Jebus bejebus look at that line up! It hurts just looking at it! Just copying the freaking links is taking me for ever! I mean here is the deal. You catch what you can. Don’t worry if you haven’t heard of every band - it’s a freaking block party!! Walk around, check out bands you know, check out bands you don’t know, discover new bands to adore, discover new bands to ridicule, say hi to your peeps, ignore your enemies, turn on, tune in, and hang out. Can’t make the whole thing? Don’t worry, just pop on over for a bit. The point is it’s the best party in April and you’ll hate yourself for missing it. Hell, when the free stuff ends, come on into the air conditioned comfort of Numbers 2 and check out the not so free show too. See, if you don’t get home after our party and aren’t near death or at least to the point of collapsing, we have failed in our block party duties. Or to put it another way, we’re trying to kill you.

See you there!

ALSO THIS WEEK

Friday, April 11

Whorehound / Son(s) of Evel / Split Hoof
@ Rudyard’s
John The Black is one kick ass guitar player so what else can he do on his birthday but rock your ass off with his band Whorehound! Happy Birthday!

Saturday, April 12

Amplified Heat / Scorpion Child / Prodigal Sons
@ Rudyard’s
The first of two shows for people who are left alive after the block party and carry their own defibrillator, Amplified Heat are gold when it comes live shows.

Termination Force, Hypo-Christians, HasBeen, Ale Gore, Chocolate Crucifix
@ 2502 Leeland (9pm Sharp)
Here is the other one. Now you may notice this looks a hella lot like last week’s canceled show at the Pitt and you’d be right - this is the rescheduled show. So if you didn’t get your hit of Hardcore last week - here is your chance!

Sunday, April 13

KTRU 17th Annual Outdoor Show, featuring
Parts & Labor(!), Dead PA, Nosaprise, Balaclavas, KAI/ROS, Social Insects, Miles Ahead, Flying Balalaika Brothers, & Rachel Buchman
@ IM Fields 2/3 (Rice Univ. campus; 12PM, free)
Yeah, a family tradition here. Each year, KTRU brings some of the finest bands onto Rice campus and it makes for a lovely and laid back afternoon. I don’t think I’ve ever attended one and had a bad time. Parts & Labor alone is worth the admission! I’m one of those P&L; fans who find the live shows are so good that they make the LPs seem like a pale copy. The rest of the line up (which includes the recently profiled Balaclavas) is pretty amazing. I’ll see you there too.

British Sea Power/Film School/Colour Music/The Watermarks
@ Numbers
This show has been burned in my head only because of a ridiculous attack on promoter Pegstar for booking the Watermarks and not the anonymous flamer’s own band. The flamer’s sour grapes caused a big commotion and the show got much more publicity than had the flamer kept his mouth shut. Which only goes to prove that there is no such thing as bad publicity.

Monday, April 14

Born Liars/Black Black Gold
@ Boondocks
You know there are two solid big time shows happening but, no offense to the Boss or the angry red planet, you know where the sweat and craziness will be happening? Boondocks. Born Liars rip up the garage thing like nobody’s business. They are so good that we’re trying very hard to get around their nutters schedule to do a feature for May’s issue.

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
@ Toyota Center
Bruuuuuce!

The Mars Volta
@ Verizon Wireless Theater
Get your proggy weirdness on!

Wed., April 16

Son Volt/Bobby Bare Jr.
@ The Continental Club
Oh man this is a sweet bill. Do I need to explain who Sun Volt is? I didn’t think so.

Scout Niblett, Throw Me The Statue, The Ruby Suns + Elaine Greer and Sew What? (solo sets)
@ The Mink Backroom
England’s Scout Niblett minimal approach to her music make for some very intimate records. I’m kind of curious to see how it pulls off live. Pairing her with local singer songwriters Elaine Greer and Sew What is a nice contrast in solo styles too. Sandwiched in-between you’ll find the poppy goodness of Seattle’s Throw Me The Statue and the slightly odder pop stylings of New Zealand’s Ruby Sons. In short, this show’s kind of a smörgåsbord of styles which is something I find really refreshing.