Yr. Weekend, Pt. 1: PuraPharm + Jealous Creatures + Glass The Sky + Omotai + Holy Money + Young Mammals + Young Girls + Pleasure 2 + Distant Worker + More

Argh, argh, argh. I’d fully intended to get to this earlier in the week/day, but here I am, it’s late on Friday, February 13th, and there’s a great big pile of awesome things to do, most of which are already underway. Here we go:

PuraPharm (EP release)/Jealous Creatures/Casual Strangers/Glass The Sky @ Warehouse Live (Studio)
Okay, so tonight’s a seriously tough choice, and this is part of the reason why. It’s the official EP release for {PuraPharm} over at the Warehouse Live, and you should get over there right freaking now, people. I’ve only caught the headliners live once so far, but they’re pretty impressive, kind of a dark, moody, orchestral-synth-rock sort of thing, like a female-fronted Placebo with strings; I have yet to hear the new EP, but I’ve heard very, very promising things about it.

On top of that, I dearly love {Jealous Creatures}; they’re honestly one of my favorite bands from pretty much anywhere, at this point. There’s really nobody else out there that sounds quite like they do, merging ’90s-style indie-rock with moody Western music and vocals that are somewhere between Margo Timmins and Aimee Mann. And the same goes for {Glass the Sky}, whose sound rides the line between indie-pop and indie-rock in the gentlest, subtlest way imaginable, and whose members do these incredible four-part harmonies live. Oh, and both bands have new albums in the works, as well.

Omotai/Lions of Tsavo/Mountain of Smoke/Holy Money @ Rudyard’s
And this right here is Part 2 of the tough choice, aka “The Heavy Option.” Much like Jealous Creatures above, {Omotai} have risen to become one of my absolute-favorite bands ever, even as their overall feel has mutated from the more straightforwardly crushing doom-metal they initially made their name with towards their current prog-/post-rock-tinged sound — think more Don Caballero than Isis, these days. They’re badass, frankly.

Austin band Lions of Tsavo are no slouches, either, and their 2013 release, Traverser, crushes and stomps impressively. Plus, there’s new H-town group Holy Money, which I’m told is made up of former members of a whole slew of bands, including Gay Marriage and Hatred Surge. Check ’em out; and hey, it’s Rudyard’s, so it probably hasn’t started yet, right?

Young Mammals/Young Girls @ D&W Lounge (911 Milby; free!)
There’s another great-sounding show over at the D&W Lounge tonight, to boot, with Houston’s two best “Young” bands, long-lived indie-rock kids(?) {Young Mammals} and the don’t-Google-at-work surf-fuzz-pop of {Young Girls}. Both are absolutely great, believe me, and I’m happy to see the Mammals, in particular, back at it once again — they seem to vanish for a couple of years at a time, lately. If you like your rock fuzzy-edged and Pixies-like, or maybe your pop all Surfer Blood-ish and watery-sounding, hey, this is the place to be.

Terry Suprean’s Radiant Beings of New Flesh, featuring Pleasure 2, Distant Worker, P.L.X.T.X, & Millennial Grave @ Civic TV Collective (2119 Dallas)
Last but not least, there’s a cool pile of strangeness going on over at new art/performance venue Civic TV Collective. The venue itself is apparently pretty cool, and I’ve heard good things about the shows there, although I haven’t made it over yet myself; it’s primarily an art gallery, but they’re trying to merge the art and experimental-music worlds somewhat, and that’s always a good thing by me. (This show, specifically, is the after-party for the opening of Terry Suprean‘s Radiant Beings of New Flesh showing, BTW.)

I’m liking the lineup for tonight quite a bit, with digital hardcore smasher {P.L.X.T.X}, {Indian Jewelry} side project {Pleasure 2}, and {Distant Worker}, which is a newish outfit comprised of Richard and Jen from {Fiskadoro} and now David from {Springfield Riots}. I’m not quite sure what they sound like, but considering the folks involved, it’s guaranteed to be good…

Runners-Up:
The Wandering Bufaleros/Josiah Gabriel/NIKKHOO/Son Of Bitch/Little Outfit @ Walter’s
Sandy’s Birthday, featuring B L A C K I E, Kosé, Architects of Cinema, Jonathan F Horne, & more @ El Rincon Social (3210 Preston; 21+ only)
Kina Grannis/Imaginary Future @ Fitzgerald’s
Howl and the Rougarou/Free Radicals @ Notsuoh (free!)
Excision/Minnesota/Protohype @ Stereo Live
Melton Family Benefit, featuring Sik Mule, Jeremy Smith, & Carpet and the Drapes @ Notsuoh
Uli Jon Roth/Tim Ripper Owens/Black Knights Rising @ The Concert Pub North
Blaggards @ Ashford Pub (13308 Westheimer)
Gottem/The Magic Fountain/The Spirit Noise/Mark Gibson/Angela Grace @ Super Happy Fun Land
Automatism by Richard Saenz Fashion Show, featuring DJ SISSY @ Avant Garden
Roxy Roca @ The Continental Club
Mardi Gras! Galveston, featuring Sprung, DJ NonStopp, DJ Randall Martin, Handsome as Sin, DJ Skritchin, Danielle Bradbery, Southbeat Music, & Luke Boor @ The Strand (Galveston)
2-Bit Palomino/Libby Koch @ Main Street Crossing (Tomball)