Yr. Weekend: HPMA Madness! + Peter Wolf Crier + The Lotus Effect + hasHBrown + H.I.S.D. + More

Yep, yep, yep. We’re now onto Sat., November 12th, and obviously, there’s still plenty to do. To be completely honest, though, there’s one thing that pretty well overrides all the rest, at least for me — enough that I’m currently attempting to combat some kind of virus that’s knocked me out since last Saturday so I can catch part of it tonight — and that is (dum-da-de-dum):

Houston Press 2011 Music Awards Showcase, featuring The Tontons, The Literary Greats, Otenki, Sideshow Tramps, Melovine, D.R.U.M., Roky Moon & BOLT!, Steve Steele, Texas Johnny Brown, Ozeal, Diunna Greenleaf, The Journey Agents, Brant Lee Croucher, Hollywood FLOSS, Castle Lights, Changoman, Something Fierce, The Mighty Orq, Gene’s Addiction, the last place you look, Ryan Scroggins & The Trenchtown Texans, Finnegan, The Manichean, Frankie G Da Mex, Screwtape, A dream Asleep, Hell City Kings, Clory Martin, The Beans, The Octanes, Kristine Mills, Chase Hamblin Band, Folk Family Revival, The Niceguys, Beetle, Free Radicals, Zydeco Dots, Monica Matocha, Electric Attitude, Nick Gaitan & The Umbrella Man, Rivers, H.I.S.D., Vivian Pikkles & the Sweethearts Über Alles, Little Joe Washington, The Abyss, Venomous Maximus, Steve Krase & The In Crowd, Sean Reefer and The Resin Valley Boys, //TENSE//, Square & Compass, Kevin Taylor Kendrick, Los Skarnales, & several DJs @ Warehouse Live, Lucky’s Pub, Home Plate Bar & Grill, The Dirt, House of Blues, Ben’s Beans, Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar, & more (downtown)
Well, duh. I dunno why this didn’t merit a mention on the {Do713} emails I get each week, but I’m hoping it’s just an oversight, because the {Houston Press}‘s annual Music Awards Showcase is the one event every year when H-town as a whole can hit the streets and get to see a big, big pile of the talented music-makers who call this city home, all in one shot (no offense, Summerfest; I love y’all, too, but I’m talking strictly locals, here).

Of course, not everybody makes the cut — I’m seeing some conspicuous omissions in the lineup ({Fat Tony}, {Black Congress}, & {Buxton}, for three), but hey, scheduling this thing is an intense pain in the ass, I’m sure. And besides, there’s still plenty, plenty of cool shit to see, like {The Tontons}, {Rivers}, {The Literary Greats}, {The Sideshow Tramps}, {Finnegan}, {The Niceguys}, {Venomous Maximus}, Roky Moon & BOLT!, {Square and Compass}, {Hell City Kings}, {Folk Family Revival}, {The Manichean}, {Hollywood FLOSS}, {the last place you look}, {Something Fierce}, {H.I.S.D.}, {Clory Martin}, Vivian Pikkles & the Sweethearts Über Alles, Ryan Scroggins & The Trenchtown Texans, {Chase Hamblin}, {Los Skarnales}, {Kristine Mills}, {The Beans}, {Castle Lights}, & several dozen others I’m forgetting right now.

The HP has been doing a bang-up job of writing up the folks playing the Showcase (which is partly why yours truly hasn’t, honestly, because they’re undoubtedly gonna do a more thorough job than my usual half-assedness), so be sure to read up:

• HPMA Preview: Seven Nominated Bands That Will Melt Your Face Clean Off
• HPMA Preview: Seven Nominated Bands Perfect For Ear Fatigue
• HPMA Preview: Nobody Leaves Without Singing The Blues Edition
• HPMA Preview: Get This Party Started Edition
• HPMA Preview: Houston’s Breaking Badasses
• HPMA Preview: The (Relatively) New Kids (Sorta) On The Block

You can get a wristband at any of the venues for a measly $10; there’s a handy map of all the venues (which seem to pretty much ring Discovery Green) right here. Head on over here for today/tonight’s full schedule, and then head on over to East(-ish) Downtown this afternoon/evening — the first set starts at 2PM at Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar, it looks like — to see/hear some of the coolest bands & musicians Houston has to offer.

Peter Wolf Crier/Sondre Lerche @ Fitzgerald’s
Okay, so I really feel kinda bad about this show, because both Peter Wolf Crier and Sondre Lerche are pretty great, and with That Big Other Thing going on across town from Fitz, well… Hopefully the turnout’s still okay, because these folks are well worth seeing.

PWC have changed things up somewhat on new release Garden of Arms, I’ll admit, stepping away from the murky jangle-folk they’ve done previously and towards a more electronic/indie-rock thing, but I’m still liking it. Think a Britpop-influenced Modest Mouse, and you’ll be in the neighborhood. Check out some of the tracks here:

As for Sondre Lerche, the guy’s just a phenomenal songwriter, the kind that’s hard as hell to pigeonhole or describe real easily, beyond calling him “pop.” It’s like he’s somehow digested all of the most classic pop music ever made and then spit it back out effortlessly in this cool, familiar-yet-new form.

H.I.S.D. @ Momentum Audi
Okay, so you’ll notice I mentioned excellent hip-hop crew {H.I.S.D.} already above; yep, they’re apparently playing both the HPMAs and at their own release party (for new album The Hue A.D.) over at Momentum Audi. Will both actually be happening? Not a clue; the HPMA appearance is around 5PM, while the Audi show starts at 7PM, so hopefully so.

Shaolin Death Squad/MacAdams/The Lotus Effect @ Dan Electro’s Guitar Bar
Another possible casualty of tonight’s scheduling, and it’s a damn shame, especially with local dudes {The Lotus Effect}, who are pretty dang great, I have to say. They’re just straight-up alternarock, with no frills or emo touches or whatever else, and they do it very well. Heard good things about {MacAdams}, too.

Oh, and tonight’s apparently The Lotus Effect’s final show with current drummer Gabriel Lewis. Damn; sad to hear that, and I hope he and the band both keep on moving forward from here. Fingers crossed, y’all.

Immortal Technique/Killer Mike/hasHBrown @ Fitzgerald’s
Not a clue on the headliners, sorry, but hot damn, I am digging hasHBrown lately, esp. with the first few tracks he’s been dropping from forthcoming album Break Something. “The Death Penalty” has been on infinite repeat for me this past week or two…

Runners-Up:
Cop Warmth (tour kickoff)/Crime Wave/White Crime/Noguey @ 2220 Commerce ($5)
Here [The Story Sleeps], featuring The Boxhead Ensemble @ Talento Bilingue de Houston (8PM)
Warm The City Streets, featuring Altered Minds, Humanerror, Cast Away, End Times, The Tempest, Night Siege, The Lion of Wall Street, High Tide, & Gloop @ Vinyl Junkie (3:30-10:30PM; includes vegan/non-vegan cookout)
2nd Annual Monsters Of Beer Charity Festival, featuring Southern Backtones, & a bunch of other cool bands @ Guadalupe Plaza Park (333 South Jensen; 12-6PM)
We Die As Heroes/Rise From Your Grave/Feign/Doomsday Brigade/Chapters/Sea of Wolves @ Cain’s Ashes (2628 FM 1960 Rd. E)
Yellowcard/Every Avenue/Go Radio @ House of Blues
Omar & the Howlers/Cow Jazz @ Last Concert Cafe
Southern Backtones @ The Silo (415 Schweikhardt St.)