Yr. Weekend, Pt. 3: The Tossers + The Dead Rabbits + Haute Wheels + Cancerslug + Days N’ Daze + Handguns + A Loss for Words + More

Coming into the end of our rainy/hot weekend now, with Sunday, October 13th upon us, and yep, there’s still q fair bit going on that looks/sounds cool (to me, anyway).

On a down note, though, I’m saddened to report that it looks like the {Jandek}/Mike Donovan show that we had listed up at Mango’s tonight isn’t happening; I’m not absolutely positive, mind you, but Donovan himself won’t be playing in town ’til 10/17, now, and the listing no longer includes the reclusive Representative From Corwood. But hey, if you hit Mango’s tonight, who knows? Maybe he’ll magically show up anyway…

Here goes for the stuff I’m pretty sure will be happening:

The Tossers/The Dead Rabbits/Blackmarket Syndicate @ House of Blues (Bronze Peacock Room)
Okay, so while the festival-type things happening today are cool and all, this is my pick for the best damn show going. First off, headliners The Tossers are my favorite U.S.-bred Irish folk-punk band, even edging out the Dropkick Murphys by virtue of a closer tie to their folk roots and a seriously smart lyrical sense; I dearly love 2007’s Agony, in particular, but this year’s The Emerald City is no slouch, either.

Beyond that, though, there’s also {The Dead Rabbits}, who are my current fave of Houston’s cheerfully-vibrant Celtic folk/rock scene; they’re raw and rollicking but ridiculously tight and sharp-edged. Take a listen, and you’ll be converted:

Lastly, I just saw that badass street-poet punks {Blackmarket Syndicate} have also been added to the bill, and that’s always a good thing, because those guys are freaking great. Take everything good about vintage Rancid, a heavy dose of London Calling-era Clash, a dash of the political side of Stiff Little Fingers, and a born-in-Houston sense of place, and you’ll get these guys. Trust me, you should get there early for this one.

Haute Wheels Houston, featuring New York City Queens, The Suffers, & Ancient Cat Society @ Houston Community College Southwest (5601 West Loop South Freeway; 12-5PM)
Argh. Dangit, I’d fully intended to post this earlier, but as per usual, things got shuffled around & dropped. Sorry, folks — the good news is that the Haute Wheels festival is still going on, I’m told, despite the rain, and reports I’ve heard say that both the food and the music are just plain awesome.

The latter isn’t really a surprise, honestly, considering who’s on the bill — I’ve raved lately about {The Suffers}, but dangit, I’ll do so again just to say that they’re the best rocksteady band I’ve heard in a decade or so, with a truly wonderful soul-tinged sound I can’t resist. Then there’s {Ancient Cat Society}, which is a cool, cool folk-pop “project” involving Sergio and Austin (I think) from {Buxton}, and closers {New York City Queens}, who are one of the best damn pop bands you’ll ever hear coming out of H-town and a band I actually really love seeing live.

Cancerslug/Molotov Compromise/Days N’ Daze @ Eastdown Warehouse (850 McKee)
Alright, where’re the crust-punks at? Well, at Eastdown Warehouse, most likely, given that rough-edged, in-your-face punks Cancerslug are headlining; the band’s known for its seriously outspoken views on the state of the world, not to mention their heavy, spooky breed of punk rock. And hey, they’re playing with cool-ass locals {Molotov Compromise} and Days N’ Daze, and I seriously like the jaunty, no-shit-giving anarcho-punk-folk sound of the latter, in particular. Get on over to the Northeast Downtown warehouses tonight and get there early for the DN’D folks, eh?

A Loss For Words/Handguns/Major League/The Sheds @ Fitzgerald’s
Finally, up at Fitzgerald’s there’s a nice, nice slate of post-hardcore, post-emo rock bands crashing through and making The Kids get all crazy. I’ll admit that these days I find myself resistant to yet another Melodic Heavy Rock With Guitars And Harmonies Band, but y’know, when it works, it just works, right?

And Pennsylvania/Maryland pop-punks Handguns definitely fit the bill, with a nicely Saves The Day-like sound and some truly great melodies; their most recent album, Angst, is rapidly becoming one of my favorite heavy-rock albums of the past year or so. Plus, there’s Massachusetts-bred band A Loss for Words, who are more on the straight-up pop-punk side of things, with heavier, Close Your Eyes-ish guitars and yell-along vocals that make me smile.

Runners-Up:
Bayou City Art Festival, featuring The Mighty Orq, Thunderado, Hard Proof Afrobeat, Nick Greer and the Gs, & Nick Gaitan & The Umbrella Man @ Sam Houston Park (Downtown; 12-4:50PM)
Wild Child @ Cactus Music (3:30PM)
Danny O’Flaherty & Noel Nash @ McGonigel’s Mucky Duck
Red Cat Jazz Festival, featuring Ronnie Laws, Marva King, Joey Sommerville, Tom Browne, Alex Bugnon, Maurice Brown, Mike Phillips, Kevin Toney, Brian Best, Theresa Grayson, Jeanette Harris, & Chris Mitchell @ Beach Central Park (Galveston)