Yr. Weekend, Pt. 2: Carolyn Wonderland + Robert Ellis + D.R.U.M. + No Power Fest + Houston Warfare + More

Day #2 of a very, very busy weekend coming up — there’s as much going on Sat., October 9th as there was on Friday. Here’s what I think looks cool, at least:

B.B. King/Carolyn Wonderland @ Verizon Wireless Theater
Okay, so Carolyn Wonderland no longer calls H-town home, but I’ve still got a soft spot for the blues-guitar diva, and I have to applaud her for this show, in particular; I might be wrong, but I can’t recall seeing her ever play (here, at least) with somebody as big-name as B.B. King(!). Kudos to Ms. Wonderland for getting the gig; she deserves it.

Loreta Kovacic/Robert Ellis @ McGonigel’s Mucky Duck
The funny thing about this show is that the very first thing that popped into my head when I saw {Robert Ellis} was playing the Mucky Duck was “it’s about damn time.” Why is it that relatively few of Houston’s most talented indie-folk artists seem to’ve ever played the place, when it’s a full-on treasure trove of folk-y music? Whatever the reason, I’m very glad to see Ellis playing here, because he’s an amazing songwriter & musician who desperately needs to be heard outside of the Montrose.

D.R.U.M. (20th anniversary show)/Bigga Staar/Mr. Blacc Sheep/Congas By Carlos @ The Continental Club
Ah, {D.R.U.M.} — these guys are bona-fide local legends, and deservedly so. They’ve been around long enough that I remember seeing ’em when I was still in college, and that puts them in pretty rarefied company. In terms of reggae, I can’t think of any other band that’s continued playing that whole time, except maybe {Irie Time}, and I think they at least had a hiatus of sorts somewhere in the middle.

No Power Fest, featuring Days N’ Daze, 37 Cents, Joe Ray, Adam and the Ancients, Todi Stronghands, U Not I, Aaron Goldman, Jessie Williams, Chicken Little!, Tiny Tine Rootless, Lafayette, Dead Energy, Vix and Geoff, Radio Flyer, Odd Toddler, Cory Derden, Kim Champion, & more @ Kim Champion’s (corner of Fairview & Waugh, 2PM-12AM; $5)
A neat idea from the Sedition Books crew: a full day-long festival’s worth of all-acoustic punk rock about resisting the man, all without using the dreaded electricity us Houstonians tend to pay insane amounts of $$$ for each summer. It’s not actually at the bookstore (er, “infoshop,” sorry), but is instead at the home(?) of the surprisingly un-Googleable Kim Champion, at the corner of Fairview & Waugh. I dunno most of the folks playing, but I like {Cory Derden} quite a bit, and I’ve heard good things about {Odd Toddler}, to boot.

Houston Warfare, featuring John Black, Twenty Eleven, -iLL LaiD-, Jett I. Masstyr, DJ Kruxx, & DJ Faiel @ Fitzgerald’s (free!)
Not entirely sure of the lineup for this hip-hop showcase, but the most recent list I saw had local guy Jett I. Masstyr on the list, and that alone makes it an impressive show; I like what I’ve heard from him & cohort hasHBrown so far…

Runners-Up:
Sarah Harmer/Vanessa Peters @ Rudyard’s
Nevermore/Warbringer/Mutiny Within/Hatesphere/Bagheera/Warbeast @ Numbers
Blaggards @ Molly’s Pub Downtown
Pharoahe Monch/Kidz In The Hall @ 1515 Pease