Yr. Weekend, Pt. 3: Wu-Tang Clan + Pik-N-Pak Reunion + Rock the Shelter + Toys 4 Tots + Binarium + More

Believe it or not, this Sunday, December 12th, is looking, if anything, like a busier day (show-wise, that is) than the rest of the weekend. How often does that happen? Not real often, y’all. So take advantage, ’cause there’s some good shit going down; here’s what sounds cool to me:

Wu-Tang Clan/Fat Tony/iLL LiaD/Nosaprise @ Numbers
So it’s looking like the winner for this year’s Show With Most Drama goes to…well, this here show. And no, it doesn’t sound like it’s the fault of the Wu-Tang guys, but rather some craziness involving the past & soon-to-be owners of east-of-downtown venue The Meridian.

The {Houston Press} folks are reporting that people who previously bought tickets to the Wu when the show was at the Meridian, rather than at new venue Numbers, are shit outta luck for refunds — the new promoters, My Onstage Events & the club’s not-quite-new owner (who’ll take ownership of the place on NYE) both say they don’t have any of the money from the previously-purchased tickets, with fingers pointing at the old/current owner of the club…whom nobody can find, apparently. Wow.

If you didn’t do the normally-wise thing and get your tickets in advance, hey, you’re golden — it looks like an awesome show, with all the Wu-Tang members but RZA & ODB (duh) performing, and awesome locals {Fat Tony} & {Nosaprise} opening. We’ll keep our fingers crossed that the whole refund thing gets worked out somehow, but I wouldn’t bet on it happening before tomorrow night…

Pik-N-Pak Reunion Show, featuring Skatenigs, Academy Black, Wake, Spoilers, Kinetic, Brown Paper Dog, Skillit, Blood Sucking Fiends, Psyclops, X-It Only, David Fahl, & Bongo Jane Wiley @ Groundhall (2PM-2AM)
Yep, the third night of the grand Pik-N-Pak Reunion Weekend, and hot damn, this one looks even better than the last two. There are some seriously lone-gone bands playing tomorrow — I mean, Brown Paper Dog? Skillit? Those are bands I remember from my freshman year in college, and that was a long damn time ago.

And best of all: Skatenigs! Holy shit. I used to have a copy of Stupid People Shouldn’t Breed somewhere (possibly gotten as a freebie from KTRU, if I’m recalling correctly), and “Horny For Evil” was mind-blowing to my new-to-the-big-city ears. Awesome to see they’ve reunited & are playing shows again.

Rock the Shelter Toy Drive, featuring Blaggards, Harbor Light Choir, Patrick Fleming, Dog Party, & Come See My Dead Person @ The Continental Club ($10 or free w/donation from wish list)
One of several toy drive-type benefits going on lately, and this one looks like a pretty cool one… It’s being put on by Irish/Texan folk-rockers {Blaggards}, and I like the fact that rather than just leaving it open-ended, they’ve got wish lists with suggestions as to what to get, both for kids and for their families.

As the name implies, this is a benefit for the Salvation Army Residence Shelter on McGowen, and it’s definitely a good cause; beyond that, there are some great bands, particularly the headliners & oddballs {Come See My Dead Person}. Worth checking out.

Toys 4 Tots Benefit, featuring Featherface, Somosuno, Electric Heights, & Gnome Chomsky @ Walter’s
Another good toy drive benefit, this time for Toys 4 Tots, and featuring some darn cool bands, notably {Featherface} — I’ve been listening to a lot of the band’s It Comes Electric EP lately, and it’s morphed into one of the coolest things I’ve heard these past 12 months or so, chock full of psych-tinged pop-rock. Then there’s {Somosuno}, who do some neat stuff, and Gnome Chomsky, the name of which makes me giggle…

Binarium Sound Series, featuring JD Emmanuel, Sandy Ewen, Jonathan Jindra, & NomNomNom @ The Mekong Underground (8-10PM)
Another good one from the {Binarium Sound Series} bunch, this time featuring three local luminaries, namely analog-synth maestro {JD Emmanuel}, guitar experimentalist {Sandy Ewen}, & electronicist {Jonathan Jindra} — I’ve heard quite a bit from the first two, and they’re pretty dang cool, and I’ve heard good things from trusted sources about the third (who I think is also the person behind the BSS shows, to boot).

Plus, there’s also the NomNomNom “electronic sound collective,” which wins on name alone, for me — not sure what they do, actually, but every set’s apparently live, unrehearsed, & (I’m guessing) pretty unique.

Runners-Up:
Toys For Tha Hood, featuring The Bourgeois Gospel, Ellypseas, & The Fox Derby @ Warehouse Live (Green Room, $7; bring unopened toys to donate)
Jay Brannan/Katie Stuckey @ Fitzgerald’s