MLEE MARIE WANTS YOU TO HAVE A VERY SPECIAL HOLIDAYS AND SEE HER PLAY FIVE TIMES THIS WEEKEND

Friend of the Skyline and candidate for the Mike McBike Lifetime Achievement Sammie for Most Concurrent Band Memberships, Mlee Marie (ex-The[e] Freed), has plugged in the Christmas lights for yet another MySpace page showcasing both her cuckold-warming musical talent and near-crisis scheduling conflicts. Yes, as it turns out Mlee (Hearts of Animals) has, every year since 2002, put out a Christmas release much like Sufjan Stevens or nearly every pop band in Britain. Now this year, sadly, there won’t be any new recordings to share, but since most of us were no doubt not included on Mlee (Vaarg)’s naughty vs. nice lists in the past, getting the whole collection at once is akin to our having helped a lot of old ladies cross a lot of old streets all this old year long: You’ve been wicked nice and its time to reap the reward. You can get the entire Mlee Marie(Wols) Christmas recording catalog online here.

While we’re on the subject, Mlee (singing as Kim Deal with The Dimes at HOOTENANNY!) is taking it easy this weekend, playing only five different times. If you're a Beaumontian, you can catch Hearts of Animals on a bill that includes Indian Jewelry, Wicked Poseur and The Wiggins Friday night at The Vortex. Houstonians can (secretly) catch Mlee (Kidnaps) playing as herself during the Secret Show, Saturday afternoon at the Shady Tavern, or later than night during the last hurrah show for Wols (for which she, along with Will Adams are stepping in to back-up the soon-departing-for-Scotland Miss Amye). She’s also on that bill playing as herself (Mlee Marie) again. Sunday she’ll be playing as Hearts of Animals during the final night of Texas Gone Garage. Party call me.

TONIGHT: BE SURE SOMEONE IS THERE TO HOLD YOUR HAIR

You know the Interpol song "Length of Love" how right from the beginning the guitars are doing that little two-string pluck riff? Man, that always makes our stomach a little sick. It’s not like a brown note experience or anything bowel rumbling. And nay, the feeling one has drank too much. It just gives us somewhat of a discomforted stomach – a tummy ache, if you will, in the classical childhood sense. We’ve never really shared that before. We tell because we love. Because there is trust between us – and because you are beautiful and we cannot resist beauty.


Which is why we’re completely ace in the hole to share with you something else of the pepto-requiring variety. Tonight at The White Swan – it’s Sickish Fest. Armed with little more of an explanation than “Get Sick”, a full evening of entertainment has been culled from the best of last weekend’s live options (Friday’s set by Cop Warmth and Indian Jewelry; Saturday’s matinee by The Wiggins and Hearts of Animals – though tonight you’ll substitute one of Mlee Marie’s other bands, Vaarg, for the HOA). Rounding out the bill in the fabled Eastside mecca of smoke machines and American Flags are A Pink Cloud, Balaclavas and Satannabis, who we were disappointed to learn has absolutely nothing to do with Santana.

But in spite not knowing exactly what is so Sick about this whole thing (beyond a SoCal surfer slang reference to the lineup), we’re pretty sure it marks the start of the Halloween party season, which continues on into the weekend and climaxes with you having to choose between two other damn sick shows (if we may say so) on Wednesday. Get your costumes ready people – you’ve got Pepto to drink.