The Cat That Wouldn't Die - A C.I.A. Records Anniversary & Release Party

Name: The Cat That Wouldn't Die - A C.I.A. Records Anniversary & Release Party
Start: 2026-04-01T19:00:00-05:00
Location: The Continental Club, Houston, TX

Schedule

Wed, 01 Apr, 2026 at 07:00 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

The Continental Club, Houston, TX | Houston, TX

C.I.A. Records is 48 YEARS OLD! So we're marking the occasion with a live music show and album sale on Wednesday, April 1st, from 7 to 11 pm at The Continental Club, 3700 Main St., Houston, TX (doors open at 7; show starts at 7:30). Cover $10 with advance tickets ($13 with surcharge), $15 at the door.
Artists performing include ILLICIT RELATIONSHIP (Houston), TEAM TRUST (Austin), ZEBRA SECRETS (San Francisco), DARWIN'S FINCHES (Houston), and AGA ZET (Houston). The celebration launches a new album titled "YEAR 45" from Vulturcide; the Sonic Rodeo collection (live recordings from the 2025 Sonic Rodeo festival of experimental music in Marfa, TX); and the long-anticipated compilation, "The Cat That Wouldn’t Die", a 45-track double album with recordings from musicians and writers from around the world.
C.I.A. Records was founded in 1978 by members of the Houston punk band Really Red. It emerged from people’s garages, back yards and warehouses, nurtured by strong friendships, a vibrant underground music scene, independently owned record stores and non-commercial radio stations. In the late 1970s and early ‘80s, the label gave permanence to sounds deemed “too risky” for mainstream radio play, recording the music of artists who confronted institutional violence and the banality of a culture popularly defined by billboard-lined freeways, petrochemical pollution, and shopping malls. It produced recordings from legendary bands such as Really Red, mydolls, Culturcide, Doomsday Massacre, the Introverts, and others – and it released notable compilations such as The Dog That Wouldn’t Die, a 1986 DIY cassette tape project that rattled the “squares” with its uncensored spontaneity.
C.I.A. endures as a platform for musical experimentation and risk-taking that upholds a broad range of ideas, experiences, and perspectives today. "The Cat That Wouldn’t Die", successor to "The Dog That Wouldn’t Die", releases this March 26th, in time for “The Dog’s” 40th anniversary. “The Cat” includes music and spoken word from luminaries near and far, including the Mekons’ Jon Langford (Chicago); R. Stevie Moore (Nashville); Andrei Codrescu (Brooklyn); Jonathan X (LA); 100 Kicks (Berlin); Sekuu (Houston); Disko Komitet (Belgrade); MC Benny (Botswana); Patryk Zackroki (Warsaw); and many others. “The Cat” is the ultimate tribute to the spirit of free expression that C.I.A. Records represents, after nearly 5 decades of existence.
Come on out y'all. It's time to celebrate the CIA ;)