walter's on washington

Akron/Family, Warpaint and Buxton at Walter's On Washington
Doors at 8pm; Show at 9pm
Tickets are $10 at the door

Hype. It's what currently is driving record and mp3 sales through the roof. Bands come out of nowhere, then all of the sudden due to a blog-approved track or video, they are pushed into the mainstream. One such example of this is the band Girls, whose name was all but nothing two years ago, but due to Pitchfork labeling them "best new music" and every other blog praising their work, they've blown up something fierce. I usually don't buy into hype before I give the record a listen or see the band live, so when Girls booked a date at Houston's Walter's On Washington, I was curious as to how good they would be.

Read all about the show after the jump

California-based lyrical mastermind Busdriver brought his impressive solo act to Houston's Walter's On Washington on a slow Sunday night. In tow was another Cali resident – LA's Abstract Rude opened up the evening with a set of smart rhymes.

Read all about the show after the jump

Busdriver

Friday night in Houston was a busy one musically, offering several choices in a host of different genres. Many local bands were doing their thing, while The Jonas Brothers were busy busy putting the art in Wal-Mart at the Toyota Center. I decided to exercise my inner hipster at Walter's On Washington for a night of North Carolina folk featuring both Bowerbirds and Megafaun.

Read about the show after the jump

Bowerbirds, Megafaun and Sew What perform at Walter's On Washington.
Doors at 8pm, Show at 9pm.
Tickets are $8 at the door.

Elvis Perkins in Dearland and Other Lives made a stop at Walter's on Washington last week, drawing a healthy-sized crowd for the Wednesday evening performance.

Read all about the show after the jump

Elvis Perkins in Dearland

Elvis Perkins in Dearland, Other Lives and Tody Castillo at Walter's On Washington
Doors open at 8, show starts at 9
I can't find a listed ticket price, but they'll probably be in the $10-$15 range

So, this is really, really late. Like, obscenely late. As in, if I were your friend and forgot about your birthday for this long, you probably wouldn't be my friend anymore late. I have lots of excuses (some of them actually good ones!), but I'll spare you. Annuals and support act Jessica Lea Mayfield came through Houston's Walter's On Washington back in February and put on a lively, entertaining show that has since stood out in my mind as one of the best shows I attended during the first quarter of '09. Check out photos and vids from the show after the jump

Delta Spirit's official website
Walter's On Washington official website

We – or, more accurately, I – have quite a bit of content catching-up to do, so please try to overlook the tardiness of my posts over the next couple of weeks. New job, weird hours, thanks for your patience. My schedule's been all out of whack, but in between 4am shifts (I know! That shit should be illegal) I've somehow managed to squeeze in some shows over the past few weeks. One of the most memorable was, without a doubt, Los Campesinos! and Titus Andronicus' appearance at Walter's On Washington on January 29.

Read a recap of the night, view photos and watch videos after the jump

Los Campesinos!