Yr. Weekend, Pt. 1: Second Lovers + Ruby The Rabbitfoot + the last place you look + SXSW Overflow Fest + More

Getting a jump on the weekend, for once, starting with tonight, Thursday, March 12th — I couldn’t pass it by, honestly, with so much excellent stuff happening. Here we go:

Second Lovers/Somebody’s Darling @ The Nightingale Room (308 Main; 7:30PM, $5)
First up is brand-new venue The Nightingale Room — which I seriously plan to make it over to, one of these damn days — where one of my absolute-favorite bands in town (or otherwise, really), {Second Lovers}, happens to be playing. They’re rootsy and melodic and intense while not being overblown, and in a lot of ways they come closer than anybody else in town to the roots-rock of The Jayhawks or Son Volt, albeit with some stellar female vocals. In a sea of similarly-influenced bands (many of whom I also like, don’t get me wrong), they shine brightly.

For proof, here’s a new video they shot at a Warehouse Live show a while back:

Go, go, go. Fans of all things rootsy and folky, you will not be disappointed.

Ruby The Rabbitfoot/Dollie Barnes/Adam Bricks/Elaine Greer @ Walter’s
Also on the “folky” side of things, although not all that much on the “rootsy,” the entertainingly-named Ruby The Rabbitfoot hits Walter’s tonight, and after listening a bit these past couple of weeks to her most recent album, New As Dew, that’s a very good thing. Ruby Kendrick has a gorgeous, gorgeous, somnolent-yet-soulful voice, kind of treading a line between Fiona Apple and Kelli Scarr, and she pulls you along in a nicely alluring, hazy way.

Plus, there’s also excellent urban-folk purveyor {Adam Bricks}, whom I like quite a bit, and expat Houstonian Elaine Greer, who is pretty damn awesome in her own right.

the last place you look @ The Dirt (1209 Caroline; free!)
A last-minute surprise show over at The Dirt with my favorite alt-rock/post-emo dudes, {the last place you look} — given the size of the place, it’ll be a far, far cry from one of their usual Warehouse Live-filling shows, but hey, the intimate setting should make it even cooler. The band put out one of the best damn releases I heard all last year, their Rip It Out EP, and this time out they’re promising to show off some new songs they’ve been working on, as well as some kind of “special guest” who’ll apparently be playing with ’em. Oh, and it’s free. Hot damn…

SXSW Overflow Fest, featuring Genesis Blue, Zahi, Chop, Tony Banks, Kristen Ford, & Dan Blakslee @ Super Happy Fun Land
Last but certainly nowhere near least, tonight also marks the first night of this year’s SXSW Overflow Fest over at Super Happy Fun Land. I wasn’t able to do a full writeup of tonight’s bands, but I’ll start with those soon — for now, though, suffice it to say that the Overflow Fest is an excellent, fun, laidback, cheap-as-hell way to see and hear a ton of bands you’ve likely never heard of before now. Note, mind you, that “never heard of” does not mean “crappy”; I’ve seen a lot of musicians cycle through Overflow Fest over the years, and a lot of ’em have been truly, truly excellent.

Tonight’s lineup is relatively Houston-heavy, with hip-hop acts Zahi, Genesis Blue, and Chop closing out the night, but that’s pretty abnormal; the fest usually ranges far and wide, with only a handful of locals. Either way, though, it’ll be very cool.

Runners-Up:
Nick Gaitan & The Umbrella Man @ The Big Top
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, featuring Folk Family Revival @ The Hideout (NRG Stadium)
Q/Life Like/Black Coffee/Stagnant Youth/Midwives @ Mango’s ($7)
The Witherees @ House of Blues (Crossroads Stage)
Texas Salsa Congress, featuring Marlow Rosado & Willy Calderon @ The Westin Oaks Galleria (5011 Westheimer)