Yr. Weekend, Pt. 2: Yppah + The Literary Greats + Paris Falls + The Soldier Thread + Beat Battle + More

Midway through the weekend, y’all, and it’s still going strong. Plenty happening tonight (Sat., February 26th), too — here’s what I think sounds cool, anyway:

Yppah/Together.We Are Instruments/Interference/Fiskadoro @ The Mink
Ah, {Yppah} — quite possibly the best damn “band” (I think it varies whether it’s a full band or just Joe Corrales himself) you’re more likely to’ve heard of outside of Houston rather than in. I caught them at the second Lost In Space festival and was floored; live they resemble an electronic act less than they do, say, a less-cheery Beta Band, combining organic instruments with Corrales’s electronicized touches, and it works awesomely well.

They’re playing with a pretty good lineup, to boot… I like what I’ve heard from {Together.We Are Instruments}, dig those weird, murky pseudo-tribal rockers in {Fiskadoro}, and have heard excellent things about Interference, too. Get there early & check ’em all out.

Deep Ella/Black Queen Speaks/Suite 709/The Literary Greats @ Fitzgerald’s
No, this isn’t the CD release for Black Blizzard, the latest full-length from openers {The Literary Greats} (that’s not ’til April 8th), but it seems the guys just couldn’t wait to unleash some more of their music on the world. Having heard (and reviewed) the album, I have to say that the band’s taking kind of a surprising turn, musically speaking, pulling in influences like The Black Crowes and Ben Folds Five and coming off less country and more pop than ever before. But don’t fret; it’s still pretty great, and I’m sure they’ll be playing some of the old stuff, too. (Damn, I could hear “Listen To The Band” for days, I swear).

Paris Falls @ Cactus Music (1PM)
Love these folks, even if I’ve only seen ’em live a couple of times now — they play ’60s-tinged retro-pop like they were born to do nothing else, honest, and that warm, rough-around-the-edges, gravelly-voiced, combined Beatles/Kinks/Floyd feel they’ve got always makes me grin.

The 71’s/The Soldier Thread/Saints of Valory/Castle Lights @ Walter’s
Not sure about {Castle Lights} (although I’ve heard good things) or Saints of Valory, but I heard/reviewed Austin band The Soldier Thread a year or two ago and was fairly impressed with their bleak-yet-gorgeous sound.

Plus, there’s also The 71’s, who’ve begrudgingly won with me over the past couple of times I’ve been exposed to ’em. I was pretty cynical initially, I’ll admit it, but once I got past the rock-star poses, I enjoyed the hell out of it. Besides, I can’t hate on a band with the cojones to film a video in a freaking Wal-Mart, guerilla-style and during business hours, no less:

The looks on people’s faces are priceless…

Space City Beat Battle @ Warehouse Live (Green Room)
Okay, so it’s a little less low-tech than the rap battle in 8 Mile, but I’ve always been fascinated by stuff like this, even still (probably partly because there’s no way in hell I could pull it off).

Plus, this isn’t about rapping, but about making the actual beats — contenders vie for the title of “Houston’s Premier Producer,” as judged by guest pseudo-celebs {the ARE} (who are no slouches themselves). The whole thing’s hosted by BBC, and one of the main people behind it is the supremely talented, possibly-schizophrenic Jett I. Masstyr/hasHBrown, so that’s a damn good sign.

Not sure what the deadline is/was, but hey, if you’re a budding producer, you might still be able to enter…

Runners-Up:
Norma Jean/Impending Doom/Of Legend/A dream Asleep @ Warehouse Live
Jesse Dayton @ The Armadillo Palace
Mojo Nixon & the Toadliquors/The New Duncan Imperials @ The Continental Club
Deadly Reign/Abduktion/Warhead @ The Death Star (1719 Weber; 6PM, $3)
Second Annual Texas Yoga Conference, featuring DJ Sun, DJ Hyfi, Sean Johnson and The Wild Lotus Band, & MC Yogi @ Jerabeck Athletic Center (St. Thomas Univ. campus)