Update/Yr. Weekend, Pt. 2: Holy Fiction (Reviewed!) + Live Reviews + Danneurysm + Gift of Gab + More

Another wild & wonderful weekend, definitely; before I go into the list of good shows to check out, though, I figured I’d better mention a couple of new things up on the site…

First up, while we’re way, way overdue for a “big” review update, there is a new one up last night, this time of Holy Fiction‘s new full-length, Hours From It. Which, to be totally frank, is ridiculously, insanely good, the kind of CD I can fully see myself forcing upon friends & family.

The band’s got a fairly distinguished outside-the-Beltway pedigree, with members doing time in bands I’d heard bits & pieces of over the years but with which I’d never fully connected, like Ethan Durelle and Hemyah (although I really do still like Ethan Durelle’s “I Get Shot In Every Film I’m In”), but here they really seem to’ve gelled in a big, big way.

The music is awesomely intricate and thoughtful, with a sound that’s like a crossbreed between “Red Rain”-era Peter Gabriel and Sun Kil Moon’s Ghosts Of The Great Highway — there’s a neat confluence of Afrobeat rhythms and warm/jangly indie-folk going on, and it works like freaking magic. Check out my full writeup on the disc on over here, should you be into that whole “reading” thing…

And yes, the reason I’m mentioning this now is because — ta-da! — Holy Fiction happen to be playing their official CD release tonight up at Warehouse Live. It promises to be pretty awesome, especially since hard-working alt-rockers The 71’s, who’ve won me over in a pretty major way, are opening, and the headliners are The Wonderful Future, about whom I’ve heard good, good things.

If you’ve looked at the main page lately, btw, you might’ve noticed a few other new-ish things, namely a couple of show reviews I stupidly neglected to mention ’til now. Writer Dwayne did a very cool writeup of the recent Crash Kings (featuring ex-Houstonian Jason Morris on drums) on over here, and diehard Metal Dude Scott checked out local instrometal heroes Scale The Summit (who I haven’t seen but freaking adore in recorded form, at least) and wrote about ’em over here. Check ’em both out, y’all.

Now, with that out of the way, here’s what looks good to me for the next two days:

Sat., February 20:
The Wonderful Future/Holy Fiction (CD release)/The 71’s/They Were Stars @ Warehouse Live
See? Just like I said; look above for the details…

Danneurysm (Nirvana tribute; ex-Darkest Hour/Smoking Popes/Jonbenet) @ Big Star Bar
C’mon, how can I not like a Nirvana tribute band made up of dudes who used to be in The Jonbenet, The Smoking Popes (I’m guessing this is Ryan Chavez?), and Darkest Hour? That’s pretty fucking cool, and I suspect they’ll ride that hipster line between self-aware sarcasm and genuine love of the music for all it’s worth. Plus, it’s free, and it’s apparently Kurt Cobain’s birthday, to boot. Hard to beat that…

(And yes, tribute/cover bands are way, way better, in my book, if they don’t take themselves too seriously. Which is probably partly why I’ve avoided the House of Blues‘ tribute-band nights so far…)

Electric Attitude/Satin Hooks/The Factory Party/DJ No Fun @ Walter’s (9PM; $8)
Aaaand here’s a show where me showing up could very well get my ass kicked, seeing as I’ve penned not-entirely-complimentary reviews of EPs by both Electric Attitude and The Factory Party within recent memory.

That doesn’t mean this’ll be a bad show, though — I actually do really like both bands, and have been impressed by the Party’s earlier stuff and by EA’s live, Stones-meet-James Brown shows, so I’d bet they blow the roof off. I’m just waiting for that coolness & energy to be properly translated to plastic, y’know? And hey, I can’t forget Satin Hooks, who’re one of those bands I’ve meant to check out more by literally for years now. When’s the long-promised full-length coming, folks? Did I miss it?

Motion Turns It On/Golden Cities/Solanae/Honey and Salt (mem. of The Jonx) @ The Husk (2808 Milam)
The first of two cool shows in two nights at the minimalist performance space known as “The Husk” (aka, the empty storefront next to Khon’s Bar). This one features plenty of mind-bending psych-math-rockery from Motion Turns It On — who I still haven’t been able to catch live…argh — skyward-pointing atmospheric rock from Golden Cities (who were one of the highlights of the Lost In Space fest at the Husk a while back), and intriguing piano-driven, pretty-yet-mathy stuff from Solanae. Sadly, I’ve heard rumors that this will be Solanae’s last show, which sucks immensely, seeing as they haven’t been around all that long to begin with. sigh.

There’s also unknown quality Honey and Salt, about which I know nada other than it’s Jonx-er (and SCR alumnus, a fact of which we’re immensely proud) Danny Mee‘s new band…which pretty much guarantees it’ll rule, no matter what the hell they sound like. A good, good, good show, all ’round.

The Red Chord/My Children My Bride/Chelsea Grin/Those Who Lie Beneath/Uprise of the Fallen/Battle of Champions @ Wired Live (formerly The Meridian; The Channel)
Gov’t Mule/Carney @ House of Blues
At Calvary/No Remorse/Take A Right On Tulsa/Seven Years to Burn/Dinner at Dahmers/Eyes Like Oceans @ Wired Live (formerly The Meridian; The Channel Room)
Game Genies, featuring Angie & Glasnost @ Mango’s
The No No No Hopes/The Caprolites/I Saw Blood Somewhere @ Notsuoh (9PM; $5)
Reverberation, featuring Paisley Pilgrim, Andrew Lee, Psychedelic Sex Panther, DJ Baby Jesus, & DJ Black Slacks @ Boondocks
Chango Man/Los Gallos/de Sangre @ Dan Electro’s Guitar Bar
Black Queen Speaks @ Rudyard’s
Peace, Loving/Panththherrrr/BSide/Chairs @ Super Happy Fun Land

Sun., February 21:
Gift of Gab/Mic Feelz @ Wired Live (formerly The Meridian; The Channel)
Oh, hell yes. I saw Blackalicious several years back (the last time they came through H-town, I believe), and they were fucking phenomenal, in large part due to Gift of Gab‘s ridiculously limber, seemingly unkillable flow — listening to him do “A To G” (off 2000’s stellar Nia) left me standing there flabbergasted, with my mouth hanging wide open. Now, I’ll admit that I haven’t heard any of his solo stuff yet, sadly, but whatever the guy does, it’s bound to be pretty spectacular. Hell, I’d go see this over Jay-Z or Kanye, any day.

Resonant Interval Sound Series, featuring Nicholas Rejack & Concrete Violin @ The Husk (2808 Milam)
This week’s iteration of the can’t-stop-won’t-stop Resonant Interval Sound Series deal, this time with Austin-based noisemaker Nicholas Rejack, who supposedly makes drones out of “Max/MSP patches,” although I’ve got no clue what the hell those are, and old-school H-town noise fiend Austin Caustic in his guise as Concrete Violin. It’s gonna be loud, it’s gonna be raw, it’s gonna be weird, and it’s gonna be impossible to turn away. Trust me on this one.

Shock Treatment, featuring 13 Black Coffins @ Rocbar
Eleven Fingered Charlie/Sabrosa Union/Four Minutes Til Midnight/Idiginis @ Mango’s
Exterminating Angels/The Kaboxo Heads @ Super Happy Fun Land
The Texas Buzz, featuring Forever Falls, Nancy Silva Project, & Black Queen Speaks @ The Scout Bar (Clear Lake)