The Rundown, Part 2: Noise, Smoke + Wooziness + Loneliness

Man…what a week. The wife’s cousins from Soderfors, Sweden, are in town, so I played hooky from the day job yesterday to visit George Ranch & Brazos Bend, then dragged cousin Roger (pronounced “Row-hair”) to Midtown to check out The Tontons & The Iguanas (on recommendation from Thomas at Sig’s Lagoon). Separate shows, mind you, although that would be an intriguing bill; can the Tontons play on the suh-weeeeet Continental Club sound system sometime in the near future? Please? (Roger liked the Iguanas, btw, and declared that the Tontons were “very experimental,” which in a way I guess sort of validates the Houston Press Music Awards categories.)

Last night’s carousing was on top of throwing together an early Thanksgiving dinner for the whole crew last night, which means I was peeling yams and making pies ’til the wee hours on Thursday night. And the wife spent Thurs. taking the crew down to Space Center Houston & the ruins of Kemah, and Wed. rampaging through the Museum of Natural Science. I honestly can’t remember what happened earlier in the week — it now seems like a very long time ago.

So, with all that, I’m damn tired. But that doesn’t mean The Rock gets to stop, just on account of me — oh, no. Tonight (Saturday, November 15th) promises an assload of cool shows, so many that yes, I’m sorely tempted to grab the Swedes and try to drag them out to some of it. Maybe. If I’m not about to fall down.

First up is the much-lauded (and understandably so) Noise and Smoke Festival 2008, which will be split between Notsuoh & Dean’s Credit Clothing in downtown — and yes, apparently Notsuoh is still alive & kicking, at least for now. As mentioned before in this space, there’re a bunch of excellent folks playing; here’s the official-schmofficial schedule, per show organizer Rosa:

1:00 – The Born Liars – Notsuoh
12:30 – The Homopolice – Dean’s
12:00 – Balaclavas – Notsuoh
11:30 – El Desmadre – Dean’s
11:00 – Mydolls – Notsuoh
10:30 – Vincent Trails – Dean’s
10:00 – Patsy – Notsuoh
9:30 – The Takes – Dean’s
9:00 – Blackie vs. Copwarmth – Notsuoh
8:30 – Teenage Kicks – Dean’s

I’ve highlighted the folks I particularly like above; I’ve been specifically enjoying the Born Liars a ton lately, since I’ve finally been able to break out the turntable & listen to the two 7-inches of theirs that I’d bought. “Don’t Tell Me, I Know” freakin’ rules, folks. And then there’s The Homopolice (faux-gaypunk w/members of No Talk, Insect Warfare, etc.), Balaclavas (twitchy, wiry, Gang of Four-esque post-punk), B L A C K I E & Cop Warmth (grimey, fucked-up hip-hop vs. Eastside noise-rock), & Teenage Kicks (fists-in-the-air, Brit-influenced pop-punk). Gonna be good, believe it. 7PM, $8, & DJs Ceeplus, PRKL8R, & Coach Springer will be spinning in between sets.

The second option, though, is also mighty enticing (and since I’d already run the N&S poster, I’m slapping the flyer for this one up here). The ArtStorm crew is hosting a CD release show at their Caroline Collective space (4828 Caroline) for Austinites (and expat Houstonians, in some cases) Woozyhelmet, and what I’ve heard so far of their latest album is pretty dang good — a lot rougher & more garage-y than what I’d expected, honestly. Plus, they’re playing with up-and-coming indie kids The Wild Moccasins and one of my fave Houston bands of all time, The Jonx — Danny doesn’t get back to Houston as much as he used to, these days, so this is a special treat. Runs from 7-10PM, is all-ages, & is free.

Option number three is Drew Smith’s Lonely Choir, who’re opening for Two Hoots and a Holler & Red Light Burlesque — don’t know either of the “main” acts, but I got to check out the Drew Smith a while back, and the countrified songs he plays are very, very nice. Oh, and it’s at The Continental Club in Midtown, so there’s that…

Runners-Up:

• Two Star Symphony/listenlisten/Golden Arm Trio @ Rudyard’s
• Local Artist Showcase, featuring Studemont Project, Magnetic, Electric Attitude, Hueman, & Desmond Zavala @ House of Blues

Off to St. Arnold’s I go…