Fold Your Arms and Say YEAH! Rudz Show This Saturday Just for You, Hipster Boy (or, preferably, Girl…rawr)

Everyone who comes to Rudz Saturday gets a free American Apparel model! (or something else, like an STD)

This Saturday, we’ll be in the center of hipsterdom (in Houston, anyway), the fab-u-lous, crime-free Montrose at the venerable pub, Rudyard’s (2010 Waugh Drive) with the very talented Lee Alexander and awesome singer/songwriter, Shelia Swift.

Lee goes on around 10pm followed by us at around 11:30 and Shelia at around 12:45.

Look, we know you’re old and that you like to have your supper around 5pm, watch Matlock and then catch the Carson monologue before heading off to your trundle bed, but sometimes you just have to sacrifice for the greater good. So, pop a few Geritol, drink a cup of that black sludge you call coffee and pedal your ancient booty down to the ‘Trose to hear some ass-kicking live music.

You might want to throw a few Viagra into your mashed potatoes too, if you know what I mean. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge.

Here’s the Facebook invite if you are on one of those new fangled social network thingys. See you there, Methuselah (look it up).

Hot Time, Festival in the City or South by WTF

Just like Usher, when we saw this, we were like OH MY GAWD!

We go on at noon right before fellow Houstonian, Tody Castillo, and play a typically brief thirty-minute set. Should be fun. You should go.

In addition, Houston is often host to what are normally referred to as “overflow” shows. Bands from around the country visiting Austin during SXSW want to play other locales in our fine state and Houston sometimes qualifies. The end result is a couple weeks of really weird band names playing at venues that normally host puppet shows or blues bands or puppets that play the blues, which is probably the most awesome thing of all.

One of the more well organized variety of overflow shows is the South by Due East (get it?) festival run by lovable and funk-tastic New Jack Hippie Guy Schwartz. Guy has always been good to the band and invites us each year without fail to perform at the show held at Dan Electro’s Guitar Bar in the kickass Houston Heights (represent the 008, what WHAT?).

This year, we’ll be there at 8pm on Sunday, March 13. It should make for an excellent warm up for the trip to Austin and the SXDE is always well run, so come out and enjoy a Sunday funday in the hood, yo.

And don’t forget…the legit will make you lactate…lactate…

Hippies, Hula Hoops and Musack…All This and Andy Rooney Friday, February 18

Well, we survived Ice Fright 2011 and now it is time for Hippies vs. Rock and Roll, the Showdown in Downtown!

In short, we’re playing Last Concert Cafe, that bastion of all things Mexican food and hippietastic, next Friday, February 18 with Governor’s Chair. We go on around 9:30pm and play for probably 45 minutes or so. Since you were deprived of our awesomeness last week, this is your chance to find peace and solace in the arms of guitars so loud, they’ll melt your soul.

That might be an overstatement, but you won’t know unless you show up!

Get the details on our show page, right freaking now!

The Day the Music Temporarily Died: Show Canceled Tonight

Houston's Ice-tastrophe 2011: A Mother Nature Joint (dramatization)

Please don’t weep as your tears will turn to ice and, also, we’ll be playing again in two weeks at Last Concert Cafe and in a month at Rudyard’s.

So, buck up there, little buddies, and hunker down tonight. Sure, there won’t be ice on the roads like last night, but who cares? If you can’t be out partying with us, you may as well stay home and get yo freak on. What WHAT?

Keyboard Player Wanted: Robots, Computer Software Need Not Apply (Cats OK Though)

I grew up watching In Search Of, the Leonard Nimoy-narrated series about strange phenomena and the supernatural. Learning about the Loch Ness Monster, the Sasquatch and other legendary creatures was fascinating.

The one that never seemed to come up, however, was the traditional rock keyboard player. This mythical creature plays B3 organ, Fender Rhodes and piano. He/She may even play a second instrument like guitar or sing back-up vocals. They are as elusive as they are fascinating.

Well, we’d like to find one. We’re not holding our breath or assuming it will happen. We are just putting the word out so, if you spot one, you’ll be more likely to send us the blurry image and let us know where you left the trail so we can start the hunt. We even went so far as to put up a Craigslist ad that didn’t involve hermaphrodites:

http://houston.craigslist.org/tlg/2191148844.html

We have a fantasy that doesn’t involve two hot women and a jar of honey. Our fantasy is to find a good keyboard player fluent in B3, Fender Rhodes and piano in the style of Tom Petty, the Black Crowes, Wilco, the Drive by Truckers and the like with a dose of the Beatles thrown in for good measure. He/she should have good gear, transportation and the desire to play nice in a creative environment.

We are a loud, guitar driven rock band that gigs regularly.
We’re all in our late 30′s, but age doesn’t make a difference if you can play.
We have a good, generally centrally-located rehearsal space and virtually no egos.
We rehearse once a week (twice when necessary) and serious about making good music and having fun doing it.
We’ve released a couple of albums locally that have been well received and we handle almost all our own recording, which helps a lot.

If you play some guitar (even a little) and can participate in background vocals, you are a dream wrapped in a Twinkie covered in awesome.

Pay is limited as, you are probably aware, original music doesn’t pay a lot, but we pay when we can. We’ll keep putting this ad up until someone comes along and if no one does, I’m sure we’ll be fine, but we feel like the addition of keys can really take us to the next level, so we’re putting out the word. Let us know if you are interested.

Nothing yet and we are not waiting around, but if you happen to catch a glimpse of one, let them know a kick ass rock band might could use their services.

New Drummer & Spate of Upcoming Shows Including SXSW (We Just Like Saying “Spate”)

Fat guy in a little boat...yeah, we went there.

We’re back…

Did you miss us? Aw, you’re cute.

After much weeping, wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth (mostly by George as he’s a real gnasher), we have managed to emerge from the ashes like a burning phoenix riding a Harley Davidson powered by jet fuel and covered in…wait, what was I saying?

Anyway, we’ve got a new drummer – Joe Earthman. He’s been playing around town for years and has been a drummer here as well (ba dum dum), which is good since that’s a key ingredient to playing drums. You might have seen him with the Allen Oldies Band or Governor’s Chair or just hanging around being pimp because that’s how he rolls.

We’ve been rehearsing like mad fools the last couple months and, just like that, have lined up a butt-ton of gigs including our second appearance at the Live Music Records South by Southwest showcase. You’ll find us hunkered amongst the hipsters trying to avoid catching the disease that causes the sufferer to wear guyliner and skinny jeans. Shudder.

Next up is Bohemeo’s this Friday. It’s supposed to snow – this is HOUSTON, God, not Buffalo! – but that won’t stop us. Like postal workers, we aren’t deterred by weather and we always pack heat. Ahem. It’s an early show, so don’t go get hammered and show up around 10 demanding to hear rock and roll and claiming anyone who plays earlier than that is a pussy. We can’t take you anywhere!

After that, a show at Last Concert, then back to Rudyard’s and a stop at the South by Due East festival here in Houston before heading northwest to Austin. We’re busy, people!

We’d love to see you out at a show or two or all of them. You’re so damn dedicated and we love you for it. Come here, you. Give us a hug!

By the way, if you aren’t a fan on Facebook or don’t follow us on Twitter, my GOD man, what is wrong with you. Do it! Do it! DOOOO EEEEET!

New Song Alert! “Shutting it Down”

Another one that we hope to have out soon…

New Song Alert! “My Town is Gone”

This is a tune about losing people and things and knowing those people and things are never coming back. We hope to have a studio version finished some time in the new year.

New Song Alert! “Guess Again”

This is one of the new songs we are recording and hope to have out sometime soon. We recorded it live at Bohemeo’s, a great little bar in southeast Houston. Let us know what you think. Peace.

Jeff Talks Petty with Andrew Dansby of the Houston Chronicle

One of our favorites, Tom Petty, will visit Houston this weekend. He was originally scheduled to play here several months ago, but schedules got shifted and here we are.

Prior to his first visit, Houston Chronicle and 29-95.com writer Andrew Dansby asked me to participate in a question and answer session. Dansby planned to do a regular q&a with a local artist focused on a one song that artist loved. Since Dansby and I (as well as the rest of the band) share an affinity for Tom Petty and the show was coming up (at the time), I chose “Walls (Circus)” and the story finally hit the paper and the web today.

29-95: I’m intrigued as to why you picked this one. It’s a favorite of mine, but the album was kind of the beginning of a sort of sales attrition for Petty.
Balke: I didn’t hear it originally on the album. I was at this event, a CD swap where everybody puts a CD in a box and pulls one out. And I got one labeled “My Favorite Tom Petty Songs.” It struck me immediately because it has those quintessential Petty elements. And it also felt like one of those where he was wearing his influences on his sleeves. The song structure, five chords, sounds very 1950s. The chord progressions are like Earth Angel or something. It still has the Byrds influence with the 12-string guitar. And it’s Beatles-ish where it starts with the straight piano and ends with that breakdown. I liked the combination of those things together.

You can read the whole thing on 29.95.com or check it out in the 29-95 insert in Thurday’s paper.