Tonight’s Dilemma: mr. Gnome @ Rudz / Papermoons & Bright Men @ The Mink / Dizzypilot & Murdocks @ Walter’s

Yeah, you read that title right — tonight’s another “damn, I wish I had a cloning machine…” night, with great, great things happening all over our (not-so-)fair city…

Option Uno: Tops on my list is tonight at Rudyard’s, where Clevelanders mr. Gnome will be blowing the roof off, setting hair on fire, and creeping everybody out, all at once. Seriously; I’ve been listening to their full-length, Deliver This Creature, just about nonstop for the past three or four days, and it’s really, really, amazingly, mind-blowingly good. Just put up a review of the album here this very afternoon, for those who’re interested, but the short of it is that the music’s this weird, woozy mash of ultra-heavy guitars that’ll crush you like a sociopathic child crushes bugs with a rock just for fun and delicately eerie atmospherics that sound more like they could’ve drifted out of Tori Amos’s dressing room than anything else. It’s an odd mix, granted, but damn does it work. And singer/guitarist Nicole Barrile’s voice is just over-the-top incredible, going from a Jana Hunter-esque growl to a Karen O howl in a heartbeat.

Anyway, check it out if you can; if I can get away from the casa tonight, this is most likely where I’m headed, “After the Sun” and “The Machine” still ringing in my head. They’re playing with some darn good locals, too, Fired for Walking — never seen ’em live, but I like the songs I’ve heard and have liked the members’ past stuff. I dunno anything about Treehouse Project, sorry, but I’ve heard they live in a treehouse not far from Rudz, and that’s got to count for something, right?

Option Dos: If mr. Gnome aren’t your thing, or maybe you’re not looking to get pummeled by sound tonight, well, The Mink is the place to be, friend. Awesomely cool folky guys Papermoons are headlining, along with the also-awesome roots-indie rockers Bright Men of Learning (and no, don’t believe the Press — Marshall is still solidly behind the wheel of the BMOL ship), out-of-towners Ninja Gun (who we reviewed here, I believe), and cool young’uns The Wild Moccasins, who’re well worth a visit all by themselves. I dunno for Ninja Gun, but the other three will rock you in a laidback, quasi-folky/bluesy way that’s just hard enough to make you smile. Which, really, is never bad.

Option Tres: And here’s my third pick for the evening, Dizzypilot, Murdocks, The McKenzies, and All In Your Head up at Walter’s. I’m not familiar w/The McKenzies or All In Your Head, I’m afraid, but I’ve been meaning to check out Dizzypilot for ages now (even have the damn CD sitting in my car…argh) and non-locals Murdocks are very cool, explosively catchy rock, kinda like a feral, less-polished Superdrag (review up , if you care).

So there you go. No need to feel sad that you got slighted & didn’t get the invite to the Houston Press Music Awards nomination shindig going on tonight at (um, I think?) Warehouse Live — heck, if you hit one of these shows, instead, you’ll most likely be having a better time. Okay, maybe. You’ll def. have to pay for your own drinks, though, so keep that in mind. Anyway, if it were me (and I am skipping out on the HPMA nomination party, although it’s very kind of the Press folks to keep inviting me like they do; somebody there must like me or something…) and I could escape the house-fixing-up, I’d definitely roll my three-sided die and choose one of these shows, instead. Your roll.