Spot The Local Music Curmudgeon- New 2025 Edition

-A weekly blog where I highlight at least one show I definitely expect to attend (see *) and throw in a few more that I'd like to and might see given the money and the time. -

RECAP

Yes, I stayed home New Years Eve. Given what was happening at Rudz, The Prolee, Notsuoh, and Boondocks I will admit that I was being a bad local music writer. So sue me! Still I did get to get to see a great show over at the Proletariat on Saturday. I have to say though I was infinitely disappointed that arrived just in time to miss Elaine Greer's criminally short 15 minute set. Still Bright Men of Learning played a great set not long after. I'm a sucker for the melodic guitar lines and the rootsy song structures, what can I say. You decide for yourself but Bright Men of Learning is in my opinion one of the most under-appreciated bands in Houston but you decide for yourself - (see the live video of their performance below).

Also that night was Judas Bear which was one part Sad Like Crazy, one part Over Sea Under Stone, and one part Oculous Sinister. It was indie-rock-a-liscious. If you were there, you probably heard me and my visiting New York friend saying things like "Hooray Indie Rock!" or "Yay stage banter! Say something indie rock!" but we were just kidding - we were just drunk, digging the band, and having fun. Can't wait to see them again!

Anyhow, here is the BMOL video I promised:



Now, onto this week's shows eh?


This Week's Spotlight - It's a Hootenanny!

*Saturday January 5 - Hootenanny!
featuring
8:00PM John Sears (as Sam Cooke)
8:30PM Surpise Mystery Band
9:00PM Papermoons (as Pedro the Lion)
9:30PM Panic in Detroit (as Jawbox)
10:00PM The Jonx (as Nomeansno)
10:30PM The Mathletes (as Talking Heads)
11:00PM Something Fierce (as The Clash)
11:30PM The Dimes w/ Mlee Suprean (as The Pixies)
12:00 PM AWESOME! (as Weezer)
12:30PM Blades (as Foo Fighters)
1:00PM Indian Jewelry (as Depeche Mode)
@ The Backroom (The Mink)
beginning at 8PM sharp
It's finally here the long-awaited and much-buzzed about Hootenanny featuring your favorite bands pretending to be, well, your favorite bands. It's going to be a brutal six hours but well worth it. If I'm not mistaken ADR over at Skyline.net is behind this little game of dress up [correction - it's being put together by ADR, Ben Murphy, and Anna Garza - see comments] and setting it up with two stages (downstairs and upstairs) is a smart move that will likely keep things running as smooth as an eleven band show can go. All I've heard so far is how the bands are having a great time with this. The Dimes and Mlee Suprean have both been nigh giddy about their set (though they admit that getting the feel of Tony's theme is harder than it sounds), for a brief moment in time Panic in Detroit posted a youtube of their rehearsing one song which despite the lack of vocals rocked like nobody's business, and Steven of Something Fierce is all smiles about the show - oh wait he's always all smiles. Needless to say - it's a party!

Also This Week

Thursday, January 3
Surroundings
@ The White Swan
Baltimore Hard Core. You know the deal; when it's slow it's heavy and when it's fast you hold onto your White Swan quart of beer a little tighter.

Friday, January 4
B., The Church of Philadelphia/Hollywood Black/Buxton
@ The Loft (The Woodlands)
Hi suburbia, you've got a show. Kind of odd having the proggy instrumental B. with the more melodic indie-pop bands but then again I abhor shows where all the bands sound alike.

Saturday, January 5
Dumbatron/The Eastern Sea/Earnie Banks/Elaine Greer/John Rawls
@ Super Happy Fun Land
Dumbatron really knows how to talk up their shows "I was pretty bummed out because I had this feeling that everyone hated us, but it turned out pretty okay...Hopefully we'll play more shows, and MAYBE record some new material. But I think it's gotten to the point where nobody cares anymore, and that's okay." YUSSS!!!! Austin's The Eastern Sea has some lovely folky stuff worth checking out. Earnie Banks plays some slick indie rock that recalls Minus The Bear. Elaine Greer's stuff is par-excellance and worth the trip to SHFL alone. One man indie pop-o-rama John Rawls debuts too. Basically it's indie bands heavy on the melody versus ennui personified.

Saturday, January 5
Houston Food Bank Benefit
featuring
The Riff Tiffs, B., Studemont Project, American Fangs, & Television Skies
@ Numbers
($5/$7; showgoers asked to bring canned goods & blankets)
A worthy cause and a great line-up. I have to admit that, as of late, the acclaimed Riff Tiffs are the hardest working band to have broken up in 2025. B. is also a proggy energetic hoot. But I'll let Omar post about this in greater detail.

Saturday, January 5 -
Secret Saturday Show,
featuring several mystery bands & DJs
@ The Shady Tavern
(1206 W. 20th St.; 12-5PM, free!)
Rumor has it possible Tambersauro and Sad Like Crazy performances - maybe. We'll see if any of those rumors are true. That's the thing about these shows - they are secret you know.

*Saturday, January 5
Sad Like Crazy
@ The Proletariat
The perfect show hailing the return of a beloved local band at the perfect beloved venue on the worst date. I was talking with vocalist Mari Pool the other day and even she admitted that it was bad luck with the whole Hootenanny thing going on but if there is any band that could pull me a way for even a short time and hop on over from the Mink to the Prolee this is it. Curse You sad But Crazy for complicating my Saturday!!!!

Saturday, January 5
My Education/Alkari/Hymn Six
@ Rudyard's
My Education put on great shows of instrumentals that slowly build over a melodic center. Always worth seeing.

Saturday, January 5
A.N.S., Bleach Boys, Hasbeen, El Desmdre, The Ale Gore
@ Notsuoh
(Moved from Southmore at nance St. - don't ge confused)
Poor Southmore goes and brings you some Dallas Skate Thrash, Denton "Surf & Roll", and some local Badass hardcore shit and then it comes out that the Nance street location really isn't going to work out after all. So here was a great show that was briefly in search of a last minute location. I mean after putting together such a nice flyer how could it fall through, right? We'll thankfully Notsuoh came in and swooped up this bill. Scweeet!.

Saturday, January 5
Killing the Dream, Ruiner, Die Young, All Teeth
@ Walter's on Washington
Had enough of the indie rock? Er can't figure out where that damn southmore show is? OK, no worries, here's another hardcore show for you.

Monday January 7
Nathaniel Bartlett, The Krell
@ Super Happy Funland
This sounds really cool or maybe I'm just a nerd. Bartlett's marimba compositions are atmospheric and spacious ear candy or as he explains it, "I am interested in works that utilize 3D computer generated sound projection. I perform with a rig that seamlessly melds my instrument with electronics, computers, and an eightchannel, cuboid, loudspeaker array a performance concept that I call modern marimba3. With this computer controlled system, I am able to project and move sound anywhere in the performance space – total immersion in sound." Opening act The Krell also came all the way from Hungary to play their minimalist ambiance for you. Neat!

Monday January 7
(Final) Open Turntables
@ The Proletariat
Open Turntables at the Proletariat makes it's last hurrah. Your hosts Domokos and Rosa ask that you "dust off your musty vinyl because sometimes the cd player works and sometimes it doesn't."

*Wednesday, January 9
Fantasy's Core, Amplified Heat, Motion Turns It On
@ Walter's on Washington
HOLY CRAP!! FANTASY'S CORE!!!!!! I mean Amplified heat and Motion Turns It On are are amazing bands don't get me wrong but it's just been too many years since I met these amazing garage rockers from Nagasaki! They ripped it up here and in Austin a few years ago and my band had the unenviable task of following them at SXSW. Yes, it went from packed to empty faster than you can say Yojimbo! But there was no denying the brilliant writing, musicianship, and stage performance. I mean, look at these guys!!!! As they put it "I can not speak English...hahaha! But, I can speak Rock'n'roll!!!"