You most likely won’t remember this, but there was a time when touring bands skipped Houston. From the seventies into the early 2024’s, only about 15% of touring bands made their way to our city.  We lucked out sometimes where there would be a venue who went out of their way to get bands here, or a small collective like Hands Up Houston who did a lot for such a small group, but generally speaking, no major agency saw Houston as a viable market.  Fourteen years ago, when Pegstar was barely a glimmer in anyone’s eye, the Houston music landscape looked the exact opposite of how it looks today.  The story of how one person, Jagi Katial, went from just a guy booking shows to building the second-largest music festival in Texas, revitalizing a Houston landmark, and now building a revolutionary music venue, is a good one.

On Saturday, August 29th, the last Pegstar show will take place in that Houston landmark, Fitzgerald’s, and Pegstar will look forward to opening their new revolutionary venue, White Oak Music Hall.  FPH sat down with Katial to hear how it all began, their important role in the Houston music landscape, and what the future holds for Pegstar.

“The name means nothing, really,” Katial is talking about about the name Pegstar, which has become a crucial pillar in the Houston music scene. “Well, my cat was named Peg and I don’t know…maybe reaching for the stars?”

Before Pegstar took up residency at Fitzgerald’s, before they were at Mango’s, fourteen years ago Katial was working an IT job at NASA.

“I hated that job and I honestly hated my life.  But it all started back when I was still in college and I lived on Colquitt just around the corner from Record Rack.  I’d go and hang out there because Bruce owned Numbers and there was a mystique to that record store with how some of the employees were sassy, and they had this really cool employee named Chris who I’d talk about music with.  It was just a release from my everyday life.

“I hated that drive everyday out to NASA, and I had started helping some college friends book some shows at Rhythm Room.  My life was going along and all, and then September 11th happened, and I got this idea to get local bands to do a benefit show.  Because Bruce owned Numbers and because he knew The Hunger, he got them to do it and we raised over five grand at Numbers.  All of the local bands on that bill told me I should do more shows, so that’s where everything began.”

Numbers, Photo: Courtesy of Venue

“After that benefit, I reached out to a guy named Tim Murrah who opened a spot called Stuka.  Hands Up Houston was peaking in the Houston music scene at that time, and Ryan Chavez and those guys did a lot of good work, but it felt like one storm could knock it all out.  They were self financed, without any outside investors, and of the 1,000 bands that kinda gravitated around that scene, acts like Death Cab and Spoon rose up while the rest went back to college and waiting tables. Hands Up was part and parcel of that scene’s presence here because of their hard work.  But, at the same time, it felt like that scene was coming to an end.  When you’re in it, it’s an exciting time, but like Bruce at Record Rack and Numbers, I built strong relationships with people that still exist to this day.

“Tim and I were polar opposites on that scene, where I loved it and he hated how bands could just perform in street clothes; but he, like me, wanted to build something here in Houston. He was a massive fan of that Irish band Ash, and he found out they were coming to the US. So, I hit up a guy named Kirk Sommer at William Morris, and signed my first agency contracted show.  Kirk and I are still friends, and he now handles bigger acts like Sam Smith and The Killers.  That show sold out in a time when no one wanted to do shows here, and because we took it seriously and tried to do it, we got that show to happen.  The band and Kirk were gambling on Houston, and since that show, he and I have stayed close and grown together, and none of it wouldn’t have happened if we hadn’t put forth the effort to make it happen.  That was just one of the relationships we built early on.  The same goes for my second contracted show, Steve Burns opening for The Starlight Mints, and he and I are still close to this day.

“There is no separation between Pegstar and me.  And the motivation I had back then is the same as it is today…to shove it into the faces of those who doubt us, that Houston is the viable market that it is.”

Eventually, Pegstar started doing shows in other places. Katial explains:

“We started booking everything at Stuka, but, because I’m loyal to my relationships, when Tim had a falling out with the owners of the club and left, I left with him.  At the end of the day, music is art and it’s also a business; but I don’t want to do it if I can’t do it through long-term relationships we have with people.

“When that ended we started doing more and more shows over at Walter’s and a lot changed around that time.  Andrew Morgan left Hands Up Houston, and Ryan (Chavez) starting touring, and there was Super Unison for a while, but all of that made me focus more.  I sucked at everything else I ever did, and this was all I was ever good at and all I really wanted to do.

“So, I put what I called ‘seed money’ into Pegstar by maxing out a bunch of credit cards to finance everything.  It felt like things were starting to click, and after coming to every show I’d do, Jason Petzold started asking if there was anything he could do to help.  After asking for a long time, I eventually put him on the door because he was so persistent about helping out.

“We didn’t do everything right back then, but overall  it was going well.  I remember grabbing towels from home to make a band happy once, and that taught me the lesson to have laundry on site in the future.  The ability to do this was just as important then as it is now.  I take this all very seriously, and I’ve never taken this for granted; even when we were struggling.  No matter what, even when at this time my relationship ended and I was couch surfing, it has never been lost on me that we throw life changing events every day.”

Fitzgerald’s, Photo: Houston Nightlife

“We begin to get into the era when Pegstar started what would become Free Press Summer Festival, as well as the move into Fitz, where they really started to cement themselves in the Houston music world.  Katial continues:

“Well, I met [Free Press Houston publisher] Omar Afra when I was illegally posting flyers.  He went on to tell me that he had become the manager at Mango’s and somehow he brought up that they were going to do the last Block Party because of the neighborhood change and all. At that time,  I was looking in to doing something outside.  Like an outdoor event because of the potential with space and size.  And eventually, those discussions would become FPSF.

“After the second Summer Fest, Omar and I talked about a bigger space to throw shows in.  We shopped around for a potential space when I brought up Fitzgerald’s, and how cool it would be to throw shows in  such a landmark spot.  A place which, in its’ day, had some of the best shows of the time.  Because Omar knew Sarah Fitzgerald, he got us a meeting; and we had a deal the same day.

“It should be noted that I love what we did there.  I wanted that spot, I wanted to revitalize that venue, and leaving it was a difficult decision.  We did about 550 shows a year there, but because of the age of the building, you have to pump about sixty to seventy percent of your earnings back into the building just to keep it running.  Without getting into specifics, we re-enforced the floor four times, the plumbing was an issue, and when it went bad it would end up in the bar areas.  Replacing air conditioning units, then of course the issues that the people who live nearby had with the sound, which gets the cops involved, made staying there a tough choice.  No matter what mathematical equation we came up with, we couldn’t come up with one that made sense for us to stay there and also grow like we wanted to.

“We don’t operate like a nightclub, where there’s a new operator every three to five years.  Yeah, one guy owns Pegstar, but we’ve grown and we’re a family.  There’s people who’ve been with us for five years or longer, and they’re my family.  All the hard work they put in with us, I have to look out for them as well.

“For me, failure has never been an option. This has always been about relationships and those I surround myself with.  Before we went into Fitz we landed Paul VanDemark for help with production and artist handling alongside Brian Smith, who was with us the whole time we were there, and with us at FPSF this year as well.  Johnny [So] and I knew we would always do well with the right team of people around us.

“After we signed that second lease, we looked around at other people who do what we do, and we just couldn’t make staying at Fitzgerald’s work financially.  We started to think about life after Fitz, and ultimately we decided that  the best way to grow and offer the best experience for people who attend our shows was to design and build our own venue.  After we acquired the property, we went full steam ahead with the plans which leads us to where we are today.

“I want a home where I can put on our shows for decades, and in the end that and the fact that I felt like we couldn’t give audience the service and the experience they deserve, led us to decide to build a venue from the ground up.”

White Oak Music Hall, Image: Schaum Shieh Architects

Eventually, we talked about the future of Pegstar. They will continue booking shows at venues throughout town this fall and winter while they look forward to FPSF 2024 and, coming next spring, the unveiling of White Oak Music Hall.

The venue will include two interior rooms with capacities up to 400 upstairs, another hall to hold up to 1,400 downstairs, and an outdoor music space that can hopefully accommodate up to 3,500 people.  Adds Katial:

“The upstairs will also feature a balcony that  can be curtained off to create a more intimate experience.  No matter what, 800 capacity shows will still be our sweet spot.  We’re looking at a soft opening to begin the weekend after SXSW, and a grand opening in the second weekend of April.  We’re also planning on forty five days straight of shows once we’re open, beating our record at Fitz by five days.  We’ll also have five hundred plus parking spaces across from the venue, street parking, and we’re working with METRO so people can park and ride with us. Maybe they park near Little Dipper and have a drink before they come see a show with us, or vice versa.”

When I hear the scope of the outdoor space, Jagi explains:

“Well, we’re only going to be doing a small number of shows out there in that first year.  The rest of the time I’d like there to be pop up shops and farmer’s markets out there.

“Adjacent to the outdoor space, we’ll have an icehouse type of concept, that’s really just a neighborhood bar with food where people can watch the game or live shows on screens, but detached from the venue.  But the idea behind all of it is to be there to do community-based things while we grow together as a city.”

When I ask about the varying size capacities, Katial explains, “We’re too far out right now to know the actual capacity of some of it.  Once we get more of it built, those numbers will become more evident.  But, so far that’s what it’s looking like, or what we have planned.

“Again, none of how lucky I am to get to do what I do is lost on me.  Nowhere else but in Houston could an immigrant’s kid be able to do what I get to do, and what I’ve gotten to do.

“What’s been on my  mind as of late is that we’re Houston’s concert-booking company.  Being 100 percent independently owned, rebuilding a landmark venue, creating the second biggest festival in Texas, and now building the best concert venue in our state — none of that would have been able to happen anywhere else.

“When anyone from outside of Houston comes here to book and produce small-to medium clubs with the mindset that Houston is undeserved or that the people booking from outside the city will do it better, it’s insulting to the fans of Houston, it’s insulting to Jason Petzold, it’s insulting to our guys at Warehouse Live, it’s insulting to Zach and everyone at Walter’s, it’s insulting to everyone at Numbers, and it’s insulting to me, because for one, it shows a complete disregard for what Houston is or needs.  Being born and bred here shaped who Pegstar is and how we operate.  And putting Houston first will never change with us, because I don’t want to do this if I can’t do it my way with the people who are part of our team, as well as with the relationships we’ve built over the years.  I think people in Houston are pretty savvy and can see the difference between people trying to give something to the city and people trying to make moves that benefit only them while negatively impacting the musical landscape here.”

That hometown pride comes through with every word that Katial speaks in the several hours we’re together.  Like many of us who remember what it was like when bands skipped Houston, it’s a daily effort to continue to make this city better while proving that it’s the viable and strong market that it is and always will be.

While Pegstar finishes building what will become White Oak Music Hall, look for Pegstar shows to take place in venues all over Houston.  The last Pegstar-booked show at Fitzgerald’s will take place on August 29th with Buxton, Wild Moccasins, Young Mammals, and many many more.

“Graciela’s family lived in a tiny town—her step-father worked for the police department and everyone knew everyone. Her step-father was physically abusive to both Graciela, her mother and her two younger siblings.

“We can’t report anything to the police about what he does to us,” Graciela said. “He’ll just hurt us more.”

Graciela was terrified of what he might do if he found out she was pregnant, and she didn’t think it was right to bring a baby into her violent home.”

This is one of many true stories from Janes who have called the hotline in Texas which provides legal assistance to pregnant minors. 

“Janes” on the Capitol steps. Photo by Heather Busby

Over the weekend, activists clad in hospital gowns gathered at the Texas Capitol to protest a bill that would strip a vital protection for some of the most vulnerable in Texas–pregnant minors.

Under current law, a person under the age of 18 cannot get an abortion without the consent of a parent or legal guardian. Most teens who get abortions are able to do so with consent from their parents, but for a small number–between 200 and 300–this is simply not an option. These minors are called Janes.

In 1999, judicial bypass was adopted by the state of Texas with bipartisan support, and it allows a judge to grant Janes abortion access without the notification or consent of the parent(s).

If a Jane is in danger of facing physical, sexual, or emotional abuse as a result of notifying their parent, or has no parent to give consent, judicial bypass is in place to help them.

HB 3994, authored by Rep. Geanie Morrison (R-Victoria), would alter the judicial bypass system, making abortion for minors incredibly difficult to access.

Morrison’s bill would add the following restrictions:

• Requires minors to provide “clear and convincing” evidence that obtaining consent from a parent could put them in harms way, increasing the burden of proof. The original language in the law requires only a “preponderance of evidence.”
• Requires minors to file their applications for judicial bypass with a judge in their home county, unless the county has a population under 10,000, or the county in which the abortion provider is located. The current law allows minors to file applications in any county.
• Requires doctors to ask any person seeking an abortion for a government-issued ID. The doctor can still perform the abortion without an ID, but will then be required to report it to DSHS.
• Requires doctors to notify the parents if they perform an abortion on a minor in the event of a medical emergency.
• Extends the time frame for judges to rule on a case from two days to five.
• States that if the judge fails to rule on the bypass request within those five days, that means the request is denied. The current law states that the bypass is considered approved if a judge does not rule.
• Requires county clerks to make public the names of judges who grant bypasses, removing the confidentiality of this system.

Some proponents have stated this bill will close up “loopholes” in the current law. The Texas Alliance for Life, which worked closely in drafting this legislation, claims it will protect parental rights. During debate on the House floor, Morrison argued, “It would be traumatic for a teen to have an abortion without her parents there.” Some have even gone so far as to claim these minors are purposefully going through the court system just to lie to their kind, loving parents.

Anti-abortion politicians have stooped so low in their attempt to eradicate safe, legal abortion access they have blinded themselves to the reality of who these laws were created to protect, even if it means putting teens, sometimes even children, in unconscionable situations. Legislators who drafted HB 3994 did not consult organizations like Jane’s Due Process, which provide legal representation to Janes seeking a judicial bypass.

“Janes” in the Capitol rotunda. Signs read “Age 15, Undocumented,” “Age 15, Incest,” “Age 14, Rape Survivor.” Photo by Heather Busby

One “Jane” activist explained this is exactly why the #HereforJaneTX movement was launched.

“It is time to stand up and elevate the untold stories of Janes across Texas. Each Jane is different, and every reason they need help is valid.”

She and other “Jane” activists stood in the Capitol holding signs with the ages and circumstances of real Janes who have used the current judicial bypass system.

The reasons Janes need this system are numerous. Often times these minors face severe abuse at home, or their parents may be deceased, incarcerated, or are abusing drugs and simply aren’t around. Some Janes are survivors of rape or incest, homeless, or are undocumented.

Without an effective, expeditious judicial bypass system, Janes in Texas will be left with few options and more vulnerable than ever.

To learn more about this legislation and ways to take action through this grassroots movement, visit the #HereForJaneTX website. For more information about the judicial bypass process, visit Jane’s Due Process, a non-profit which provides legal representation to pregnant minors.

Last week, the Texas Senate voted 21-10 to eliminate coverage for abortion care through insurance plans paid for through the federal health care exchange and offered through private insurance.

The bill’s author, Senator Larry Taylor (R-Friendswood), argued that its purpose is to prevent people who are against abortion from having to pay for it.

According to Sen. Taylor, women can still get abortions, “they’ll just have to come up with another means to pay for it other than having all the people across the state of Texas who buy insurance being forced to pay for something they don’t believe in or agree with.”

If abortion care is no longer available through insurance plans, it is unlikely insurance companies would offer supplemental coverage. Even if it is made available, it would be incredibly expensive, putting abortion access out of reach for those who need it most.

Sam Richardson, assistant professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, told the Dallas Morning News insurance companies would “need to price this coverage at a pretty high level because the only people that would buy it are people who think that they might want to get an abortion at some point.”

Sen. Taylor’s bill would allow insurance companies to provide abortion care only if it would save the woman’s life or “prevent substantial impairment of a major bodily function.” Risks to mental health would not be covered, and there are no exceptions for victims of rape or incest.

When Sen. Sylvia Garcia (D-Houston) proposed an amendment to make an exception and allow insurance providers to cover abortion in cases of assault, it was voted down by Senate Republicans.

“It is wrong for the Texas Legislature to take away insurance coverage for a legal medical procedure. It is particularly disgusting that anti-choice members of the Texas Senate refused to create an exception for survivors of sexual assault and incest or for families facing the tragedy of a wanted pregnancy that has gone wrong,” said Heather Busby, Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice Texas. “The Texas Legislature should not add to tragedy by forcing people in these circumstances to pay for abortions out of pocket.”

Sen. Taylor’s bill is set to be heard by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives this week, where it will most likely pass. The House has already passed a similar bill that prohibits insurance coverage for abortion in the federal health care exchange.

By removing abortion coverage from insurance plans, legislators are taking away one of the few existing options for Texans who need to access legal abortion care.

In 1976 Congress passed a legislative provision known as the Hyde Amendment, prohibiting the use of federal Medicaid funding for abortion. Henry Hyde, the Illinois Republican who proposed the amendment, said, “I certainly would like to prevent, if I could legally, anybody having an abortion, a rich woman, a middle-class woman, or a poor woman. Unfortunately, the only vehicle available is the… Medicaid bill.”

According to the ACLU, 15 states have already passed measures prohibiting abortion coverage in federal insurance plans, and 10 states ban abortion coverage in all health plans. These bills are how legislators are ensuring no one can afford and, by extension, access abortion, just as Henry Hyde envisioned.

On Saturday night, Fitzgerald’s will host the third concert in the Fitz Benefit Series. The Beans, Sunrise and Ammunition, King Finn, Another Run, and several other local artists will be covering some of their favorite artists, from Radiohead and Matchbox 20 to Queen and St. Vincent.

The goal of the Fitz Benefit Series, as organizer Jagi Katial put it, “is to gather a bunch of musicians, music fans, and people who work behind the scenes in music production to raise awareness and money for important causes that impact Houstonians.”

Saturday’s concert will benefit Be the Match, a global leader in bone marrow and cord blood transplants, research, and treatment for blood diseases like leukemia and lymphoma. Be the Match also has a registry of roughly 12.5 million donors who they connect with those who desperately need treatment.

Katial explained why Be the Match was chosen as their recipient. “A few of us are tied to loved ones who have been and are in treatment for blood cancers. It’s simply a situation where anyone, no matter who they are, could potentially save a life.”

Approximately every three minutes, someone in the U.S. is diagnosed with a blood cancer. Roughly 70% of patients who need a transplant do not have a donor match within their family, which means volunteer donors are crucial to providing life-saving treatment. Be the Match encourages those who become donors to be listed in their global registry, because that just increases the likelihood of someone, somewhere, getting the vital care they need.

Houston is the fourth largest and most diverse city in the nation. By highlighting Be the Match, this concert will not only raise money to help treat blood cancers and fund research, but also find new donors and save lives.

Tickets are $10, and each one sold will be matched by local Houston businesses. Fitzgerald’s and Be the Match hope to raise $10,000 from this event which shouldn’t be difficult, considering how wildly successful past Benefit Series concerts have been. 100% of proceeds will go to Be the Match.

Full event details are below:

Houston has gotten to that legendary level in the hip hop game.  The city has such a storied history when it comes to the lifestyle and genre, that it’s not strange to find that there’s a rap class happening who’s ready to take the throne of those who crafted our city’s game prior.  One of those rappers in the new class is Roosh Williams.  Five years ago, the Houston rapper was basically called a college rapper or even “frat rap.”  Local comic Gabe Bravo turned me on to Roosh a couple of years back, and I’ve been a fan ever since.  When I saw him in the blazing sun of last year’s embattled Houston Beer Fest, I realized that this guy was a next level rapper.  His latest, “Unorthodox” comes less than two years after his previous work, and it certainly lives up to its name.

Roosh opens the album up with a little prologue, “Unorthodox” where he drops a slow styled rhyme atop a violin and simplistic live drum beat in the background.  I say slow styled, because by the second track you realize real fast that you aren’t going to get Roosh rapping slow very often.  Like Eminem, this guy can flow on a mic like he’s a seasoned veteran of the scene, which raises its’ head on “Extraordinary (feat. Emilio Rojas).”  Roosh and Rojas don’t take long to advance the song along with a hook heavy chorus that you can’t help but memorize after one listen.  I say that as seriously as I can type it, as the track has this nice deep bass dropping in the back like it’s from the early nineties.  The third song in should have you on this guy’s side while he mixes it up by going into a simplistic guitar that sits alongside of a basic drum on “Staring At Me.”  There’s a synthy guitar that comes in on the chorus, but its pretty faint and the vocals are the main focus here.  That mic flow comes as hard as it did when I saw Roosh freestyle to the crowd at the recent Wale show, where they all quickly realized that he deserved to be on the bill.  He follows this up with another hook heavy song, that bass heavy and Middle Eastern sounds intertwined track, “R Double.”  Roosh lets his presence known when he refers to himself as R Double on the song that feels like a mix of nineties non-gangsta rap mixed with something a little more current sounds.

At the halfway mark, the rapper drops a slow jam with “Woman On My Persian Rug,” before he picks up the pace on another anthemic track, the high energy “Squad.”  The song that has a heavy bass drop and a sample of the Ini Kamoze classic, “Here Comes The Hotstepper;” puts Roosh on the forefront of this new Houston hip hop class.  The sample gets chopped and re-cut prior to the chorus that gets stuck in your head as quick as it comes around the second time.  Utilizing a live drum kit, the sixth track, “Goodness Gracious” comes in like a quiet thief in the night.  Some chopped and screwed vocals with a toy piano in the background come in on the chorus, while Roosh flows with lyrics covering topics like rap’s past to the strains of having a degree and working retail.  When the Dazz Band classic, “Let It Whip” gets sampled on the opening of “Whip It,” you should definitely have Roosh at the top of Houston’s rap game.  He takes it to the next level by cutting the sample with a live drum kit and a funky bass making the song something else entirely; only enhanced by the collaboration with GT Garza adding vocals.

Speaking of next level, when the song, “Deep End (feat. Scarface” rolls in with its’ slow jammed out vibe complete with spaced out synths; you know this guy is in it to win it.  When Scarface comes on with his deep and distinct vocals, the fact that the song is at a slower pace just means it’s more likely to become the Summer jam for a whole new generation.  As much as I love Scarface, the following song, “Hardway” felt like another standout song.  It’s incredibly simplistic while still keeping Roosh’s rhyme flow out front with a basic synth and drumkit sound that just makes you put it on repeat over and over.  He closes the album out with a song that’s different from the rest of “Unorthodox,” but not in a bad way.  I immediately got that Run The Jewels vibe of the medium paced “Without A Doubt.”  Gospel group vocals, a piano, and a molasses bassline are only accented by a handclap sounding drum in the background.  When the album closes, you should wonder why you haven’t heard of this guy blowing up bigger than he already is.

For me, the best albums feel fresh while they utilize accents of the past.  It’s like Roosh made the rap record many have been waiting for where he keeps it simple when he needs to, while he gets complex when you want it.  “Unorthodox” is easily the best of both worlds, and alongside some recent releases, will make any fan of hip hop looking forward to this new hip hop class in Houston.  You can pick up a copy of the album when it drops digitally tomorrow, February 24th.  Roosh Williams will have his album release party at Walters on March 7th.  The show is heavily stacked with T2 The Ghetto Hippie, Kyle Hubbard, Guilla, and Stockz.  The doors are at 8:00 with $10.00 tickets for the all ages show.

THURSDAY

 Green Valentine is putting on an eco-conscious exhibition held at G Gallery, curated by Wayne Gilbert, Gus Kopriva, and Apama Macky. Artists participating in the Green Valentine Art Show promote sustainability by using recycled and upcycled materials like grocery product boxes, driftwood, and leather jackets – giving aesthetic value to the most unlikely of materials. The impressive lineup includes BEXAR, bmoodyart, Elaine Bradford, Rebecca Braziel, Tara Conley, Thedra Cullar-Ledford, Sergio Garcia, Wayne Gilbert, David Graeve, Kelli Scott Kelley, Lee Littlefield, Liza Littlefield, Lynet McDonald, Michael Meazell, Susannah Mira, Kimberlyn Penrose, Chasity Porter, Robert Pruitt, Patrick Renner, Rusty Scruby, Torie Shelton, Carole Smith, Mark Todd, Esther Pearl Watson, and Aron Williams. Free and open to the public, this is a one-night only event from 6-8pm and a percentage of sales will benefit Trees for Houston.

Arts Brookfield has commissioned The Art Guys to exhibit the installation The Tunnel of Love in One Allen Center Gallery. The interactive exhibition is inspired by fun houses, circus sideshow experiences, black holes, and unicorns…

Opening reception is from 11:45-1:15 with special guest Carl Lewis as the official ribbon cutter. The tunnel is on view through May 9^th.

FRIDAY

Friday and Saturday from 11am-4pm, The Printing Museum invites you to turn clothing into paper and prints with Drew Cameron and the Combat Paper Project Workshop. Cameron is a second-generation hand papermaker, trained forester, and former Army soldier. He co-founded the Combat Paper Project and has been facilitating workshops with veterans and the community in which they transform military uniforms into handmade paper, prints, books and art since 2024. The Combat Paper Project is based in San Francisco, CA with affiliate paper mills in New Jersey, New York and Nevada. The project has traveled extensively throughout the United States and through Canada, England, Scotland, North Ireland and Kosovo providing workshops, exhibitions, performances and artists’ talks.

The workshop is open to the public and all materials will be provided. However, if you would like to use your own military clothing, bring it before 2pm on Friday and you can come back Saturday to make paper and pulp prints from your transformed material. Also on Friday, at 6pm, Cameron will speak about the workshop program and how this process generates a much-needed conversation between veterans and civilians regarding our collective responsibilities and shared understanding of war.

galleryHOMELAND brings together Tierney Malone, David McGee, Cody Ledvina, and Beth Secor in Point to Point. The exhibition focuses on the act of mark making and hones in on this amazing group’s creative process. This exhibition highlights an exciting new angle from which to view their memorable work. Be sure to check out some of Houston’s finest artists at the opening reception from 6-9 and on view through March 14.

Hiyme Brummett shows new work at Hello Project Gallery in Semantic Color Space. Having a wide range of artistic identities, from sculptor to muralist, Brummett continues his material experimentation with works inspired by the conversation between contemporary painting and ancient mark making. See what he’s been up to at the opening reception from 7-10 pm and on view through March 14.

Self Actualization will be hosting a closing reception for Ian James’s In the Caverns of Your Mind from 5-8 pm.

Another of the newer galleries, Civic TV Collective, will finally be showing the work of founder Terry Suprean. “Radiant Beings Of New Flesh” is Suprean’s new series of photographic and installation work exploring the symbiosis of light and flesh overly stimulated, simulated, and transcended through the sensory apparatuses of digital recording devices.

Sounds for the night will be provided by:

Pleasure 2
Distant Worker
Millennial Grave
P.L.X.T.X.
With special sound environments by PFAFFENBERG during the exhibit.

Dinner with the artist: 6:30 PM
Opening: 7:00 – 9:00 PM
Sound: 9:00 – Into The Night

El Rincon Social will host a birthday party for sound and visual artist Sandy Ewen with music, art, and beer, featuring B L A C K I E , Kose, Jonathan F Horne, and more.

VauLt Houston will present their annual Valentine’s show with burlesque and aerial acrobatics.

FrenetiCore Dance invites you to be their (Un)Lucky Valentine and enjoy an evening of food, drinks, and entertainment for their annual Valentine’s fundraiser. FrenetiCore Dance will present original choreography throughout the evening in addition to appearances by special guest performers. Enjoy a night out on the patio with live music and Valentine’s Day festivities.

SATURDAY

The Nicole Longnecker Gallery is hosting a dance performance focused on presenting the art in the architecture of movement. BARE is aimed at bringing together the ballet, modern dance, and visual arts communities. Held in the intimate gallery, the equally intimate performance is directed and choreographed by Laura Gutierrez. The evening will include a premiere work in collaboration with Connor Walsh; dance by Catalina Alexandra, Jacquelyne Boe, Danielle Garza, and Jamie Williams. There are two performances: Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 6pm. Tickets $18.

SUNDAY

An art show at Christy’s Donuts & Kolaches? Yes, indeed. There will be an art sale this weekend at Christy’s Donuts.
There will be free barbecue served as well. There will also be a poetic performance by local poet Kris Smith,the ringleader of The Houston collective, The Manifesto Form. Free and open to the public.

Cinema Bomar will be showing short films at 14 Pews. 

Watch Your Step 1974 : A deserted subway, a fat man, a vacuum cleaner and an escalator to nowhere in a film seemingly designed to make teenagers even more suicidal than they already are. Features an electronic score that will appeal to Houston experimental and noise musicians.

Staying at a Motel 1960s : A film about staying at a motel that is actually more about something else, maybe more than one something else.

In honor of Valentine’s Day – The Psychological Differences Between the Sexes 1964 : Or might one say, The Battle of the Stubble?

1960 The Revealing Eye – Demonstrates how techniques of high-speed and time-lapse photography, allied with x-rays and the microscope, have enabled scientists to study phenomena which the eye cannot normally see. Brought to you by the Shell Oil Company’s Film Unit.

WEDNESDAY

The University of Houston Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts invites you to an INTERSECTIONS Community Meeting on Wednesday, February 18th.

The Fine Arts Building is along Entrance 16 off Cullen Boulevard on the University of Houston main campus. Metered parking is available in Lot 16.

Refreshments will be provided. All are welcome!

ABOUT INTERSECTIONS:

The INTERSECTIONS initiative is aimed at building knowledge and expanding perceptions of Muslim societies through contemporary art. Throughout the span of the project, four artists from different parts of the world have been commissioned by the Mitchell Center to develop new performance-based works in Houston that reflect the complexity of Houston’s many Muslim cultures.

By Megan McIlwain

It’s another big weekend for art in Houston, and Houston art, in particular, as the homegrown, hometown hero Mel Chin finally gets his due with a sprawling retrospective of a career spanning four decades (and counting) in five different spaces — the Blaffer Art Museum, the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, the Asia Society Texas Center, the Station Museum of Contemporary Art, and Art League Houston. Finally, a Chin retrospective in the city of his birth! (Even if it took the New Orleans Museum of Art to organize the exhibition.)

Chin’s full day of openings at four different venues kicks off with his artist talk at the Blaffer at noon on Saturday. There’s two more talks scheduled for 2 pm at the Asia Society and 4 pm at the CAMH, followed by a party at the Station Museum from 6-9 pm, but let’s back up for a minute and talk about Friday’s openings, first.

Production still from Can’t Find My Way Home, Janet Biggs, 2024.
Four-channel video, high-definition video installation with sound, approximately 8:35 minutes.
Courtesy of the artist, CONNERSMITH, and Galerie Analix Forever

FRIDAY

Janet Biggs surveys the notion of losing the sense of self in Echo of the Unknown at Blaffer Art Museum. Combining video, sound, and objects, she explores how memory contributes to identity and questions why and how we become the person we are. The exhibition interconnects a motely of narratives ranging from scientific exploration to her personal experience of the effects of Alzheimer’s on family members. As part of Science Spring, the exhibition opens with a reception from 7-9 and will be on view until March 21.

Art League Houston offers three openings: Migrating Identities by Preetika Rajgariah, Ed Wilson: A Survey, and Paper Trail and Unauthorized Collaborations by Mel Chin. Featuring a large-scale watercolor painting on paper that wraps around the entire hallway gallery, Rajgariah attempts to understand themes of migration, diaspora, and cultural identity. Follow her abstract figures on their journey to a land where people and cultures converge and unify. For the first time, Ed Wilson: A Survey brings together an incredible selection of brilliant craftsmanship in metal fabrication that spans over a twenty year period of the sculptor’s career. Wilson is currently at the center of a dramatic controversy involving the Houston Arts Alliance, renovations at the George R. Brown Convention Center, and allocation of public funds. Paper Trail and Unauthorized Collaborations by Mel Chin offers a selection of forty years of drawings, diagrams and paraphernalia accompanied by new (unauthorized) physical alterations of oil portraits.  The exhibition features many studies and artifacts relating to artwork in the Houston presentation of Mel Chin: Rematch. The receptions are from 6-9. Friday, with Rajgariah giving a talk at 6, Wilson at 6:30, and Chin at 7pm.

Lynne McCabe has curatorially taken over the physical space of The Brandon and now brings you She Works Flexible. The new space will feature a program of two-person exhibitions, each one featuring one regional and one international artist. That being said, the first opening at She Works Flexible brings you Sensational Landscape featuring the work of Texas educated artist Cat Clifford and Arizona based artist Erika Lynne Hanson with an accompanying text by Egyptian artist Malak Helmy. The conversation will be enriched by contributions from New York chef Colleen Stillwell and Houston based philosopher Joshua Lawrence. Join us for the reception at 6pm.

The Funk & Wag from A to Z (installation view), Mel Chin, 2024.
Excised printed pages from The Universal Standard Encyclopedia, 1953–56, by Wilfred Funk, Inc., archival water-based glue, paper, 524 collages.
Courtesy of the artist.

SATURDAY

Mel Chin is back in Houston with the most expansive survey of his work to date in Rematch. Organized by the New Orleans Museum of Art, this exciting retrospective will open at four different venues: Blaffer Art Museum, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, Asia Society Texas Center, and The Station Museum of Contemporary Art with a plethora of artist talks.

Beginning with a talk at noon at Blaffer, 31 works will be on view including In the Name of the Place: GALA Committee (1995-97), where Chin collaborated with the TV series Melrose Place to insert socially-engaged artworks into the show’s sets and props, selections from Chin’s Erased Currency (1997) and Drawn Currency (2006-08) series, key assemblages introducing recurring themes and materials in Chin’s oeuvre, and the large-scale installation The Funk and Wag from A to Z (2012) a surrealist arrangement of collages culled from the Funk and Wagnalls encyclopedia.

With a talk at 2 at Asia Society Texas Center, six works on view examine his connection to the culture, history and aesthetics of Asia. KNOWMAD (1999) is an installation with interactive experiences centered on mapping, borders, nomadism and the encroachment of technology. The complicated political histories across both western and eastern Asia, and America’s role in them, frame Geometry of Wrath (2005) and Our Strange Flower of Democracy (2005). Scholar’s Nightmare (2001) and Wheel of Death (2002) draws on Confucian and Buddhist philosophies, and their ability to both order and blur reality, while Magnolias in the Moonlight (1976) draw out the yin and yang principles in nature, and its ongoing influence on artists.

His 4 o’clock talk at CAMH focuses on 19 of Chin’s discrete works from the early 1970s as well as his iconic animation 9/11-9/11 (2007) and the documentary S.O.S Straight Off the Streets (2004). Among the discrete objects featured are the early work Bird in a Cage (1976) and the most recent series of jewelry works entitled Cluster (2005-06). Bird in a Cage serves as both a tribute to Marcel Duchamp as well as a comment on the extinction of a species. The image is actually a portrait of Martha, the last known carrier pigeon who died in the Cincinnati Zoo in 1914. The more recent work, Cluster, bridges the disparate social and political conflicts of the U.S. Civil War with the civil war of Angola and the vast resources that hung in the balance in each instance of conflict. The series, comprised of four intricate pieces, looks at how the greed for material–whether human beings or precious minerals–has had the capacity to decimate both human life and the land from which it emerges.

Rear: Safehouse [door], a facet of Operation Paydirt and The Fundred Dollar Bill Project, Mel Chin, 2024.
Painted wood, metal hardware.
Front: Presentation Pallet for the Fundreds of America, Mel Chin. 2024.
White oak, bronze, silk, brass, pigment, patina, 6,000 lbs. of hand-drawn currency by the people of America.
Courtesy of the artist.

Wrap up your Chin-athon with a party at the Station from 7-10 with Degrees of Separation, an homage to Chin that includes the works of Wayne Gilbert, Mike Hollis, Mary Jenewein, and Sin Huellas (and featuring the street art of Empire) along side his instillation Degrees of Paradise (1991), a study for the proposed State of Heaven, where an immense, floating, hand-knotted carpet, serving as a symbolic and sacrificial sky, will be placed under a directive that parallels the actual destruction of the ozone layer.

Don’t miss this legendary homecoming and awesome presentation of 60 artworks that highlight Chin’s broad range of subject matter and materials as he revisits and battles his previous conceptions.

Mel Chin: Rematch continues through March 21 at Blaffer, and through April 19 at CAMH and Asia Society Texas Center.

BOX 13 ArtSpace is pleased to present four exhibition openings. In OK These Five Artists Walk Into BOX13 with a Piano Christie Blizard, Jimmy Canales, Mat Kubo, Ken Little and Mark McCoin dismantle a piano and what it represents, transforming it into something that more fully expresses who they are individually and collectively. Candace Hicks transforms the Downstairs Back BOX into a puzzle box through a combination of interactive kinetic sculptures, puzzles and wall texts in Napoleon’s Wallpaper. In Don’t let the sun go down on me… Lindsay Palmer presents work focusing on the life and career of Alice Guy Blanche and her 1912 film, “Falling Leaves.” Janet Morrow fills the Window BOX with a wintry installation of cast sugar, exploring ideas of isolation, brokenness, silence and dependency in Snow Garden. The reception is from 7-9 and is on view until February 21.

Well Houston, it’s been a pretty epic year that’s all coming to a close in 14 hours from you viewing this.  We saw a lot, experienced a lot, and had a blast together.  Luckily for you, NYE has plenty of options, while the rest of the week isn’t too shabby either.  Here’s how to navigate where you’ll be for that midnight kiss, and where you’ll spend the opening of 2024.

Wednesday, aka New Years Eve, has a ton of options that start off with the BLSHS Masquerade Ball over at Fitzgerald’s.  So, aside from the fact that this trio has had an amazing year, BLSHS appears to be pulling out all of the stops on this show.  Not only will they headline the evening, the rumor is that they might be performing some new stuff not found on their 2024 album, “Abstract Desires.”  In that attempt to have a different lineup, they have New Jersey’s TEEEL performing on the bill as well.  Teeel owns Synth Records, he’s a pretty prolific performer, and his recently released “Hydrostatic” sets him far apart from the bulk of the EDM world.  If that weren’t enough, New York City Queens will be bringing their pop fueled hipster rock sound to the show too.  NYCQ are rumored to have an album drop in the first 90 days of 2024, so you’ll more than likely hear songs off of that release if you attend the show.  The electro pop sound of Children Of Pop will also perform; and I don’t think I’m lying when I say that they might be the most proactive group going right now.  A DJ set from Houston’s wizard of nature sounds intertwined with trippy beats, Yung Slutty will be there to open things up and get asses moving.  The show has doors at 8:00, and it’s a $10.00 cover for under 21 and 100% FREE for 21 and up.

Over at Black Barbie they’ll be hosting Houston’s most soulful and trap house producer, Josiah Gabriel.  So, I know that sooner than later, this guy will drop his new album; and from what I hear, it’s some next level stuff.  I’d suggest catching him while you can because he could easily blow up at any time.  The show will also host the spaced out garage rock of Space Villains.  The Houston based trio redefines the sounds of garage rock with epic solos and jazz infused tunes that are rampant on their recently dropped “Asterism.”  Everybody’s favorite white hip hopper, NIKKHOO will also be there to drop some lyrical science on all who attend.  I was pretty impressed by his work with Houston’s PLXTX, and he should impress just as much on this show.  The psych garage noise of Kose will also be there to make ears bleed, while Pitter Patter will open things up.  The doors are at 8:00, it’s $20.00 for under 21 and $10.00 for 21 & up, which includes beverages.

Bayou Music Center will have the pop rock sounds of Houston’s Blue October on hand.  So, I know the band’s bio says they’re from San Marcos, but that’s just for the people who don’t know that singer Justin Furstenfeld not only attended HSPVA, but he also worked with me at Auntie Pasto’s.  I remember Justin when he was in a band called The Last Wish and he hung around Cafe Brazil all the time.  Things have definitely changed and well, no matter what you think of these guys; they’re playing a massive room on NYE.  Their latest album, “Sway” keeps in line with their well crafted sound.  The doors are at 9:00 and the tickets are between $60.00 and $76.00.

At The Alley Kat, they’ll have the NYE Cumbia Fever show.  The best part of this is that it features the crazy live sounds of Gio Chamba.  I’ve already told you this guy’s a badass, so just know that his live set is just as dope as his music.  He’ll be joined by Senior Jukebox for the evening and the show, which is 21 & up, is 100% FREE with complimentary midnight champagne.

Continental Club will have a night full of covers, when The Allen Oldies Band performs.  These guys run the gambit of classics when they play and they’re always entertaining.  They’ll be joined by Picture Book, lead by singer/songwriter, and king of pop rock badassery, Chase Hamblin.  So, I know that Chase is a huge fan of sixties era British rock music, and it comes through with this band.  They cover pretty much every great band from that time, and it’s scary how similar they sound to the originals.  Thrill opens things up on the 21 & up show.  The doors are at 7:00 and it’s 100% FREE.

Numbers will also be hosting their obligatory NYE event.  The show with Wes Wallace will feature a complimentary champagne toast at midnight, and a $2015.00 cash drop as well.  They’re promising FREE party favors as well as giveaways all night.  The doors are at 9:00, and for some reason there’s no mention of cover charge, though it’s cheaper earlier in the evening.

There’s a good NYE show over at Rudyard’s as well, when the powerful sounds of Giant Kitty perform.  You probably don’t know that this three piece is working with a big name producer for their upcoming album, but you should know that they play face melting rock in the vein of L-7.  Their music is loud, unapologetic, and will mow you over if you misjudge them for being a “girl’s band.”  They’ll have Houston’s most creative and energetic band on prior with Only Beast.  In an odd twist of irony, I feel like I’ve told you all year to go see this three piece where the guitarist also plays bass.  I guess if that’s all they were about, then it would be on you to decide whether to check them out or not.  But since they house one of Houston’s more impressive drummers, and a singer who bounces around the stage while belting out ferocious notes; I’d say the combination of the three is why you should see them.  The show is 21 & up, it’s a measly $8:00, and the doors are at 9:00.

The Summit also has a pretty cool New Year’s show with Houston’s best rapper going, Fat Tony headlining.  I feel like if you knew what I knew about this guy, you’d celebrate his work twice as hard.  Tony is easily making the “Screw” era of Houston rap a thing of the past as he leads the pack into a new world where Houston hip hop is more inventive than anywhere else in the country.  The hip hop style of DJ Dayta, and the Latin infused vibe of Bonbon co-founder Gracie Chavez are also set to perform.  DJ Klinch will also be on hand, while Navo opens things up.  The doors are at 10:00, it’s a 21 & up show, and the tickets are between $15.00 and $20.00.

Rounding out the NYE festivities, Improv will host Houston’s own Ralphie May.  Ralphie is one of those comics who can work any crowd and get laughs like it’s a reflex.  His latest album, 2024’s “Too Big To Ignore” falls in line with his string of amazing albums.  As per all shows at Improv, two of Houston’s better comics will serve as host and feature acts.  This show is one of several, but the NYE night show includes a glass of champagne, and dinner with your ticket.  There are two shows on NYE at 7:00 and 10:00 with tickets between $45.00 and $100.00.  He also has shows from Friday to Sunday.  There are two on Friday at 8:00 and and 10:30, Saturday at 7:00 and 9:30, and one Sunday at 7:30; and all of those shows have cover between $25.00 and $50.00.

Thursday, Walters has a pretty good post NYE haze show, when the indie pop of Houston’s Belvoir plays.  The group has two singers, and they should be dropping their album sooner than later.  The guitar based garage pop of Forever Miles will also be there, while the psych pop of New Orleans’ Paper Bison will also be on hand.  The solo work of singer songwriter Stevie Menjivar is also set to perform, with the indie folk of New Orleans New Holland on as well.  Mystic Merkaba will go on second, with Mouth Reader opening.  The show is all ages, the doors are at 8:00, and it’s $5.00 for 21 & up, and $8.00 for under 21.

If you’re a fan of punk, then Mango’s has the show for you with Free At Last from Missouri playing.  These guys sound like a mix of DOA and early 7 Seconds.  Houston’s United Races will also perform, while the Minor Threat sounding Primal League will also play.  The MDC sounds of San Antonio’s Brain Dead will also be on the bill, and they should be pretty cool to see live.  One of Houston’s more exciting up and coming hardcore bands, Paranoid Chant is also set to perform, and I feel sorry for anyone who has to follow them.  Hard Strike will open things up at their first show ever.  The show is all ages, the doors are at 7:30, and the cover is $5.00.

Everyone’s favorite new comic, Gabe Bravo will host a FREE comedy show over at Avant Garden.  The show, Goddammit! will feature the hilarity of Stephen Brandau, the sweet but harsh comedy of Liz Padjen, the funny and misguided jokes of Anthony Colicci, and the non stop humor of Warren Wright.  I think you should attend just to see if booker, Andrew Youngblood can entertain the crowd, as he’s set to perform as well.  The show will have other guests and will close out with music from Fat Mannequin and Howl & The Rougarou.  Things start around 10:30 and it’s 100% FREE.

Friday, you have more options than I thought starting off with the XXXIV show over at Notsuoh.  The electronica night hosted by the trippy house sounds of DNCSxWLVS and will feature the likes of some of the Prints NotPrince crew.  The evening is headlined by FLCON FCKER who will perform both visuals and a set.  FLCON has been dropping some of his newer gems lately that have me stoked for his upcoming release.  He’ll have one of the most innovative and entertaining producers from New Orleans, Birdmagic perform prior to him.  This guy not only drops a mix of slow jamz and funky beats, but he’s so prolific that you have no idea what he’ll show up with everytime he visits.  There’s a special set from DJ Angieliste, while the magic of Android Genius gets things started as only he can.  Things start off at 9:00, it’s a 21 & up affair, and it’s 100% FREE.

Over in Discovery Green, you can take the family and the family dog to watch Maurice Sendak’s classic, “Where The Wild Things Are.”  If the film screening wasn’t enough, you can go early and take pics of your kid or yourself with one of the film’s characters.  You have to bring your own camera, but that’s still pretty cool.  The photo-ops are from 6:00-7:30, and the film starts at 7:30.  It’s an all ages screening that’s 100% FREE.

Rudyard’s will host the latest shadow puppet show from those at Boo Town called “Death and A Roller Coaster.”  Based on a true story from Baytown, the show will utilize many different forms to portray the tale of a burning man, and his suspects who went to amusement parks during the investigation.  The show should be an interesting one with Something Fierce performing afterwards.  The show is 21 & up, the doors are at 9:00, and the cover is pay what you can.

MKT Bar will have another installment of the Beta Theater Comedy Night as well.  The show this week will feature a slew of local comics doing anywhere from five to ten minute sets, while the evening will be hosted by the hard working antics of Tim Mathis.  The show also features Mycal Dede, Victor Tran, Jermaine Warren, and Kazeem Rahman.  The night will also feature an EXCLUSIVE 8th Wonder Beer that’s only available at this event.  The show is all ages, it gets started at 9:00, and it’s 100% FREE.

Over at Walters they’ll host the King Finn album release party.  I would think that you would have heard the indie rock meets ambient sounds of King Finn by now.  They have this pop twinge to their sound that makes them a little difficult to ignore.  As exciting as it is for them to be dropping something new, they’ll have a pretty strong lineup on before them.  Satellite Brigade will be there as direct support, and they’ll bring their Southern rock meets indie pop sound to the bill.  The ultra proggy sounds of Houston’s Vox Vocis will also be on hand, as they mix an almost garage rock meets prog rock sound together to create something truly unique.  El Fin Mora will also be there, while DJ A-Time opens things up.  The show is all ages, the doors are at 8:00, and the tickets are between $5.00 and $10.00.

Your Saturday has some interesting options that start off with Too $hort over at Arena Theater.  I wish there was enough time to tell you about the massive amount of time I spent jamming the suburbs to the tunes of Too $hort.  This guy has more hits than a mafia boss, and his latest album, this year’s “19,999 EP” is one of his strongest to date.  And as a guy who has seen him live more than once, he’s a not to be missed act.  If his swag isn’t enough to convince you to attend, then maybe the fact that Houston’s un-official mayor, Bun B will also be performing.  If you didn’t catch Bun earlier at Warehouse Live when he performed with Kirko Bangz, then I’d suggest making it out this time.  Hearing the rhymes from his latest, “Trill OG: The Epilogue” was worth waiting on him to hit the stage.  The doors are at 8:00 and the tickets are between $32.50 and $52.50.

Rudyard’s will have the americana country folk of Austin’s Fire In The Kitchen.  These guys have a sound that’s like a soft version of alt country, or at least Ryan Adams meets Wilco.  The four piece will have to bring their a game though, as one of the strongest set of pipes in Houston, Justin Nava will open things up with a solo set.  You more than likely know Nava from his band, TheLastPlaceYouLook, but you might not have ever caught his solo work.  This show is definitely a great way to see him, as his solo stuff hits just as hard with an acoustic guitar and his powerful voice.  The 21 & up show has doors at 9:00 and there’s no cover mentioned, but that may change.

If you’re up for a drive, then you can head out to the Dosey Doe Big Barn to catch the Queen of Swamp Boogie, Marcia Ball.  If you’ve never seen Ball live, I’ll admit that she’s more entertaining than you’d expect.  Her latest, “The Tattooed Lady and The Alligator Man” are up there with some of her strongest work.  The show includes dinner which is served between 6:00 and 7:30, and the show starts at 8:30.  The tickets are between $68.00 and $108.00.

Warehouse Live has the funny for you when they have the 2014 in Review: Still No Jesus show in the greenroom.  The comedy show, hosted by Kirk L. and Elaine Phillips is a mish mash of round table discussions, quizzes, and all the good and bad of 2024.  There also promises to be live stand-up from Jermaine Warren, Sylvester Sanchez, and Gabe Bravo.  The evening will be capped off by a performance from the hip hop improv group, The Space Rhyme Continuum.  The show is all ages, the doors are at 8:00 and the tickets are a measly $3.00.

Monday, you can get over to Continental Club for Clover Gill.  So, this is the go to spot every Monday that you may or may not have ever attended.  Gill plays like a jukebox while you can Tango all night.  There’s a FREE Tango class from 6:00 to 7:30, and Gill gets rolling at 8:00.  It’s one of the best times you can have for zero dollars, it’s 21 & up, and it’s 100% FREE.

If you want to see a healthy mix of pro comics and up and comers, then you should venture over to Rudyard’s for their weekly open mic.  The best part is that you can literally see anyone, in fact every comic in my “Stand Up & Deliver” series has done this show.  Sometimes out of town acts roll up and drop some new material on the crowd, and sometimes it’s a locals only affair.  No matter who or what you see, it’s always happening and it’s always FREE and 21 & up with doors at 7:30.

Tuesday, you can sashay over to Discovery Green for the Two Step Tuesdays in the park show.  I don’t usually advocate dancing to whatever the music industry calls current country music, but since this event includes free lessons in the art of the two-step; even a guy like me could possibly attend.  The free lessons are at 7:00 and you can line dance until those boots you never wear really start to hurt, or until they make you leave.  The event is all ages & 100% FREE.

Well, that’s about all this week.  Whatever you decide to do on New Year’s Eve, remember that the idiots are out in full force.  That means that finding the safest route home is always best, and that this is definitely one of those nights where you need a designated driver, or at leasta cab in waiting.  See you in 2024 and have a safe one, no matter what you decide to do.