Yr. Weekend, Pt. 2: The Sour Notes + The Energy + The Manichean + IFest + Holy Fiction + May Day + More

Holy freaking crap, y’all. I’d thought last night was busy, but today (Saturday, April 30th) has turned out to be downright insane. There’s so much going on today & tonight that I’m not entirely sure where to start; I definitely can’t talk about all of it, I’m afraid, but I’ll try to hit some high points.

First in chronological terms, at least, there’s a good afternoon coming up at Cactus — they’ve got the meditative, low-key brilliance of {Holy Fiction} at 1PM, followed by what I think is supposed to be an acoustic set by Jared Boulanger and Elaine Greer of Austin (by way of Houston) band The Sour Notes at 3PM. I really love the former, especially their debut from last year, Hours From It, and with the latest release by the latter, brand-new full-length Last Looks (more on that in a minute), I’m absolutely floored.

Tonight’s also a big night full of CD/album releases, for some reason… There’s the show up at Avant Garden for the release of {The Manichean}‘s new “teaser” CD, as well as a party at Rudz for the release of Get Split, the new full-length by old-school punks {The Energy} — which is pretty awesome, btw; check out the full review here. Then there’s a CD release show up at Fitz for {Lower Life Form}, too, although I have yet to hear that one.

On the pop front, the other floor of Fitzgerald’s is where you really, truly need to be — Austin band Mobley (who are pretty dang good) are headlining, playing with local icons {Spain Colored Orange} and the aforementioned Sour Notes. I reviewed the also-aforementioned Last Looks, which, again, is pretty great, right on over here.

For folks into the more dangerous/weirder stuff, there’s a cool-sounding May Day fest going on at Mango’s, the lineup for which includes Lake Jackson kooky-talented people {Fiskadoro} and the awesomely named Kim Champion! (as well as a band named Scooter that I’m guessing isn’t the reincarnated H-town indie-pop band from the mid-’90s, sadly). There’s also some great, loud-ass bands playing at Walter’s-Still-On-Washington tonight, including headliners Radio Moscow, {Ghost Town Electric}, and — hell yes — the {Linus Pauling Quartet}, who always, always blow me away.

The Nameless Sound folks are also hosting (I think?) a neat thing at labotanica an experimental-music show/workshop with Bonnie Jones & Suzanne Thorpe. It’s part of labotanica’s Hear/Her/Ear series of shows, aimed at raising the profile of women who make experimental music. The workshop’s early, starting right now & running ’til 2PM, and the show itself is at 7PM.

What else? Well, there’s the first full day of that International Festival thing going on downtown, a performance by improv duo Blackfish over at DiverseWorks — see more on that from writer Creg on over here — a show with {Art Institute} at newish venue 2016 Mainstage, and a big mess of metal going on over at Warehouse Live as the Exposed Music Festival.

Here’s the full pile:

The Manichean (CD release)/ME WITH THE GAMEBOY/Portal Walker @ Avant Garden
Houston International Festival, featuring Jonny Lang, Bhangra DJ Dance Party, Step Rideau & the Zydeco Outlaws, Karina Nistal, Mayapuris, Kyle Turner, Atash, Travis Caudle, Homayun Sakhi Trio, Shivanginii Indian Dancers, Corey Ledet and his Zydeco Band, The Bird of Tigris, Jimmy Vaughan with Lou Ann Barton, Golden Dragon Acrobats, African Zydeco Revue feat. Kora Konnection & Cedric Watson, Chango Man, Golden Peacock School of Chinese Dance, Kozzmik Steel, Free Radicals feat. Subhendu Chakraborty, Gypsy Dance Theatre, Houston Shaolin Kung Fu Academy, Oriental Arts Dancers, Ambasadors International Ballet Folklorico, Rootz Underground, Bijoux Creole, Espantapajaros, Mitsi Chinese Dance School, Sisters of Avalon, Mixteco Ballet Folklorico, Francisco Guevara Trio, Sripadam School of Indian Dance, Guillermo Serpas, McTeggart Irish Dancers, Voodoo Brass Band, Funk Bank, Datta, & more @ Downtown Houston
Mobley/Spain Colored Orange/The Sour Notes/Day Sailor/Disfrutalo @ Fitzgerald’s
Blackfish @ DiverseWorks
The Energy (CD release)/OBN III’s/Exterminating Angels @ Rudyard’s
Radio Moscow/The Linus Pauling Quartet/Ghost Town Electric/The Escatones @ Walter’s
May Day Eve: Music and Labor Solidarity, featuring Fiskadoro, Adam and the Ancient Gods, Halevai Klesmer, Kiawitl Xochitl, Torry Mercer’s Deconstruction Crew, Kim Champion!, Gary Yokie, Cedric Ary, Bluebeard, Scooter, Dr. David Smith, Gloria Rubac, Geoff Berg, Ray Hill, Ron Gonyea, George Reiter, Mark Lacey, & DJ Klotis @ Mango’s
Lower Life Form (CD release)/Thurogood Wordsmith/Nosaprise/D. Rose/Hustle Skwad @ Fitzgerald’s
Holy Fiction @ Cactus Music (1PM)
Elaine Greer/The Sour Notes @ Cactus Music (3PM)
Dani Vargas/Khain/Art Institute/Espantapajaros @ 2016 Mainstage
Wanted Country Ball Benefit for Ronald McDonald House, featuring Rich O’Toole & The Guzzlers @ Firehouse Saloon
Bonnie Jones/Suzanne Thorpe @ labotanica (7PM)
The Phantom Rockers/Whiskey Boat/13 Black Coffins @ The Continental Club
Exposed Music Festival, featuring ZERO to CHAOS, Your Last Chance, Fear of the Known, Legion, Bakbone, Seven Years to Burn, Opposition A.D., Deep 6, Under Nothing, Agony Within, Scars of Eden, Leaving Scars, Epic Death, Fury Impulse, Ground Zero, Witness to the Fallen, I’m Not Paul Bradshaw, & Mistress Juliya @ Warehouse Live (Studio)
Mary Cutrufello @ Anderson Fair
Blaggards @ Molly Malone’s (Spring)