westheimer block party

The last Westheimer Block Party as we know it. Switching to a two-day format for the first time since reviving itself from the dust of what used to be known as the Westheimer Street Festival, the Block Party took place in the many Montrose venues surrounding the intersections of Taft and Westheimer. Put on by Omar Afra and his cronies at Free Press Houston, this fall's edition featured over 200 bands on November 14th and 15th. The Saturday, the 14th brought good weather, and great sets of music from the likes of Buxton, Roky Moon & Bolt, Eastern Sea (featuring an incredible collaboration with rapper Fat Tony), Japanther and one of the cleanest sets of hip-hop I've ever seen from Dead Prez. Sunday, the 15th continued the party despite a bit of a rain delay in the early afternoon. I actually put my camera to good use on Sunday, and was able to capture another round of fantastic music from I Am Mesmer, Grandfather Child, Elaine Greer, Wine and Revolution, The Sour Notes, News On The March, The Tontons and a curfew-breaking set by The Sideshow Tramps to close things out.

As soon as I arrived late in the afternoon on Saturday, my agenda was geared towards drinking rather than working, so there aren't many shots from that day, but Sunday I was in full photographer mode all day. Check out my photos from the fall 2009's Westheimer Block Party after the jump.

Our favorite Houston live music event, the Westheimer Block Party, is fast approaching, bringing a boatload of Houston's best talent to stages surrounding the Montrose intersection of Taft and Westheimer on November 14th and 15th. Changing to a two-day format for the first time since its former incarnation, this fall's Block Party is shaping up to be the best one yet. Omar and the folks over at Free Press Houston have been working hard putting together a schedule to accommodate the over 250 local and regional acts they've booked. Just the other day found the release of said schedule, and I'm already torn over the numerous conflicts on each day. Buxton or listen!listen!? Young Mammals or Elaine Greer? Ghost Mountain or Spain Colored Orange? I'll just have to roll with the punches.

Check out the schedule for yourself and start working over your conflicts after the jump.

The initial smattering of bands for the bi-annual Westheimer Block Party was released late yesterday afternoon, and once again the people over at Free Press Houston have done a great job in assembling a well-rounded list of acts. Headlining the now two day event, taking place the weekend of November 14th and 15th, will be hip-hop legends Dead Prez and indie-upcomers Japanther. Also serving as an album release for Austin transplants The Eastern Sea, the night time events at Numbers on Saturday should be quite the treat as well.

Taking over the venues surrounding Taft and Westheimer are a host of Houston's finest local and regional acts. Numbers, Mango's, La Strada, Helio's, The Austin Layne Hotel and the streets and parking lots in between will feature several of our favorites including Check Other, listen!listen!, The Wild Moccasins, Free Radicals, Chase Hamblin, I Am Mesmer and of course Buxton among many others. They're promising over two hundred and fifty acts, so this is just a start, but what a start it is!

Check out the initial lineup after the jump

The Westheimer Block Party took place on Saturday, and (mostly) went off without a hitch. Unfortunately, I couldn't make it to the daytime portion of the festival, but the expanded line-up during the night time more than made up for it. I made it to Montrose just in time for the last few bands to finish up the free part of the day. Our good friends Buxton were scheduled to take the stage behind the Austin Layne Hotel around 8, so I headed over there to catch their set. The stages were running a bit late, so Listen Listen were just finishing up, but I knew Buxton had a few tricks up their sleeves for the after-dark performance, so I stuck around. Before their set, Buxton and their fans passed out several hundred sparklers to the growing crowd, which were to be lit when the band gave a cue during their song "Feathers." The cue came, the sparklers were lit, and the rest is history...

We'll be posting more from the Block Party soon, including photos and video from St. Vincent, Devin the Dude, Valient Thorr, The Eastern Sea, The Riff Tiffs, Sideshow Tramps, I am Mesmer, B L A C K I E, Cop Warmth, as well as more from Buxton.

It's once again time for the biannual, closest-thing-Houston-has-to-a-legit-festival known as the Westheimer Block Party to take over the Montrose intersection of Taft and Westheimer. Houston's music scene will be strongly represented during the all day event, which will see over a hundred bands playing on ten different stages in six different venues. We are extremely excited for the free events during the day which will feature a ton of our favorite local acts like Buxton, The Wild Moccasins, Sideshow Tramps and Plump, but what makes this year's Block Party unique is the addition of several larger regional acts to the night time portion of the festival. Dallas singer/songwriter St. Vincent will be headlining the event, while North Carolina's experimental thrashers Valient Thorr, Austin rapper Devin the Dude and L.A. noise rockers HEALTH will also perform.

Check out the full stage schedule, and videos from some of our favorites playing the festival after the jump

While Houston isn't exactly known for its musical prowess (yet!), there's still one event that we here at BOT truly look forward to every spring and fall. Our friends over at Free Press Houston have been working diligently over the past few months, putting together a solid lineup of over 100 local and regional acts to perform at the spring 2009 edition of the bi-annual free outdoor event. Spanning the blocks surrounding Taft and Westheimer in the eclectic Montrose neighborhood, this year's festival is stepping it up from previous events by also featuring a multi-venue night portion which is set to include solid acts like Austin's hip-hop extraordinaire Devin the Dude, Dallas-bred indie darling St. Vincent and a return from last fall's headliner HEALTH.

Check out the full line-up after the jump

Watch more videos from the Westheimer Block Party on October 11, 2008 after the jump

Shopping cart rave in front of Austin Layne Hotel:

View more photos from the Westheimer Block Party on Saturday, October 11, 2008 after the jump

Saturday, October 11, 2008 found us at another edition of the Free Press Houston's Westheimer Block Party. The free event, which takes place at venues near the intersection of Westheimer (natch) and Taft, featured the most jam-packed lineup we've seen thus far. The last several Block Parties we've attended have been blessed with lovely weather (the only exception I can think of involved the rained-out April 2006 date, which was rescheduled for the end of May), and Saturday's edition continued the streak of good luck.

Read the Westheimer Block Party recap after the jump

October...it just might be my favorite month. Sure, December's got its shiny, ribbon-filled holidays; March holds the promise of warmer, greener weather; July boasts fireworks and lazy days spent at the beach. But October, man - that's where it's at. The heat begins to lessen, fall tours beef up the live music schedule, and Voodoo Music Experience in New Orleans ensures that I get my festival fix. Plus, the month's biggest holiday allows you to dress like a bowl of cereal (or whatever) without coming off creepy AND you're not required to make uncomfortable small talk with extended family members. It's official: October, I love you.

My favorite month has been even sweeter since I started attending the Free Press Houston's Westheimer Block Party a few years ago. The fall edition of the event typically takes place in October, and I've come to rely upon it as a guaranteed good time. As always, this edition of the Block Party - scheduled for Saturday, October 11 - features a bevy of outstanding local talent and is sure to make for a great (free!) day of (free!!) music.

Read more about the Westheimer Block Party and view the stage guide and map after the jump