Weekender

THURSDAY

Richard Bishop and Alan Bishop of Sun City Girls (Granada): There is no easy summary of The Sun City Girls' career, though highlights include their noisy start in the skate punk wasteland of Phoenix's early 80's scene, collaborating with Moe Tucker, and their improbable venture into sprawling psyche double-albums loaded with high concept references to the music of Southeast Asia and The Middle East. They have been wildly unpredictable and enigmatic to say the least. One performance had them eating dinner at a Seattle restaurant with a jazz record playing over the house speakers. Tonight's show will be a tribute to late member Charles Gocher, and will feature his video experiments before the live performance begins. The remaining members will then play out of the vast back catalog as an acoustic duo. Highly unique and recommended show.

Fleet Foxes (The Loft): Riding a wave composed purely of hype saturation all the way to The Loft tonight, the Fleet Foxes have piled up a steady stack of virtual press in the past six months. Their most known track is entitled "White Winter Hymnal," and that's fitting since it sounds like rather cold church music performed by white guys. The reverb, layers, harmonies and Jack Nitzsche-style arrangement make it understandable why people seem to be taking to this group, however some of their tracks sound like the throw-aways between the "Y" tracks on a CSNY album. Hopefully they do better at the Loft than their attention -rich contemporaries No Age did earlier this week.

Vans Warped Tour featuring Angels & Airwaves / Every Time I Die / Gym Class Heroes and more (Starplex)

Rooney/Locksley/The Bridges (House Of Blues): Locksley should realize that nobody ripped off the Beatles better than The Rutles. All you need to know about Rooney is that they implore you to vote them in a "Radio Disney" chart topping contest.

FRIDAY

Stay Cool Swag School (Block Party + Rubber Gloves): This two part event starts off with a block party at the intersection of Mulberry and Bernard in Denton and I have not heard a better reason for showing up to an event since I started writing for this blog than this: UNLIMITED FLAVOR ICE. I am ready to get at that, especially blue. Also appearing is DJ Bangs and yeahdef, followed by a "fireworks bike ride" at 9:30. The party then moves on to Rubber Gloves where there will be free champagne, and appearances by Young Doc Gooden as well as the metalcore brutality of My Son, My Executioner, featuring members of Plano hardcore legends, Terms Of Grey. Man, these dudes must all really love 'merica.

RTX/Imaad Wasif with Two Part Beast/Bob White and the F Electrics (Hailey's): Underground legend, fashion icon, RTX's Jennifer Herrema is many things, and though every time I've ever seen her perform it's always been vastly different, I can tell you that she will never be boring in a live setting. Her music and persona has always been both everything cool and everything unhealthy about an extreme obsession with rock and roll. Click on that link to see what I mean.

Mount Righteous/Panther City Bandits/Clint Niosi and more (Lola's): This is an all day 4th celebration featuring some of Fort Worth's most popular groups.

RTB2/Escort Service/Backsliders (Lakewood Bar and Grill): I usually don't post shows at Lakewood Bar And Grill, because I always forget it's a venue. It might have something to do with the fact that to this day, it is the only place that has ever turned me (along with three friends) away at the door. Not Suite, not some exclusive dance club, but Lakewood Bar and Grill. Totally not 'core. I refuse to ever even glance at this place again.

Pat Green (Winstar Casino): Ever wonder what your personal version of hell will be when you die? Mine will be reincarnation as a cocktail waitress at this event for all of eternity.

Happy Bullets (Lee Harvey's)

The Hudsons/AM Ramblers (Dan's Silverleaf)

Admiral David V/Quitzow/Setting Sun (Andy's)

Grand Funk Railroad (Texas Motorplex): Their version of "Locomotion" is in the running for worst song ever, top five definitely.

SATURDAY

Ulrich Schnauss/A Shoreline Dream/Soundpool/Experimental Aircraft (Hailey's): In early 2007, Ulrich Schnauss released his third album, Goodbye, to some pretty solid critical acclaim. However, the buzz surrounding the album seems quite subpar once you listen to it and realize that Schnauss quietly released one of the best shoegaze records since, well, shoegaze was an actually "genre" back in the early 90's. Schnauss' stuff leans closer to Slowdive's elegant atmospherics than to My Bloody Valentine's overwhelming noise assault, but his electronic based ambient interludes actually go a lot farther than most of Slowdive's experiments, and the touches of IDM from this former programmer add an entirely new element into the mix. I have yet to hear any of his new material, but last year's overlooked gem should really be experienced in person. Highly recommended, especially to anyone who has been digging this year's far more celebrated (but arguably less interesting) effort from M83. (SR)

Dove Hunter (Good Records): Show at 3 pm.

Lollipop Shoppe (Space Studio)

The Crash That Took Me/Here In Arms/The Directory (The Cavern)

Scene Girls/Matthew And The Arrogant Sea/American Werewolf Academy (The Cavern)

Brent Best/Deep Snapper/Starhead/Hand of Onan/Ryan Thomas Becker (Dan's Silveleaf): This cover-only themed show has been the subject of much debate in Denton this week. Local bands covering other local bands? Cool or not cool? I think it's always best to go with a surprise attack even if it's an entire set. If the crowd is really pissed or really happy at the end, either way, you win.

Teenage Cool Kids/Trifle Tower/Nouns Group/Fancy Fist (715 Panhandle): This is the tour send-off for Teenage Cool Kids and Trifle Tower, as they make their way up to Lewiston, Maine and back. Though the Cool Kids are much more poppy than their skramz-heavy tourmates, this should be a fun double bill across America featuring two distinct takes on punk. The ever-charming and lone WSJR diplomat Fancy Fist will open the show. I think I almost wept when I saw her perform Madonna's "Borderline" at the Cavern. It was the first time, I like, really "got it."

SUNDAY

Gravy Train!!!!/Harlem/Bridez (Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studio): The only group with more "!" than !!!, Gravy Train are actually kind of trailblazers in the stream of dance pop raunch that's caught on since they first formed. The funny thing is they sound downright conservative compared to a similar group like Punk Bunny.

Mount Righteous/Twin Cats/The Family Minus/French Quarter (1919 Hemphill)

The Casualties/The Scuds/Time Again/The Goners (Fat Daddy's Soundshack)