ATTN THIS WEEKEND: YOU DROPPED THE BOMB ON ME, BABY

66 years ago today, Japan got too big for her britches and decided to let it all loose on Pearl Harbor. We got pissed and put a bunch of Japanese-Americans into prison camps and then dropped nuclear bombs on two of their cities. OUR BAD. We’re not sorry about the rest of it, though. Plus, you make such good cars and cameras now that obviously it didn’t hurt too bad, though we’re pretty sure that the whole Hiroshima/Nagusaki thing is why all your films consist of a giant monster wreckin’ shop, disturbingly scary horror movies, or FREAKISH cartoons. But hey – nothing but love now for you. And if you’re visiting Houston this weekend, look what we have in store for ya:

FRIDAY
Hearts of Animals, The Dimes and Sunset @ SoundExchange
Yuss. In stores. Other engagements will keep our vaunted and wanted reporting staff from attending this WHIPS weekend kickoff, but it’s sure to be (as always) a who’s who of our city’s bold and beautiful. Sometimes sporting a free keg, but never charging a cover, your best bet is to come early, buy a tallboy across the street and do a little record shopping while you’re there.

Vinyl Ranch @ Leon’s Lounge
This monthly hoe-down of classic cowboy and western hits boasts ‘the smallest dancefloor in Houston’ and pulls from Lee Walker’s (Basses Loaded) madcap collection of the era’s greatest records. Special guest DJ this month is the notorious Trish, formerly of T&T Music Factory. Party. Call me.

SATURDAY
Saturday Secret Show and Gear-rage Sale @ Shady Tavern
Ok, this is gona rule so hard that we’re going to clone a dragon and slay it all over 20th street just to say thanks. FIRST OFF: The bands. There are slated to be four this week and the only clue is this riddle that the organizer sent us. We haven’t quite decoded it yet. What do you think:

here is the happenings this week if you so dare to figure it out. there will be a sparkely darkness in the air as someone with the same last name as a character in fight club performs. there will be an almost indian named(feather not dot) group rocking out the jams while someone will be knife fighting in the parking lot.

Totally can’t come up with any of them. If you figure any of em out, leave it in the comments. BUT, it’s sure to be good, as it has been every week. PLUS, this week bdm and Erik Bogle are having their Gear-age sale, where you can come to buy and sell all manner of musical equipment. Get their sneak peak list of what is FOR SURE going to be there (along with who knows what else) in our post about it. Plus, we’ll be there oogling over DJ Curtis’ sweet freaking jams and selling some Skyline Network awesome every band in Houston t-shirts. DJs at noon, Gear-age sale starts at one, bands hit the stage at two.

Basses Loaded and Sabra Laval @ Kelvin Arms
This is a weird place to do a show, but it’s a great little club in the Village. Apparently they are looking to broaden their appeal, and so a free show. Good for us, good for them.

Danseparc @ Numbers
This week’s Danseparc is billed as “Black Celebration”, some sort of “dress in all black” anti-holiday fest. That the flyer has a black Santa on it kinda confuses the message for us, though. It seems to be that, because the standard iconography for Santa is that he is White, the incorporation of a Black Santa as the design’s centerpiece seems to imply, because this is an anti-celebration, that somehow Blacks are the anti-, the opposite, the Other, whereas Whites are good, normal and standard. We reject this conceptualization of race. So yeah, in summary: “Hey let’s have an anti-something, oh and throw a Black dude on the flyer.” Classy. We’d be offended if we thought they put any thought into the artwork. Whatever. GO AND DANCE!