The Rundown, 11/17/07-11/30/07

Dang it, I’m later than I’d hoped to be…ah, well. Sorry, I didn’t get this posted in time for those poor souls who didn’t make it out of the house on this wet, freakishly un-cold night to check out Rustler, The Dead See, & Bowel up at Walter’s, see Carrie Ann and the Apocalyptics at Dan Electro’s, catch Translations, Nectarine, & Thomas Ayresol at Bohemeo’s, or see Glass Intrepid headline at Javajazz. Just doesn’t work out that way, sometimes… In the meantime, I’ve tried to look a week or so further ahead than I normally do (yeah, like this is anything regular), so check it out below.

Bit of bad news, by the way: seems the folks in Mount Eerie have had to cancel their show up @ Notsuoh on 11/29 due to a family emergency-type deal. Damn shame — what I’ve heard of ’em so far has been intriguing, at least, even if it’s not all strictly my cup of tea. No word on whether or not Listen Listen, Eat Grapes, or Elaine Greer are still playing, though…

Anyway, here’s what looks good to me in the upcoming couple of weeks:

Sun., November 18:
The Mathletes/!Alarma!/Giant Princess @ Dean’s Credit Clothing (free)
Dammit, I still need to see the Mathletes. I will, I swear, someday soon. Plus, I’ve heard good things about !Alarma!, so… (And hell, it’s free. What more do you want?)

The Dwarves/13th Victim/Whorehound @ Rudyard’s
Y’know, the Dwarves are one of those bands that I know I know, but my specific memories of ’em are pretty sketchy. I still think fondly of the earlier incarnation of the band, though (I’m told they’re a lot poppier these days), and hopefully they’re as crazy and fucked-up as I vaguely remember ’em being. Plus, I mean, how fucking terrifying must a band be to get booted from Sub Pop, the label behind Nirvana and Mudhoney?

The First Annual Jerry Lightfoot Memorial Show/Benefit for Pete Mays, featuring Carolyn Wonderland, Texas Johnny Brown, Trudy Lynn, Tommie Lee Bradley, Rock Romano, Charlie Prichard, Tommy Dardar, Mean Gene Kelton, George Kinney, The Blue Threads, Janet Z, Steve Krase, The Shadowcasters, & more @ Fitzgerald’s
Not real familiar with Jerry Lightfoot or Pete Mays, unfortunately, but there’re a ton of awesome bluesy, rockin’ musicians playing — Carolyn Wonderland, Mean Gene Kelton, Texas Johnny Brown, all those folks. Check it out.

Tues., November 20:
Circle Takes The Square/Faithealer/By the End of Tonight/B. @ Walter’s on Washington
I feel stupidly, tangentially connected to By the End of Tonight, mostly ’cause my wife taught one of ’em in Art class when they were all attending Alvin H.S. These days, though, they’re probably H-town’s most prominent indie-rock ambassadors to the world, and are well worth seeing. And then there’s fellow Alvinites B., who are apparently pretty awesome in their own right.

The Misfits/Black Math Experiment @ Fitzgerald’s
Yes, it’s the Misfits. No, it ain’t Danzig. No, I don’t think that’s really a major loss, given the colossal case of Little Man Syndrome ol’ Glenn apparently has. Congrats to Black Math Experiment for fightin’ their way onto the show, by the way; it’s gotta to be incredible to be opening for your musical heroes like that, seriously.

Moros Eros/The Stiletto Formal/The Ax That Chopped The Cherry Tree @ Javajazz Coffee House (Spring)
Don’t know most of these folks, sorry, but I’ve got the Moros Eros disc sitting on my desk, and it’s damned interesting.

Wed., November 21:
Turbojugend Humpday, featuring Born Liars, Welfare Mothers, The Monocles, & Black Black Gold @ Rudyard’s
Okay, will somebody please explain the whole Turbojugend thing to me? I’ve got no freakin’ clue what it it, but whatever the hell it’s about, there are some badass local garage-y punk bands playing, esp. Born Liars and the very cool Monocles.

Thurs., November 22:
Ryan Scroggins and the Trenchtown Texans @ The Continental Club
Yes, yes, yes. These ex-Skarnales guys are great; hell, between the Trenchtown Texans and Umbrella Man (haven’t heard the Carnales yet, sorry), the breakup of Los Skarnales may well prove to be the best thing to happen to ska in Houston in years…

Fri., November 23:
Peter Bjorn and John/The Besnard Lakes/Peekaboo Theory @ Warehouse Live
Oh, man. I may need to see if this show’s sold out or not… Everything I’ve heard from Peter Bjorn and John (PB&J, to the cognoscenti) makes my jaw drop, and the teeny-tiny bit I’ve heard from Besnard Lakes (hopefully we’ll have a review up soon) is cool, too.

Balaclavas (CDEP release)/Rusted Shut/Laws (tape release)/The Freed @ Notsuoh
Rusted Shut! Woo! Balaclavas I need to see, & The Freed and Laws (or is it L.A.W.S.?) I’ve heard good stuff about.

Deguello/Hell City Kings/Hell’s Engine @ Rudyard’s
Two out of three of these bands I know zip about, but Hell City Kings are good shit.

The Mechanical Boy/Stadium/Ethan Durelle/Earnie Banks @ Fitzdown
Y’know, we here at SCR dissed The Mechanical Boy a while back, and I’ve been feeling pretty bad about that, esp. since I happened to see ’em play at the last Westheimer Block Party — they were surprisingly good, even given a totally apathetic crowd & a stage that was totally exposed to the H-town sunlight. On the other hand, I’m already totally sold on Stadium (again, review soon, I promise!), and I’ve liked what I’ve heard of Ethan Durelle & Earnie Banks.

Sat., November 24:
The Tontons (CD release)/The Riff Tiffs/Studemont Project @ Bootleg Warehouse (2301 Commerce)
I’m a bit pissed at Studemont Project at present (more when I get the time), but fuck it, this is still gonna be a great show. The Riff Tiffs are absolutely amazing pseudo-psych rock, and I’m real curious about The Tontons, to boot.

Hearts of Animals/Oculous Sinister/Wicked Poseur @ Rudyard’s
Saw Hearts of Animals at the Westheimer Block Party, too, and, uh, she was pretty great, reminiscent of all the old-school, Jesus & Mary Chain-esque dreampop I loved back in college (and yes, still somewhat love now). Mlee warned me that her “night” shows are totally different, though, so take that for what it’s worth…

The Jonbenet/Tanari/This Year’s Tiger/Sons of Evel @ Walter’s on Washington
Hot damn, I like The Jonbenet. I’m still not real keen on most of their brethren, but for some reason when I listen to these guys, I find myself enjoying it. Been curious about This Year’s Tiger, as well.

Afternoon Benefit Show, featuring Econo, Electricks, The Delta Block, & The Squishees @ Super Happy Fun Land
I’m sadly a bit unfamiliar with most of these folks, although the guys from Econo are damn nice people & I did like the pre-name change Slurpees/Squishees. And hey, it’s a benefit — I think — for the strange-but-neato people who run Super Happy Fun Land, who have been recently given notice of their impending eviction from the venue’s current location. They need serious $$$ to relocate & keep things going, folks, so help ’em out.

The Grangers @ The Sandbar (Clear Lake)
I haven’t seen ’em live, but head Granger Bob Wall it’s a friend & an all-round great guy and a darn good songwriter…

Sun., November 25:
Ghostface Killah/Rhythm Roots All-Stars @ Warehouse Live
Not real surprisingly, I think this is one of those Scion deals, so if you wanna go, you may need to RSVP or something real quick & then get there at like 5PM. Given that Fishscale is one of the best damn hip-hop albums of the past five years, though, that doesn’t actually sound that unreasonable.

Mia Kat Empire Showcase, featuring Hollywood Black, Buxton, The Ride Home & Oui @ Walter’s on Washington
I know, I know — we’ve had some conflicting opinions on Hollywood Black in the past. Sorry ’bout that, y’all, but that’s just how it goes. Whatever we at SCR think of HB, though, we definitely like the Mia Kat Empire crew, and I dig Buxton & The Ride Home. Plus, this is (I believe) the 2nd-ever show organized by new booking crew Waste No Buffalo, who definitely seem to have their collective heart in the right place, so y’know.

Tori Amos/Yoav @ Jones Hall
I’ve only seen Tori Amos once. My gf at the time dragged me to the show, me having never heard Amos before, and I left a fan. Hell, we even hung out at the backstage door to the old Tower Theatre afterwards so we could meet her & get her autograph. She gave me a hug and sang Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy” to me (yeah, it was that long ago). It was awesome.

Mon., November 26:
Streetlight Manifesto/Suburban Legends @ The Meridian
Dunno Suburban Legends, but I enjoy the gangster-themed ska-punk of ex-Catch-22 boys Streetlight Manifesto more than I probably should.

Tues., November 27:
Charalambides/Alasdair Roberts @ The Orange Show
This is gonna be good for several reasons: A). The Orange Show is neat. B). Alasdair Roberts is cool. C). ex-Houstonians (and people I looked up to as a wee DJ at KTRU) Tom & Christina Carter of Charalambides make some freaky psychedelic music. I’m damn glad they’re still around & playing, even if it’s mostly up in Austin.

Wed., November 28:
Avenged Sevenfold/Operator/The Confession/Black Tide @ Warehouse Live
A7X, I just want to say “thank you” for pretty much reintroducing me to metal. If it weren’t for the full-on stomping, twin guitar badassery of City of Evil, I probably wouldn’t have even bothered with Killswitch Engage, Mastodon, Pelican, or Between the Buried and Me.

Electric Six/The Willowz/We Are The Fury/Ladyheat @ The Engine Room
I’m up-and-down on the Willowz, but I’m trying to remain hopeful, esp. since we just got their latest disc in this weekend. We Are The Fury ain’t bad, and those kooky kids in Ladyheat seem pretty entertaining. Worth a look/listen.

Thurs., November 29:
Melt Banana/Dizzy Pilot @ Walter’s on Washington
No, Melt Banana doesn’t do much for me, I’m afraid. Dizzy Pilot, on the other hand, are rather cool. Nice to see ’em on the show…

Fri., November 30:
Two Star Symphony Orchestra @ Jones Hall (Univ. of St. Thomas campus)
ADR’s got the detailed info on this one over at The Skyline Network; I’m just gonna say that I think it sounds freakin’ cool.

Carolyn Wonderland @ McGonigel’s Mucky Duck
Oh, I know she no longer lives here, but I can’t help but think of her as still being a Houston musician. Either way, she’s one of the best modern blues/rock musicians this city’s ever produced.

The Texas Sapphires/The Umbrella Man @ Rudyard’s
I don’t know The Texas Sapphires, but Umbrella Man are another splinter off the ol’ Los Skarnales tree, and they do some neat, somewhat ska/reggae-like stuff.

Damon Allen/Fixture @ Rich’s (2401 San Jacinto)
I’m still a little stunned that Damon Allen, former hardcore/straightedge/indie-rock guy (ex-Refuse To Fall, -Celindine, -That Gospel Sound, and probably a half-dozen other bands) is now a high-flying local DJ & show organizer. Weird the way the world works. But heck, who’m I to judge? It’s a cool thing when somebody can reinvent themselves like that — more power to him.

Bonsfire/Brian’s Johnson @ The Meridian
No, they’re not really AC/DC, but they’re probably the closes thing we’re likely to see anytime soon.

Ta-ta for now…