Beautiful noise alive and well in Houston

Slideshow created by The Signal reporter Jennifer Ferguson.
Bryan Waites
The Signal
The pulse of the Houston music scene is in a state of crescendo as talented musicians belt out the glorious noise that energizes local music lovers.

Warehouse Live, House of Blues, Fitzgerald’s, Last Concert Café, Sambuca, Concert Pub, Danelectro’s, Firehouse Saloon and The Hideaway are just a handful of the many venues that offer live local music in the Houston area.

Just in the past few years Houston has experienced a resurgence of local music and the scene has grown into a unique mechanism that lends itself to the decentralized nature of the Houston area.

“[Houston] has a great infrastructure for live music [in regards to] musicians, venues, festivals, poster artists, web designers, booking agents and promoters,” said Omar Afra, publisher and editor-in-chief of Free Press Houston and co-owner of Fitzgerald’s, one of the oldest live music venues in Houston.

This infrastructure, Afra says, is breeding a community of artists who are making a full-time living creating poster art and websites in addition to other professions that weren’t seen when the scene was in a lull.

There is a unique subculture that has developed in Houston recently that is holding the interest of spectators.  Local bands are using creative expression to develop their sound and break the mold of what people expect.

“The downtown [music] scene is changing,” said Tim Nowicke, a freelance production engineer who works primarily between Warehouse Live, Fitzgerald’s, and Main Stage.  “There is an attempt to bring new and unexpected styles of music and people are responding to that.”

Twenty years ago, the Houston music scene reached a similar pinnacle. Bands of the ‘90s were aching to break out of the “cookie cutter” ‘80s sound and begin a so-called revolution into grunge, ska, punk, reggae, thrash, heavy metal and red-dirt.

Brent Himes, producer of “When We Ruled H-Town,” a new documentary film currently in post-production, likened the transition to that of the 1960s.

“People were having their lifestyle and culture handed to them out of a bucket,” Himes said. “There were people then who were so dissatisfied with that, they decided to make their own thing. They made their own clothes and didn’t want to listen to anything that was on the radio.”

“When We Ruled H-Town” takes an objective but nostalgic look at a not-so-distant past when a spark of energy, a deep pool of creativity and insatiable curiosity brought musicians, artists, fans and an entire city together for a brief moment of greatness.

Houston hasn’t always had a thriving music scene.  Even with its notable size, the Houston scene realized a lull in its musical opus.  Great venues like The Engine Room, The Abyss, The Axiom, Rockefeller’s, The Vatican and The Fabulous Satellite Lounge all closed their doors in a relatively close period of time.

“The guys in bands eventually grew up and realized that they couldn’t make a living just playing in a band,” Himes said. “Many of them went on to other jobs or started families.”

Perhaps this is when Austin became the chip on Houston’s shoulder by garnering the tag “Live Music Capitol of the World.”  Austin’s sustained music scene has been saturated with aspiring bands and artists all trying to break into the national spotlight.

As of recent though, Austin doesn’t have anything on Houston.

“It’s a great time for music in Houston,” Afra said. “[Spectators] are more and more often coming to see shows and this provides momentum and the music perpetuates itself.”

Aaron Blackerby, lead singer of the Austin, Texas band “Fire in the Kitchen,” made their debut performance in Houston at the Last Concert Café Feb. 25.

“The Houston [music] scene is much underrated,” Blackerby said. “It would be better if it was more consolidated, but you can pretty much write your own ticket here. In Austin, it’s very condensed, and there are a lot of groups doing the same thing.  We enjoyed playing here and we hope to get back soon.”

Technology has also played a part in the growth of live music in Houston.  Equipment that only large national touring acts could employ 15 years ago has become available in affordable formats.  Audio, lighting and other production tools have become available in software formats and other affordable equipment scenarios, allowing artists to expand on their creativity.

Todd Sommer, drummer from the band “Southern Backtones,” utilizes electronic triggers that allow him to sample expensive instruments, manipulate them and play them back in a live setting.

“We were a four-piece band for a long time, but after a member decided to leave, I found that I could duplicate his sound and others through the use of electronics,” Sommer said.

The amazing aspect about the Houston music scene today is that whether your desire is rock, punk, indie, ska, country, reggae, thrash, classical or blues, Houston has a venue for you.  Its spread out configuration and size helps to perpetuate and cultivate fresh, new musicians with a diverse taste for new creative sounds.

For a listing of venues to enjoy live music, click here.