The Rundown, 3/8-3/15 + Super Happy Shutdown Aftermath

[UPDATE: A few more of the “orphaned” Super Happy bands listed below have now found homes; I’ll keep updating as I get more info…]

I’ve been slacking on the Rundowns lately, but with Ramon @ Free Press taking a couple of weeks off to hit SXSW and ADR @ Skyline M.I.A., dammit, it seems it’s all come down to me. (Well, and David @ Houston Calling and the HandStamp folks, but y’know.) Agh, the pressure! Must… ignore… TV… write… about… shows…gah! I’ve been getting used to there being other folks out there more reliable than me for this stuff, y’know? I’m gettin’ soft, man. Damn…

First off, just a couple of show changes/cancellations. Unfortunately, Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin has cancelled her Houston show on 4/26, according to the folks at the Chronic; last I checked, she hadn’t given any kind of explanation, but there’re all kinds of theories that she’s mad at Beyoncé. Whatever — way to be grown-up about it, Your Highness.

On top of that, the very, very Euro-electric Gunther & The Sunshine Girls (of “Ding Dong Song” fame/infamy) have had to reschedule their show at The Meridian, which was going to be this coming Sunday, for 4/4. Apparently Gunther & crew got sick & had to postpone their tour a bit. Yes, I can hear your whimpering sobs all the way over here; keep it together, please.

Now for the really bad news. Sorry to break the news, fans of that SXSW Spillover Effect we Houstonians sometimes experience, but life just got harder. Apparently Super Happy Fun Land is still fighting to reopen after being smacked down by The Man in the form of the fire marshal. Which sucks a whole lot of ass, because if you’ve looked at the shows list any time recently, you’ve no doubt noticed that they’d booked a whole ton of SXSW-players — some of whom haven’t even been here before that I’ve heard of — for their “SXSW Overflow Fest 2008.”

Sadly, what with The Man’s smackdown, the SHFL folks have confirmed that yes, they will be closed down for a few weeks, not reopening to 3/18 or so…which is pretty much after all the SXSW crossover-ness was due to hit. Which means that alllllll those shows are — poof — not happening. Damn. Sucks for the bands, sucks for the Super Happy people, sucks for all us music lovers here in H-town. Sucks all ’round.

On the positive side, it appears that a some of the other clubs/venues in town have tried to step in and rescue as many of the orphaned bands as they can. Which is a very good thing, because I was really looking forward to these folks coming through — Jason Webley, Great Lakes Myth Society, The Pharmacy, Die! Die! Die!, all of ’em excellent bands. Thanks to the kind reshuffling of people at Notsuoh, Rudyard’s, Fitzgerald’s, The Mink, & others, I (and you) are no longer out of luck.

Here’s the schedule that was, with notes to update y’all as to where bands have been moved, as far as I know ’em:

Fri., March 7 – SXSW Overflow Fest 2008, featuring The Vincent Black Shadow & Wolff (mem. of Drums and Tuba) @ Super Happy Fun Land

Sat., March 8 – SXSW Overflow Fest 2008, featuring AutoVaughn & The Payola Reserve @ Super Happy Fun Land

Sun., March 9 – SXSW Overflow Fest 2008, featuring Have Gun Will Travel, The Vettes, Brenn, Mermaid Police, & Band LeGrand @ Super Happy Fun Land

UPDATED: Band LeGrand –> The Mink (also @ Notsuoh 3/10)

Mon., March 10 – SXSW Overflow Fest 2008, featuring Everthus the Deadbeats, Grampall Jookabox, All American Werewolves, Infected, Kill Toby Wyatt, Mumpsy, & The Swimmers (4PM) @ Super Happy Fun Land

Mumpsey/The Swimmers/Band LeGrand –> Notsuoh

Tues., March 11 – SXSW Overflow Fest 2008, featuring We Versus the Shark, Pash Band, The LK, Justice Yeldhelm, Mossyrock, Meredith Bragg and the Terminals, Knifeworld, Biclops, All Parallels, & You, Me, And Everyone You Know @ Super Happy Fun Land

We Versus the Shark –> The Mink

Pash Band –> Rudyard’s

Meredith Bragg and the Terminals/The LK/Biclops/All Parallels –> Notsuoh

Wed., March 12 – SXSW Overflow Fest 2008, featuring The 8 Bit Revival, Dead Legs, Jason Webley, Black Horse, O! Captain! My Captain!, & Apteka @ Super Happy Fun Land

UPDATED: Jason Webley/Apteka/The 8 Bit Revival –> Notsuoh

Thurs., March 13 – SXSW Overflow Fest 2008, featuring Iceage Cobra, Royce Icon, The Coma Lilies, The Coma Recovery, Adai, All the Saints, & Hi Red Center @ Super Happy Fun Land

UPDATED: Iceage Cobra –> Notsuoh (3/14)

UPDATED: The Coma Lilies –> Notsuoh (3/17)

Fri., March 14 – SXSW Overflow Fest 2008, featuring Minmae, Tom Vollman, Chase Frank, Rademacher, & Goodbye Gadget @ Super Happy Fun Land

UPDATED: Tom Vollman –> Notsuoh

Sat., March 15 – SXSW Overflow Fest 2008, featuring Thee Emergency, Whitman, & Me Talk Pretty @ Super Happy Fun Land

Me Talk Pretty –> The Scout Bar (Clear Lake)

Whitman –> Notsuoh

Sun., March 16 – SXSW Overflow Fest 2008, featuring Die! Die! Die!, The Pasties, Audrey Ryan, Kimya Dawson, Angelo Spencer, Great Lakes Myth Society, Mia and Jonah, Cameron McGill And What Army, & Boy Bathing @ Super Happy Fun Land

The Pasties/Cameron McGill And What Army/Great Lakes Myth Society –> Notsuoh

Mon., March 17 – SXSW Overflow Fest 2008, featuring The Pharmacy, Pleasureboaters, Goes Cube, Cougar Den, Fire Flies, Bryan Scary & The Shredding Tears, Wildlife, Capitol K, & Puddin’ Tang @ Super Happy Fun Land

Fireflies/Goes Cube/Bryan Scary & The Shredding Tears –> Notsuoh

Bands Still Without (Temporary) Homes: Have Gun Will Travel, The Vettes, Brenn, Mermaid Police, Everthus the Deadbeats, Grampall Jookabox, All American Werewolves, Infected, Kill Toby Wyatt, Justice Yeldhelm, Mossyrock, Knifeworld, Biclops, You, Me, And Everyone You Know, Dead Legs, Black Horse, O! Captain! My Captain!, Royce Icon, The Coma Lilies, The Coma Recovery, Adai, All the Saints, Hi Red Center, Minmae, Chase Frank, Rademacher, Goodbye Gadget, Thee Emergency, Die! Die! Die!, Audrey Ryan, Kimya Dawson, Angelo Spencer, Mia and Jonah, Boy Bathing, The Pharmacy, Pleasureboaters, Cougar Den, Wildlife, Capitol K, & Puddin’ Tang.

So, all isn’t quite lost, and hopefully Super Happy Fun Land will be back on its feet soon enough — gotta keep that place around, y’all.

Oh, and in terms of other positive news (this time pretty much completely positive, mind you): on Wed., April 16, alt-country icons Son Volt will be at The Continental Club (along with Bobby Bare Jr., who’s pretty great in his own right. Screw Wilco; these are the guys I want to see…

Beyond that, there’s seriously a ton of good stuff on its way:

Sat., March 8:
Risky Bizniss, featuring The Fluokids, Spain Colored Orange, Satin Hooks, The Factory Party, Damon Allen vs. Fixture, Michele (Spinnin’ Kitties), Juan The Terrible, Dayta vs. Witnes, O Pioneers!!!, Elron Hubbard, B., El Nino, FredSTER, Boy Boy, & DJ Psychedelic Sex Panther @ Thunderdome Warehouse (Garrow St.; call 832-221-3331 for directions)
Now, this here is partly why I love Houston’s fractured music scene so damn much — by and large, the truly talented ones honestly don’t give a damn for labels, which is how you get cool nu-New Wave rockers like The Factory Party and great post-punks like Satin Hooks playing alongside a slew of DJs, all at a warehouse I’ve never heard of before. Nice. (Oh, and if you can’t make it out, The Factory Party’ll be playing @ Cactus around 3:30PM…)

The Hates/Rusted Shut/Nectarine/The Delta Block/A Thousand Cranes @ The Engine Room ($5)
Two old-timers, three (relative) newbies, all from right here. How in the hell is this at the Engine Room, of all places? If this is a sign that Houston’s venues are finally willing to let local folks play, then hell, maybe something good’ll come out of the Prolo’s passing.

Chron.com Hometown Showdown V, featuring Paul Wall, Smitty, Young Redd, The Grit Boys, Another Day, Coop, Three Fantastic, Full Service, The Mighty Orq, Dirty, Hearsay, Skepticynic, & Capgun Suicide @ Warehouse Live
Yeah, I like Paul Wall — not everything he does blows me away, but in terms of representing H-town hip-hop, I’d much rather see him (& Chingo Bling, for that matter) out there than, say, Mike Jones. Not that Mr. Jones or Mr. Wall are gonna give a shit what I think, but y’know.

The Black Math Experiment @ The Backroom (The Mink)
Caught these guys at the Press Awards ceremony last year, and despite the innate goofiness, they weren’t bad…worth a second look, definitely.

Texas Metal Fest 2008, featuring DevilDriver, Asesino, Napalm Death, Divine Heresy, Straight Line Stitch, Necro Faith, 36 Crazy Fists, 28th St., Invitro, Bludstreem, Pinhed, Lone Star Massacre, BloodVoid, Sever The Silence, Cain Was Able, Diminished, Chaos With A Smile, Burn The Wicked, Lao Tzu, Lycophile, Dead Trip, Last Rosary, Krank Shaft, Cryptic, To Scale The Throne, Paegan, BloodRequim, Vehement, Splinter, Devoured By Darkness, Cerebral Down, & Lay To Waste @ The Meridian
Yuuuuuuuurrrrrrgggggghhhh. And hey: Napalm Death? Really? Cool…

While You Were Gone/Artist vs. Poet @ Fuel Cyber Cafe (Humble)
Still have yet to see WYWG, but I’m going to have to keep an eye out for their next in-city show (sorry, Humble’s a little far for me these days), ’cause they’re honestly one of the best surviving emo-ish bands around right now.

Sun., March 9:
Secret Chiefs 3/Awake @ Walter’s on Washington
Yeah, I’ll admit it — I have no idea what Secret Chiefs 3 sound like, but I caught local guys Awake recently, and they were impressive, in addition to being mind-destroyingly loud. Think Arbouretum with bigger amps, or Jesu with more(?) vocals.

The Black Hollies/Bipolaroid/The Gold Sounds @ Rudyard’s
From what I hear, this fits quite nicely — The Black Hollies do a ’60s Mod revival-type thing, while The Gold Sounds make a similar kind of distinctly Americanized, retro-style roar. Gonna be good.

Mon., March 10:
Nicole Atkins & The Sea/Papermoons/Parlour Mob/Astra Heights @ The Mink
Yes, yes, who?, and yes. SCR oldtimer Marc has raved to me about seeing Nicole Atkins up in Boston, L.A.-dwelling Houston expats Astra Heights are pretty entertaining, and I enjoy the heck out of my Papermoons 7″. (Speaking of which: more, please?)

The Motion Sick/Antarctica Starts Here @ Boondocks
Heard good, good things about Boston indie-pop/rockers The Motion Sick, and heck, I don’t need to hear anything else about Antarctica Starts Here to like ’em. Looking like a dream-poppy evening.

The Slits/This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb/Future Virgins/Shellshag/Sad Pygmy @ Numbers
Whoa. I never thought I’d see the day when pioneering British fem-punks The Slits reformed and then played Numbers; I mean, they’ve only been to the US, what?, four times since they first formed back in the ’70s? Throw in folky punks This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb (who I hadn’t realized were still around) & H-town crusty noise-punk legends Sad Pygmy, and you’ve got A Show for the Ages.

Flying Fish Sailors @ The Continental Club
No, I’m not listing this just so my PC at the office won’t “mysteriously” come down with a crippling virus (hi, Jay!), but because the Sailors are a damned entertaining band, and they don’t play very often these days. Check ’em out while you can.

Tues., March 11:
Parts & Labor/Ecstatic Sunshine/Red Rocket/Giant Princess/We Versus The Shark @ The Backroom (The Mink)
Jonah Matranga @ 3612 Mangum Rd. #209 (entrance on Tulsa; 8PM)
God, why must you torment me so? I mean, it was bad enough when I had to try to think of a way to get out of a professional society meeting this Tuesday, but now I also have to somehow get from homeboy Mel’s warehouse in the Heights, where the ever-amazing Jonah Matranga’s playing, over to the Mink in Midtown in time to bask in Parts & Labor’s noise-blaze glory. I’d be resentful, if it wasn’t pretty much guaranteed to be an awesome night.

Anathallo/By the End of Tonight/News On The March @ Walter’s on Washington
I’m lukewarm on Anathallo — some songs I’ve heard have been good, some not — but I suspect that they’re mind-bendingly good live. And besides, I know By the End of Tonight are.

Warhammer 48K/Cop Warmth/Wallbangers @ The White Swan
Yes, I’m a geek for recogning the wargame reference, but what the fuck; I still need to get out sometime & check out excellent-sounding locals Cop Warmth.

SXSW Performers Showcase, featuring Peelander-Z, The Slits, Palmerston, Cloud Minder, & more @ Fitzdown
Um. Wha? Okay, so Fitz has The Slits listed on 3/11, on top of their 3/10 show @ Scumbers…except that the band’s PR lady swears she doesn’t know anything about the second show. Hrm. If The Slits are who you’re looking to see, you’d better call the club before going.

Von Iva/Pash/Wicked Poseur/Lenny Briscoe @ Rudyard’s
Dunno the out-of-towners, but I recently checked out Wicked Poseur & Lenny Briscoe (love that name; Jerry, I miss you, man…) and was very impressed by both bands, esp. Wicked Poseur. Good shit.

Wed., March 12:
Sia/Har Mar Superstar @ Warehouse Live
Up front, I should say that Har Mar wears on me after only a short time. That said, I’ve heard his live show’s not bad, and in any case, eccentric Aussie indie-soul singer Sia is probably worth waiting through his set.

The Valley Arena/Jason Webley @ Notsuoh
This one’s not entirely confirmed — The Valley Arena’s definitely on the Notsuoh calendar, but Super Happy ‘fugee Jason Webley isn’t. I’ve only heard through the grapevine that the Notsuoh crew have offered him their venue to play at. Which is very cool, because Webley’s this lunatic younger version of Tom Waits, all gravel voice and booze.

Digitalism/Glasnost @ The Engine Room
I’m afraid I have no idea who Digitalism are, but I do know a bit about Glasnost, a sort of a synth-goth revival thing that actually works quite nicely. Again: glad to see stuff like this @ The Engine Room.

Thurs., March 13:
Ghost Buffalo/Git Some/Scouts Honor/Kingdom of Magic/This Year’s Tiger/*ONE* @ The Mink (8PM)
Another one of those i.am.we commUNITY shows, and it promises to be a good one — I like Ghost Buffalo, and I’ve heard excellent things about This Year’s Tiger, in particular.

Fri., March 14:
South by Due East 2008, featuring de Sangre, duneTX, Orange Is In, Fruet & Os Cozinheiros, Another Run, The Jane Frequency, The Rising, & Idol Hand @ Dan Electro’s Guitar Bar (7PM)
Yep, the first installment of this year’s South by Due East counter-festival, which also happens to be one of those things where local bands mingle w/no regard for genre or style. Very cool.

Teenage Bottlerocket/Broadway Calls/The Femurs/Something Fierce/Teenage Kicks @ The Backroom (The Mink)
Get there early for this one, ’cause between them, Something Fierce & Teenage Kicks will blast out so much roaring, catchy power-pop/punk that the walls may not be standing afterwards for the rest of the bands to play.

Since The Ashes/Sevi/The Guns of Detroit @ The Engine Room
Is this happening? Not sure — some kind of DJ night’s listed on the Engine Room site, but the Guns of Detroit folks emailed me the invite, so…

Sat., March 15:
South by Due East 2008, featuring Mojofromopolis, Brad Cordle, The Mighty Orq, Big Al Bettis, Chango Man, Chris Elliott & The Bodacious Ta Ta’s, Guy Schwartz & the New Jack Hippies, Westborn, The Western Civilization, Brock Rodarte, MUZAK, Radiocracy, The McKenzies, Sabra Laval, TC & The Cannonballs, The Correction Brothers, Johnny Smith, Slivered, The Robert Smalls Group, Almas Intocables, Mundo Tribe, Leslie Newman, Third Ear, Chaz Nadege, & Happy Anarchy @ Dan Electro’s Guitar Bar (3PM)
Night #2 of SXDE, and this one’s my favorite — not only is Chango Man (one-half of Chango Jackson) playing, but so is darkly gorgeous singer Sabra Laval and one of my favorite local bands ever, The Western Civilization.

Sara Bareilles/Cary Brothers/Ingrid Michaelson/Joshua Radin/Greg Laswell @ The Meridian
Eh, kind of an “edge” one, admittedly, but what the heck — I accidentally saw Ingrid Michaelson perform at a festival this past fall in Malmö, Sweden, and was pleasantly surprised at how good the songs were…

Sunburned Hand of the Man/Citay/listenlisten @ Rudyard’s
Hard choice time, folks — heard good things about Sunburned Hand of the Man & Citay, but best of all are local bleak folksters listenlisten, who’ve been sadly absent from the music scene ’til very recently. They’re prepping for their new full-length, so stop by & check out the new songs.

The Flamin’ Hellcats/Sleeping Rubies/The New Satans @ The Continental Club
Woo! Flamin’ Hellcats — thank God vatobilly never dies. Plus, I heard Sleeping Rubies quite a while ago, now, and really liked what I heard…

Buxton/Hollywood Black/Gazelles @ The Forum (LaPorte)
Hallelujah for Buxton; not only do those crazy kids make some fine, fine, countrified indie-pop, but they (well, one of ’em’s parents, anyway) also happen to run the only real “venue” I’ve ever even heard of down there in LaPorte. Good job, y’all.

Tues., March 18:
Gogol Bordello/Skindred @ The Meridian
Skipping ahead a teeny bit… Other things are probably going on on the 18th, but unless they involve crazed, drunken gypsy punks, I could give a fuck. Already got my ticket to this one.