As previously mentioned, local band Buxton–whose new album Nothing Here Seems Strange finally hits stores on Tuesday (1.31.12)–plays a free in-store show tonight (Friday, 1.27.12) at Cactus Music during a listening party for the album. The fun runs from 7-10pm.

The album (including vinyl) is available for pre-order via Amazon.com.

View the band’s video for “Boy Of Nine” here:

Buxton plays in Houston at Fitzgerald’s this Thursday, 2.4.12, with Marmalakes and Featherface.

The second annual Main Street Block Party is this Saturday (1.28.11) and features a slew of local and regional bands, including BangBangz, The Literary Greats, What Made Milwaukee Famous, Runaway Sun, Dead Revolt, The Gold Sounds, Prairie Cadets, and much more.

More information may be found on Facebook. Presale tickets available here.

The show starts at 1pm.

Austin’s Megafauna returns to Houston this Friday (1.20.12) to play a show at Last Concert Cafe with Moths. The show starts at 10pm.

Megafauna will be showcasing songs from their upcoming album, Black Magic, which was recorded with Erik Wofford, producer of Austin’s The Black Angels.

More information on Bandcamp.

If you want to check out a Megafauna video, you can find it here.

In addition to the extremely impressive line-up of bands playing at Chris Gray Day this Saturday the 14th (read more about it on Space City Rock), there’s a great line-up at Fitzgerald’s. The Sour Notes–who have a vinyl single with Marmalakes coming in February–play with The Eastern Sea, Marmalakes, Darwin’s Finches, Co-Pilot, and Vipers.

Houston’s Co-Pilot has a 12-inch split coming in March with ALASKAN via The Treaty Oak Collective. You can hear their incredible song “The Bering Sea” here.

Don’t forget to make plans to come out to The Continental Club (and surrounding area) this Saturday (1.14.12) for Chris Gray Day, a benefit to help raise money for Houston Press Music Editor Chris Gray’s medical bills. The bill includes a slew of local bands, and Hayes Carll was recently added to the list.

More details on Rocks Off and Space City Rock.

A list of all the items up for auction during Saturday’s benefit may be found at chrisgrayday.wordpress.com.

Chris Gray Day begins at 10am. Wristbands are available here.

Free Press Houston editor Omar Afra has written an open letter to the Houston music community.

Check it out here.

Local band Buxton releases its new album, Nothing Here Seems Strange, via New West Records on January 31. The album (including vinyl) is available for pre-order via Amazon.com, and Cactus Music will host a listening party and free in-store performance on Friday, January 27, from 7-10pm.

Here’s a video for “Boy Of Nine”:

Download the digital single of “Boy Of Nine” here, along with “Riverbed” here. Or, you can buy the 7-inch vinyl version–along with T-shirts designed by Houston designer Tom So (SoSo Design)–at buxtonband.com.

Buxton was recently named an “artist to watch” in 2012 by Esquire magazine.

Buxton plays in Houston on January 15th at Chris Gray Day, and at Fitzgerald’s for its album release party on February 4th (with Marmalakes and Featherface).

Houston Press Artopia is Saturday, 1.28.12, at Winter Street Studios (2021 Winter St.), and features performance art and live music by Houston’s Young Mammals, Folk Family Revival, Finnegan, and Kyle Berg.

Tickets to the event are $45-$90, a portion of which goes to charity.

Here’s the official description of the event:

Artopia, the upscale celebration of the Houston art scene, is here again! It incorporates food, drink, art, music, theater, and fashion into one evening with a portion of the proceeds benefiting a local charity organization.

Guests will sample appetizers & culinary creations from local restaurants while enjoying paintings, sculptures and other forms of visual art from various local artists. Artopia will also feature three fashion shows showcasing local designers, live music from Houston musicians and several local dance performances.

The event runs from 8-11pm.

Tonight (Friday, 1.6.12), Southern Backtones and Craig Kinsey (Sideshow Tramps) celebrate the birthdays of Elvis and David Bowie with a show of Elvis covers, a costume contest, and free peanut butter and banana hors d’oeuvres.

This is a free show for 21+.

More info at www.fitzlivemusic.com and on Facebook.

Houston Press Music Editor Chris Gray suffered a heart attack late last year and his recovery is ongoing and costly. To help with the medical costs, there’s a benefit (Chris Gray Day) scheduled for Saturday, 1.14.12, at The Continental Club, Big Top Lounge, and Pachinko Hut in Houston.

The music starts at 10am, and features a slew of Houston bands of varying styles. It will be one of the best chances to see bands you may have heard or read about but haven’t yet taken the time to check out live–and it’s for a great cause. Donations start at $20 for entry into the show.

Check the schedule on Rocks Off.