Houston: Space City

Houston may not boast the music scene of nearby Austin, but that’s not to say that those looking for something a little different won’t find something to love in the city. In fact, some might even say existing out of the spotlight gives these artists the freedom to experiment that they might not get elsewhere. Here’s an introductory guide to some of the far-reaching artists in the city.Classic RockZZ Top: Formed in 1969, this blues rock group has experimented with other genres including electronic and arena rock. Two of their albums1973′s Tres Hombres and 1983′s Eliminatormade it onto Rolling Stone’s list of “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.” Among other things, band members Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill are known for their outrageous beards.CountryLyle Lovett: Lovett started as an independent singer-songwriter but signed with Curb to release his debut, self-titled album in 1986. He stayed with the label for his next five albums, switching to MCA Nashville for 1998′s Step Inside This House and Lost Highway Records for 2007′s It’s Not Big It’s Large and 2009′s Natural Forces. Throughout his career, Lovett has been known for his genre-blending brand of country, which incorporates blues, jazz, gospel, swing, and folk.PunkDresden (D’45): In the 1980s, Houston fostered a stable of hardcore punk bands that combined the typical sound of the genre with guitar-focused heavy metal. D’45, along with bands like Dirty Rotten Imbeciles and Verbal Abuse, best typified this new sound, which was known alternately as thrashcore (seemingly for bands that emphasized the punk elements) or crossover thrash (often used for bands that emphasized the heavy metal sound).NoiseThe 1970s saw the birth of a genre known as Houston noise, which Wikipedia describes as “a particular dark brand of experimental music, ranging from psych-rock to industrial to distorted, stripped-down folk songs, to dance party mayhem, but all sharing a similar aesthetic sensibility rooted in dissonance and a flippant attitude towards sonic clarity and technical virtuosity.” Red Krayola is sometimes credited with kick-starting the movement in the 1960s, but the 2000s has seen the largest boom in the sound. Artists formed in the 21^st century include:

• Indian Jewelry
• Jana Hunter
• The Wiggins
• Dead Roses
• A Thousand Cranes
• together.We are Instruments
• The Sugarbeats
• The They
• Maria Chavez
• The Defenestration Unit
• The Last Bastions
• Tinfoil
• Larry Lorrac
• LIMB