FREE SHOW! FREE BEERS! FREE GOLD!

Who doesn't love Sound Exchange record release parties? WHO? There's something so fun, so in-the-know about packing it into the little space between the rock LPs and the cash register and watching a band make waste of a space larger in the spiritual domain that it ever could be in the realm of animal/mineral/vegetable. Tonight will be no different as hometown low-downs Indian Jewelery, fresh off tour, unleash lots and lots of FREE GOLD unto the world. RICHES BEYOND SCROOGE McDUCK'S DREAMS! No doubt those of you who follow the red-skinned stone sculptors at tiny scales have already grown tiered of hearing the spam-sounding exultations of their new record's title, but hey, we just want to fit in.

If you too are looking for a way to get in the cool column, consider tonight's Sound Exchange in-store which kicks off at 8pm and includes, as always, free beer and lots of standing around in the parking lot to the confusion of all Metro drivers who might suddenly think the hippest thing in the Montrose is waiting for the bus at the corner of Richmond and Hazard. The kids are cool enough to stand there, but not cool enough to actually get on the bus.

Though even the Foo Fighter's publicist will get in touch with us whenever they swing through town (no joke), we couldn't get a response from anyone at IJ's label for an advance copy or a publicity photo, so we don't have a review yet. Or perhaps we never wrote them and that's why its still on our Remember the Milk task list - nah, writing "YO FREE PUBLICITY FOR FREE GOLD" sounds really familiar. Ok I guess we would file in the trash too if we saw that. Anyways, from the few tracks we've heard, however, its pretty stinking good, and its a long way down the Oregon Trail towards replacing Evasive Exotics as our fav case of dysentery. But ya know, dysentery in a good way. Burp. See you there.

CATCHING UP WITH INDIAN JEWELRY

Editor's Note: A big welcome to should-be-more-frequent Skyline Contributor Anna Garza, who put together this interview with local upsetters of grandmas and collectors of bad words, Indian Jewelry.

You may have heard of them when they were called Swarm of Angels… or NTX + the Electric Set...or Hong Kong…or Corpses of Waco. Some of the players may have changed but not the game. After brief stints in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and other destinations unknown, Tex & Erika are back in Houston – picking up where they left off… playing mind blowing / ear shattering live shows. Below are a few questions from yours truly to… Tex? Erika? Does it really matter who answered the questions? I think not because they ARE the wild beast.

Yours truly, Anna Garza

Why so many personnel changes?
Shit got weird.

Why so many band name changes?
Shit got olte, and as anyone who's ever seen us play live knows, we're perfectionists. We had to get the name right.

Out of all the cities you have relocated to, which one is your favorite?
LA is home to the Museum of Jurassic Technology and the Ocean of Cold. Chicago has the best food, Mexican excepted, see below. Hotsun has the most floor space, yard space, and family. So it depends on what a person is looking for.

Out of all the cities you have relocated to, which one had the best music scene?
In LA more than 12 people actually like our band, so that sort of prejudices us thataway. Chicago has Bobby Conn and many cool underground spaces. All the while, Houston looked so sweet in our rearview mirror. But don't fucking axe us why.

Which local acts are you digging currently?
WICKET POSEUR DR WIGGLES TINSE KUNT FASCION MUZAK? PANK CLOUD CRAWLING IRIS DISSY PILOT HILARY SLOAN COP WARMTH LAWYERS BOLLYCLAVAS RUSTIN' SHUT + ROTTEN PIECE.

If you could assemble the ultimate line up for Indian Jewelry, who would you choose and what would they play?
GIRL, YOU KNOW WE BEEN THERE DONE THAT>>> Erika Thrasher (sympathizer, guitar, & vox) Brandon Davis (guitar) Rodney Rodriguez (drums) Jimi Hey (ozark percussion) Michael Belfer (guitar) Abi Cohen (pandemonium) Candice Vincent (saxophone) Bobby DJ (syn-drums) Leslie Keffer (static) Nic Barbeln (vox) Rosalinda Gonzalez (violin) Don Bolles (drums) Margeaux Cigainero (guitar) Andrew Scott (guitar) Donna Huanca (drums) Pete Czechvala (saxophone) Bryce Martin (drums) Anna Bechtol (drums) Ken Consumer (electronics/gongs) Mariana Saldana (funky drums) Bobby Deeds (electronics) Domokos (projecting gongs/feather axe) Travis (war rattles) J-Morrison (ghostworm) Squeaky (pizazz) Ralf Armin (starmaker/saxophone) Chad Colehower/Sequential Sheik (sequential circuits) Nathan + Ben + Russ + Weber (havocking)

Are you going to release any new music in the near future?
Fuck yeah we are and this here is the only promotion we are gonna do for any of this, the rest of the real world and the internerd notwithstanding:
1. This winter, Swedish label Deleted Art is releasing "Fake and Cheap," an lp of music we made in LA + Chicago.
2. This winter, or as soon as we get the artwork in their hands, which is to say as soon as we reckon which songs to ditch, Irish label Skinny Wolves Records is releasing "Sangles Redux" on a vinyl lp.
3. In April 2008, Monitor Records new imprint WE ARE FREE is going to release our newest and heartiest cd&lp, which we recorded between here, Chicago, and LA, and which unfortunately, will be titled neither 'Bustin' Ass' nor 'Rude Scootin.'
4. Lastly, Tigerbeat6 is supposed to re-release our 2003 record "We Are The Wild Beast," but God only knows when.

Do you have any New Years resolutions?
To get back in the habit of fucking shit up. You see, its been a mellow couple years for us. Hakuna matata!

Where is the best place to find a breakfast taco?
IN HOUSTON, TAQUERIA LAREDO-- the Fulton @ Patton location. IN AUSTIN, TAMALE HOUSE.

Indian Jewelry will perform as Depeche Mode for the Hootenanny show on Saturday January 5, 2008 at the Backroom @ the Mink.

TONIGHT: BE SURE SOMEONE IS THERE TO HOLD YOUR HAIR

You know the Interpol song "Length of Love" how right from the beginning the guitars are doing that little two-string pluck riff? Man, that always makes our stomach a little sick. It’s not like a brown note experience or anything bowel rumbling. And nay, the feeling one has drank too much. It just gives us somewhat of a discomforted stomach – a tummy ache, if you will, in the classical childhood sense. We’ve never really shared that before. We tell because we love. Because there is trust between us – and because you are beautiful and we cannot resist beauty.


Which is why we’re completely ace in the hole to share with you something else of the pepto-requiring variety. Tonight at The White Swan – it’s Sickish Fest. Armed with little more of an explanation than “Get Sick”, a full evening of entertainment has been culled from the best of last weekend’s live options (Friday’s set by Cop Warmth and Indian Jewelry; Saturday’s matinee by The Wiggins and Hearts of Animals – though tonight you’ll substitute one of Mlee Marie’s other bands, Vaarg, for the HOA). Rounding out the bill in the fabled Eastside mecca of smoke machines and American Flags are A Pink Cloud, Balaclavas and Satannabis, who we were disappointed to learn has absolutely nothing to do with Santana.

But in spite not knowing exactly what is so Sick about this whole thing (beyond a SoCal surfer slang reference to the lineup), we’re pretty sure it marks the start of the Halloween party season, which continues on into the weekend and climaxes with you having to choose between two other damn sick shows (if we may say so) on Wednesday. Get your costumes ready people – you’ve got Pepto to drink.

REAL TALK: THE NEW PUBLIC NEWS

As of this week, the long-gone Public News is back in the racks. We won't ponder on the folly of launching a newspaper into the current publishing environment (though if we did, it would be pretty much Mike McGruff's insights read verbatim), and will consider that separate and unrelated to our inquest of her editorial.

We are of the commonly held view that Houston, as perfect as she is, contains among her few flaws a lack of indigenous publishing, comment, promotion and critique (this has been on a lot of lips lately, in private conversation, a recent Lomax Houston Press column and even Houstonist's post on the PN's return).

In his inaugural column, publisher Ken Petty states with no uncertainty his thoughts on the state of music coverage in this town:

It’s always fun to see what these guys think is important to cover. The one thing that I recall is the continual glaring and almost intentional omissions of notice that there is even a music scene in Houston. One writer, who will remain nameless, but we shall call him ‘One Lova Nomax’, continues to cover things that no one really gives a rat’s asterisk about.

Great local bands are being birthed and are dying out with out much more than a mere mention of their existence in the newsweekly paper’s entertainment section. One of them, since 2004, decided that Harris County was not for them and they won’t distribute their product here anymore.

So, as it is with us and others, local music is more than a little important to the Public News' publisher. So is it with sharp vision that they tackle their first local artist feature, an interview with members of Savage Evolution?

Absolutely not.

Though the piece is unattributed, its hard not to suspect that it was penned by the author of the accompanying sidebar, Connie Parker, the Promotions Director for the Houston Band Coalition. The ham-handed incorporation of the Coalition into both pieces is beyond snikerable; whether they are local or not, having a PR person write about the bands they rep is not the hallmark of serious editorialship. A band listing a Clear Lake club as their “favorite Houston venue” and holding down a monthly gig at Rocbar is anything but underground rock and roll, and it begs the question does the PN know that the meaning of the word ‘Alternative’ has shifted radically since they last published?

Locals like Jana Hunter, Spain Colored Orange, Indian Jewelry and the Fatal Flying Guilloteens are slowly gaining national attention but are still virtual unknowns where they live; did none of these blindly innovative acts merit more exposure than a band opening up for Winger next month?

The Public News is back, but not yet back on its feet. We’re not looking to push them down. We hope that they turn it around, ditch the spokesmenship and take a harder look at what’s really going on here. You can diss on local coverage all you want Public News, but show you’re not part of the problem first.

PS - What the hell is with the cover?

REVEALED: 713 @ SXSW

Having put the poo poo on day party schedulers and festival attendees for long enough, the mighty and predicatble SXSW official band list has finally been revealed. Though not un-deserving, the list of Houston rock kids getting wrist bands of their own is to be expected (with a few notables snubbed again). Take solace in the fact that you are already digging on the best in the city, and that there isn't some whip-ass scene in Jersey Village that you have been missing out on. Possible exception is Pekaboo Theory, whose electro-chill-whatchamacallits might be an new unknown up your alley. THE LIST:

Ceeplus and the House of Bad Knives, Fatal Flying Guilloteens, Jana Hunter, Jandek, Indian Jewelry, The Jonbenet and Rusted Shut.


ALSO, while we here at The Skyline Network don't know thing one about the rap game in our city, far more of them will be at SouthBy than their guitar toting area-code sharers. Let the assasinations begin:

Billy Cook, Chingo Bling, Devin the Dude, DJ Chill, Young Samm, Short Texas, Kenika, Lil Boom, 2 Deep, DJ Domo, 14K, Rob G, Magno, Big Tike, Lester Roy, Lil Mario, Big Pic, Lower Life Form, Southern Intellect and the Studemont Project.

Everyone you Know to play Noise and Smoke Fest

The weekend before you and your mates will be trying to figure out how to foist one another over the wall at Stubbs, Emos and other SXSW venues for which you will not have the proper credentials, the two day Noise and Smoke festival will be underway here in Houston. For an insultingly low $8/day, you’ll spend Friday (at Notsuoh) and Saturday (at Walter’s The Axiom) seeing just about every act in Houston not signed to French Kiss records. From the cryptically entertaining Cop Warmth to the Pitchfork Mix-tape appearing Indian Jewelry to an apparently drummer-only incarnation of God’s Temple of Family Deliverance, the weekend promises to be an all out race to the finish for livers and eardrums alike. Lineup time:

Friday, March 9th – Notsuoh
Ume, The Ka-Nives, Satin Hooks, Bring Back the Guns, Finally Punk, Jana Hunter, Eat Grapes and Cop Warmth

Saturday, March 10th – Walter’s on Washington The Axiom
Indian Jewelry, Something Fierce, Skullening, God’s Temple of Family Deliverance, The Wiggins, Blades and The Dimes The Sporatics.

Update: word now coming from festival co-organizer and recent brain-drain encourager Joey Promahoney that Noise and Smoke will not only be an annual event, larger in size and scope, but that they anticipate it will include other, smaller, events during the year as well.

CTRL+C; CTRL+V: "Future festivals will more likely not be in a bar setting. ex. Outdoors, a larger hall, or possibly in the middle of nowhere. In addition to the festival, Noise and Smoke will be hosting smaller events, for example, we will be announcing a show seperate from the festival very soon"


More Info: Noise and Smoke Festival