Yr. Weekend, Pt. 3: David Garza + Suzanna Choffel + After Party + Paige Lewis + C.J. Ramone + More

Today feels weird, for some reason; yesterday felt like a Sunday, which always makes the real Sunday (July 17th, to be precise) feel like an extra, added-on day. Usually, that’s a good thing, but it’s got me feeling unsettled this time. Odd.

Anyway, beyond my own personal issues, there’s some neat, neat stuff going on today/tonight. I’m particularly psyched about The Continental Club this evening, when awesome singer/songwriter dude David Garza is opening for Suzanna Choffel.

I’ve been a sporadic fan of Garza’s for several years now, since 1998’s amazing This Euphoria, but I hadn’t realized how busy the guy’s been since — per Wikipedia, he’s had twenty-three freaking releases since then? Seriously? Sweet Jesus. Trust me, though, Garza’s a great songwriter; he can set a hook like nobody’s business and then make you weep, all in the span of a single verse and chorus.

Not real familiar with headliner Choffel, unfortunately, but what I have heard has been interesting, much, much more straight-up pop than I’d suspected. More than anything else, her lush, jazz-tinged, quasi-sultry songs make me think of Kirsty MacColl’s solo albums, and hey, that’s no bad comparison to run into, in my book.

Next on my list is a cool show over at Dean’s Credit Clothing (which I honestly didn’t realize was still doing shows ’til recently), with a rare appearance by {After Party}, which is a project of Ralf Armin of {Dead Roses} (and {Future Blondes}, and Culturcide, and Pain Teens, and — oh, hell, you get the idea) and Kirston Otis, currently of {Fiskadoro} (and also of Dead Roses, too, I believe). If the name sounds familiar, that may be because the last time(?) the band played, they toured up through NYC and played an impromptu show with fellow ex-Pain Teen Bliss Blood.

Sadly, Blood’s not going to be on hand for tonight’s festivities, but it promises to be pretty entertaining, even still. In the words of the band themselves (via their Myspace page), “After Party is the band that always brings the party and closes the house.” I can get with that. Well worth checking out…

On the much-less-crazy side of the musical spectrum, local folksinger {Paige Lewis} will be hitting the Mucky Duck tonight to celebrate the release of her new EP, One Good Day. Despite her youth, Lewis has an impressively rich, sweet voice and can craft some very cool songs that don’t (happily) easily get locked into that folkie pigeonhole. (Oh, and she’s also previously won an ASCAP award and had a couple of her songs picked for the excellent movie Matchstick Men. Holy crap; now I really feel like a slacker.)

Now for The Bad Part: the show tonight may be sold out; that’s what it sounds like from Lewis’s Facebook page, at least. But hey, you never know, right?

Can’t forget the Warehouse Live tonight, mind you, since C.J. Ramone will be playing. I’ll freely admit that I have no idea what the guy sounds like these days, but hell, he’s one of The Ramones, for crying out loud. (And apparently he played the one Ramones show I got to see, back in the late ’90s.) Plus, local streetpunk throwbacks {Chelsea Hotel} are also playing, and I’m really liking those guys/girl…

Full list, right below:

Suzanna Choffel/David Garza @ The Continental Club
After Party (mem. of Dead Roses/Fiskadoro/Pain Teens) @ Dean’s
CJ Ramone/Crank Case/Fuska/Chelsea Hotel/Revent @ Warehouse Live (Studio)
Ryan Scroggins & The Trenchtown Texans @ Cactus Music (2PM)
Paige Lewis (CD release) @ McGonigel’s Mucky Duck
The Texas Buzz, featuring The Pub Affair, Castle Lights, & The Live Lights @ The Scout Bar (Clear Lake)