Live Music Now

These are the 5 best concerts in Houston this week

April 13 represents a big day for audiophiles. Record Store Day celebrates all things great about independently owned music stores with special, limited releases from many artists that can only be found at these pure, sounds-forward establishments.

Houston features a handful of these wonderful houses of music worship. Cactus Music, Sound Exchange, Vinal Edge, Heights Vinyl, Black Dog Records, and Screwed Up Records and Tapes, are just a few that we recommend checking out if you're looking for music in physical form, the way it was supposed to be made.

Then, go check out one or more of the following shows to support the artists that make a living singing for their supper.

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

STS9
Fans of Explosions in the Sky will get their instrumental psych-rock meets electronica fix when STS9 — aka Sound Tribe Sector 9 — rolls into Houston this week. For context, this band opened for Jay-Z and regularly sells out the famed Red Rocks Ampitheatre in Colorado. And unlike many bands today, setlists are always different, the group choosing from hundreds of songs to make each show unique, just like the old days of live music. Those who like crazy visuals, hate lyrics, and probably indulges in recreational pharmaceuticals will find their people at this one.

STS9 psychs out at House of Blues, located at 1204 Caroline St., on Thursday, April 11. Tickets start at $30 plus fees. Doors open at 8 pm.

Local spotlight: Camera Cult
One of the better local acts going right now, Camera Cult makes exciting indie synth-pop, the brainchild of friends David Gonzalez and Ricky Vazquez. They recently released a great EP in Talk Nice, and word is they are working on a full-length. Fans of Chromeo and even Kanye West's more commercially accessible work will dig this band that is going places. Check them out before they blow up.

Camera Cult headlines Satellite Bar, located at 6922 Harrisburg Blvd., on Friday, April 12. Indigo Young and No Rehearsal open. Tickets start at $8 plus fees. Doors open at 8 pm.

Randy Rogers Band
A Houston favorite, the Cleburne-launched Randy Rogers Band is one of the more popular regional country bands going right now, evidenced that the ticket numbers for this show are dwindling, which is saying something, because few country acts perform at White Oak Music Hall (kudos to programmers for getting these types of shows in). After making waves with 2015's Hold My Beer, Vol. 1 and 2016's Nothing Shines Like Neon, the group is back with this year's Hellbent. The last time they were in town, the show sold out. Get on those tickets now.

Randy Rogers Band performs at White Oak Music Hall, located at 2915 N Main St., on Friday, April 12. Tickets start at $35 plus fees. Doors open at 7 pm.

CultureMap show of the week: Gladys Knight
Few performers have had as long and storied career as Gladys Knight. Former leader of The Pips, Knight provided the silky smooth vocals on her hits "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," "Neither One Of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)," 'Midnight Train to Georgia," and "License to Kill," parlaying her music skills into film and television. Knight was last seen by many performing at a little thing called the Super Bowl. This is your best chance to see a living legend do her thing.

Gladys Knight performs at Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land, located at 18111 Lexington Blvd. in Sugar Land on Saturday, April 13. Tickets start at $49.50 plus fees. Doors open at 7:30 pm.

CultureMap recommends: DMX at HOB
Oh, DMX. The popular rapper is back on the road following a jail stint for tax evasion for jilting the U.S. government out of millions of dollars. That's because he was at one point, one of the biggest hip-hop stars in the world, producing several multi-platinum albums before legal problems derailed his career. Thankfully, he got his release in time to turn a quick buck with the 20th anniversary of the watershed album It's Dark and Hell is Hot, the album that launched the Baltimore artist to international stardom.

DMX is back at House of Blues, located at 1204 Caroline St., on Sunday, April 14. Tickets start at $30 plus fees. Doors open at 8 pm.

Randy Rogers Band performs at White Oak Music Hall on Friday, April 12.

Photo courtesy of Randy Rogers Band

Randy Rogers Band performs at White Oak Music Hall on Friday, April 12.

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Movie Review

Twin sisters set out for revenge in Tarantino-esque film 'Is God Is'

Photo by Patti Perret

Kara Young and Mallori Johnson in Is God Is.

The revenge story is one of the most enduring in all of cinema as it can be adapted to multiple different genres. It most naturally fits in the action/thriller genre, but comedies, dramas, Westerns, and more have made good use of characters seeking revenge. The new film Is God Is demonstrates that malleability by detailing an intensely personal story that turns into something bigger.

Twins Racine (Kara Young) and Anaia (Mallori Johnson) have lived a difficult life, going in and out of foster care and forced to endure stares and taunts because each bears burn scars from a childhood attack. Racine, whose scars are “only” on her left arm, has developed into the protector of Anaia, who suffered burns over much of her face.

An unexpected call from their mother, Ruby (Vivica A. Fox), who was burned almost beyond recognition in the attack, gives them a purpose: Seeking revenge on the man who ruined their lives. Setting out in a barely working car and with only a small amount of direction, the sisters attempt to fulfill the mission without losing their souls.

Written and directed by first-time feature filmmaker Aleasha Harris, the film may remind some viewers of Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, and not just because Fox has small roles in both films. Harris has a knack for dialogue, especially between the twins, that ably gets across the story exposition and entertains at the same time. There are many instances where she has the sisters hold silent conversations told on screen via subtitles to convey twin-speak, a method that deepens their connection and draws the viewer in.

Harris also has her characters engage in the type of shocking violence that Tarantino has used to great effect. The difference here, though, is that even though the story is heightened to a certain degree, the egregious nature of the crime perpetrated upon the girls and their mother makes the whole thing feel bracingly real. This revenge plot is not meant to merely entertain; it’s designed to put the audience in Racine and Anaia’s shoes and fully embrace the call for justice.

There are a few times when the lack of experience by Harris shows up, especially in the climactic sequence where the stunt work could have used some more precision. But overall, it’s a self-assured filmmaking debut for the playwright-turned-director, who’s adapted her own play with a richness and depth that is not often found from someone stepping behind the camera for the first time.

Young and Johnson don’t especially look alike, but they embody the essence of twin sisters, and it’s their chemistry together that makes the story as impactful as it is. They’re joined by other strong female performances by Fox, Erika Alexander, and Janelle Monáe, each of whom brings a different vibe. And anyone who loves This is Us or Paradise should prepare themselves for a completely different kind of role for Sterling K. Brown.

Is God Is uses a variety of inspirations for its storytelling, but in the end it becomes its own thing. The filmmaking world can always stand to have another strong Black voice, and Harris has made an auspicious debut, one that should have cinephiles wondering what she’ll do next.

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Is God Is opens in theaters on May 15.

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