cactus music

A while back, San Diego indie-rockers Delta Spirit came to town for a headlining spot at Houston's Warehouse Live. Before that show, which I have a ton of pictures and video to post from, they made their way to our fair city's best record store, Cactus Music. Frontman Matt Vasquez held the reins, performing 6 acoustic numbers with additional support from the rest of the band on auxiliary instrumentation. The set started with four of their best new tracks including "White Table," "Bushwick Blues," "Random Man" and "Ballad Of Vitaly," as well as a rare gem that left Vasquez alone and a rollicking countrified full band version of "Trashcan" to close out the short in-store performance. It was a great showcase by a great band, which only got our group of friends in attendance even more excited for the ensuing electrified performance later in the night.

You'll soon hear more about the Warehouse Live show, but for now browse a collection of my photos from the Cactus Music performance after the jump.

The "hardcore troubadour" Steve Earle brought himself, a guitar and host of Townes Van Zandt covers to the tiny stage at our favorite local record store, Cactus Music, for a semi-private afternoon show. It was a nice introduction to Earle for me, but was the "perfect set" for our friend Bacon, who was along to capture the event with his colorful words and a much wider depth of knowledge of Earle's catalog than myself.

Check out the review, pictures and video after the jump.

As bands, music professionals and fans alike were already making their way to Austin for the 2009 edition of SXSW, us folk in Houston were reaping the benefits as many of those bands stopped here in town before the main event. There were many options for shows on Tuesday, March 17th, with the first performance of the day belonging to Providence, Rhode Island natives Deer Tick, who held down the stage at our favorite local record shop Cactus Music. They were slated to play later that night in town, but I didn't want to miss their in-store, as we already had plans to see Beach House at the Orange Show later that evening.

I arrived about 30 minutes later then the posted start time thinking I might have missed a significant portion of their set, but as we pulled up, so did a huge blue F-150 with RI plates and a grandiose 'God Bless Deer Tick' sticker emblazoned on the back window. Frontman John McCauley Jr. jumped out of the passenger seat with a guitar case and popped into the store. I followed his cue, and made my way towards to the small stage on the back wall of the store. He soon began playing as the other three members of the band filtered in after getting parked. After a few acoustic tunes that showcased his vocal talent as well as his skill in flatpicking an acoustic guitar, McCauley Jr. invited up drummer Dennis Ryan to lend his vocals to the next song. A strong country influence was evident in the first three songs, but their true sound was first displayed when the rest of the band (and manager/roadie) came to the stage for an a cappella sing-a-long of their tune "Diamond Rings 2007." The rest of the longer-than-usual-for-an-in-store set showcased a few covers, as well as "Houston," a song about McCauley's years in our fair city. The 45 minute show was a nice introduction to their songs and style. I had never heard their material before walking into Cactus, and am glad I attended on recommendation alone. I'm upset I missed their performance later in the evening, but with McCauley Jr.'s ties to Houston, I'm sure they'll be back in town before too long.

Check out a bunch more pictures from Deer Tick's in-store performance after the jump

On Saturday, December 13 – the afternoon following their performance at Warehouse Live – the Secret Machines stopped by Houston's Cactus Music & Record Ranch for a special acoustic in-store performance. The night before, we'd caught their normal live show, which featured their moody space rock stylings in all its distorted glory. The next day, frontman Brandon Curtis and guitarist Phil Karnats both donned acoustic guitars (Curtis' still sported tags – a loaner or recent purchase, perhaps?), while drummer Josh Garza kept the beat using maracas, a tambourine and his rhythm-filled hands. The performance was a completely different experience from the Warehouse set – stripped-down, the Machines' music was subtler and almost gentle at times. The short set included a few songs from their new self-titled album, as well as a couple older songs. The acoustic format showed off a new side of the trio, one that we hadn't seen at previous live performances. We weren't the only ones enchanted by the set – Curtis' grandmother beamed from a chair near the stage as he dedicated the last song ("Sad and Lonely," a somewhat curious choice) to her. This makes me wonder if the group's decision to use a quieter, more toned-down approach on this day was related to her attendance. Whatever the reason, their fuzzy psych rock compositions translated surprisingly well into acoustic arrangements and I hope they continue to experiment with their softer side in the future.

View videos and photos from the Secret Machines' in-store performance after the jump

Athens-based trio The Whigs stopped by Cactus Music in Houston on Wednesday, May 7 before their show later that night at Warehouse Live. BOT was there to catch the action - check out our photos and videos after the jump.

The Whigs

We are two days away from the first ever Record Store Day. This celebration of independent vinyl retailers is going off all throughout the world, including a few places here in Houston. Cactus Music, Vinyl Edge, ALLRECORDS, and Music Depot are all going to be celebrating with in-store performances, give-aways, cheap vinyl and other deals, free food and beverages, and other fun stuff.

Find out more after the jump