Metamorphosis at Minute Maid

Houston musical acts rock out at new Minute Maid Park drive-in music festival

If necessity is the mother of invention, an ambitious plan to bring a drive-in music festival to the Minute Maid Park parking lot fits the bill.

Metamorphosis is a new multiple stage, multi-act festival set for Saturday, June 13 between 7 to 11 pm. It will draw on multi-channel headphones technology made popular by silent disco events in which the attendee can select which performance to listen to at any given time. The makeshift festival grounds will allow for 350 vehicles configured between three stages.

Houston's live music scene has been stirring over the last few weeks as Governor Greg Abbott eases COVID-19 restrictions. Axelrad Beer Garden broke ground by hosting a drive-in rooftop concert last month. Other live music venues took the plunge by opening to limited capacity. Now, a group of local acts will band together to host their own event in Lot C of the empty Astros' home field.

The festival is the brainchild of Los Skarnales sax player, Chuy Terrazas, who knows firsthand how much musicians are hurting in the wake of thousands of canceled shows. He joined with friends in local bands to build the lineup. His ska-cumbia-reggae-punk group will perform alongside funk act, Bayou City Funk, the eclectic sounds of DJ I.V., the rock 'n roll-meets-funk of Lords of Kool, rap artist Guilla, and house-influenced electronic duo, NONC3NTS.

Tickets start at $50 per vehicle or $25 a person. Check in starts at 5:30 pm.

"This is all friends and how we can help each other," Terrazas tells CultureMap. "My musician friends haven't made any money the last two months. That's the beauty of this, it's not a concert promoter saying, 'Let curate this thing' This is community helping community."

Terrazas came up with the idea for the event after seeing similar events in Europe. As the owner of performance space Preston Theater next to Lot C of Minute Maid Park, Terrazas saw an opportunity to host a similar event in the expansive space. He teamed with sound and lighting company Limitless Lights and Sound, which has a history of organizing silent disco events where concert goers can toggle between different channels of mixes from different DJs spinning on stage.

The most interesting part of Metamorphosis is it will take the silent disco concept and take it to the live music festival space, a unique concept for an event of this magnitude. Each ticket holder will receive a sanitized set of headphones as they check in, then attendants will park their vehicle between three stages that feature simultaneous performances, each on different channels of the headsets. The Metamorphosis and Chrysalis stages will feature live bands and the Butterfly stage will have DJs.

"I don't think anyone has done this at a drive-in concert, where it's usually you watch a band on one stage," says Terrazas. "You'll have three stages that you get to watch, one in the center, and two on the sides. But they'll all be in your view and you flip between the bands and performers you want to listen to."

The idea to name the festival Metamorphosis came from the butterfly, an image found as a mural on the side of his Preston Theater space.

"Butterflies are a big theme because they represent evolving and growth. People started talking about us being shut-in during COVID was like being in a cocoon. We thought we'd call it Metamorphosis because it's tied to COVID and in metamorphosis, there are three stages, caterpillar, chrysalis, and butterfly."

Attendees are permitted to bring their own snacks and beverages but food trucks will be on site. Patrons are required to wear a face covering and practice social distancing when outside their vehicle.

Thankfully, Terrazas plans on making Metamorphosis the first in a series of drive-in concerts, much needed for both music fans and struggling artists alike.

"For me, joy is gratitude and connectedness," Terrazas says. "You have to be grateful for what you have and but then you have to be connected too. For me, music is connectedness and for us, how can we connect safely?"

DJ I.V. brings an eclectic mix to Minute Maid Park this weekend.

Johnathan Martinez

DJ I.V. brings an eclectic mix to Minute Maid Park this weekend.

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Movie Review

Timothée Chalamet cements star status in new movie Marty Supreme

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Timothée Chalamet

In a time when true movie stars seem to be going extinct, Timothée Chalamet has emerged as an exception to the rule. Since 2021 he has headlined blockbusters like the two Dune movies and Wonka, and also earned an Oscar nomination for playing Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown (his second nomination following 2018’s Call Me By Your Name). Now, he’s almost assured to get his third nomination for the stellar new film, Marty Supreme.

Chalamet plays Marty Mauser, a world-class table tennis player living in New York. But reducing Marty to his best skill doesn’t do him justice, as he’s also a motormouth schemer who will do almost anything to achieve his dreams. He doesn’t have any qualms about wooing married women like neighbor Rachel (Odessa A’zion) or actress Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow), or hiding his true ping pong skills to win money in scams with friends like Wally (Tyler the Creator).

Marty is seemingly on the go the entire movie, whether it’s trying to convince Kay’s millionaire husband Milton Rockwell (Kevin O’Leary) to fund his table tennis ambitions; or trying to track down the dog of Ezra (Abel Ferrara), a man he accidentally injures; or trying to avoid the ire of the boss at the shoe store where he works. Just when you think he might slow down, he’s off to the races on another plan or adventure.

Directed by Josh Safdie and written by Safdie and frequent co-writer Ronald Bronstein, the film is an almost continuous blast of pure energy for 2 ½ hours. So many different things happen over the course of the film that the story defies conventional narratives, and yet the throughline of Marty keeps everything tightly connected. His particular type of brash behavior turns much of the film into a comedy as he does and says things that are both shocking and thrilling.

Another thing that makes the movie sing is the fantastic characterization by Safdie and Bronstein. Almost every person who is given a speaking line in the film has a moment where they pop, which speaks to airtight dialogue that the writers have created. Characters will be introduced and then disappear for long stretches of time, and yet because they make such an impression the first time they’re on screen, it’s easy to pick up their thread right away.

Safdie, as he’s done previously with brother Bennie (Uncut Gems), calls on a host of well-known non-actors or people with interesting faces/vibes to inhabit supporting roles, and to a person they are crucial to the film’s success. O’Leary (of Shark Tank fame), rapper Tyler the Creator, director Ferrara, magician Penn Jillette, and fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi each deliver knockout performances. The relative unknowns who play smaller roles are just as impressive, making each beat of the film feel naturalistic.

Leading the way is the powerhouse performance by Chalamet. For one person to believably play both the famously reserved Dylan and also a firecracker like Marty is astonishing, and this role cements Chalamet’s status as his generation’s movie star. A’zion is a rising star who gets great moments as Marty’s on-again/off-again love interest. Paltrow pops in and out of the film, lighting up the screen every time she appears. Fran Drescher as Marty’s mom and Sandra Bernhard as a neighbor also pay dividends in small roles.

Josh Safdie’s first solo directorial effort is unlike any other movie this year, or maybe even this century. Thanks to its breakneck storytelling, a magnificent performance by Chalamet, and countless intangibles that Safdie employs expertly, the film smacks viewers in the face repeatedly and demands that they come back for more.

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Marty Supreme opens in theaters on December 25.

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