So. Austin has ACL, we have the International Festival. They have SXSW, we have lots of burger joints. And, in the last couple of years a new joint, Fun Fun Fun Fest has started killing it, and we have… increasingly less free parking. Suffice to say, our neighbors in the Traders’ Villagey direction may not have a light rail, but they do have the sort of enterprising folks who found the right mix of audience, know-how, money, and connections to put on some world class festivals. And the aforementioned is none other this weekend. It’s not always possible to make the trek up there to attend (but this one you really should – it’s alleged to be a freaking gorgeous weekend, and there is no greater hell than roasting in the open sun of ACL. Ok maybe getting pestered on IM all the time by Mike Hardin’s Delicious Milk alter ego while you’re trying to get work done is a greater hell. Save that shit for Rudyard’s comedy night bro).

The complete details are available on the Fun Fun Fun Festival website for those of you going (or on the fence), but if you don’t have a whole weekend to spare and want to take a stab at getting a decidedly more spread-out decidedly less highlight-filled version of the weekend, here’s a guide how (bands playing FFF are in bold):

WEDNESDAY (TONIGHT)
Colourmusic, Flowers To Hide, Giant Princess, The Quietest @ The Mink

THURSDAY
Deerhoof, Dental School, Flying @ Numbers
…And You Will Know By The Trail of Dead, Spain Colored Orange, Heist at Hand @ Warehouse Live
Bishop Allen, An Horse, Electric Owls @ Rudyard’s
Cro Mags(jam), Iron Age, Your Mistake, Roots of Exile, On My Side @ Walter’s on Washington

FRIDAY
Parts and Labor, UME, Black Congress @ Walter’s on Washington
The Cynics, Ugly Beats, Guitars @ Rudyards
Pepi Ginsberg, Airon Paul Dugas @ The Mink
Groupo Fantasma @ The Continental Club

SATURDAY
Minus The Bear, Annuals, 27 @ House of Blues

MONDAY
Chuck Ragan of Hot Water Music, Ben Nichols of Lucero, Tim Barry of Avail @ Walter’s on Washington

Did we miss anyone? Probably. But what this attempt at also-ran points out that:

  1. We desperately need a credible music festival. They have three, we can’t have one?
  2. If you stay in town, you’re going to miss some great stuff from both back in the day (The Dead Milkmen, ALL, Bad Brains,  Killdozer) and SO HOT RIGHT NOW (YACHT, The National, Black Heart Procession, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, St. Vincent, The Black Angels, Islands, Frightened Rabbit, Neil Hamburger, Dan Deacon, The Octopus Project, Dengue Fever, Clipse, Kool Keith, Etc).

So like, go already. OH and if you do, be sure to keep an eye out for The Skyline Network’s Celebrity Correspondent, Mr. Erik Bogle (Bring Back the Guns) he’ll be documenting all the who who and what what for us. We’ll have his full flavored report sometime next week.

Update: Turns out The National is playing here, but at a private party for Rice Students and what not.  Does being a KTRU DJ count?