devotchka

Houston's Warehouse Live played host to somewhat of a Denver, Colorado showcase, with DeVotchKa, and their friends Crooked Fingers, taking the Studio by storm. Crooked Fingers fused their brand of standard indie rock with touches of gypsy and klezmer music. Throughout their supporting set, they focused on the acoustic stylings of frontman/former Archers Of Loaf singer Eric Bachmann. Throughout the set, DeVotchKa violin player Tom Hagerman added his skills to a number of songs, filling out their sound. Even working as slimmed down trio, Crooked Fingers came through with a complete sound, flooding the scattered room from the stage to the bar.

DeVotchKa never puts on a sub-par performance. Their quirky instrumentation (accordion, theremin, sousaphone, trumpet, bouzouki, glockenspiel, vibraphone, and of course bass, drums and guitar), and even quirkier personalities almost guarantee a good time, even if they don't play a note. Thankfully they did choose to perform, which they did marvelously for almost two hours to an extremely attentive audience. When they performed their Little Miss Sunshine hit "How It Ends," it was so quiet that I was unsure if I was still in Houston. It was a great treat for us to have these two bands stop and play, especially in such a small venue as Warehouse Live's Studio.

I took a bunch of photos and videos from the show that are posted after the jump.

DeVotchKa

Crooked Fingers

DeVotchKa Official Website
Crooked Fingers Official Website
Warehouse Live Official Website

We're giving away 2 pairs of tickets to see DeVotchKa and Crooked Fingers at Houston's Warehouse Live on Monday, February 9th. All you have to do is send us a message from an active e-mail address that gives us your full name. If you'd prefer to be notified via text message, please include your phone number as well. We will randomly pick the two winners at 3:00 pm on Sunday, February 8th, and we'll send notification with details on how you can pick up your prize.

There is always the chance of this show selling out, so if you're worried about not winning tickets, feel free to buy your own. Also, I can't forget to thank The Messina Group for enabling us to have contests like this on a regular basis.

We did not make it up north this weekend to catch Lollapalooza, but I at least had the chance to see a bit of Wilco's streaming set at the AT&T Blueroom. Their energy alone showed just how much fun Chicago was having. Now that it is all said and done, after hometown MC Kanye West and industrial rock giants Nine Inch Nails closed down both of the main stages, I pulled together a host of videos that would make any music lover jealous of those in attendance.

Wilco - "Can't Stand It"

See more after the jump

Voodoo Music Experience has become somewhat of a tradition for Breakfast On Tour. As you might know by now, it is where we dreamed up the idea for this little website. It is also a place where we have experienced two years of amazing music. Originally leaning towards more of a rock following, Voodoo has transformed itself into a three day, multi-genre destination featuring many established and up-and-coming bands and artists. Previously announced headliners Nine Inch Nails, R.E.M, and the Stone Temple Pilots are now going to be joined by emo-godfathers Death Cab For Cutie, Denver gypsy-folkers Devotchka, Austin BOT-favorites Ghostland Observatory, and ex-Fugee Wyclef Jean. Taking place in New Orleans, the tenth anniversary of the festival is also set to feature some of the best names in jazz and funk including the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

Get excited people!

Find the full line-up after the jump

The initial line-up for this years Monolith Festival was released today. It features local favorites Devotchka headlining Saturday, September 13, and Parisian electro-geniuses Justice closing the festival on Sunday, September 14. The second annual event is set to take place at the unbelievably gorgeous Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver, CO. Also featured on the bill are recent blog darlings Vampire Weekend, Seattle's Band Of Horses, hip-hop hipster Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, soul-songstress Sharon Jones and her Dap Kings, and iPod Touch-commercial stars CSS.

See the full line-up after the jump

Today the SxSW Music Conference announced their full list of showcasing artists. There are hundreds and hundreds of acts that are going to be making their way to Austin next month for the world renowned multi-media conference. I included the full list after the break for any of you music nerds who need to read every band (like me). For those of you who just want to see some highlights, check out the tags for this post. Also, for all of you Houston readers, I went ahead and bolded all of the bands that are coming from the Bayou City (congrats guys!).

2008 Showcasing Artists for the SxSW Music Conference: