About the Author

Marcus is from Third Ward. Has been his whole life, minus four years at Prairie View and a brief stint in Austin that didn't take. Houston's home. He came back and started writing about it. That was sixteen years ago. Since then, he's covered the city's music scene through chopped and screwed, the rap boom, the country crossover, the Latin music explosion—Houston doesn't do one thing, and Marcus doesn't either. He writes about shows at White Oak Music Hall and backyard parties in the Heights. Comedy nights downtown and open mics in Montrose. The food festivals that take over entire parks and the ones that take over parking lots. He knows which venues treat artists right. He knows which sound engineers actually care. He's got opinions about Houston humidity and how it affects outdoor shows (strongly negative, plan accordingly). Marcus drives a truck because this city requires it, lives in the Museum District now, and writes guides that cover the whole sprawl. Houston's too big for shortcuts. If there's a show worth seeing, he's probably already got a ticket.