Thursday 31 October 2013 - Born Again Virgins * Pbearadactyl * Rahab the Monster * This Years Tiger

 

Born Again Virgins (Houston, TX)
https://www.facebook.com/bornagainvirgins

With influences ranging from AC/DC to The Decendents, Born Again Virgins has created a unique, energetic and fresh sound that will keep you moving till the last note. They are currently working to solidify their self titled e.p. and begin efforts to take the show on the road.

“BAV is a completely acceptable music alternative to driving your car headfirst into oncoming traffic, particularly when the lead vocalist James Red unhinges his jaw and lets loose the full force of his rocker screech.” – Shea Serrano of Houston Press

 

Pbearadactyl (Houston, TX)
https://soundcloud.com/pbearadactyl

Southern Dinocore

Matt Mooney-Guitars
Kenneth Gardner-Guitars/Bass
Tim Walker-Drums
Hank the Moon-Mouth Noises

 

 

Rahab the Monster (Houston, TX)
https://www.facebook.com/rahabthemonster

Vocals- Cameron Lindsey
Guitar- Jon Adams
Drums- Talan Scruggs
Bass- Alex Riddle
Guitar- Chris Day

 

 

This Years Tiger (Houston, TX)
https://soundcloud.com/thisyearstiger

This Year’s Tiger are a post/ hardcore band from Houston Texas.
Justin Blumenstock (vocals/ guitar)
Jeff Jones (drums/ bgv’s)
Eric Christian (bass)
Justin Smith (guitar)

Monday 28 October 2013 – A Couple Of Stand Up Guys Open Mic (8pm Free!)

OpenMicMondaysA Couple Of Stand Up Guys (Houston, TX)
https://www.facebook.com/rudzopenmic

Houston’s Favorite Open Mic. Rudz Open Mic is dedicated to improving the Houston Comedy scene, showcasing talent from first time performer, to the seasoned veteran.

The event started June 11th 2012. It is a rotating group of comedic talent from the Houston area set on revitalizing the local comedy scene with new talent.

Want to Sign-up? Just e-mail [email protected] to sign up for Monday’s open mic! Now all you have to do is click the address and type your name in the subject head and hit send.

Saturday 26 October 2013 - B L A C K I E * Secret Prostitutes * Wicked Poseur

B L A C K I E (Houston, TX)
https://blackieallcapswithspaces.com/

“WHO: “Floating between Houston’s punk and hip-hop circles, B L A C K I E (Michael LaCour) is an enigma infamous for showing up at clubs with a homemade sound system that at over 5,000 watts makes him a one-man noise ordinance violation. His schizophrenic mix of dizzying feedback and hard-charging beats recalls both hardcore pioneers Bad Brains and one of last year’s SXSW breakouts, the Brooklyn noise-pop duo Sleigh Bells.

START HERE: “I Don’t Wear Sneakers,” from his “Spred Luv” album, documents the clash between sharp old-school-inspired rhymes and a seriously distorted rhythm track.” - New York Times

“There’s nothing subtle about B L A C K I E All Caps, With Spaces. Not the incendiary name and certainly not the all caps. (Okay, I’ll give you the spaces.) Not the rumbling bass booming from the fuck-off PA system he hauls to and abuses at every gig or the way he thrashed about on the cement floor of the cavernous Barcelona Wednesday night. The unhinged screamcore Houston rapper unleashed a brutal assault of noise-rock and rhymes on a mostly unsuspecting audience for 20 minutes, repeatedly shoving the mic toward the haphazard pile of speakers to produce an ear-piercing feedback effect. “Look at You” from recent LP Spred Luv lasted no more than 30 seconds, while “Stay Up” – written about a friend who passed away – was only a touch longer. B L A C K I E crawled on the floor inside a circle of slack-jawed onlookers, occasionally rising up to run as far as the mic cord would allow. Spitting the closing lines of “Dope & Doper” a cappella, a now shirtless B L A C K I E simply yanked the power source of his sound system out of the wall and hoarsely wailed, “You’re dope but I’m doper.” No argument.” - Austin Chronicle

Secret Prostitutes (Houston, TX)
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Secret-Prostitutes/406440782699278

“The Secret Prostitutes, led by drummer Adit Samudra with Wolf on guitar and Ryan on bass, play something like the antithesis of the distended and psychologically complex music of the Energy. Aptly titled, Never Mind the K.B.D. consists of D.I.Y. punk in the style of the Killed By Death compilations, with simple, direct riffs arranged into fast, very short songs, 22 of which are dispatched in just over 25 minutes. A.D.D. indeed. Samudra has a knack for the punk technique of crafting catchy vocal lines without the use of melody, with songs like “Sabotase Barang Bukti” and “Hipnotis,” both of which feature Samudra’s sister on vocals, serving as prime examples…Confoundingly, one of the things that distinguishes the Secret Prostitutes, the fact that Samudra writes in Indonesian, limits the impact of the songs for an English-speaking audience. Not that Samudra doesn’t have every right and reason to write lyrics in whatever language he chooses, but this particular choice does limit the access of most American listeners to the content of the songs.” -29.95.com



Wicked Poseur (Houston, TX)
https://myspace.com/wickedposeur

Sinister brainchild of The Energy’s Arthur Bates. Darkly clever lyrics, stiff mechanical synth beats and dueling electric guitars. Currently a duo featuring Bates and Cley Miller of Young Mammals. – 29-95

 

 

 

Saturday 26 October 2013 - Ophelia’s Rope (doors 6:30pm)

 

Ophelia’s Rope (Houston, TX)
https://sites.google.com/site/opheliasrope/

Two girls waiting for you to pick a number

Brace yourself! Ophelia’s Rope comes backed with extensive experience in theatre, improv, dancing, singing, TV and film, and athleticism, so you know this has got to be good. Members Autumn Clack and Ruth Shauberger McCleskey both boast extremely intensive training in theatre and the performing arts. Take Clack, for instance. She majored in Acting at Adelphi University in New York, and coupled it with a minor in Dance, emphasis on ballet and modern styles. After, she attended London Dramatic Academy where she dove deep within the world of Shakespeare. Additionally, Clack has acquired skills in stage combat, pointe dance, aerial, dialect detection, and choreography, making her a multi-threat onstage- especially while next to McCleskey, a very suitable improv partner, indeed. McCleskey graduated magna cum laude at the University of Houston, where she scored her BA in Theatre, emphasis on Acting and Directing. Since, she has continued learning in the fields of acting, improv, stage combat, TV and film production, and dancing in the forms of two-step, swing, tango, waltz, plus several more. So she’s no stranger to partner performances. In fact, this duo seems to thrive in improv, and it all started in 2005 when they joined Massive Improv. There they participated on multiple teams, taking them to Austin, Chicago, San Francisco. Eventually, though, both Clack and McCleskey drifted from Massive Improv and it wasn’t until some time later that both heard the stage beckoning them to return to improv. And thus, Ophelia’s Rope was born! The team has participated in the Houston Improv Festival, the Austin Out of Bounds Festival, ComedySportz, and is now ready to conquer more. These two actresses know the improv scene well, and that is precisely why Ophelia’s Rope is able to deliver a fresh thought provoking laughter-filled performances that are guaranteed to lasso your attention.

 

 

 

Friday 25 October 2013 - Pegstar presents Austin Lucas * Lee Bains III and The Glory Fires

Austin Lucas ( Bloomington, IN)
https://www.austinlucasmusic.com/

Raised in the backwoods country of Monroe County, Indiana, Austin Lucas was born into a folk and bluegrass lineage. His father, Bob Lucas, is an accomplished musician and performer in his own right, having earned songwriting credits on two of Allison Krauss’ albums. Learning to harmonize before learning to read, Lucas honed his vocal control as a member of the nationally-acclaimed Indiana University Children’s Choir. In a narrative as well-worn as it is true, Lucas rebelled against his upbringing, leaving his Americana roots for the catharsis of punk rock. After the better part of a decade spent criss-crossing the globe with a series of bands in broken-down vans, Lucas hit a musical glass-ceiling, eventually finding respite for his ringing ears in the delicacy of traditional songcraft.

Singing with the conviction of a preacher bereft of his faith, Lucas tackles recurrent themes of the soul, sin as personal purgatory, and the possibility of finding redemption in this life. The fallacies of man take center stage as the righteous false prophet is denounced as a “hollow vessel with unsteady hands.” Turning the harsh light of hindsight on himself, Lucas addresses the hard lessons learned in the passing of youth, ruminating on the failures and missed opportunities, pledging, “If there’s a light shining/ Point the way there/ A straight way of walking/ I’ll be like an arrow.”

Following his solo debut, The Common Cold (2006), Lucas has steadily built upon his recorded output, releasing Putting The Hammer Down (2007), the Bristle Ridge (2008) collaboration with Chuck Ragan of Hot Water Music, and Somebody Loves You (2009), which debuted at #7 on the Billboard Bluegrass chart. Culminating with his fourth album, A New Home In The Old World (2011), Lucas has consistently evolved and grown as a musician and songwriter, resting on no laurels and developing the songs’ framework further with each successive album.

Having raised his profile on the road with Willie Nelson’s Country Throwdown tour, the troubadour-packed Revival tour, and in support of Pennsylvania’s Langhorne Slim, Lucas has also bolstered his loyal grassroots following with appearances at the Philadelphia Folk Festival, Canada’s Sled Island Festival, Florida’s Harvest of Hope, and a 2011 European tour. Folk music is for the common folk, and Lucas delivers, often ending his shows playing on the floor amidst the crowd. Lucas will tour extensively through 2013, sweeping through Australia in January before heading to SXSW Music Festival in Austin, TX in March, then to Europe in March/April, followed by a US headlining tour with dates to be announced in the coming weeks.

 

Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires (Birmingham, Al)
https://thegloryfires.com/

 

The title of LEE BAINS III AND THE GLORY FIRES’ debut album comes from Bains mishearing an old hymn as a child. In the soft accents of his elders around Birmingham, Alabama, “There is a balm in Gilead” sounded a lot like “There is a bomb.” It fits, really. The Glory Fires learned to construct music in the churches of their childhoods, and learned to destroy it in the punk clubs of their youths.

As much Wilson Pickett as Fugazi, as much the Stooges as the Allman Brothers, Birmingham, Alabama’s Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires have brought radical rock’n’roll to bear on their own experience and their own place. On ‘THERE IS A BOMB IN GILEAD,’ they deconstruct the music of the Deep South, strip it down and reassemble it, to make a righteous ruckus that sits at the vanguard of the vernacular.

In 2008, shortly after returning to Birmingham from college in New York, Lee Bains fell in with the Dexateens, a Tuscaloosa institution whose raggedy union of cock-eyed rebel pride and forward-thinking fury proved to be the perfect apprenticeship for a confused Southern boy, raised on Skynyrd and schooled in Faulkner. After Bains had played with the band for a couple or three years, a couple or three hundred shows, the Dexateens came to a reluctant end. Bains found himself off the road, back in Birmingham, without a band. He also found himself with a passel of powerful songs sitting somewhere between buzzsaw garage, classic power-pop and sweating country-soul. Casting his nets in central Alabama’s rock’n’roll clubs, Bains assembled the Glory Fires. Chugging along with a fierce Muscle Shoals vibe, the Glory Fires brought a sense of urgency to Bains’s drawling, howling voice.

After tracking some demos under the powerful guidance of Texas punk pioneer Tim Kerr (Big Boys, Poison 13, Now Time Delegation) and a few months of shows, the Glory Fires traveled to Water Valley, Mississippi to record the tracks for their debut LP ‘There Is a Bomb in Gilead’ at Dial Back Sound with engineer Lynn Bridges (Quadrajets, Jack Oblivian, Thomas Function). The songs were mixed in Detroit, at Ghetto Recorders by Jim Diamond (The Dirtbombs, The New Bomb Turks, Outrageous Cherry). It is there — in that Mississippi grease and Detroit grit — that ‘There Is a Bomb in Gilead’ sits, fuse lit, ready to go.

 

For Tickets and more information: https://www.pegstar.net

Thursday 24 October 2013 - 2nd Annual Laugh in the Face of Breast Cancer featuring Rob Mungle, Steven Pandilla, Kristin Lindner, Katie Mitchell, and Brian Zeolla (Doors 6pm)

Pink Positive and Mills-McCoin are proud to present the 2nd Annual Comedy Fundraiser: Laugh in the Face of Breast Cancer! Last year’s event was such a hit with our goal being doubled and a great turn-out, we are excited to make this year’s event a big hit once again! This year’s line-up includes some of Houston’s funniest comedians: Brian Zeolla, Katie Mitchell,Kristin Lindner, Steven Pandilla and your headliner, Rob Mungle! Please join us in supporting the National Breast Cancer Foundation and all women and their families who have been affected by breast cancer. We thank you for your support and look forward to laughing in the face of breast cancer with you!

 

PURCHASE TICKETS AT: https://www.stayclassy.org/events/detail?eid=26232

 

 

Rob Mungle (Houston, TX)
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0612818/

Both feared and revered, Rob Mungle, A.K.A. The Reverend, has been a staple of the stand-up comedy world here in Houston since the early 1990s. His brazen style and his foul language have caught the attention of comedy fans everywhere. And his near-bloody conflicts with the IRS, anime fans, along with strip-club managers have turned his punchlines into legendary stories.

Mungle is also a voice actor, as well as the founder of the highly successful comedy group known as The Whiskey Brothers. Needless to say, Robert Mungle is highly entertaining. We had the opportunity to hang with Mungle after his set to talk about the Houston comedy scene—what it used to be, and what it still can be.

 

Steven Pandilla (Houston, TX)
https://www.facebook.com/stevenpadillaisfunny

A stand-up comedian or stand-up comic is someone that performs in comedy clubs, usually reciting a fast paced succession of amusing stories, short jokes and one-liners, typically called a monologue. Some stand-up comedians use props, music, or magic tricks in their acts.

I started stand-up comedy in June of 2010. It was an open mic at Improv Comedy club in Houston, TX. Don’t ask me how I was able to get on the list to perform! I had thoughts in my head and nothing written down. If I remember correctly, I managed to get a couple of laughs. Quite possibly pity laughs, but laughs none the less. A year later and many open mics and small comedy shows later, I am still doing it. There have been good nights, and there have been bad nights! When I have a good night and really get laughs from the crowd, it makes me want to do it more. When I have a bad night, it makes me want to work harder and try to perfect my craft. My goal in my first year was to get on the open mic list at The Improv again, and earn it. Well, in May, 2011, I did. It was a great feeling.

Performing in front of people is not for everyone and is not by any means easy. One of the reasons I got into comedy was because I like to be the center of attention. I also like to hear myself talk! But the main reason, of course, was to make people laugh. That is one of the greatest feeling I could ever have. To be able to, for those few moments, get people to laugh and take them away from what may have been a bad day. To get their minds off of things that are bothering them. That’s why I started this and continue to do it to this day!

So, if you would like to know if Steven Padilla is funny, come out and see me and find out for yourself!

 

Kristin Lindner (Lubbock, TX)
https://kristinlindner.com/

This clever comedian with dry wit has never conformed to traditional values.

She approaches her successful stand-up career the same way she does her life – with unrepentant enthusiasm. It’s a balancing act few will ever master. The scales are decisively tilted in Kristin’s favor.

Comedy beckoned the working mother of three at just the right time. Disenchanted with corporate America and inundated by the challenges of marriage and family, the Texas native channeled the weight of emotion, disappointments and untapped creativity into a hysterical declaration of her life altering experiences. Since 1991, the birth of each of her daughters has inspired her to pursue a better, fulfilling future. The idiosyncrasies of married life unintentionally contributed copiously to her witty material. And a chance encounter with an open mic in Houston, Texas in 1998 revealed Lindner’s heart beats for stand-up.

Kristin’s catharsis began when she boldly transferred her hilarious interpretation of life to the stage. She’s raw and relatable, painting a vivid image of reality every one can appreciate. Her tongue in cheek description of her children’s willingness to wear garbage bags to subsidize her earnings as a stand up comic is indicative of the support and encouragement that helps fuel her passion. A decade in, her distinct, edgy style and material ranks her among the nation’s most talented comics. Kristin’s likeability is deliriously satisfying.

Today, her sardonic take on marriage and raising children resonates so profoundly with her audiences she is considered one of the funniest, most pragmatic voices of modern, adorably flustered femininity. Her love of comedy and flair for theater blends skillfully with her quirky approach to family as she guides you through the trials and triumphs of every day life through humor. Whether she is performing at Houston’s world famous Laff Stop and Improv comedy clubs, the Comic Strip in El Paso, or headlining top venues in Tennessee, Louisiana and Colorado, Lindner brings powerful honesty and amusing reality to every must-see show.

 

 

Katie Mitchell (Sorry No On-Line Info at this time)

 

 

Brian Zeolla (Houston, TX)
https://www.brianzeolla.com/

WHO IS BRIAN ZEOLLA?

That’s a bizarre question, I mean you had to get to this site somehow. Well, I guess long story short, I am kind of a comedian I guess. Let me elaborate, I am a Houston based story-teller who goes on stages and attempts to make you happy in my awkward way. I do this by telling jokes and anecdotes about my lackluster life in attempt to make you feel ok about laughing at me in a public arena, because I want you to do that. Quite frankly, I need you to do that.

WHERE CAN I SEE YOU DO THESE THINGS YOU CLAIM TO DO?

On any given day of the week, you can find me trying to get stage time somewhere in Houston. Currently my favorite rooms to work are Rudyard’s on Mondays, the Fairview on Tuesdays, and Fitzgerald’s on Wednesdays. These are my training grounds. You can go ahead and click that shows tab up there and see a calender of shows that I am performing at. You should do that.

HOW DO I KNOW IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE FUNNY?

Oh you know! Those heart palpitations weren’t for nothing.

WHAT THE HELL IS SLEEPING IN WITH BRIAN ZEOLLA?

Currently it is a thing in my head, that will one day become a thing on the internet, and after that hopefully a thing in your head. I am not very good at seeing things through though. Hang with me, and I will give you something cool one day. Promise!

WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR COMEDIC INFLUENCES?

That’s an interesting question. I won’t try to say who I am like, but more who I actually like and the people that inspire me to do what I do. More than anyone, Paul F. Tompkins is a constant force that propels me to attempt to do great things with my comedy. With a bar that high, how can you not push to do better things. There is no one comedian that I would recommend more than he. Another big influence in my life, from a very young age, is the Kids in the Hall. As a child, they completely shattered my universe and to this day continue to do so. I don’t know what my comedy would be if it were not informed by them! Reggie Watts is another person who I am greatly inspired by, even though what we do does not seem to intersect, because it is never not innovative and interesting. He redefines comedy in a way that no one else can, and when I hit a block, I usually listen to his records to push me. The comedian that most inspires and informs my comedy though, is Kyle Kinane. I have been a nerd for comedy for a long time, whether it be stand-up or sketch, but when I found the record Death of the Party, everything kind of changed. The amount of times I have listened to that record start to finish may very well be in the triple digits. I will probably stalk him one day. Also without Tom Scharpling’s Best Show on WFMU, Weird Al and UHF, Dr. Demento and shows like Party Down, Home Movies, Community, and Mr. Show, I very well might not exist Other comedians that I am really into these days (and all the days before them) are Jonah Ray, Harris Wittels, Scott Aukerman, Ian Karmel, Sean Patton, Jen Kirkman, Maria Bamford, and Patton Oswalt.

 

 

 

Monday 21 October 2013 – A Couple Of Stand Up Guys Open (8pm Free!)

OpenMicMondaysA Couple Of Stand Up Guys (Houston, TX)
https://www.facebook.com/rudzopenmic

Houston’s Favorite Open Mic. Rudz Open Mic is dedicated to improving the Houston Comedy scene, showcasing talent from first time performer, to the seasoned veteran.

The event started June 11th 2012. It is a rotating group of comedic talent from the Houston area set on revitalizing the local comedy scene with new talent.

Want to Sign-up? Just e-mail [email protected] to sign up for Monday’s open mic! Now all you have to do is click the address and type your name in the subject head and hit send.