BAD PHOTOS: TAMBERSAURO & ANTARCTICA STARTS HERE

We were pretty stoked Friday night to be taking what we thought would be the last batch of blurry and poorly lit photos from lovable but large and technologically not-up-for-the-dim-bar challenge camera. Sadly, Saturday morning, the front shock on our extremely less lovable Official Skyline Network Scooter blew a seal, forcing our budget director to allocate the new camera funds to the cursed two-stroke again. So, set aside your critical eye and enjoy these bad photos, which, sadly, will not be our last.

ANTARCTICA STARTS HERE








TAMBERSAURO

DUMB QUESTIONS/SMART ANSWERZ: ANTARCTICA STARTS HERE

We were kinda stoked when we were caught off guard to hear there was a show this Friday night at Rudz featuring none other than local favs Tambersauro. When we heard they were looking for other Regents of Rock to fill out the bill, we hesitated only long enough to open another bottle of the Krissy before suggesting they get in touch with the dopamine dispensers that are Antarctica Starts Here. Fortunately for us and 21+ kids everywhere, Tambersauro hopped on the suggestion. Accordingly, we felt compelled to do today what we do nearly every Thursday, and ask the non-har, non-mar, definately superstars in ASH some of the dumbest questions we could think of. ENJOYZ:

What are some of your favorite records lately?
Mike (bass)- My Education- moody dipper, explosions in the sky- everything, bloc party- a weekend in the city and willie nelson
Jenna (vox) -My Education, Alpha Rev, Silversun pickups
The Air Alone (piano/synth) - Boy in Static - Violet, the Mary Onettes - s/t, My Kappa Roots - the House of St. Colme Burnt Down, Televise - Strings and Wires EP
Are there any Houston bands who you've been digging lately?
m- sinews, sharks and sailors, co-pilot
J- Co-Pilot, Paris Falls, Mansion
taa- I stand by belief that Mansion is the only band in Houston.
Geoff: sinews, sharks and sailors, dirty leg.

What's your secret Houston place?
m- {blank stare}
J-Proletariat, Tacos a go go, Rudyards
taa- Well, is it still a secret if I tell you? Either way, my secret place is actually in Pasadena, and it's the Taqueria Jesus y Maria. Any place where the Son of God comes down just to make me a burrito is ok by me.
g- the pro, yeah, not so secret

What is the first sentence of the page you are on in a book you are reading right now?
m- Machinery does not destroy.
J-PAUL OVERTOOK ANITA in the garage, where she was starting the station wagon.
taa- At this stage, even more data can be received.
G- YOU HAVE DONE quite right coming to me Mr. Woodhope.

What's the best thing you have spent money on in the last year?
m- ipod, fender bass
J-um...studio time, room rent, and school
taa- My son... or my new Roland RS 202
G- what month is it???? if it is before June... my new amp, else my telecaster.

What is the best thing you got for free in the last year?
m- i never get anything for free.
J-A nice customer who manages a bike shop brought me a bike(Cruiser) that he had fixed up.
taa- The unconditional love of a child.
G- beers and such after my doggie died....I needed the respite.

What question should we ask the band next week?
m- who in the fuck is john cale?
J- Candy says-ask to see Mikes socks.
taa- You know what you need...?
G- and who the fuck is the velvet underground... you should at least know...:-)

What does Antarctica Starts Here have going on right now?
m- the new recording (mixing what we have and trying to get some more time), playing shows and above all writing new material.
J-write more songs, finish the new record, and continue to play shows. Hopefully more out of town gigs. Preferably not where there is a loud metal band playing behind us and the only thing separating their monster from ours is a dinky wooden fence.
taa- Well. I'm totally snowed under mixing these new songs. Then I'll have to record the electric pianos, synthesizers and vocals and throw those into the mix and probably start all over... I'm also terribly busy with run-on sentences, and arranging a rash of dj appearances over the summer. Anyone got a good dj name for me? dj sad shoes just isn't going to cut the mustard this year.
G- the new record... mike is right... it is the biggest thing I have ever done.... still need to write more songs....W.L.K. I love you.

Like we said, check out Antarctica Starts Here, where they will no doubt rock out some new jams, tomorrow night (Friday) at Rudyard's with Tambersauro. Party.

GREAT SCOTT OF THE ANTARCTIC!

UGH. Today our intern was in charge of getting us sandwiches for lunch; he went the quick route and will never work in this town again. When a single bite into a more disgusting than usual BLT from Alonti Deli resulted in a flavor that can only be described as “limp old bacon stuffed into a gym sock”, we threw up a little in our mouths, fired out intern, and threw the sandwiches in the trash. Now, with empty bellies, we might have very well used our time to run out for a quick bite or perhaps fire off sternly worded letter to that shithole’s management. But, so chim-chim-cheree are we to share some news about Antarctica Starts Here that we’re going to go hungry and angry the rest of the day to do so.

When we last checked in with ASH, it was after a live show where they blew our designer jeans right off our designer legs. They had just added a few members and were taking some time to write, get them acclimated and all that. WELL, two months later, we checked in with Mike the bassist to get the low down on how things are progressing ahead of two Houston shows they have this week (see below).

Turns out the kids in the cold have been holed up in Big Door Studios working on three tracks (‘Caroline,’ ‘Julie’ and ‘Genesis’ – yes, all of their songs are girl’s names). They’ve got just the basics done at this part, and will be returning to Webster sometime this month to for some recording of the guitars, keyboards, vocals and associated tomfoolery. “Mixing and mastering is going to be done by Justin Burrow, our keyboard/noise man” said Mike, finally able to get a word in through our incessant paraphrasing. “Additional recording is going to be done by Jon Crosby of Vast and we may even see about getting time in at Dead City Sound.”

There are no solid release plans for the tracks at present, maybe an EP, maybe put in the vault to go towards a future full length – ONLY TIME SHALL TELL. But, there’s no cause to wait to check out an entire harem’s worth of tracks from one of our favorites as they have two (double up! Uh! Uh!) shows this week. Tonight at the Continental Club with the aforementioned Vast, and then again Thursday night with Caspian and Loren Dent at The Proletariat. They had some CDR eps last time we saw them, so take your coat and a few extra dollars. Yuss.

BECAUSE WE WERE BORED: Episode #1

Are podcasts lame? Prolly. Are they the product of people with as much time as ego on their hands? likely. Which is why The Skyline Network is pleased to announce our occasional podcast series, Because We Were Bored. We have no idea how this stuff works, so just download it below and pretend like you got it from the iTunes store or something.

Click here to download

In this episode of BWWB, we're taking a look at that whole 'bands in outer-space' thing we talked about a little bit ago. Here's what you'll hear excerpts of and asinine commentary on:

Hemyah - A Silent Visit
Margot - T Minus 120
By The End of Tonight - Setting Sail in April
Blades - Thickass Cable
Tambersauro - One Picture Frame and One Half of a Picture
Storms Threaten to Destroy - Intelligent Ape
Sharks and Sailors - Topple the Pillar
The Nautical Mile - The Air Over
Antarctica Starts Here - Shannon
Co-Pilot - Low Earth Orbit

BETTER THAN THEIR MYSPACE: Antarctica Starts Here

So – what is with this new wave of Houston music lately? It’s not emo, though clearly there is an earnest amount of heart-sleeving. There are atmospherics, and perhaps the occasion Pelican Exploding in their Skies, but it doesn’t come across as raw appage of any post- anything genre. And it’s not really shoegaze either, if only because its prognosticators are clearly looking at the stars rather than their feet. So whatever – we’ll call it spacegaze - because genre labels are a lazy journalistic conveniences and we are all about conveniences (and also ‘spacegaze’is such a terrible name that there is little to no chance of it catching on).

Antarctica Starts Here is one of those bands. We checked them out for the first time Saturday night at the Proletariat (with Program and The Watermarks), and even though their new drummer and keyboardist have been with them for only a few weeks, they’re already a markedly different band from the tracks on their self-distributed Bella Mas EP. Their sound is large and fills your pores, but this is an aloe wash, not a sandstorm. The guitars are gigantic, the drums are running you even harder, and it all makes so much more sense with the vocals. We caught up with ASH vocalist Jenna after the show and she gave us all the dirt about what’s in store for the quintet next. Ok, so actually we just MySpaced her the next day.

For the Record:
“We are planning on going to record with Jon Crosby (VAST) at his new studio sometime in May. Initially when he took an interest in working with us, we had planned on going the second weekend of March and were going to try and record 3-4 songs. With the new members, and the way the writing style is growing, and progressing to an unstoppable monster, we decided to wait and write more before we go back in the studio."

And what of new members?
[New keyboardist] "Justin’s style, the way he writes/influences have always been a huge influence to me as well. I love the Rhodes, and [former keyboard player] Chase wrote amazing parts, but Justin is going to incorporate both into our music from now on. I am super excited about the potential and noise we will as a new collaborate create."

So - want to check out this stargaze baloney in person? Your best bet is March 11th at Walters, where ASH will share a bill with the like-rocking Co-Pilot, Margot and Corpus Christi's i am trees.