1) Friday night at Magnolia Motor Lounge (3005 Morton): Shadows of Jets, Mean Motor Scooter, and Siberian Traps. Last week, while working at the Boiled Owl, I put on a playlist I made in January comprised of local bands both current and classic (re: probably now defunct), and it includes songs from both Shadows of Jets and Siberian Traps, and when I heard them, I was reminded of how much effort local musicians put into their songwriting. Making music on any level is, in most cases, a labor of love, even moreso when the potential for rewards such as public recognition or financial gratification are pretty unlikely. If your curious, that playlist is called Bologna Texture, and you can find it here. Cover is $10, show is 21, doors are at 8, music starts at 9, and Mean Motor Scooter has a brand-new video out for a song called “Gutterboy Blues,” so here is that thing:
2) Saturday night at the Sunshine Bar in Arlingfun (902 W Division), the bill includes three loud bands and one loud movie – Heater, Mirror Box, and Fakemaker are on hand to make your ears ring, and they’re definitely worth the $5 cover, but you also want to get there before 8pm to catch FILMAGE, the documentary about seminal ’80s SoCal punk band the Descendents, made by Arlington filmmakers Matt Riggle and Deedle LaCour. I don’t know why that guy’s name is Deedle, but anyway, based on that movie alone, I’d call this show the Team to Beat Show of the Week, because I fucking love the Descendents, and Milo Goes to College is pretty much a must-listen album if you claim to care about songcraft, musical dexterity, punk rock history, the eternal struggle between outsiders and cool kids, etc., and especially if you wonder (like I do) if playing a Doors cassette on you dad’s boat on the way to Catalina Island was typical method of getting laid if you were a rich teenager in early ’80s Manhattan Beach. But apart from the Descendents doc, those bands basically make this a don’t-miss bill. Show is 21+, movie’s at 8, bands start at 9:30 with Fakemaker. This is the trailer for FILMAGE:
3) Magnolia Motor Lounge’s Saturday night show is headlined by Summer Dean and also features Christy Hayes and Bonnie Montgomery, and if you like classic country and/or Kacey Musgraves, these ladies’ voices will hit all the emotional spots for you. Bonnie Montgomery plays first at 9pm. Show is 21+, cover is an amount of money in U.S. dollars between zero and a million dollars. Here’s a fairly recent Christy Hays performance:
4) If neither of those shows appeal to you, Twilite Lounge (212 Lipscomb) has a Saturday night show bill showcasing the contemporary alt-rock sounds of Henry the Archer and Cut Throat Finches. What I mean when I say that is that if both bands existed in the years between 1997 and, I dunno, like 2001, they probably would’ve been climbing the alternative radio charts, but they are contemporary to 2019, a time when the music climate is diluted with zillions of bands and the music industry does not enjoy the endless funds it had a couple decades ago to spend on talented unknowns from places like our humble little berg collecting dust and dreams on the southern edge of the Great Plains. But as it happens, you can hear both of those bands regularly on KXT, which is sort of like listening to the Edge during those years, minus the spins of Orgy and Limp Bizkit, though actually, KXT’s playlist sounds less like the Edge and more lot like drive-time on the Merge. Remember that station? Time fuckin’ flies, man. And speaking of time, the 21+ concert begins at 10:30. Not sure what the cover is or when they start taking it at the door. Y’all gotta put that info in your Facebook invites, lol!
5) Hello, I’m Tony Green, the “Internet Talk Show That Thinks It’s a TV Show” films its pilot episode Saturday night at Shipping & Receiving (201 S Calhoun). The event page lists a start time of 4pm, and the filming begins at 8pm, and Dead Vinyl play at 11pm, but I’m not really clear what happens in the four hours before the video cameras go live. Guess you’ll just have to go to find out. I think it’s free, but as always, carry some money with you just in case. You can always give it to a bartender in exchange for a drink, or because you’re nice and sympathize with the fact that bartenders have an interesting but often psychically and spiritually exhausting job. This video about the event is more informative than I am.
