FRIDAY
The Pons (CD release), Davie “Fathands” Graves, Sad Gorilla, Elaine Greer, Buxton and Paleo @ 1816 Calumet
Austin’s The Pons cited “Low, The Wedding Present, XTC, Galaxie 500 and AC Newman” as their influences in an interview they did with indiehouston.org this week. Kicks! That very same website has put together an all star line up of the 713′s own for their record release party, all kicking off at 6 in the PM for an equally paltry $6. There’s said to be a keg for the 21+ crowd. Party.

Vinyl Ranch @ Leon’s Lounge
Our favorite monthly record spinnin’ boot scoot always has both the hottest shit-kickin classics from back in the country day and all the most roper-tastic single ladies (put a ring on em’). But this month, there’s even more goin on in the game, as they unleash “From the Ladle to the Grave”, their first ever vegetarian chili cook off. That’s right, you can honky tonk with a frito pie in hand well past midnight. YES. 10pm-2am. Free.

Andy McWilliams and the Aboveground Pools, Free Radicals @ Notsuoh
Scattered Pages multi-instrumentalist and sound engineer (and former builder of amps, and sometime builder of effects pedals, and possessor of excellence in denim jackets) presumably brings the decidedly non-shoegaze sounds of his 2008 Shoegaze EP to the stage, a track from which made an appearance on our annual SKYLINE 50 (and eventually we will get off our asses and review the whole thing).

UPDATE: Robert Ellis, Chase Hamblin, Benjamin Wesley @ Avante Garden
Just got the word on this one. As always, you owe it to yourself to check out Ben’s solo set, and Robert Ellis has been burning up the buzz charts. Party. Music starts at nine.

The Appleseed Cast, Golden Cities, The Hungry Villagers @ Rudyard’s
Heh. I bet you are wondering “Gee, why did they review the Golden Cities record when this show wasn’t until this week, rather than post it today and help tie it to their show?” Yeah, we’re wondering that too.

ALSO
Mission Control, featuring Mic Skills (CD release), DJ Remix, & more @ The Mink
Bob’s Birthday Bash, featuring L.A. Guns, Low Man’s Joe, & Laidlaw @ The Meridian
Fredster, El Jeffe, Gracie Chavez @ Boondocks

SATURDAY
SHAMELESS PLUG: The Skyline Network’s ADR will be playing records at the Walker Twin’s 30th birthday sillybration over at the Big Star bar. Every dumb party song you hope to god isn’t going to be played will be played. Twice.

Tody Castillo @ Cactus Records
This is a little later than most of Cactus’ in-stores and is alleged to involve artwork or photography involving dead rock stars, and of course fee beer. Though there is nothing about it on the Cactus website/MySpace, we’ve been assured by someone playing that this is, in fact, happening. Party

The Western Civilization, The Pons, Your Kisses Cause Crashes, Guitars @ Rudyard’s
Dear Rachel of the Western Civilization. I know in the past we’ve kind of gone on and on about how you are the most attractive piece of telecaster playing womanhood we’ve ever seen. In retrospect, that seems somewhat sexist, so we would like to let you know that we think you are the most smoking piece of telecaster playing humanity that we have ever seen with the possible exception of young Harrison Ford, though we don’t think we’ve ever seen him with a guitar so it’s chill. We also hear that the Western Civilization is hard at work on a new album, which is rather thrilling to us and we are more than a little annoyed that we will be unable to attend this show due to superstar DJ priorities and therefore may miss the performance of some new materials. This has happened rather frequently as of late, and so we hope you will finish your record soon. <3. The Pons stick around for a second day of Houston shows and are joined by fellow 512ers Your Kisses Cause Crashes. Guitars, featuring members of Monocles, Alarma and Lenny Briscoe opens.

Dirty Honey, featuring Brett Koshkin & DJ High C @ Boondocks
You know how you know when you hate yourself and want to die? Cause you keep missing the most Dasheeki Saddlesoap monthly soul records dance party in the city. Or atleast we think that’s whats wrong with us. Man. Bummber. Free. Starts at 10pm.

Free Press Houston Issue 100 Celebranza, featuring Monotonix, State Radio, The Tontons, American Fangs, Tha Fucking Transmissions, & Rebelution @ Numbers
Congrats on 100 issues, and for continuing to put together lineups that inspire us to check out bands we’ve never heard of before. Doors at 8. All Ages. $12.

Also
Paris Falls, Spain Colored Orange, Al-Shire and the Henchmen, You(genious) @ Walter’s on Washington
Rehab, Erase The Virus, Come See My Dead Person @ The Scout Bar

ANGELS AND MINISTERS OF GRACE DEFEND US FROM THIS EPIC EVENT!

HOLY CALAMITY! BEATS OF INSANITY! ARE YOU READY FOR THIS! Like adding a mustache to your dasheeki, the folks over at the Free Press have taken the delicious pizza that is their twice annual Westheimer Block Party and have sprinkled a metric ton of fresh grated awesome on top. Stoked. And things are a brewin, here’s a quote from organizer (and Free Press editor) Mr. Omar:

We hope to snowball the block party into a legitimate arts and music festival and marquee event for the city. Ambitious? Yes. Risky? Yes? But we have an undying faith in this city, our community, and the potential for big, wonderful things to happen.

Now, snowballing anything other than snow takes time, effort and most of all money. But how to bring in income from something that has had, traditionally, being free near the core of it’s whipsistentialism? You do it by being smart, which is what the Free Press has done. They’ve kept the day part of the event free, so you still can have big bonanza fun in the sun for $0, but then they’ve added an impressive lineup of evening acts, playing at different venues, that will require (and are worth, in our calculation) buying a wristband to see. Peep the lineup:

Advance wristband sales have already started, get them online here. We’re sure we’ll have lots more to say about this in the run up to the event, including how our efforts to move a conflicting wedding will go. YUS.

FRIDAY
If you’re a fan of the kind of things like Vinyl Ranch, Wednesday nights at Big Star Bar, most of Dusti Rhodes’ outfits and 97.1 FM, then tonight is your night. Except that you have to choose. Where’s the morton’s salt girl? The Derailers have a set going at Goode’s Armadillo Palace, which is the building next to Goode Co. BBQ on Kirby. Yes, you can enjoy ribs, brisket and all the trimmings for dinner and then walk across the street to catch their set.

Junior Brown

Hardly seems fair to everyone else, frankly. Perennial favorite, Austin redeemer, master of the Guit-Steel and Dukes of Hazard-remake narrator Junior Brown brings his timeless take on country to the Mucky Duck of all places – be sure not to dance. Why not The Continental, may you ask? Well, because fellow keep it weirders The Gourds are headlining there this evening, along with Molly and the Ringwalds. Not enough choices for ya? Local Western Swing queen Miss Leslie will be playing with her Juke Jointers at Aubrey’s.

Let’s say you’re looking for an act that picks the cat-gut, but leans more towards the bluegrass and old timey breakout of things. Well, turns out you too are strikin it rich thanks to the good folks over at the Free Press, who are having a party to celebrate their 2008 Worst of Houston Issue. The Sideshow Tramps are at the top of that bill, along with Come See My Dead Person and Robert Ellis. It’s taking place at Avante Garden, and if you bring a T-Shirt they’ll have a screen on hand to create you own, handmade, Worst of Houston souvenir. Could be worse.

Also
Hunger Project Benefit, featuring Sybil, Skyblue72, The Tiles, & Gina Chavez @ Walter’s on Washington

UPDATE:  Tha F%cking Transmissions are playing a warehouse party, 2010 Commerce tonight.  Starts at 9 and there is free beer.

SATURDAY

As always, your Saturday can get it started right with the Secret Show, which kicks off at 2pm at the Shady Tavern on 20th in the Heights. Just up the street from Cedar Creek and around the corner from Big Star Bar, this once lonely outpost of the North is now right in the middle of the hotness.  The Tavern has beer and wine and offers setups, so bring a bottle of your favorite.  There’s food most weeks, hot off the grill, and the bands usually number about three and play until five.  Maybe Mr. Secret will make an appearance in the comments and give us some clues as to who is playing.

Taste of Garlic

Tonight is definitely your night of rock and roll, with Broken Note Records stars Taste of Garlic coming together for a rare outing. They’ll be at Rudyard’s with Southern danger-core rockers World’s Most Dangerous and the Train Woodburns. Over at Fitz, where one might gererally expect Taste to be playing, Come See My Dead Person plays a second night in a row alongside alt-rockers The Courtesy Clerks and barrio punks Vatos Locos. Meanwhile, over at Warehouse Live Pasadena Napalm Division, a thrash metal outfit featuring members of DRI and Deadhorse will do their best to melt any remaining faces after openers Whorehound. Over at the Continental, Spain Colored Orange warms up the crowd for Graham Wilkinson and the Underground Township.

And certainly not to be overlooked, Pretty Little Flower (or PLF, which we were told they sometimes have to go by due to grinders not realizing how hardcore flowers can be) celebrates 10 years of Grind this evening with a show over at the White Swan including Dissent, Battle Rifle, and a band who’s logo we are having trouble deciphering, but we think is called 26 Beers.

Don’t feel the rock? Danse the night away over at Numbers, where Danseparc this month features their take on the best of 2008. Something Else? The Staff at the House of Blues is having a talent show. C’mon – you know you’re tempted.

POLL: Which is the cheaper costume – Sara Palin or that lady that carved the backwards B in her face?  I dunno, but thank god for those two, because now we all have some cheap ways to dress up in a hurry.  Oh crap, what about dudes.  Hipster once again.

FRIDAY
Rusted Shut (12″ Relase Party) and The Homopolice @ Sound Exchange
This gets kicked off about 7pm, and is free (as always) and could involve a free keg (as usually). Regardless, this is a spooktacular way to get your weekend started, cause both of these band are going to freak you out more than if Nader bought a Pinto.

Dannzig, The Monocles, News on the March, Wild Moccasins, Young Mammals (playing as The Pixies) @ Walter’s
We had a full RIGHT ON WRITE UP for this event earlier in the week.

Listen Listen, Benjamin Wesley, Phillip Foshee, Robert Ellis, Bootown and Scatter @ Caroline Collective
We wrote about this event this week too.

Fischerspooner @ Rich’s
Yuss.

Also

• Horror Business, featuring Fredster, Damon, & Bobby DJ @ Boondocks
• Cop Warmth vs. BLACKIE, The Caprolites, Preachers Kids, and 10th Grade Cutie @ someplace out west (get the details from this HUH post)
  
• Creepshow II Halloween Party, featuring Hollywood Black, The Goods, & Slivered @ Rudyard’s
• Willie Nelson @ House of Blues

SATURDAY
Danseparc @ Numbers
John Water’s Themed Spooky Halloween Party. Costume contest as always

Dirty Honey, featuring Brett Koshkin & Special Guest @ Boondocks
Are there any good Halloween soul records? Who cares. DANCE!

Also

• Saturday Secret Show @ Shady Tavern
• Willie Nelson @ House of Blues
• Halffnelson, Wolves at the Door, Female Demand, Desmond Zavala @ Warehouse – 15255 Gulf Freeway Suite 148b
• Pale Young Gentleman, Chase Hamblin @ Avant Garden
• The Beach Boys @ Moody Gardens
• The Hates, The Delta Block, Anarchitex, Room 101 @ Rudyard’s

Along with a musical performance by Hell-plunging chrome shippers Balaclavas Somali Pirate Spokesmen Listen Listen several bands, there will be a show by Bootown doing the “Adult Storytime Theater.” What is that? We’ll let the event’s website explain:

Bootown sends out a call for stories based on a theme -in this case Halloween or Scary Stories. They pick out the best and then hand it off to a crew of actors, writers, and friends that can cut it/chop it/embellish/read/or act it. The result of there being so many options is usually a collage of creative folk entertainment.

Party. There’s also some improv theater by a group called Scatter and St. Arnolds beer. Tasty. $5. Doors at six. Music starts at seven.

Update: Turns out, it’s not Balaclavas playing, it’s Listen Listen. It wasn’t us that got that wrong, for once. Looks like the venue is working to confirm a few other acts as well, so skip back here before Friday’s done to see who else might be playing.

Update 2 The lineup has been further amended, with many quality acts now playing:
6-6:40pm Phillip Foshee
6:40 – 7:20pm Robert Ellis
7:20-8pm Scatter
8-40pm Benjamin Wesley
9-10pm Listen Listen
10-11pm Bootown