Yr. Weekend, Pt. 2: George Clinton + Suspects + Sharks and Sailors + Lotus Effect + Scout Bar + More


Gotta keep this somewhat short, as an impatient midget is currently demanding I go with her on a bike ride through the ‘hood, but there’s a ton going on tonight/today (Sat., April 24th), and I didn’t want to miss mentioning it:

iFest, featuring George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, Dave Alvin & the Guilty Women, Los Skarnales, Texas Johnny Brown, Steel Vibrations, Famous Squad DJs, Studio 8 Dancers, Colombian Orchid Ballet, Danse, Zydepunks, Mi Rumba, HSPVA Jazz All Stars, La Excelencia with Salsa Eddy Salsa Dancers, Oyu Oru Afro-Cuban Dance Ensemble, Taj Weekes & Adowa, Sister Sister y Los Misters, The Suspects, Ned Sublette, Mariachi MECA, Nritya School of Classical Indian Dance, Women of Haiti, Big Al Bettis, Los Pistoleros, Stamina and Mocko Jumbie Stilt Dancers, Baba Ifalade Drum Circle, & Koumanke’le African Dancers @ Downtown
I know I haven’t really mentioned the International Festival much ’til now, even though the full lineup’s been pretty great. Today, though, is the day my personal faves of the Fest are playing, notably George Clinton & P-Funk, Steel Vibrations, Texas Johnny Brown, Latino old-school ska-punks Los Skarnales, and (best of all, at least to me) rejuvenated trad-ska heroes The Suspects. The Suspects play at 4:30PM, I hear, but check the Website for the full schedule…

Oh, and apparently King Sunny Ade had to cancel due to that freaky-ass volcanic ash plume stopping flights between the Western & Eastern Hemispheres, but as a consolation prize, George Clinton & the gang will be playing an extra-long set. Very cool; maybe that’ll sorta-kinda make up for the power being turned off on ’em at the House of Blues the last time they played here.

Spain Colored Orange/Sharks and Sailors @ Dean’s Credit Clothing (10PM; $7)
Heard the word recently that Gilbert Alfaro of Spain Colored Orange is now booking bands for Dean’s Credit Clothing (the Main St. location, next to Notsuoh), and this looks like his handiwork. Very cool, esp. since it’s one of the first few shows the Sharks and Sailors gang has done since their return to the land of the living. Which is a damn good thing, btw, ’cause they’re one of the tightest, coolest, most intriguing bands in town, whether they’re doing the heavier, Isis-like stuff or the more meditative, atmospheric stuff.



Scout Bar 6 Year Anniversary Party, featuring The Hunger, Saturate, & the last place you look @ Scout Bar (Clear Lake)
Crazy to think The Scout Bar‘s only been around 6 years — seems like the place has been there forever, honestly. And while I have been known to poke fun at some of the bands that’ve played there, I can’t hate; this place is the only real venue in the Clear Lake area, and it deserves applause for sticking it out out there in the lakeshore zone. Plus, the anniversary show features the last place you look, who’re one of my favorite bands and whose 2009 full-length, See the Light Inside You, is like picture-perfect heavy emo.

listenlisten/Western Giants/Baruch The Scribe/Airon Paul Dugas @ IndieHouston House (1816 Calumet; 8PM, $5)
Hadn’t heard about this one ’til relatively recently, but it sounds pretty dang cool, not only because bleak, backwoods gospel-inflected folk guys listenlisten are playing (and they’re always heart-rendingly awesome), but also because Houston expat Airon Paul Dugas, who I’d heard had moved up to Seattle, is also on the bill. I sadly never got to see him when he lived here, but I heard really, really good things…



Holy Wols Front Porch Tour @ Various Heights-area porches
This one’s kind of a cool concept; the two bands Wols (or is it “The Wols”? no idea…) and Golden Arrow Holy Face will be bouncing around from one porch to another all throughout the afternoon today, playing different songs at each place, and it sounds like a neat, friendly, cozy time for all. See here for more details, courtesy of Ramon over at 29-95.com.

The Literary Greats @ Cactus Music (3PM)
A nice afternoon break today at Cactus, with music courtesy of cool, smart, effortlessly catchy countrified popsters The Literary Greats, who’ve put out two truly mind-blowingly cool full-lengths so far and look poised to do a lot more.



The Lotus Effect (CD release)/The Live Lights/Ellypseas @ Walter’s (9PM; $10, includes EP)
This promises to be a good one, too — I’ve only heard bits & pieces of The Lotus Effect so far, unfortunately, but I like what I have heard. They’re alt-rock, somewhat in a heavy-rock vein, but with nicely soulful vocals. I’ll admit to being a little biased, because frontman Dre Giles is a good dude, but they’re darn good nonetheless…



Freddie Gonorrhea Benefit Show, featuring Freddie Gonorrhea & The Gunz, Cop Warmth, Days N’ Daze, Room 101, Alimanas, Atom Assassin, Muhammad Ali, Pseudo Section, The Examples, & Pregnant Pope @ Super Happy Fun Land (6PM; $8)
Okay, so there’s apparently some kind of backstory to this, and rather than try to encapsulate it myself, I’ll just repost what I’ve been told:

This is a benefit show for our friend Jack or Freddie Gonorrhea from Freddie Gonorrhea & The Gunz.  

About a year ago Jack and his dad were attacked on his own front porch by some Nazi drug dealers/local bullies living in the same apartment complex. They beat him to near unconscious and split open his face, nearly killing him. He called the police from 2 different phones before the fight began but they took too long to respond and he ended up in the hospital. About a 3 weeks ago undercover police officers came into Super Happy Fun Land and arrested him for Aggravated Assault. We raised the money to bail him out but now he is facing large lawyer fees merely to prove his innocence. We believe that an innocent man being unjustly perpetrated by the justice system should not have to bear the sole monetary responsibility of his freedom, and we ask your help in raising the money for a lawyer and to prove that they can not pick on an innocent person without getting more people involved.

Naturally, this one’s also noteworthy for the helping-others thing, but also because cool-ass bands Room 101, Cop Warmth, and Muhammad Ali are playing. Good shit.


Runners-Up:
Local Natives/Suckers @ Mango’s
Carolyn Wonderland/Carrie Ann & The Apocalyptics @ Dan Electro’s Guitar Bar
Andrew Karnavas (CD release)/Runaway Sun @ The Continental Club
Jeff Beck @ Verizon Wireless Theater
Pasadena Napalm Division/Burn The Boats/HRA @ Rudyard’s
7th Annual MDA Crawfish Boil & Music Festival, featuring Jack Edery & Ultra Suede, Todd Fritsch, Bo Cox, & Adam Hood @ Firehouse Saloon
Sander Keinenberg/Tager & Funk/DJ Matthias/Adam Fox/Marlon Mancilla/DJ Lullaby/Jasmine Rose/Courtney Shay/Candice Elliot/Jessica Partin/Randall Jones/Bobby Blyss @ Stereo Live (6400 Richmond; formerly Bar Rio)
Commie Hilfiger/Skeleton Dick/Jane Doe Eyes/Letters To Voltron @ Fitzgerald’s
2010 Texas Crawfish & Music Festival, featuring Max Stalling, King’s X, Brian Jack & the Zydeco Gamblers, Jason Allen, Paris Green, Pauline Reese, Peekaboo Theory, Nooney & the Zydeco Floaters, John Evans, Full Service, Dimitri’s Rail, Country Allstars, Fred Rusk & the Zydeco Hi Steppers, Moose Knuckle, & Without A Face @ Old Town Spring (Spring)


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