Music

2007 Houston Press Music Awards Showcase

By John Nova Lomax  ,  Olivia Flores Alvarez ,  Valerie Alberto ,  and  Chris Gray

"Show, don't tell." Writers don't need to know much more than that to become masters of their craft. Let the story tell itself through dialogue and action, and you'll rivet your readers every time.

The same applies to the music. We tell you about the diversity of the Houston music scene 51 weeks a year — this is the week we can show it to you in one gift-wrapped package at the Houston Press Music Awards Showcase. Tear it open and you'll find ten hours of music from over 60 bands and six DJs on 12 stages.

We mentioned diversity; take a look at the lineup at the Red Cat, just for example. The show opens with the old-school rockabilly of the Octanes, who are followed by the X-style punk of Ninevolt. After that comes the fiery southside rap of lady MC Cl'che, who is followed in turn by the straight-up rock of twangy Texan L.L. Cooper. The space jazz of Drop Trio comes after that, and the show closes with the hyper-contemporary Spanish/English future pop of Karina Nistal. And that multiplicity is repeated at each of the other 11 stages.

We've said it before, and we'll say it again — this is the best day of the year for the Houston music scene. We'll go one further this year and say it's the best day of the year to be downtown, too. But we're done telling you things. Hopefully you're reading this at the show, where you can see for yourself. — John Nova Lomax

(Band blurbs by Chris Gray, Olivia Flores Alvarez and John Nova Lomax. DJ write-up by Valerie Alberto.)

Bar Bollywood

902 Capitol Street (at Travis) 713-224-6700

Dizzy Pilot Nominated in: Best Indie Rock www.myspace.com/dizzypilot 4 p.m.

From the wrong end of Leeland Street, over there where Third Ward bleeds into what used to be Old Chinatown, comes this "avalanche of glass" of a "menstrual" and "inappropriately catchy" band. Dizzy Pilot has already made one round-trip flight to SXSW, which found them somewhere in their evolution from "hideous" to "disgustingly pathetic" to where they are now — a mélange of those traits, Sonic Youth, Bring Back the Guns and Jug O' Lightnin' (among other bands) that equals "the most blistering, beautiful sound in the universe." "Hide yr children and watch yr spouse," they warn, "cuz we got a record coming out that could end a marriage."

Peekaboo Theory Nominated in: Best Experimental / Avant-Garde www.myspace.com/peekabootheory 5 p.m. If you are theorizing where best to play peekaboo with this "timely, adventitious, fervent, eclectic, spontaneous" (and multiethnic) sextet, the answers are the Proletariat for shows and the Cotton Exchange for drinks. Or possibly on lower Westheimer, as the band claims to be composed all of "whores." The rest of their habits are mystery; they claim to have been fused after anatomic explosion in the Middle East, and to dream of playing a gig on Jupiter. Those seeking more tangible answers can check out their alternately jittery and mystical electro grooves on their MySpace.

Black Math Experiment Nominated in: Best Song ("You Cannot Kill David Arquette") www.theblackmathexperiment.com 6 p.m. "We found the G-spot," claim Black Math Experiment, "I mean G-chord." David Arquette found them in March, when the goofy Scream actor showed up at the Proletariat to hear BME's tribute/Song of the Year nominee "You Cannot Kill David Arquette" in person, an encounter well documented in the April 5 Press. They're hardly finished mining this particular vein, either. "We want to write more songs about celebrities so we can piss off more Houston bands that can't write any songs about celebrities," claim the dedicated Deadhorse fans. "We also want to sell out." And just like real celebrities, they've already accumulated quite a thank-you list: "God, Matt's hairstylist, Christi's love of young boys, Bill's divorce attorney, Shiva the destroyerÉand our die-hard fans."

Paris Green Nominated in: Best Alternative Rock www.myspace.com/parisgreen 7 p.m. Paris Green's Buzz-friendly blend of "funk, rock, blues, reggae and hip-hop" began in high school in The Woodlands in the late '90s. Since then, the quintet's "melodic riffs and thought-provoking lyrics" have found them sharing stages/on opening slots with everybody from Journey, Def Leppard and Blue October to 2 Live Crew and Slim Thug. The band also has a regional and even national touring base, with upcoming shows spanning from Mississippi to the Valley. Meanwhile, their loyal fan base from New York to Florida will just have to wait.

Tody Castillo Nominated in: Best Pop www.todycastillo.com; www.myspace.com/todycastillo 8 p.m. A world where pop-rock dullards like Jack Johnson are famous and sell platinum while people like Tody Castillo languish in semi-obscurity seems unfair. In fact, it seems downright unlivable when you get right down and wallow in that injustice. But hope always springs eternal; Castillo's "pretty rock and roll" will return soon for another swipe at the brass ring he deserves. He just started recording a follow-up to the magnificent Independence Day a couple of weeks ago and hopes to have something on shelves for us around the turn of this year.

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
Next Page »