free press summer fest

Last night, while lovers were spending their precious little Hallmark holiday moments together, the people behind Houston's Free Press Summer Fest were treating the fine music loving folks of this fair city to the announcement we've all been waiting for. For the past few weeks, tons of speculation over who would be playing the third-year event clouded the minds of those who have been waiting since The Flaming Lips played their final notes last year. Well, the wait is over. Omar at Free Press and Jagi at Pegstar and the many other people behind Summer Fest have been working diligently to make this year the biggest and best to date, and with a line-up that features the likes of Weezer, MF Doom, Ween and Yeasayer among many others, they have already stepped up their game.

As an avid festival goer, to have something of this magnitude a mile from my doorstep is something else. It's slowly and steadily helping to transform Houston to a destination for music, rather than a place bands avoid. Add to that the many great local bands, like Buxton, Grandfather Child, Robert Ellis and The Wild Moccasins, that are picked to grace the stages of Summer Fest, and I couldn't think of another place I'd rather be that weekend.

To see the full line-up, including the kick-ass poster and a video of last night's unveiling, take the jump.

To go to a music festival is one thing, but to attend one in your own backyard is like nothing else. The 2010 edition of Houston's Free Press Summer Fest was unlike any other music festival I've attended, mainly because right afterward I was able to take a dive into my own swimming pool and clean the sweat off my body from the dance parties known as The Flaming Lips and Girl Talk. Because of the amazing weekend, I will never miss another one – truly, no matter what happens, I'll be there. To ensure that that's the case for you all as well, Pegstar and FPH have announced a blind pre-sale that is out of this world. If you want to attend next year's festival, no matter what the line-up is, it will only cost you a measly $15. If you want to improve your status at the festy, Fancy Pants passes are only $32.50. That's incredibly cheap, regardless of what bands will be playing next year. If you're worried about the quality of music scheduled this ensuing year, just take a gander at last year's line-up. I'd recommend the Fancy Pants while supplies last, because the AC was very nice mid-afternoon.

To purchase your blind pre-sale tickets check out this site, and while your doing that, see how many times you can spot me in the video above (note: it's more than five, less than twenty).

I'm posting this a bit late in the game, as it was announced early Saturday morning, but I've been carousing through the streets of Austin all weekend so I couldn't get to it. For a week or more leading up to the announcement, Free Press Houston and Pegstar had been teasing us with an additional headliner for the 2010 Free Press Summer Fest that was yet to be announced. Everyone I talked to about it leading up to the announcement were guessing many different bands ranging from Pavement to LCD Soundsystem, Arcade Fire to GWAR. High hopes we all had, high hopes. While we were given the schedule as well, which is an amazing thing for planners like myself, our hopes for a huge national touring indie-rock group to give the festival a nice little bump in status were somewhat diminished as instead we were given Houston's hip-hop mascot – Bun B. I think it goes unsaid that if there is a hip-hop act on the caliber of the already scheduled Slim Thug, Bun B will be in attendance, either meandering through the crowd with a drink in hand, or up on stage spitting some verses with whomever it may be. I've never seen a Bun B or UGK show, but I've seen Bun B perform at least fifteen times, so when Free Press gave us the news of his addition to Slim Thug's set rather than the heavy hitter I'd been hoping for, my reaction was melancholy at best. I guess now, after June, I can say I've seen an advertised Bun B show.

Don't worry, I'm still extremely excited for the 2010 edition of Free Press Summer Fest, and now that I have a schedule to peruse, I can't get it off of my mind! Check out the full listing of events after the jump

Great job Free Press. Never figured the FLips would be topping the bill! Plus Girl Talk, Medeski, Martin & Wood, Stars, Ra Ra Riot, Dead Prez, Lucero, Lymbyc Systym and Kid Sister! That's only the National bands - Great local line-up as well! I'm just really pissed that it moved to the first weekend in June, as I am always at Wakarusa during that time. This line-up might keep me at home instead...

Check out the festivals official website for all the information you need to know, and to pick up your $15 weekend passes.

Photo by Holly Dutton
While I might not have attended the Free Press Summer Fest this past weekend in Houston's Eleanor Tinsley Park, I certainly made my best effort to live it vicariously through live tweets, YouTube videos and post-show reviews from some of my favorite Houston music blogs. I was half-way across the country seeing my favorite band at one of the most beautiful venues in the world, but as soon as I got home I started surfing the web for as much content about the festival that Omar at Free Press Houston and Jagi at Pegstar put together. Several of my favorites in the indie rock and hip-hop realm performed, including Broken Social Scene, Explosions in the Sky, of Montreal, What Made Milwaukee Famous, Devin The Dude, Octopus Project and Prince Paul. Also performing at the two day event were a bevy of Houston's best acts, including Buxton, Sideshow Tramps, Los Skarnales, The Wild Moccasins, Fat Tony, The Tontons, B L A C K I E and Young Mammals.

Since I can't offer my own review, I decided to round up the best of the festival through the eyes of Houston's music blogging community. Check out a bunch of links to different reviews, videos and photos from the inaugural Free Press Summer Fest after the jump.

I can't make the first day, despite the killer schedule, but I should be in full force for the second day with Of Montreal, Devin The Dude, Buxton, WMMF, Wild Moccasins, Sideshow Tramps and more. See you there?