Yr. Weekend, Pt. 3: Balaclavas + Venomous Maximus + The Hunger + Faceplant + More

Sunday, September 4th, heading on into Labor Day, and there’re a few cool-ass shows still going on, despite everybody heading out of town for the three-day weekend & all that…

Biggest & best on my personal list — and yes, if you have any taste for music that’s just a wee bit dangerous-sounding, it should be on your list, too — is the {Balaclavas} show up at Notsuoh. The Balaclavas gang don’t pop their heads up real often, but when they do, trust me, it’s worth seeing.

Tyler Morris croons and howls and pounds away at his guitar, Charlie Patranella demolishes his drums (but does it in a smart way, where you realize partway through how odd the stuff he’s doing actually is), and Brian Harrison just stands, bobbing his way serenely through the best dub-y basslines you’ve never heard before.

Seriously, they’re great, and while recent full-length Roman Holiday is excellent, witnessing the band live is even better. See our recent writeup of the band over here for more…

Rudyard’s has a great, great, heavy-ass show tonight, too, with headliners doom-y stoner-metal guys {Venomous Maximus}, who’ve seriously grown to become one of my favorite metal bands around town this past year or so — see the review of new EP The Mission here. They’re playing with a bunch of bands I’m not real familiar with, but hell, check ’em out all the same.

Down in the Lake of Clarity, The Scout Bar is hosting The Texas Buzz, as always, and tonight sure feels like H-town Scene Old Home Night, with not only Scout Bar owner/booker Thomas Wilson‘s band {The Hunger} playing, but also raw, funky nu-metal dudes {Faceplant}, neither of whom yours truly has seen in, oh, a decade or so. Dang, I’m old.

Anyway, here’s the full list:

Balaclavas/Black Leather Jesus/DJ Dull Knife/DJ Chemical Mange @ Notsuoh
Venomous Maximus/Ancient Wisdom/Oceans of Slumber/Watching the Moon @ Rudyard’s
The Texas Buzz, featuring The Hunger, Faceplant, & South @ The Scout Bar (Clear Lake)
Gorilla Productions Battle of the Bands, featuring Killing Clover, Good Timing, Beacons Ablaze, Mindy Salazar, Xatarus, Fighting for Adella, The Lovable Old James, Aramite, Straight Up Sevens, As Day Breaks, Soul in Tension, Altar Deception, Lava Maritz, Johnny’s Casket, The Ghost Concept, Midnight Riot, Word, Gas and Graves, Second Story Under, VSax & The Crew, & The Fly Trap @ Fitzgerald’s
2011 Summertime Bikes & Blues Festival, featuring Wes Jeans, The Mean Gene Kelton Tribute Band, Steve Krase and The in Crowd, Trudy Lynn, Pee Wee Stephens, Milton Murphay, Sparetime Murray, The Mighty Orq, Texas Blues Brothers Band, Dan Lawson Band, & Warrior Spirit Band @ Downtown Freeport Memorial Park (Freeport)
BrewTopia, featuring Zwee, Texas Brass Band, Paul Ramirez Band, & The Navigators @ Moody Gardens (Galveston)