Houston noise is a subgenre of noise rock, centered in Houston, Texas. It includes dark experimental music, with influences from psych-rock and industrial, with distorted, stripped-down folk songs, and dance party influence, and a similar aesthetic sensibility rooted in dissonance.
Contents
Bands (by decade of founding)
This list is for notable bands identified as part of the Houston Noise genre.
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
Sociological considerations
One contributing factor to the formation of noise bands in the Houston area has been Rice Radio, founded and operated by Rice University students whose "eclectic and progressive programming" has historically included psych and noise from several countries with a focus on the Houston scene.
A 2003 article in the Houston Press made a reference to this sound. "I don't know if it's a Houston curse or a Houston blessing, but [like a lot of local bands] they're not enough of one thing, they're a little bit different, they're a little bit off," says Sound Exchange owner-manager Kurt Brennan, who has released some of their material in the past on his Fleece label.
An April 12, 2007 article in the Houston Press praised what it regarded as the egalitarian spirit of Noise Music in Houston. Unlike Noise epicenters such as Tokyo and Brooklyn, it stated "Houston Noise is an equal opportunity genre. Men, women, men who want to be women, women who love men who want to be women -- everybody has a shot at being a noiser.""Houston Noise Music - Top five reasons to love it".