Pop Style: The Best of The Week

Drake. Photo: Jordan Nicholson/One Nation

Last week we got to see plenty of talented acts roll through town and this week has plenty to offer as well as tons of local offerings. This week, heavy-hitters like Drake, Future and Dillon Francis will be here to grace our fine city.  Houston, here’s how to spend your nights this week.

Wednesday you can begin at Under The Volcano when the Cajun five piece Feufollet returns to town.  Mixing folk and traditional Cajun tunes, they have a way of capturing your heart while blowing your mind with their energetic performances.  Their latest album, last year’s Two Universes is like hearing gypsy infused Americana with French overtones.  The 21 & up show has doors at 8 pm and a TBA cover.  

Kemo For Emo. Photo: Courtesy of Artist

If you’d rather get your punk fix, then you could head to Barbarella for their Dollar Punk Night, this time featuring a headlining set from Houston pop punk four piece, Kemo For Emo.  After spending quite a good time away from performing, these guys returned to form stronger than ever by releasing this year’s A Picture Perfect Romance, which is one of the strongest pop punk albums I’ve ever heard.  What’s being touted as the last show from Houston’s Licker, they’ll bring their noise punk on as direct support, while the noise thrash of Houston’s KA will open things up.  The 21 & up show has doors at 9 pm and a measly $1 cover.

Thursday you can make it out to catch the engaging sounds of country rock six piece, Delta Rae at the Big Barn at Dosey Doe.  I feel like if you just take a listen to last year’s After It All, then you might just fall in love with this band that’s played every major festival but who is so different that they don’t really fit a genre.  They’re seriously impressive to catch live, and the folk pop of Dallas’ Castro will open things up.  Dinner is served from 5 pm and 6:30 pm, which is included in your ticket price between $18 and $28 for the all ages show.

Over at Rudyard’s you can catch the trippy electronica of Houston’s Kelly Doyle.  For those who don’t know, Doyle is one of the best guitarists to pick up a Telecaster, but his latest album AM from this year is electronica that’s super catchy but also trippy, which should make for an interesting live show to say the least.  The Gulf Coast swagger of Houston indie rockers Deep Cuts will be on hand to open the 21 & up show with doors at 8 pm and an $8 cover.

Mojave Red. Photo: Courtesy of Artist/Facebook

Continental Club will mix things up when they host a set from electro pop two piece Catch Fever.  Riding high on the release of their latest EP from this year, You Have All You Need, this guys prove that you can’t keep a good band down, and their catchy songs coupled with their energy heavy live shows are always a great fit for a good show.  The bluesy psych of Houston three piece Mojave Red will perform the duties of direct support, while the indie rock jams of Houston’s Cleen Teens will open the 21 & up show with doors at 9:30 pm and an $8 cover.

Friday the holiday weekend gets going with a set from Latin ska legends, Los Skarnales over at House of Blues.  These guys have been around since I was a teen, they’ve toured all over, and their high energy sets are always on point.  Gio Chamba will bring his crazed energy and digital cumbia sound on as direct support, and with percussionist Coffee in tow, they’ll bring last year’s Chamba to life.  The indie rock full of pop sensibilities of Vodi will go on beforehand, with a set from electro pop act -Us. on prior.  The hip hop of Blaze X Black will also be on the bill while the jazzy singer songwriter vibes of Sherita Perez will open the all ages show with doors at 6:30 pm and a $10 cover.

Booher. Photo: KUTX

Nightingale Room will host a set from Austin’s Booher.  The indie rock band, featuring Michael Booher of Austin’s Zykos and Houston’s Squirrel Tribe should be pretty impressive to catch to say the least, as I’ve heard really great things about them.  They’ve dropped several EP’s as of late, the latest being this year’s beautiful Autographin’ Bibles.  The 21 & up show has doors at 7 pm and it’s 100% FREE.

Satellite Bar will host a headlining set from the “communist” punks of Commie Hilfiger.  Dressed as traditional cold war era commies, these guys bring some humor to their energetic sets.  They’ll have the throwback punk of Denver’s 4 Minute Warning on before, while LA’s Die Fast will go on prior with the horror punk of Houston’s Super Evil Master Plan before them.  The Ballistics will open the all ages show with doors at 7:30 pm and an $8 cover for adults or a $10 cover for the kids.

Mantra Love. Photo: Courtesy of Artist

You can get your blues fix over at White Oak Music Hall when the blues rock of Houston’s Fox Parlor drops by to perform a set.  These guys make the kind of gruff bluesy tones I wish I heard more of in their genre, their last album West Dallas Rodeo has plenty of swag, and they’re impressive to see live.  The high energy of Houston three piece, Sik Mule will go on prior and make it hard for anyone to follow performing tunes from this year’s Sik Mule, while the chilled out psych of Mantra Love will open things up.  The all ages show has doors at 8 pm and tickets for $10.

You can head out to Joke Joint Comedy Showcase to catch Beaumont comic and Whiskey Brother Slade Ham as he performs the weekend at the club.  Ham has toured the world, he regularly sells out shows, and his sets in Houston are usually standing room only.  As per all of these shows, two of Houston’s better up and coming comics will serve as feature act and host for the shows at 8 pm or 10:30 pm, on Friday and Saturday, all with tickets between $16 and $18.

The White Swan Live will have a show for a cause, when they host the crazed intensity of LACE for a show that benefits the Houston Food Bank.  I would hope by now that you’d know about the straightforward and non sub-genre punk of LACE.  They just dropped a Demo: My Mask Is Off that’s like a punch to the face and a giant fuck you to the uniform based punk world.  Houston’s United Waves will go on beforehand, while the Television meets Protomartyr sounding punk of Ruiners will open things up.  There’s more details here for the all ages show with doors at 9 pm and a $10 cover.

Giant Kitty. Photo: Jesse Sendejas

Saturday you can get your own copy of the new Giant Kitty album, when they drop an in-store set over at Cactus in celebration of the vinyl release.  That album, This Stupid Stuff is pretty solid, and they’re always entertaining to see perform.  The all ages event has gratis beer for the adults, it’s 100% FREE, and it gets going around 3 pm.  

Of course, I’d guess that many of you will be heading to Toyota Center to catch the Drake & Future show.  The Canadian with strong ties to Houston, Drake dropped a lackluster release, Views that has at least charted well this year.  Couple October’s Very Own with a set from the massively popular jams of Atlanta’s Future, and you have a strong show.  Future dropped the more impressive sounding EVOL this year, and it’s been equally as successful.  Roy Woods, DVSN, and more will be on hand to open the all ages event for night one.  The doors are at 6 pm and the tickets are between $49.50 and $179.50.

Mucky Duck will host the country rock goodness of Amarillo’s Joe Ely.  For those who’ve been living under a rock, Ely is known for legendary songwriting and a heck of a live show.  His latest, last year’s Panhandle Rambler is his strongest in years, and he doesn’t perform as regularly as many would like.  You can catch him at one of two 21 & up shows at either 7 pm or 9:30 pm, both with tickets between $30 and $33.

Dylan Cameron. Photo: Courtesy of Artist/Facebook

Walters will host a barn burner when Austin techno artist, Dylan Cameron drops by for his Houston album release party.  That album, Infinite Floor is full of lush soundscapes and plenty of hard beats, and he’s rumored to be a force to see perform.  The psych techno of Austin’s Acid Jeep will be on hand as direct support while the modular synths of Pfaffenberg will go on beforehand.  Houston’s Funeral Parlor will also be on the bill, as will a visual and live set from Neil Ebbflo.  Millennial Grave will open the all ages show with doors at 8 pm and tickets between $7 and $10.

Satellite Bar will have the 7” single release party for Houston’s Camera Cult.  The synth pop duo has been building a pretty strong following, and the 7” in question, Don’t Hang Out is pretty tight.  The pop of Houston’s vas deferens will be on the bill as well as an electro pop set from Houston’s -Us.  Rex Hudson will bring his electronica jams to the bill, while the alt pop of Waco’s The Dimaggios will open the all ages show with doors at 8 pm and a $5 cover.

White Oak Music Hall will have the funky jams of Houston’s Muddy Belle for their album release party as well.  I’m not sure if you’ve seen this band or not, but they definitely set quite the funky vibe when they perform, and they’re pretty much a force to be reckoned with on any live show.  The six piece soul funk of Houston’s Soul Creatures will be on as direct support, and the high energy alt rock sounds of Handsomebeast will go on prior.  The psych blues of Vanilla Whale will open the all ages show with doors at 8 pm and a $10 cover.

Dillon Francis. Photo: Courtesy of Artist/Facebook

Stereo Live will be bringing the always entertaining dance jams of Dillon Francis to town.  If you somehow missed Francis’ at Day For Night last year, you missed a hell of a show as he went groovy and he went hard.  His latest drop, Need You (Remixes) is just as strong as last year’s This Mixtape Is Fire.  The 18 & up show has doors at 9 pm and tickets between $45 and $50.

You can close out Saturday at Fox Hollow for another edition of Houston’s premiere tropical bass party, Bombon.  Alongside the crew of DJ’s, they’ll have San Antonio’s Bruk Out as well as a set from Dallas’ Faded Deejays.  Hosted by La Commadre, there promises to be live percussion as well as Loteria games if you get there early enough.  The 21 & up show has doors at 9 pm and FREE with RSVP, or $5.

Sunday you could make it to the 12th anniversary party & talent show for Montrose’s Poison Girl.  Alongside plenty of specials, live sets from Young Mammals, Tee Vee, BooTown, Ruiners, Body Fat and more will be on hand.  The 21 & up event gets going around 4 pm and it’s 100% FREE.

Future. Photo: Courtesy of Artist

I’m guessing that many of you will head over or head back to Toyota Center for night number two of Drake and Future.  The lineup is the same as Saturday’s show, the show is still all ages, and with doors at 6 pm the tickets run between $49.50 and $179.50.

On Monday you could swing by Satellite Bar for a set from St Louis’ Karen Meat & Dubb Nubb.  The twin sisters of Dubb Nubb play this folky type of bedroom sound that’s pretty hard to ignore, and their 2024 album It’s Weird In This World is definitely one worth checking out.  The drone goth of Ohio’s Cosmic Moon will be on as direct support while the industrial noise of Austin’s Zusammenbruch will go on before.  The always bizarre sounds of Houston’s Ak’chamel will also be on the bill and KA will open the all ages show with doors at 7:30 and a TBA cover.

Tuesday you could head to Nightingale Room to catch a full band set from Houston’s Dillon Trimm.  As of recent, Trimm has been playing most of his sets solo and acoustic, so catching him with a full band should be a real treat.  The 21 & up show has doors at 7 pm and it’s 100% FREE.

A Girl Named Tiger. Photo: Courtesy of Artist/Facebook

Walters will be bringing the strange and intriguing electro pop of Vermont’s Grape Room to town.  This band is definitely different but that doesn’t mean that they’re bad.  Their latest album, this year’s Heart of Gum is spacey and trippy but far from being psych.  The pretend pop of LA’s Banny Grove will be on as direct support while Houston’s A Girl Named Tiger will be hard to follow beforehand.  The trippy and urban new wave sounds of Houston’s Jeremy Carswell will open the all ages show and probably get the room dancing with doors at 8 pm and a $10 cover.

That’s about all that’s happening around town this week.  Please remember that it’s a holiday weekend meaning that the amateur drunks will be out in full force.  No matter what you decide to do, please do so in the safest way possible.  

by David Garrick