[Houston, TX] My first two weeks in
Houston, we got a lot of recommendations from people on what/ where/who a
newcomer ought to do/be/see in Houston. This band was mentioned by several
people, although I wasn’t sure if there were actually two bands: The Hates and
The Hades. Time passed – I forgot. Then they won an award as one of Houston’s
best bands through some contest put on by Cactus Music, Houston’s very fine
local music store. They may have won this award because of their popular song
“Houston,” but they are nonetheless a well-established band (back into the
70s). First off, the lead singer is adorable. Still very punk (brilliant
mohawk, cheesy skeleton leather jacket). But all friendly and lively – loves
life and people – just the sort of punk I admire most. The other band members
seem to have shifted over time. So Christian Arnheiter, the lead singer, just
finished a biography of his life and was promoting it before their set. He’d
cut up little slips of paper with numbers, encouraged the crowd to take them,
and then drew numbers to determine who won a copy of his book. Adorable, like I
said. They’re upbeat 70s/80s punk – short songs, lots of ‘Oi!s.’ Some Misfits.
Lots of groove really. Super proficient and very tight. The absolute best part,
though, was the look of complete pleasure that swamped Christian’s face every
time the music struck up. Very good and very loveable band. (photo courtesy of
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