<p>Current Rice Students: I am really into music (concerts) so I wanted to know about the music scene at Rice. Do a lot of different kinds of musicians come through Houston/Rice? Does Rice itself get quite a few bands? I would imagine that there are student bands at Rice...What genres?</p>
<p>The Shepard School of Music has all kinds of concerts floating through... and there is Jamfest in the spring... Stuff is there if you want it</p>
<p>Houston is a huge city and plenty of musical groups of all kinds come through. Since coming to Houston in fall of '05, I've already seen System of a Down, Mars Volta, Green Day, Deftones, Korn, Stone Sour, and Tool. Of course groups of different genres come as well, but I'm into metal/alt. rock. However, Rice itself does not get many bands.</p>
<p>There are a good number of student bands too. There are occasionally concerts at the RMC or at the colleges. There seem to be many genres, and I've heard everything from jazz to a capella to christian rock to heavier rock. With Shepherd there, there is orchestral stuff as well.</p>
<p>Cool, I'm into that kind of music, too. You like punk and ska, too?</p>
<p>A bit .</p>
<p>and The Fray played in the Verizon Theatre 2 months ago...</p>
<p>I'm still a senior in high school, so I'm not sure about Rice.
But I head out to Houston often to see a lot of bands play.
There are a lot of small clubs in downtown Houston that have some amazing bands playing there.
We also have a very good local music scene here, if you're interested in that too.</p>
<p>thanks (10 char.)</p>
<p>I'm still upset that I had to miss Kasabian in order to study for orgo.</p>
<p>just to make it clear though, no bands ever come to Rice. there is where i go to check on concerts</p>
<p>Ugh. I follow music a lot, and I'd say that Houston's music scene is mixed. First of all, it's a problem of geography. Houston is only three hours from Austin, a hip city with a UTxAustin crowdbase, so a lot of bands don't tour both cities. Also, a lot of indie bands don't come to Texas if they just stick to small tours (one coast or something). It's kind of out of the way for them I think. Houston isn't "cool" or convenient enough for some bands. Going to Austin or Dallas works out once or twice a semester if you really want to see a band (Sufjan Stevens, The Decemberists), but don't count on having time (or stealing time) often.</p>
<p>Also, getting to concert venues will require a car or comfort with Metro Transportation. I love the Metro, but it's not always convenient and our Public transportation isn't as densely scheduled as even smaller cities like Portland, OR. Security around these mid-size venues is OK.</p>
<p>KTRU, or Rice Radio, is eclectic. Its hit or miss structure evolves each semester with its student DJs' tastes.</p>
<p>Also, I think that a lot less kids here like music than did at my high school. Now, I know that "liking music" is a very subjective term, so feel free to PM me for more detailed questions. You see, Shepherd is not going to satisfy (but it can and should supplement) your musical appetite. Accordingly, if you're not interested in taking classes, it shouldn't affect your opinion of music in Houston.</p>
<p>Rice isn't big enough to attract big acts to campus. On the other hand, our size has some terrific advantages.</p>
<p>Oh yeah, Rice isn't easy. You'll probably have time to go to concerts, but you will not party like there's no tomorrow. After you come back, you might still have a paper or a problem set to finish.</p>
<p>Student bands at Rice are also mixed. There's a lot of talent, and that's where Shepherd is good, but I don't know of any student bands widespread campus popularity. Moreover, Shepherd school and other random young people good talent aside, Rice's student musical talent is not abundant. </p>
<p>OK, all in all, I'm a bit disappointed with offerings for the music I listen to (Indiepop, Folkrock (not country), etc.) in Houston because of performances and a mixed student interest. It's just a bit more work than it might be for you in a cool city (Nashville) or an undeniably attractive one (Chicago). On the other hand, all of these complaints aside, I'm comparing Rice to the ideal music scene, so Houston's scene is actually much better than a lot of cities by virtue of its size.</p>
<p>And, all of this music analysis aside, Rice is hardcore awesome. The students are awesome and the city definitely has its own appeals. Taken on the whole, I guess that Houston has... character.</p>
<p>Um, my complaints might be because I like indiepop. If you like a more popular genre, you might get better results.</p>