H-Town Rock

For the Weekend of August 28th – September 1st

Welcome to the Labor Day Edition of H-Town Rock! Before we get down to the business of poking fun at the bands who will be performing at Rock The Bayou this weekend (and the Houstonians who will spend their hard-earned cash to relive the glory days of the mid-‘80s), Houstonist would like to take the time to remind everyone to be safe and responsible in their revelry. While we should all get out there and enjoy a great three-day weekend in our fair city, weekends like these are often a time when crazy stuff happens in abundance. The bottom line: have fun, but don’t be an idiot. And now – on with the show!

Thursday, August 28th

Free Radicals at Notsuoh
Oh No! Oh My!, Royal Bangs, and Antenna Shoes at Walter's on Washington
The Pleasure Kills, The Greatest Hits, and Guitars at Rudyard's
Recession Thursdays: Featuring B L A C K I E, Generation Landslide, Giant Princess, The Goods, and The Mathletes at Numbers

Friday, August 29th

Where do we begin? The possibilities for musical mockery are easy and endless, but that would be crass and tacky on the part of H-Town Rock. So, while it would be easy to decry the fresh hole in the ozone layer that will be created over the course of the next four days by all of the Aqua Net in use, suffice to say that the former grounds of Astroworld will play host to copious levels of partying and carousing. In the end, it’s not the music that we fear (who doesn’t love the occasional hair metal sing-along) – it’s the abundant amount of skin that will be displayed by the folks who were last in shape about 20 years ago. Our message is: go enjoy yourselves, but keep the miniskirts, fishnets, and tank tops at home (yes, guys – no wife-beaters for you either). For our readers who would never dream of admitting that they have a secret crush on Sebastian Bach, you also have a few options: you can meet up with your hipster friends to The Mink for some Indian Jewelry, smoke out with your parents and Tom Petty in the ‘burbs, or go get plastered with our crazy roommate at the Toadies show.

Final Fridays Film Screening: Featuring The Relevant Edition and The Wild Moccasins at Caroline Collective
The Flamin' Hellcats and The Tyburn Jig at Rudyard's
Indian Jewelry, The Wiggins, Dizzy Pilot, and Cry Blood Apache at The Mink
Kevin Fowler and Reckless Kelly at Sam Houston Race Park
The Octopus Project, Diagonals, and Electric Attitude at Warehouse Live
Oldies Fest: Featuring Archie Bell, Barbara Lynn, The Mighty Hannibal, and Molly and the Ringwalds at The Continental Club
Rock The Bayou: Featuring Azraels Bane, Busted, Death From Afar, Dirty Penny, Eden Burning, Element 115, Faster Pussycat, Gilby Clarke, Guppies From Outerspace, House of Moist, Jetboy, La Sed, Lynch Mob, The Mighty Orq, Monkeysoop, Queensryche, Ratt, Shattered, Skid Row, sol34, Soulbound, Steady Grind, Stone Satellite, Swinging Teresa, Trashy and the Kid, Victim, Wide Open Throttle, and Y & T at Rock The Bayou Grounds
Texas 2008 Music Festival: Featuring Boney James, Michael Ward, Oleta Adams, Pamela Williams, Phil Perry, and Ray Parker, Jr. at Reliant Arena
Toadies, The Riverboat Gamblers, and The Lions at Verizon Wireless Theater
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Steve Winwood at Cythnia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Saturday, August 30th

Rock The Bayo ups the ante today with a line-up that features key acts like Dokken, Great White, Lita Ford, and the Red Rocker himself, Mr. Sammy Hagar. Something tells me that there won’t be quite as many classic rock fans enjoying the tribute bands at Fitz’s as there might typically be. But, in case you might be interested, there are other shows to attend around town: Jeremy Enigk (formerly of Sunny Day Real Estate) can be found at Walter’s, Clay Walker will be crooning out at SHRP, and Electric Touch will be performing their Who-ish Brit rock at Warehouse.

Black Dog (Led Zeppelin tribute) and Tomorrow's Dream (Black Sabbath tribute) at Fitzgerald's
Clay Walker at Sam Houston Race Park
Electric Touch (In-Store Appearance) at Cactus Music
Electric Touch, The Riff Tiffs, and Jud Johnson Band at Warehouse Live
Gipsy Kings at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Jeremy Enigk, Elaine Greer, and Omoreka at Walter's on Washington
No Talk and Born Liars at Rudyard's
Rock The Bayou: Featuring All Is Black, The Blue Threads, Bring On The Destroyer, Britny Fox, Bullet Boys & Steven Adler, Dewar, Dokken, Engulf, Enuff Z'nuff, Faulter 42, Great White, Krucible, The Last Great Assault, Lita Ford, Little Caesar, Little Green Men, Los Gallos, Metavenge, Oneness Darkness, Sammy Hagar, Slickfist, Snakeskin Prison, Square Wheel, Staggercrawl, Sun Machine, Tommy Bones, and WolfeBlitzer at Rock The Bayou Grounds
Texas 2008 Music Festival: Featuring Dr. Bobby Jones & Choir, Kirk Whalum, Leroy Thomas, Old School Harmony, Regina Belle, Rissi Palmer, Smokie Norful, and Soul Fruit at Eleanor Tinsley Park

Sunday, August 31st

Well, it seems that we have a very specific set of options today: pop-rock at The Continental Club, classic and neo-soul out at Eleanor Tinsley Park, or more metal madness at the late Astroworld. If we had to choose (and had the figure to sport a pair of tight, acid-washed jeans), Houstonist would find a way to experience the shock-rock glory of Alice Cooper, the teased-hair-and-hair-spray of L.A. Guns & Warrant, and the pretentious guitar wizardry of Yngwie. “Why is that?” you might ask. It’s mostly because Houstonist is a people-watcher and we figure that the crowds of drunken white people out at Rock The Bayou will simply be more fun to observe. You’ll forgive us, won’t you?

Power Pop Fest: Featuring The Boss Martians, Nikki Corvette, Paul Collins Beat, and more at The Continental Club
Rock The Bayou: Featuring Alice Cooper, Angel, Black 'N Blue, Crank Case, Dangerous Toys, DeSangre, Epic, Forever Falls, The Hectic, Helstar, The Huns, Jumping Monks, Knocturnal Madness, L.A. Guns, Lillian Axe, Metal Loyd, Mudd Spyder, PJ Flowers, Rated E The Band, Rockets To Ruin, Seven Story Drop, Sister Mary Tarantula, Six Minute Century, Slaughter, Stamen, Warrant, and Yngwie Malmsteen, at Rock The Bayou Grounds
Texas 2008 Music Festival: Featuring Brian Sacco Band, The Covington/Richmond Band, Cowboy Troy, DJ Captain Charles, Fred Rusk, Marcia Ball, Maze w/Frankie Beverly, The O'Jays, and The Whispers, at Eleanor Tinsley Park

Monday, September 1st

Honestly, H-Town Rock expects to spend most of our Monday off doing lots of nothing, but we imagine that it would be quite entertaining to take in the cowboy-hatted, reality-show-shilling, bleached-blonde-lovin’ spectacle that is Bret Michaels. Feel free to let us know if there are VH1 cameras are there filming his set.

Rock The Bayou: Featuring 359, Adrenaline, The Ali Cat Project, The Apostles, Autumn Effect, Bang Tango, Bret Michaels, Broken Teeth, Downfall 2012, Firehouse, Half of Forever, The Hates, Jackyl, Killjoy, KIX, Low Man's Joe, New Disaster, Out of Real, Pantrix, Pretty Boy Floyd, Rain Child, Skepticynic, Think Tank, Twisted Sister, Ultra Siberian Pant Factory, Under The Green, and Whorehound at Rock The Bayou Grounds
Rock The Bayou After Party: Featuring King's X at The Meridian
Texas 2008 Music Festival: Featuring Buckwheat Zydeco, David Lee Garza, Intocable, Los Lobos, Los Horoscopos, Poncho Sanchez, The Posse, and Scott Gertner & The Skybar Band at Eleanor Tinsley Park