Be sure to make plans to come out THIS SUNDAY downtown to the Market Square area for the 2006 Houston Press Music Awards showcases, which features more than 60 bands for a mere $7.

The shows start in various venues downtown at 4pm and the fun lasts until 10pm or so. This is an excellent opportunity to see local musicians of all genres together in intimate settings. It’s going to be great.

This is probably who I’ll see:

4pm: Bright Men Of Learning @ Red Cat Jazz Cafe
5pm: Lanky @ Mercury Room
6pm: Tody Castillo on the Mkt. Sq. stage / Arthur Yoria @ Mercury Room / Drop Trio @ M Bar / The Jonx @ Boaka Bar (okay, I can’t choose…)
7pm: Sean Carnahan @ Jefe
8pm: Southern Backtones @ Mercury Room
9pm: Spain Colored Orange @ Grasshopper

You can see the lost and set times of all of Sunday’s performers at the Houston Press website. Take your pick and please come out and support your local music scene.

The Houstonist‘s Eric Wilson has a good list of what else is going on this weekend in music.

Tonight (Saturday, 7.29.06), there’s a lot going on around town. Here’s some of it:

Spain Colored Orange/The Minders/The Kingdom/Dunnock @ The Proletariat
Kelly Clarkson/Rooney @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Casino/Snit’s Dog and Pony Show @ Rudyard’s
Balaclavas @ The White Swan
The MacHos/Matt and Austin @ Warehouse Live
Simpleton/The Contingency/In the Midst of Battle @ Fitzdown
Moodafaruka @ McGonigel’s Mucky Duck
The Gourds @ The Continental Club
Salting Job/Flood @ Fitzgerald’s
The N Crowd/Catalyst/Placid Blue @ The Engine Room
Aier Sauft/Girls Rise With Heat @ Super Happy Fun Land
Mindcrime @ Bungalo 8 (1463 Highway 6)
The Morrison Resurrection/Hole in the Sky @ The Concert Pub
Guy Forsyth @ Sansone’s (14144 Westheimer)
Torque @ Sherlock’s (Clear Lake)

Have a good weekend. See you out and about.