Annual Shenanigans Halloween Contest (Oct. 29th)

Annual Halloween Contest

Saturday, October 29th 9:00pm -2:00am

Shenanigans

Big surprise! Once again, Shenanigans is competing with The Jolly Fox. They will also be having a Halloween Contest, but they are giving away $3,000 instead of $2,000! Maybe The Jolly Fox will see that and match or raise their contest prize money in response. Hopefully, they will keep up the rivalry, because that will mean more MONEY IN THE BANK for some snazzy dressers!

Also, if you go to Shenanigans and wear a costume, then you you will get in for free. They will also have $0.75 wells and dollar longnecks until 11:00am. There will be be drink specials all night long!

It will be a tough choice planning where to party hard this weekend! Be safe wherever you end up! Also, I hope you already have a costume, because stores are running of the good costumes. At least in town. Some are even out of cat ears!

Annual Jolly Fox Costume Contest (Oct. 29th)

Annual Jolly Fox Costume Contest

Saturday, October 29th from 9pm -2am
Ladies free until 11:00pm

CASH PRIZE!

Tomorrow is Jolly Fox's Halloween Contest! The partying begins at 9:00pm and the contest will start at 11:00pm. There will be drink specials all night long and DJ Frizzy will have everyone jamming to some mad beats. Expect "some sick hip-hop/country mixes as well as house and dubstep." Click HERE to see the Official Faceboook page.

They will giving away up to $2,000 in cash prizes. This means that you should put a little more effort into your costume than some cat ears! Good luck and have fun!

Music in the Park: The Last Great Assault (Oct. 27th)

Music in the Park: The Last Great Assault

Thursday, October 27th, 2011 from 6:00pm - 8:00pm

Jane Monday Amphitheater

City Hall 1212 Ave M

The Last Great Assault is playing again tonight as a part of the City of Huntsville's Music in the Park Series. The weather is getting a little colder, but that is not a good excuse to skip out on rocking out with this band tonight!

From an older article that we wrote about the band: "The Last Great Assault has played multiple times in practically every music venue in Huntsville and the surrounding areas, and the band was even a part of Warped Tour a couple of years ago. Slumber Party Theater interviewed them in 2008 and it’s still on the Internet! Watch it HERE."

Go check it out!

HalloRAVE at Confetti's (Weds., Oct. 26)

On Wednesday, you can get your Halloween weekend started early at Confetti's (located inside of Shenanigans, at 1548 11th St.).

The guys that brought us Rave for the Cure are throwing a huge Halloween party. There are 3 DJs coming from Houston, plus two of your favorite local DJs. For a list of DJs for this event, see the Facebook event page by clicking here.

The party starts at 9:30p and will last until 2a. There will be free glow sticks, glow necklaces on sale for $1, and Monster energy drink giveaways. A portion of the proceeds from this event will go to Children's Miracle Network. 

White Collar Sideshow with Levi the Poet Opening (Oct. 14th)

White Collar Sideshow with Levi the Poet Opening

October 14th, 2011 from 8:00pm until 11:00pm

Avenue L Coffeehouse

1215 Sam Houston Avenue

Huntsville, TX 77340

Cost: $5.00

 

 (Promotional Photo borrowed from their website)

Avenue L has another awesome show in the works tonight. Starting at 8:00pm, Levi the Poet will be opening for White Collar Slideshow.

I have never heard of these performers until now, but I just watched THIS YouTube video of White Collar Sideshow and I suggest you check it out. I don't know what is up with the pig mask, but it definitely looks like they know how to put on an awesome live show! HERE is their official website.

 Click HERE to learn more about Levi the Poet.

From his MySpace page:

"As a spoken-word poet from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Levi the Poet has spent the last year building up his concert reputation as one of the most honest expressions of wearing your heart on your sleeve. Reaching beyond any sort of genre limitations that “performance poetry” might hold, Levi has incorporated every vocal influence into his presentation, successfully molding each variety into a purely emotive experience, and holds tight to an unrestrained honesty within his “hold nothing back” method of examining life’s deepest questions. Through a heavily testimonial written approach and an intense slam-esque deliverance, Levi has taken an old art and stylized it as his own, creating a passionate art form which captures the relative-yet-relatable longings of the human heart."

GLOW @ Confetti's (Oct. 14th)

Glow @ Confetti's

October 14th, 9:30pm -Close

Confetti's in Shenanigans



(Official Flyer made by OneLove Graphics)
 

Finish off Homecoming Week with some ELECTRONIC MUSIC at Shenanigans! Justin Barber, Zack Cornwell, and Coloton Guetta, some of the guys who helped organize Rave for the Cure, are now putting their energy into tonight’s Glow @ Confetti’s. There will be “nothing but the best in HOUSE, ELECTRO, TRANCE, DUBSTEP, TECHNO, and all other EDM!” There will also be Monster Energy shots to help you keep up with the dancing, LASER LIGHT SHOWS, and glow sticks.

Schedule:

D & Sol -10:00pm -11:00pm
DjKickFlip -11:00pm-12:30pm
PartyHard -12:30pm-2:00pm
DRINK SPECIALS: .75 cent Wells & Domestics and $1 Longnecks till 11
$2 Jose Silver, Skyy, American Honey shots all night

Cover is only $3.00 for those that are 21+ and $5.00 for 18+.

Click HERE to see the official Facebook event page.

AFTERMATH: Sterling Moniker and the Music in Park Series

Last Thursday, I had the pleasure of attending Sterling Moniker’s performance at the Rather Park as a part of the City of Huntsville's Music in the Park Series. It was a nice night for outside music. The air was cool and breezy instead of the normal hot and humid weather we have in Texas 72% of the time throughout the year.

As stated in a previous article, Sterling Moniker consists of five members. You can mostly see them all in the picture below: 

(Miranda Hightower, Charles Herron, DeKeenan Bell, Kevin Lotts (Drums), John Clark) 

(Kevin Lotts--It's hard to take good pictures of drummers, because

 they are usually too cool for the camera and busy ROCKIN' OUT)

I really enjoyed their performance and so did the crowd. Some were even dancing!

Like they informed us before their show, the band played both covers and original songs.  The covers included music by The Beatles, The White Stripes, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Queens of the Stone Age, Franz Ferdinand, and The Cranberries. The original song that they played was called the "Man With No Name." This song was written by Charles Herron and was inspired by Clint Eastwood. I definitely enjoyed it, and would like a follow up song written inspired by Toshiro Mifune.

Miranda was nervous, but she shouldn't have been because she sang beautifully.

(Miranda Hightower and Charles Herron )

DeKeenan was confident on stage and in the crowd. He was nice enough to smile for the camera.

(Nice shirt, DeKeenan!)

Oh, and there WAS a surprise performance by John Clark of a Hootie and the Blowfish song, which we reported as possibly happening in our previous article.

(John Clark singing some Hootie)

I am looking forward to seeing future performances from this band and attending future Music in the Park Thursdays. I am no musical expert, but my ears definitely liked what they heard from the entire band.

One thing I did notice, though, was that the band ran out of songs towards the end of the set and began doing repeats. Nobody minded because it was a chance to hear favorite songs again, but I hope as these Music in the Park Thursdays continue, that the City of Huntsville might consider is having two bands perform, or even just an acoustic opening act for the headlining band. It is hard for any band to handle a two hour set by themselves.

I talked briefly with Kimm Thomas, The Director of Tourism and Cultural Services. She said that that while Music in the Park is going to end for this year in November, it will be back again next February and run throughout the spring. This series will hopefully be a regular event each year.

One of the goals that the City of Huntsville has with the Music in the Park Series is to promote the 2^nd Annual Town Creek Music Festival. We wrote about this year’s Town Creek Festival HERE.

This year’s Town Creek Music Festival was a learning experience for the City of Huntsville. Next year’s festival will most likely be in a smaller venue. The location they are currently thinking of is the Town Creek Park behind the City Hall building, because there is already a stage, lighting, etc.  built into that location. All of those things had to be built or set-up at the Eastham-Thomason Park (the location they held the festival at this year).

 

It will also be easier for them to select bands for the festival next year, because they are now working with multiple bands thanks to the Music in the Park Series.  The biggest problem they have is getting the word out that the Music in the Park even exists.
We will do our best to spread the word for both the Music in the Park series and the Town Creek Music Festival, because we love seeing more music venues for local artists. Huntsville has a lot of talented artists, and so it is exciting when there are new venues for them to perform.

Hopefully, Sterling Moniker will perform at the Town Creek Festival next year with even more original songs or even again for the Music in the Park Series. They are definitely a crowd favorite.
Visit our Facebook page HERE to see more pictures from this event.

Roger Creager at Shenanigans! (Oct. 12)

Roger Creagar LIVE

October 12^th at 9:00pm

Shenanigans

Tomorrow, October 12^th starting at 9:00pm, Roger Creager will be performing LIVE at Shenanigans. It is definitely going to be packed so get your tickets TODAY. Only eighteen and older are allowed. You can purchase your tickets by clicking HERE.

If you are a fan of “hard core, rabble-rousing Country Texas music," then this will be an awesome show for you!

Roger’s band members include: Stormy Cooper, Matt Medearis, Rick Redfern, and Allen Huff.

For more information about Roger Creager and his band, click HERE to see the official website.

Steve Brooks with John Guedry Opening (Oct. 15th)

Steve Brooks with John Guedry Opening
Saturday, September 17th at 7pm

Thoreau Woods Coffeehouse 

144 E. Mosley Lane, 

Huntsville TX  77340. 

Suggested donations: $10.00 for general admission and $5.00 for seniors and students.

On Saturday, October 15th, John Guedry will be opening for Steve Brooks at the Thoreau Woods Coffeehouse. I am very excited about this event, because not only are both of these people amazing performers, but John Guedry is also my best friend's father. That means I am a biased source when I say that his best live performance was the beautiful song he performed at his daughter's wedding, but I am also a reliable source when I say that this show will be one of John Guedry's last live performances.

(Information provided by Pam Miller)

Steve Brooks:
Steve Brooks is a songwriter’s songwriter. Ask Americana acts like Slaid Cleaves, Albert & Gage and The Flyin’ As – each of whom performed songs cowritten with Steve at this year’s Kerrville Folk Fest. Back home in Austin, he's known for writing a song-a-week for Jim Hightower’s nationally-syndicated radio show and being six-time winner of the O.Henry Pun-Off. More than 70 radio stations have spun "Chasing Grace," his first studio album in a decade, produced by Chris Gage. Equally gifted at high poetry and low comedy, Stave Magazine calls him, “One of the state’s top lyricists…He is simply the most clever man you'll hear with a guitar.” You can sample his songs at www.stevebrooks.net.

Opener: John Guedry

John Guedry is a songwriter/musician from SE Texas (now living in the Huntsville, Texas area) who started writing songs during the 1970's. He has played small venues (Coffee Houses, Folk Festivals, etc.), with groups and solo, off & on for the last thirty plus years.A few years ago, with help from friends, John created a recording of some of the songs he has written during this time. This recording includes both acoustic and electric versions of songs that range in style from Folk and Folk Rock to Country John's beginnings in music started in 1966, when he began playing 5-string banjo. During the next 10 years he added guitar, mandolin, and fiddle to his repertoire. In recent years, John has been playing mostly guitar, which he uses as a platform for his lyrics of songs about the many aspects of our life's journey.



Call Pam Miller for more information at (936) 661-4313.

PlayStation® Dorm Crashers Tour at Draft Bar (Oct. 15)

On Saturday, October 15, The Draft Bar is hosting the PlayStation® Dorm Crashers event on their outdoor deck. Participants will have the chance to check out the newest 3D technology and test out unreleased games. There will be friendly competition, prizes, giveaways, and drink specials. The event lasts from 5p until midnight. To view the Facebook event page, click here.

From the PlayStation® website:

The PlayStation Dorm Crashers Team is touring the nation! Our team will show up with everything you need for the party of the semester:

• Brand new PlayStation^® 3D Display- Specially enhanced for gaming, its SimulView™ technology puts you deeper in the game
• The latest PS3™ 3D software titles, including unreleased games
• Rivalry, showdowns, contests, prizing, and giveaways
• And of course... food, drinks and music!

Aftermath: Sammypalooza 2011

Last weekend, we headed to SHSU's Johnson Coliseum for the 2nd annual Sammypalooza. There was a decent turnout, and hopefully, this event will continue to grow. Sammypalooza is free to SHSU students, faculty, and staff - and tickets are available to the public for a fee.

When we first arrived, there were vendors giving out free food and student organizations handing out info.

After our photographer helped himself to a free hot dog, we watched Phil Pritchett on the outdoor stage. Sammy Bearkat showed up for a while. He appeared to be blown away by the speaker volume.

We then went backstage to meet some of the guys from Vertical Horizon. We think someone put Vertical Horizon's dressing room sign by the elevator to be funny, but it could have just been a coincidence.

The members of Vertical Horizon were very kind, and we liked what we heard during their interviews. Meagan Ellsworth from The Huntsville Item was there to interview the bands. She and Matt Scannell totally showed each other photos of their dogs.

After we met with Vertical Horizon, we headed back outside to check out Oh, Sleeper. The crowd seemed to really enjoy this band. The guys stuck around afterward to take photos with fans and give autographs.

At 7p, the coliseum opened for the final two bands - Vertical Horizon and Taking Back Sunday. Fans waited around patiently for the bands. Well, most of the fans were patient, anyway. Some of them were mean mugging our photog.

Taking Back Sunday was the headliner. The singer kept swinging his mic around and almost hit our photographer in the face. It was probably a good thing that we were only allowed behind the barricade for 3 songs.

Overall, Sammypalooza was a success, and it was fun. The show did not sell out, but hopefully, it will continue to grow and more students will stick around for it instead of running home on the weekends. The organizations on campus worked hard to put together an excellent event that was free to students. Thanks for having us, SHSU!

To see all of the photos taken at Sammypalooza, check out our Facebook album by clicking here. Feel free to tag yourself in any photos we took, and "like" our page to keep up with local events.

No Foolin' String Band Playing at the Wynne Home (Oct. 8th)

No Foolin' String Band

Saturday, October 8th from 4:00pm -9:00pm

Wynne Home Arts Center

I was sad when I found out that Gene Young and The No Foolin' String Band had to reschedule their scheduled show at The Thoreau Woods Coffeehouse until next year, but I am excited to write that they will be playing at The Wynne Home Arts Center tomorrow evening from 4:00pm until 9:00pm.

The No Foolin' String Band knows how to make magical music (I love alliteration) with their combination of banjos, fiddles, and guitars. If you have already seen them perform, then I am sure you are already excited. If you haven't, then go check it out!

Click HERE to see their Facebook Group.

The Anthemeers w/ Sleepy Sheep and J.P Looney at Avenue L

The Anthemeers w/ Sleepy Sheep and J.P Looney

October 8th, 2011 from 8:00pm until midnight

Avenue L Coffeehouse

1215 Sam Houston Avenue

Huntsville, TX 77340

Avenue L recently relocated to a very nice building in Downtown Huntsville, and they have a concert planned for this Saturday! The Anthemeers will be opening for Sleepy Sheep and J.P. Looney.

From The Anthemeers' Facebook Page

Ticket Price: $3.00 per person

The Anthemeers consists of Josh Jackson, Nathan Huff, Kevin Dixon, Lauren Novakova, Ryan Sausage, Daniel Gathright and Morgan Jenks, and their music is now on Pandora. Click HERE to check it out! You can also learn more about the band by checking out their website found HERE. 

Sleepy Sheep consists of  Scott Jones, Daniela King, Christina Castillo, Kevin Mathis, and Daniel White. They consider their style of music to be "freak-folk" or "folk-rock." Sounds rad. Click HERE to learn more about this band. 
 
Also, don't forget that Avenue L has its open mic night every Thursday night at 9:00pm!

Music in the Park: Sterling Moniker (Thurs., Oct 6)

Music in the Park: Sterling Moniker

FREE LIVE MUSIC

Thursday, October 6th, 2011 from 6:00pm - 8:00pm

Rather Park

University Avenue and 13th street

(across the street from the First Community Bank)

One of Huntsville's newest bands, Sterling Moniker, will be playing at Rather Park THIS Thursday! There is no charge for this event, and the band will be giving away free demos. Snacks will be on sale. You are encouraged to bring blankets or chairs. 

Sterling Moniker consists of the beautiful Miranda Hightower (vocals / lyrics), Charles  "The Joker" Herron (guitars / lyrics), John Clark (guitars), DeKeenan Bell (bass guitar / funkmaster), and Kevin Lotts (drums). They consider their music to be a combination of blues, alternative, and psychedelic rock revival.  

Photo by Larry Miller

Jess caught up with Miranda last week to talk about the band and their upcoming show. Miranda said she is a little nervous, but we know she and the band will do an excellent job. The band will be playing covers and originals on the 6th. Covers include music by The Beatles, The White Stripes, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Queens of the Stone Age, Franz Ferdinand, and The Cranberries. The original songs are a mixture of genres - alternative, blues, and psychedelic rock.


Miranda's favorite song to play is "Man With No Name." This is a Sterling Moniker original, and you may get to hear it at the show this Thursday. She describes it as a "haunting, soulful song with a 'walking through the desert' feel." The song is about Clint Eastwood, and it was written by Charlie. We can't wait to hear it. 


We also hear that there may be a surprise performance by John that will consist of a Hootie and the Blowfish song, but you didn't hear that from us!

You can listen to their music RIGHT NOW at indiemusichighway.com. Just search for "Sterling Moniker" in the Rock section.  

Click HERE to see the official event page for this event on Facebook.

The unofficial after-party will be at Margarita's with karaoke by Variety Sounds!