Yr Weekend, Pt. 1: Wild Moccasins + Buxton + What Made Milwaukee Famous + Dave Burrell + More

Gotta keep it brief, as always, so I’m only going to hit tonight’s high points for now — “tonight” being Fri., December 11th, that is. And yes, it’s a crazy-good start to what promises to be a crazy-good weekend. Here goes…

The Wild Moccasins/ Buxton/ Giant Princess @ Walter’s
Ahhh. I know people who’ve been so-so on both The Wild Moccasins and Buxton, but dammit, I just can’t help it — I love, love, love these two bands. To me they’re up there among the absolute leading lights of music in Houston right now, the Mocs with their jangly, picture-perfect sweet indie-pop and the Buxes(?) with their coolly backwoodsy mashup of country-folk and indie-rock sensibility. And yes, “Feathers” is still on my list of top ten songs of the year. Really. That guitar riff at the beginning makes me want to weep and then destroy my guitar, never to play again, because I know in my soul that I will never make a sound that cool.

Oh, and not to leave anybody out — Giant Princess rule, as well — they’re raw and garage-y and bluesy, like The White Stripes if Jack White hadn’t sold his soul for the bling. Take that as a recommendation (or, hell, however you want).

What Made Milwaukee Famous/Tody Castillo/I am Mesmer @ Warehouse Live
Okay, yeah, so I do love the poster for this — it makes me want to do ironic metal horns (although I tend to go for the unironic ones, personally) and swing my nonexistent hair around. As an added bonus, however, all three bands playing are pretty badass.

Austinites What Made Milwaukee Famous does some nicely low-key, piano-heavy, straightahead indie-rock, kinda like a good, less-epic (but still vaguely Brit-sounding) Radiohead, while Austin-by-way-of-Houston singer/songwriter Tody Castillo has consistently blown me away every time he’s put out music over the last, say, 12 years or so (yes, I still fondly remember Tody & the Royals); these days he’s less poppy and more melancholy, but still good. And I am Mesmer, well, they’re like an insane gypsy carnival hippie jam, if you can wrap your head around that. Has to be experienced, really…

Dave Burrell @ Latham Hall (Christ Church Cathedral, 1117 Texas; 8PM)
Truthfully, no, I’m not familiar with Dave Burrell‘s work, but apparently he’s one of the remaining heroes left from the wild ’60s era of jazz. He’s a piano virtuoso, and the man’s bio is downright impressive. Check it out.

Blue Suede: Tribute to Buddy Holly, featuring The Hates @ Cactus (5:30-7PM)
What, like you don’t want to see old-school punks take on Buddy Holly? Liar.

Mock Tigers/Pale (Flowers to Hide?)/Inner Lights @ Mango’s
Dunno Mock Tigers, sorry, and I’ve only heard bits & pieces of Inner Lights, but Pale I’m very happy to see back in these parts — I desperately need to get reacquainted with the band, seriously. Two shows in less than a month; does that mean y’all are officially back in Houston, guys?

Hrm. Actually, now that I think about it, it might actually be Flowers to Hide playing tonight, instead of Pale; I remember reading both lineups, and neither band lists this show on their Myspace. Argh. Either way, though, you’re in for some good shit.

1st Annual MAWF: Music, Art, Wine and Fashion Benefit for Houston Salvation Army, featuring DJ Psychedelic Sex Panther & lots of artists/designers @ Angelo’s (711 Main)
Not technically much of a “music” thing, really, with only one DJ (the awesomely-named Psychedelic Sex Panther) on the bill, and knowing as little as I do about H-town’s DJs, that’s not much to hang my hat on. Still, this sounds like a neat benefit for the Salvation Army, with people painting and selling their custom-made clothes and crafts & whatnot. And drinking, of course, because that’s the “W” of the “MAWF” name… Get drunk & arty for the needy, y’all. (Since, y’know, there’s really no other justifiable reason to do so, at least not in my book.)

Runners-Up:
Winds Of Plague/Stick To Your Guns/Sleeping Giant/Oceano/Before There Was Rosalyn/Acora/A Tragedy Lost/With This Oath/At Calvary/Take A Right On Tulsa/Dinner at Dahmers/Kill The Theory @ The Meridian
Flametrick Subs/Sean Reefer and the Resin Valley Band/Nightbird @ The Continental Club
Robot Circus/Days N Daze/Vagabond Swing/New Fumes/Comatose and Half Retarded/No Call, No Show @ Super Happy Fun Land
Danny Flaherty’s Celtic Christmas @ McGonigel’s Mucky Duck
Blaggards @ Ashford Arms Irish Pub
Don’t Fight It, featuring DJ Good Grief & Young $quaddy @ Boondocks
Brave Combo @ Dosey Doe Coffee Company (The Woodlands)

Go on, get out there. As anybody who’s ventured north of the Mason-Dixon will tell you, it ain’t that cold out.