Yr. Weekend, Pt. 1: listenlisten (Rev’d!) + Callers (MP3!) + Helmet + Somosuno + Invincible Czars + Ghostland Observatory (Rev’d!) + More

Late, late, late — if I’m ever actually early with one of these, it’ll be a damn Christmas miracle. But hey, that’s how it goes some (er, most) days… Anyway, there’s still time to get out & about; here’s where you ought to go:

Callers/listenlisten (tour kickoff)/Golden Arrow Holy Face @ Mango’s
This one’s the biggie of the night, at least for me; I love, love, love those crazy, out-of-time {listenlisten} boys, especially since I’ve been listening quite a bit to their latest, soon-to-be-released full-length, “dog”. It’s a different beast from anything I’ve heard ’em do so far (check out “Try Like Hell”, if you don’t believe); see the full review over here.

But hey, don’t count out the other folks; I’ve heard good things about {Golden Arrow Holy Face}, and out-of-towners Callers are intriguing, to say the least, all slow moves and languid female vocals. Check out a sample below:

Callers – “How You Hold Your Arms”

BTW, tonight’s the tour kickoff show for listenlisten — after this evening, they’ll be off roaming the country, spreading weirdball gospel-folk as they go…

Helmet/Intronant/World’s Most Dangerous @ The Scout Bar (Clear Lake)
I fully and completely blame Helmet; really, I do. They’re the reason I’ve been steadily losing my hearing since college. But hell, I don’t hold it against ’em, obviously — they’re still one of those formative bands that shaped the way I listen to music. And while I haven’t heard it, I hear their new album’s kind of a pointer back to their old stuff, which is very cool.

Somosuno (CD release)/Muhammadali/Giant Princess/Featherface/LIMB @ Fitzgerald’s
Niiiiice lineup, damn. Haven’t heard the {Somosuno} CD that’s being released tonight, but I adore {Muhammad Ali}, {Giant Princess}, and {LIMB}, and have been pretty impressed with what I’ve heard so far by the headliners — kind of a freeform, anything-goes blend of salsa, cumbia, punk, funk, and whatever the hell else they feel like doing at that particular moment. The combination’s pretty entertaining, I have to say.

The Invincible Czars/Shaolin Death Squad @ Rudyard’s
This promises to be a fun, fun show — Austinites The Invincible Czars are rarely content to do anything as pedestrian as, y’know, play a few songs or something, but instead go for more theatrical/artistic/kooky musical endeavors, whether that means scoring old B&W movies, re-arranging The Nutcracker Suite for a crazy klezmer-rock band, or (in this case) interpreting Iron Maiden‘s classic The Number of the Beast. No, I haven’t heard it yet, but damn, it sounds pretty neat…

Ghostland Observatory/Ceeplus Bad Knives/PRKL8R @ Warehouse Live
Hrm. I feel a little weird even mentioning this one, really — it’s been sold out for a week now, so unless you’re already going/there, well, you’re not gonna be. Which sucks, since from all reports I’ve heard, Ghostland Observatory put on a ridiculously cool live show, the kind of show that blows minds and turns a concert into a real-live par-tay. Hell, I had coworkers asking me if I knew where I could score tickets for this show; sadly, they were outta luck. (Sorry!)

But hey, you can see what valiant SCR contributor Robin B. had to say about the band’s latest, Codename: Rondo, right over here. It’s second best, obviously, compared to being there, but what the hell?

Man Chest Hair United @ The Big Top
Okay, so I have no idea what these guys’re like — I just think the name Man Chest Hair United is freaking hysterical. But hey…

Runners-Up:
Minus the Bear/Tim Kasher @ House of Blues
Eyehategod/Black Congress/Venomous Maximus/The Burden @ Walter’s
Interpol/White Rabbits @ Verizon Wireless Theater
Art Institute @ Notsuoh
The Umbrella Man/The Missile Recipients/The Handshake @ Fitzgerald’s
Chuck Prophet/Mike Stinson/The Allen Oldies Band @ The Continental Club
Chico Mann/DJ Sun/Mr. Bristle @ The Mink
Night People, featuring Paul Banks (mem. of Interpol), Ceeplus Bad Knives, Fredster, & Mr. Castillo @ Boondocks
The Living Cementario Tales, featuring La Catrin @ The Mink (front bar)
The Rita/Werewolf Jerusalem/Vice Wears Black Hose/In the Land of Archers/Peiiste/The Godless Girl/White Gimp Mask/Illicit Relationship @ Super Happy Fun Land