Yr. Weekend, Pt. 1: Peloton + Knights of the Fire Kingdom + Chris Murray + Le Castle Vania + Will to Live + New York City Queens + More

Too much to do, too much to do, and time tick-tick-ticking away, but dangit, there’s a lot of stuff going on this evening (er, right now, as a matter of fact), Friday, April 19th. Without further ado, let’s go:

Peloton (album release)/Knights of the Fire Kingdom/Hoofprints @ Mango’s (free!/$5)
First on the list is {Peloton}‘s official release show for brand-new album Unnatural Affection For Hornets, which I’ve gotten to listen to a little bit already; it builds on the band’s previous sprawling, scrawling noise-rock and turns it into something nearly melodic, believe it or not, pointing a big, meaty finger back at the Archers of Loaf. Seriously, listen to “Rebottled” and tell me there’s not a hook lurking beneath the hum:

I’ve yet to see the band live, which sucks, because I’m damn sure they’re one hell of a spectacle in person. {Knights of the Fire Kingdom} definitely is, that’s for sure — that band’s flat-out excellent both live and in recorded form, with a badass three-guitar attack and a full-on garage-punk roar that’s reminiscent of Drive Like Jehu and early Priestess, at the same time.

Then, opening up the night, there’s {Hoofprints}, who blaze their way through some seriously emo-ish indie-rock that’s full of harmony vocals, spiraling guitars, and Braid-ish arrangements. I’ve listened to debut EP Secretly Destroying Honesty quite a bit the past few months, and it’s damn good.

Ryan Scroggins & the Trenchtown Texans/Chris Murray/Wealthy Beggars/Vic Ruggiero @ The Continental Club
Up at The Continental Club tonight, there’s a downright awesome-looking lineup of ska/rocksteady/reggae heroes, all of whom I like quite a bit. The headliners are locals Ryan Scroggins & the Trenchtown Texans, who’re a bit more on the rocksteady side of things to my ears and who are damn cool. I haven’t heard ’em in a few years, unfortunately, and I seriously need to rectify that…

Before they hit the stage, though, there’s also Chris Murray, aka the ex-frontman of King Apparatus & Venice Shoreline Chris, whose “Ex-Darling” remains the best roots-ska tune I’ve ever heard and is one of my favorite songs of, um, ever. Opening up the night is Vic Ruggiero, better known as the leader of NYC ska band The Slackers. Holy crap, y’all.

Dirtyphonics/Le Castle Vania/Nerd Rage @ Stereo Live
I’m pretty much an ignorant fool when it comes to modern EDM (what folks my age used to call “electronica,” or maybe “techno”); my knowledge of the genre ends pretty much in the mid-’00s at the very latest. I still love old-school Daft Punk, The Crystal Method, Bentley Rhythm Ace, stuff like that, but aside from a handful of more recent things like Skrillex, the lineup at your average EDM show these days is just a bunch of weird names to me.

That said, I have listened to Le Castle Vania some, and I’ve been pretty damn impressed. The way he mixes up the punk aggro with heavy beats is freaking amazing, and say what you will about electronic music not requiring talent, I sure as hell couldn’t do what he’s doing up there. Plus his mashup of Refused’s classic “New Noise” is fucking badass:

Will to Live (CD release)/Killer Ape/Fingers Crossed/Vulgar Display/Holder @ Fitzgerald’s
Hooooaaahhhhrrrhhhhhh. Raise fists, punch the sky, make it bow down before you (or something). That’s essentially what’ll be going on tonight up at Fitzgerald’s, when H-town hardcore/metalcore icons {Will to Live} take to the stage to release new full-length Old Habits Die Hard.

I’ll admit that I’m kind of in awe of the WTL guys, not least of all because, hell, they’re my age (some of ’em, anyway) — the band’s been around since 1997 — and yet they’re still playing like fucking beasts. They’re heavy and raw and loud and, well, if you like your hardcore with triphammer rhythms and buzzsaw guitars, they’re right up your alley.

As an added bonus, tonight’s show also includes {Holder}, which formed out of the remains of {Earhart} and Radio Pioneer, the latter of which itself came out of ’90s proto-emo rockers {The Tie That Binds}. And yeah, they’re pretty great all on their own.

New York City Queens @ Town Center (Kingwood)
Last but totally not least, the very, very, very, very cool {New York City Queens} will be playing tonight waaaaaay up in the Kingwood ‘hood, playing at Town Center up there. Don’t let the name fool you — NYCQ are locals all the way, although their sound’s definitely not what most people would think of when they hear the words “Houston band.” They’re sharp-edged and smart, with an urgent, half-desperate sound that’s like indie-pop amped up to 11. And yes, that’s a very roundabout way of saying, “they’re really damn good.”

Runners-Up:
Waterparks/Another Run/The Dash Between/The Blackout Heist/Square and Compass @ Houston House of Creeps (807 William; $7)
The Cave Singers/Bleeding Rainbow @ Fitzgerald’s
Curren$y/Corner Boy P/Doughbeezy/Fiend/Le$/Kid Named Breezy @ Warehouse Live
Fox & Cats/A Fetish Vendetta/WellWell @ Avant Garden
Poor Dumb Bastards @ Rudyard’s
A NORML Celebration, featuring Fallacy, Kleos, Desecrate the Faith, Epic Death, Paegan, Project Armageddon, Cerebral Down, Robin Kirby, Black Hole Caravan, Sweet Release, Annie B Band, & Beyond All Deception @ Walter’s (3PM-2AM; $10)
Texas Crawfish & Music Festival, featuring Jack Ingram, Theresa Andersson, & Buck Yeager Band @ Old Town Spring (Spring)