Yr. Weekend, Pt. 1: Wil Wheaton vs. Paul & Storm + Avenged Sevenfold + Deftones + Kyle Hubbard + Infinite Apaches + The Beans + More

Hey, all — it’s Friday, October 18th, and the start (well, “pseudo-start,” since last night had some very cool shows, as well) of a very full weekend of awesomeness. Here we go:

Wil Wheaton vs. Paul and Storm @ Fitzgerald’s
Oh, holy freaking crap do I wish I could go to this, but sadly, I’ve been in back/shoulder-pain all week, and I’m thinking I won’t be able to stand for long periods of time without puking or passing out. Which sucks, because I’m a big Wil Wheaton fan — not as a Trekker/Trekkie/whatever, no (although I do love ST:TOS, ST:TNG, and ST:DS9), but more as a fan of his writing. Just A Geek, in particular, is a poignant, beautifully-done book, charting his reinvention from child star to actual grown-up writer (and actor, sometimes), and the stuff he posts on his blog/Twitter feed/etc. always makes me think and smile, at the same time. I’d dearly love to meet the guy.

Plus, what I’ve seen of Paul and Storm has been damn entertaining — they’re a musical-comedy duo with a seriously geeky bent, and thy come off like a nerdier Trout Fishing In America, which is no bad thing. I’m not sure entirely how tonight’s supposed to go, especially since Wheaton himself doesn’t sing (I don’t think, anyway), but it should be fun. And sadly, I will probably miss it. sigh…

Avenged Sevenfold/Deftones/Ghost B.C. @ The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
And speaking of things I’d love to see… Okay, this one’s quite a bit more of a stretch, but dang, even in my weakened state it’d be fun to see Avenged Sevenfold and the freaking Deftones. The CWMP is filled with heavy rock/metal badassness, tonight — I’ve been away from A7X for quite a while now, I’ll admit, but City of Evil still lives in my iPod, a decade(?) on, and what I’ve heard of the most recent album, Hail To The King, isn’t bad.

For the Deftones, though, the new stuff is even better; what I’ve heard of the band’s 2012 album, Koi No Yokan, is pretty damn awesome and close to the older stuff I like/liked so much. It’s bittersweet to think of the band to these days, to be sure, but I’m glad they’ve soldiered on without original bassist Chi Cheng…

K-Rino/Kyle Hubbard/D-Risha/SUPRVLNS/DJ JayCee/Cassette Tape/Insomniacs/Mellow Riot @ Avant Garden
This is kind of an odd one for the Avant Garden, to be honest, but I’m glad to see it, either way. Weird venue or not, this is a full lineup of excellent, excellent local hip-hop, especially with {Kyle Hubbard} on the bill. I came to last year’s You’re Not That Special late, it’s true, but once I finally heard it I was bowled over by Hubbard’s sharp-edged, thoughtful-yet-sarcastic lyrics and simmering-hot, Sage Francis-esque delivery; the guy’s the closest answer Houston’s got to the Doomtree crew, and I don’t say that lightly, believe me. I’ve got no idea what the guy’s like live, but if YNTS is any indication, he’s bound to be pretty mindblowing.

Live at Aloft, featuring Infinite Apaches & DJ ActBadd @ Aloft Houston (5415 Westheimer)
Nice, nice, nice — I’m very glad to see some love being given to those crazy {Infinite Apaches}, who are getting the opportunity to show off their strange, fuzzed-out, raggedy-edged psych-rock to a crowd that might not see ’em otherwise. They’re playing tonight up at Aloft Houston, which I think is a hotel right at the Galleria. It’s free, which is very, very nice, so get up to Aloft’s WXYZ Bar, get your drink on, and bliss out to the Apaches.

Mission South/The Beans/The Continuums @ Dan Electro’s Guitar Bar
Finally got to see {The Beans} recently, at Yes Indeed!, after a long damn time of meaning to but never quite making it out. And yeah, I’m glad I did, because the band’s pretty great.

I’ve heard some naysayers complain about these guys, but honestly, I’m not getting that, not at all. Are they flat-out new & original? Nah, probably not, but who cares? Is anybody, these days? Nope. What The Beans are, though, is a freaking tight, excellently rough around the edges blues-task band, the kind I can’t help but nod along to with a smile on my face. They’re gritty and raw, but soulful, like The Black Keys with less Rust Belt and more Southern swamp. Recommended.

Runners-Up:
Glassjaw/The Last Starfighter/Another Run @ Warehouse Live
Shane’s 34th, featuring Rivers, The Vehement Burn, & Murder The Stout @ Rudyard’s
Golden Sombrero/Amigo the Devil/Treehouse Project/Bayou City Kids @ Notsuoh
J. Cole/Wale @ Reliant Arena
Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion/Mike Stinson @ Fitzgerald’s
Hereticks/The Trimms @ Avant Garden
Aska/Wellborn Road/Owl Witch/WolfeBlitzer @ Acadia Bar & Grill (3939 Cypress Creek Pkwy)
Cancer Awareness Gala 2013, featuring DJ Mosley @ The Gatherings Banquet Center (5200 Bissonnet)