Caddywhompus
Young Mammals

Caddywhompus and Young Mammals are the musical guests. ian Wells, host of KTRU’s The Local Show is our Audience of One. The show includes sets by both bands and interviews with hosts Gina Miller and Dan Workman. Brought to you by St. Arnold Brewery, Zenfilm, Sugarhill Studios and Outbound Music.

The The colloquialism “caddywhompus” is defined by such adjectives as “uneven,” “crooked” and “out of whack”—a list which could, in some instances, allude to the mind-bending sounds of the experimental noise-pop band who bears said name but whom can otherwise be described thus: spot on.  Song structures alternate between sweet psychedelic indie ballads to the most intense, ear-splitting of noise-driven crescendos.

They have two EPs worth of material under their belts, as well as a new full length, all of which—true to their D.I.Y. roots—were composed and recorded themselves, and can be downloaded for free at communityrecords.org Their full-length [Remainder], released on New Orleans-based Community Records, has proven itself a more focused and cohesive representation of their unique sound.

Carrots is the debut album from Young Mammals. Recorded in their hometown with producer and Grammy Award-winner Steve Christensen, Carrots shows a real sophistication within the pop realm. Already featured on the Urban Outfitters blog, opener and single “Confetti” serves as the perfect initiation. The Daily Texan wrote, “The marriage of traditional pop with experimental noise makes for arrangements that always surprise.” 

The Free Press proclaims, “This is one Houston band that – high gas prices or not – needs to get on the road, take it to the people, and show them how it’s done.”

Bluesman Scott H. Biram and art punkers NoBunny are the musical guests. Community representative and Audience of One is Craig Hlavaty of the Houston Press. SugarHill’s Gina Miller is joined by Guest Host Matthew Wettergreen of Caroline Collective, Do713.com.

After his departure from Harvard Business School, Craig Hlavaty now spends his days tirelessly defending the merits of Lady Gaga and Slayer.  The love child of Oliver Stone and Lester Bangs, Craig makes a living as the assistant music editor of the Houston Press, or does it make a living as him?

Scott H. Biram, a self proclaimed ‘Dirty Old One Man Band’ successfully, and sometimes violently, lashes together blues, hillbilly and country precariously to raucous punk and godless metal. Biram ain’t no candy-ass singer/songwriter either, sweetly strumming songs about girls with big eyes and dusty highways. HELL NO!!! His singing, yodeling, growling, leering and brash preachin’ and hollerin’ is accompanied by sloppy riffs and licks from his 1959 Gibson guitar and pounding backbeat brought forth by his amplified left foot. The remainder of this one-man band consists of an unwieldy combination of beat-up amplifiers and old microphones strung together by a tangled mess of guitar cables.Years of non-stop touring have honed his assault to a fine edge; his wide-eyed throw downs in the First Church of Ultimate Fanaticism routinely lead giddy followers to a fiery baptism.Scott H. Biram won’t die. On May 11th, 2003, one month after being hit head-on by an 18-wheeler at 75 MPH, he took the stage at The Continental Club in Austin, TX in a wheel chair – I.V. still dangling from his arm. With 2 broken legs, a broken foot, a broken arm and 1 foot less of his lower intestine, Biram unleashed his trademark musical wrath.

Entertaining atypical audiences fits squarely into Nobunny’s career plan. “I originally wanted to be a rabbit Elvis impersonator, then wanted to be a children’s performer,” he explains. “I still might do both, though I kind of am both. We can play to any crowd, young or old, PG or R.” Which explains why one finds playful props like foam novelty ears and dolls at his merch table as well as lines in his lyrics like, “This little piggy wants to get an erection.” Though he now lives in Oakland on the rare occasions when he’s off tour, the mysterious self-dubbed “half-man, half-jackalope” grew up in Chicago’s Ravenswood.

The Happen-Ins and Craig Kinsey (Sideshow Tramps) are the musical guests. Gina Miller invites Zenfilm’s W. Ross Wells to share the co-hosting duties. Community guest and ‘audience of one’ is Amber Roussel, co-founder of a creative consulting group called Ah-Ha! Creative that serves clients in the areas of arts, travel, hospitality, non-profit and technology including producing events for kirtsy.com. She is also one-half of the local Team Houston in the national Ford Fiesta Movement contest.

Comprised of former members of the Dedringers, Austins The Happen-Ins features Sean Faires and John Michael Schoepf with Lomita frontman Ricky Ray Jackson and joined later by Harlem Spiritual Orchestra Drummer, Falcon Valdez –its no surprise that they offer up a sound that blurs the lines between classic taste and youthful filth. Brimming with infectious melodies, bacon greased guitars and sweaty hip shaking swagger, the live shows helps them brandish their own culture and spirit seeped in rhythm & blues and rock n roll.

Born a full turn from the white picket fences of America, Craig Kinsey was raised on Southern lore from a family of moon shiners. His teenage years were spent train hopping, walking, and driving across the country in search of the old days Guthrie, Kerouac, and John Lee Hooker. This seeking out the marrow of life led him into the great silence of a monastery and out again into musics center stage. His album, The Burdener starts off with a circus a raucous, grinding New Orleans sound, then blending tunes which weave a tapestry of barroom piano, brass, strings and gypsy frontier styled swing. Craig is also frontman for the wildly popular Sideshow Tramps.

Roky Moon and BOLT! and the Covington-Richmond band are the musical guests. Community guest and ‘audience of one’ is Vernon Caldera, founder of KeepHoustonRich.com, a Website that promotes the city’s attributes by assuming the role of a Houston-centric video channel.

The hour-long program features sets by both bands recorded live in SugarHill’s 69-year-old Studio A as well as interviews with award winning record producer Dan Workman and his co-host Gina R. Miller.

Roky Moon and BOLT! are a rock n roll/glam rock band. Winners of the 2009 Houston Press Music Award for Best New Act the band has opened for national acts such as Sugar and Gold and Dax Riggs. In late 2009 Roky Moon and BOLT! were featured in the play “Life is Happy and Sad” which focused on the early life and works of Daniel Johnston. Roky Moon and BOLT! are recording their first full length record and completing a live rock opera that will debut in 2011 by Catastrophic Theater at DiverseWorks! Studio.

Melanie Covington is half of the soul duo, Covington – Richmond Band. She is a session vocalist from Saint Louis, MO, who at the age of 4, was asked to sit in with the Temptations. Her small frame duplicated dance steps, face gestures and sang loud enough to be felt & heard during a charity performance. Active in church and musical functions, she became the drum section leader in high school. Her all female band Kymistry was selected to tour with Roy Ayers and she’s opened for The Braxtons, Back Street Boys, Glenn Jones and Johnnie Taylor. Ms. Covington performs 3 nights a week at The Skybar in Houston. She is currently featured as the lead singer for the show Get Out! Of the Closet! and can be heard on various television campaigns.

Grooveline Horns & Zach Balch are the musical guests. The program includes performances by bands and candid interviews with hosts Rosa Guerrero and award-winning record producer, Dan Workman. Community guest and ‘audience of one’ is Keaton Branch, contributor to AudioADD.net.

The Grooveline Horns are an internationally known three-man horn section including Carlos Sosa (sax), Fernando Castillo (trumpet) and Reggie Watkins (trombone). The band has won several accolades including the 2005 Latin Grammy Winner with La Mafia Best Groupera Album, Austin Chronicle Reader’s Poll Best Horn Section seven times and has played with everyone from Jason Mraz, Willie Nelson, Dave Matthews to Ozomatli and The Meters.

Zach Balch is a singer/songwriter from Levelland who admits, “If West Texas is in your blood, songwriting arrives like rows of cotton and Bible-belt Choruses”. Born on Elvis’ 50th, a graduate of Buddy Holly’s alma mater, and the grandson of a lifelong pianist and music educator, Zach’s training includes South Plains College where he studied guitar, and a short stay in the Jazz Program at the University of North Texas, where he was a vocal major.

Suzanna Choffel
The Umbrella Man

Suzanna Choffel and The Umbrella Man are the musical guests. Community guest and ‘audience of one’ is KPFT 90.1 FM’s host Rhonda Garner. She’s been highlighting local and regional talent on her radio program RadioACTIVE, along with co-host Phil Schawe, for six years and is the co-creator of The SugarHill Sessions. The hour-long show features performances recorded live in SugarHill’s historic Studio A and interviews with Hosts Dan Workman and Rosa Guerrero.

Suzanna Choffel is a singer/songwriter from Austin whose unique sound has been described as equal parts Beat poetry, smoky soul grooves and indie-pop eccentricity. Think Feist meets Erykah Badu. In Spring 2009, Suzanna won the “Best Indie Band” prize at the Austin Music Awards SXSW as well as 2nd Place in the “AAA” category of the prestigious International Songwriting Competition. Previously, Suzanna was selected by The State Of Texas to represent contemporary music in Texas On Tour, a countrywide traveling show promoting Texas tourism.

The Umbrella Man is a Gulf Coast combo fronted by esteemed bassist, Nick Gaitan. Nick has won Houston Press Music Awards “Best Bassist” title from 2004 – 2008 consecutively.

Additionally, he also plays and tours with Country music legend Billy Joe Shaver, who recently recorded “I’ve Found my Weakness in You”, composed by Gaitan. The group performs “a gumbo of styles” including Country, Rockabilly, Swamp pop and Conjunto and are currently working on their debut album.

Wild Moccasins

Tyagaraja and Wild Moccasins are the musical guests. Community guest and ‘audience of one’ is photographer Mark C. Austin – Mark has covered nearly every major music festival from Bonnaroo, Voodoo Music Fest to Coachella and Jazz Fest and his work has been featured in publications like SPIN, Paste, Rolling Stone and Village Voice Media. His images are currently on display in 5 different permanent exhibits at the Hard Rock Hotel Las Vegas.

The hour-long show features performances by the artists and in-depth interviews with hosts Rosa Guerrero and award-winning record producer Dan Workman.

Tyagaraja is a singer/songwriter from the Houston and Austin areas. His voice, songwriting and lyrical content display the teachings he has absorbed from pilgrimages to India and his travels across the United States. His first band, Million Year Dance, won Album of the Year in the 2008 Houston Press Music Awards. His first full-length solo album An Open Book is due out in late March 2010.

Wild Moccasins are Winners of Best EP in the 2009 Houston Press Music Awards, the band just returned from an East Coast/Midwest Tour which found them recording sessions like Daytrotter, My Old Kentucky Blog, WOXY, BreakThru Radio and If You Make It. The band is recording their first full-length and getting ready to represent Houston at SXSW 2010.