Yr Weekend, Pt. 2: Rock Out For Peace + Small Sounds + Jolie Holland + Insect Warfare + More

Back again, yes, with the rest of this particularly action-packed weekend. Lot going on, and it starts pretty soon here, so I’ll just get to it:

Sat., September 26:
Rock Out For Peace: A Live Music Extravaganza, featuring Free Radicals, Two Star Symphony, The Sideshow Tramps, Smoke and Feathers, listenlisten, Elaine Greer, Chase Hamblin, Nosaprise, Deux Frupis, The Cadences, The Scene, Doghouse, Room 101, & D.R.U.M. @ Last Concert Cafe (2PM; $10)
The big one of the day, in part because there’s a decent-sized pile of excellent musicians playing (listenlisten, Elaine Greer, Room 101, Two Star Symphony, Nosaprise, D.R.U.M., & Chase Hamblin), but also because it’s a benefit for Houston-based activist group The Progressive Action Alliance, which works for peace and justice here and elsewhere. It’s $10 to get in, and it goes to a good cause…

Spain Colored Orange/The Small Sounds/Elaine Greer/Dustin Welch @ Jet Lounge
Elaine Greer‘s second gig of the day, looks like, and a cool one — she’ll be doing her jangly-sweet folk-pop thing before excellent countrified pop-rockers (think the mellow side of Son Volt) The Small Sounds hit the stage, and then the orchestral pop of Spain Colored Orange closes it out.

Guitars/ Passengers/ Motion Turns It On/ Muhammadali/ B L A C K I E @ 3605 Bremond (house show; 2PM, $5)
A house show for your Saturday afternoon, and a good one. I truly dig Guitars‘ debut full-length, White Night White Night (see the review here), love what I’ve heard from Passengers, need to hear more of Motion Turns It On, and am a full-on fan of both Muhammadali‘s retro-’90s indie-rawk & B L A C K I E‘s grimy hip-hop stomp, so this is a bill full of winners from where I sit. House Show Rules apply: don’t break shit and don’t be a dick.

Ingrid Michaelson @ Warehouse Live
What can I say? “The Way I Am” is sappy and kinda saccharine, yeah, but I love it just the same.

Monotonix/ Harlem/ Golden Axe/Cop Warmth @ Super Happy Fun Land
I’m somewhat ashamed to admit that I really know jack shit about Monotonix. I know they’re from Israel and that their live shows are reportedly batshit-crazy — check out Marc B.‘s post over at Houstonist for proof…

Psychedelic Furs/Happy Mondays/ Amusement Parks On Fire @ House of Blues
I’m a little eh on this one, actually. I mean, it’s a “big” show, what with the Psychedelic Furs and the reunified Happy Mondays, but I never really cared that much for either band the first time around, y’know? So for me, Amusement Parks On Fire are the interesting part of this show; your mileage may vary.

Searching for Signal @ Bohemeos
Really been enjoying these guys lately — new EP It’s So Bright is very cool, kind of a space-rock-ish departure from the Searching for Signal guys’ earlier, more straight-up indie-pop stuff. (Check the review here.)

The Small Sounds @ Cactus Music (4PM)
And here’s another, earlier dose of The Small Sounds for you…

Mic Skills/Hero & Rad/Thurgood Wordsmith/DJ Jaycee @ Numbers
Voidmate/ //TENSE// /How I Quit Crack/DJ Blacktransmission @ The Mink (9PM)
Hoods/Killer Ape/Supremacy/Sinister Minister/Kill The Theory/Forward The Takeover @ The Meridian
Top Notch, featuring Fat Tony, Sober, Dayta, & King El Roy Boogie @ Boondocks

Sun., September 27:
Jolie Holland/Matt Bauer @ McGonigel’s Mucky Duck
Holy crap. Jolie Holland, seriously? At the Mucky Duck? At first it felt a little weird, but damn, it’s just about perfect — I’m desperately wishing I could go see this, just to be able to absorb her melancholy, old-timey-sounding folk tunes in the pristine, reverent quiet of the Duck.

LIVE CANVAS Benefit, featuring TENSE, Satin Hooks, Occasional Liars, Ghost Mountain, GRRRL Parts, & Mr. Castillo @ Chances (1100 Westheimer; $2 or nonperishable food items, 8PM)
No, I’m not entirely clear what the LIVE CANVAS thing is about, but it looks like it’s a benefit for the Houston Food Bank, so that’s a very cool thing. Plus, Satin Hooks are throwing down — and they haven’t been doing that much lately — along with one of my personal at-the-moment fave bands, electro-hip-hop/pop duo Ghost Mountain (check out my review of their latest up here).

Between the Trees/Farewell/Punchline/Action Item/Killola/Gatsby/While You Were Gone @ The Meridian (Red Room)
While You Were Gone rule. Really, they do. They fill that Veruca Salt-/1997-sized hole in my heart, in a big way. Keep an eye out for new EP Winter/Summer, because it’s pretty fantastic. The other bands playing I’m not so familiar with — although I do like what I’ve heard from Killola in the past — but WYWG is worth it either way.

Loggins & Messina @ Arena Theater
Oh, c’mon — you’re fooling nobody, pal. You know you’re curious to see how well the blonde coif & porn-stache have fared over the years.

Busdriver/Abstract Rude/Guerilla Foco Clan @ Walter’s on Washington
Honky Tonk Happy Hour, featuring Miss Leslie & Her Juke-Jointers & Johnny Falstaff @ The Continental Club
Busdriver @ Cactus Music (2PM)
PenDayHose/Final Warning/Penny Arcade/Brutally Normal/Always Guilty @ Super Happy Fun Land

Mon., September 28:
Insect Warfare/Richard Ramirez @ The Mink
A reunion show for H-town grindcore icons Insect Warfare, I believe — glad to see they’re willing to occasionally pull things back together.

Tues., September 29:
Sonic Chicken 4/Welfare Mothers @ Rudyard’s
My Children My Bride/Before There Was Rosalyn/Towards The Gallows/The Nephilim Terror/Cryptic Psychosis @ The Meridian
The Umbrella Man @ The Continental Club