Nobody told me there'd be days like these. I was told nothing happens in San Antonio, that the music scene is dead, but week after week I can't keep up with all the good stuff going on. So I'll do my best to summarize the action that will keep you screaming until Tuesday.
Thu. 9
Saakred West Coast Tour kickoff party feat. Itzli, Public, and Sugar Skull at The Modest House
You can say Saakred uses elements of Native American music and spirituality (and by "Native American" I mean "native of the Americas"), performance art, and electronica, but the truth is they dances to the beat of their own drum. They're an uncompromising, intense performer with an hypnotizing power you won't forget. For their West Coast tour kickoff that will take them to West Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and California, they invited Chicano rappers Itzli, Public (the side project of Tone, Saakred's drummer, ready to release their second album, nicely titled I Just Want to do Some Coke and go to Sleep), and the always fantastic Sugar Skull with Jeff Escamilla on guitar and Alyson Alonzo on vocals. $5, 9pm, 1010 Burnet.
Fri. 10
SATX Music's Second Annual Summer Showcase feat. Bite Lip Bleed, The Way The World Ends, LaJIT, Something Fiction at The Ten Eleven
The always busy folks at SATX Music celebrate their second annual showcase with indie rockers Bite Lip Bleed, experimental fivesome The Way The World Ends, LaJIT (John Isaac Torres, who raps "with a heart attack's seriousness," according to Adam Villela Coronado's Current review of his Black Sun EP), and Something Fiction, an experimental mix of "ruminant washes of guitar, ethereal and earthy noise, synth, bongos, and hypnotic vocals" (James Courtney's review of the Botany EP in the Current). $5-$7, all ages, 9pm, 1011 Avenue B, theteneleven.com.
Also: Omar and the Howlers CD release party at Sam's Burger Joint
Omar Dykes is an Austin-based blues-rocker who has been in the game for 50 years and comes to SA to present us his newly released I'm Gone. The album was recorded at Austin's legendary Wire Recording in two days and consists of mostly terrific live first takes. With Spain's Alex Zayas Blues Band. $8, 9pm, 330 E Grayson, (210) 223-2830, (888) 512-SHOW, samsburgerjoint.com.
Sat. 11
Outernational at the Korova
Even if you're as sick as me of hearing or reading tweets about "Todos somos ilegales/We're All Illegals," give Outernational another chance: the world's hottest politically charged punk band is back with a ferocious Tom Morello-produced EP, Future Rock. Show starts at 11:30 p.m., but go early and get as close to the stage as you can. $8, 8:30pm, 107 E Martin, (210) 226-5070, thekorovasa.com.
Tue. 14
The Grasshopper Lies Heavy, WYMYNS PRYSYN, Low Times at The Ten Eleven
According to regular Current contributor James Woodard, The Grasshopper Lies Heavy's type of rock 'n' roll is "heavy, obnoxious, and louder than fuck," and Atlanta's WYMYNS PRYSYN is "a really fun noisepunk/hardcore band which doesn't take themselves too seriously with lyrical content, but rock out hard like a motherfucker." ("fuck" is the operating word here). He should know: he plays guitar with Grasshopper, which released a 2010 split with Hawks, a band featuring Andrew Wiggins (now with WYMYNS PRYSYN). Grasshopper will be previewing "a lot" of new material from an upcoming new album, and the night starts with local surf/garage rockers Low Times. $5, 10pm, 1011 Avenue B, theteneleven.com.
