H-Town Takes A-Town (Pt. 2): Human Party Virus Lives, Saturday!

Yep, Part II of SCR‘s coverage of how H-town is plotting the overthrow of all things Austin this coming SXSW…

This time out, we’re all about the Human Party Virus crew, a gang of Houston- and elsewhere-based labels, musicians, etc., who’re banding together to throw a ridiculous number of shows up in Austin from 3/8-3/22 (i.e., next week). Jay from Woozyhelmet/Soda Pop Sounds is the mastermind of sorts, I think, but the good people of Esotype Records, Mia Kat Empire, Natrix Natrix Records, & Stikibel NY are all working their asses off to get these shows together, too.

Of course, in addition to blood, sweat, and music, these things take money. Sad but true, y’all, and that brings us to tomorrow’s (er, today’s, whatever day Saturday, March 14th happens to be to you) cool-ass local showdown, up at the hippified warehouse-district eatery/club Last Concert Cafe (which is a very cool place, I should mention). The Party Virus crew are having a big all-day fundraiser for their insane string of shows-to-be, starting at 11:30AM and running ’til 6PM, and they’ve recruited quite a big chunk of the very cream of the crop to play the thing. (Oh, and just in case you were wondering, the official name for the fundraiser is “The Center for Study of Human Party Virus Annual Symposium,” which makes me worry that Jay’s becoming far too entrenched in the halls of thinktank-dom, but hey…)

Here’s the latest lineup:

“Researchers Panel”
12:00 sIngs
1:00 David Israel
2:00 Giant Princess
3:00 Tambersauro
4:00 Moth!Fight!
5:00 American Sharks

Prevention Seminar
11:30 Buxton
12:30 Wood and Felt
1:30 Benjamin Wesley
2:30 Jay
3:30 Hollywood Black
4:30 Elaine Greer
5:30 Joe Mathlete vs. B L A C K I E

Quite a lineup, eh? From garage-y rawk (Giant Princess) to murky, sinewy math-rock (Tambersauro) to jangly, plaintive indie-folk (Buxton) to upbeat, multi-instrumented Afrobeat (Benjamin Wesley; no, I’m serious) to I have no fucking clue what’s going to go on between Joe Mathlete & B L A C K I E, except that any kind of lyrical throwdown with those two is bound to be well worth seeing. (And, um, apparently Joe’s bringing 5 drummers onstage with him. Go fig.)

Anyway, go, bring friends, help these folks show those dang Austin music snobs that our bands can whup their bands’ collective ass. Nyah! The cover’s a paltry $8, which is peanuts for that many bands + a good cause, even during a freakin’ recession.

Final weather-related note!: Jay swears the show will go on, rain or shine; the Party Virus bunch have contingency plans in place & all that to move stuff inside, should the need arise…