Yr. (Abbreviated) Weekend, Pt. 2: Red Cross Benefit + Stevie & Tara Benefit + Ruiners + DJ Sun + Indian Jewelry + Metalachi + More

Okay, so I probably should have written this up last night, rather than opting for sleep and thus being forced to do this where I am now. Which is sitting in a hotel in Galveston, trying to type quietly in the dark as Munchkin #1 tries to whisper Munchkin #2 to sleep. And yeah, I know there’s plenty of stuff going on tonight, Saturday, January 19th, but I’ve only got a teeny-tiny window in which to mention ’em. Here goes:

A Night of Music Benefiting the Red Cross and Hurricane Sandy Relief, featuring The Journey Agents, Black Queen Speaks, Grizzly, The Tyburn Jig, Knights of the Fire Kingdom, The Dead Revolt, Dead Strangers, A Sundae Drive, Co-Pilot, Cavernous, Darwin’s Finches, Only Beast, Race The Moon, Petesimple, The Boulevard Nights & more @ Dean’s/Notsuoh ($10/$12; 4PM-2AM)
The big one of the day/night, with a slew of awesome local folks banding together to raise money for people up in the Northeast who are still suffering from the wrath of Hurricane Sandy. Houstonians know hurricanes, and we’re well aware how the damage and pain lingers on long after the news cameras stop rolling. I’m ridiculously excited to see this happening, particularly with great, great bands like {Knights of the Fire Kingdom}, {Cavernous}, {A Sundae Drive}, {The Tyburn Jig}, {Co-Pilot}, {Grizzly}, and {Black Queen Speaks} all lending their time & talent. If you’re in town tonight, you need to either be here or at the other benefit in town listed below. Alright? Now go.

Stevie & Tara Benefit Show, featuring Second Lovers, Satin Hooks, The Valens, j.anthony, & GoREALah Soul @ Walter’s ($10)
Already talked about this one earlier in the week, thankfully, but it’s well worth a mention once again. Oh, and I’ve since learned that the auction will be for kisses from GoREALah Soul member (You)genious, so there’s that for an added bonus, right?

Ruiners/Free Radicals/Por Mis Pistolas @ Mango’s
Whoa. I heard {Ruiners} for the first time this week, and holy crap, am I impressed, even after hearing only a couple of demos. Keep an eye out for this band, seriously, especially you fans of ’90s indie-/math-rock. Plus, {Free Radicals}! The band never disappoints, whatever configuration they happen to be using. Go early (er, now), and stay late.

DJ Sun (record release) @ CHA Champagne & Wine Bar (810 Waugh)
sigh. I’d originally hoped to be able to say something smart & insightful about {DJ Sun}‘s record release tonight at CHA, but I let it get away from me, and now here I am, typing in the dark. Argh. Hey, at least the {Houston Press} has been covering him heavily lately, with a two-part feature about him this past week. I will say that I’m damn glad to see the guy pop back up to the surface again, after a few years spent seemingly under the radar. He’s pretty incredible, one of the brightest lights in H-town’s electronic music realm.

Indian Jewelry @ Galveston Artist Residency (Galveston; free!)
And lo and behold, right in my current neck of the woods, hometown noisypeople {Indian Jewelry} are playing at the Galveston Artist Residency, which I suspect is over on The Strand & is part of the Galveston Art Walk we pretty much accidentally stumbled into this weekend. I wish I could head over there, actually; it’s been too long since I last witnessed IJ’s sound-fuckery, and seeing/hearing it live on the edge of the muddy, murky Gulf seems about right…

Metalachi @ The Scout Bar (Clear Lake)
A mariachi band that plays metal covers. Do I really need to say anything more? Answer: nope, I don’t.

Runners-Up:
The Trimms/Tiziano Dominico/The George Mitchell Trio @ Rudyard’s ($5)
Sounds of Texas Music Series, featuring Lucinda Williams @ Crighton Theatre (Conroe)
Andrew Karnavas @ Natachee’s Supper’n Punch
Live @ The Garden, featuring Radio Galaxy @ Avant Garden
The Dead Rabbits/Days N’ Daze/Marrisa/Small Dog Syndrome @ Vanishing Point Cafe (Galveston)