PREVIEWS // Mar. 31, 2013

DJ Sun Rocks The Flat With Rocksteady Monday

DJ Sun is easily Houston's most recognizable deejay on both the national, and even world scene. Since the launch of his exemplary Soular Grooves show on local Pacifica station KPFT in 1995, he has become a true international star in the world of acid jazz, a genre he helped invent with his sense of world music, developed partially while living overseas until he moved to Houston as a teenager.

A true "crate digger," Sun is known for mixing rarities and oddities seamlessly into his sets, which roam from loungey, lazy mellowness to hip-hop to jazz to blues. The one constant element is that the party goes on. He's become so well known in the world of deejays he's worked with cutting edge artists like Thievery Corporation and Massive Attack.

PREVIEWS // Mar. 29, 2013

Gurf Morlix Returns To Montrose, the Scene of Past Crimes

While some Houstonians will be getting their crazoid decadent hillbilly itch scratched by North Carolina wackos Southern Culture on the Skids Friday night, it's highly likely that former Montrose resident Gurf Morlix will pack venerable folk venue Anderson Fair with thoughtful, considerate listening types rather than off the chain party animals.

The long time traveling companion and co-conspirator of the legendary Blaze Foley, Morlix and Foley were key parts of vibrant folk scene in the Montrose 30 years ago. Faced with Foley's increasingly bizarre behavior, Morlix eventually split for L.A., where he teamed with Lucinda Williams, eventually winning a Grammy for his work with her.

PREVIEWS // Mar. 25, 2013

Dwight Yoakam Sideman Takes Center Stage With A Little Help From His Houston Friends

Brian Whelan barely looks old enough to be shaving, but don't let the boyish looks fool you: This Seattle native is a battle-hardened veteran of the music wars. Whelan has been around the block more than once working as a side man for the likes of Ted Russell Kamp, Randy Weeks, Tony Gilkyson, Mike Stinson, and, most recently, as a multi-instrument utility man for Dwight Yoakam's red hot band.

PREVIEWS // Mar. 22, 2013

Catastrophic Theatre Waits For Godot No More

Along with a gaggle of seasoned, no-fear, take-any-chance actors, producer/director Jason Nodler is one of the primary reasons Houston's Catastrophic Theatre is so celebrated in the national drama community. Come on, what other struggling shoe-string-financed local troupe based outside New York City, Los Angeles, or Chicago is on the radar of such publications as the New York Times, which regularly raves about Catastrophic's productions in its gray pages?