Final Fridays Postponed + Replacement Friday Fun

Dang, what’s with these freakin’ postponings & cancellations? Argh. I got a note a few days ago about The Wild Moccasins playing at Caroline Collective as part of the artspace’s “Final Fridays” microcinema screenings, and it sounded very, very neat…except that when I go to the CC site today, lo and behold, the damn thing’s been shoved back to next month (Sept. 26th, to be exact). sigh. Ah, well — thank God for my procrastination, I guess…

So…okay, it’s not like you’ll be at a loss for replacement fun things to do this evening. Here’s a quick rundown:

The Octopus Project/Diagonals/Electric Attitude @ Warehouse Live
Want to get your fuzzy/cheery pop glow on? Warehouse Live is your home-away-from-home, friend. Good to see the Octopus Project finally getting their due & playing stages larger than Rudyard’s; those kids are flat-out awesome. “Bees Bein’ Strugglin'” makes my day.

Indian Jewelry/The Wiggins/Dizzy Pilot/Cry Blood Apache @ The Mink (9PM, $7)
…and here’s where The Odd-Indie Contingent will be. Indian Jewelry always manage to be strange as hell and yet weirdly compelling at the same time. Ditto with The Wiggins. Both are good, trust me. Dunno Cry Blood Apache or Dizzy Pilot (although I picked up the latter’s CD a while back, it’s still in the ever-growing pile).

The Flamin’ Hellcats/The Tyburn Jig @ Rudyard’s
Love, love, love the Hellcats, happy as hell they’re still alive. As for The Tyburn Jig, a reputable source told me a while ago that they were very, very much worth checking out. I swear, one of these days…

G.B.H./Whole Wheat Bread/Krum Bums/Antidote/Dreadful Children @ The Meridian (6:30PM)
I’m sadly not up on G.B.H. (I know, I know), but I am up on Whole Wheat Bread, and holy fuck do they rule. Despite years of cross-pollination, punk/hip-hop combos just don’t generally gel for me, but these guys are the real thing. Think 24-7 Spyz minus the Hendrix tendencies, and you’ll have some idea.

Together We Are Instruments/AWAKE/Thomas Ayresol/J. Thelonious @ Avant Garden
No clue on most of the bill, sorry — although Thomas Ayresol’s been around for a while, I know (was he in Overlight Underdark? they were a blast…) — but AWAKE have been great each time I’ve seen ’em. I dunno if this is the “loud” version of the band or the “soft” version playing at a house show later in the weekend, but either way, they should be very cool.

Oldies Fest, featuring The Mighty Hannibal, Barbara Lynn, Archie Bell, & Molly and the Ringwalds @ The Continental Club
Wow. I’m no authority on ’60s soul, but these folks are legends…

And then there’s the okay-maybe pile:

Rock The Bayou, featuring Queensryche, Ratt, Skid Row, Y & T, Lynch Mob, Faster Pussycat, Gilby Clarke, Jetboy, Dirty Penny, Guppies From Outerspace, Soulbound, Element 115, Busted, Azraels Bane, Death From Afar, Victim, Wide Open Throttle, Eden Burning, House of Moist, Steady Grind, La Sed, Swinging Teresa, Shattered, Stone Satellite, sol34, The Mighty Orq, Monkeysoop, & Trashy and the Kid @ Rock The Bayou Grounds (9002 Kirby; former AstroWorld location, 610 & Kirby/Fannin)
Yeah, yeah. Indulge your hair-swinging inner child for a day (er, evening). I could happily skip the bulk of today’s bill, but I’ll admit that the thought of finally (finally!) seeing Skid Row and Queensryche live is kinda cool.

Random personal factoid: Queensryche were going to be the first band I ever actually saw live. The little brothers & I got tickets for the show at the arena a few towns over where they were playing, we got our guitar teacher (Kevin, wherever you are: I miss you, man!) to be our “chaperone”, we were all set. Then my Nana died out in Arizona, and the whole thing fell apart. All of us had to get on a quick flight to Tucson the next day, and Kevin went solo to what was apparently an awesome show. One of the worst weeks of my life, on all fronts. (And there’s my Oprah moment for the day, right there…)

Texas 2008 Music Festival, featuring Boney James, Oleta Adams, Phil Perry, Ray Parker, Jr., Michael Ward, & Pamela Williams @ Reliant Arena
Ray Parker, Jr. — woo, yeah! If there’s something strange, in your neighborhood…

Toadies/The Riverboat Gamblers/The Lions @ Verizon Wireless Theater
Never really cared for the Toadies, sorry (although I’d happily trade one of them for six Fall Out Boys), but I like what I’ve heard of the Riverboat Gamblers, so there’s that.

The Hunger/20-20/Inner Void @ The Scout Bar (Clear Lake)
Yeah, so this is the Nostalgia Vote — I’m old enough to remember when The Hunger were the bigtimers in town. Glad to see they still play from time to time…

There you go. Party now, before the fucking hurricane wipes us all off the map or somebody snaps and takes (justified) revenge on this city’s meteorologists for all their fear-mongering.