Sometime earlier this year, I checked out the Myspace for Football, Etc., listened to the tracks and friended them behalf of BMoL. This is pretty rare for me, as:

1. I think Myspace is awful and try to use it as little as possible.
2. I’ve never been one to follow a bunch of randos in a foolish attempt to promote my band. Take a look at our Myspace. If we’re friends with someone, they’re probably our real-life friends. Either that, or we actually, truly like their bands.

So it was with Football, Etc. We don’t know these people, but we’re friends of friends, and we dig their tunes. Now, we’re stoked to hear them on Friday when we share a bill at Dean’s Credit Clothing, downtown. FE is launching their tour. You should come and see them off. Four bands for $5. Ride the rail and make us part of your downtown evening.

Here’s a cool poster my friend Todd made. Todd describes Football, Etc. as emo. I call them good.

Update: Here’s the Facebook event page for the show.

This Saturday we’re playing at Mango’s for the first time, and we’re excited to share the holiday weekend with two of our favorite bands, The Jonx and The Gary.

Mango’s, if you don’t know, used to be called The Oven back in the day. My first band, Wholesome Rollers, played there a lot. On a tiny little stage that had one load-bearing beam smack in the front. I think they called it the Oven because they sold frozen pizza there by the slice. Or maybe just because it got hot as hell in the summer.

Mango’s, however, is more than a name change. They’ve moved the stage so it’s roomier and unobscured by the architecture. They’ve also added an outdoor patio. Is it still hot? I don’t know. But on Saturday night, July 3rd, you’ll find out.

Anyway details are below. Even more information, including the scoop on the un-Google-able Young Girls, is available at Jonxy’s blog. And our compliments to the Jonx for putting together one of the classier posters we’ve seen. We love us some Tetris.

This Friday, we’re playing at Rudyards with two well-known Austin acts, The Gary and Arthur Yoria. Both have Houston ties so it should be a great show. We’re especially excited about playing with our pals in The Gary who are promoting their well-received new CD, Logan. You may remember the guitarist Trey Pool who played in the venerable Houston bands Celindine and Sad Like Crazy. Here’s some review snippets of the new record:

"What The Gary’s first full-length album is is an undisputedly tight, exuberant chunk of rock. Check back in a year and Logan is likely to be in a lot of ‘best-of’ lists, CD collections, and mp3 players." – Austin Sound

"The Gary’s still-untitled debut full-length, due in November on the same label, deserves to be one of the most anticipated of the year. Intelligent, honest, unpretentious, stirring, grassroots indie rock like this doesn’t come along as often as PR reps would like to have us think." – Ink 19

“The first half-dozen songs are fantastic; the last four don’t slouch either, especially "False Sunrise." It’s a bit of that tried-and-true Dischord formula: Loud, primitive music can be enlightened as well." – Austin Chronicle

And here’s the record, which you can stream straight from this page.

Well, did you listen? Good. Now, here are the details:

Show is on April 30 at Rudyard’s

10:30 pm Arthur Yoria
11:30 pm The Gary
12:30 am BMOL

I somehow missed adding a note about our show last Saturday with Miles Kurosky, but if you didn’t make it, you missed a really great show from the former Beulah frontman. He was generous with his time, talking with fans, before, during and after the show. I urge you to get his new record and his old ones, too.

Now for this week’s Saturday show at Rudz, we’re are stoked as hell to be playing with two Austin-by-way-of-Houston bands: Tody Castillo and The Sour Notes. Both bands offer some seriously hummable and sophisticated pop music, so if that’s your bag, you won’t want to miss it.

We opened last Saturday’s show, but we’re going to headline this one. So here’s what to expect:

10:30 pm Tody Castillo
11:30 pm The Sour Notes
12:30 pm Bright Men of Learning

Not at all sure what the cover is. Prolly $6.

Please note: Ben Murphy, one of our guitar players, also plays with Tody Castillo. He’ll be pulling double duty. Get there early and stay late to cheer on his ever-tasteful heroics.

On Thursday, February 25, we’re stoked to be playing a show with one of my pals from law school, Erin Rodgers, and her band, Kennedy Bakery. Also on the bill is Christian Staehely, who I’d never heard of, but who turns out to be kind of interesting: he’s a Princeton graduate who was also a 39th-round draft pick in the 2008 MLB draft. Now he plays minor-league ball for the Seattle Mariners. The above link to is for his Myspace, so you should check out his tunes. Fair warning: one of them is a dead ringer for Weezer’s “Say It Ain’t So.”

Details:

2/25 | Rudyard’s Pub | 10 PM | $5 cover | 21+

 
Final note: I’ve updated our show listing. We’ve got two shows at Rudz in March, including an exciting opening gig with the dude from Beulah.

Hey!

We’re playing on Friday. With Fired for Walking. And Mr. Gnome. Show is at Rudyard’s Pub (map). We’re the first band, and we go on around 10 pm.

And later that night, we hear there’s potential for snow.

There’s nothing quite like the tradition of leaving the house all bundled up to see the Bright Men of Learning, and then the next morning…snow covers the earth like a warm blanket of rock ‘n’ roll goodness. You tip toe downstairs, reach deep in your stocking, and grab two asprin before sitting down in a soft chair to remember the previous night’s catchy-as-hell musics.

Yep. We’re playing twice this coming weekend.

Saturday, November 7th, we’re opening a set at Rudz for two bands that generally rock a lot harder than we do—Ghost Town Electric and 500 Megatons of Boogie. To match their intensity, we’re planning to play a set with a bit more giddy up than you’re probably used to seeing from us, so definitely come out for less kind and gentle BMOL.

Cover is $5 and the show starts at 10:30. We’re the first band, so don’t dawdle.

Ah, but what if that’s too late? Then check us out at Big Star Bar the next day. One of Jman’s friends is having a party there and inviting all her friends to hang out. She also invited us to be the entertainment. This being a public place, you’re invited, too. At this second show, we’re planning to give listeners a preview of our upcoming record. We’ll probably play all but one or two of the 14 songs we’ve recorded. Because we’re the only band we might actually play a couple of sets. And our pal ADR is going to be spinning records, too.

Thankfully, the Sunday show should start in the early evening. Doors open at 4 pm, and admission is free.

FInally, I should note that if you miss us this weekend, you can catch us at the Westheimer Block Party on Sunday, November 15. We’re scheduled to play the 5:50 pm slot at Helios upstairs.

The other night, Ben and I separately ventured out to see Woozyhelmet and Young Mammals rock out at Mango’s. The show was to have been headlined by Thee Oh Sees, but they cancelled due to illness. Given the last minute loss, the show price was quickly reduced to zero. Given that price, I resolved that I would still attend.

Unfortunately, two other bands were also added to the bill, which wouldn’t have been so bad if I wasn’t 35 years old and could stay awake past midnight. Woozyhelmet didn’t go on until 11:45, so I wasn’t able to stick around and watch Young Mammals.

Lucky for me, I was still able to read about the show and see some choice photos thanks to our pal Ramon Medina and his review at 29-95.com.

Here’s me in the Polo cap and GNR shirt (Ramon called a “fucking hipster”! in the caption).

And here’s Jay Crossley from Woozyhelmet (left) with another pal of ours, Mr. Dunnock. Notice anything interesting about Jay’s shirt?

Mango’s was awesome, by the way. I hadn’t been there in six or seven years, but I was very pleased to see the considerable improvements. I can’t wait to play there.

Since I’m in a rock band, my dreams might very well come true quite soon.

It’s been a long time since we’ve played a show. It’s been an even longer time since we released any music. This Friday, we plan to end both droughts with a show at Rudyard’s celebrating the release of our new Champion Sound EP. This is what it will look like.

As for what it will sound like, well, it was recorded live to 8-track with my former roommate and recording savant, John Sears. So it’s going to sound like three lo-fi, classic-rock jams. Two of which we’ve never, ever played during a show.

And speaking of the show, we’re pleased to be playing with some good friends: The Jonx and Al Hendrix’s new band Side Arms. Plus, our pal ADR will be supplying jams before the show and between sets. You must attend this show, right?

What’s all this gonna cost? Well the EP is $2. The show is $3. For $5 you get the full BMOL experience. Can you do any less?

I look forward to seeing you there.

Note: The above mentioned EP does not include any of the 14 tracks we recently wrapped up recording in Austin. That will come early next year. We hope.

We’ve got a small feature in this week’s Houston Press promoting our show at Rudyard’s this Friday night. It should hit the stands Wednesday, but you can read it right now online.

We’re pretty excited to be playing with our pals in Fired for Walking. It’s their CD release party, and they’re excited as hell.

Here are the details:

FRIDAY, September 26
Rudyard’s (1020 Waugh)
$5.00
Mr. Castillo (d.j.) – 9 p.m. and all night
Novox – 10 pm
Bright Men of Learning – 11 pm
Fired for Walking – 12 pm