!!! (CHK CHK CHK)
Myth Takes
Warp Records 2007
iTunes • website

Taco Rating: 82%
Rating:

The name of the band is !!! (pronounced ‘Chk Chk Chk’ or any three repetitive sounds). They’ve been putting on a serious live show around the Sacramento, CA area since 1996, releasing a slew of 7″ records, and singles- including the Magnetic Fields’ Take Ecstasy With Me in 2005, but they’ve left their fans hangin’ for a proper album release. The various members have since dispersed throughout the US, but they’ve reunited for this long overdue studio project recorded in a big empty house in Nashville.

Behold Myth Takes!!!Now make a random one-syllable sound and repeat 3 times…now continue reading… Read the rest of this entry »

editors note: Cabeza De Taco has recently transplanted his operations base to H-Town.

Was there any doubt that this grand taco experiment would extend its slimy tentacles beyond the confines of ATX? Any attempt to stop this cancer-like spread throughout the land certainly rings futile to these virgin ears. And so, ONWARD! we’ve marched into the Clutch City.

I must admit that I am overwhelmed at the sheer quantity and magnitude of my new taco landscape. After all, Screwston is the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. with a population of more than 5.5 million. Im tawkin bout purple tacos! Home of Devin the Dude, the Geto Boys, Houston Oilers (never say die), NASA. A face-value look at said landscape appears to consist of soley larger family-style restaurants like the out-of-touch and overblown Ninfa’s and Pappasito’s chains. There are a crap-ton more of these style restaurants that ACTUALLY do serve up HQ grubbins like Cyclone Anaya’s, Molina’s, and my favorite so far, Escalantes…

Problem is, the majority these fine-texmex-for-families joints are missing something. Call it the X factor if you will (I won’t). They lack a certain seedy, diamond in the rough, just off the beaten path kinda appeal that really get’s the Cabeza’s juices flowin. But that’s just a superficial, surface look. Closer inspection and wrong turns through questionable hoods shall yield a PLETHORA of allycat trailers, Honduran grubhuts, locals-only taquerias, and endless more taco treasures than 1 human can possibly discover in a lifetime. Alas, I’ll attempt over the coming days to review any and all dope-taco spots in Htown. (I know the codeine taco is out there) ‘Tis my honorable duty and i shall serve the minions of tacotown and its outlying areas.

cabeza

100% Taquito
3245 Southwest Freeway
Houston, TX 77027
713-665-2900
MENU • WEBSITE • MAP

You probably noticed Texas Monthly’s recent cover story entitled “63 Tacos You Must Try Before You Die“. Its a very comprehensive and impressive article, very worthy of tacotown’s praise. Well, the #3 taco on their list is the Tinga Taco at Houston’s 100% Taquito.
I had to verify things for myself.

So word is, 100% T began as a college student’s project to faithfully recreate a mexico-city-street-cart-taco experience in a generic Houston strip-mall. I must say, they did a pretty good job on the inside. complete with taxi cab and cobblestone floor. You even order from a pseudo trailer. Points for atmospere I guess, if you like the Mexican Disney-world vibe.

here’s the deal: stand in line while scanning the mean- the bulk of which is the taco plates- they come 3 tacos to an order. they’re got Al Pastor, Chicken, Garlic Shrimp, Tinga, shrimp and the combo order- 1 asada (beef), 1 tinga and 1 mole (chicken). This is the way to go for a newcomer I think…order you an aqua fresca or horchata while you’re there. better make it 2 orders of taco too, cuz they’re pretty small, like 4 bites each.

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Its over, and Chappy lived to tell about another one. Whiskey, food, music (in that order)..Sleep was a myth..
La Mexicana Bakery was a highlight on Thursday night, we barely beat the 2am rush and were treated with perfect tacos from the A-team of ladies behind the counter. Props.

Amon Tobin brought in a full 7.1 channel, surround sound subwoofer setup for his show at the Parish on Saturday. Talk about bowel moving bass. Unbelievable.. it was very intense and surprisingly musical..

C-Mon and Kypski brought the heat to a private party on Wed. and rocked the Enchanted Forest on Fri. The Holland natives wielded a live band/hip-hop/dj sound that was fresh and energetic. check’m out in NYC and LA in the coming days.. http://www.myspace.com/cmonandkypski

Ozomatli and Public Enemy were very entertaining.. Flava Flav has a knack for coming off loveable and obnoxious at the same time.. Chuck D dropped some great political protest raps.. (Fuck that War!) Ozomatli is the quintessential outdoor festival party band..

Tacotown is preparing for a maniacal week, prowling to the depths of the SXSW madness. Lemme tell you how TocoTown rolls: we fly thru town on a magic blanket of coolness, following our sharp wits and keen nose to the elusive, bubbly springs of hipness, from which we proceed to sample the sweet nectar of coolness and bathe in the the never-ending fountain free beer and food. Good music, on the other hand, requires a working bullshit-filter and street smarts that only Austin veterans like Taco Town posess. come fly with us.

Noted Free Taco Parties:

• Nuclear Taco Night [Monday, 6PM, Brush Park]
• BBC America’s BritBus Tour [Friday, 12-2:30PM, Brush Park,North by North Tent]
• Muzak Party [Friday, 5-8PM, Brush Park, North by North Tent]
• The Current Party [Saturday, 11:30-1PM, Brush Park]

So I finally followed the blog hype and went to check out Torchy’s on South 1st. Dissappointment was not to be found.. I even did a return trip with Pastor Al to solidify my opinion. First off, great location..directly across the street from the lackluster effort that is El Mercado.. its like they are sticking out their tongue and saying, “Nanny Nanny Booo Boo!”. I dig the relaxed setup, it reminded me of a mini-Freddie’s (which is just down the road and backed up to the same creek) theres a sandy area for chillin, tables, chairs, a badass limestone firepit that looks perfect for evening song swappin round the smoky embers.. I wander if they have any SXSW events planned? Noise shouldnt be too much of a problem since it backs up to TSD. There’s even a basketball hoop - jack some 3’s up while you wait… Read the rest of this entry »