ENVY music guide

1. HOUSTON LOCAL ARTIST + HAMILTON LOOMIS
| TEXAS LIFE AUGUST | 63
Blues Brother
WORDS ALMA VERDEJO
THE LOCAL HOUSTON SCENE GETS REPRIMANDED FOR ITS
LACKLUSTER SUPPORT OF BANDS AND MUSICIANS, WITH MUCH OF
ITS UNDISCOVERED TALENT ACHING TO HEAD OUT AND MAKE IT BIG
ELSEWHERE. ROCK IS HEAVILY USED TO COLOR THE LANDSCAPE
OF HOUSTON’S SCENE, BUT THERE’S ANOTHER GENRE THAT IS AS
AMERICAN AS APPLE PIE—BLUES. AND HAMILTON LOOMIS IS ONE OF
THE MANY TALENTED MUSICIANS WISHING TO CARRY THE TORCH.
Blues prodigy Hamilton Loomis has enjoyed the greats as mentors—Bo
Diddley, locals like Johnny Copeland and Albert Collins—while
incorporating rock and soul into his musical repertoire. “As a blues
artist, I can’t get my record in the blues section,” he explains. “Take
Jonny Lang, for example. He’s on A&M [Records], and they put
him in the rock section, where you aren’t even remotely close to
alluding to rock. If I were on A&M, I’d be in the rock exposure.”
He knows that staying true to his roots may be harmful to skyrocketing
success but is happy knowing that he’s doing what he loves to do. And
the music scene is taking notice, with Guitar Magazine comparing
Loomis’ sound to a welcoming mixture of genres. Even with that
noticeable genre-shaking music, he knows that none of the genres
would exist without the intervening influence of blues and the lifestyle
it affords hard-hitting musicians with extensive touring on the books.
“There are many resources in the industry to tour as a blues musician,”
Loomis says. “All of popular music came from blues. Chuck Berry
and Little Richard played sped-up blues. It was decades of branching
off, spanning new music. Rap, hip hop—it all keeps branching out.”
Even with this much influence, the blues scene is dying, and Loomis
believes that part of it is because the smoking ban in bars is discouraging
diehard fans from seeing blues musicians. The whole mystique of seeing
a live blues show includes a smoke-heavy room with clouds wafting
through the air. Live shows are the bread and butter of blues musicians,
where the crowd feels an intimate connection with the artists.
According to Loomis, the saving grace of blues is the tight-knit society
that keeps all blues musicians in touch with one another. It’s a social
network spanning Europe and South America, where some of the most
promising new acts are arriving. “It’s never going to die;” he says, “it’s
just diminished. Reason being is because all the older musicians are
passing away. Without them, no one is passing down the torch.”
With so much talent and musical know-how, Loomis will be the
perfect successor to the blues community.
Hamilton Loomis plays August 10 at McGonigel’s Mucky Duck.
Visit hamiltonloomis.com or myspace.com/hamiltonloomis
Paul Weller
22 Dreams
Yep Roc Records
Britpop’s legendary PaulWeller has
returned with the eclectic 22 Dreams.
Weller has had an interesting career
that started withThe Jam and thenThe
Style Council, which led into a long
and critically acclaimed solo career. 22
Dreams is PaulWeller taking advantage
of decades of earned musical credibility
and making the album that he wants.The
album is a scattershot of different genres.
It curiously opens with “Light Nights,” an
acoustic number with violin and guitar.
It is followed by “22 Dreams,” which
reminds listeners ofWeller’s Britpop
royalty. His well-deserved moniker of “The
Modfather” shows with the guest stars he
has acquired. Noel Gallagher from Oasis
co-writes and appears on “Echoes Around
the Sun,” a noisy, psychedelic, enjoyable
mess of a song. “Black River” is a lounge
piano number featuring Blur guitarist
Graham Coxon. 22 Dreams is a disjointed
but oh-so-enjoyable album that is a
testament ofWeller’s legacy. —SW
Jaguar Love
Take Me to The Sea
Matador Records
I’m not sure what exactly it is about
rock ‘n’ roll, but the higher the voices,
the sexier the men. And this band is
definitely hot. Former Blood Brothers
members Johnny Whitney (vocals,
piano) and Cody Votolato (guitar,
bass) along with J. Clark (drums, bass,
keyboards)—who played guitar for
Pretty Girls Make Graves—have teamed
up to give you Jaguar Love. Their first
full-length album, Take Me to the Sea, is
sure to whip your ass. “Jaguar Pirates”
explodes with wailing voices and
dance-inducing beats, while “Humans
Evolve Into Skyscrapers” manages to be
both shrilly-vicious and harmoniously
addictive. The album climaxes with a
deliciously sugar-coated, pop-y version
of their fierce sound. —Lauren Sturch
Slightly Stoopid
Slightly Not Stoned Enough to Eat
Breakfast Yet Stoopid
Silverback Music
Having shaken off the Sublime coatriders
tag years ago—and somehow having
remained distanced enough from the 311
pop-dub that all but renders white boy
reggae sterile—Slightly Stoopid are what
Lee “Scratch” Perry would be if he landed
in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven. This disc
is a slab of outtakes, B-sides and rarities
with a few new tracks weaved in to keep
the faithful at bay. Drenched in the dub
of Kingston royalty of the Studio One
records, Stoopid never fully commits to
the trance of reggae and keeps it funky
with its “toasting” and subdued horns.
Of the 15 songs on Slightly Not Stoned
Enough to Eat Breakfast Yet Stoopid,
the oceanside ballad of “On And On” is
the only not covered in the echo-dub.
Whether Slightly Stoopid has received its
due credit is still to be seen. The spirit of
the Caribbean and Brad Nowell live in the
grooves of this record. —JP
Jennifer O’Connor
Here With Me
Matador Records
Find a quiet, secluded lot of grass, lie
down, stare up at the stars and listen
to Jennifer O’Connor. It is perfect for
melancholy or pensive moods. Jennifer’s
soul pours forth in every aspect of her
music­—vocals, guitars, piano and organ.
Several tracks feature guest musicians—
Darren Jessee of Hotel Lights and Amy
Bezunartea—but they occupy the
shadows of Jennifer’s own captivating
talent. Her lyrics make your stomach turn
in that uncomfortably pleasant way, like
falling in or out of love. Her opening
song, “The Church and the River,” is the
kind that can bring tears; it is poignantly
moving. “Valley Road 86” is similarly
chilling and embodies a feeling of loss;
it’s as if she is singing to the ghosts of
lovers past. On a rosier note, “Highway
Miles” provides a more upbeat song with
meaty guitar strumming. —LS
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