Yr. Weekend, Pt. 2: Buxton (Rev’d!) + Bang Bangz + Co-Pilot + Holy Fiction/Orchestra (Interviewed!) + More

Well, folks, I am firmly stuck in the midst of February Birthday Madness (this is what happens when your wife and daughter have birthdays within a week of one another), so I’ve got to keep this pretty brief… Which is a shame, because tonight (Sat., February 4th) is looking pretty awesome, show-wise.

Buxton (record release)/Marmalakes/Featherface @ Fitzgerald’s
This one here is the big ticket of the night, for sure — I know quite a few people who’ve been waiting for a long, long while for local boys {Buxton} to release their new full-length, Nothing Here Seems Strange, to the point where it almost had me worried there was no way they could match up to the expectations.

I needn’t have worried, though, because they’ve hit it out of the park; it’s not a “rock” album, per se, but rather the sees band aiming more towards the folk-country side of things, and while I was a little leery of things going that way, it works. See the full review on over here, and you can download two of the tracks from the album (and preceding 7″), “Boy Of Nine” and “Riverbed,” right over here, to boot.

The show also includes Austinites Marmalakes, who seem pretty neat, and our own {Featherface}, who rule with their warm, quirky, fuzzed-out psych-pop thing. All together, it promises to be one hell of a show.

Bang Bangz (EP release)/GRRRL Parts/Hello Chief/New York City Queens @ Fitzgerald’s
And hey, you can always go downstairs, too, to check out excellent electro-dreampop trio {Bang Bangz}, whose brand-new EP I’ve been listening to quite a bit the past week or so; it’s very cool stuff, bridging the space between MBV-style shoegaze and murky, darkly-imagined electronic pop to make some intriguing nighttime soundtrack music.

Co-Pilot/My Education/Harold Borup @ Walter’s (1120 Naylor)
Of course, if spacerock’s your thing, you can head on over to Walter’s to see {Co-Pilot}, whom I freaking love like a crazy person — they play the most epic, fist-pumping spacerock-y stuff you’re likely to hear any time soon. My Education are pretty neat, as well, again in the spacerock vein but with a more orchestral feel to it.

Benefit for the Dulles Middle School Orchestra Program, featuring Holy Fiction with The Dulles Middle School Symphony Orchestra @ Roger Auditorium (500 Dulles Ave., Sugarland; 7PM)
Already talked about this one some, but it’s well worth mentioning a second time, definitely. {Holy Fiction} violinist Sally Tawfik is the director of the Dulles Middle School Symphony Orchestra down in Sugar Land, and due to the program being in danger of cuts, she came up with the idea of the band playing with the Orchestra, performing versions of HF songs arranged by Tawfik herself. Which is very neat, if you ask me…

As a bit of a run-up to the show, btw, I was able to do a little interview with Sally and frontman Evan Lecker, prodding ’em with questions about the show, their last album and electro-pop “remix” album, and the new album they’re currently working on. Check it out over here.

Runners-Up:
Ensane/Jon Black/Twenty Eleven/Square and Compass @ Super Happy Fun Land
Yello Echo/Sleeper Street/March to the Sea/The Pub Affair @ The Mink
Guy Forsyth @ McGonigel’s Mucky Duck
Angel of Owl Witch & Lordslady Birthday Bash, featuring Cruxiter, Owl Witch, Shaman, Epic Death, Axis In Collapse, & Pagan Sword @ The White Swan