What shows/bands playing this week in Houston does the hive mind recommend?

January 6, 2009 1:52 PM

Houston-Live-Music-This-Week-Filter: Help me be a cool uncle! :-) My nephew is visiting from out of state and he wants to see live music.

He is in his early twenties and up for rock, indie, acoustic, whatever; I am a middle-aged stick-in-the-mud who doesn't get out much. He's leaves for home Saturday. He doesn't have a car and doesn't know the lay of the land, so I've agreed to awaken from hibernation and take him out.

What's a good place to take him in Houston or more evenings between now and then? What shows/bands playing this week in Houston does the hive mind recommend?

posted by Robert Angelo to grab bag (9 comments total)

The Houston Press has a decent calender of events, including a section for music.

Junior Brown is playing Friday night at the Mucky Duck if he's your cup of tea.
posted by beowulf573 at 2:54 PM on January 6

Thanks! I've been looking over the Houston Press web site, too, but also hoping for some specific suggestions here.
posted by Robert Angelo at 3:01 PM on January 6

It's a dead week, from what I can tell at the Space City Rock show list. I haven't seen them, but I've heard that Sideshow Tramps shows can get pretty crazy (in a fun way).

Other than that, sorry, I got nothin'.
posted by 2or3whiskeysodas at 3:13 PM on January 6

You may not be this cool an uncle (and I don't mean that in a sniffy way, just that this will likely not be everyone's flavor of awesome), but if I were looking for a show this weekend, I'd see this. Here is a review of the band's latest album.

For something less outre, I'd hit Etta's Lounge for some blues and Houston flavor. You'll have to call, I guess, because I don't see a website to give us a hint of what's playing.
posted by *s at 3:43 PM on January 6

The Gourds are at the Continental Club Friday. Molly and the Ringwalds are opening - both put on a fun show. Plus that block of Main is great. You can go to Sig's Lagoon and look at records and all sorts of fun stuff, eat tacos at Taco's A Go go, and the other bar there - the Big Top (I think that's what it's called) usually has something fun going on. That block makes H-town look good.

Beetle plays the Continental every Thursday for free. They're a Beetles tribute band.

If you want honky tonk, Wayne "the train" Hancock is at Goode's Armadillo on Saturday, The Derailers are there Friday. Crowd is strange at that bar sometimes IMHO, but both of those bands are awesome fun and should attract an interesting crowd in which to people watch.

More honkey tonk / Hank Williams esque: Sean Reefer and the Resin Valley Boys are playing for free at the West Alabama Ice House Thursday. Full disclosure - my husband is the steel player. This ice house is really fun if the weather is nice. You can play horseshoe and this guy grills free hot dogs. Plus ice houses are such a local tradition - it's a fun thing to introduce visitors to. Plus- it's outdoors so the show only goes from 6 to 10PM so you won't be out until the wee hours. I might try and go to this after I get off work.

Domy Books could be a nice place to stop during the day. Have fun!
posted by dog food sugar at 4:21 PM on January 6

oops. This is the correct link to the Gourds.
posted by dog food sugar at 4:39 PM on January 6

Oh, how did I miss the Gourds show? Yeah, go to that, if only for Tacos-a-go-go. Mmmm.
posted by 2or3whiskeysodas at 6:49 PM on January 6

Thanks, all. Tacos and Gourds sounds like exactly what he's looking for. I remember the Austin Continental Club from when was his age roughly 25 years ago; I'll try not to be all "back in the day" with him. :-)
posted by Robert Angelo at 7:13 PM on January 6

I don't know anything about the Houston music scene, but if I had a slim chance to hear Junior Brown play Surf Medley live on that contraption that vaguely resembles a guitar, I would crap my pants.

...coming from an early twenties kid who enjoy music.
posted by clearly at 12:45 AM on January 7