LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE SAMMIES

But first, an apology and a thanks; Our deepest and sincerest to everyone that we had to turn away from the door at the Hootenanny Saturday night. We knew that this evening of kick out the jams Halloween-style fun would be well received, we just didn’t expect it to be such a runaway. Most likely, if we had had this same lineup (and the supporting publicity) and the bands had played as themselves, we would have had to similarly harsh so many mellows at the door. If you were turned away, please, get in touch with us, we’ll make it up to you.

But also, THANKS to everyone: the bands, Mark and everyone else at the Mink, Jenn, Dunnock, Chris Ryan and especially bdm and Anna, who did big things to make it all happen. And thanks to everyone who attended, with a special woop woop to those of you who took pictures, as can be seen online here, here, here, here and here (plus in patented Ramon Medina dark-o-vision video here – look, he also shared some thoughts on non-Alignment Pact and The Free Press Blog).

One thing we heard a few times about the HOOTENANNY! was that it is the first great show of 2008. But for us, it really served as the culmination of an amazing 2007 – a year in which we madly, truly and deeply fell in love with the music of this town and the people behind it. Year-end best-of lists are as much a music-journalism cliché as they are a necessity, as though all 365 days were funneled into a bottle, and then the cork is popped at midnight to celebrate. We’re certainly guilty of this, though we generally consider each piece we pen to be a celebration. Aside from the 50 tracks we enjoyed most during the year, it was genuinely hard to decide where our compass pointed most strongly. In our greatest cop-out to date, we turned to you to play favorites, and we thank those of you who voted.

So now, a little removed from the tedium of all those lists, with less turkey on the eyelids and fewer engagements to stress about, we are pleased to present YOUR picks from 2007. Ladies and Gentlemen: The Sammies

BEST RECORD
Jana Hunter – There’s no Home
As with the next two categories, the voting was tight. You can probably guess what the other two were based on the similarly broad and favorable coverage they received nationally. Though she is no longer based here, There’s No Home is a solidly Houston record. Recorded while Hunter still lived here by a Houstonian with a cadre of guests from bands we know and love. If there was such thing as a ‘scene’ and further into the fantasia a record that captured it, this wholly atypically 713 release would be the one. We miss you Jana, and wish you the best.

BEST BAND
Golden Axe
It is somewhat of a relief to know that a band whose mastery of their craft makes us Mayberry giddy is a favorite to others as well. Though they’ve yet to put out more than a two-song Grey Ghost, and haven’t ever toured, it’s hard to imagine this duo not striking a guitarminous chord with audiences everywhere. Golden Axe is fun, pure and simple, and we love it when fun wins.

BEST LIVE SHOW
Fatal Flying Guilloteens
Do we really even need to comment on this? Maybe it was the record, but for whatever reason, in 2007 Guilloteen shows went from being a half-comedic half-terrifying binge of sloppy anger to a bonafied must-attend event. Without loosing any of the danger or the flirt, they figured out a way to excise the out-of-tune frustration and replace it with a honed encapsulation of why they are tremendous and ready for a bigger by-line.

BEST THING EVER
Day of the Jug
Granted, a certain amount of coaxing and band-wagoning brought the infamous DAY OF THE JUG to the top of this heap (and by a landslide, it should be pointed out), but we don’t think that necessarily minimizes the significance of it. Named for the five gallon container of impromptu front-porch punch that fueled the all-day shenanigans, this post-Noise and Smoke celebration had nothing to do with music. But at the same time, it had everything to do with this site and what we cover. Some might bemoan that there is no “scene” in Houston; but we saw it with our own eyes that day. People, friends, players in bands, supporters, notorious locals – a group of people all interconnected coming together spontaneously to do something together. A community that ebbs and flows and lives and breaths throughout the year – something captured in a thousand snapshots, and entirely legitimately in the Day of the Jug.

So many people contributed in so many ways to make 2007 one of the most whips on record, even beyond the people playing in bands. Think of it: Grey Ghost, Saturday Secret Shows, the Mutant Hardcore Flower Hour – the list could go on. And it will. Rumors fly that 2008 will finally be the year when Houston gets the sort of legitimate left-of-the-dial music festival it has long deserved, with acts of Pictchfork and Montrose pedigree alike. We’ve had a peek at the lineup, and we wish we could tell you about it – but we can’t yet. There are a Santa’s sack slate of releases for 2008 in the pipeline, with recordings for Spain Colored Orange, Satin Hooks, Golden Axe, Antarctica Starts Here, Sharks and Sailors, Paris Falls, American Sharks, Buxton and a slew of others headed our way. And as long as we can keep hold our day-jobs at bay, we expect to be right here, soaking it all in and spitting back out as much as we can. Stoked.