Yr. Weekend, Pt. 2: Keeton Coffman + Mutual Benefit + Fox & Cats + The Lotus Effect + Jon Black + P.L.X.T.X + More

It’s Saturday, February 1st, now, and yes, we’re back again with all the cool things going on tonight. There’s quite a bit, which is always good, but again, I’m going to have to keep it somewhat minimal for the moment; here we go:

Andrew Ripp/Judah & the Lion/Keeton Coffman @ House of Blues (Bronze Peacock Room)
I’m afraid I dunno Andrew Ripp or Judah & the Lion at all, sorry, but frankly, I don’t care. Nothing against those folks, but local boy {Keeton Coffman} is who I’d be seriously tempted to drive up to the House of Blues to see.

I was sorely disappointed when Coffman broke up his old band, The 71’s, but not having a band hasn’t slowed him down one bit, and he keeps cranking out amazing, jaw-droppingly good music all on his own. His latest, the Stumble On Love EP (which you can download for free over here, btw, and yes, you should do that), is flat-out phenomenal, heartfelt and wonderfully put-together and gorgeous. Check out him doing “The Prayer” (my favorite track on the EP) live, below:

Mutual Benefit/Fox & Cats/Fair Attic @ Fitzgerald’s
There’s an excellent lineup of fuzzy-edged pop tonight at Fitzgerald’s, with headliners Mutual Benefit, who buck the current electro-pop trend (thankfully) and instead ramble on over into the more pastoral realms of Belle and Sebastian-style pop, jangly but still with some of that undeniably British distance. Before they go on, though, there’s also local band Fox & Cats, about whom I’ve raved about multiple times recently but feel compelled to rave about again — they’re damn good, in a mid-’90s kind of way, blurring the lines between emo-ish indie-rock and more straightforward power-pop, and the result is great, great stuff. Get there soon so you don’t miss out.

What Lies Behind/Weapons of War/Avenging Angels/Beyond All Deception/Aliah Listens/The Lotus Effect @ The 19th Hole (The Woodlands)
And speaking of getting there soon… The opener at this metal-heavy show up at The 19th Hole in The Woodlands is none other than {The Lotus Effect}, a band I’ve been liking more and more lately. They’ve been working hard on their forthcoming full-length(?), and recently released “Totality,” the first single, and…well, holy shit, y’all.

It’s a little weird to see ’em on a metal bill like this, but they’re definitely heavy, with thundering, punch-you-to-the-floor guitars and stomping rhythms; at the same time, though, there’s this tinge of prog-rock to it all, with the guitar lines spiraling off in directions you don’t quite expect, and singer Dre Giles brings it all together with some beautiful-yet-shattered vocals. The end result is like a Texas-bred Deftones, and that — to me, at least — is pretty damn cool to behold. Again: get there soon.

Zoofeelia (EP release)/Nikkhoo/P.L.X.T.X./Jon Black/Hoffle Stoff Awaffogus @ The Big Yellow Joint (4331 Tulane)
Finally, this show at an odd venue I’ve never heard at on Tulane promises to be pretty darn intriguing, albeit in a very different way than most of the rest of the shows I’m blathering about tonight. Never seen/heard much from some of these folks, but I’ve been very impressed by rapper {Jon Black}, a guy who rides the line between backpack-rap and that weird-ass cLOUDDEAD-type stuff, and I truly like {P.L.X.T.X}, as well, although I suspect that those digital-hardcore triphammer rhythms and noise blasts might melt my brain…

Runners-Up:
Skinny Puppy @ Warehouse Live (Studio)
La Fin Absolute du Monde/Cashus/children of pop/Belvoir @ Montrose Proper (1505 Westheimer; $5)
Dollyrockers/The Bar Brawl III/The Swamps @ Rudyard’s
Houston Creole Festival & Mardi Gras Parade, featuring Step Rideau, Dikki Du, J Paul, & Jojo Reed @ Discovery Green & Knights of Columbus Hall (6320 Madden)
Shinyribs/Austin Lounge Lizards @ McGonigel’s Mucky Duck
Winter Metal Fest 2014, featuring Satranine, Sons of Blackwater, Torrid Complex, Whiskey Fueled Death, Ax Of Betrayal, Seanster McDaniel Band, We Inhale Heavens, All Who Prevail, & 4 Hour Letter @ Eastdown Warehouse (850 McKee; 4PM-12AM)
Bike Smut 7 Film Screening, featuring Lisa Lyric @ Super Happy Fun Land
Born From Ruins/Downfall 2012/Vella @ The Scout Bar (Clear Lake)
Adams Conducts Adams @ Jones Hall