Update + Yr. Weekend (Pt. 1): Top Tens + Fiery Furnaces/Drug Rug (Tonight!) + Female Demand (1/30!) + Jonathan Richman + More

Got some new stuff up this week, so I wanted to pop over here & mention it, as well as hit the high notes for this evening (Friday, January 29th, you non-calendar-having bastards).

First & foremost, I’m pleased as heck to announce that we’ve got the 2009 installment of the “WE LIKE THINGS” series, aka the Official-Shmofficial Space City Rock Best-Of Lists for the Year Past, up on the site, as of the night before last. This time out we were able to drag seven intrepid, hard-working writer types into the fray, and they’ve expounded on all the cool-ass musical-type stuff they’ve liked over the past 12 months or so — check it out right over here. Obviously, I’m a bit biased, since I wrote part of it, but dammit, I like it.

I should mention, however, that in talking about the Greatest Musical Things of ’09, I realized there’s one big, glaring omission, and that’s me totally forgetting to talk/rave about the Free Press Summerfest. Honestly, it really, truly made my year, music-wise (so much so that I unconsciously used a pic of the thing for these lists and then neglected to mention it; argh…). It blew me away, y’all, and made H-town feel like it was someplace where people actually give a shit about music, for once. If you’ve been in a band here, that’s no mean feat. Take a ride in my short-term Wayback Machine right here and here. Thanks, FP crew; I’ve got my fingers crossed for the next one.

Now, stepping back to the near future, I’m also happy to note that seasoned vet writer Henry and talented newbie writer Preston were kind enough to write up not one but two reviews for tonight’s show up at Walter’s. Freaky/folky indie-rockers The Fiery Furnaces headline, and we’ve got a review up over here of their most recent release, I’m Going Away (courtesy of Henry), plus Preston’s take on Paint the Fence Invisible, the latest from swooning psych-popsters Drug Rug, on over here. Check ’em out, then go to the show, dammit.

As an added bonus, we’ve got a review of local boys Female Demand‘s debut self-titled EP, which is four tracks of noisy, head-smacking, bass-and-drums instro rock that owes equal debts to stoner-rock sludge, lo-fi garage, and flat-out punk. And yes, it’s pretty darn good, esp. lead-in track “Sweet Nothing” — it’s ringing in my head, even now. See the writeup over here. They’re not playing tonight, but instead tomorrow, Saturday, January 30th, up at Mango’s. Good as the EP is, it can’t compare to seeing ’em live, trust me.

With that out of the way, yes, there’s plenty of other stuff going on tonight — here’re some of the highlights:

The Fiery Furnaces/Drug Rug @ Walter’s
Well, duh. See above, and then see here and here. Then go, and enjoy. (No, really.)

Benefit Show for Abbas from Brasil, featuring Robert Ellis and the Boys, Two Star Symphony, Grandfather Child, Chase Hamblin, GRRRL Parts, Davie Graves, Southern Backtones, & The Sideshow Tramps @ Mango’s
Ah, yeah — Mango’s is playing host to a cool-sounding benefit show, tonight, a free fundraiser (huh?) for Abbas, who works at fellow cafe-place Brasil and who apparently needs hip-replacement surgery. (Which, obviously, is not cheap. Or particularly affordable for a guy who works in a coffeeshop.) Some good, good musicians are donating their time and talent; the list above is pretty much all worth seeing, particularly Grandfather Child (from whom I really want to see something recorded, and soon), Robert Ellis, Chase Hamblin (whose debut EP we reviewed recently over here, if you’re curious), & Two Star Symphony. Go support.

Jonathan Richman/Tommy Larkins/Kozmic Pearl (Janis Joplin tribute) @ The Continental Club
Jonathan Richman. Holy shit. I’ll admit that I don’t hold the guy in awe quite like some do, but anybody my age who’s into music is bound to’ve been affected by the stuff this guy’s done over the course of his three-decade-or-so career. Like punk rock? Then you owe this guy at least a drink. (Although I’m not sure I’d approach him, if I were you; I’ve heard stories that he’s a bit on the misanthropic side…)

Tyagaraja/The Fox Derby/The Language Room @ Warehouse Live
Yes, laydeez & gents, it’s The Show That Almost Wasn’t; you could almost call this a sympathy mention, since I genuinely feel bad for the locals who got A) rescheduled to two(?) months after their original date and then B) ditched by would’ve-been headliners Alpha Rev. Damn. Of course, I said “almost,” because any praise for ex-Million Year Dance frontman Tyagaraja is in no way a pity vote — the guy’s freaking mesmerizing, truly — and I like what I’ve heard so far of The Fox Derby. Go, and be sure to give Alpha Rev the spiritual, long-distance one-finger salute while you’re there.

Badfish (Sublime tribute)/Scotty Don’t/Full Service/Searching For Signal @ House of Blues
I know, I know — really? A Sublime tribute band? Nah, nah — I don’t care much for headliners Badfish, sorry (just not my thing; the most I ever got into Sublime was “Santeria”), but I do like opening young’uns Searching For Signal a hell of a lot. They’re somewhat of an odd fit, with their moody, eyes-wide-open space-rock/pop, but hopefully folks will give ’em some love, even still. They deserve it…

Runners-Up:
Hermit Thrushes/Free Radicals/Anna and The Annadroids/Fist of Kong/Wiggins and Risk @ Super Happy Fun Land
P.L.F./Abrupt/HRA/Obama Nation @ The Hot Dog Shop (6405 Brittmoore; 8PM, $5)
Wings Burn Away/The 71’s @ Fitzgerald’s
Grizzly/Radio Ark/The Blue Threads/The Mint @ Fitzdown
If The War Should End @ Dean’s Credit Clothing
Morakestra @ The Mink
Cuba Gooding Jr./Kiyoshi/Le Hibou @ Boondocks
Abacabb/Molotov Solution/Upon A Burning Body/Dr. Acula/The Nephilim Terror/No Remorse @ The Junction (8302 N Eldridge Parkway)

More later on…