LOOSENOTES - Perhaps our hottest and busiest July's on the SCENE and makes sense with Summer Olympics here. As usual, we scored top quality food, fun and entertainment this month off each and every page of The SCENE. No wonder our magazines fly off the racks-Where readers get the run down on the low down. Here's some of what went down:

LAST MONTH AT PRESS TIME - We hung out at one of Jim Shortt's favorite annual stops, the Baytown's Bicentennial Park 4th of July celebration. This was my first time to make it and wondering what took long. Mark Sandberg of Texas Sounds Entertainment (located here in Clear Lake) consistently provides quality national and local entertainment and this year, we enjoyed local soloist Ryan Guidry and the Marshall Tucker Band, both playing music that has withstood the test of time. Lot's of readers have this free annual event on their calendars, mark it on yours!

JUST A REEF AWAY - Kelly McGuire lovers dropped anchor at T-Bone Tom's for a nice surprise. We've noticed Kelly hasn't been around much and found on www.redfishisland.com he's often busy across the continent these days-Good for North America! Do score yourself a copy of Kelly's latest CD, King of the Island. It's a comprehensive compilation on who he is, what he's about, includes tales of adventures, recognition of his seaworthy female fans, and fitting tributes to family--This CD is totally there with good mix and mastering. Put this one on your list to get.

NEW STOP ON THE BEAT - Is Latitudes in San Leon. We first noticed these folks at the Clear Lake Crawfish Festival where they scored all of my People's Choice votes for gumbo. Get the drift? The kitchen staff scored an over the top on our red snapper (with seafood scampi topping) and their fish taco basket-Can't wait to try the rest of their menu. Jada Mitchell and the entire Latitudes staff is one fine running team scoring a Great Service mention to go along with their kitchen's eats-This entire team has fun and enjoys taking care of customers, something that can not be faked. Musically, patrons enjoyed an evening of Guilty By Association (GBA). This was our first time seeing this group and hand it to a band that can play after dinner Jimi Hendrix and Grateful Dead dance music. Dig it? We got a peek at the month's music lineup and it's clear these folks know good music with the like of Andy and The Dreamsicles, Scott McGill, Funksion, and others on the schedule. Make Latitudes your destination by car, bike or boat and get your attitude in tune...

FOLLOWUP - Last December, we gave a Best Sound Of The Month to Josh & Jeremy at Crazy Alan's Swamp Shack and ran into them with their full band, Elevate the Son at the Texas Arts Alliance Clear Lake art show and moving sale. This time around, we sampled their uplifting playlist often heard around Baytown and took home a demo mix of a couple originals - We're looking forward hearing how the final mix and mastering turns out. Last month, you read in The SCENE how TAACL is undergoing reinvention (something we all need to do from time to time). We caught up with Dion McInnis and like TAACL's plans to bring art to both sides of the lake at locations around the region, getting art closer to the people. Sounds good to us! While on the topic of Crazy Alan's Swamp Shack and Jeremy, we enjoyed Jeremy Bradshaw this month on the breezy outdoor stage. Without fail, Bradshaw (with his Cisco looper pedal) takes his one person band into outer space. Jeremy Bradshaw is an act we can see all around the greater Houston Metroplex. Book him!

BERT'S BACK - Which means Bert Wills at Zone 504 and Katie's. This troubadour is a foundation around the music scene for decades with uncountable album appearances. We finally got our chance to enjoy his wit and down to earth talent along with the standing room turnout at Katie's. Not too many local venues have fans showing up hours before the show. Scout Bar is one of them and so is Katie's when Bert comes to play. Makes sense....

POINT OF DEPARTURES - Are gathering places before embarking on adventures and Cabo was just that when The Crew disembarked on their coastal tour of Texas and again this month as Southbound heads to Cozumel for their sold out appearances at this resort destination. Following the The Crew's tour came a book and planned for the Southbound journey is a new live album-Something bands may want to think about before heading out. Cabo...

COOL OLYMPIC HANGOUTS - Would be places were the house a/c is as cold as the beer, the tubes are abundant and with good music to go with the cheer. "Cool" places we stopped by at this month included Cockeyed Seagull and Union Tavern, both great places even if your a/c isn't. Aside from the Seagull's regular Thursday night open mic, we caught the Hourglass birthday bash for Mark Fenton and Jane Head and on the opening night of the Olympics, enjoyed to return of Michael Shanks with Rick Recckio's Sovereign Sound group. Not a bad run... Shanks (former frontman for the Misfit Toys) has always been game taking on something new and with Rick pounding on the 6-string as hard as Pete from The Who, you might get an idea of where this sound is heading-Not exactly Daltry and Townsend but along similar lines of higher impact energy-The good stuff. Speaking of good stuff, Union Tavern has a great a/c, quality pinball, St. Arnold's Weedwacker on tap, great bartenders and a super venue to hang out and catch good music. This month, our Outrageous Show nominee, Dykes on Bykes, had their CD release party at Union Tavern. Their album, "Your Mom Likes My Bike", is ultimate indie out of Big Door Studios with photos by Mark McKinney. Popular amongst Houston car and motorcycle clubs, this band has a following similar in force as Come See My Dead Person, a splash of Devo in their blood, and strong enough performance-wise to pull it off. Also this month at Union Tavern was at Chris Hardy & Friends Tuesday Open Mic. Starting at 10pm, this is one fine young & fun appreciative gathering, We caught a powerful original debut from Ben Grafton that came to him in three different passages not making sense until woven together creating a lucid penetrating description that anybody who has seen life go by in a blink of the eye would understand. Catch that? Top shelf & rare...

TOUR STOP CLEAR LAKE - Was a good one this month with 94.5FM Texas Music Buzz Night and A.D. Rountree at Scout Bar. We caught up with former Magazine drummer, Justin Benson, and his new Houston based band Hooked4Life. These guys are scoring considerable air time on the San Diego radio dial and were the warm up act for Super Bob's return to Texas. Earning the title of Honorary Texans for the Evening, this D.C. area group had some of the funnest jumping happening. The content between these two bands couldn't be more different yet both shared the ability for great sounding energetic presentations and joy for the music-An interesting blend in one evening which can only be Tour Stop Clear Lake.