Yr. Weekend, Pt. 3: Explosions in the Sky + The Sword + Red Fang + Sleeping Ancient + From Beyond + More

Last day of the weekend, Sunday, June 17th, and while there’s not a lot going on, what is going on is pretty much all badass. Unfortunately, I’ll be off doing Father’s Day stuff this evening, most likely, but I may try to make it up to Fitzgerald’s, should the opportunity arise.

Here’s what I think sounds good for tonight:

Explosions in the Sky/Zammuto @ Warehouse Live
Okay, so I’ll admit to some misgivings on this one, although they’re definitely not going to be something that’ll bug everybody. See, I love the atmospheric, point-to-the-stars spacerock Explosions in the Sky do; I really, really love it, honestly, since back before they hit it quasi-big with the Friday Night Lights soundtrack.

That said, the music they make is music I can only really see truly, truly fitting in an outdoor setting — i.e., not in a club, regardless of how cavernous and big Warehouse Live happens to be. I was lucky enough to catch EitS at the inaugural Summerfest, and one of my fondest concert memories ever (right up there with watching Too Much Joy start a riot at Buzz Fest or being chased under a table by the {Fatal Flying Guilloteens}) is of laying on my back on the hill at Eleanor Tinsley Park, looking up at the just-emerging stars and over at the Houston skyline while the band played down the hill.

It was absolutely, utterly perfect, at least in terms of the setting of the music, so much so that I can’t imagine hearing/seeing this band any other way. Hell, of the two times I’ve seen Austin band My Education, even, who kinda-sorta do something similar, the time they were outdoors (on the Khon’s rooftop) was by far the better of the two.

Still, though: the band’s awesome, no two ways about it. Just find someplace to sit down & bliss out…

The Sword/Red Fang/Honky @ Fitzgerald’s
Oh, yes. I’ve seen both Austinite throwback metal dudes The Sword and Red Fang in the past year or three, and holy fuck are they a lot of fun. The Sword is like every fantasy metal band a teenage D&D nerd like myself dreamed about being able to play in my parents’ kitchen while we did our campaigns, all triumphant, majestic/menacing guitars and swords-and-heroes imagery (and they apparently just signed to Razor & Tie; WTF?), while Red Fang play balls-out, raw, get-drunk-as-hell metal that punches you and itself in the face at the same damn time. Truly, truly great, both of ’em.

BOARS/Unmothered/Sleeping Ancient/From Beyond @ Mango’s
I dunno either of the headliners for this one, but I’ve been mightily impressed by both {Sleeping Ancient} & {From Beyond} in the not-too-distant past — they’re two of Houston’s most promising doom-y, sludgy, crush-your-skull heavy metal bands, and that’s a hard thing to claim, given the sheer volume of metal bands in this city.

Runners-Up:
TV Girl/The Trimms @ Warehouse Live (Green Room)
Hawthorne Heights/Failsafe/Forever Came Calling @ The Scout Bar (Clear Lake; free!)