Yr. Weekend, Pt. 1: Bad Ass Weekend + Burned Out IV + The Chieftains + Suzanne Vega + More

Well, dang. Here we are at the weekend, y’all, and it’s looking mighty crazy out there. In case you haven’t heard, there’s the NBA All-Star Game in town, which means there’re a bunch of parties going on and a whole bunch of celebrities floating around the city (including Jay-Z & Diddy, for two).

It isn’t really my thing, so I’m kinda meh on most of it — not to mention confused as to whether seeing somebody’s name on a party flyer means they’re performing or just, y’know, showing up. But hey, it’s out there.

Anyway, there’s plenty of other stuff cool going on besides tonight, Friday, February 15th; here we go:

The 1st Bad Ass Weekend, featuring Dropdead, Pretty Little Flower, War Master, Shitstorm, Fuck the Facts, Rusted Shut, Church Whip, Rapturous Grief, & A N G S T @ Walter’s ($15)
The 1st Bad Ass Weekend After Party, featuring The CEO’s, Mindless, Garbage Dump, Kurraka, Bastard Cult, Back to Back, & Kruds @ Houston House of Creeps & Ballistics Skate House ($5)
Yes, yes, yes. Already talked about this one, but it bears re-mentioning, because this is the single biggest pile of noisy, ear-destroyingly loud, raw, heavy rock, hardcore, metal, & whatever else you’re going to run across for quite a while. Tonight’s show up at Walter’s includes {War Master}, who I like quite a bit, {Rusted Shut}, who are the freaking godparents of the Houston noise & punk scenes, and Dropdead, about whom I’ve heard damn good things.

Then there’s the afterparty, split between the HHOC and the Ballistics Skate House (which apparently has a skate ramp inside; niiiiiice….) — not real familiar with the bands playing there tonight, but I’ve heard good stuff about The CEO’s (who I think plays covers of old-school punk tunes) and {Garbage Dump}, for two… Get on out and damage some brain cells.

Burned Out IV, featuring Craig Kinsey, Nick Gaitan and The Umbrella Man, & The Suffers @ Fitzgerald’s
And speaking of damaging brain cells, well, you may’ve already had some of ’em damaged by the songs you’ll hear played tonight up at Fitz, where {Craig Kinsey} and an all-star cast of friends that includes Nick Gaitan & The Umbrella Man and ska/reggae supergroup {The Suffers}, will be doing their worst/best to a bunch of Valentine’s Day-themed classics that’ve been done to death. Expect to hear “Come On Eileen,” “Lola,” “What’s Going On,” and, erm, that loverman classic “Boyz In Da Hood,” among others. Seriously, these Burned Out things are a blast — get on up there & enjoy.

The Chieftains @ Jones Hall
On a quieter, more laid-back note, Irish folk music icons The Chieftains are at Jones Hall tonight, and yeah, even with everything else going on, I still kinda-sorta wish I could be there for it. I’ve been a fan since I first heard ’em back in college, and I’m amazed they’re still around, alive & kicking. A truly stellar, legendary crew of Irish musicians — their version of “Mo Ghile Mear” with Sting remains one of my favorite Irish songs ever.

Suzanne Vega @ Dosey Doe (Spring)
And finally, over in the WTF? Box, we have this show, out at Dosey Doe in Spring, where none other than ’80s folk-pop hero Suzanne Vega — the woman who brought you “Luka” and “Tom’s Diner” (the “doo-doo-doo-do” song) and then proceeded to make five more albums you’ve most likely never heard — will be performing. Which, frankly, is awesome, because she really never got her due here beyond those two hit songs, despite being a damn good songwriter in general.

Runners-Up:
The Gory Details/The Bad Lovers/Mikey & The Drags/The Key Bumpz @ Rudyard’s
The Shadow/The Bad Drugs/Black Queen Speaks @ Fitzgerald’s
Alexa Dexa/AllOne/Nikkhoo/Perseph One @ East Side Social Center (8PM; $3-$5)
Cop Warmth/Eloe Omoe/Trough/CMM @ Vinal Edge (239 W. 19th; free!)
AR*V, featuring Janet Robin, Luke Lukas, The Peewee Band, & NotLando @ Notsuoh
A Fistful of Soul @ The Big Top
2013 All-Star Weekend, featuring Young Jeezy & Nelly @ The Compound at Hess Club (5430 Westheimer)
Action Frank/Gabe McKenzie/Lost Project @ Super Happy Fun Land