Yr. Weekend, Pt. 2(?): House Party Comedy! + Rivers + The Phlegmatics + Burn the Boats + Roxy Roca + Wings of the City Opening + More

Holy crap, people — there are a lot of good shows going on tonight, Friday, September 6th, and sadly, there’s no way in hell I’ll be able to talk about more than a small fraction of ’em here (especially the EDM stuff). But hey, “some” is better than “none,” right? Right.

Before we dive in, though, there’s a non-musical thing happening this evening that I wanted to mention, because it’s bound to be hysterically funny. Chron Music Editor (and all-round cool guy) Andrew Dansby will be the “Guest Monologist” tonight at the latest installment of the Supernova Armando improv comedy show at the Station Theater, which means that he’ll get up on stage and tell some embarrassing stories about himself, and the improv troupe then does their thing to make it funny. I’ve seen similar shows elsewhere, and trust me, it can be some truly, truly good funny. (And kudos to Andrew for doing this; I sure as hell wouldn’t have the balls to…)

So, there you go. On to the more musical stuff:

House Party Comedy!, featuring comedians Sean Rouse, Gabe Bravo, & John Nguyen & Justin Nava (mem. of the last place you look) @ 1509 Stuart St. (free!)
First up, local Energizer Bunny-like artist/performer/animal lover Jacob Calle is hosting a comedy house party tonight, at his casa at 1509 Stuart in the Midtown ‘hood, and it promises to be a whole lot of fun. He’s got comedian Sean Rouse — who I’ve heard of but never seen — in the headlining spot, and local dudes Gabe Bravo and John Nguyen, both of whom I’ve heard good things about, as openers.

Beyond that — and yes, here’s where the music-relatedness comes in — he’s got Justin Nava from badass post-emo rockers {the last place you look} not cracking the jokes but rather playing some songs to start the night off. And hell, I’d go see that all by itself, y’know?

Of course, as always with house show-type things, follow the cardinal rule of Don’t Be An Asshole, People Actually Live Here, or else A. Jacob may never be able to do anything like this ever again, and B. you’ll definitely be a dickbag. Just sayin’. People who get out of control at house parties piss me off…

Rivers/Estafets/The Phlegmatics @ Super Happy Fun Land
In a more strictly musical (although still quirky and funny) vein, I’d heartily recommend heading on over to Super Happy Fun Land tonight to catch two awesome bands. The headliner(?) is {Rivers}, who play bluesy, muddy, gritty rawk that’ll gleefully punch you in the neck and steal your keys, then buy you a beer afterwards to make things right; they’re the closest thing I’ve ever heard to old-school Mudhoney beyond, well, Mudhoney, and that’s no small praise.

Then there’s {The Phlegmatics}, who’re apparently coming out of their usual seclusion lately to play at various places around town… That’s a damn good thing, because they’re seriously freaking great, a full-on power-pop band that’s ferocious and geeky at the same time, blasting out of Marshall stacks while singing songs about unibrows, punk rock NPR DJs, and the joys of stalking strangers. Honestly, just thinking about this band, I now have three of their songs suddenly stuck on repeat inside my skull, all at the same time. (And yes, I’m okay with that.)

Burn the Boats (record release)/Supergrave/Dead Mineral/ASS @ Fitzgerald’s
Those with a need for something heavier/drunker can head on over to Fitzgerald’s, where heavy, snarling, stomping metal dudes {Burn The Boats} will be holding the release of new album From Under The Waves. They’re loud and old-school, reminding me more of folks like Sabbath or Dio than of more contemporary metal bands, and hey, that works for me. Probably the closest analogue I can think of is to fellow locals Venomous Maximus (especially given that both bands tend to look to mythology and fantasy for their lyrical subject matter), but even there there’s a different feel, a more rough-edged heaviness to it. Think Early Man crossed with Black Sabbath, and you’ll be in the ballpark…

Roxy Roca/Picture Book @ The Continental Club
There’s a nice double-feature going tonight at The Continental Club, too, with dueling retro-ish sounds both early and late. Local boys {Picture Book} start off the evening at happy hour, where Chase Hamblin and his cohorts will go barrelling along through a full set of classic rock covers; I’ve yet to see Picture Book live, it’s true, but I’ve seen Hamblin live, and trust me, he’s pretty much steeped in that era of music.

Later in the evening, Austin “Southern soul” band Roxy Roca roll into town, and you should definitely stick around, because these guys do funky, gritty soul like few others can. Think The Adjusters, think Fitz and the Tantrums, think Sharon Jones, think Soul Track Mind; they’re definitely in the same awesome, awesome musical realm.

Wings of the City Opening Celebration, featuring Villalobos Brothers, Vanessa Cerda-Alonzo, & Sergio Uriel Sanchez @ Discovery Green (7PM)
This is a very neat-sounding event, at least to me — it’s the opening party for a new set of bronzes by Mexican artist Jorge Marin called Wings of the City, which are apparently going to be displayed at Discovery Green from now until February 8th of next year. They’ve made their way up here from Mexico City via Brownsville, and they’re apparently pretty cool to see and interact with.

Anyway, to celebrate the opening, there’s a concert that’ll feature fiddlers the Villalobos Brothers, opera singer Vanessa Cerda-Alonzo, and Houston Grand Opera guitarist Sergio Uriel Sanchez. Which, again, sounds pretty cool to me; get on out there.

Electric Foam, featuring Surain, Parker Clark, Vance Lawrence, Leerx, Southern Hype, KB-Nasty, Corquet, Kaito, Sam Thompson DJ RN, Weezar, Mateusz, Albert Fix, & JKB @ Stereo Live
And finally, I had to include this one just to say this: FOAM CANNONS. AND LASERS. You crazy, crazy EDM kids, you…

Runners-Up:
The Invincible Czars/Come See My Dead Person @ Rudyard’s
FLCON FCKER/Middle Child/Mantra Love @ Walter’s
NEEDTOBREATHE/The Oh Hellos @ Bayou Music Center
Nekrofilth/P.L.F./U.Y.U.S./Turbokrieg/HRA @ Mango’s
Linkin Park/30 Seconds to Mars/AFI @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Camp Big Stick Book Release Party, featuring A Sea Es, Beta Theater, & more @ The Jenner House (1619 Chapman)
Last Ones Left/The Trimms/Amoretta/Find Balance/Apothica @ Fitzgerald’s
Elektrified: Battle Stations, featuring Neer Music vs. Matthew Dunn, Bizz vs. Dominic James, Yetti vs. Monstar, GR8OH8 vs. BRKLW, Faiel vs. Trill NYE, CPZ vs. Southstar, Mensh, DJ Eyad, Afshin Linux, Kamyar, 2Tall, Omega Tek, Buddy K, & Hooligan @ Limelight (2401 San Jacinto)
Distant Lights/Dawn Over Zero @ The Vintage Pub (13245 Jones Rd.)
We Do It For The Love, featuring Sasha Braverman, Henry Chow, & Noey Lopez @ Alley Kat Bar & Lounge
Music Saved My Life Vol. 2 Closing Party, featuring Seat 7 & Uncle Dad and Auntie Mom @ Ben’s Beans (1302 Dallas; 7-11PM, free!)
Carolyn Wonderland @ Main Street Crossing (Tomball)