WESTHEIMER BLOCK PARTY PRIMER! YUSS!

We were on the elevator earlier today, and this all-class/no-flash woman that we know said "You know, this is supposed to be one of the nicest weekends of the year." WE TOTALLY AGREE! Of course, she was talking about the weather, but we were talking about none other than the Free Press' most insanely WHIPS spring festival, the Westheimer Block Party. Even though last year's event was pretty much the greatest single afternoon of music we were able to take in all year, especially on the see-new-things tip, we have to say that last year's lineup PALES like our own legs in comparison. It's phenomenal. And, we love the fact that it's being tied into a paid show for a touring matchup at Numbers later in the evening (with ...trail of the dead and ONFIRE it-kids HEALTH).

You can get all the details, including a complete band list and schedule from the Free Press itself, but for our dollars (and, oh yeah, except the evening show this is a free thing - so i guess our talk is cheap), here's how you should spend your time. We've broken it up into some of our favorite bands who you absolute must have seen by this point in your lives or we're completely having no effect on you, along with some relative unknowns (to us) that we recommends purely on the strength of whatever recording we find on them. Sketchy? If it weren't for that logic, we never would have discovered Sabra Laval, the Generic Tribe or the Riff Tiffs last year. FREE YOUR MIND!

NOON
SOMETHING NEW: Kam (Numbers Outside) chell soul to get your day started. Also, fans of countrified indie would do well to check out The Literary Greats (Numbers Inside)

12:45
SOMETHING NEW: Generation Landslide (Numbers Inside) an interesting take on Powerpop vs early REM.

1:30
GREATEST HITS: American Sharks (Numbers Outisde), Antarctica Starts Here (Avante Garden Upstairs
SOMETHING NEW: News on the March (Avante Garden Outside) - Western indie folk swing versus The Byrds

2:15
GREATEST HITS: Dunnock's Ill Advisory (Avante Garden Outside)
SOMETHING NEW: Perseph1 (Numbers Outside) - chell hip hop is a refreshing trip outside Houston rap as usual

3:00
GREATEST HITS: Basses Loaded (Numbers Outside), Buxton (Avante Garden Outside)
SOMETHING NEW: Lovie (Mangos Outside) - crunchy all-girl pop bliss from Dallas

3:45
GREATEST HITS/SOMETHING NEW: Piano Vines (3:45) - sorry all other bands playing at this time, we're totally stoked on this band and want everyone to check them out

4:30
SOMETHING NEW: Run back and forth between the folk pop of the Wild Moccasins (Mangos Outside) and the garage punk of The Takes (Mangos Inside). 90s Austinites might want to check out Death Hell Battle Tank (Avante Garden Upstairs), a new band from Russ of the Fuckemos.

5:15
SOMETHING NEW: Electric Touch (Numbers Outside) - This Austin band is playing Lollapalooza. And Cochella. Might want to check them out, ya know, for free in a parking lot.

6:00
GREATEST HITS: If you still haven't seen Papermoons, stop reading. Go see them now (Avante Garden Outside). B (Numbers Inside) and Dead Roses (Avante Garden Upstairs) always bring the good times as well.

6:45
GREATEST HITS: O Pioneers!!! (Avante Garden Outside)
SOMETHING NEW: Lisa's Sons (Numbers Outside) a fresh breeze of electro pop with lemonade dressing

7:30
GREATEST HITS: Satin Hooks (Mango's Inside)
SOMETHING NEW: The Holly Hall (Avante Garden Outside) This is Elaine Greer's band. Championship

8:15
GREATEST HITS: Rusted Shut (Mangos Outside), Sabra Laval (Avante Garden Outside) - we feel totally bad for Sabra, having to play her quiet composed spookout shuffles less than 100 feet from a band that prides itself on volume.

And of course, don't forget, 8pm doors for the big show at numbers, featuring By The End of Tonight, Young Mammals, Spain Colored Orange, HEALTH and ...and You Will Know Us By The Trail of the Dead. What kickassedness. Damn. We're totally gonna be out of town. SO PLEASE TAKE PICS! AND SHARE! WE WISH WE WERE THERE!