The Music Crumudgeon’s preview for the Week of April 17, 2024
This week we open with free verse from the great man of letters ADR.
I just blatantly picked my nose at my desk and it felt great.
By ADRDude
Pick your nose
It’s awesome
I had totally forgotten the
perverse pleasure in it
Totally bad ass
I am gonna do it more
Yes, and you are right! I sure as hell don’t know what the hell that has to do with shows this week!
This week’s spotlight is on
Indian Jewelry’s Tour Kick Off
Indian Jewelry (tour kickoff) / Balaclavas / Wicked Poseur / A Thousand Cranes
@ The Backroom (The Mink)
I’m not a gamblin’ man but this line up is a pretty solid deal. Indian Jewelry’s tribal and strobe light infested shows are singular trippy experiences and well worth anybody’s Friday evening. They have a Syndrum for Pete’s sake! A Syndrum! Sold yet? OK, well it’s also a tour kick-off so you know it’s going to be special! OK, great I know you are psyched but how about they tack on the theatrically intense Balaclavas? You’re even more stoked, right? But wait, don’t touch that phone just yet because the Mink’s also throwing the two man/two guitar dance party of Wicked Poseur. Too good to be true, you say? Well how about they throw in 1,000 Cranes just to seal the deal? No not 100, not 500, not 999 - One Thousand! OK, Now you can make that call!!!
ALSO THIS WEEK
Thursday April 17
Negativland
Part of Aurora Picture Show’s
Media Archeology: Live & Televised
@ Rice University, Herring Hall
(8pm Doors 7:15)
Holy crap, arguably one of the most high profile (and deservedly so) audio pastiche artists are playing tonight. The performance is described as follows; “For this all audio performance, Negativland creates an immersive, imaginary radio show while audience members sit blindfolded and listen to samples of people discussing the various facets of Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and other major religions, and the role of religion in society. The performance is narrated by the fictional radio host, Dr. Oslo Norway” COOL! Bonus: KTRU 91.7fm Simulcast!Hasbeen, Ale Gore, Champion, Joe Ray, Molotov Compromise
@ The White Swan
You know when bands like the Who have these farewell tours that aren’t really farewell tours. Well, I’m hoping that Hasbeen keeps doing that if only because posters like this are freaking brilliant!Astronautilus/Single Frame
@ Boondocks
Astronautilus straddles the line of indie and rap with great dexterity throwing nimble vocals over sharp textures. Austin’s Single Frame borrows so heavily from so many sources that it’s kind of hard to peg them but a bit of new wave, electro, punk, and indie rock suggest an amusing opener.Megadeth / Children of Bodom / Flames / Job For a Cowboy / High on Fire
@ Verizon Wireless Theater
All your favorite soft rock hits touch down at the Verizon tonight.
Friday April 18
Brent Green with Howe Gelb (Giant Sand) & Jeremy Gara (Arcade Fire)
Part of Aurora Picture Show’s
Media Archeology: Live & Televised
@ The Orange Show
(8PM)
Filmmaker Brent Green will perform a a live narration to his animated films with an improvised soundtrack by Gelb and Gara. Should be cool. Oh and if it rains they will move it to the Aurora Picture show.Unwed Sailor / Ryan Lindsey / Papermoons / B.
@ Walter’s on Washington (8:30PM, $9)
Unwed Sailor play some pleasant indie instrumental rock. You may know Ryan Lindsey from Starlight Mints but he also makes straight-up pop solo records. Papermoons meanwhile specialize in folky roosty songs that grab your chest and rip our your heart with sweet fender tube amps and some of the best vocal harmonies out there. Listen to that song Lazy Bones and tell me otherwise! (Shit, they are playing with Bright Men of Learning on May 16 - kick ass!!!). B. meanwhile put on high energy shows of unabashed proggy math glory that leave your jaw on the floor. In other words, if show up late, you are lame!Deadbolt / Trian Woodburns
@ Rudyard’s
San Diego’s Deadbolt have been at it since 1990 and comes highly recommended by Bill Fool. How to describe what they do? Well I think the band puts it best when they say, “We still have the snake dance and the karate demonstration and the power tools, and we still insult people…. Rockabilly is Peggy Sue at the malt shop; psychobilly is a crazy killer from outer space; voodoobilly is the darker, creepier side of the ’billy family. We’re the side with the missing teeth.”Ministry/Meshuggah
@ Verizon Wireless Theater
I’ll be honest. I never bought into Ministry but if you did/do here you go.Infamous Stringdusters
@ McGonigel’s Mucky Duck
Well the international Bluegrass Music Association saw fit to bestow them best album of last year who am I to disagree?
Saturday April 19Program / Built By Snow / The McKenzies
@ The Backroom (The Mink)
The McKenzies! The McKenzies! The McKenzies!
I know this is bad form but I am totally stoked about the opening band - The McKenzies! Is it me or did a lot of people just freak at the McKenzies set last week at the block party! They rip some sweet pop that is not to be missed.Rush
@ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
You don’t like Rush? Are you nuts?!! Dude, I saw them a few years ago at the CWMP and I have to say they put on a great show! I don’t normally enjoy big venue shows like this but Rush at least proves it can be done and be fun.South Austin Jug Band
@ McGonigel’s Mucky Duck
(in-store) @ Cactus Music (12PM)
Austin Folkies double it up free and not so free!
James McMurtry/Jon Dee Graham
@ The Continental Club
James McMurtry (in-store)
@ Cactus Music (3PM)
Austin singer songwriter doubles it up free and not so free!Saturday - Sunday April 19-20
iFEST 2024
featuring Bettye LaVette, Buddy Guy, Red Stick Ramblers, The Wailers, Sonny Landreth, Charlie Musselwhite, Shemekia Copeland, The Neville Brothers, DJ Sun, D.R.U.M., Jones Family Singers, Trudy Lynn, Step Rideau, Triple, The Flamin’ Hellcats, Felipe Galvan y los Carnales, Yoko Mono, Cuervo, Karina Nistal, Zydeco Dots, Sonny Boy Terry, Earl Gilliam, Little Joe Washington, Kelly Dean, Kyle Turner, Sugar Bayou, Miss Leslie and Her Juke-Jointers, Sean Reefer and the Resin Valley Boys, Johnny Falstaff, The Hollisters, Free Radicals, Ryan Scroggins and The Trenchtown Texans, Spain Colored Orange, & Plump @ Downtown HoustonFuck “Ifest”- that’s weaksauce! It’s the Houston International Festival. You know the score!
Sunday April 20
Southland Coalition presents
STEEM Festival, featuring
Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, Translations, Trills, Forests, Track53, & more
@ The Backroom (The Mink)
This is being put on by Southland Coalition which describes itself thusly; “A collective of greater Houston area underground, experimental artists all working together to combat the norm and shine a light on the unusual. A growing scene of idm, ambient, electronic, experimental music is rising up through the murky depths of the mainstream and stirring up misconceptions.” Any questions?
Daniel Johnson’s Speeding Motorcycle
@ Rudyard’s
The Austin Cast of Speedy Mortorcycle bring the IBP favorite back to Houston for one night in a pretty cool venue. Joes Mathlete Explains it all:“Everybody should completely come out to this… I’m bad at summaries but basically we did this play in Austin a month or two ago (that we originally did here in Houston in 2024) called Speeding Motorcycle, like a rock opera with Daniel Johnston’s music.
On April 20 the band from the Austin show is coming down here to play a bunch of the songs we did in the show and the concert we did at the end of the show, and if you’re at all a fan of Daniel Johnston it’s something very much worth checking out. Even if you just like songs, or being at Rudyard’s on a Sunday night, come on out and have a buncha fun.
The band includes a bunch of people who played with Daniel back in the Austin cassette days, like Kathy McCarty (she was in Glass Eye and did the DJ covers album “Dead Dog’s Eyeball” in the mid-90s… if you’ve seen The Devil and Daniel Johnston, she’s the awesome lady with the glasses), Bill Anderson (from Cat Scientist and the Horsies; he was in Daniel’s band in the 80s and co-wrote several songs with him (“Ain’t No Woman Gonna Make a George Jones Out Of Me”)), Terri Lord and Sherri Anderson. Also Adam and Leila from the Invincible Czars, and some fun, friendly and attractive theater people you can buy drinks for and maybe make out with or something. Also I do some stuff.” -Joe Mathlete
Monday April 21
Dizzy Pilot / The Jonbenet
@ Boondocks
Monday Night at Boondocks continues with the ever frantic Dizzy Pilot and the ever heavy and droll Jonbenet. Not to be missed!Tuesday April 22
Cat Power/AppaloosaCancelled (To Be Rescheduled)
@ Warehouse Live
Cat Power’s high energy rock show has been a staple of heavy metals for decades now. With the distinctive voice of Rob Halford and the twin guitar attack of KK Downing and Glenn Tipton, it’s no wonder songs like Turbo Lover, You’ve Got Another Thing Coming, Breaking The Law, and Hell Bent For Leather have become metal classics. Don’t forget to camp out in the parking lot before the show!Wednesday April 23
The Monocles (tour kick-off)
@ The Backroom (The Mink)
Monocles! Monocles! Monocles! One of the most ass-kicking of the Houston Super Awesome Garage Heroes prepare to leave Houston on a mission that involves really expensive gas tank fill ups!
