Yr. Weekend, Pt. 2: The Suspects 25 Anniversary + The Ex-Optimists + The Cryptographers + A Sundae Drive + Wild Moccasins + VODI + John Allen Stephens + More

Sigh. So, I’d hoped I would be out and about this evening — Saturday, October 6th — but it’s looking less like that and more like I’m going to be on Little Guy Duty tonight. Which I love, don’t get me wrong, because he’s the best Little Guy ever, but there’s a ton of cool stuff happening this evening. So much so that I’m basically going to have to skim the very top of it, sadly…

One bit of bad news, though, before we get to it. Anderson East, who I happen to like quite a bit, was scheduled to play tonight at The Rustic, the new Houston location of Pat Green’s much-loved restaurant/venue…except that, well, it hasn’t actually opened yet. I dunno if the opening date got pushed back or what, but the show has been rescheduled for December 6th, with the Rustic’s grand opening taking place on November 1st. Sorry about that, folks.

Anyway, with that, let’s start skimming; here we go:

The Suspects (25th anniversary!)/DEM/Lost Wasted Tones @ Rudyard’s
This small pile of shows are/were a hard, hard choice to make, honestly — I would dearly love to see all of these shows if I could. But even out of the ones I picked to talk about, this one edges out the other two contenders by virtue of the fact that, well, it’s the 25th anniversary of headliners The Suspects, who are without a doubt Houston’s longest-running (and best, in my opinion; sorry, other bands…) ska outfit. Wow. I cannot believe it’s been 25 freaking years since Andy Hocker caught me on-campus and said, “Hey, I’m in a new band; you should come see us play!”

That led to a crazy night at The Abyss, and then years and years of watching The Suspects tear up the stage at venues all over the city. Hell, if my rapidly-fading memory serves, I think me and friends Marc & Josh were once the only three people skanking to the band at a side-stage show up at The Woodlands Pavilion (for Buzzfest, maybe?), in front of a decent-sized crowd who clearly had no idea what that “ska” thing was…

And over the years, The Suspects have become essentially my own personal benchmark for what constitutes good ska. No, really — I’ve seen them play with legendary, far-bigger-name bands, and wipe the stage with ’em. The Suspects are very, very, very good at what they do, and I’m happy they’ve stuck around (I’m going to count their 5-year breakup as just a “hiatus”) all this time.

The Ex-Optimists (LP release)/The Cryptographers/A Sundae Drive @ Spruce Goose Social Flyers Club
Next up in the triumvirate is also a bit of a sad show, because it’ll be Ex-Optimists frontman Kelly Minnis‘ last show here in Houston, at least for a long while, as he’s moved off to the East Coast. I know, I know, the Ex-Ops aren’t technically from Houston, they’re from College Station, but fuck that; to me, they’re part of this city’s musical family. And it sucks to see Kelly go, although we wish him the best of luck out there…

And hey, as sendoffs go, this one’s nowhere near bad. It’s also the release party of the Ex-Ops’ new album, Drowned in Moonlight, which is freaking great, just a finely-polished hunk of ’90s dreampop, Britpop, psych, and indie-rock that hits all the right bases and makes me seriously nostalgic for Ye Good Olden Days — see the full writeup over here. Oh, and it’s at the Spruce Goose Social Flyers Club, which is a great little venue next door to La Carafe (that will reportedly be turned into a dance club soon, so get there while you can, right?).

They’re playing with two other bunches of people I really like, too. First is The Cryptographers, which is essentially the iconic Linus Pauling Quartet minus Clint Heider; I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to check out some early versions of the band’s songs, and it’s definitely a different beast, shifting away from the big, sludgy, stoner-metal sound towards something that’s a lot closer to early NYC punk and art-rock. Think Television or the Velvet Underground, and you’ll be in the ballpark.

Then there’s opening band A Sundae Drive, who are not only the nicest, friendliest people you’re likely to meet but also make some phenomenal shoegazer-y music, the kind that straddles the line between wide-open stuff like Explosions in the Sky and rougher-edged, noisier stuff that brings to mind Sonic Youth in their heyday (no lie; I challenge you to hear Jen sing and not think of Kim Gordon, albeit with a touch of Liz Phair on top). These are three good, good, good bands, and you should see them all.

 

Wild Moccasins/VODI/John Allen Stephens @ Satellite Bar
DAMMIT. Universe, why are you fucking with me like this? Okay, so here’s another full slate of three awesome bands, this time at the Satellite Bar. I’ve been a Wild Moccasins fan for a long damn time now, since they were just out of teenager-hood, it feels like, and it’s been amazing watching the band grow and evolve and solidify their sound over the past decade(!).

That said, I’ve listened a fair bit to new album Look Together over the past couple of months, and it’s absolutely bowled me over. It still sounds like the Moccasins, sure — bright, sleek, ’80s-tinged pop that pulls equally from Blondie, Kate Bush, The Cars, and The Killers — but there’s a seriousness there that I haven’t heard before, an intensity that fills the whole damn thing with a power the band’s never displayed until now. I hope I don’t jinx things, but I’m going to say it: this album will be the one people pay attention to, no lie, the one that cracks things wide open. I can just feel it, y’know? I’ll be crossing my fingers for that, at any rate…

Also playing tonight are fun, laidback gang VODI, who I’ve described before as being basically an H-town music supergroup, and who earn that name every damn time I hear ’em. They’re smooth and heartfelt and perfect, slipping smoothly between ’70s-inflected pop sounds and folk-country all while making it seem like the most natural thing in the world. If you haven’t yet seen/heard the video for “Pressure,” well, you really freaking should.

Starting things off is another local hero, John Allen Stephens, who’s segued astoundingly well from his previous indie-rock-ish band, New York City Queens — who were great, IMHO — into something completely different. Stephens has left the guitars behind, for the most part, and reinvented himself as a laptop-toting singer/songwriter, the kind The Kids are all over these days, showing off his stellar vocals in a way he rarely could with NYCQ and getting seriously soulful in the process. Trust me, you need to get there early for this one…

Runners-Up:
Narcons (tape release)/Ruiners/Deep Web @ Insomnia Gallery (8-11PM)
3rd Annual Achtoberfest!, featuring The Hip Abduction, Peterson Brothers, Tomar and the FCs, Money Chicha, & Up On A Quasar @ 8th Wonder Brewery (11AM-10PM; $5)
Third Eyeland Party, featuring The Boleys, King Country, Flower Graves, & India Tigers in Texas @ Galveston Island Brewing (Galveston)
Miniature Tigers/Jasper Bones @ White Oak Music Hall
Bishop Briggs/Donna Missal @ House of Blues
Mayday Parade/This Wild Life/William Ryan Key/Oh, Weatherly @ White Oak Music Hall
Numbers 40th Anniversary Party, featuring Wes Wallace, DJ Mina, & DJ vvJames @ Numbers
Grand Old Grizzly @ The Continental Club
Chicano Soul Party, featuring Nick Gaitan & Tejas Got Soul @ D&W Lounge
Something Else (album release)/Newport American Dream/Attxla @ Notsuoh
Unity, featuring Ferry Corsten & Ilan Bluestone @ Stereo Live
War Of Ages/Capsize/Ghost Key @ The Secret Group
Oktoberfest 2018, featuring Polish Pete & the Polka? I Hardly Know Her Band @ Saint Arnold Beer Hall (6-9PM)
Houston Margarita Festival 2018, featuring Mariachi Calmecac, Galaxy Band, DJ Ill-Set, & La Comadre Mel @ Water Works Park (105 Sabine; 12-10PM)
Wood and Wire @ McGonigel’s Mucky Duck
Karbachtoberfest 2018, featuring Jack Ingram & Bruce Robison @ Karbach Brewing Co.
ElectroLuv 2018, featuring Pot Roast, Heights Funk Collective, Premium Blend, & Jes & Friends @ Last Concert Cafe
Let’s Dance the Ska, featuring DJ SoloCes @ The Big Top
Celebration Seabrook, featuring Cory Morrow, Brandon Rhyder, Bri Bagwell, Grant Gilbert, & Jaime Wyatt @ Downtown Seabrook (Seabrook; 11AM-7:30PM)