Yr. Weekend, Pt. 1: Omotai + Buildings + Fiskadoro + Art Institute + Mynabirds + Deep Time (MP3s!) + Mixed Media + More

sigh. Totally blew most of last weekend — being on the road between here & San Antonio sometimes makes the show-rundown thing problematic, as does being exhausted from dealing with two munchkins who are less like children & more like perpetual-motion machines — so I’m going to do my damnedest not to do it again this weekend.

There’s a ton going on, though, so I’ll talk about as much of it as I can, but I’m sure I’ll have to leave stuff off; apologies, y’all. Anyway, here goes for tonight, Friday, July 27th:

Omotai/Buildings/Kittyhawk @ Mango’s ($6)
Fans of all things heavy and skull-crushing, hey, this is where you need to be. Gargantuan, doom-y, fear-inducing H-town metal heroes {Omotai} and scraping, scrawling Minneapolis noise-rockers (think Unsane) Buildings unite this evening to blow down the flimsy, flimsy walls over at Mango’s, and you really need to be there to see it. We’re talking sonic urban renewal, here.

Seriously, I dearly love Omotai and have been impressed as hell with everything I’ve heard from ’em so far, to the point that I now judge other doom-metal bands by how they compare with our own hometown trio. And while I’m definitely still new to Buildings, they hit all those mid-’90s noise-rock influences perfectly, leaving me powerless to do anything but foot-drum and sway drunkenly back & forth in my chair.

On a bummer note, also-awesome band {Black Congress} was supposed to play tonight, but Chris Ryan apparently, um, fell down while rollerblading and broke something fairly critical (bad enough that he’s in a neck brace and arm sling, at least). Damn. Hope he heals up soon…

Fiskadoro/Exterminating Angels/Art Institute/Bed Moves @ Walter’s (1120 Naylor)
Still loud, yeah, but in less of a “heavy” and more of a “sharp-edged” vein… Lake Jackson outfit {Fiskadoro} are always neat, neat people, playing that odd-yet-cool tribal-sounding post-punk; then there’s throwback punks {Art Institute}, who swing between Minutemen-style prog-punk and Rough Trade-style minimalism and make it sound like they’re planning to knife you in the bathroom on either end. And live, they’re fucking mesmerizing, no lie.

{Exterminating Angels} I’ve seen/heard less of, myself, but Scott Ayers and Shaun Kelly have between them more Houston-band years under their belt than I’ve actually lived here, at this point. And last but not least, there’s Bed Moves, which I have yet to hear but which is apparently the new project of Tyler Morris from {Balaclavas}, which means that both these latter bands are likely to be as badass as the former.

The Mynabirds/Deep Time @ Rudyard’s
To be honest, I was less than enthused about Austin’s Deep Time — who I also ran across once when they were called Yellow Fever, it seems — the first few times I heard ’em, but they’ve since grown on me fairly steadily, sucking me into their late-’80s-sounding art-punk sound. They’re quirky and bumping and stripped-down, and yeah, pretty addictive, as it turns out. Check ’em out:

Deep Time – “Clouds”
Deep Time – “Homebody”

I didn’t have the same kind of lag, mind you, with Saddle Creek Recs band The Mynabirds, whom I adored almost immediately upon hearing their dark, psych/soul-tinged, handclap-heavy retro-pop. The band owes an equal debt to Motown and The Kills, and that’s a great, great intersection to be at, if you ask me. Take a listen here:

The Mynabirds – “Generals”

The Mynabirds – “Body of Work”

Moonlight Social (CD release)/The Fox Derby/Handsome Ransom/Zach Balch @ Dean’s Credit Clothing ($5)
Dunno most of these folks, but I honestly can’t say enough good things about {The Fox Derby} — they came out of nowhere to blow me down with 2010’s Regular Dreams, leaving me wondering what the hell happened to ’em until earlier this year, when they came out with Life Apart. It wasn’t quite what I’d anticipated, really, after Dreams‘ full-on, gloomy New Wave/Britpop explosion, but it took hold in my brain and made me love it, even still. Check these folks out…

MFAH Mixed Media, featuring Soft Metals, Ceeplus Bad Knives, Bobby DJ, & Dave Wrangler @ MFAH (1001 Bissonnet; 8PM-12AM)
Haven’t yet gotten a chance to listen to L.A.’s Soft Metals, sadly (although I love their name), but I wanted to point this one up because I think it’s extremely cool that the MFA does these Mixed Media shows, with bands playing amidst the various pieces of art. That’s just an awesome juxtaposition, right there.

Runners-Up:
Murder By Death/Ha Ha Tonka/Cory Chisel and The Wandering Sons/4 on the Floor @ Fitzgerald’s
Perseph One/Nikkhoo/Evak1/Jon Black/Grammer/J.Solli @ East Side Social Center (4202 Canal; 7:30-11:30PM, free!)
The Trimms/Hounds of Jezebel/Shotgun Funeral/Another Run @ Fitzgerald’s
Runaway Sun @ D&W Lounge (911 Milby)
Failurefest, featuring Darwin’s Finches, G.W.O., Chironex, Moths, A Spanish Disposition, Choi Wolf, Old Yeller, Adaje, & Mockingbird Brother @ Ponde Rosa (10PM)
Clandestine @ McGonigel’s Mucky Duck
A Fistful of Soul @ The Big Top
Late Night Radness, featuring Mr. Castillo, G.Wizz, Night Drive (DJ set), & more @ War’hous Visual Studios (4715 Main; 12AM)