A few pitiful shameless self-promotors recently posted their gigs, so I was wondering where most of you go watch your live music. I was interested in possibly seeing some local favorites at their hangout. Mainly just interested in getting familiar with local live bands (Blues, Jazz, rock, etc. Name them all. How many of them serve food possibly? Thanks
A lot of places have closed down in the last few years. The Orange Show is a must-see, regardless of the band. No food. Haven't been to Super Happy Fun Land since they moved (or so I heard), but the very concept of that place was brilliant. No food. Rudyard's has a great sound setup. Great food. Other than the Orange Show, Last Concert Cafe's the only one I can think of that's outside, which is enjoyable. Terrible food and worse service.
walter's on washington is my favorite venue in houston... total sh!thole but i love it rudyards is cool meridian is a decent venue warehouse live is a real solid small-sized and mid-sized venue, no food that i know of HOB is real cool, and they have a smaller venue upstairs called the peacock room i think... fits about 300 and they do serve food mucky duck isn't bad, i think they have food
It was a daycare by day, concert venue by night. Don't know if they kept with that since the apparent move. Oh, and they don't have a bar license so the beer is free, aside from tips. Or it was.
For blues, there is the HOB (showroom for big acts upstairs and restaurant for local acts like, ahem, the H-Town Jukes on Friday night downstairs), the Big Easy, and Shakespeare's Pub. For showcases, there is the Continental Club, Warehouse Live & the Meridian. For jazz, I like the Red Cat Jazz Cafe. Sambuca is cool too. For Country, there is the Firehouse Saloon and Blanco's.
Plus, since they didn't actually serve alcohol and had no liquor license, Super Happy Fun Land was just about the only club-style venue an underage band could play. I saw several bands there where one of the members was the teenage son of a friend of mine that I grew up with...the adults always BYOB. You are correct...the concept of that place was brilliant. I haven't been back since they moved either.
The Sky Bar is pretty cool even though I haven't been in a while. Someone mentioned Red Cat, that's cool too.
I've played the old Super Happy Funland, Walter's, Fitzgerald's, Java Jazz, etc. many times and from experience, Super Happy was the place for fledgling local bands. The owners were really down-to-earth and enjoyed the venue as an art space rather than a business enterprise. From what I've heard, they have not reopened since the move to Polk. Brian, the owner, wasn't able to get the proper permits from the city and they are in an ongoing battle with the people in charge. It's a shame that they've lost most of their presence in the city due to this.
I've heard a lot about SHFLand... Never understood what it was so I just looked it up and this comes up? Hmm... I dunno... Spoiler
Walters on Washington- the best indie rock shows in town. National acts show up there. Saw Yeasayer/MGMT last time I was in town. Other acts like Ratatat, Menomena, Beach House also seen. Numbers- Club sucks, but they have some pretty solid acts through there. Seen Death Cab for Cutie, Tapes N' Tapes, Midlake and a few other bigger name acts. Parking situation is terrible. Cars get towed from neighborhood streets surrounding venue quite frequently. Proletariat- Really small whole in the wall type venue. My favorite of all places. I think it shut down a while back. Seen Voxtrot, Rosebuds, The Album Leaf and some other really nice shows. Capacity is about 100 people. Engine Room- Saw Born Ruffians/Caribou and Girl Talk. Right by the Toyota Center. Nothing really else to do around the area. Spacious venue though. Super Happy Fun Land- Been only a few times to old location. Namely to see The One AM Radio. Crowd is sparse on weekdays. Interesting place though. Warehouse Live- Nice venue. Superstar acts like Bloc Party, Mastisyahu, Peter Bjorn and John, The Sounds etc...Behind the George R Brown Center. Area is kinda desolate and lonely around there. Security is a b****. Meridian- Right next to Warehouse Live. Seen Tokyo Police Club a few times. Also Pete Yorn, Deep Dish and TV on the Radio. More of a electronica type club. The Mink- Newish venue in midtown. Small capacity. Maybe 75 people max. Poorly run and shows are never on time. Verizon Center-- Megastar acts The Killers, Interpol, MIA, My Morning Jacket, etc...Security is a bunch of fools though. They indiscriminately kick people out for infractions like taking pictures with cell phone cameras. I like the balcony though. Its quiet and nice place to relax. Haven't been back to town since House of Blues opened up. Houston has plenty of venues, but there is no local support for live national touring acts. Its sad to see 50 people show up to a show in Houston that will sell out in Austin, Portland, Seattle, NYC, San Francisco, Dallas with over 400 people. That is the reason why many touring acts first come to Houston when they start out as a band and realize there is very little support and never return back to Houston. The scene frankly sucks, and was the main reason why I left the city.
Hmmm. That's....interesting..... Oddly enough, we're playing there Saturday. A funk band plays the rodeo Friday and Firehouse Saloon Saturday. Only in Houston.
