Live Music Now

These are the 5 best shows to see in Houston this week

Sad news for live music fans in Houston this week when Zachary Palmer, the owner of Walter’s Downtown, located at 1120 Naylor St., announced that the indie/punk/hardcore venue would close for good after Saturday, February 3.

It’s never a good thing when an established live music space shutters, as it almost always leaves one less space for particular types of bands to play, and one less place for music aficionados to see them. It’s complete speculation, but the case of Walter’s closing might have more to do with too much of a good thing in Houston, with the live music scene thriving, and simply too many places competing for the hearts and dollars of audiences.

Regardless, Walter’s will definitely be missed. Fans will be able to have last call with a stacked lineup through Saturday.

Here are your must-see shows in Houston this week:

Best chance to see an Americana legend
Jay Farrar cemented himself as a hugely influential singer-songwriter as part of the two beloved Americana acts, Uncle Tupelo, and Sun Volt — the former including Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy. Acoustically driven in the folk tradition, with a healthy dose of country and alternative rock sounds, Farrar’s music is solidified by his fine storytelling, and subtly rich and gravelly voice. Farrar will be joined by Gary Hunt as the Jay Farrar Duo, but the performance will likely cover over two decades of songs, including those from Sun Volt’s 2017 album Notes of Blue.

The Jay Farrar Duo will play on Friday, February 2 at The Heights Theater, located at 339 W 19th St. Andrew Duplantis will open. Tickets are $22 plus fees in advance. Doors open at 7 pm.

Best band to use Constantinople in a song
No indie band has been more prolific and have embraced quirky fun more than They Might Be Giants. Starting back in the ’80s, this Boston band is known for a lot of things, including their children’s albums, their television show theme songs (Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,Malcolm in the Middle), and the interesting way they got signed to a label through their Dial-A-Song scheme. (They would leave a new song on a recorded message that fans could call in and discover, like a prototypical Pandora or Spotify.)

But the band is probably best known and most beloved for their early-’90s output of albums (Flood, Apollo 18 and John Henry) that sounded nothing like anything at the time (or ever since, really), a unique blend of indie sounds that embraced eclectic instrumentation, and clever lyrics. Check out “Birdhouse In Your Soul,” and “Istanbul” for indication of their off-center worldview. They Might Be Giants are touring their latest, I Like Fun. Expect the same from this performance.

They Might Be Giants get quirky on Friday, February 3 at White Oak Music Hall, located at 2915 N. Main St. Tickets are $25 plus fees in advance. Doors open at 8 pm.

Best second coming of T-Rex
Børns came almost out of nowhere in 2015 with the album Dopamine, a mixture of glam-pop, coming on like he was the long-lost love child of ’70s glam-rock pixie Mark Bolan, especially on the hooky, T. Rex name-aping single “Electric Love.” That song catapulted the Michigan native up the charts and towards multitudes of late night TV appearances. For an idea of his sound, check out his latest single “God Save Our Young Blood,” featuring Lana Del Rey from recently released Blue Madonna. No performer is hotter right now, and this might be one of the last times fans will get to see him in a more intimate setting.

Børns will play Saturday, February 3 at White Oak Music Hall, located at 2915 N. Main St. Charlotte Cardin and Mikky Ekko open. Tickets are sold out, but the venue does have a waiting list. Tickets are $25 plus fees. Doors open at 8 pm.

Best chance to see a one-time, potential U.S. Senator
If you watch Team America: World Police without any sense of irony, or if you really enjoyed the State of the Union address, or if you fondly remember the days when white dudes rapped over rock guitars, Kid Rock’s American Rock N Roll Tour is probably one show you don’t want to miss. If music doesn’t work out for Robert James Ritchie, there’s always politics.

Kid Rock performs Saturday, February 3, at Toyota Center, 1510 Polk St. A Thousand Horses opens. Tickets are $39.50. Doors open at 6:30 pm.

Show most likely to Sleigh
There is truth in the power of noise-pop duo Sleigh Bells. The NYC act, consisting of singer Alexis Krauss and guitarist Derek Miller, was always the dirtier, grimier antithesis to the White Stripes’ simpler, peppermint candy aesthetic, alt-rock. Incorporating thrash metal guitar hooks, hip-hop beats, synth flourishes, and Krauss’ cheerleader yelps, the Bells play it loud, aggressive, and in your face. They are touring last year’s mini-album Kid Kruschev.

An added bonus, Sunflower Bean will open the night, bringing songs from one of 2016’s best albums, Human Ceremony, and new tracks from their upcoming March release, Twentytwo In Blue. The hip Brooklyn trio plays fuzzy and exhilarating alt-rock, relying on catchy-as-hell riffs spawned from used copies of early Led Zeppelin records, interspersed by quieter moments of melody sung by both guitarist Nick Kivlen and bass player Julia Cumming.

Sleigh Bells and Sunflower Bean will melt your face off on Wednesday, February 7 at White Oak Music Hall, located at 2915 N. Main St. Tickets are $24 in advance. Doors open at 8 pm.

Sun Volt and Uncle Tupelo singer-songwriter Jay Farrar will be at the Heights Theater on Friday, February 2.

Photo by Spring Waugh

Sun Volt and Uncle Tupelo singer-songwriter Jay Farrar will be at the Heights Theater on Friday, February 2.

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Movie Review

Comedic horror movie Y2K takes nostalgic trip with mayhem twist

Photo courtesy of A24

Jaeden Martell, Rachel Zegler, and Julian Dennison in Y2K.

Movies that rely on nostalgia can be successful if they’re timed right. Generally, 25-30 years seems about the right amount of time to try to take advantage of people’s fond feelings for a certain era, which is why movies/TV shows about the ‘80s have been prevalent for much of the 21st century, and ‘90s-set films started to pop up in the last 10 years.

Y2K, a horror comedy that plays on the fears of technological mayhem many people thought would happen at the turn of the century, is right on the cusp of that rule, taking place 24 years after its timeline. It centers on two teenage boys, Eli (Jaeden Martell) and Danny (Julian Dennison), who are opposite in demeanor but have an unshakeable bond. Eli likes a popular girl, Laura (Rachel Zegler), and Danny convinces him to crash a New Year’s Eve party where she’ll be.

As the clock strikes midnight and the year moves from 1999 to 2000, everything that uses an electrical current goes haywire, with many of them combining forces to attack the humans around them. Eli and Danny find themselves on the run with Laura, as well as two stoners, Ash (Lachlan Watson) and CJ (Daniel Zolghadri), with each of them trying to use their unique skillset to help defeat a growing robot army.

Directed by Kyle Mooney and written by Mooney and Evan Winter, the film lands some solid jokes about the era in its opening 20 minutes or so, whether it’s the extreme slowness of dial-up internet, the goofy user names from AOL Messenger, or the various high school cliques of the time. However, many of them seem to echo ones told in 1999’s American Pie, a weird kind of art-imitating-art moment instead of commenting on real life.

The jolt of the machines attacking partygoers seems to promise a fun — if bloody — romp, but Mooney and Winter don’t seem to know where to take the story. They establish the computer bona fides of Eli and Laura early on, but when it comes time for them to put their talents in action, it feels like two actors going through the motions instead of real people who know what they’re doing. Almost none of the characters are believable or entertaining, and the few that rise above are dispatched way too early.

And because the filmmakers don’t make you care about the main group, nothing they face is that interesting, either. The villainous robots are made up of a bunch of disparate parts, which would seem to offer the opportunity for funny sight gags. Mooney and his team fumble most of their chances, though, leaving that side of the story stuck in limbo where it’s not absurd enough to be hilarious or scary enough to really count as horror.

Martell, Dennison, and Zegler are each rising stars who have their individual charms, but only Dennison is able to make much of an impact. Zegler, who starred in West Side Story and will soon be Snow White, is especially misused. They try to shoehorn in a cameo by Limp Biskit lead singer Fred Durst, but his appearance makes little sense and adds almost nothing to the story.

Filmmakers who want to mine nostalgia, especially in a comedy, need to really commit to the bit instead of throwing in a few references and needle drops. Mooney, who’s making his directorial debut, demonstrates little feel for timing, and so most of the film is like a car spinning its wheels, going nowhere.

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Y2K opens in theaters on December 6.

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