The Rundown: Other Things This Weekend (And Yes, There’s Plenty…)

If you happen to think the only thing going on here in town this weekend is the sure-to-be-awesome Wild Moccasins CD release show, well, you couldn’t be further from the reality. These next few weekends are gonna be jam-freakin’-packed, honest. Here’re my picks for the next several days, beyond the Wild Mocs show:

Fri., January 23:
The Wild Moccasins (CD release)/Buxton/Teenage Kicks/DJ ADR @ Walter’s on Washington ($7, free CD & pizza w/admission)
Again, see here.

KRS One @ The Meridian
Man. Remember when KRS One was The Shit? Yeah, I’m old enough that I do, and many days have I yearned to hear hip-hop on the radio that owed more in influence to his positive, let’s-all-work-together message than it did N.W.A.’s get-mine-and-fuck-yours message. Maybe now that we’ve morphed into Big Happy Multiracial America, we can bring back the love?

Girls and Boys, featuring Gretchen Schmaltz, Krista Vossler, Sara Van Buskirk, Hungry Villagers, & Education @ Avant Garden/Helios
Dang, I almost missed this one. Which would be sad, because “headliner” (of sorts) Gretchen Schmaltz is one hell of a folk singer/songwriter; this show’s worth the (probably cheap) admission just to see her.

Underfunk/Slivered/The Soarce @ Rudyard’s
Dunno most of these folks, but I truly like Slivered (who’re good people, to boot), and I’ve had The Soarce recommended to me pretty heartily, so there you go…

Killola @ Chance’s
Wasn’t sure what to make of this at first, but after a few listens, hell, it ain’t bad; sharp-edged, metallic, yet still melodic pop-rock fronted by a singer who’s like Debbie Harry addicted to too many smokes and some harder stuff, besides, but still tries to get all cutesy. The music’s nothing overwhelmingly special, no, but the band gets by on attitude, at least.

Little Brother Project/The Haphazards/James Reese Project/The Goodtrain Sessions @ Dan Electro’s Guitar Bar
The Caprolites/Battle Rifle/50-50 @ The White Swan
Grupo Fantasma/Vallejo/Yoko Mono @ Warehouse Live

Sat., January 24:
Leave Your Genre at the Door 2, featuring News on the March, Grandfather Child, Heptic Skeptic, Satin Hooks, Brains for Dinner, Perseph-1, Fat Tony, & Nosaprise @ Fitzdown ($10, 7PM)
I’ve got to hand it to organizer Kam — her Leave Your Genre at the Door shows are a great example of somebody trying to do things all on their own in an attempt to erase the various Scene lines. Big, big, big kudos for doing what is likely a thankless job, particularly because the bands she pulls in happen to be freaking great. I’d go for News on the March, Sad Child, and Perseph-One, in particular, but that’s just me being lazy and going for what/who I know — I definitely need to see Grandfather Child (Lucas of Satin Hooks’ new project, one of several), Nosaprise, and Fat Tony one of these days, too…

Houston Press Artopia, featuring Sideshow Tramps, Karina Nistal, Arthur Yoria, Houston Metropolitan Dance Company, Dominic Walsh Dance Theater, Travesty Dance Group, & more @ Winter Street Studios (2101 Winter St.; 8-11PM)
Not sure I really get the idea behind this one, really, but hey, with folks like Arthur Yoria & the Sideshow Tramps on the bill, I’m not complaining. Go for the music, stay for the art. Er, dance. Er, theater. Er…you get the idea.

Houston Music Revival, featuring Memphis May Fire, Runner Runner, Before…There Was Rosalyn, Driver F, Scarlett O’Hara, A Kid Named Thompson, Visceral, Otenki, Novista, Skyscrapers Walk Among Us, Love She Wrote, Bonnie Blue, & Set It Off @ The Meridian
Okay, I’ll admit it — the name of this show gets me snickering. It’s a little grandiouse and high-handed to declare this thing to be the “Houston Music Revival,” particularly when the Houston scene A) isn’t in need of reviving, and B) the bands I know much about on this list are all pretty much in the post-emo/screamo vein, which would be a fairly shallow “revival.” Except…oh, shit. I think I totally missed a meaning of the word “revival” ’til just now. Is this something church-related, maybe? Got me; whatever the deal is, I’ve heard some of the bands playing, like Otenki, Skyscrapers Walk Among Us, and Before…There Was Rosalyn, and they’re pretty dang good. My money says this is where the kids from the ‘burbs will be tomorrow night.

HYPA Fire + Ice Gala, featuring Glasnost & DJ Ceeplus Bad Knives @ Houston Pavilions (1201 Fannin; 8PM)
Another artsy party I don’t fully grok, although my eyes did land on something about “fire dancers,” and hey, that sounds cool. Plus, cool DJing by Ceeplus and dance-y retro-electro-pop from Glasnost; hard to argue with that.

Miss Leslie & Her Juke-Jointers @ Aubrey’s (774 W. Gulf Bank)
Yes, yes, yes. Miss Leslie, back at Aubrey’s. Check this lady out, please; she’s well worth it. Country music hasn’t sounded this good since Patsy Cline (although, okay, we’ve got some good country-ish folks in town, and I love SLC’s Band of Annuals, but hey…). Got her CD (free!) recently for the wife, and we’ve been loving it.

Future Blondes/Venison Whirled/Concrete Violin/Kairos/Amputee @ Notsuoh ($5)
There was a last-minute lineup change on this one — A Thousand Cranes aren’t playing, but Concrete Violin, Kairos, & Amputee are. Grind, smash, screech, erupt, crush, eviscerate. This is where people who like their noise untainted by melody need to be.

The Last Place You Look (CD release)/Nothingmore/Glass Intrepid @ Warehouse Live
The Dollyrockers/The Flamin’ Hellcats @ Rudyard’s

Sun., January 25:
Best Buddies Texas Benefit, featuring Blackwood Company @ The Ginger Man (5607 Morningside; 3-5PM, $10)
I’ve only listened to a few things so far by Blackwood Company, and I’m blanking right now on what they actually sound like, I’m afraid, but this looks like a good deal, even still. It’s a benefit for a group that helps people with intellectual disabilities get jobs and integrate into everyday life, and that’s a very good cause, as far as I’m concerned. Besides, when was the last time a show at The Ginger Man made it on this list?

Mon., January 26:
Flowers to Hide/Dizzy Pilot @ Boondocks
Ah, yes. Two of the city’s leading lights in terms of flat-out pop-rock (more pop w/the former, I think; rock w/the latter), and both bands I really, truly need to see play one of these days. Soon, I swear.

Wed., January 28:
Coffee Aftershow, featuring listenlisten @ The Mink
Very cool. No clue about the play itself, but this is apparently meant to be an “aftershow” for a play called Coffee, featuring listenlisten, who’re hands-down one of the most original, most intriguing bands in town. In any genre. Period. This may not be a “full” show, but I’d check it out either way, just to get a glimpse of the band’s soon-to-be-completed opus Hymns from Rhodesia. It’s incredible.

That’s all I’ve got; enjoy the weekend…