2007 Houston Press Music Awards Showcase

Tody Castillo Nominated in: Best Pop www.todycastillo.com; www.myspace.com/todycastillo 8 p.m. A world where pop-rock dullards like Jack Johnson are famous and sell platinum while people like Tody Castillo languish in semi-obscurity seems unfair. In fact, it seems downright unlivable when you get right down and wallow in that injustice. But hope always springs eternal; Castillo's "pretty rock and roll" will return soon for another swipe at the brass ring he deserves. He just started recording a follow-up to the magnificent Independence Day a couple of weeks ago and hopes to have something on shelves for us around the turn of this year.

Fondue Monks Nominated in: Best Funk/R&B; Best Bassist (Rozz Zamorano) www.fonduemonks.com 9 p.m. In a town where once every other band called themselves "funk-rock," only the Fondue Monks and precious few others remain standing. Maybe that's because the Monks were one of the few funk-rock bands that were then and remain now actually funky. The band's original lineup has now been together for 16 years, and that longevity, in addition to their rhythm section comprised of two brothers named Zamorano, gives us another reason to compare them to ZZ Top.

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Poor Dumb Bastards Nominated in: Best Punk www.poordumbbastards.fuzz.com, www.myspace.com/poordumbbastards 4 p.m. Still reeling from the June 30 drug-related death of guitarist Hunter Ward, the Poor Dumb Bastards say the show must go on. "It really sucks, and it really, really hurts, but at the same time we had a long talk as a band," says singer Byron Dean. "We said, 'Is this what's gonna kill us?' And the answer is no. We're gonna go out on our own terms, and this isn't our terms." So the "Texas Drunk Rock" Dean, "heterosexual life partner" Mike Porterfield and various other Bastards have indulged since 1991 will continue, as songs like "My Pussy Hurts" take on a new degree of poignancy. "We deal with things our own special way," says Dean. "We're not gonna let a little thing like death keep us from playing."

Kemo for Emo Nominated in: Best Punk www.kemoforemo.com 5 p.m. Kemo for Emo sends big ups to God. "Not the one in heaven but the cult leader who showed us the way to salvationÉand his Kool-Aid was kick-ass." Enron is their key local influence, while on the national front they were shaped by the likes of MxPx, Bad Religion and Straight Outta Junior High. The band loves to play Fitzgerald's Upstairs and then head for Rudyard's for post-show bevvies; Java Jazz, on the other hand, gets a collective gas face. "The crowd there was like Wonder Woman's invisible jet," they aver, and we don't think they mean it revealed a statuesque, raven-haired hottie in a skimpy costume.

The El Orbits Nominated in: Best Cover Band, Best Guitarist (Jim Henkel) www.elorbit.com 6 p.m. Still anchoring Monday nights at the Continental Club after all these years and several lineup changes, the El Orbits are nothing if not resourceful. "We were once late to a high-dollar gig in Sugar Land. Finally almost there, I realized I had forgotten my guitar," says Jim Henkel, now the Orbits' piano player despite his Best Guitarist nomination. "We had a Farfisa in the truck, so our first thought was for me to play that, but after imagining four hours of swing and Sinatra — the bulk of our repertoire at the time, and what the client expected — with a bass/drums/piano/Farfisa lineup, we sent bassist at the time Paul Beebe out to procure a guitar while we hurriedly set up for the gig. He returned about five minutes before we were set to start with a Stratocaster knockoff he bought for $150 at an H&H he found. I played that guitar for the next three years."

The Aqua Velva Nominated in: Best Cover Band www.theaquavelva.com 7 p.m. It's a cosmic thing. You wouldn't understand unless your antennae pick up the frequency of these local rock lobsters. In that case, you know that re-creating the sci-fi/surf/new wave sock hop of Athens's second-most-famous '80s export after R.E.M. is this El Orbits/Allen Oldies Band/Ringwalds offshoot's sole raison d'etre, rumors of a growing repertoire to the contrary. "We're not expanding past the B-52's, because there's no reason to," says Farfisa captain David Beebe. "But we are trying to learn their later stuff." Stay tuned to channel Z — the love shack is open for business.