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La Maison
La Maison started in the summer of 1964 as "La Maison du Cafe" in a house on the corner of San Jacinto and Wichita. The owner's name was George Massey. It was actually IN an old house, which explains the "chic" French name. It became "La Maison Au Go Go" in the summer of '65 when it moved to the church on the corner of Bagby and McGowen...lower Montrose. By that time a guy who worked as a cameraman on the Larry Kane show, Jerry Clark, was involved. Folk music was dying so it became a rock and roll club. The Six Pents and the Baroque Brothers were the house bands there.

By late '65 they'd outgrown the church and moved to 1420 Richmond (formerly a Weingarten's store). This location is where the 13th Floor Elevators played their now legendary early Houston gigs. Then the crowds started falling off, so they moved back to the church location by June of '66. Whether or not the 13th Floor Elevators ever played there is uncertain. Jerry Clark insisted that the 13th Floor Elevators played there New Year's Eve '67 (ie, Dec 31, 1966), but I don't know whether to believe him. His chronology was somewhat screwy. It's doubtful that the club lasted much into '67. There was a Houston Chronicle from April, 1967 article mentioning that the "Red Crayolas" (sic) were playing a fashion show there, but they refer to it as "an old church" and not La Maison. Another newspaper article from around that time specifically refers to it as a club that's closed. I'm told it became a communal type place for Jesus Freaks in the late sixties. It was demolished in the early 70s.
(thanks to Andrew Brown)

The Catacombs
Opened December, 1965. The first Catacombs was located at 3003 South Post Oak. They held Houston's first (only?) "Pop Festival" in that place on August 31, 1968. The show included the Mothers, Canned Heat and, of course, the Moving Sidewalks. Was sponsored by KNUZ radio (an AM station that was a rival to KILT). Catacombs also promoted (or was associated with) a number of other concerts at the Music Hall. Of Our Own took over their University/Kirby location in 1970.

A number of great bands played at the Catacombs. Even Jethro Tull played there on their first US tour. Other national acts include the Shadows of Knight, the Outsiders, the Cyrkle, and the Seeds. They also promoted bigger shows at the Music Hall. Cream and Vanilla Fudge is one example on 3/31/68 (understand VF didn't show up). Another was Eric Burdon, Heir Apparent and the Moving Sidewalks (also 1968) and a 4/4/69 concert with Spirit and Nazz (promoted as the first pop festival of the spring). For anyone interested, the bands at the Catacombs' 8/31/68 pop festival included Mothers, Canned Heat, Neal Ford and the Fanatics, Country Joe and the Fish, the Moving Sidewalks and Matchbox. The posters for these events were split fountain "window cards" (14x22) made of cardboard with no images. Kinda bland, but cool in their own way.
(thanks to Dennis H.)

The Pastels perform at the Catacombs

Opening night poster from The Catacombs (above)

Application for The Catacombs. The club had no liquor license.

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