state radio

State Radio frontman Chad Urmston made his way to Denver during the week of the Democratic National Convention, but did so in an unique way. State Radio played along side another politically driven musical act, Rage Against The Machine, at a protest against the war in Iraq. But Urmston didn't make the trip through conventional means. Instead, he opted to hop freight train to freight train from the Boston area to make it in time for the event. In a recent interview, Urmston explained:

“You sleep when you can and hide from floodlights and switch trains at dawn. It’s wild. I’m with my brother and two friends who are going to California, but we’re all going to stop off for the show at the DNC.”

Chad Urmston of State Radio

Click on a BOThead to hear some weekend tunage:

Toast: State Radio - Barn Storming
Eggs: Tea Leaf Green - Taught to Be Proud
Cereal: The Dodos - Red and Purple
Pancakes: The Raconteurs - Old Enough

Former Dispatch member Chad Urmston's side project. A good song and an equally great album.

We went to Walter's On Washington in Houston on March 1st to check out State Radio. We thought that this Saturday night show would be jumping off a little later, so we didn't find ourselves at the venue until close to 11 pm. Our assumptions turned out to be wrong as we walked in to catch the last song of their second encore. Oh well, I guess we can't catch them all! What we did hear out of the former (I guess you could say current) voice of Dispatch, Chad Urmston, made me move State Radio up on my list of bands to see.

Check out some more photos from the show after the jump

Upcoming shows in the Houston area:

Thu Feb 28
Paris Falls at Boondocks
Join Houston-based rockers Paris Falls for their CD release party! With support from Jason Puffer and/or the Psychedelic Sex Panther.
Show starts at 9; tickets are $5.

Fri Feb 29
Citizen Cope at Warehouse Live
Clarence Greenwood and friends set up shop at Warehouse, delivering their musical potpourri of blues, folk, reggae, R&B, and rock sounds.
Show starts at 8; tickets are $25.

Plump and Moving Matter at Dan Electro's
Houston-based funk/jam band Plump return to Dan Electro's with a show that's sure to get your feet moving.
Show starts at 9:30; tickets are $10.

Grupo Fantasma and Ryan Scroggins & the Trenchtown Texans at the Engine Room
Grupo Fantasma, an 11-piece Latin funk orchestra from Austin, have Prince's stamp of approval - they've backed him several times. What more do we need to say?
Ryan Scroggins & the Trenchtown Texans will also be performing in-store at Sig's Lagoon at 6pm.
Show starts at 9; the price of the tickets is apparently a surprise.

The Western Civilization with Papermoons and Another Run at Walter's On Washington
Head to Walter's on Friday to support three local indie acts!
Show starts at 9; tickets are $7 21+/$10 under 21.

Too $hort at the Meridian
Pimpin' Incorporated.
Doors at 8; tickets are $22 today, $30 tomorrow.

List continues after the jump