Local music scene jumping in 2017
Joey Guerra looks at the year's most anticipated local releases
Houston’s music scene is known for its hustle. Write, record, perform, repeat. And there’s no shortage of scrappy spirit in the coming months when it comes to new music.
Dozens of locals are set to release new music in 2017, from established acts to rising stars. And it’s as wonderfully diverse as the city itself.
Lyric Michelle, who released last year’s best local record, is set to return with “Cognitive Dissonance.” A date is still pending, but expect more of the poetic hip-hop that blazed through her “Miss Direction” opus.
The Suffers lead singer Kam Franklin takes a solo turn in April with “The Oof Ep,” which she says will be filled with electro R&B covers of ’90s nu metal classics. Sign us up for an advance listen.
Also high on the quirk scale is jazz musician Henry Darragh’s upcoming big band takes on Houston rap anthems. Darragh, as Doc Loc and the Swangers, is reworking classics from the likes of Bun B, Scarface Geto Boys and Screwed Up Click. Paul Wall was so impressed that he recorded an updated rap for “Sittin’ Sidewayz.”
Wall also teams up with C Stone for “Diamond Boyz,” an ode to all things bling. It’s due Feb. 3 and features Future and Slim Thug among others.
Avery Davis — known as synthpop act -Us. on record— unveils the “Contact” EP this year. It’s preceded by bouncy, ’80s-influenced first single “Without You.” He has the look, persona and sound that could signal a big breakthrough.
Michelle Miears mines a similar synthpop sound on her upcoming solo EP “Who Will Save You?” She calls it “an emotionally driven musical narrative that explores the compulsive and cyclical nature of relationships.” With synthesizers, of course. It’s due Feb. 17. A release party is set for March 3 at White Oak Music Hall. Miears is also part of dreamy synthpop trio BLSHS.
Vik Montemayor cut his teeth as part of electro-pop band Bang Bangz. He’ll release “Palmetto” under solo moniker George West. It follows 2016’s moody landscape “Silverio” and looks to be one of the year’s most intriguing releases. He blends chill grooves, drum patterns and field samples recorded on his iPhone.
“The name ‘Palmetto’ comes from a street name in South Houston,” Montemayor says. “That is where my parents first starting dating, then got married young, not knowing where life would take them. This EP is dedicated to my parents. They have shaped me into what I am today, they always supported me in what I do, they let me be creative, funny and weird — and they never judged me for it.”
A “Palmetto” release party is set for Feb. 18 at Wonky Power Live, 3534 Navigation.
Vocalist Ashley Toman has spent the past few years finding her voice and singing anywhere she can. Her new EP, “Own It,” mines pop and R&B and is due in March. She says it’s “all about self love and owning yourself, even the things you view as setbacks or insecurities.”
“I finally was honest with myself with this record,” she says. New single “Dreamlover” is out in February.
Singer-songwriter Juan Treviño gets some all-star help on “Fragmentos,” a contemplative collection of originals due Jan. 27. He enlists Tejano greats Armando Lichtenberger Jr. (La Mafia), David Lee Garza, A.J. Castillo, Rolando Benavidez (Grupo Sólido), Mario Ortiz and Carlos Álvarez.
And those are just the beginning. Here’s a look at other notable local releases set for 2017. As always, dates are subject to change: