Yr Weekend, Pt. 1: The Manichean on the Roof + Decemberists + Alkari + Chlorine + More

What, already? Seems like I just did one of these damn things… Sorry, folks, but I’ve been offline as of late — some of y’all may know that the wife & I have been expecting our second munchkin, and he arrived a bit earlier than expected (meaning “last Saturday night”), so I’ve been a bit, um, occupied with things like feeding, cleaning, changing diapers, etc., since then.

This is my first chance to get back online beyond the occasional Facebook update w/baby pics, so apologies if you sent me any direly urgent emails in the past week or so — odds are that yes, I did get ’em, but no, I haven’t had a chance to look through ’em yet. Soon, I swear.

In the meantime, The Rock never sleeps (although thankfully, little Dylan does for some of each 24-hour period, at least, even if it’s often not the 3-5AM stretch), so here’s the first part of what I’d be getting my sleep-deprived ass out to see if I could:

The Manichean/Peekaboo Theory @ The Mekong Skyline (2808 Milam; 8PM, $7)
Another of the rooftop shows set up by the crazy kids in The Manichean, and it looks to be as good as all the rest — I’m really liking The Manichean’s majestic, complex rock thing, and I like what I’ve heard so far of Peekaboo Theory, who do a much heavier rap/rock thing. Keep up the high-flying roof shows, y’all.

The Decemberists/Laura Veirs & the Hall of Flames @ House of Blues
I’ll admit it: I have yet to hear, The Hazards of Love, the latest from The Decemberists, which is a shame, because I find the band pretty consistently intriguing. They’re one of those bands that’s thankfully not content to just think in terms of a single song at a time, but who seem to build whole song cycles as albums, something that doesn’t happen a whole lot these days.

Plus, Laura Veirs is pretty freaking awesome, somebody who I dearly, truly need to hear more from. Sweet-voiced, quirky/nerdy indie-rock from a woman who looks like the coolest librarian you’ve never met — how can you go wrong?

Luxurata (CD release)/Alkari/Fake Believe @ Rudyard’s
This one’s Luxurata‘s CD release, although I’m afraid I don’t know much about ’em other than they’ve been around for quite a while. The folks I’d be more inclined to see are keyboard-tinged pop-rockers Alkari and Fake Believe — the former write some nicely down-to-earth yet anthemic rock songs, and the second has a bit more of a sci-fi-y, Anniversary-ish sound to it, and both are excellent.

Chlorine/Given/ Dine Alone/Make Your Escape/Commie Hillfigure @ Fitzgerald’s
Holy Rewind to the Late ’90s Night, Batman… I knew late-’90s alt-rockers Chlorine, who were once pegged as The Next Big Thing from H-town, had reformed and were playing again, but now it looks like heavier, more down-tuned rockers Given are back on the scene, too…for what they’re billing as their “Final Reunion Show.” Um, okay… Should be an interesting show; hopefully the crowd from the Bad Old Days has stuck by ’em.

The Hates/The Angel Sluts/The Framed/Suckerfish @ Walter’s on Washington
What can I say, it’s The Hates; while I’m not the biggest fan of their particular brand of raw-throated, street-level punk, I’ve got nothing but respect for these guys. I can think of no other band in town, of any genre, that’s been around for 3 decades and can still kick out the jams.

Parokya Ni/Edgar/Kamikazee/Gloc 9 @ Arena Theater
I’ve got no real idea what the hell this is, but I think it’s a Filipino hip-hop showcase. Which is fairly badass, if you ask me.

Runners-Up:
Rebirth Brass Band/Del Castillo @ Warehouse Live
John Evans (CD release) @ McGonigel’s Mucky Duck