Music

2006 Houston Press Music Awards Supplement

Continued from page 4

A decade-plus institution on the Houston scene, both in the clubs and on the box, Sun spins "down-tempo, soul, nü-jazz, glitch, broken beat and beyond," and the people love him for it. He has racked up about as many Music Awards as local legends as Norma Zenteno, the Zydeco Dots and Carolyn Wonderland. The Suriname-born DJ also has been known to lug his crates to that country, as well as its former colonizer, the Netherlands. If there's a chill-out room in heaven, chances are DJ Sun will be behind the decks.

LIVE

4 p.m.

Name: Allen Oldies Band

Nominated in: Best Cover Band

Web site: www.allenoldiesband.com

Personnel: Allen Hill (vocals), David Beebe (drums), David Schoenbaum (organ, guitar), Charlie Earthman (sax), Jim Henkel (guitar), Mikey Trafton (bass)

Allen Hill lives fully up to his name as "The High Priest of the Oldies." He might not be able to sing too well in the strictest sense of the word, but his manic energy and feel-good vibe more than make up for that shortcoming. The tuxedo-clad banshee is, as he puts it, completely and utterly "dedicated to living and playing the dance wonders of the '60s hit parade," songs like "Green Tambourine," "That's Cool, That's Trash" and "She's About a Mover." "Everyone loves the oldies," they say, "and no one does the oldies better than the Allen Oldies Band."

5 p.m.

Name: JW Americana

Nominated in: Best Punk

Web site: www.myspace.com/jwamericana

Personnel: Doug Kosmo a.k.a. C.C. Dupree (bass guitar, vocals), Shane Lauder a.k.a L.C. Dupree (drums, vocals), Arthur Moreno (saxophone, vocals), Rodney Elliot a.k.a. J.W. Dupree (guitar, vocals), Geoffrey Muller (banjo), Scott (mandolin, vocals), Tony Barilla (accordion), Mike Switzer (trombone), Chris Kemmerer (trumpet)

Believe it or not, some bands can claim both Navasota songster Mance Lipscomb and new-wave freaks Devo as influences and can carry it off. JW Americana is one such band. Be warned -- their live shows tend to be spectacles and occasionally involve bloodshed. Little-known JW Americana trivia: According to published reports, singer-bassist Doug Kosmo "easily has the presence of a prominent cult leader as he has a huge fan base in Houston, Thailand, and five Eastern Bloc countries."

6 p.m.

Name: Clouseaux

Nominated in: Best Jazz; Best Keyboardist (David Cummings); Best Guitarist (Kelly Doyle)

Web site: www.clouseaux.com

Personnel: Jay Brooks (bass), Kelly Doyle (guitar), David Cummings (piano), Aaron Koerner (trumpet), Tomas Escalante (vocals), Steve Ruth (trumpet, percussion), Alfred Tam (trombone, conch), David Taschery (drums), Andy Salmon (percussion), John Best (vibes), Claudio Depujadas (percussion) and John Daniels (percussion/fire breathing)

What do you get when you mix Les Baxter, Combustible Edison, Martin Denny, Esquivel and Henry Mancini? Well, Clouseaux got "dark instrumental exotica with a twist of lounge and surf" music. All that "exotica" has filled up four releases, Clouseaux in 2002, the Destination Oasis EP in 2003, Lagoon in 2004 and Beyond Good and Evil this year. Guitarist Kelly Doyle has won Best Guitarist honors before, and the group is a repeat nominee in the Best Jazz category. There were rumors that band member John Daniels was planning a protest over the lack of a Best Fire Breathing category, but that's been settled.

7 p.m.

Name: Mark Towns

Nominated in: Best Salsa/Reggaetón/Latin Pop

Web site: www.marktowns.com

Personnel: Mark Towns (band members vary)

Guitarist Mark Towns says he started asking for a guitar to play as soon as he could talk. Since he was too small for even a student guitar, his parents would give him a ukulele. But Towns knew better and he'd toss it aside, saying, "This is not a guitar!" That was many years ago. Now, even though he's not Latino, he's considered one of the leaders in Houston's minuscule Latin jazz scene (it's about the music, not his skin color, stupid!), and it's well known that he has one of the best books in town (his collection of sheet music). His first CD, the self-released Flamenco Jazz Latino (out in 2000), featured fellow Houstonians saxophonist Kirk Whalum and flutist Hubert Laws. Last year, his second release, Passion, again featured Laws (hey, wouldn't you, if you could?), as well as percussionist Jorge Orta and pianist Rainel Pino. Fans will see Towns performing solo, as the leader of a duo, trio, quartet, quintet or all-star show band. And in none of those groups does he play a ukulele.

8 p.m.

Name: Hayes Carll

Nominated in: Best C&W; Best Folk/Acoustic

Web site: www.hayescarll.com

Personnel: Hayes Carll (vocals, guitar), Lance Smith (guitar), Brad Fordham (bass), Lisa Pankratz (drums)

A laconic and dry-witted former Bolivar beach bum, Carll is a bona fide local success story. This year he signed with Nashville major label Lost Highway Records, and of course, he now plans to move to Austin. Carll counts among his fans Ray Wylie Hubbard, who has this to say about him: "He walks on that stage, and he just owns it -- like it's his time, his stage, and he has total control and keeps your attention his whole set. And I admire that."

9 p.m.

Name: Miss Leslie & Her Juke-Jointers

Nominated in: Best C&W; Local Musician of the Year; Best LP (Honky Tonk Revival); Best Female Vocalist (Miss Leslie); Best Guitar Player (Randy Lindley)

Web site: www.missleslie.com

Personnel: Leslie Lindley (lead vocals, fiddle), Randy Lindley (electric guitar), Ricky Davis (pedal steel guitar), Ben Collis (bass guitar), Damian O'Grady (piano), Country Jim Sloan (acoustic guitar)

Miss Leslie & Her Juke-Jointers are having a good summer. First a slew of Music Awards nominations and then their new LP, Honky Tonk Happy Hour, Live from the Continental Club in Houston, is ready to drop in August. But it isn't always easy for Miss Leslie or Her Juke-Jointers. Houston might seem like a cowboy town to the rest of the world, but that doesn't always mean that country music is appreciated here with the same enthusiasm that Nashville provides. So, while the group continues its quest to infiltrate country roots music as much as possible, Miss Leslie is still looking for a label that gets their music. But even if they lack an understanding label, they don't lack for generosity. "Sean Reefer and Resin Valley Boys are awesome," they gush. "If you don't vote for us for C&W band, vote for them. If you haven't heard their show, you have missed great music and a great time." Wow, since when did Houston bands pat each other on the back?

M BAR

4 p.m.

Name: Casino

Nominated in: Best Traditional Rock

Web site: www.casino-official.com

Personnel: Ron Rushing (drums), Mike Gogola (bass), Damon Murrah (vocals, guitar)

"Sparkling rumblings and jumping jacks" is how Casino identifies itself; if that's a little vague, their list of influences should help clarify things: It includes the Stones, the Kinks, the Faces, Humble Pie and T-Rex. If you're thinking maybe these guys are Anglophiles, you've got your head on straight. But that doesn't mean they don't rock.

5 p.m.

Name: Zipperneck

Nominated in: Best Female Vocalist (Mel Hell)

Web site: www.myspace.com/zipperneck

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