Houston's Coachella

Houston's Coachella? New festival combines comedy and music with more than 60 acts

Warehouse Live in collaboration with Lucky's Pub, Bud Light, BBVA Compass Stadium and others, is introducing a new type of festival to the Bayou City. Houston Whatever Fest, the brainchild of event producer Jason Price, is a two-day music festival that also incorporates comedy. More than 60 performers will entertain crowds on five stages on Saturday and Sunday at EaDo Party Park.

"I wanted it to be a festival with more variety, like Coachella or Bonnaroo, though it won't be nearly as big. The idea is to build a music festival in Houston that incorporates comedy and music," Price said.

The name and theme of the festival came to Price, who works as the in-house talent buyer and promoter for Warehouse Live, based on the variety of the bookings at the venue.

"If you look at the booking at Warehouse Live its a little bit of everything," Price said. "The question was, can we take the Warehouse bookings and translate that into a festival? Can we tie it in together? The result was Whatever Fest because we have music from whatever genre. It's not just an Indie fest or a rock fest or a comedy fest."

The festival will feature more than 30 multi-genre musical performances as well as 30 plus comic showcases, including well-known comedians like TJ Miller, a co-star in the summer blockbuster Transformers: Age of Extinction, Iliza Shlesinger, winner of the sixth season of NBC's Last Comic Standing, and "Bobcat" Goldthwait. Musical acts include Mute Math, Passion Pit, We Were Wolves, Filter, Neon Indian, Blonde Redhead, The Hold Steady, Kreayshawn and Rebirth Brass Band.

Price says he modeled the festival after similar music and arts festival elsewhere.

"Being a promoter for 14 years, I've been to every major festival. I wanted it to be a festival with more variety, like Coachella or Bonnaroo, though it won't be nearly as big. The idea is to build a music festival in Houston that incorporates comedy and music," Price said.

The two-day festival will begin at noon on Saturday and Sunday at EaDo Party Park, a square block near the soccer stadium that includes Warehouse Live and Lucky's Pub. There will be three outdoor stages (the Bud Light Stage on the north side near Rusk street, the Space City Vodka Stage on the south side of EaDo Party Park near Walker street, and outdoors at Mojeauxs Louisiana Drinkery) and two indoor stages at Warehouse Live.

Day passes are $35, weekend passes are $55, and VIP access is $150. For more information, visit the website.

We Were Wolves will perform on Sunday.

We Were Wolves Facebook

We Were Wolves will perform on Sunday.

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In Memoriam

Legendary Texas singer-songwriter Joe Ely dies at 78

Joe Ely/Facebook

Joe Ely was a major figure in Texas' progressive country scene.

Joe Ely, the legendary songwriter, singer and storyteller whose career spanned more than five decades, has died from complications related to Lewy Body Dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and pneumonia. He was 78.

In a statement posted to his Facebook page, Ely died at his home in Taos, New Mexico, with his wife, Sharon, and daughter, Marie, at his side.

Born February 9, 1947, in Amarillo, Texas, Ely was raised in Lubbock and became a central figure among a generation of influential West Texas musicians. He later settled in Austin, helping shape the city’s reputation as a hub for live music.

As with many local legends, it's hard to tease out what specifically made Ely's time in Austin so great; Austin treasures its live music staples, so being around and staying authentic from the early days is often the most important thing an artist can do.

Ely got his local start at One Knight Tavern, which later became Stubb's BBQ — the artist and the famous venue share a hometown of Lubbock. He alternated nights with emerging guitar great Stevie Ray Vaughn. He built his own recording studio in Dripping Springs, and kept close relationships with other Texas musicians. Later in his career, Ely brought fans into the live music experience, publishing excerpts from his journal and musings on the road in Bonfire of Roadmaps (2010), and was inducted into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame in 2022. Austin blues icon Marcia Ball was among Ely's friends who played the induction show.

"Joe Ely performed American roots music with the fervor of a true believer who knew music could transport souls," said Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

In the 1970s, Ely signed with MCA Records, launching a career that included decades of recording and touring around the world. His work and performances left a lasting impact on the music scene and influenced a wide range of artists, including the Clash and Bruce Springsteen, according to Rolling Stone.

"His distinctive musical style could only have emerged from Texas, with its southwestern blend of honky-tonk, rock & roll, roadhouse blues, western swing, and conjunto. He began his career in the Flatlanders, with fellow Lubbock natives Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock, and he would mix their songs with his through 50 years of critically acclaimed recordings. [...]"

Read the full story at KVUE.com. CultureMap has added two paragraphs of context about the Austin portion of Ely's career.

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