Yr. Weekend, Pt. 2: Linus Pauling Quartet + Something Wicked + The Ghost Storys + PUP + Houston Makerspace Benefit + More

Late, late, late, I know — had a day spent chasing the munchkins around nearly non-stop and am only now able to catch a quick breath. If you make it quick, though (and I make this quick), there’s still some very cool stuff happening tonight, Saturday, October 25th. Here we go:

The Linus Pauling Quartet (7″/video release)/Wo Fat @ Rudyard’s
First and foremost in my mind, at least, there’s the explosion of stoner-rock fury that’ll be going off at Rudyard’s this evening, with the {Linus Pauling Quartet} celebrating both the release of their brand-new 7″ — which I reviewed yesterday right over here — and their brand-new video for said 7″.

Now, the video itself isn’t officially out ’til October 28th, I believe, but I think the band may be giving attendees of tonight’s show a sneak peek at it; I’ve seen it, and yes, it’s really damn great. Think Indiana Jones, Russ Meyer, H.P. Lovecraft, and the Brothers Quay, all mashed up together, and you’ll be kinda-sorta close. Here’s a trailer to give you a little taste of what’s to come:

Watch, be amazed, and then get your ass up to the Montrose to catch LP4 onstage tonight, alongside super-heavy Dallas dudes Wo Fat. Alright?

Something Wicked Festival 2014, featuring Bassnectar, Dillon Francis, Kaskade, Martin Garrix, A-Trak, Borgore, Bro Safari, Cedric Gervais, Cosmic Gate, Deorro, Excision, Ferry Corsten, Flosstradamus, Headhunterz, Madeon, NERVO, Zeds Dead, Alex Metric, Amine Edge & Dance, Andrew Rayel, Arnej, Art Department, Bixel Boys, Botnek, Caked Up, Cash Cash, Ferry Tayle, Galantis, Jordy Dazz, Julian Jordan, Kill Paris, Lets Be Friends, Liquid Todd, Luminox, Michael Brun, MORTEN, My Nu Leng, Oliver Heldens, Sied van Riel, Simon Patterson, Slander, Tchami, Tony Junior, & Vindata @ Sam Houston Race Park
Something Wicked Afterparty, featuring Oliver Heldens, Galantis, Surain, Albert Fix, EleMir, Jason Alan, LeeRx, Parker Clark, 2t0ne, DJ Ambition, Lost Prophet, & KB-Nasty @ Stereo Live (11PM)
Okay, let’s be honest: if you’re planning on going to this year’s Something Wicked, odds are good you’re already there, right? It bears mentioning even still, though, for looking a whole lot like what a relative outsider like myself would imagine a die-hard EDM fan’s best-ever wet dream would look (and sound) like. There’s some big, big names on there, folks even I know, like Dillon Francis, Borgore, Kaskade, and Bassnectar, and some excellent mid-range people like Madeon (whose “The City” I like a whole hell of a lot) and Ferry Corsten, plus folks I’ve never heard of before, like the awesomely-named Bro Safari. I’m sure it’s not too late to get out to Sam Houston Race Park, but if you don’t feel like making the drive, hell, there’s always the official afterparty over at Stereo Live. Oh, and keep in mind that the party rolls on into tomorrow, Sunday, October 26th, as well — no clue who’s playing when, I’m afraid…

Halloween Monster Mash Bash, featuring The Ghost Storys, Molotov Compromise, Always Guilty, Critical Damage, & The Femme Fatale Girls @ Eastdown Warehouse (850 McKee; $5)
There’s a cool throwback show happening over at the Eastdown Warehouse tonight, with a bunch of bands who’ve either moved away, changed around quite a bit, or broken up. Apparently ska-punks {Always Guilty} will have their original lineup tonight, Northside punk band Critical Damage is reuniting (for just tonight? No idea…), and {The Ghost Storys}, who I’m pretty sure no longer call Houston home but who I’ve liked for many years now anyway. Glad to see ’em back around.

PUP/Hard Girls/The Turnaways @ Fitzgerald’s
This one caught me somewhat off-guard; I’d never heard of Canadian punks PUP ’til really damn recently, and now that I’ve finally had a chance to give ’em a listen, I’m wishing I’d heard ’em sooner, dammit. They’re loud and raw and rollicking but still awesomely tuneful despite the furious guitars and gang-yelled vocals — it’s like if the Alkaline Trio played nothing but old-school Weezer or Rocket From The Crypt covers, with great melodies, desperate vocals, and slashing, stabbing, about-to-feed-back guitars.

Wicked Things Halloween Party, Benefitting Houston Makerspace, featuring DJ Fredster Singson & DJ Angiesliste @ Houston Makerspace (100 Hutchenson)
I dunno much about the folks DJing tonight, but the Wicked Things benefit for the Houston Makerspace is awesome because, um, it’s to help out the Houston Makerspace. I’ll freely admit that I’m not any kind of DIY super-engineer, myself, but I love the idea of a place where kids (and adults, but kids in particular) can go to learn how to make pretty much any-damn-thing, from metal to wool to electronics. It’s a very, very neat deal.

A Night of Prayer & Worship, featuring Cameron Dezen Hammon & Matt Hammon @ Vineyard Church of Houston (1035 E. 11th St.; 7PM)
Not sure if this is still going or not, but if it is, you really ought to get over there; not only are excellent musicians and generally awesome people Cameron Dezen Hammon and Matt Hammon (who you might know better as two-thirds of {The Rebecca West}) playing songs from their album Songs of Heaven, which is apparently about struggling against the horror that is human trafficking, but there’ll also be talking about the efforts of A 2nd Cup and other anti-human trafficking organizations. Well, well worth your time.

Runners-Up:
Anberlin/Dayshell @ House of Blues
Let’s Get Ghost: Halloween Party, featuring The Hue, Children of Pop, Def Perception, & Baby Roo @ Walter’s
Frankie G/iLL LiaD/Two Dollar Pistol/American Martens/Category 9 @ Notsuoh
Second Annual BooTown Bash, featuring Rosette, DJ Joe Gross, & Neo Benshi All Stars @ The Summit (3536 Navigation)
Alimañas/The Downbeats/Screech of Death/Conflikto/Space Villains @ Axelrad (1517 Alabama)
Black Magic, featuring Henry Chow, Noey Lopez, Sasha Braverman, Nihal Ramchandani, & Joshua Cordova @ The Flat (1701 Commonwealth)
The Grand Prize Bar First Ever Annual Anniversary-Ish Surprise Party, featuring A Fistful of Soul @ Grand Prize Bar (1010 Banks)
CPN Metal Fest, featuring Hellion, Rotting Corpse, & Tony Macalpine @ The Concert Pub North
Soul Sessions Saturdays, featuring DJ Tempty @ MKT Bar (8-11PM; free!)
Rockers for Knockers 2014, featuring Torrid Complex, Whiskey Fueled Death, The Black 13, Rest When We’re Dead, Can’t Live Like This, Reckless High, Supremacy, Bag of Tricks, & Paperanvil @ Old Houston Ice House (Conroe; 2:30-11:30PM)