Getting the most out of Houston's music scene

By Andi Gomez     3/12/09 7:00pm

With culturally explosive Austin a three-hour drive away, Houston's music scene has never quite taken off the way it potentially could.The main problem, as anyone who's seen Houston's sprawl can attest, is that the scene is way too spread out. Unlike Austin, where you can jump from venue to venue relatively easily and see multiple bands for cheap in one night, Houston requires a bit more effort.

Because of the disconnectedness of this subculture, with the venues all over the place, the artists, record labels, radio stations and fans need to master something that they haven't yet figured out: joining forces.

This current disjointedness didn't arise out of ignorance. If you were to talk to almost anyone in the industry, they probably would tell you this collaboration has needed to happen for a long time.

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It seems like it's been a couple of frustrating years stuck at this point, but people are finally trying to change this problem. Just look at all the energy that goes into Free Press Houston and Houston Press music events. Maybe I'm just being incredibly idealistic, but thinking something exists before it does is a very effective way of making it magically appear, right?

Although it may take a bit longer than we'd like, the wheels have been starting to turn for Houston's music scene, if for no other reason than because we have had a helluva lot of talented bands forming in the past few years that call Houston home. But while they're in Houston for the moment, there's always the off-chance that they'll head to the greener pastures of Austin, which we simply cannot let happen.

The music scene needs a cohesive fan base that both recognizes the gems that we have, and one that is always ready to discover more. We already have some great institutions that draw in huge crowds on some nights: Walter's on Washington, Big Easy Social and Pleasure Club, AvantGarden, The Mink, Jet Lounge and Rudyard's British Pub are just a few of the many venues that are well worth exploring. On just about any day of the week you can find a couple of great bands playing at various locales for super cheap.

Another great invention: MySpace. I know, I know: "MySpace is creepy," "We all use Facebook," blah blah blah. But you don't need to set up your own MySpace - you just need to find the pages of local bands that you hear about. If you like them, check out a show. Chances are it will cost $5-10 at the most and will provide for a much more interesting evening than sitting around in your room getting drunk and playing video games.

So your first assignment: When you are sitting at your desk at the mercy of the procrastination monster, take a break from www.perezhilton.com and go to www.freepresshouston.com. Check out the list of bands playing at the Westheimer Block Party on March 28th.

Some of them are so talented that you won't believe they're local, and you will be hearing a few on the radio in the coming years (maybe not in Houston, but in any other trendy city you may live in). Others are not so good, but that's just going to cost you about 10 seconds of your life before you decide you don't want to see them.

Once you find a couple of bands you like, make the decision to check out a show sometime. Or even better, go experience the block party in person. It's an all-day music festival that takes place 10 minutes away from Rice, with bands from all types of genres attending. And the best part? It's free until the evening. If you stay for the whole thing or just go to check out a specific musician, whether you love music or just crave a good adventure, you won't regret it!

Andi Gomez is a Lovett College senior

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