Arts & Entertainment

Concert's Earth Fest rocks to help KPFT

By Stefan Breitweiser
The Daily Cougar

Attention, funk rockers: Earth Fest 2003 is finally here. Forget about the trends you've been trying to follow, toss the schoolbooks aside, grab some comfy shorts and your flip-flops and head down to the Last Concert Café on Saturday.

Photo courtesy of Zwee

Doors open at 3 p.m., with bands playing from the early afternoon until the last souls drag themselves out at 2 a.m. 

It's an all-ages show, so those of you who aren't of legal drinking age should not be discouraged.

Last Concert, a long-time supporter of Houston grooves and blues, will host this year's Earth Fest in support of KPFT. 

Known more for the great Texas music entertainment than its food, Last Concert has been the alternative hangout for college kids and groove-dogs for quite some time now.

Located at 1403 Nance St. along the outskirts of downtown, the cafe serves as a melting pot for mainstreamers and hippies alike.

At the helm for Earth Fest is Houston veteran band Zwee, long-time funk rockers with a decidedly psychedelic groove reminiscent of the trip gods themselves, The Grateful Dead. Although Zwee's groovy tunes may have been influenced by the Dead and Widespread Panic, the mellow saxophone solos are definitely original. Somewhere in between trippy rock and mellow blues, Zwee's performance will be a memorable one.

Also charging the stage will be Ice 9, formerly known as I.C.E. A favorite at last year's GrassFest, its psychedelic synthesizers, mellow vocals and rocking drum machines will have even the casual listener dancing in front of the stage.

Fellow GrassFest veteran Plump will also appear Saturday. Its youthful exuberance and incredible stage presence more than compensate for its lack of musical experience.

Hi Ficus, another great Texas band whose incredible vocals and mellow acoustic guitars conjure visions of an edgy Dave Matthews, will be taking the stage late afternoon. Though young in age, its sound has been impressively well thought-out, and with any luck it will be performing larger venues in the near future. 

A handful of other bands will be playing during the day, while loyal followers and random passers-by down nachos and cold cervezas. 

If you find downtown far too superficial and pricey and are fed up with the same bands playing at your local live music hangout, Last Concert Café is definitely worth a shot this Saturday, and at the very least you can help support a great tradition of Texas music.

For more information about Last Concert Café, visit www.lastconcert.com.

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