Can we take a step back and just bask in the freaking glory of this weekend? We got CD releases and old bands saying farewell, we got ten of the city’s finest cuttin’ rugs at the TWOTENANNY!, we got the Houston Press Music Awards showcase with 60 bands on ten stages. Man. We got it made. Let’s go dig that ditch.

FRIDAY
TWO STAR SYMPHONY CD RELEASE SHOW w/ The Invisible Czars and Opposite Day @ Rudyards
We ran into the dapper but always darling in the dress-down duds quartet at the KTRU studios the other night, playing some songs from their forthcoming and yukking it up on the air. You gotta love Two Star, even though they play some of the classiest tunes (and by classy we do mean they have played in formals) in the city, when it comes right down to dropping the wax on the street – where do they choose to have it? Rudyards. Bless them, and go check them out if you haven’t done yourself that favor yet.

ALSO:
The Western Civilization, The Flyers, Pura Pharm, Wicked Poseur @ Walter’s on Washington
Green Jelly @ The Meridian (yes, we are just as shocked they are still around)
Foreigner, Bryan Adams @ Woodlands (look for one of these bands to be covered in HOOTENANNY 3: TROITINANNY!)

SATURDAY
HOOTENANNY TWO: TOOTENANNY!
You’ve no doubt heard all the details by now. For your one stop shop convience, however, we’re going to reprint the details of this Summer’s highlight right here and now. TWOTENANNY is the second in a series of shows where ten hand picked most extreme party call me local bands play as some of the JACK FM pleasures you listen to with the windows down and the volume up. It takes place at the Mink, in the backroom, on two stages, doors at seven, first band at eight, five bucks. Get there early, it sold out last time. The line up is:

DOWNSTAIRS EXTREME CLOSE UP SPIRIT OF THE HOUSE PARTY “STAGE” :
Custom Drinker as Rod Stewart
Welfare Mothers as Johnny Cash
Paris Falls as Rush
American Sharks as The Cars

UPSTAIRS OH MY LAWD PLEASE DON’T COLLAPSE THE FLOOR STAGE :
The Kimonos as Blondie
Buxton as Bjork
Wild Moccasins as the B-52s
Tody Castillo (and friends) as Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Flowers to Hide as The Cure
Sharks and Sailors as The Police

Nuff said on this one. Get there early, don’t be in the got turned away crew from last time.

ALSO
Journey, Heart, Cheap Trick @ The Woodlands (ditto again – more TROITENANNY fodder)

SUNDAY
HOUSTON PRESS MUSIC AWARDS SHOWCASE SHOWDOWN!
Ok, it’s not actually a showdown, and we didn’t exactly realize that it was going to be this weekend when we setup the TWOTENANNY oh so many months ago, but really, make a whole weekend of epic music happenings, including in this instance over 60 bands at ten venues all in walking distance downtown. Wristbands are ten bucks, and worth it. We won’t try to tell you who to see and when this time around, because the lineup is stacked too thick with hitmakers, and we don’t even know ourselves what we are gonna check out. Peep the lineup here, and don’t forget to vote for the awards if you haven’t already.

Over Sea, Under Stone, Mostly Bears @ Rudyards
This is OSUS’ final show, and they’ll be giving away copies of one of their CDs at the door (though which one we don’t know). An era ends, but a new one will begin, and are reunions really that uncommon now adays?  Maybe the future will hold more. Party!

ALSO
Reggie O’Farrell (Western Civilization), Phillip Foshee, Elsinore, Another Run @ The Mink
Mastadon, Dragonforce and a bunch of crap metal bands we don’t care about @ Sam Houston Race Park