Yr. Weekend, Pt. 1: Cursive + Cymbals Eat Guitars + Dick Dale + John Lefler + Balance and Composure + More

Got plenty going on this weekend, y’all, starting with tonight, Friday, April 13th — and holy crap, I just realized what today is — but before I get into that, there’s some show-related news to impart to those who’re into this sort of thing…

The one that hits me hardest, at least, is the possibly shifting-around of the April 27th show at Walter’s with The Eastern Sea, Quiet Company, & {The Literary Greats} — there was apparently some miscommunication going on, so the show was booked for April 17th, but the band thought the show was on 4/27…except that there’s already a show scheduled for that night at Walter’s. Whoops… Anyway, it’s being moved someplace else, apparently, so keep yr fingers crossed.

Beyond that, there’ve been a handful of other cancellations & reschedulings & whatnot. First & foremost, you’ve probably already heard about the Eddie Vedder show next weekend (4/22–4/23) being postponed due to health problems; that’ll now be way off on 11/12–11/13. Dang.

But heck, at least there is a rescheduled date for that one, unlike with the 5/5 Hayes Carll show at Warehouse Live, or the late-May Styx/Gin Blossoms show at the Arena Theater (although Styx are still playing 5/12 out at the CWMP, so there’s that).

And the Human Nature show with Smokey Robinson that was scheduled for this coming Saturday, April 14th, yeah, that’s been cancelled, too.

Fear not, however, because you’ve still got many cool things to look forward to, starting with this evening. Here goes:

Cursive/Cymbals Eat Guitars/Conduits @ Fitzgerald’s
Oh, yes. Cursive is one of a small, small handful of bands that pretty much define what “indie-rock” sounds like, at least to me: the sharp-edged guitars, the off-kilter arrangements, the impassioned/detached vocals, the propulsive drums, the whole deal; Cursive’s laid down the blueprint, over the years, for a whole hell of a lot of bands that’ve come after.

I was sold from the first five seconds of 2001’s Burst and Bloom, myself, although I’ve drifted off from some of the band’s more recent stuff — what I’ve heard off of this year’s I Am Gemini, though, is damned promising, all murky menace and restrained fury, even if Tim Kasher doesn’t scream as often as he used to.

On the other hand, I’m relatively new to tourmates Cymbals Eat Guitars, but after hearing last year’s Lenses Alien, I was bowled over in a fairly big way. CEG and Cursive together makes perfect sense, considering, well, CEG reminds me of that old-school indie-rock stuff that was around back when Cursive were first making their name; think Archers of Loaf, Grifters, and Superchunk, and you’ll be close. It’s like two generations of indie-rockers touring together, and that’s pretty cool.

Dick Dale/Los Rauncheros/Little Joe Washington @ The Continental Club
I’ve always, always, always wanted to see Dick Dale live, but sadly, I’ve yet to get the chance, and it kills me. I mean, the guy’s not getting any younger… If you do get a chance, I’d seriously take it — we’re talking about the guy who invented surf guitar as we know it today, for crying out loud. “Misirlou” still gives me chills whenever I hear it, even now.

John Lefler (mem. of Dashboard Confessional)/The Boulevard Nights/Test Flight Fire/Super Robot Party @ Fitzgerald’s
I feel somewhat bad admitting this, but when I saw John Lefler listed as being a member of Dashboard Confessional, my initial response was, “um, isn’t that pretty much Chris Carrabba?”

And yeah, the band is Carrabba’s show, in a lot of respects, but Lefler’s actually been the lead guitarist for the band since many, many moons ago, starting on that now-infamous MTV Unplugged session back in 2002. And I’m told by credible people that he’s a hell of a songwriter in his own right, although I’ve yet to see/hear him. Plus, he’s playing with locals {Super Robot Party}, which includes ex-members of MYTWILIGHTPILOT (a band that was around when I was in a band), who’re pretty darn cool so far.

La Dispute/Balance And Composure/All Get Out/Sainthood Reps @ Warehouse Live (Studio)
I dunno a damn thing about most of the folks playing at Warehouse Live tonight, no, but I’ve been able to get a listen to Balance and Composure‘s most recent release, Separation, and it’s nicely anthemic and interesting. These Pennsylvanian guys drift close to post-emo territory, but they come of less like a lot of their contemporaries and more like a more melancholy Mae, or maybe H-town’s own sadly-departed Stadium. It’s downbeat but thoughtful and unbowed, with some truly awesome melodies and fist-pumping choruses, and hey, I’m always good with that.

Halaska @ Avant Garden
Haven’t seen much about this show with Austin-dwelling prog-spazz folks Halaska, so I figured it was worth mentioning; fans of spiraling, skittering, jazzy/proggy rock (with song titles like “Baroque Ninjas” and “Free Mason Jars”), this one’s for you. It’s smart and twisty, with rubbery basslines, skronking horns, and sometimes-spastic/sometimes-tightly-controlled guitar lines zipping in and out. Not strictly my cup of tea, generally, but hell, I’m liking it.

Hrm. Okay, maybe you should take this one as a “maybe” — just checked Halaska’s Facebook page, and they make zero mention of a show in Houston tonight. sigh…

Runners-Up:
Spoon/A Giant Dog @ House of Blues
Untangle My Tongue: A Sound Installation, featuring Robert McClure, Dan Gelok, Aaron Guillory, & Shepherd School of Music musicians @ The Orange Show (6-9:30PM)
Kemah Crawfish Festival, featuring Hamilton Loomis, The Sonny Boy Terry Band, Tommie Lee Bradley, Richard Cagle & The Voodoo Choir, The Paul Ramirez Band, Eugene Moody and The Blues Back Band, Brad Absher Band featuring Anthony Terry, Texas Johnny Brown, .07 Blues Band, Don Kesee & The Blues Masters, Tommy Dardar, Jimmy “T-99” Nelson Scholarship Showcase featuring Rebecca Laird and Eric Hoovestol with Rich Del Grosso, Trudy Lynn with Blues For Two (Pops Stewart, Peewee Stephens and Lil’ Joe Frenchwood), Eric Demmer & The Sax Dawgs featuring Evelyn Rubio and The Veri Teri Greene, Bon Ton Mickey and the Zydeco Hotsteppers, Trey Gadler and Dead Mans Hand, Clara McVille, Scars Heal in Time, The Leo Trio, Jerome Beatiste & The Zydeco Players, Big Slick, Ann “Crawfish” Brown, Hoodoo Voodoo, & Sugarland Brass Band @ Kemah Bridge (Kemah)
John Evans @ McGonigel’s Mucky Duck
Asylum, featuring Ceeplus Bad Knives, Mr. Castillo, & Robert Disaro @ The Big Top
Morgue City/The Stagefrights/Chairs/Hordes of Moria @ Rudyard’s
Blaggards @ R&R Sports Bar (Friendswood)
Galveston County Fair & Rodeo, featuring Whiskey Myers & Turnpike Troubadours @ Galveston County Fairgrounds (Hitchcock)