Yr. Weekend, Pt. 1: Soundgarden + The Black Angels + Black Pistol Fire + Second Lovers + Paris Falls + Left Of The Dial + The Ancient Gods + More

I’ll admit it, I’m having a hard time focusing on shows coming up this weekend, considering that next weekend is Summer Fest, but okay, I’ll admit it — there’s still some really great stuff going on between now & then. So let’s kick it off with what’s on tonight, Friday, May 24th:

Soundgarden @ Bayou Music Center
Ah, Soundgarden — 1991’s Badmotorfinger hit me like a brick, especially with Kim Thayil‘s spiraling, razor-sharp guitars on “Rusty Cage” and “Jesus Christ Pose” and Chris Cornell‘s Plant-esque howl, and I was bummed when they called it a day in ’97. Cornell’s solo career never did much for me, and while I do like Audioslave okay, it never fully measured up.

That said, I was skeptical when I heard the band was reuniting and recording/release a new album, last year’s King Animal; it almost felt like a cash-in, and I didn’t figure it could ever equal the band’s old music. After a few listens, though, I have to say that I’m liking it — it’s no Badmotorfinger (or Louder Than Love, or Superunknown, for that matter), and it’s definitely more on the classic-rock side of things than anything they’ve done previously, but still, it beats the non-Soundgarden stuff these guys have been doing in the meantime.

The Black Angels/Pure X/Wall of Death @ Fitzgerald’s
I caught The Black Angels at Summerfest back in 2011, and I was pretty damn impressed, even in my half-sunstroked state. The band’s hazy, fuzzed-out, thundering neo-psych rolled out from the stage like a wave of heat-blistered, melodic noise, and yeah, it was awesome. On records, they’re dark and menacing, but there’s an awesomely catchy undercurrent to it all; take a listen to “Evil Things,” off of this year’s Indigo Meadow for proof:

Craig Kinsey Band/Black Pistol Fire (CD release)/Springfield Riots/Fire Moth @ Walter’s ($5)
It may not be as high-flying as the previous two shows, but this is an excellent lineup nonetheless — there’s gypsy-folk troubadour {Craig Kinsey}, intensely bluesy, revved-up retro-rockers Black Pistol Fire (who are releasing their new album tonight), ridiculously psych-pop crew {Springfield Riots} (who I’m very happy to see back from the dead, BTW), and the recently-renamed {Fire Moth} (who used to go by Blackie Dammett and confused the heck out of yours truly). Very, very cool.

Second Lovers/Matt Harlan/The Wandering Bufaleros @ House of Blues (free!)
Those {Second Lovers} kids, I swear, they’re just getting better and better with each show, it seems like; I was already a fan with their debut release, the melancholy-yet-sweet Wishers, Dreamers & Liars, but they’ve apparently been honing their sound recently, with brand-new EP New Mexico seeing the band amping things up a bit and, well, getting happy. And it works really damn well; check it out:

Paris Falls/Clouseaux/Will Van Horn/DJ Psychedelic Sex Panther @ The Continental Club
It’s the triumphant return of two bands up at The Continental Club tonight, namely retro-ified pop-rockers Paris Falls, who sadly moved up to Austin a few years back (and are sorely missed), and semi-retired Tiki-lounge band {Clouseaux}, who I freaking love and who don’t play live nearly enough these days. Catch ’em tonight, while you can.

Left Of The Dial Book Release Party, featuring Modfag & No Love Less @ Vinal Edge (7-9PM)
Music scribe David Ensminger is a real-live Houston treasure; these days it seems like the guy almost never stops writing, and what he’s doing is a vital chronicling of the punk scene as a whole. I desperately need to check out his newest book, Left Of The Dial: Conversations with Punk Icons (which includes chats with members of The Dils, Angry Samoans, Dead Kennedy, TSOL, Circle Jerks, Really Red, and a whole lot more). Tonight’s the release party for the book — to be followed by an actual show-type show tomorrow night — up at Vinal Edge, with musical help from {Modfag} & {No Love Less}. Go check it out.

The Ancient Gods (tour kickoff)/The Downbeats/The Ex-Girlfriends/Kose/Vidor @ East Side Social Center (4202 Canal; $5)
This particular show is The Ancient Gods‘ tour kickoff show, but the band (which formerly went by Adam & The Ancient Gods) encountered some misfortune with their touring vehicle — it seems the freaking engine fell out of the thing, which can put a serious crimp in the tour plans, obviously.

They’re soldiering on, nonetheless, but they still need some serious financial help — check out this Facebook post to see how you can help out. They’re good people, and damn entertaining to boot…

Runners-Up:
Tody Castillo/Steve + Mel @ Rudyard’s
Vestibule/Epic/Westernese/Train Wreck/No Rehearsal @ BFE Rock Club
Signalman/American Swine/2 Buck Drunks/Days N’ Daze/Mannequin Mishap @ The Compound (2305 Wheeler; $5)
A Metal Miracle for Maddox, featuring Cerebral Down, Dead Trip, The Black 13, Project Armageddon, Mechanisms of a False Reality, & more @ Acadia Bar & Grill (3939 FM 1960)
Lincoln Durham @ Dosey Doe Music Cafe (Conroe)
Me, The Hero?/The Minx Delilah/Letters To Voltron/The Gypsy Bravado/Sevastra @ Dean’s
Swank Disco, featuring Ceeplus Bad Knives, Mr. Castillo, & Juan Calero @ Grand Prize Bar (1010 Banks)
Jody Seabody and the Whirls/Tump/Darwin’s Finches/Solar Temple/Twisted Misfits @ Super Happy Fun Land