GALVESTON — Landry’s employees and their families put Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier workers to the test Sunday as they prepare for the official opening.
From pop to rock, country, Americana, jazz and everything in between, this year’s Mardi Gras! Galveston band lineup covers all bases. The downtown entertainment district will be gated again this year, so if you like live music with your beads and beer, bring some cash or buy tickets here.
You can check out the full schedule of bands here. A handy pullout guide also was printed in Wednesday’s paper.
Here are some highlights:
Hot Chelle Rae, the 2001 American Music Awards New Artist of the Year, headlines the event this year with their upbeat brand of college party rock. Even if you think "who?" when you read the band’s name, chances are good you’ll be able to sing along anyway with their hit single "Tonight, Tonight" off their album "Whatever." The after-party may not be on a rooftop, but wherever it is, it’ll cost you $50 to get in. Hot Chelle Rae plays at 10 p.m. Saturday on the Budweiser stage.
Ball High grad Luke Boor (he’s the perennially shirtless and tatted Taylor Lautner doppelganger lead singer in the video above) returns home again this year with his Los Angeles-based band Assemble the Skyline to play Mardi Gras. Also a pop-rock act, this band’s music isn’t all Southern Californian sunshine. They’re a little bit Boys Like Girls and a little bit Green Day.
In an interview before last year’s Mardi Gras, Boor told After Hours the band is getting recognized for the hard work they put in promoting their shows.
"I think we work a lot harder than a lot of bands, because as my teachers (at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood) would explain it to me, if you were in school to be a doctor or lawyer, think of all the hours you would put in. It’s easier to be a doctor than to be a famous rock star, so you have to be putting in more hours than a med student."
Assemble the Skyline plays at 5:45 p.m. Saturday on the Budweiser stage.
Turn up the volume with Galveston band Melovine. Matthew Neice, Jonathan Jourdan and Dexas Villarreal describe their sound as "raw, emotional and packed with energy." They play at 8 p.m. Saturday on the Landshark/29-95 stage.
Nakia is a soulful powerhouse singer out of Austin who rose to fame on the first season of NBC’s hit singing competition show, "The Voice." Mardi Gras will be his second big gig on the island. He played at the Galveston Island Shrimp Festival back in the summer.
Other notable local favorites for Mardi Gras’ first weekend include:
