#like there was just a headline that charlis album is heading towards number 1 and she released 2 new digital versions of tortured poets

[didhewinkback]

t swift making feminism part of her brand and always leaning on the "you would never say this if i were a man" line of white women feminism while simultaneously doing everything in her power to block any pop girl from passing her on the charts to get the number one spot is soooooooooooooo

"theres a special place in hell for women who dont help other women" unless the woman is trying to maintain her number one chart position and then she can do whatever she wants and screw over those less successful girls i guess

[dustedmagazine]

Dust Vol. 3, Number 3

A little past Valentine’s Day, midway through the winter, we interrupt our regular schedule to present a series of short reviews of albums that have caught our interest in these short, dark anxious days. There’s a posthumous EP from the Thin White Duke, a jangly solo effort from Ought’s Tim Darcy, a study in American primitivism from Joseph Allred, a bit of costume party revelry from Gorilla Mask and a slice of latter day jangle pop from the Courtneys, among others. Contributors this time include Ian Mathers, Bill Meyers, Justin Cober-Lake, Derek Taylor and Jennifer Kelly.  Make a cup of tea, turn the heat up and dig in.   

David Bowie — No Plan EP (Columbia/Sony)

The headline, of course, is that this the last(!) new(!) material from David Bowie before his death, and that’s true as far as it goes. It’s also true that one of these four songs was already released on ★, and the other three were included both in Bowie’s musical Lazarus and twice on the cast recording of the show (once by the case, once on the bonus disc in the versions found here). But whether you take the stance that this release is essential or deeply redundant, it confirms two things: Bowie still had plenty left in the tank when he passed (whether or not these three songs would have found their way to the album he wanted to make next), and his curatorial instincts were still firmly intact. Whatever work the songs here do in the musical, they would have made for an odd fit with the compressed, keening, weird melancholy tracks that make up ★ and would have been the weakest material there (the majestic, keenly felt “Lazarus” excepted, of course).  

That doesn’t make them scraps or afterthoughts, it’s just that they’re more on par with more prosaic material from The Next Day instead. The title track is another in a series of wavering elegies later-period Bowie has been mostly nailing since, let’s say, “Thursday’s Child” in 1999. It’s immediately contrasted with the insistent, grinding guitar of “Killing a Little Time,” a song that is the most conventionally “rock” thing Bowie did in 2016, although the closing “When I Met You” comes close. That last track is mostly notable for being an unusually direct song of love and devotion from Bowie; it’s hard to hear it and not assume it’s about Iman in some part. It’s a lovely note to go out on, and probably more true to Bowie’s existence at the end than the more self-consciously iconic (and tremendously powerful) “I Can’t Give Everything Away;” after all, he was fighting to keep living and working until the end.  

Ian Mathers 

The Few —Fragments of a Luxury Vessel LP (Two Cities Records)

Fragments of a Luxury Vessel by The Few

Some music falls into the cracks, but that’s where The Few finds space to navigate. The Chicago-based trio of guitarist Steve Marquette, bassist Charlie Kirchen and violinist/vocalist Macie Stewart has ties to both inside and outside jazz traditions as well as song-based rock and their acoustic instrumentation invites folk comparisons as well. Marquette’s Bailey-esque crabwalks on “Do You Still?” and stark harmonics on “Variations on ‘The Truth Is Marching In’” confirm his familiarity with no-net improvisation, but even though the music is freely played it doesn’t conform to any idiomatic proscriptions against tonal melody. And while Kirchen cuts some bold, Mingus-like shapes in the foreground of “Foot Fall,” the flamenco-like guitar flourishes and Stewart’s parallel streams of vocalized and long bowed tones put it in a context where dreamlike flow counts more than swing.

Bill Meyer 

Tim Darcy—Saturday Night (Jagjaguwar)

Tim Darcy, the front man from Ought, wields a sharp guitar and a wobbly voice to great effect, channeling the oddball earnestness of Gordon Gano, the woozy pop surrealism of Jeff Magnum. Saturday Night is his first solo album, recorded at around the same time as Ought’s denser Sun Coming Down, but stripped of aura and overtone and guitar effects to reveal a jaunty pop core. (The Ought song that this album most resembles, as others have noted, is “Beautiful Blue Sky.”)  Thus “Tall Glass of Water” rips and struts and slashes with pop-punk bravado, while intimating vulnerability in the tremble of the words. “You Felt Comfort” blares more dissonantly (and it’s this one that reminds you of Neutral Milk Hotel), but around a sweet, heartening tune; it’s a rampage with a fetching smile. The song stretch out and grow weirder after the midway point. The title track slips some abrasive bowing into its disconsolate mix, with Darcy muttering “I wish I’d run away sooner…to save time,” but it sounds to me like he got out at exactly the right moment.

Jennifer Kelly

Gorilla Mask – Iron Lung (Clean Feed)

Gorilla Mask strikes a precarious balance of costume party extroversion and dialed-in intensity on Iron Lung. Theirs is pile-driving, peel-out-on-a-dime music that wastes nothing in the way of quarter given to skeptical neophyte listener or avaricious industry suit. Altoist Peter Van Huffel punches, jabs, ducks and weaves from his reed like a jacked-up cousin to John Zorn, riding the tight, pounding metrics of drummer Rudi Fischerlehner and liquid mercury electric bass lines of Roland Fidezius that often also rely on fuzz pedal and delay. “Before I Die” has the sweaty basement door gig flavor Boston-era Vandermark, a head-bobbing backbeat bolstered by detours into Echoplex dub. “THUMP!” divines memories of the sort of circumscript, drain-circling jams that were the purview of SoCal punk jazz pioneers Bazooka while “Crooked” projects Brötzmann-worthy peals of pathos above a pulsing mallets-driven processional. The German power trio proves better suited to the former context as the fire-stoking title track also beautifully and implacably bears witness, but who’s to fault them for trying to beat their chests outside the box.

Derek Taylor

Joseph Allred—Fire & Earth LP (Scissor Tail Records) 

Fire and Earth by Joseph Allred

There’s more than one mountain to climb in American Primitive guitar territory, and Joseph Allred favors the holy one. Like Robbie Basho, he totes a 12-string guitar, augments his playing with other instruments and some line-in-the-sand singing, and uses his music to convey mystical and nature-dazzled themes. But he’s no copycat. Instead of feverish exaltation and slack-jawed awe, he expresses humility and a more measurable appreciation for his subjects. And some of his recurrent instrumental effects do not come from Basho’s playbook at all; the blurry tremolo effect he employs on “Holy Blue Window” and “A Waltz for Winter” recalls the early work of James Blackshaw. On two of the album’s nine tracks, Allred sets his guitar aside to play harmonium. “Musica Humana” is so closely recorded that you can hear him hum subliminally along with the melody while his feet work the pedals. It feels as intimate as the thoughts of a true nature lover communing with the divine during a long afternoon walk through the woods. Allred lifts his voice just once, on the hymn-like “Useless Air.” His high quaver is not as easy to embrace as his strumming, but the song’s prayerful quality is of a piece with the rest of the album.

Bill Meyer             

The Courtneys – The Courtneys II (Flying Nun)

The Courtneys' aptly named second album has found the proper label, matching the history that the Canadian trio mines for their pop-rock. Flying Nun pillars like the Clean stand as sonic predecessors — there's still a bit of jangle here and a bit of pop and a particular sort of rock that touches on but isn't limited to its late 1980s and early 1990s roots. The group hints at a fuzziness it never quite dips into. At times, particularly in the second half of the album, the Courtneys reach more toward Sonic Youth, but this group never loses a brightness of tone that keeps a pop sound to even its more driving numbers. “Virgo” shows the anxious undercurrent of the band's music and while it hurtles along, it never dips into darker sounds.

That sort of edge keeps the album from leaning too far toward bubblegum. The group writes fantastic melody after melody, a sort of bright punkiness carried by a stream of hooks. “Silver Velvet” is a new teen love anthem, a little goofy and a little resistant, but completely given to its own ends. Like that opener, much of the album is fit to go over well when sung either in a safely grungy club or in a similarly half-cleaned bedroom.

Justin Cober-Lake

Tim Daisy—Red Nation “1”  (Relay Recordings)

Tim Daisy [] Red Nation "1" (relay 018) by red nation

It has been a long time since you could just call Tim Daisy a jazz drummer.

Consider the classically steeped themes he has written and the marimba melodies he has played in the ensemble Vox Arcana, or the radio captures that he releases into the electrified environment of Ken Vandermark’s Made To Break; he’s a fully ledged agent of sonic and aesthetic diversity. Consider also that he helps program Option, an improviser’s salon at Chicago’s Experimental Sound Studio and runs Relay Recordings; Daisy is an unstinting contributor to Chicago creative music scene, which has thrived despite the soul-corrosion and economic stress of 21st century American disaster capitalism.  

Maybe it’s not a total bust to live in these times. In the mid-20th century, it took considerable institutional support for the pioneers of musique concrete to make music that sounds like Red Nation “1.” Daisy was able to make the album in just two days without a single overdub by drumming along with stuck and triggered records and was able to get it from the recording studio to a finished silver CD in just 30 more. Being his own label boss means that his business practices can be as instantaneous as his playing, which synthesizes composition and improvisation into music that is spontaneous, witty and complete. “The Drunken Captain” is anchored by a hard-to-source electronic lurch that vividly evokes the gait of the titular skipper, who miraculously never quite trips over the streams of distorted piano and restlessly searching snare action that crisscrosses his path. And on “Shadows Play” and “Beats for an Owl,” Daisy plays spare and evolving beat patterns around layers of remorselessly rotating sound.

Why red? Daisy isn’t making any sort of political statement, he just likes the color, and sometimes when you’re your own boss you get to do what you like.

Bill Meyer

[reyswiftwalker]

Taylor Swift’s reputation Stadium Tour: Indianapolis

First off, I want to start by saying that I’ve been waiting for this for 3 years. I wanted to see her 1989 World Tour but sadly, I couldn’t. So, I vowed that I would go to her next tour no matter what. Even if it meant driving 9 hours to get there (which it did).

And so, without further ado, these are my thoughts:

Opening Acts

Charli XCX & Camila Cabello

I am impressed with both of them. Very well done. Charli XCX proves she is able to get the crowd going with Boom Clap and Camila Cabello is a natural on stage, sporting a Indianapolis Colts jersey.

While watching her, I get the feeling that I am watching the beginning of something BIG. I have a feeling she will never be opening for another artist again.

The Introduction

I HAVE NEVER SEEN A MORE EPIC WAY TO START A CONCERT.

We get a jarring, yet beautiful black and white video comprised of clips of Taylor spanning back to when she was twelve-years-old to her 1989 Tour. The voices of news reports eco through the stadium rattling off countless headlines that are equally as familiar as they are outrageous.

“This is the first time photographers have caught T Swift on film in SIX WEEKS!”

“reputation”

“Is there bad blood?”

“reputation”

“Taylor Swift is on top of the world, but has she done some sketchy things to get there?”

“reputation”

“I felt like she was a little angry.”

“reputation”

“She holds too many grudges.”

“reputation”

“I can understand needing to keep your relationship to yourself in the beginning, or needing some time to work on your craft, but COME ON!”

“reputation”

“Taylor voluntarily bringing attention to herself with her donation.”

“REPUTATION”

The stadium goes completely dark aside from the red glow of exit signs and the screens of cell phones. All cameras pointed toward the stage.

The two giant screens split and a beam of light washes over thousands of screaming fans. The screaming is deafening. It can only be compared to that of Beatlemania. Then, a completely silhouetted Taylor Swift is pushed forward on a moving walk way.

The bright white light is replaced by a blood red one as Taylor raises her microphone to her mouth. Then:

“Are you ready for it?”

The Setlist

1. Ready For It...?

2. I Did Something Bad

3. Gorgeous

4. Style/Love Story/You Belong With Me

Look What You Made Me Do Video Interlude

5. Look What You Made Me Do

6. End Game

7. King Of My Heart

8. Delicate

9. Shake It Off

10. Dancing With Our Hands Tied (Acoustic)

11. Forever & Always (Acoustic)

12. Blank Space

13. Dress

14. Bad Blood/Should’ve Said No

15. Don’t Blame Me

16. Long Live/New Year’s Day

Why She Disappeared Video Interlude

17. Getaway Car

18. Call It What You Want

19. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together/This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things

55,729

That’s the record-breaking number of people who attended the show. Taylor’s 13th show in the state of Indiana.

But the most amazing part is Taylor’s uncanny ability to make a show of that size feel like an intimate experience. You feel like she’s talking just to you, even when you’re surrounded by thousands of other fans. She’s relatable and she knows how to connect with an audience.

Look What You Made Me Do

There is nothing sweeter for a Swiftie to see than Taylor ascending to a throne, surrounded by snakes, and winking the opening chime to LWYMMD. The song has been iconic since the clock struck midnight on August 24th, 2017, but Taylor found a way to make it even more iconic. Maybe it was the tilted stage, maybe it was the enormous inflatable snake, or maybe it was the sound of Taylor’s impressive vocals, but, to me, that song has never been more epic than it was that night.

Delicate

Taylor starts her longest speech of the evening thanking the audience for the surreal experience of getting to play in this stadium.

“The only time that I’ve played in this room before was when I played at an FFA conference... it had to have been a decade ago, but I remember thinking that night... like oh my god, I don’t even want to imagine what it would be like to play in this room on tour as a concert because I was like ‘that’s impossible... that’s completely unattainable.’”

But yet again, Taylor Swift proves that nothing is unattainable for her. Including getting four nominations for the American Music Awards which she thanks the audience for as well.

Artist of The Year

Tour of The Year

Favorite Female Artist - Pop/Rock

Favorite Album - Pop/Rock

After doing some research, I discover that if she were to win all four of them she would be the second most decorated AMA artist in history. Only behind Michael Jackson by one award.

She continues to speak a little about what the word reputation means to her. How, when your reputation and reality don’t match up, it can leave you feeling pretty powerless. But her biggest fear...

“What if something fake, like a bad reputation, or a rumor somebody spreads about you - what happens if something fake like that, gets in the way of something real, like you finding real friends? Or someone who really gets you? Or someone who really sees you? ... When you start getting afraid of that stuff... everything starts feeling really... delicate.”

The Outfits

I had a feeling that I would see some great outfits and I am not disappointed. Tons of people paint a green 13 on their hands. There are snakes everywhere. One guy near me dresses up as “The Nick Of Time” sporting a name tag that reads “Hello my name is, Nick” and a clock necklace. I even saw two folks dressed head-to-toe as snakes. And let’s not forget the many classic quotes printed on t shirts as well. Some of my favorites include, 

“I support my wife’s Taylor obsession”  

“repuTAYtion”

“I would very much like to be excluded from this narrative.”

The B-Stage

This is the closest I get to Taylor all evening. Shake It Off plays. A song that, I believe, will be on her setlist for every tour now on. The iconic single is followed by two acoustic songs: Dancing With Our Hands Tied, the eleventh song from her album reputation and Forever & Always, the “surprise song” of the evening.

If I’m being honest, Forever & Always was never on my list of favorite Taylor Swift songs. It is on my “Best Of Taylor Swift Playlist” though. I find part of me wishing that she had played The Way I Loved You. A chronically underrated song off her second studio album, Fearless. 

Don’t Blame Me

From the first time I heard this song, I knew that it is going to be epic live. This song is MEANT to be played live in a stadium. Taylor completely slays her vocals, making it one of the most memorable performances of the night.  

The Mashups

If I had to say something bad about this concert (and I really don’t want to), it’s that the mashups were probably the weakest part of the show. That is not Taylor’s fault though. In fact, it is her extraordinary success that it to blame. She has so many hit songs, so many fan favorites, that she can’t possibly play them all in one night. Thus, we get mashups. And their flaw is that they don’t convey the whole message.

Anyone who has listened to Taylor’s music can tell you that each song tends to have a message or basic plot line. Whether lyrically or musically. And these mashups interrupt the flow of that message. The only one that really works well, in that it still conveys the emotion it’s meant to, is the Long Live/New Year’s Day mashup. It is utterly beautiful the way she seamlessly blends them together. And I personally believe that they are stronger together than they are apart.

Why She Disappeared

Like many Swifties, I bought Taylor’s reputation magazines when they were released last November. I flipped through the pages and looked at the pictures and read the poems.

But the addition of the visuals to this one, makes it better than it ever was before. Taylor’s epic, omnipresent voice ecos through the stadium,

“Whatever you say, it is not right

Whatever you do, it is not enough

Your kindness is fake

Your pain is manipulative

...

May your heart remain breakable

But never by the same hand twice”

Beautiful visuals of sweeping nature light up the screen. There has been mass speculation that Getaway Car will be Taylor’s fifth single off reputation. And as I watch the video, I can’t help but wonder if we’re getting a sneak peek to the music video without even knowing it.

Getaway Car

It shocks me, but it takes the title of my favorite performance of the night. A song that isn’t one of my favorites going in, becomes one going out. If Getaway Car does become a single, I find myself hoping that the visuals are similar to the ones we saw here. 

Call It What You Want

I call it my favorite song on this album. From the first time I heard it, I loved this song. To this day it is still my favorite from the reputation era. So satisfying to finally here it live.

This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things

Taylor goes out with a bang! This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things has always been a banger, but when you add a fully-functioning, three-tier fountain and put Taylor Swift at the top, somehow it gets just a little bit better. 

Confetti goes flying into the air, and I am lucky to be close enough to one of the canons to snag a few pieces. I shake my head in amazement as I look down at the pieces: tiny little newspapers with the words “reputation” and “Taylor Swift” all over. Why does it not shock me?

Conclusion

This is by far the best concert that I have ever attended and Taylor achieved her goal, because, from now on, I will never miss another tour that she puts on. 

I remember at one point Taylor pauses at the piano to look out at sea of people to her right. She looks introspective. Looks as though she is soaking all of this in. And a chill goes up her spine. She shivers at the grander of it all. One of history’s most influential musical artists of all time is stunned that people are here for her. A genuine smile spreads across her face eliciting a huge cheer from the audience.

“I love you guys,” she says simply. “A lot.”

And when it comes down to it, that is why she continues to sell millions of albums. It’s why she continues to sell out stadiums. And it’s why people (including myself) love her. Because even though she’s debatably the biggest star in the world, she still is the same sweet, adorkable girl she has always been. And that truly is the best thing about Taylor Swift.

[houstonlocalus-blog]

World Unglued: The Best of The Week

The Growlers. Photo: Big Hassle

  Now that another festival has released its lineup, we can start marching towards the inevitable overflow of SXSW in March.  This week you have a ton of options from locals as well as a sold out set from Isaiah Rashad, The Growlers, and Power Trip.  Houston, your next seven days are all planned out.

  On Wednesday you could swing by Walter’s for the album release from Houston’s Talking Forever.  The four piece, makes music closest to that of Modern Baseball meets Balance and Composure, and should be worth making it out for.  The shoegaze emo sounds of Donna Hayward will be on as direct support while the highly charged fuzzy garage rock of Moth Wings will go on beforehand.  The alt pop of Rome Hero Foxes will also be on the bill and things will get opened by the indie rock of Phantompains with doors at 7 pm and tickets between $6 and $8 for the all ages show.

  The Experimental Action festival kicks off in multiple venues on Thursday, but an artist meet & greet with a special menu will be on display at Cafe Brasil.  While this will be a chance to meet all of those involved with the fest from around the globe, this will also be your last chance to grab a $30 pass before the price goes up.  More information is available here for the all ages and FREE event that gets going around 7 pm.

  Over at House of Blues in the Foundation Room, you could catch an intimate performance from Houston producer and songwriter Lee Lonn.  Lonn has made quite the name for himself with his smooth R&B grooves, and a live set that’s pretty impressive.  A set from DJ 4k will also be on the bill for the 21 & up show with doors at 7 pm and tickets between $5 and $10.

  Under The Volcano will have the British born and Austin transplanted country tones of Sophia Johnson.  After receiving praise for her live shows, last year she dropped the catchy and twangy One Year complete with enough hooks to start a bait & tackle shop.  The 21 & up show has doors at 8 pm and a TBA cover.

  Jawwaad Taylor. Photo: Svetlana Selezneva/Courtesy of Artist/Facebook

  Thursday you should start off at the CAMH for the always inspired and enigmatic sounds of Houston’s Jawwaad Taylor as part of the museum’s 20Hertz series.  Jawwaad is easily one of the best artists in Houston, he dropped one of the best hip hop records ten years ago with Jneiro Jarel called Craft of The Lost Art under the name Shape of Broad minds, he’s toured the world performing with his jazz group The Young Mothers, and his style is like no one else.  What he has planned for this show should be nothing short of mind altering for the all ages event that gets going around 6:30 pm and it’s 100% FREE.

  Experimental Action starts in full over at Notsuoh and the multiple venue festival featuring local and international festival is something everyone should consider checking out.  Performers from Spain, NYC, China, Serbia and more will be at the three day festival that will be at The Secret Group on Friday, and at Walter’s on Saturday.  The hours are from 8 pm- midnight each night, the tickets are between $12 per night or $30 for all three days, and the all ages event has all of the details available here.

  The Broken Spokes. Photo: Uncredited/Courtesy of Artist/Facebook

  Over at Big Top you can two step the night away with the honky tonk sounds of Houston’s The Broken Spokes. Playing old school country with the ease of the greats, these guys have a mix of Western Swing and pre-pop country that’s hard to ignore, and their 2016 album The Broken Spokes is like going back in time the good way.  The 100% FREE show with doors at 10 pm is 21 & up and definitely worth putting your boots on for.  

  Friday you could get started at Numbers for another tantalizing performance from Houston’s Dem Damn Dames at their cirque show, Cirque du So Weird.  Magic, silks, burlesque and more will be on hand as performances from LA’s Caramel Knowledge and Chicago’s Claira Bell will occur next to performances from the Dames themselves and many more.  The 18 & up show has an opening magic set from Urial Gwydian with doors at 7 pm.  Entrance to Classic Numbers immediately following this show is included with your ticket, with prices between $15 and $30 for VIP seating.

  Power Trip. Photo: Southern Lord Records

  At Walter’s you can make it out for the trash sounds of Dallas’ Power Trip when they host their record release party for their new album out on Southern Lord Records.  These guys are like getting smacked in the face live, and their last drop, 2013’s Manifest Decimation should be enough reason to come check them out.  Direct support from Virginia’s Iron Reagan is nothing to deny, while the metal of Houston’s Skourge will go on prior.  The thrash metal of Houston’s Omerta will also play and the crazy and insane punk of Sexpill will open the all ages show with doors at 7 pm and tickets for $15.

  Last Concert Cafe will have the trippy psyched out sounds of Austin’s Golden Dawn Arkestra.  While the group claims Nigeria as home, Austin is where they’re from now though that shouldn’t really matter.  One of the most intriguing acts you can catch going, this band consisting of at least eight members brings it when they perform their mystical caravan of song craft to life with each set.  Their latest, last year’s Stargazer echoes the likes of Sun Ra while falling into an LSD laced rabbit hole.  Houston’s The Heights Funk Collective will provide direct support and Austin’s The Warplanes will go on prior.  The funky goodness of Soul Creatures will open the all ages show with doors at 7 pm and a $12 cover.

  Rudyard’s will usher the return of Matt Pryor, the prolific front man for Chicago emo group, The Get Up Kids to perform a solo set.  While Pryor has been here many times, coming on the heels of this year’s Memento Mori could be the best time as it’s his most solid solo effort so far.  Dan Andriano of Alkaline Trio will be on as direct support and opener for the 21 & up show with doors at 7:30 pm and tickets between $13 and $16.

  My Education. Photo: Kat Alyst/Courtesy of Artist/Facebook

  Satellite Bar brings back the cinematic indie rock of Austin’s My Education.  If you want to get schooled, this is the band to give you a lesson.  Their live shows are insane and their latest album Schiphol out on March 3rd is produced by famed producer Mike McCarthy.  San Antonio’s Levees will be on as direct support where the lushly arranged and gorgeous tones of My Twilight Pilot will go on prior.  The electromechanical sounds of Houston’s The Thief and The Architect will open the all ages show with doors at 8 pm and a measly $7 cover.

  If you’re up for a drive, you should consider heading out to Sugarland to the Smart Financial Centre to catch the legendary songs of Sting.  Sure, he formed The Police only to turn his back on them before cashing in for a more adult contemporary sound, but the guy is pretty impressive live.  He’ll be here in support of his latest release, last year’s 57th & 9th.  San Antonio’s Joe Sumner and the Last Bandoleros will open the all ages show with doors at 8 pm and tickets between $54 and $154.

  Isaiah Rashad. Photo: Top Dawg Entertainment

  In the ballroom at Warehouse Live, if you were lucky enough to grab tickets, you could catch the hip hop of Tennessee’s Isaiah Rashad.  After the heat behind his album The Sun’s Tirade, this rapper blew up and should wow all in attendance.  Lance Skiiiwalker will be on as direct support while Jay IDK will open the SOLD OUT all ages show with doors at 8 pm.  

  House of Blues will host the popular sounds of Austin’s Emily Bell in the Foundation Room.  Bell has criss crossed styles for a while now, but that really just proves she can sing pretty much whatever she wants.  However, if her latest single “Can’t Talk Back” is any indicator of her upcoming EP, then we should be in for a real treat at this show.  The all ages event has doors at 8 pm and it’s 100% FREE.

    Charlie and the Regrets. Photo: Uncredited/Courtesy of Artist/Facebook

  On Saturday things could get started when you find yourself over at Cactus catching an in-store performance from Houston’s Charlie and the Regrets.  Lead by Charlie Harrison, I’ve said for a while that this band could break out at any moment, and their new album “Rivers In The Streets” due out on 02/25 through Sony distribution should be pretty killer.  The all ages show has gratis beer for the adults, it gets going around 1 pm and it’s 100% FREE.

  Alley Kat will host the fifth edition of Sur Fest featuring a slew of Latin artists.  Sets from La Sien, Mas Pulpo, and many more will be on hand as well as photography, poetry and visual artists.  There’s more information here for the 21 & up event that gets going around 1 pm with a $15 ticket price.

  Dillon Trimm+Gabe Bravo. Photo: Uncredited/Courtesy of Artist/Instagram

  The Secret Group will have a benefit for Girls Rock Camp Houston at the What’s It? show.  Two stages, sets from King Finn, Another Run, Dillon Trimm+Gabe Bravo, a solo set from Justin Nava, and LA’s True American headlining among others.  There’s also a tribute to former King Finn founder Alan Huynh and so much more.  The all ages show has doors at 5 pm and tickets between $10 and $15.

  Out at Dosey Doe in the Big Barn, Houston legend B.J. Thomas will swing by to perform.  Sure, he wasn’t born here, but he was raised in and around our city, he was a member of the Triumphs, and he’s also sold a ton of records.  His latest release, The Best of B.J. Thomas(Re-Recorded) is definitely proof he hasn’t slowed down either.  The all ages show includes dinner served between 6 pm and 7:30 pm with tickets between $98 and $158.

  Notsuoh has the psych rock of Dallas’ Monoculture over to perform.  The four piece plays songs that teeter totter between college indie rock and psych, and their latest single “Absurd” sounds pretty tight.  The high energy of LA’s No Parents will provide their good time punk while The Prettybads will also swing by to play their brand of punk.  The indie rock of Since Always will open the 21 & up show with doors at 7 pm for the 100% FREE show.

  The Mahas. Photo: Uncredited/Courtesy of Artist/Facebook

  Big Star Bar will have the punk rock goodness and crazed onstage antics of The Cops.  Not to be confused with actual cops, these guys are definitely a band you need to see sooner than later.  The Mahas will return with their garage rock sounds while things will get opened by the garage punk of Idiot City.  The 21 & up show has doors at 8 pm and it’s 100% FREE.

  If you like true dance hall ska, then you should head to Rockefeller’s to catch Austin’s The Bandulus.  Straight up, one of the most impressive ska bands I’ve ever heard, their album The Times We Had is like going back in time through sound.  The rock steady ska of LA’s The Steady 45’s will also be on as direct support where the always inventive sounds of Houston’s kind of Gulf Coast swagger, Nick Gaitan will go on prior.  Tejas Got Soul Sound System will open things up with a DJ set for the all ages event with doors at 8 pm and tickets for $15.

  Urban Pioneers. Photo: Uncredited/Courtesy of Artist/Facebook

  Continental Club will have a barn burner in the truest sense of the words, when Albany, Texas’ Urban Pioneers drop by to offer up their blend of hillbilly and roots music.  Seriously, you don’t know fiddle until you catch this trio live, and their latest release Feast or Famine from last year is a delicacy for the ears.  Magnolia’s Folk Family Revival will be on as support and openers for the 21 & up show with doors at 9 pm and a TBA cover.

  Sunday over at The Secret Group they’ll host a new show series from the team behind the Goddammit shows called Night Brunch.  Live music, comedy, and FREE food are all on hand for the diverse new show.  The doors are at 5 pm and it’s 100% FREE, and completely worth checking out.

  One of my favorite local artists, The Wizard of Barge has a show over at Insomnia VGC.  This guy makes some kooky stuff so it only makes sense the the show would be titled Cosmic Kooks.  Forty plus unseen paintings will be up at this show, an opening reception music and drinks are all part of the experience for the all ages show with doors at 6 pm for the 100% FREE event.

  Of course you can head to the big room downstairs at White Oak Music Hall for the garage rock leanings of The Growlers.  The garage rock on the lo-fi spectrum that this band once embodied is now traded in for a more hi-fi psych pop sound.  Of course that doesn’t mean that they can’t still bring it in person and their massively popular new album City Club should sound great in a live setting.  There’s no word of support or openers, but that could change for the all ages show with doors at 7 pm and tickets between $20 and $27.

  Continental Club will bring Santa Monica’s Red Elvises over to play their blend of surf rock and rockabilly.  While the band was originated in Russia, they’ve since moved stateside and really bring their “A game” to each and every live set.   Their last album, 2011’s Live In Montana should give you an idea of their strengths.  The 21 & up show has doors at 7 pm and a $15 cover.

  On Monday, Walter’s will have New York’s trippy and pop infused sounds of Landlady.  The instrumentation of what this group dos alone, is enough reason to make it out for this show.  Possibly one of the most interesting things you’ll see, their newest album The World Is A Loud Place from this year is one of the most interesting albums I’ve heard in years.  It’s like Zappa is being channeled in each and every song, but more serious in overall tone.  Houston’s Deep Cuts will bring their reformed and good times sound to the bill as direct support and openers for the all ages show with doors at 8 pm and tickets between $10 and $12.

  Flower Politics. Photo: Uncredited/Courtesy of Artist/Tumblr

  At Satellite Bar you can see if you think two is better than one when Carolina two piece Naked Naps drops by to play. This duo brings a garage tinged indie rock to the table and their last release the middle is pretty impressive and different.  The acoustic bedroom pop of Houston’s Flower Politics will open the all ages show.  I’m not sure if you’ve ever heard Flower Politics or not, but you should know that the mostly solo artist just dropped their 22nd album in three years. The doors are at 8 pm and there’s a TBA cover.

  That’s about all that’s happening around town this week.  No matter what you decide to do, remember that making it home safe is in everyone’s best interest, and that a safe ride home is just an app away.

World Unglued: The Best of The Week this is a repost