DUMB QUESTIONS/SMART ANSWERS: MARGOT

Every Thursday (or Friday when we have to go home sick with a cold), we email a band we like some insultingly bad question and post their responses. This week, Jason and Chris of Margot heeded our call (ok, actually, we wrote them about this weeks ago but hadn't been able to use it till now). Enough qualifying for you? Ok - get to learning:

What's your favorite record lately?
Jason (drums): The Locust- New Erections
Chris (Bass): Comeback Kid- Broadcasting

Is there a Houston band who you've been digging lately?
Jason and Chris: Co-pilot

What is your day job?
Jason: Art Student
Chris: 4th grade teacher
Alex: Logistics Manager for Total Petrochemicals
Eric: Student, Dillards Stock

What websites do you frequent?
Jason: Bungee.net
Chris: Prowrestlingscoops.com

What's your secret Houston place?
Jason: Babydolls
Chris: Chance's

Who is skipping Houston on an upcoming tour that kinda has you bummed?
Jason: I don't know
Chris: Me neither

What is never far from your side?
Jason: X-box 360 hard drive
Chris: Weiner

What does Margot have in the works right now?
Eric: customized g-strings, butt plugs, penis pumps

The guys in Margot will take some time off from getting the home-made stock ready for their naughty shop to play a show tonight at Notsuoh, along with fellow ACES rockers Co-Pilot, Storms Threaten to Destroy and A Revolution of Kings. They'll also be playing the Save Our City Fest in Pasadena's Strawberry Park on May 26th, a day of music put on by the kids at FGR Productions whose lineup we will start beating you over the head with in the coming weeks.

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.