Yr. Weekend, Pt. 1: What Made Milwaukee Famous + Second Lovers + The March Divide + Pleasure 2 + Deltron 3030 + Metalachi + More

Alright, y’all — it’s Friday, March 28th, and yes, there are most definitely good, cool, awesome things going on here in Houston and in the surrounding environs. Here goes:

What Made Milwaukee Famous/Second Lovers/The New Mercies @ Fitzgerald’s
First on the list is a nice lineup over at Fitz — at the top is Austin band What Made Milwaukee Famous, of whom I’ve been a kinda lukewarm fan for a few years now, but last year’s You Can’t Fall off the Floor made a pretty damn good impression on me, all warm and sweet and Brit-pop-influenced but rootsy even still, and it’s definitely deepened my liking of the band.

Plus, they’re playing with {Second Lovers}, who are bar none one of the best bands in town right now, for my money; I seriously look forward to hearing ’em every single time, and I’m excited to see which direction their rough-edged, husky-voiced roots-folk-pop is going to head from here. And as an added bit of awesomeness, the first band of the night is The New Mercies, which I hear is the new band of Lucas Gorham, of Grandfather Child/Satin Hooks fame. Get there early, people.

Dadsmom/The March Divide/T.A.Y.P. @ Notsuoh
Notsuoh promises to be a little lower-key tonight, but still looks dang good. The high point, at least for yours truly, is San Antonio band The March Divide, in large part to the stellar songwriting of frontman Jared Putnam. The historically-minded might remember the guy from his previous emo band, The Conversation (which I also liked), but these days he’s taken much more of a jangle-pop tack, and yeah, it’s good.

Relics: New Paintings by Ken Wiatrek, featuring Pleasure 2 @ Cardoza Fine Art (1320 Nance; 8-12PM)
This is kind of a quirky one, over here… Tonight’s an opening for artist Ken Wiatrek over at Cardoza Fine Art, for his exhibition of paintings that’ll be going on all month, Relics, and serving as entertainment for the evening is Pleasure 2, which is yet another incarnation of the whole {Indian Jewelry}/Swarm of Angels/etc. crew led by Tex Kerschen.

Do I have any idea what they sound like? Well…um…no, I don’t. But if you’re familiar with Tex and his gang’s work under those other names, you’ll know that whatever they do, it’s weird and fascinating and unique. Go see for yourself.

Deltron 3030/Kid Koala @ House of Blues
YESSSS. Y’know, I cringe to admit it, but I’d totally forgotten about Deltron 3030, and dammit, that’s freaking criminal. And unbeknownst to me, Del the Funky Homosapien, Dan the Automator, and Kid Koala (who’s also playing his own set tonight at the House of Blues) are back with a new album, Event II, which is — hold on, seriously — seemingly a concept album about heroic aliens traversing the universe, with Del’s earthy raps bouncing along over the Automator’s spaceward-pointing beats and synths. It’s both as weird and cool as it sounds.

Metalachi @ The Scout Bar (Clear Lake)
And last but not least, I have three words for you: “mariachi metal covers”. If you need to hear anything else, you have no joy in your soul, and I’m sorry. Off you go…

Runners-Up:
The Witherees @ House of Blues (Crossroads Stage)
The Dead Rabbits @ The Corkscrew
GXIXD/Seldom/Blacklight Interstate/Radio Rewind @ Dan Electro’s Guitar Bar
Southern Culture on the Skids/The Frank Mustard Project @ The Continental Club
Elektrified 4: Ultra 2014 Edition, featuring Peter Parker, Dominic James, 2Tone, BRKLW, Zad, Red, Wes Walz, Mensh, Artafakt, Street Scheme, Oz de Funk, Bassknockers, Taboo, Bizz, & Albert Fix @ Limelight (2401 San Jacinto)
King Mary/Poopy Lungstuffing @ Super Happy Fun Land
The Floating Popes/PuraPharm/Jody Seabody & The Whirls/Celestial Centerfold/Threnody @ The 19th Hole (The Woodlands)
Alvin Music Festival and Cook-Off, featuring Junior Gordon Band, Bri Bagwell, & Bleu Edmondson @ Briscoe Park (Alvin)