Houston Music - Rocks Off - "HPMA" Archives

Weekend Video Roundup: The HPMAs, Katy Perry and John Mellencamp

By Chris Gray in Blow Up Your Video, HPMA, Live Shots

Monday, Aug. 3 2009 @ 4:21PM

Video by Kim Douglass

Continue reading " Weekend Video Roundup: The HPMAs,"...

Aftermath: The Houston Press Music Awards Ceremony

By Chris Gray in HPMA, Live Shots

Friday, Jul. 31 2009 @ 9:26AM

Photos by Chris Gray

Umbrella Man

As Maureen McGovern once sang, there's got to be a morning after. And it's about as pleasant as you imagine it is. It's not even that Rocks Off is hung over (much), it's more that after Thursday night's Houston Press Music Awards ceremony, we literally left it all on the field. The tank is empty. Even Jackson Browne has no idea how spent we are.

Even so, we'd be lying if we said we didn't have a good time at the awards. Or that we're not proud as a peacock that so many people came out - enough people to fill up Warehouse Live's ballroom, until the inevitable moment in the evening when people decided they'd better go ahead and get to the afterparty. We're equally proud of the winners, be they first-timers like Roky Moon & BOLT (Best New Act) or artists who are on their second trophy case, like the Zydeco Dots (guess what category they won), D.R.U.M. (Best World Music) and Los Skarnales, who, with Thursday's Latin Contemporary win, have now taken every category except Best Female Vocals - congrats, Kristine Mills - and will probably figure out a way to win that next year.

Continue reading " Aftermath: The Houston Press Music"...

The 2009 Houston Press Music Award Winners

By Chris Gray in HPMA, Lists

Friday, Jul. 31 2009 @ 8:41AM

Chris Gray
Scarface (right) and 2009 Best Punk winners Flamin' Hellcats

Best Local CD/LP: Bun B, UGK for Life

Best Local EP/7-inch: Wild Moccasins, Microscopic Metronomes

Best Local Song: Mechanical Boy, "She Does"

Best New Act: Roky Moon & BOLT

Songwriter: B L A C K I E

Local Musician of the Year: Little Joe Washington

Best Guitarist: Little Joe Washington

Continue reading " The 2009 Houston Press Music"...

HPMA: Rocks Off Presents Awards to Whoever's Left

By Kim Douglass in HPMA

Thursday, Jul. 30 2009 @ 10:38PM

Chris Gray

10:09 p.m.: Like a proud momma when she sees her baby fly for the first time, that's what this is watching both Chris and Craig present awards to Alvin Community College's own Lost Fidelity, we're proud of them as well.

10:10 p.m.: Best local song of the year belongs to Mechanical Boy with "She Does." Fans definitely helped on this one. Though they didn't take the stage to accept, without your support this wouldn't have happened. Thanks.

10:12 p.m.: Best Songwriter goes to B L A C K I E. Award accepted on his behalf by Chris and Craig, only half as cool as it could have been had he stuck around.

10:13 p.m.: Best Local Musician of the Year belongs to Little Joe Washington, this could be interesting. Unfortunately, the afterparty begins, Rocks Off will be twittering from there. Little Joe has swept the awards show as far as we're concerned, taking three awards and giving the best speech of anyone around.

Mechanical Boy ended the night, epic, that is the word to describe this, or at least Little Joe's stage appearance's...until next year, folks. Well, tomorrow morning, but what's the difference?

HPMA: We Ain't Done Yet: Winners Roky Moon & BOLT, Sean Reefer & the Resin Valley Boys, Kam, Bun B and Spain Colored Orange

By Chris Gray in HPMA

Thursday, Jul. 30 2009 @ 9:43PM

Chris Gray

Ben Wesley is killing with a song that, according to his good buddy Cornbreadd, he wrote two days ago. It just keeps building and building on itself, spreading its wings rather than collapsing under its own weight. Wesley started out with a guitar and a bass strapped to him, hunched over a keyboard. He ended with nothing, screaming into the mic like a madman. Brilliant."I

Best New Act: Roky Moon & BOLT. A moonage daydream come true for the best glam-rock band Houston has ever seen (maybe). Rocks Off No. 2: "Why is Jeoaf up there?" Rocks Off: "Because he's the drummer, dumbass."

Best Country: Sean Reefer & the Resin Valley Boys. Suddenly we feel a little groggy. Are our pupils dilated?

Best R&B/Funk/Soul: Kam: She moves incredibly fast for someone with a broken leg. "I want to give a shout-out to everyone I play with." We could be here all night.

Best Local CD/LP: Bun B, UGK for Life. Bun B was here last year. Oh well. UGK for life, for real.

Best Indie Rock: Spain Colored Orange. The old dudes school the H-poppers. Makes sense. At the showcase Sunday, they were more like Spain Colored Orgasm. Leaving for their Boondocks gig as soon as they get off stage. See you there, guys.

HPMA: Guess What? More Winners: Sideshow Tramps, Homopolice & A Dream Asleep, DJ Sun

By Craig Hlavaty in HPMA

Thursday, Jul. 30 2009 @ 9:15PM

Chris Gray

Well, Little Joe didn't sit in with the Flamin' Hellcats, but Scarface sure did. Dude's got some serious Chuck Berry mojo going on. Who knew?

Best Tribute Band: Beetle. Thanking a multitude of Houston music royalty. Beetle really is a sight to behold, and about a minute fraction of the cost of a McCartney ticket.

Best Bassist: Chris Applegate from indie-poppers Mechanical Boy. Mild-mannered as hell, he thanks Nick Gaitan for being the better bassist...

Best Jazz: Free Radicals Where are the Free Radicals??

Best Hardcore/Noise: A TIE! Homopolice & A Dream Asleep. Josh from the Homos scolds us for buying the Assfucker seven-inch and asks the lithe female presenter to turn him straight. We are meeting him later at Ripcord...

Best New Venue: Mango's. Owner Omar Afra makes an aside about them beating the House Of Blues. Their win gives us supreme hope for this town.

Best Punk: The Flamin' Hellcats. Too tired from smoking with Scarface, literally and mentally.

Best DJ: DJ Sun. Houston's DJ laureate...

Best Rock: Mechanical Boy. We need to look into these kids...

Best Roots: Sideshow Tramps. Geoffrey Mueller and Craig Kinsey are caught in a torrid embrace on stage. They love this town, and each other! Here's comes Little Joe Washington and family in tow at Kinsey's beckoning. Repping the Third Ward guitar pickers.

Best Music Venue: Warehouse Live. Natch. The place is clean as hell and has kick-ass air conditioning. Ask Flash, one of the doorguys to tell you some stories. Dude is epic.

HPMA: We Have Even More Winners: Los Skarnales, KPFT, Ryan Scroggins, Little Joe Washington

By Chris Gray in HPMA

Thursday, Jul. 30 2009 @ 9:10PM

Chris Gray

No performer, but here's presenter Hailey Frances of Channel 39. She's pretty.

Best Latin Contemporary: Los Skarnales. That trophy case has got to be getting pretty crowded at this point.

Best Radio Station: KPFT. Another snippy acceptance speech. "We don't have a university backing us up. We don't have a church backing us up, unless it's the church of the blues."

Best Keyboards: Ryan Scroggins. "If Earl Gilliam was here tonight, I'd give this to him. Sorry I didn't play keyboards tonight. I will next time."

Best Blues: Little Joe, who had to be helped onstage this time. And is not letting go of poor Hailey Frances. What he lacks in coherence, Little Joe makes up for in gratitude and enthusiasm. We are currently trying to find one of tonight's performers for him to sit in with. Now he's talking about his hat, which is pretty stylin'. Flamin' Hellcats are next - can he sit in with them, maybe?

HPMA: We Have Some Winners: Geoffrey Muller, D.R.U.M., Speakerboxx, Wild Moccasins, Los Pistoleros

By Chris Gray in HPMA

Thursday, Jul. 30 2009 @ 8:55PM

Chris Gray

Groovy, groovy acoustic reggae from Ryan Scroggins & the Trenchtown Texans, featuring Sideshow Tramps' Geoffrey Muller, plus Pat Kelly banging on a couple of 4X4s. Singing about people watching "that old devil box." We guess if they're watching on Channel 39, it's OK. For tonight.

So far, our host Johnny Bravo of Jack FM gets a conditional fail for trying a little too hard to be funny. Cool Metallica tee though.

Best Miscellaneous Instrument: Geoffrey Muller, Sideshow/Mesmer, for that inimitable saw. "Thank you, this is very nice. I appreciate it."

Best World Music: D.R.U.M. They made the newest member, Frank Zwee, accept the award. Nice, sincere speech.

Best DJ Night: Speakerboxx is not two words, but it did win. And it ends tonight. We're guessing it's going to be a pretty popular post-HPMA destination. And we really had no idea Squincy Jones looked like he was about 18 years old.

Best Local EP/7-inch: The presenter (from Momentum Audi/Volkswagen, we think) was visibly uncomfortable announcing nominee Homopolice's Assfucker. Luckily, Wild Moccasins won. Seriously, are these guys ever not having fun?

Best Latin Traditional: Los Pistoleros de Tejas.Best entrance music too - Hammer's "U Can't Touch This."

HPMA: We Have Some Winners: Fat Tony, Cactus Music, Swishahouse, Nick Cooper, Kristine Mills

By Craig Hlavaty in HPMA

Thursday, Jul. 30 2009 @ 8:39PM

Chris Gray

Born Liars injected some scuzzy rawk n' roll to the festivities after we were dressed for not repping the zydeco scene. It's really amazing how fast yet how together the Borns really are live. Equal parts MC5 and The Clash.

Here come some more awards, kids....

Best Underground Hip-Hop: Fat Tony is our man! Third Ward's native son plugs the last night of the "Speakerboxx" DJ night at the Mink...

Best Record Store: Cactus Records! And here is Quinn Bishop. He's done a shit ton for Houston music this year.

Best Local Label: Swishahouse in the well, house. Well not so much. No one showed.

Best Drummer: Mr. Nick Cooper of the Free Radicals grabs the honor. Dang, boy is nowhere to be found. We think he's on Facebook somewhere right about now.

Best Female Vocals: The lovely Kristine Mills is Houston's best female singer. Super classy all the way, she plans on bringin' bossa nova back...

HPMA: We Have Some Winners: Little Joe Washington, Cornbreadd, Flying Fish Sailors

By Chris Gray in HPMA

Thursday, Jul. 30 2009 @ 8:23PM

Chris Gray

Umbrella Man got the HPMAs off to a rousing start with some heel-kicking, toe-tapping zydeco gospel - after they cleared off the cables so hobbled singer Kam could get to center stage on her Rascal-like scooter. Then the first round of winners was announced...

Best Folk: Flying Fish Sailors. FFS' Jay Lee almost took his own picture onstage.

Best Guitar: Little Joe Washington, who we couldn't seem to find, but managed to be front and center when his name was called, then serenaded the crowd until they cut the music off. "My guitar's in the pawnshop. The only thing of mine that's not in the pawnshop is 'Mary Had a Little Lamb.'" He is the hoochie coochie man.

Best Male Vocals: Cornbreadd, Tha Fucking Transmissions. Being very nice and saying 'ish' instead of 'shit.'

Best Zydeco: Zydeco Dots. Hands up, everyone who's surprised.

"You hardly ever write about zydeco... We're not the Seattle Press, we're not the Philadelphia Press, we're the Houston Press." Just you wait, my man...

Oh, and while we're venting about sponsors, it would be nice if some of the presenters took a little time to familiarize themselves with the people they're handing out awards to. Just saying.

Best Metal: Golden Axe. Award accepted on their behalf.

Best Experimental/Instrumental: Two Star Symphony. Well, half of 'em made it.