Live Music Now

These are the 4 best concerts in Houston this week

Following Kanye West's surprise visit to Lakewood Church this past weekend, the concert slate looks positively quiet in comparison. Mid- to late-November is when things slow down on the live music scene because even live performers start to prepare for Turkey Day and shopping sales. Hey, musicians are people too.

That doesn't mean that there aren't some decent shows throughout the city as we get some decent big shows over the next week.

CultureMap's biggest, best, and most notable shows of the week include:

Alessia Cara at Revention
The last time we saw Alessia Cara, the one-time Grammy award winner for Best New Artist was in 2018, when she headlined RodeoHouston as that year's featured pop performer. She's back on the promotional tour for her 2018 album, The Pains of Growing, but expect to hear many of the songs that made the Canadian chanteuse a multi-platinum, award-winning star, including her breakthrough single, "Here," the extremely popular Moana song, "How Far I'll Go," and quite possibly, the world beating, suicide awareness Logic track, "1-800-273-8255."

Alessia Cara is at the Revention Music Center, located at 520 Texas Ave., on Wednesday, November 20. Ryland James opens. Tickets start at $39.50 plus fees. Doors open at 7 pm.

Cursive at Satellite Bar
Old school emo-rock fans will be out in full force at the Satellite Bar this Wednesday, as it brings together some of the most revered acts of the early days of the genre. Cursive consists trio of Tim Kasher (vocals, guitar), Matt Maginn (bass), and Ted Stevens (guitar, vocals), who struck a chord with angsty suburban kids everywhere in the late-'90s.

Their critical masterpiece came in the form of 2000s Domestica, an in-depth look at divorce that made it okay for punk dudes express sadness over the loss of a lover. They'll be bringing two other notable emo acts — Appleseed Cast and Cloud Nothings — with them to the outside backyard venue that is Satellite Bar, calling back to all three band's beginnings on the underground rock scene.

Cursive plays the Satellite Bar, located at 6922 Harrisburg Blvd., on Wednesday, November 20. Appleseed Cast and Cloud Nothings open. Tickets start at $22 plus fees. Doors open at 8 pm.

CultureMap recommends: Rufus Wainwright at Heights Theater
From the moment Rufus Wainwright dropped his self-titled debut album in 1998, there hasn't been a more singular talent in popular music. Born to Canadian folk singers, Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle, the younger Wainwright was encouraged to pursue his musical interests from a young age.

His musical career has showcased those many interests — and that gorgeous vibrato — from straight ahead pop music of his debut and excellent follow-up, Poses, to his well received live recording of Judy Garland hits on Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall and his last album, 2016's Take All My Loves: 9 Shakespeare Sonnets.

That's what makes his solo piano tour stop at the Heights Theater such a hot ticket. There's no telling where Wainwright will take us on the setlist in such an intimate setting that almost recalls his early days when he would take to the road with his electronic piano and very few musicians. It's also why you should beg for, borrow, or steal a ticket — since this one sold out ages ago.

Rufus Wainwright plays Heights Theater, located at 339 W 19th St., on Thursday, November 21. E.B. Younger opens. Tickets are soldout. Doors open at 7 pm.

CultureMap show of the week: Incubus at Revention
Many casual music fans know the Californian band Incubus for their inescapable early-2000s hit, "Drive." But the last time we saw Incubus, they played a surprisingly rocking set at the now defunct In Bloom Festival. Look to see that same energy as they play a virtually sold-out Revention Music Center where they are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their world beating album, Make Yourself, an album that announced the group as more than another hip-hop influenced band, a sound that dominated airwaves at the time.

If anything, Incubus has outgrown that stale sound and attempted to remake themselves on each subsequent album, something that has won hard earned respect from critics and audiences alike.

Incubus is at the Revention Music Center, located at 520 Texas Ave., on Sunday, November 24. Le Butcherettes opens. Tickets start at $90 plus fees on the resale market. Doors open at 7 pm.

CultureMap show of the week: Incubus is at Revention Music Center on Sunday, November 24.

Incubus/Facebook

CultureMap show of the week: Incubus is at Revention Music Center on Sunday, November 24.

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Movie Review

Houston native Wes Anderson shows off comedic side in The Phoenician Scheme

Photo courtesy of TPS Productions/Focus Features

Benicio Del Toro, Mia Threapleton, and Michael Cera in The Phoenician Scheme.

If you were to do a poll of the best comedy filmmakers of the 21st century, writer/director Wes Anderson is not the obvious choice to come out on top, but there’s an argument to be made for him. His quirky style doesn’t yield the guffaws that more broad comedies do, but the absurd situations he creates in his films are often more consistently funny than anything else.

Anderson’s inimitable approach is once again on full display in The Phoenician Scheme. At its center is Zsa-Zsa Gorda (Benicio Del Toro), a much-hated businessman who’s looking to complete a number of big projects in the fictional country of Phoenicia. As he seems to be the target of multiple assassination attempts, he appoints his daughter, Liesl (Mia Threapleton), as his heir to try to ensure his legacy.

Both she and his new assistant, Bjorn (Michael Cera), accompany him around the country as he tries to enact a scheme to have others cover the bulk of the cost for the various projects. Those he attempts to convince include Phoenician Prince Farouk (Riz Ahmed), brothers Leland (Tom Hanks) and Reagan (Bryan Cranston), fellow businessman Marseille Bob (Mathieu Amalric), ship captain Marty (Jeffrey Wright), his Cousin Hilda (Scarlett Johansson), and Uncle Nubar (Benedict Cumberbatch).

Put in Andersonian terms, the film is a mix between the madcap antics from The Grand Budapest Hotel and the impenetrable storytelling of Asteroid City. If you were to try to understand every detail of what’s going on in the story of The Phoenician Scheme, it might take three or more viewings to do so. But the film is still highly entertaining because Anderson fills its frames with his typical visual delights, great wordplay, and his particular version of slapstick.

Much of the comedy of the film derives from Anderson inserting moments that initially come as a surprise and then utilizing them as running jokes. The film features more blood than usual for the filmmaker, but each time a character gets wounded (or worse), it gets funnier. The assassination attempts get broader as the film goes along, and the matter-of-fact way in which they’re treated by Gorda and others is also hilarious.

Of course, Anderson is the cinephile’s comedy director, so the film is also full of high-brow things like allusions to paintings, tributes to other filmmakers, and classical music. Each time Gorda has an attempt on his life, he briefly finds himself in a version of limbo, depicted in black-and-white by Anderson. The cast of characters Gorda finds there - including Bill Murray as God - could come straight out of a 1950s Ingmar Bergman movie.

Del Toro has delivered some great performances over the years, but this one is near the top for him. This is his second Anderson film (following The French Dispatch) and he nails the deadpan method. Also great is Cera, who uses a ridiculous accent to make a big impression. Threapleton, the daughter of Kate Winslet, makes the most of her first big film role. The list of supporting actors is too deep to properly laud everyone, but they all fit in seamlessly.

Opinions will differ, but for this critic’s money, Anderson is at his best when he fully leans into the comedy of his films. He does just that in The Phoenician Scheme, to the point that it doesn’t matter that the story is overly complex. The combination of his eye for visual detail, a witty script, and committed performances make it a success.

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The Phoenician Scheme is now playing in theaters.

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