Sunbear of WeWoreMasks recaps the local extravaganza this hot, humid, music filled weekend. Thanks, Sunbear!

photo credit: greeneyeri

The second annual Free Press Summerfest music festival descended upon Eleanor Tinsley Park this past weekend, at nearly double the size of the inaugural run last year, proving that yes, Houston is a city that cares about and loves its music. Our neighbors, Austin boasts the smug motto of being the “Live Music Capital of the World” and though that isn’t without merit, Houston has simply had it with being overlooked, not only as a tour stop for major acts, but for its diverse local talent. Summerfest is the marriage of those very ideas: that our local bands can play alongside the best of the best, with acts ranging from our own darling Wild Moccasins, to the extravagant Flaming Lips whose presence hasn’t been felt by Houston in 10 years. The musical diversity was palpable: everything from the southern twang of Tennessee’s Lucero, to the eloquent indie pop of Canada’s Stars, to southern rappers Slim Thug and Bun B representing Houston’s burgeoning rap scene. And the bears were there to witness its greatness.

photo credit: arielle gutierrez

Settling onto level ground, which was in scarce supply on the angular hillside of Allen Parkway, we were greeted to the Wild Moccasins, fresh from a national tour and back home where they belong. They were their usual selves, which is to say fetchingly exuberant as they played tracks from their newly released Skin Collision Past. Elsewhere, The Eastern Sea were indulging a small but devoted crowd to their baroque-rock sound. Their set at Cactus Records the day before found a truncated version of the band playing an intimate set on a stage just large enough to house a drumset. Given room, their 9+ member collective really flourished, with local rap artist and house favorite Fat Tony making a guest appearance to drop a few bars over their jams, the first of many surprises of the Summerfest.

photo credit: glowjangles

The song “Three MC’s and One DJ” should conjure up one thing and one thing only: the Beastie Boys and Mix Master Mike, the latter of which performed a deafeningly loud DJ set for the sweltering Houstonians watching the mainstage. Using old school chops with *gasp, an actual turntable, Mix Master Mike got Houston on its feel to the sounds of hip hop’s greatest, past and present.

Ra Ra Riot came on to an increasingly hot, burning Houston sun, which is surely out of the element. Their orchestral pop numbers, albeit precise and engaging, suffered from the day time heat. Any band with an electric cello (a mighty fine one at that) and a violin ensemble should have the benefit from playing at night time. The band managed to win over several fans after they burned through “Dying is Fine” and “Ghost Under Rocks,” among others off of their 2009 effort, The Rhumb Line.

photo credit: 29-95

Hollywood Floss, a local favorite, just dropped his record House of Dreams. Showing up to Summerfest backed by The Pinecones and Kidd the Great, Floss decided to run through songs off his newly released album, while throwing in his own interpretations to “Seven Nation Army” and Green Day’s “Brain Stew,” both of which were in heavy favor by the crowd. It’s safe to compare the energy of his set to N.E.R.D., which helps due to Floss’ strikingly similar appearance to one Skateboard P.

The sun had begun to set, but that wouldn’t stop Houston’s own Golden Axe from melting faces. A two piece band consisting of ridiculous riffs shredded over an absurdly shaped guitar, and the primal pulverizing of drum skins, Golden Axe brought heavy metal to the party and it was rousingly epic. As if to bring balance to the amount of machismo force in the air behind the Axe, Chicago’s Kid Sister sassed her way onto the stage to the electro beat of “Right Hand Hi” off her debut album Ultraviolet. Sharing the stage with naught more than her own DJ, Kid Sis took to kicking aside stage monitors to give her the appropriate space necessary to jerk and juke to her brand of Chicago house.

The Detroit Cobras from Detroit (surprise-surprise!) kept the girl power going with their gritty and raucous retro rock-and-roll sound, covering american blues and rock standards like “cha cha twist” and “bye bye baby” with a serious blousy swagger.

photo credit: glowjangles

Gregg Gillis aka mash-up master Girl Talk would close out the first night of the festival doing what he does best: stage-dancers, toilet-paper armed leaf-blowers, and hundreds upon hundreds of songs mashed into near oblivion. Ciara’s “My Goodies” coalesced with Boston’s “Foreplay/Longtime.” Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA” collided with Dr. Dre’s “Tha Next Episode.” Guns n Roses’s “Paradise City” butted heads with Fat Joe’s “Lean Back.” There wasn’t a moment when someone’s favorite song wasn’t being played. The Summerfest volunteers were repaid for a hard day’s work with the chance to bump and shimmy with Gillis, who not only lost his shirt, but stood atop his DJ table, commanding all of Houston to dance or go home. And what a dance party it was. The whole of Summerfest’s attendees were on their feet, losing their shit to every beat, trying to keep up with Gillis’ manic time changes and song switches.

photo credit: tu-anh pham

To end night one’s festivities, the Houston crowd was treated to a fireworks display that was as awe-striking as any given performer. Seriously, we love fireworks.

Thanks for the recap, SunBear. See you at the next Texas throwdown.

We’re packing up and heading to the Bayou City once again for the 2nd Annual Free Press Summerfest. This year’s headliners include: The Flaming Lips, Girl Talk, Bun B, Ra Ra Riot, and many more local natives trying to breakout at Houston’s sophomore shindig over the two sunny days.

I’m going to go ahead and assume the Summerfest planning committee addressed some of the premiere issue they encountered last year, given their obvious success and impending increase in attendance. Let’s just hope Eleanor Tinsley Park can withstand the full force of The Flaming Lips, though I suspect Wayne & co. will be giving a tame dose of their psychedelic pandemonium.

Check out some photos from last year’s kickoff.

Hope to see y’all there. Cheers!
(Yes, this means you Houston friends.)

It was apparent the festival hosts weren’t quite prepared for the uncensored mass of hipsters, hippies, and everyone in between showing up to support their love for indie music. Lines were long, temperatures were high, and event staff was quite rude. (I spent the greater half of Broken Social Scene convincing a gatekeeper I had the proper photo pass. His response: “I’ve never heard of MeVs.” This guy is joking right?)

Though Houston suffered from the inevitable first festival hiccups, their power-packed lineup quelled any complaints this veteran festival goer had. I honestly can’t see how Eleanor Tinsley could possibly handle any significant growth next year. Parking was already scarce and seating will definitely become a problem with reputations rising. Summer Fest should be taking notes from local Okie phenomenon, Norman Music Festival – who, in their second passing, rocked the Southwest with a small budget and free awesome all around.

Keep it up Houston. Your Lollapalooza alternative for the weekend should start quite a stir in the years to come. Also, call Chromeo, they’re due for a Texas tour.

More pictures after the jump >>

As a devoted Dallas citizen, I usually refer to Houston as that polluted city with way too many highways. This past weekend’s trip, however, reminded me why we keep coming back.

The first necessary stop was a good pho place. And no place is as famed as Pho Nguyen Restaurant in Bellaire. The soup is so good apparently, they usually run out after a few hours and end up closing early. I have to admit, the soup was indeed clear and the mouthwatering flavor made the last four hours of traffic bearable.

After picking up some of the best cream puffs I’ve ever had from Parisian Bakery 2 & Cafe, we made a quick stop by Cafe 101 for some iced honey green tea (with a hint of jasmine). It cooled off the afternoon perfectly. And even though I was still full from my soup, I couldn’t resist ordering some salt & pepper chicken wings. Girl’s gotta snack.

After some much needed rest, our good friends pulled us back out to the Bellaire area and we explored a Malaysian restaurant. A first for me. Though I’m usually skeptical with new food, Banana Leaf’s crowd put me at ease. It can’t be bad if this many people are here, right? Big menu spreads cover the front windows and digital screens flashed tasty images for waiting patrons. I chatted up a fellow customer to elicit some suggestions and she gave me a few. We ended up trying the Roti Canai (Indian Pancake), Mango Chicken, House Special Calamari, Water Spinach Kang Kung, an okra dish, and a mango fish dish. I was thoroughly impressed. Everything tasted like extra flavorful Chinese food, but my favorite is definitely the Indian Pancake. Oh, how I yearn for it now.

There were a plethora of dessert choices just within a few steps. It was late so most were closing, but Gelato Cup was nice enough to let us purchase some treats, as long as we didn’t stay.

The following day we came back to that same area and there were at least 10 other shops to try. I will just mention that Kubo’s Cafe is a good place to stop for a decent lunch. Not the best sushi I’ve had for sure, but since it’s a self-serve location, it’s super convenient for those in a rush.

Lastly, I have to praise Kim Son. The original restaurant in downtown Houston has always deserved my reverence, but the location is inconvenient; the one in Bellaire I haven’t tried due to a sullied reputation; but the one in Sugarland has redeemed the name once again. Although the wait for a table was an arduous 30-40 minutes, the payoff was ten-fold. The dim sum had the usual favorites, but also some new surprises. Shrimp and mango swimming in a creamy sauce and deep fried? Unheard of! The restaurant itself is nested over a vast koi pond. A very refreshing look. Too bad it was 100°F+ outside.

I’m quite positive I gained a good 10 lbs., but who cares?! Mmm-mm good.

Free Press Summer Fest

MeVersus is set to cover the Free Press Summer Fest, going down in our own backyard of Houston on August 8^th and 9^th. The two day fest features national and local bands, including favorites Of Montreal (again!), Broken Social Scene, and Austin’s own The Octopus Project.

Tickets are very reasonable for the talent coming into town, with two day passes going for $16 and one days selling for $10. Plus, there’s going to be water gun and water balloon battles going down – a perfect way to combat the grueling Texas heat that will be decimating festival goers.

For the price, acts, and entertainment, this is a fest you don’t want to miss.