Concerts in Houston!

In the past two months, saying I've dropped a dime on concert tickets is an understatement. I continue to hear news that more and more bands/artists I like are coming to Houston and I can't help but buy the tickets! Anyone reading the blog from Houston or in the Southwest US should take note because these bands are on tour and maybe they're coming to your city!

Dick Dale: King of the surf guitar and a childhood hero of mine, this guy pioneered the genre of surf-rock and introduced new playing styles to American rock music. He practices martial arts, he's never drank or done drugs, and recently recovered from cancer and still puts on enthusiastic performances at 72. I asked this guy via email about some guitar tabs not expecting much since he's a pretty big name but he replied back to me with a personal email! Incredibly nice guy who I've always wanted to see and now I'll finally get a chance. He's playing at the Houston House of Blues on Sunday the 14th of March. Oh yeah, and he wrote that song "Miserlou" for the begininning of Pulp Fiction which is sadly, the only reason knows 90% of my generation knows about him. Great song but there is so much more to his music:

Yes: Everyone knows about this prog rock band so I won't go too much into them but I'm excited since their lineup is original with the exception of keyboard player Rick Wakeman (who's being replaced by his son, Oliver Wakeman) and lead vocalist who's unfortunately taking some down time because of some respiratory issues. It'll be a great show. I love everything they've done.

Jeff Beck: An incredibly influential lead guitarist who hasn't achieved enough commercical success, in my opinion, after playing with the Yard Birds with Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton. He occupies the number 14 spot on Rolling Stone's list of top 100 guitarists of all time (the only list of theirs I actually trust or respect). Blues and Jazz are his main areas of expertise and he'll be playing the 27th of April at the Verizon Arena.

The Dead Weather: Side project of Jack White and members from the Greenhorns, the Kills, and Queens of the Stone Age. Excellent band. They've only got a single album out at the moment but it's a very strong start. Make sure to listen to their cover of Gary Numan and the Tubeway Army's "Are Friends Electric?" it was where I first heard them. The cover was on an EP released before their debut album, "Horehound" and can be purchased on iTunes.

Dark Star Orchestra: DSO has been around since 1997 and have won accolades as being basically the best Grateful Dead Cover band ever. I've listened to them a lot and totally agree. The guitar playing and vocals are just like Jerry's and even people who've attended real Dead concerts back in the day agree with me. They'll be playing March 4th at the House of Blues.

Rogue Wave: Are an indie rock band from Oakland California who I've been listening to for a long time. Their playing styles vary a lot by song but I've noticed a nice demonstration of post-punk play between quiet and loud in most of their songs, especially in songs like "Harmonium".