void remains. We have filled said void with Hip-Hop legend Prince Paul and stoner-riffic rapper Devin the Dude. We are confident that these additions will round this festival out to be the clutchest thing Houston has seen since the Allen Brothers landed on Buffalo Bayou. Tickets for on $7 at www.freepresssummerfest.com

Out-Zoning Houston

2009-06-12T09:52:00.001-07:00

Buffalo Sean

Perhaps there is a cabal out there who would like to edit our Wild West urban landscape into a cohesive order. It is possible that the acceleration of Houston’s growth demands a stronger hand to guide the city’s coursing veins of concrete and commerce-pumping engines of steel and glass. Wild, unwieldy burgs have been tamed before and tempered into hardened tools of self-organization, and we’re unlikely to be an exception. The Contemporary Arts Museum’s current exhibit No Zoning: Artists Engage Houston may be a talisman of this emerging meme, but a cultural uproar threatens to derail this celebration of the city’s mélange.

READ ON>>>

Hot indie rock action with Andrew Lee

2009-06-12T07:22:00.000-07:00

Oh Damn, the temperature is supposed to be in the mid-90s today but thanks to Indie Houston, baby, it's gonna get hotter - much hotter.

No, you're not dreaming, the video for "Trash Town" has all you'd ever want: shirtless indie rockers, Andrew Lee doing some lip syncing on par with the finest Shaw Brothers film, and Andrew himself in his skivvies scratching his business! YESSS!!! Check it....

Trash Town Andrew Lee of the Wild Moccasins from Christopher Patterson on Vimeo.