Q. What do you call a guitarist that only knows two chords?
A. A music critic.
Well, now that we've established my qualifications, let me introduce myself. I'm Cindy, and I'm a concertaholic (all together now, "Hi, Cindy). The bottom line is that I go to lots of shows in Houston and the surrounding areas. I love live music of any kind. I have been quite pleased to see a great number of national and regional acts coming through town lately, as well as a burgeoning local scene that has lots of potential. Houston offers a variety of venues that allow for a diverse mix for all kinds of musical tastes. Last year, I had the pleasure of seeing Alanis Morisette, Smashing Pumpkins, Garbage, Dishwalla, Soul Coughing, Chalk Farm, Geggy Tah, James Taylor, Better Than Ezra, Barenaked Ladies, Sting, Natalie Merchant, Lemonheads, Robert Earl Keen, Ian Moore, Stone Temple Pilots, and Soundgarden. I even caught some retro acts like Foreigner, REO Speedwagon, Loverboy, and The Starship, as well as having hit the Rodeo on a couple of nights. So, you can see that I'll go to about anything, as long as it is live. Since I go to so many shows, I thought it would be a good idea to record a few things from the shows I attend and place them here for you to peruse, critique, enjoy, flame, become inflamed by, and/or ignore.
Here's my reviewer's philosophy. I have a great deal of respect for any musician that gets up on stage and attempts to entertain me. If I don't like something, that does not mean that it is bad. It just means that I don't have an appreciation for a particular style or sound. I don't believe in being unnecessarily critical or assigning ratings to bands that only cause comparisons between unrelated genres or styles. For instance, I won't say "I liked the beat, I could dance to it, I give it an 85" nor will I say "Band X is better than Band Y". I will, however, use comparisons to describe a band's style, if I feel that it is appropriate or meaningful.
Here's what I will comment on:
- the band's general style and composition
- the type of crowd it draws
- highlights and anecdotes from the show
- the venue
- any background information that I can find on the band
- the opening act
- anything unusual or interesting that happens to me during the evening (like comments from people I meet in the crowd or perhaps a quote from one of the band members)
- and generally, the female perspective on what is largely a male-dominated rock scene
I probably won't stick to any particular format. I prefer to be creative, so every review will focus on something different. Right now, this is a pretty basic site. Just click on the buttons to your left to get Music Reviews and Concert Information. If you're a Barenaked Ladies fan (and even if you're not), check out the BNL Corner. If you have any comments on a review, have a band you want me to check out, or just want a pal to chat with, you can click on the Email button belw or right here at cindy@onthatnote.com.
On That Note, I'm outta here......
