Bayou City barometer
Silversun Pickups' Houston sellout marks the band for greatness
I've often said that Houston has one of the most fickle and hard-to-read live music markets in the country. I've been studying the local venue attendance trends for a decade and I still can't figure out exactly what y'all like.
Buzz-worthy shows that seem like surefire can't-miss sellouts can often draw only a trickle of interest from the 2.3 million Houstonians. Then there are performance that barely register as events at all anywhere else in the country that are swarmed like the second coming of Beatlemania in our fair city.
One thing I have learned though: Almost any young band that can sell out one of the major clubs in this town is probably destined for greatness in the very near future.
Ladies and gentleman, meet the Silversun Pickups, the latest alt-rock wunderkinds to emerge from the Los Angeles club scene. Tonight they will play to a capacity crowd at Warehouse Live.
Aside from having catchy grooves that are easy on the ears whether you're in the car or getting wicked air off a half pipe, the quartet did a smart thing when it released full-length debut, Carnavas, back in 2006. They tapped into the video-game market for potential listeners.
Early single "Well Thought Out Twinkles" (which works about as perfectly as a description of what the tune sounds like as well) was prominent in the skateboarding game, Tony Hawk's Proving Ground, while the atmospheric fog of "Lazy Eye" was featured in Guitar Hero World Tour. Both of these tracks, and others by Silversun Pickups, can be played by anyone on a plastic guitar and in the comfort of a living room on Rock Band and Rock Band 2.
The exposure shot both songs into the Billboard Modern rock Top 10. More importantly, it helped the band gain momentum for year-old sophomore album, Swoon which went to No. 7 on the Billboard 200 album charts upon release. Lead single "Panic Switch" finally took Silversun Pickups to the top of the alternative chart and follow-ups "Substitution" and "The Royal We" followed it into the Top 20.
Of course, "Panic Switch" and other tracks from Swoon are available to play on all the interactive rock star gaming devices as well.
And that's exactly where you will be if you don't already have your ticket's for tonight's sold-out show.
(And I gotta be honest... rock n' roll is always better played live then played karaoke-style in front of the boob tube).
Silversun Pickups, 8:30 p.m. at Warehouse Live
Tickets: Sold out
