beauty in a wicked world.

As most musically-inclined Houstonians know, 91.7 KTRU is the sole college radio station that showcases indie and international music, among many other genres. Over the past six or so months, Rice University has gone back and forth, threatening to do away with the current format and convert it into another classical music station. Although the majority of this city probably doesn't understand the implications that go along with this (or plainly just don't give a shit), the indie crowd has been up in arms about the situation and signing petitions left and right. I haven't heard anything about the possible change lately, so maybe there has been some voice of reason to change the university's mind. Don't get me wrong, classical music will always hold a special place in my music collection, but one classical rad station in this city is enough. Anyways...

The KTRU festival this year was a great way to start off the outdoor season in Houston. Great bands, free St. Arnold's beer, and...well, the entire event was free, in general (minus parking). Performers included: Mister Heavenly, Real Estate (pictured above), Fat Tony, Houston-based Young Mammals, and Washed Out. As most of you know, Mister Heavenly features Michael Cera as a bassist, and I can't tell you how obnoxious it is to see people flock to the band purely for that reason. Girls (and guys) were freaking the fuck out over it.  This isn't Oprah's Favorite Things. I quickly had the urge to cry out, "Get the fuck over it. Yes, it's Michael Cera. You are all posers." In my opinion, they are worth flocking to because of the Man Man/Islands/Modest Mouse combination. I dealt with the same predicament at SXSW. Still, I appreciated the performance, and Cera wasn't overcome with absolute awkwardness. I popped my Fat Tony cherry as well. Despite his obvious inebriation, the performance quite entertaining and often humorous. Fifteen minutes prior to his 8:00 pm set time, I was disappointed by how brief his set was (25 minutes, but I feel like that's typical of most hip hop shows. As a special treat, Nick Diamonds made an uncomfortable guest appearance with Fat Tony which lasted all of three minutes. This happened more so because Fat Tony was obsessing over him on stage. My favorite aspect of rap shows at events like this is the audience. Let's be real, it was mostly white hipsters.  I was engulfed in a sea of the stereotypical "white boy dancing". I just stood in the back and smirked. For some, I believe it was drug-induced, but nonetheless I was amused.

Minus a spilt whiskey and Coke, the festival was lovely. A nice day with great friends, music, beer, and sunshine. As the sun set in the sky, Washed Out closed-out the festival with a hazy, electro, colorful ending. Because my hunger pains were overpowering my senses, I felt it was time to vacate the premises halfway through their set.

womp. womp.