The Rest of Yr. Weekend: Balaclavas + While You Were Gone + Opposite Day + Blues Fest + More

Well, I’m sore & halfway deaf, but I survived last night’s Gold Sounds CD release & will hopefully have it written up soon. ‘Til then, though, there’s still a crap-ton of good stuff going on tonight & tomorrow; here’re my picks:

Sat., February 13:
Indian Jewelry/Dead Roses/ Balaclavas (LP release)/DJ Chemical Mange @ The Mink (9PM)
The biggie of the night, at least in my book — I have yet to hear Balaclavas‘ latest, Roman Holiday, but I hear it’s incredible, and live the band is honestly one of the most compelling, mesmerizing things going in this town. The last time I caught them doing their jagged-edged post-punk drone live, I just couldn’t look away… Plus, there’s the every-fun Dead Roses and fellow sprawling noisemakers Indian Jewelry, both of whom are worthy of lots & lots of attention. (And I hear IJ will be releasing a new album sometime in April, too, so keep an eye out.)

Spain Colored Orange/Sweetmeat/Opposite Day @ Rudyard’s
I’ve ranted & raved quite a bit in the past about local jazz-popsters Spain Colored Orange, so I’ll forego that and enthuse instead about quirky Austinites Opposite Day, who meld Barenaked Ladies cleverness (albeit cleverer) with sharp-edged math-rock and prog-jazz, mashing it all into an entertaining, smirk-inducing slew of smart-guy indie-pop songs.

Driver F/A Goodnight Crisis/While You Were Gone/Look Alive/Until We Got Caught/Low Frequency @ The Junction (8302 N Eldridge Parkway; 7PM)
Dunno most of these folks, but Woodlands-gone-Austin emo boys Driver F ain’t bad, and I really like the sweet, Eisley-esque post-emo roar of While You Were Gone; the band’s second EP, Winter/Summer, is pretty damn great, esp. “We Were So Young” and “Your Heart Can Hold the Weight of Two”. And hey, I think this is the first show at the rejuvenated Java Junction, now known simply as “The Junction” and booked by the guy who used to book at both Javajazz & The Meridian. Go christen the place.

This Year’s Tiger/Skeleton Dick/A Dream Asleep/White Rhino @ Trash Bar (Humble)
Sweet, sweet, sweet. I’ve freaking loved the bits & pieces I’ve heard from punkish, bitterly serious-yet-raw rockers This Year’s Tiger (think Jawbreaker minus the smartass attitude), although I still need to check out the band’s recorded stuff. Beyond that, I’ve heard excellent things about A Dream Asleep and White Rhino, both. If you’re out in the Humble ‘hood, head on over.

H-Town Blues Festival, featuring Bobby Blue Bland, Floyd Taylor, Lattimore, Mel Waiters, Sir Charles Jones, Theodis Easley, & Marvin Sease @ Reliant Arena
How in the hell did I not hear about this ’til yesterday? This sounds like a pretty damn big deal, at least for blues lovers…

The 2nd Annual Vampire Slam Jam, featuring Ghormeh Sabzi, Wife, & Somosuno @ The Cellar Bar (free!)
This sounds like a good one, too; I’m a little iffy on Ghormeh Sabzi, I must admit — Cockroach Graveyard‘s a little noodly for my tastes, so far, although it may grow on me — but I like what I’ve heard from the erratically-capitalized Cop Warmth side deal Somosuno and am psyched to hear about the debut performance of Wife, which I think is a new supergroup-ish band involving Joe Mathlete (I could be wrong, tho’).

Matches For Memories/Colored Bandanas/Business As Usual/Lluvia’s Dream @ Fitzdown
I may’ve mentioned this before recently, but I’m still confused — is this Lluvia’s Dream the same band that was around back in the late ’90s? If so: well, damn. Glad they’re back…

Matana Roberts @ Barnevelder Movement/Arts Complex (8PM)
Los Skarnales/The Dead Rabbits/La Guerrilla/Rude King/DJ Moonstomp @ Fitzgerald’s
The Flamin’ Hellcats/The Hard Heads/Marzi @ The Continental Club
The Cocker Spaniels @ Notsuoh
Imaginary City, featuring So Percussion @ DiverseWorks
AftonLive Showcase, featuring Living Vicariously, The Mind’s Eye, W4, Liquid Casing, Rainchild, The Ride Home, Failure to Notice, & more @ Warehouse Live
Dallas Moore & The Snatch Wranglers @ Dan Electro’s Guitar Bar
Shining Sex (Richard Ramirez side project)/Slaughter-Fetus/Stress/The Slasher is The Sex Maniac!/Solamente Nero/Respirator @ Super Happy Fun Land
The 5th Annual Valentine Benefit for BMI and Eye Care in the Third World, featuring Phil Pritchett & Double Vision @ Firehouse Saloon
L.A.X. @ Walter’s (midnight)

Sun., February 14:
The English Beat/Fishbone/Outlaw Nation @ Warehouse Live
Holy shit, yes. I’m sure this isn’t the old-school English Beat, but hell, who cares? And with Fishbone, no less? “Mirror in the Bathroom” + “Sunless Saturday” == Ultimate Badassery.

Resonant Interval Sound Series, featuring Michelle Yom/Aaron Gonzalez, & You Hang Up First @ The Husk (2808 Milam)
Yet another cool-sounding show from the Resonant Interval gang, this time with a duet deal with flautist Michelle Yom & Dallas-based bassist Aaron Gonzalez and a new project called You Hang Up First, which is made up of Tambersauro/Golden Cities drummer/electronicist Lance Higdon and Weird Weeds guitar manipulator Sandy Ewen. Both of which, btw, are pretty formidable combinations — it’s hard to beat The Beat + The ‘Bone, true, but this comes damn close.

White Rhino/13 Black Coffins @ Trash Bar
Chinese New Year & Valentine’s Day Party, featuring Muzak John, Organ Failure, We Leave at Midnight, Organic Health Monkey, & Exterminating Angels @ Super Happy Fun Land