Yr. (Early) Weekend, Pt. 1: Johnette Napolitano + Quiet Company + Finnegan + Robert Ellis + From Beyond + Eagulls + More

Well, holy crap. I just happened to glance at ye olde calendar for tonight, Thursday, May 22nd, and realized that there’s a ton of things going on, way more than I’d thought there would be. I’m running short on time, but trust me, there’s pretty much something for everybody happening this evening:

Johnette Napolitano/Dane Sonnier @ Warehouse Live (Studio)
First and foremost (for me, at least), Concrete Blonde frontwoman Johnette Napolitano will be at Warehouse Live, doing a solo show that’s bound to be really damn good. The woman’s got one hell of a powerful voice, and while I’m not the diehard fan my wife is (we’ll be up there tonight, as part of her Mother’s Day present), the one time I’ve seen CB live, it was pretty mind-exploding. Plus, she’s playing with local icon Dane Sonnier (of the Galactic Cowboys!), which is no bad thing.

Thursday Concert Series, featuring Quiet Company & Finnegan @ Discovery Green (6PM; free!)
Slightly earlier in the evening, though (at 6PM), there’s an awesome installment of the Thursday Concert Series over at Discovery Green that’s got me seriously, seriously pained because I can’t be in two places at once. See, two of my absolute-favorite bands are playing back-to-back — first there’s gorgeous, defiant roots-pop outfit {Finnegan}, back from their two-year(!) hiatus due to various members of the band having kids (which, yeah, I get that), and I’ve got to see them live again.

Then, to make matters worse (for me)/better (for you), headlining is Austin band Quiet Company, which has surged to near the top of my Favorites Of All Time pile by virtue of their intensely personal, sharp-edged songwriting and unstoppable energy. If you’ve never seen them, trust me: you need to. Oh, and it’s free.

Robert Ellis/Radney Foster @ McGonigel’s Mucky Duck
And then, the third punch: yes, Houston expat and roots-country-folk troubadour {Robert Ellis} is playing up at the Mucky Duck tonight, and yeah, it promises to be great. I can’t freaking get The Lights From The Chemical Plant out of my head, and it’s already one of my top-ten of the year, guaranteed; the man wields a phrase like few others can, and when he sings, that voice can practically carve your heart out (gently, mind you).

Castle/From Beyond/The Swamps/Project Armageddon @ Mango’s ($10)
If all this folky/poppy stuff just isn’t doing it for you, well, head over to Mango’s for a full slate of heavy-ass (mostly) metal. Doom-y, murky, Lovecraft-influenced dudes {From Beyond} are stellar, and I’ve heard very good things about San Francisco doomsters Castle and locals {The Swamps} and {Project Armageddon}, too, so get there early.

Eagulls/Twin Peaks @ Fitzgerald’s
Last but not least, Fitz has a cool-sounding show tonight; I’m not super-familiar with Twin Peaks, but I’ve been listening to Brit kids Eagulls for the past several days and am very, very impressed. They’re punkish but tuneful, like a throwback to New Wave/art-rock bands of the ’80s but with more of a modern-day swagger, and I’m liking it quite a bit.

Runners-Up:
Holly Golightly & the Brokeoffs/Sergio Trevino @ Rudyard’s
Clory Martin @ The Alley Kat (7:30PM)
OFF!/Cerebral Ballzy/NASA Space Universe @ Fitzgerald’s
Stephen Marley/Jo Mersa Marley/Wayne Marshall @ House of Blues
Nick Gaitan & The Umbrella Man @ The Big Top
Sweet Beasts/Zin Sin/Darwin’s Finches/Jesus, The Crazy and The Bad Kids/Bang Feather Bang/Ms. Modesty @ Notsuoh
Mat Zo/Kill The Noise @ Stereo Live
Kingmaker/So Many Ways/Lakota De Kai/Lesser Degree/Some Nerve/Blasé @ Walter’s ($10)
Vanilla Sugar @ Pearl Lounge
Dancin’ in the Street… Motown & More @ Miller Outdoor Theatre (8:15PM)
The Grizzly Band/Black Grass Gospel/In Da Skies @ The Scout Bar (Clear Lake)
Folk Family Revival @ Masones Saloon (Cypress)