Yr. Weekend, Pt. 2: Art Institute + Steady Boy Showcase + Benjamin Wesley + Jimmie Dale Gilmore + More

UPDATE: Argh. Apparently I got the wrong night for the Young Girls/Art Institute/Knifight/Papaya show — per the Art Institute guys, the show was last night. Sorry, y’all…

Yep, Saturday is upon us (February 19th, that is), and while it’s still a little bit a slow weekend, there’s some good stuff going on. Here’s what sounds cool to me:

Young Girls/Art Institute/Knifight/Papaya @ The Mink
This one’s pretty much a show of people I need to hear — {Young Girls} & {PAPAYA}, in particular, both of whom I’ve heard good things about, and I like the name “Knifight“, even though the band’s apparently from Tyler and not Houston.

Then there’s {Art Institute}, whom I’ve been pretty impressed by; just got their second demo EP in the mail the other day, and I desperately need to crack that open & take a listen. Think rough-edged proto-art-punk, and you’ll be close.

Chase Hamblin/Al Staehely/Mitch Jacobs @ The Continental Club
Steady Boy Showcase, featuring Al Staehely, Mitch Jacobs, & Chase Hamblin @ Cactus Music (1PM)
A twofer for these three guys, today — {Al Staehely}, Mitch Jacobs, & {Chase Hamblin} are playing at both The Continental & Cactus, as part of the Steady Boy Records all-day deal they’re doing. Which is very cool, btw; congrats to all three of ’em for getting signed to Freddie “Steady” Krc‘s new label. I don’t know Jacobs or Staehely at all, sorry (although Staehely’s apparently been in bands ’round here for decades now), but I’ve seen {Chase Hamblin} a few times now, and his Beatlesque power-pop songs always leave me impressed.

Jarrod Gorbel/ Atlantic/Pacific /Benjamin Wesley @ Fitzgerald’s
I’m not real familiar with the out-of-towners, sorry — although I know Jarrod Gorbel did time in The Honorary Title, which is interesting in a post-emo kind of way, at least.

The real draw for me, though, is local multi-instrumentalist {Benjamin Wesley}; I know I’ve talked him up before, but I really, truly can’t say enough good things about the guy. Every time I’ve seen or heard him, he’s been utterly mesmerizing, whether he’s solo or with a full band. Definitely worth checking out.

Jimmie Dale Gilmore/Butch Hancock @ McGonigel’s Mucky Duck
As I’ve probably said many, many times in this space, I am not a country fan, by and large. It takes a lot for me to honestly really-and-truly like a country musician, especially in this day of crap-ass manufactured pop-country. And yet, I can’t help it: I like Jimmie Dale Gilmore.

What’s more, I’ve got immense respect for the guy — despite being a country musician, he’s never been content to stick in that little box. The first time I’d ever even heard of him, it was when he and grunge heroes Mudhoney did a split-EP back in ’94 where they each covered one another’s songs. The sound of Mudhoney dirtying up Gilmore’s “Tonight I’m Gonna Go Downtown” and Gilmore turning Mudhoney’s “Blinding Sun” into a drifting theme for the unforgiving, sunbaked desert sands was pretty mindblowing. Anybody who can make that kind of a genre switch without sounding contrived wins big, in my book.

Runners-Up:
Blaggards @ Molly Maguires
Witness to the Fallen/The Nothing/Born From Ruins @ Walter’s
HYPE!/GRRRL Parts 2-Year Anniversary, featuring Johan, GRRRL Parts, Glasnost, Mad Bass, Best Legs, Psychedelic Sex Panther, & Stagger Lee @ The Mink
Espantapajaros @ Cactus Music (3PM)