H-Town Rock

For the Weekend of June 4th - 7th, 2009

Dear Rock Music Gods,

We here at H-Town Rock would like to offer up our heartfelt thanks and praise to you for bringing so much great music to Houston this weekend. While we are fully aware how often people moan, whine, and complain that touring bands regularly pass over our fair city while on tour, this is not one of those weekends where we deserve any right to complain. Throughout the entire next four days, there are enough shows going on around town to sate even the crankiest of music fans. Even though we have been lax in paying all of you the attention that you so graciously deserve, you have our sincerest gratitude for making this weekend so awesome.

To start it off, you have blessed us with one of the finest Thursday nights we've seen in awhile: you're making us choose between the indie-fied country-rock sounds of Bonny "Prince" Billy, the classic-but-still-cool glam of the New York Dolls mixed with the raw, soul-rock of Black Joe Lewis at House Of Blues, the hipster pop of Passion Pit and Harlem Shakes, and a visit from Merle Haggard out in the southwest suburbs. Friday is no different as Au Revoir Simone and The Antlers play Walter's, Mechanical Boy and Spain Colored Orange light up Fitzgerald's, and Ryan Scroggins brings the noise to The Continental Club.

You think you'd give us a night to recuperate, but no: Saturday night brings Arthur Yoria to Rudyard's, the Asylum Street Spankers to the Mucky Duck, local teen noise-pop sensations Ghost Mountain to Bohemeo's, and a blast-from-the-past with Better Than Ezra over House Of Blues. Thankfully, things do slow down a bit on Sunday evening, but there are still some decent options, ranging from what looks to be an outrageous line-up at Super Happy Fun Land to some old-school Dad Rock out in the northern suburbs at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion.

Once again, we thank you for bestowing upon us, your humble servants, another great weekend of music. In the midst of any and all future grumbling you might hear from this city's collective lips, may we never again forget four-day stretches of this nature.

Sincerely,

H-Town Rock

Thursday, June 4th
Bonnie "Prince" Billy and The Howling Hex at Walter's on Washington
Brian McNeil and Ed Miller at McGonigel's Mucky Duck
Cave, Balaclavas, and Twisted Wire at Mango's
Changoman and Beetle at The Continental Club
Merle Haggard at Stafford Centre
The Mighty Orq, Dertybird, and Southern Reverb at Rudyard's
Nathaniel Bartlett and Chin Xaou Ti Won at Super Happy Fun Land
New York Dolls and Black Joe Lewis at House of Blues
Passion Pit, Harlem Shakes, and Cale Parks at Warehouse Live
Radio La Chusma and Liquid Cheese at Fitzgerald's (Downstairs)

Friday, June 5th
Au Revoir Simone, Oh No Oh My, and The Antlers at Walter's on Washington
Belaire, The McKenzies, and Ceeplus Badknives at Mango's
Dirty Fist, Pandaganda, Poopy Lungstuffing, and Grease Fire at Super Happy Fun Land
Glasnost, Motel Aviv, and The Watermarks at Rudyard's
Krames, Dayta, Squincy Jones, and Jaekim at Boondocks
Max Stalling at McGonigel's Mucky Duck
Mechanical Boy Tour Kick-Off Show: featuring Windsor Drive, Spain Colored Orange, The Tastydactyls, Magnolia Sons, and Betterluck at Fitzgerald's (Upstairs)
Meridian MySpace Showcase: featuring X-Pats, Snowplow, Slaves Of Ares, Broken Autonomy, Final Warning, and Jumping Strays at The Meridian
Patrice Pike, Skyblue72, and The Handshake at Warehouse Live
Picardy Birds, Papercut, Better Off Dead, and MayWood Park at Fitzgerald's (Downstairs)
Robin Trower and Gary Clark Jr. at House of Blues
Ryan Scroggins & the Trench Town Texans, Channel One, Trian Woodburns, and Molly and the Ringwalds at The Continental Club
Sir Richard Bishop And His Freak Of Arraby Ensemble, Oaxacan, Doggebi, and Ether at Notsuoh

Saturday, June 6th
Arthur Yoria and Spain Colored Orange at Rudyard's
Asylum Street Spankers at McGonigel's Mucky Duck
Bachelorette, Springfield Riots, and Benjamin Wesley at Walter's on Washington
Better Than Ezra at Cactus Music
Better Than Ezra and Tyrone Wells at House of Blues
Caroline Collective One-Year Anniversary Party: featuring You(genious) at Caroline Collective
Dirty Honey: featuring DJ Brett Koshkin and Hobo D at Boondocks
Ghost Mountain at Bohemeo's
The Jane Frequency, Tax the Wolf, Another Run, and Nosaprise at Super Happy Fun Land
Jesse Dayton and John Evans at The Continental Club
Los Skarnales, Pinata Protest, El Tlazho, Impugned, and DJ Simiyu at Fitzgerald's
Meridian MySpace Showcase: featuring From Guts To Glory, Tate, Bayou Monster, The Live Lights, The Ginslingers, and Suckerfish
The Morakestra, We Were Wolves, Guns of Detroit, and Holy Fiction at The Mink
Tension Speak, Bullitt, Death Chapel, and Dirty Sweet at Fitzgerald's (Downstairs)
The Whispers and The Manhattans at Arena Theatre

Sunday, June 7th
Child Bite, Cop Warmth, 10th Grade Cutie, Yatagarasu, Panththherrrr, Thou Shalt Not Kill Unless..., and Permanent Vegetative State at Super Happy Fun Land
Danny O'Flaherty at McGonigel's Mucky Duck
Mika Miko, Strange Boys, Born Liars, and The Caprolites at Mango's
Pontiak, Ghost Town Electric, and Cavernous at The Mink
REO Speedwagon, Styx, and 38 Special at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion