ON THE RADIO: RIFF TIFFS

Late breaking word that the Riff Tiffs, a band we really dug when we saw them at the Westheimer Block Party way back when, is going to be on KTRU tonight from 8-10 PM (91.7FM or you can stream it online). Catch them if you can, as they've all graduated and sadly may be parting ways soon - and they are an ACES act, far better than our pathetic review of their Saturday chill-time album implies. DO IT!

EXCLUSIVE UNRELEASED TRACKS: THE KANTS

HEY – REMEMBER THE KANTS? Sure you do. Even just a few years ago they were a marquee name in Houston’s indie scene, whose members were at the center of a the welcome nexus of shared band memberships that makes the Montrose scene so vital. They were on the forefront of the BIGLOUD movement (whatever, we can make up our own movements, we’re a frickin blog) that rose to prominence a few years ago, along with bands like Ume and White Whale.

The Kants released the still-available-at-Sound-Exchange-don’t-blow-it This Book is Deadly EP (on red vinyl, no less) back in 2003, and were in the studio recording 5 or 6 follow-ups when they parted ways in 2005 (with no hard feelings, we understand, as guitarist, vocalist, and nice-guyist Ted Conway moved north). Recently, however, Chris Ryan of Dead City Sound was digging around in the vault and mixed these two tracks, the only ones from the session with any vocals (as they were, these were scratch vocal tracks). He and the band (which also included Lee Walker on Bass and Mike McBike on Drums, now both in Basses Loaded) were nice enough to hand these off to present to you for your way-back machine listening pleasure.

The two tracks, both untitled, reveal an evolving Kants that were nevertheless keeping a high level of fidelity to their signature sound. At over six and a half minutes, the first track is their longest ever, one that finds itself starting with the requisite burst of energy and tightness, but eventually dialing things back a bit before crescendoing into a Spiritualizedesque free-freak only to emerge into a slow groove unlike anything they’ve ever done before. We dig it.

Untitled Two, tempo-wise, is also a departure. It’s not hard to imagine this song on This Book is Deadly, but played much much faster. The riff is catchy, and again, we’re tempted to use the word groove. More than anything it makes us miss the heady days of 2003-5. Good Times. Enjoy the flashback.

MP3: The Kants - Untitled One
MP3: The Kants - Untitled Two

COMING SOON: COMMENTARY!

We imagine that, by this time tomorrow, we'll have out the skinny for you on all the various goings on at today's Houston Press Music Awards showcase. But, as for tonight we are a little tuckered out and face a long and rapidly approaching morning. In the meantime, we'll leave you with this, Ben Murphy's (Bright Men of Learning) thoughts on some of the whose who in Houston RAWK. They're just a small sample of our flickr set for the day. Have some photos of your own? Be sure to tell us about em.

ATTN THIS WEEKEND: YOU MAY REQUIRE A BANDANA

Oh Bandanas. You are a dynamic accessory, and one that is worn in many ways by many people for many reasons. It is to you that we dedicate this weekend, whether you be in our back pockets, tied around our hair covering our expanding forehead, or made band to our wrist, ankle, arm or leg. Mini towel, kerchief, bad-hair burka and reusable Kleenex, you are so much to us all, oh bandana, so too is this weekend.

FRIDAY

• Tone-Loc @ The Scout Bar
• Vince Niel, Queit Riot and Slaughter @ Sam Houston Race Park
• Travis @ Verizon Wireless
• The Dimes, Hollywood Black, Buxton @ 7216 Charpiot (Humble)
• Gravy Train!!!, Nasty Nation, Sugar and God @ Walter’s (with Paramour and DJ Underwarranty – SHAMELESS PLUG!)

SATURDAY

• KC and The Sunshine Band, The Village People, Thelma Houston, A Taste of Honey, Peaches and Herb and France Joli @ The Woodlands (DISCO!)
• Nymph, A Pink Cloud @ Jet Lounge
• Kid Koala @ MFAH

SUNDAY
Houston Press Music Awards Showcase

PRESS MUSIC AWARDS SHOWCASE SCHEDULE

ATTN 9PM SUNDAY NIGHT - YOU ARE A BIG PAIN IN TEH BUTT. 14 of our local favorites, it turns out, are playing at the Press' Awards Showcase on Sunday. And as if the forecast rain wasn't enough to make trogging from venue to venue bad enough, it turns out that, suprise, many of them are playing at the same time. 9PM, to be specific; thats when Arthur Yoria, Sharks and Sailors, Spain Colored Orange, The Dimes, and Bring Back the Guns all take to the stage. 8PM is a pickle too, forcing you to choose between The Scattered Pages, Tody Castillo, O Pioneers!!! and Satin Hooks. Don't worry, though, there's still plenty of recommended rocking early in the day, so you won't miss more than you'll see (ok, actually, you will miss more bands than you'll be able to catch, but we didn't want to sour the mood anymore than it already was). Here's what we suggest:

4PM
Dizzy Pilot @ Bar Bollywood

5PM
The Jonx @ Hard Rock Cafe
Peekaboo Theory @ Bar Bollywood

6PM: Eat Dinner

7PM
Insect Warfare @ Slainte

8PM
The Scattered Pages @ Venue
Tody Castillo @ Bar Bollywood
O Pioneers!!! @ Grasshopper
Satin Hooks @ Live

9PM
Spain Colored Orange @ Venue
Arthur Yoria @ Silante
Sharks & Sailors @ St. Pete's Dancing Marlin
The Dimes @ Verizon Wireless Theater
Bring Back the Guns @ Grasshopper

If you're like us, you have no idea where any of these bars are. The print version of this week's press has a map (the clubs are all pretty much along Main, as in the past) that you should grab if you see one lying around. If the weather holds, it could be a good day, in spite of having to decide from among some of our favorites.

PS - Take a look back at the ragin', with our Flickr file of photos from all the VIP action at the 2005 showcase (the year with all the tite rap acts in Verizon). We don't like to look at these, actually, as most of these folks have left the city now. FTTHD.

STOLEN: SOME VERY FIERCE CLOTHING

Have you been following Something Fierce's tour blog and video? It's over on the Chron. Great idea. Not much in the way of performance video, mind you, just short snapshots of the other parts of being on the road - driving, sitting, waiting, selling records to stores, recovering from the previous night and, of course, going to wal mart to replace the clothes you had stolen. Yes, it turns out that in Atlanta, not even shorts are safe from pillage. SO LAMENTETH STEVEN:

While departing from Atlanta, Niki and I realized that we had been swindled. After we went for a swim in the pool, we left our wet clothes outside to let them dry. Unfortunately, our pool clothes were stolen in the night. So, if you see a sneak-thief wearing a Social Distortion t-shirt and/or women's shorts and underwear, feel free to destroy their very being!

NOW GO SHOPPING ON TOUR IN THIS VIDEO:

(ok so apparently we can't embed chron.com videos, so you are going to have to go here to view it)

Certainly the theft is not nearly as bad as others suffered recently, and is more comic than anything (SBT if those shorts were sentimental). The tour diary (or whatever) and the tour itself winds down August 4th. Something Fierce, btw, is nominated for Best Punk in the Press Music Awards, and is our recommended pick. Don't forget to vote.

SAHMELESS PLUG: WE DJ THE GRAVY TRAIN!!! SHOW

YUSS. The Skyline Network's house (not House, though that could be on the BA tip for real) DJ and occasional creator of unfinished mash-ups and remixes, DJ Under Warranty, will be spinning the best between songs at the Gravy Train!!! show this Friday night at Walter's on Washington. Ever at his side and fondly in his heart, the far better DJ Paramour will add her SWEET BLEEPING JAMS to the intra-band set as well. And what other bands will there be, may you ask? How about Sugar and Gold and Nasty Nation. Kablooey! If you haven't seen Gravy Train before, imagine four seperate love children of Toni Basil getting together and rummaging through the Scissor Sister's secret laboratory for all the ACES DANCE JAMS they thought were too trashy. This is a Superunison show and you can get advance tickets from their website. See you there.

WE PLAY FAVORITES: HOUSTON PRESS MUSIC AWARDS VOTING GUIDE

WE’RE BACK. NICE TO SEE YOU! Yes, it took only just over three hours on the phone with the folks at Comcast, but we are back online, able to snoop for news in the PM hours, and more importantly, kinda sort at a point where we can put some time into writing again. WITHOUT FURTHER ADO.

Each year in our parking-lotted city a great cultural debate arises. Are the Houston Press Music Awards a helpful gauge as to the evolving (or stagnating) tastes of the undiscriminating (read: not you) music fan in this city? Are they a popularity contest where the act who MySpace Mobilizes Most Magnificently Musters Majesty? Are they just a good excuse to get wicked drunk on the balcony of the Rice Hotel? Who knows? ONLY THE SHADOW KNOWS. But, at the very least, you should vote. So, we are pleased to present the totally partial SKYLINE NETWORK EXCLUSIVE 2007 HOUSTON PRESS MUSIC AWARDS ALL CAPS VOTING GUIDE. YUSS.

Best New Act: The Dimes
This is a no brainer for this category. The Dimes blend of pop energy with everything you used to like about Matador Records takes us back to when, well, we were their age. A totally convincing first year on the stage (and on disc) has us stoked for where they go from here. Also, it doesn’t hurt that we’ve never heard of any of the other bands in this category.

Best Punk: Something Fierce
This is where the entire balloting process starts to break down (too bad, as it’s only the second prompt). From the outset, though, The Jonx, though ACES and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED don’t fall under our understanding of punk rock. You could say the same thing about the Fatal Flying Guilloteens. That being said, where do these bands belong? Indie? Post rock? Math? Frenchy Kissy Recordsy? We say vote Something Fierce in this category cause, well, they hustle – promote like hell, put our seven inches like they own the factory, write some catchy-ass head shakers and are the kind of earnest kids that will prolly genuinely appreciate the recognition.

Best Alt Rock: The Western Civilization (write in)
Who knows what the hell this category even means anymore. For us, it means a band that could prolly get on the radio or something like that. So, we suggest writing in The Western Civilization, cause they’ve got that hella indie pop thing going on that way more people need to just chill and get with rather than surrounding themselves with an impenetrable bubble of axe body spray-rockin’ post rap-metal jeep brah-ness.

Best Hardcore: O Pioneers
Chris Ryan is O Pioneers!!! new drummer. Are you kidding us? We're stoked. But on the real, if we knew anything about hardcore this contest wouldn’t be about "our favorite local heavy as heavy drummer" (O Pioneers!!!) versus "best t-shirt" (The Jonbenet, whose recent wardrobe submission featured a bespectacled Roy Mata [Fatal Flying Guilloteens] drinking a can of beer). But, as it turns out, we don’t know anything about hardcore, so we vote you go with drums so hopefully O Pioneers!!! will win and blow up and member Eric (I Heart You Productions) will get too busy with the band to keep bringing MC Chris back to town.

Best Meatal: Golden Axe
Like we were going to suggest something else. Ok, actually, Insect Warfare is pretty aces too and this was a tough call. Sadly, a nu-metal crap bucket from Clear Lake or Spring will win this one easily.

Best Indie Rock: whoever
These are all good bands, with solid years and tite bros in them. Like we are gonna tell you to vote for one of these bands over the others.

Best Pop: Arthur Yoria
We are so totally stoked on the Handshake Smiles LP that we recommend you just vote for it, even though we are sad to make Program second fiddle by doing so. Dear Pedro, please don’t get butthurt about this and continue to send us text message notices of rad stuff going on that night.

Best Traditional Rock: The Wiggins
If The Wiggins are the new sound of Traditional Rock, then we’re really stoked about listening to KLOL again. Should win for being associated with Neil Patrick Harris alone.

Best Experimental/Avant Garde: Satin Hooks
Because it’s so freaking hilarious to us that a band with such ACES and WELL STRUCTURED indie rock jams not only won this last year, but got nominated again this year. Also, we have no idea why Peekaboo Theory is in this category either (there is a race joke to be made here), as their songs are far from the noise collages of A Pink Cloud or mesmerizing thought drones of ruaminx.

Best National Hip Hop: Devin the Dude
Smooth as chill. Hell as silk.

Best Folk/Acoustic: Jana Hunter
If you haven’t picked up on this by now, you’ve obviously been reading the local media and not the national music media.

Best DJ: DJ Sun
Even though he wins pretty much every year, it’s not without good reason. Also, he put out (finally) a 12” single this spring which we rotate pretty heavily around the home office and look forward to reviewing it sometime between now and 2009.

Local Musician of the Year: Your call.
Another toughie. This depends entirely on what criteria one uses to define such Musicianship of the Yearmanship. One released an aces record independently and has been working the system to get his name and music out there (can you say OC?). Another has gone the reasonably DIY route, crafts great songs, bounces back from ridiculous management decisions and made hands-down the city’s best video. Another recorded a full length with a noted producer, had a song appear in a national public service campaign by a major skincare maker and seems poised to break out of the local market in a big way. Whatever you do, don’t vote Tony Vega, cause that noise is tired. Whoever wins this, if they win atleast one or two other awards, will be on the cover of the awards issue.

Best Female Vocalist: Sabra Laval (write in)
God we love it when Sabra sings. She’s still a relative unknown in this town, and we’re willing to bet you haven’t seen her yet. But damn. Them pipes.

Best Male Vocalist: Shawn Adolph
We love Shawn, we really do. Former roommate, teller of tales, gentleman of the country club - we have no clue how it is that he got nominated in this category, but since the Guilloteen’s “Get Into It” "White Diet" (from their forthcoming Quantum Fucking LP) is one of our favorite songs right now, we propose that you vote for his 13 year old girl versus velociraptor style of vocals.

Best Bassist: Melissa Lonchambon
We can only endorse this as a vote now that she got rid of that nancy-pants music-man bass; that and Sharks and Sailors have recently been used by the SPCA to euthanize cats by crushing their very existence with heavy riffage, much of which Melissa rounds out the bottom of. Plus, she is partially responsible for making someone go into labor at a show. YUSS

Song of the Year: Delilah – The Dimes
Damn. Another hard one. We’re going for Delilah because we (again) like the video and it’s great for dancing. But we wouldn’t begrudge anyone for voting for The Scattered Pages' “Iris” or Indian Jewelry’s “Lost My Sight.”

Best Guitarist – Warren Hatfield (Golden Axe – Write In)
Don’t blow it.

Best Drummer: Paul Valdez
Paul Valdez wins this category because he is the only drummer on this list that could get away with playing drums on songs that Andy McWilliams (Scattered Pages) played drums on.

Album of the Year: Jana Hunter - There is no Home
Make no mistake – Lazy are the Skeletons and Invasive Exotics, especially, are outstanding albums, and it’s not fun to say we like one of these over the others. That being said, There is no Home is a not just a mile marker document of Jana’s musical growth, but a flat out (yet understated) off-ramp of writing, composing and plain old living realized with a Houston dream-team of collaborators. Well produced, sequenced and packaged, it nails the technical end of the album too. Plus - much of it was written on a sailboat and it reminds us of the beach. But in all real talk - you should own all three of these records.

Songwriter of the Year: You Pick
Again, this purely goes down to taste, and all of these contenders are among the city’s best with the narrative and the note. We’d prolly ask all five of these folks to help us pen a musical, and we’ll prolly vote by rolling a dice.

Best Concert Venue
What the hell is a concert. That sounds so large, so expansive – like Traffic is opening up for the Eagles. If that’s the case, the only place to see such an event is the Woodlands. Picnic blankets, grass, open sky – hell yeah.

Best Rock Venue
The Mink. It's small and tight as hell, but fun, and since nobody ever goes to shows in this town, you might as well rock out in a place that’s crammed to the rafters instead of one half full.

Best Record Store
Thank god Cactus is finally out of business so a real record store like Sound Exchange has a chance of winning..

So that’s it – our voting guide. Sure, we definitely copped out on a couple of these, but whatevez, we’re just stoked to be back telling you what to think. And speaking of what to think, stay tuned as we roll out our SUGGESTED VIEWING schedule for the awards showcase (coming up this Sunday, the 29th) later this week. Thanks for reading, it's nice to be back.

ATTN THIS WEEKEND: YOU FORCE US TO CHOOSE BETWEEN BEYONCE AND ZZ TOP

OH MAN. SO MUCH THIS WEEKEND! THE WEEKEND THE WORLD WILL NEVER FORGET! YOU CAN DIVIDE YOUR THINKING INTO PRE AND POST THIS WEEKEND. ITS FREAKING US OUT! HOW DARE YOU ASK US TO CHOOSE BETWEEN SHARP DRESSED MEN AND A GIRL SO CRAZY RIGHT NOW?

FRIDAY

Motion Turns It On (cd release party), All Points Bulletin, Blades @ Walter's

Ladyheat, The Watermarks, Thieves Like Us @ Notsuoh

Program, The Dimes @ Club Next

SATURDAY

Fitzgerald's 30th Anniversary Party w/ 30fooFALL, Dual Exhaust, Golden Axe, Demassiado @ Fitzgerald's

ZZ Top, Old 97's, David Allan Coe, Hank Williams III @ The Woodlands

The Starlight Mints, 303, Spain Colored Orange @ Warehouse Live

Beyonce @ Toyota Center

SUNDAY

VANS Warped Tour (ft no one you prolly want to see anymore) @ Reliant Center

SHARKS AND SAILOR ROCK SO HEAVY THEY MAKE BABIES POP OUT!!!

CONGRATULATIONS to AL of Sharks and Sailors, whose is now the proud pappa of a baby boy, Jonas. Just moments after their show last night, Jonas' mommy Jessica told Al that the time was now, and not five weeks into the future as so called 'Doctors' had predicted. And so, in the only recorded instance ever where it was not a dick move to ditch out on tearing down your rig and skipping the headlining band, the duo sped off with Pillar-Toppling haste to ye olde hospital. Though showing up to the party a bit early, you'll be stoked to know that baby Jonas is "healthy as a horse" and clocks in at 6 lbs. Post your big-ups to the new family on this thread at Hands Up. Yusss.

VIDEO: SHARKS AND SAILORS IN THE STUDIO

OH HEAVY OF HEAVIES! Sharks and Sailors, a band on the ballot for 'Best Indie' in this year's Houston Press Music Awards, put together an admittedly silly little video of some time they spent in Dead City Sound working on their next album. Granted, on the surface, there is something less than metal about the smiling face of smashable bassist Melissa Lonchambon (herself a Press nominee for Best Bassist) spinning around the studio. But peep the crusher at the end, as S&S drops a snippet of 'In the Sandbox', just one of the tracks on their forthcoming, which should be out this winter. Aces.



You can catch Sharks and Sailors playing tonight at the Proletariat, rounding out a bill headlined by Parts and Labor and also including Satin Hooks and the impossible to google L.A.W.S. (ex-Gay Marriage). Seven Bucks. Cheap. CHA CHING!

COMCAST IS KILLING THE SCENE!

DRAT! Well, in spite of their slick new vans, the folks at Comcast won't be able to flip whatever switch they need to switch to get our internet connection up and running until July 18th. That's like one thousand more days from now. We are not stoked. We will try to update when we can, but because MySpace, etc, are blocked at our day jobs, we are totally unable to get online without taking our home computer to someplace with WiFi. This computer is not a laptop, btw. Just think of the pipejam of stories we have stored up, though - when we can finally get back online, the gettin is gonna be good. Keep coming back, please.

ATTN THIS WEEK: WE WILL NOT BE REPORTING MUCH

BOAST POST! We are stoked as Serpico to explain that we close on the new Skyline Network world extreme news headquarters this week, and consequently have our hands and free time full of packing, painting and writing big checks. So, the thin-on-the-ground as it was coverage in the past few weeks leading up is going to take an even greater nose dive. We'll try and make time for the highlights, but without an internet, it may be hard. Enjoy the Fourth and we'll see you again next week.

-THE EDITORS