One Night, Two Good Causes

Late notice, I know, and I think both shows are already going on…argh. Anyway, if you’re at a loss for something to do this evening, you’ve got at least two charitable-type choices amongst the pile of very cool things to check out:

A Benefit for Alex Arizpe @ The Meridian
This one was somewhat of a stunner to me — I hadn’t heard much about seminal emo/pop-punk guys The Tie That Binds in years now, and then out of the blue I got word that founding member (back when the band was known as Badger) and drummer Alex Arizpe has cancer. He lives in L.A. these days, apparently, but his Texas friends from The Old Days have banded together to help him out with the insane pile of medical bills that come with fighting an often-terminal disease.

So, as of right now (think it started at 6:30PM), 30footFALL, Spain Colored Orange, The Tie That Binds (minus Alex, I’m assuming?), Angleton’s Pretty Boys, Austinites LJ All Stars, & Molotov Compromise are rocking their too-punk-for-words hearts out over at The Meridian. It’s $10, and while that may seem a little steep for a local show, hey, it’s for the best of all possible reasons: to help somebody who’s given a lot to the Houston scene. And besides, it’s 30footFALL, so it’ll be worth it even if you’re a heartless bastard…

End Hunger/Free Press Food Drive @ Numbers
This one’s sponsored by the ever-cool Free Press Houston people (who I swear I’m gonna actually meet in person one of these damn days), and it’s a benefit for a heck of a good cause, the End Hunger Network. There’re a bunch of excellent bands playing: American Sharks; The McKenzies; The Wild Moccasins; News on the March; Audio in the Pregap (gonna listen to the songs soon, Jonathan, honest!); & Cave Reverend. There’s an $8 cover, but you’re also encouraged to bring as many canned goods (the non-perishable kind, assuming there’s a perishable kind of canned good) as you possibly can to help those less fortunate.

There seems to be a do-for-yourself-and-screw-the-rest vibe going on w/this country at the moment, what with the economy tanking and gas prices going sky-high — don’t fall victim to it, folks. If you’re reading this (especially if you, like me, happen to be sitting in an actual house and surfing with a used-but-expensive laptop, having eaten a very filling dinner beforehand), odds are you’re luckier than some. Be grateful for it.