Yr. Weekend, Pt. 2: The Suspects + Children of Pop + OBN III’s + Bang Bangz + Satellite D’Homme + Joe Pug + Beach Blanket Bingo + More

Late this Saturday, August 23rd, I’m afraid — spent the day doing house stuff with the munchkins — but I didn’t want to miss out on the excellent stuff happening tonight, even if I have to keep it a little brief. Here you go:

The Suspects/Rivers/Children of Pop/Jeremy Carswell & the Nymphs @ House of Crepes/Creeps (807 Williams; $7)
Top of the list is this one, a genuinely oddball-yet-awesome mishmash of bands/musicians at the appropriately-oddball House of Creeps (“House of Crepes,” apparently, tonight). In the headlining spot, there’s Houston’s own ska legends, {The Suspects}, whom I love freaking dearly and have for the past two decades or so, now.

They basically got me started listening to ska, beyond a pretty quick introduction to The Specials and The Beat, and over the years they’ve managed to stay head and shoulders above most of the folks who’ve come along since; they’re honestly one of the best, tightest, sharpest, most entertaining ska bands I’ve ever heard, and I’ve heard a crap-ton of ’em.

Now, like I said, this is an oddball mishmash tonight, so they’re playing with spacey/electronic psych-pop outfit {Children of Pop}, who get better and better with each release, grunge-y throwback rock dudes {Rivers}, and hyper-New Wave pop-rock crew Jeremy Carswell & The Nymphs. It’s a quirky, quirky pile of stuff, but it’s all good, which is pretty damn impressive.

OBN III’s/Talk Sick Brats/Silver Blueberry @ Walter’s ($8)
Second in the pile is this Walter’s lineup, which is badass not only for sharp-edged, sneering punks {Talk Sick Brats} or classic rock ragers {Silver Blueberry}, both of whom are pretty damn cool in their own right, but also for truly cool Austin-based punks OBN III’s.

I only heard the band for the first time back in April, but damn, I like these guys — they’re like The Stooges with less booze and more amphetamines, full of fire and bravado and sharp, sharp, sharp teeth. The closest analogue I’ve heard in recent years is H-town’s own Fatal Flying Guilloteens, or maybe Guilloteen follow-on band Weird Party; all three bands are raw but tightly-wound, and all three are fucking great.

Bang Bangz/Satellite D’Homme/FLCON FCKER/Senior Jukebox @ 3534 Navigation
Next up, a full load of sleek-yet-soulful electro-pop, all part of an end-of-summer blowout the guys and girl in {Bang Bangz} are throwing before they head out on tour to Mexico. The band’s really good, a great, great listen on a late-night drive through the city, and I’ve been recently reminded how much I truly liked last year’s Red City. They’re bringing a bunch of excellent friends along for the ride this evening, at least, including quirky electro-masher {FLCON FCKER} and Bang Bangz/{Tax the Wolf} side project-of-a-side project Satellite D’Homme, who merge soul, funk, and psych-rock into something totally different, and who just released their first single, “Wolf,” just the other day. Get on out and wish the Bangz crew well out on the road…

Max Stalling/Joe Pug @ McGonigel’s Mucky Duck
I’m a big fan of Joe Pug‘s, so I’m psyched to see him coming back through town again. He’s got a remarkably earnest, straightforward delivery, and a great sense of lyricism. He’s like a smoother, less snarky Cory Branan, and that’s no bad territory to be in. Max Stalling‘s no slouch, either, but I tend to go less for the overtly country and more for the road-worn troubadour type, and that’s Pug all the way.

Beach Blanket Bingo, featuring Dillon Francis, Adrian Lux, Paris Blohm, PartyFavor, & Sound Remedy @ 1923 Boddeker Rd. (Galveston; 4PM-12AM)
Fans of EDM are most likely already down in Galveston today for the Beach Blanket Bingo fest, but if you’re not, hell, you should be. Even my non-EDM-loving self likes Dillon Francis quite a bit, despite not having a clue about the whole “moombahton” thing in general, and what I’ve heard from Adrian Lux recently has been pretty damn cool, too. Plus, c’mon: EDM on the dang beach. It’s hard to beat that.

Runners-Up:
Dead to the World/The Gutter Ghouls/The Bloody Von Erichs/Punk Rock Project @ Mango’s
Nathan Quick/Kevin Taylor Kendrick/Starlight Cinema/American Stereo Type @ Fitzgerald’s
Rudyard’s 36th Anniversary Show, featuring The Velostacks, The Guillotines, Supergrave, & Hogleg @ Rudyard’s
Warbeast/Krullur/Epic Death/Owl Witch @ Acadia Bar & Grill
Boomstock Electronic Music Festival, featuring Sultan Ned + Shepard, Vinai, AutoErotique, Ilan Bluestone, Kap Slap, K Theory Live, Kyau & Albert, Norin & Rad, SCNDL, & SNR @ Boomstock Fairgrounds (7505 S. Sam Houston Pkwy E.; 4PM-4AM)
Big Trouble, featuring Dayta, Klinch, Gracie Chavez, & Navo @ Boondocks (free!)
InStereo Wonderground, featuring Oz De Funk, James Reed, Bobby Blyss & Tony Santiago, Charles Bell, Mensh, & Kaymar Ansari @ Stereo Live
Rekliner, featuring Tim Xavier & Andrei Morant @ Crossroads
Justin Van Sant @ House of Blues
Saturate/Vanilla Sugar/Their Name Was Treason/Fault @ The Scout Bar (Clear Lake)