Saturday Sleepers
Fri., March 14, 2008
Hospital Bombers
7pm, Habana Calle 6 Annex Taking their name from the Mountain Goats' "The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton" (Satan's Fingers and the Killers having already been claimed), the Hospital Bombers crib more than a little musical influence from John Darnielle. The Amsterdam quartet's 2007 debut, Footnotes (Excelsior), weaves quirky, detailed narratives through garage riffs, sharp keys, and supple strings, bracing the male/female vocal dynamic. – Doug Freeman
Tiny Masters of Today
8pm, Cedar Street Courtyard Hide-and-seek is so passé. Siblings Ivan and Ada – 13 and 11 years old, respectively – have no time for childish games. Tiny Masters of Today might not be the best art-punk cornerstone, but with Karen O, Kimya Dawson, Fred Schneider, and Gibby Haynes guesting on debut Bang Bang Boom Cake (Great Society), the tiny Brooklyn duo has cool in the bag. – Darcie Stevens
Misha
8pm, Lamberts Eclectic collaborators Misha pluck, draw, bang, and program their way to an unconventional optimism, finding solace in the downtrodden on Teardrop Sweetheart (Tomlab). Though two members of the quartet are based here in Texas, the troupe operates out of NYC. – Chase Hoffberger
Beangrowers
8pm, Habana Calle 6 Annex Frontwoman Alison Galea has a nonchalant confidence in her delivery that keeps you hanging around for the next track. The Maltese trio singed with Mint Records last year and will release Not in a Million Lovers in the States in 2008. – Michael Bertin
Power Pill Fist
8pm, Thirsty Nickel He might be a member of Pittsburgh dream weavers Black Moth Super Rainbow, but Power Pill Fist works his own magic. Cousin to BMSR sitting bull Tobacco, PPF winds noise around Kongmanivong (Graveface), 2006's analog fever dream. Verging on chip tunes without the motherboard, Fist will either hypnotize or infuriate, depending on mood and surroundings. – Darcie Stevens
Low Line Caller
8:50pm, Habana Calle 6 Patio Previously one of Austin's most promising instrumental outfits, the addition of Black Before Red frontman Marc Ferrino's vocals to Low Line Caller's sonic architectures levies a poignant urgency against the group's slowly unfolding soundtracks. Following up 2006's Continuing Cities EP, the quintet's full-length debut, Hi Def Soft Core, is expected this spring. – Doug Freeman
Rahdunes
8:50pm, Tap Room @ Six Aaron Coyes and Nate Archer take controlled instruments, digest them, and then regurgitate in slow, rumbling waves, promoting the idea that no sound should be heard twice. The San Francisco noisemakers push their self-titled LP on local label Emperor Jones. – Chase Hoffberger
Ha Ha Tonka
9pm, Red Eyed Fly Formerly known as Amsterband, the Springfield, Mo., quartet became Ha Ha Tonka with a move to Bloodshot Records, which released second album Buckle in the Bible Belt. Though grounded in country rock, Buckle wrangles Brian Roberts' wavering howl with Southern harmonies and rolls psychedelic guitar licks and furious rhythm like Crazy Horse stampeding alongside Sixteen Horsepower. – Doug Freeman
The High Strung
9pm, Emo's Annex A power-pop trio in the classic sense but with a flair for the unusual, Detroit's High Strung garnered lots of attention for their tour of public libraries last year. Their third album, Get the Guests (Park the Van), also saw them reaching new heights with witty wordplay, impish guitar riffs, and bittersweet harmonies, bringing their sound beyond the Who. – Jim Caligiuri
Care Bears on Fire
9pm, Lamberts Patio These three Brooklyn preteens – one 13-year-old and two 12-year-olds – shred precociously on smart, snappy songs like "Met You on MySpace." If it seems preposterous that these seventh-graders are making international waves with their debut, I Stole Your Animal (Daisy Explosion), who's to say the CB in CBGB never stood for Care Bear? Nyah-nyah! – Dan Oko
Katchafire
9pm, Flamingo Cantina Formed in 1997 as a Bob Marley tribute, this New Zealand reggae band has evolved into a formidable roots and culture aggregation. One of the hardest-working bands in that part of the world, their latest release, Say What You're Thinking (EMI), boasts hard grooves and a conscious message. – Jay Trachtenberg
Eric Bibb
9:15pm, Smokin' Music Cut from the same cloth as Bill Withers and Taj Mahal, the London-based Bibb sings blues that occupy the seam between jazz and gospel. Bibb has just released the uplifting new Get on Board (Telarc), which features guest spots by Bonnie Raitt and Austin's own Ruthie Foster. Expect Bibb, born and raised in New York City, to keep things positive. – Dan Oko
Maya Azucena
9:40pm, Victorian Room @ the Driskill Brooklyn's Maya Azucena is a powerful new voice in the soul-music scene. Her 2007 Junkyard Jewel (Purpose) is a beautiful acoustic gem equal parts neo-soul and earthy folk, helped by the backing of her sevenpiece band. The songstress also lent her pipes to a track on Stephen Marley's Mind Control. – Thomas Fawcett
Loxsly
9:40pm, Habana Calle 6 Patio This Austin quintet has been relatively quiet of late, but they just released a spanking-new EP, following up full-length Maps and Organs. Chill indie rock cum mellow nerdcore on disc, Loxsly dials it up to 91/2 in their live shows with the resulting effect of booties shaking like so much Jell-O. – Melanie Haupt
Ra Ra Riot
10pm, Emo's Annex Careful, kids. Don't want to pigeonhole yourselves. Who has two Kate Bush covers to their credit ("Hounds of Love" and "Suspended in Gaffa")? On its self-titled debut EP, the Syracuse-based pop sextet shows a similar melodramatic flair, recalling the Arcade Fire with a little less bombast. – Michael Bertin
Khan
10pm, Karma Lounge Lo-fi slacker electronica. Or could it be psychedelic futuro-soul? Probably easier for Khan not to settle on an identity, raised in Germany to Finnish and Turkish parents. He fucks stuff up weirdwise and does it while clad in bunny ears on last year's Who Never Rests (Tomlab). – Michael Bertin
Nadja
10pm, Ale House Toronto-based tonal drone duo Nadja is all about the doom and gloom, carving cavernous movements through bottom-heavy swells of feedback that recall the more experimental collaborations between Boris and Merzbow. Comprising of Aidan Baker and Leah Buckareff, Nadja recently re-released its one track, 43-minute black hole, Bliss Torn From Emptiness (Profound Lore), while Desire in Uneasiness, due in April on Crucial Blast, thickens the plot with a live drummer. – Austin Powell
Space City Gamelan
10pm, Central Presbyterian Church Touted as Houston's "very own Indonesian orchestra," Space City Gamelan can probably go ahead and just say "only" as well. Taught by Javanese musician Gatot Winandar, the collective's xylophones, metallophones, and plucked instruments cue up absolutely entrancing, and the Church is the perfect venue for their mystical communiqué. – Audra Schroeder
Coma in Algiers
10pm, Hideout The ATX quintet likes it loud and sloppy live, but they got it together for a full-length album last year. This Is Your Justice's punk thud toes the line between Flipper and Amphetamine Reptile, closing in on America's dark closet with "Incest Party," "House on Fire," and "Sex With an Invalid," but, ya know, with a sense of humor. – Audra Schroeder
We Are Standard
10pm, Habana Calle 6 Annex You gotta love a band that does a New Wave version of VU's "Waiting for the Man." OK, you don't have to, but it's a pretty cool reconstruction. The danceable punk of the Basque quintet is a dead ringer for a Spanish version of Brooklyn's Radio 4. – Michael Bertin
Georgie James
10pm, Dirty Dog Bar Washington, D.C.'s Georgie James is all snap, crackle, and pop. Made up of former Q & Not U drummer John Davis and keyboardist Laura Burhenn, the duo's debut, Places (Saddle Creek), delivers ridiculously catchy tunes, due primarily to Davis' compulsive percussion and guitar. The interplay and harmony between the two marries the Mates of State and Richard and Linda Thompson. – Austin Powell
Elliott Brood
11pm, Velveeta Room While pop collectives capture most of the musical attention directed north, Canada has recently proven a fertile ground for artists redefining the tired alt.country genre, with Elliott Brood's dark, banjo-laden ballads at the forefront. The Toronto trio's 2005 debut LP, Ambassador (Six Shooter), ripped through acoustic stomps and bluegrass roots with a rock fury, pacing the anticipation for this year's follow-up. – Doug Freeman
Doug Burr
11pm, Opal Divine's Freehouse Doug Burr's songs liquidate complex visions of mortality with steely resolution, the Denton native's detailed, literate narratives emerging in sympathetic acoustic strains. Inspired by Greil Marcus' Mystery Train, the former Lonelies frontman's 2007 sophomore release, On Promenade (Velvet Blue Music), broods with the causticness of Will Johnson with touches of Jeff Tweedy and Neil Young. – Doug Freeman
Anders Parker
11pm, St. David's Church Parker might be more familiar as Varnaline, the recording moniker he used in the late 1990s. The outfit never got audience traction commensurate with its critical kudos, but when your peers are also your fans, you end up with side projects like Gob Iron, an album of folk standards done with Jay Farrar. Parker's latest, 14th & Division (Bladen County), is a collection of live recordings from 2005. – Michael Bertin
The Singles
11pm, the Rio No one told the Singles that the Mersey doesn't flow through Detroit. The trio's second album, Start Again (Sound Artifacts), taps into both the British Invasion and the return fire from suburban American garages with heartfelt and hollow-body abandon. Guitarist/vocalist Vince Frederick brings a hint of T. Rex's Marc Bolan into the equation. – Greg Beets
Deadstring Brothers
11pm, Red Eyed Fly While touring behind their raucous debut, Starving Winter Report, the Detroit-based Deadstring Brothers discovered the vibrant Heavy Load scene in London. Filled with like-minded fans and musicians, it resulted in a new, permanent lineup for the sextet that includes three Brits. 2007's Silver Mountain (Bloodshot) soars with blues and country-tinged rock, Masha Marjieh's sultry vocals leading the way. – Jim Caligiuri
The Summer Wardrobe
11pm, Creekside @ Hilton Garden Austin's Summer Wardrobe is perhaps better known as Evilhook Wildlife ET, the quartet that adds a subtle, psychedelic twang to Roky Erickson's live shows, most notably for a recently aired Austin City Limits session. Where the Wardrobe's 2006, self-titled debut shimmered with rich, shoegazed pop, the band's latest demos for Rainbow Quartz are crystallizing into classic, cosmic country. – Austin Powell
Lemurs
11:20pm, Habana Calle 6 Patio It'd be much easier to make some sort of Gang of Four reference if locals the Lemurs weren't a fivepiece. Although they seem like they could just as easily slip toward doing skinny-tie 1980s as become a full-fledged bar band, their debut was one of the buzzier of Austin's 2007. – Michael Bertin
The Emeralds
11:30pm, Elysium Flailing out of Yokohama, Japan, the Emeralds pin VU meters deep in the red with a high-energy assault that crosses Buzzcocks pop-punk with the adrenal bursts of Guitar Wolf. The tightfisted trio's rapid-fire wordplay about love, surfing, and cranberry juice is nearly indecipherable in any language, but who needs words when bouncing up and down? – Greg Beets
Horrorpops
11:30pm, Red 7 Copenhagen's answer to Austin's Flametrick Subs, Horrorpops recently released Kiss Kiss Kill Kill (Hellcat), a 400cc, supercharged psychobilly freak-out. Patricia Day's Siouxsie-esque vocals soar heaven to hell in a single song, and smash track "Thelma and Louise" ingratiates itself to your music mind and lodges there like a beautiful, blood-filled bullet. – Marc Savlov
Russian Circles
12mid, Emo's Lounge Chicago instrumental post-rockers Russian Circles like it fast and complicated. Mike Sullivan (guitar) and Dave Turncrantz (drums) parted ways with bassist Colin DeKuiper last fall, but the ferocity of 2006 debut Enter (Flameshovel) remains. Second release Station, with Mastodon producer Matt Bayles at the board, drops in May on Suicide Squeeze, after a perfect tour with Red Sparowes. – Darcie Stevens
Bound Stems
12mid, B.D. Riley's Five kids borrowing both the post-rock meandering of fellow Chicagoans Tortoise as well as the slinky rhythms of Isaac Brock. The band's third foray into adventurous pop, The Family Afloat (Flameshovel), is out early summer. – Michael Bertin
Two Gallants
12mid, Dirty Dog Bar What hath James Joyce wrought? San Franciscan duo Adam Stephens and Tyson Vogel's self-titled Saddle Creek debut is a mouthful of pure, unassuming, indie pop rocks that crackle and fizz and go straight to your head (and heart) with wry earnestness. Just hold off on drinking that Coke until after their set. – Marc Savlov
Joshua Morrison
12mid, Stephen F's Bar Currently stationed at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, N.C., Joshua Morrison began recording upon returning from his first tour of duty in Iraq. This year's debut, Home, poignantly aches with the acoustic bedroom (barracks?) folk reminiscent of Damien Jurado or early Iron & Wine, while the Seattle native's mellow vocals patiently wring Pedro the Lion's penitent sincerity. – Doug Freeman
Kid Dakota
12mid, Thirsty Nickel In the quieter moments of A Winner's Shadow (Speakerphone), Kid Dakota's Darren Jackson might pass himself off as a Ron Sexsmith-type sensitive singer-songwriter or even the moody Mark Linkous sort. Then he steps on the fuzz pedal, turns up the volume knob, and holy cow – it's just a duo making all that noise? – Michael Bertin
Scottie B
12mid, Friends Bumping Baltimore club beats from London to Miami, the Charm City DJ's been even busier with Unruly Records, the label he's run for the past decade. A blender of hip-hop and house music, 39-year-old Scottie B is the form's greatest ambassador. – Chase Hoffberger
Jason Forrest
1am, Scoot Inn Our man Forrest from Berlin keeps things shaking, as his electronic break-core takes the worst 20th century pop cheese and rips it a new one. It's not clear if Forrest is taking the stage as Jason or DJ Donna Summer, his alter ego. The latter gets cred for the new Panther Tracks (Cock Rock Disco). – Dan Oko
Matt & Kim
1am, Mohawk Patio The exuberant synth and drums of ever-smiling Brooklyn duo Matt Johnson and Kim Schifino burst into anthems almost unnaturally ecstatic. The couple's 2006 eponymous debut on Iheartcomix! was a shot of guileless, twisted celebration, trumped only by the infectious energy of their live shows. – Doug Freeman
Deana Carter
1am, Opal Divine's Freehouse If it stopped with "Did I Shave My Legs for This?" Carter would be assured a star on the Nashville Walk of Fame (or whatever it is), but the Grammy-winning songbird ditched Tennessee for L.A., called up some huge names – Willie, Kristofferson, Paul Simon – and dropped The Chain (Vanguard), a covers-driven effort that features her father, famed guitarist Fred Carter Jr. – Dan Oko
Hey Willpower
1am, Lamberts A San Francisco shack-up of programmed pop proportions, Hey Willpower joins the vulnerable sarcasm of Imperial Teen's Will Schwartz with the percussive bop of Tussle's Tomo Yasuda. Their Tomlab LP, P.D.A., harmonizes bubble and pop like a bedroom recording of the Bee Gees. – Raoul Hernandez
