What felt like homecoming.

Houston, TX from 06.08 – 06.15

It had been five years since my last visit to Houston, and so many things changed since then. A different job, home, car, and no abusive partner. My life was seemingly stable, yet I found myself endlessly tired, rarely out anywhere besides the workplace, and not as passionate about the things I loved for years. Despite the trials from passing months to a year, this is the most present I’ve felt in quite some time, forcing me to return to myself in the most powerful way possible.

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My curiosity for music making had grown deeper than my last attempts fifteen years prior. The medium has attuned many memories in life alongside my love for photography. For generations, my family has made it a part of their daily lives, but were rarely involved as creators long-term. Early years in church and band sparked loose influences here and there with no consistency since we stopped attending. We moved from Granny’s before I was double digits. Furthermore, I couldn’t stand the French horn, and honestly didn’t understand why it was recommended to me by the director in elementary.

A major shift of my interests in music occurred during late grade school to college years. Besides the R&B and soul records from countless CDs my folks accumulated, I found myself wanting to dig more into jazz, electronica, and hip-hop/rap. Previously, my only remembrance of any jazz had been a few Kenny G and smooth jazz station listens from the rides home with close ones years prior. One of my childhood friends had started college, gotten him a new MPC, and would bring it almost every visit along with his laptop with FL Studio. He came in clutch with installing a copy of it on my PC at my mother’s. We would often share most music we came across, anything Soulquarian, Nujabes, and Flying Lotus related especially. He wasn’t into much trap like I was though, and I loved how I could get a hold of almost any mixtape on Datpiff and later on Soundcloud. We outgrew our friendship later in college, and most of my creative focus remained in graphic arts.

Thoughts of documenting and archiving felt even more necessary after a bricked phone and a couple of dead drives

And here I am, fifteen years later, thinking I could touch a DAW again. Not only that, but learn an instrument I actually have interest in. Thoughts of documenting and archiving felt even more necessary after a bricked phone and a couple of dead drives. Accepting in recent years how digital media’s reliance on convenience is also its biggest crutch pushed me further into acquiring tangible copies of the things I love. Music being one of them. Seeing shows wasn’t always in grasp growing up as well, and though this isn’t the most stable I’ve been, the amount of time I have is worth the allocation. While debating my next lease, I followed through with a drive to Houston the next morning.

06.08 Back On the Road

Exhilarated with plans for the trip despite a short sleep, landed me near Pearland early afternoon. I hadn’t visited my aunt in so many years. After walking through the door, I had somewhat of a re-collective overload in parts of the house I vaguely remembered along with the new furniture I hadn’t seen. Her reminder of having the home for almost 20 years was a bit of an eye-opener too. We decided to surprise my grandmother with a pop-up, and it was my first time seeing the place since she moved back to the city little over half a decade ago.

Losing track of time had me late for the Rachel Chinouriri show at House of Blues that evening, missing her openers Alemeda and Bizzy. Luckily, I made it right before Rachel took stage to perform. The lights strobed onto the backdrop while the crowd screamed as she walked to center stage. Her performance spoke volumes of the care put into the setlist. Hearing “Cold Call” at its fullest, and seeing how “Can we talk about Isaac?” electrified the audience were two of my favorite highlights to such a moving experience. Although I did wish that the set was longer, I look forward to what she’s working on following the Little House EP that dropped a couple of months back.

06.10 And So It Rained

Deciding to stay in until that evening was the best decision, I had been on the go constantly the week prior. To and from home making every DoorDash delivery I could before the trip. I suppose waking up from the thunderstorms and seeing a flood warning made it a bit easier too. Catching up on new music and rest was time well spent awaiting the first show from Saint Heron that night.

Julia Perry and Tania Leon were celebrated through a selection of compositions, all accompanied by Jeri Lynne Johnson as conductor. Zoie Reams gave a marveling opera performance of Perry’s Stabat Mater. The orchestra diligently performed with the soprano at front, then the works from Solange followed. Between isolated and integrated horns, her compositions were bright, newly sound, and occasionally nostalgic in display. The tuba duet was in band suits, and their trumpeter peers similarly made a later appearance from the walkways during an ensemble piece.

06.12 – 06.14 We Dug and Found Out

The urge to dig in other cities bugged me for months, so I started a small list and happily made my first visit to Cactus Music. I was surprised by its wide range of CDs compared to their vinyl and cassette offerings, but managed to grab a copy of What A Devastating Turn of Events there. One I couldn’t find at any of my favorite spots back in Dallas. Did a quick search for lunch and saw that Trill Burger was less than five minutes away. Mind you it’s been so long since I’ve had a real one due to changing my diet years back, but couldn’t tell the difference with their vegan option. There’s something in that special sauce they have on it too.

Sig’s Lagoon on the other hand, had such a huge selection of vinyl despite having a smaller, more intimate setting. I picked up a nice set of funk and soul releases there and stayed even longer to chat with folks digging nearby. Definitely coming back for the jazz section though, I peeped but didn’t manage to get to it in time.

06.15 A Glorious sunday

Stayed a bit longer than intended, but I was grateful to attend another curated show that Sunday on such short notice. This one as an homage to the devotional and spiritual showcasing its roots from women. Instrumental and vocal compositions were given space from the works of Mary Lou Williams to ushering in the sound of her contemporary counterparts. With a lively sax introduction, Angélla Christie readies the crowd for the Clark Sisters. 

“Blessed and Highly Favored” joyfully gathered the room into “Is My Living in Vain” with additional moments of gratitude in a remixed chorus for all attendees. The theater lauded with everyone out of their seats for “You Brought the Sunshine” to end the night.

My overall experience in Houston after a handful of years was a communal one, the city felt like a second home. Traveling to visit family and locale reminded me of how much I have yet to see even on a global scale. Wanted to travel more in recent years, but I always felt the timing wasn’t right. This is the trip that finally restored my faith in doing so again.