SXSW week always brings a lot of bands to town, and for those that don’t get to Austin for all of the festivities, there’s a ton of great music around Houston. Chicago’s Sleeper Car (not to be confused with Jim Ward’s new Texas band Sleepercar) and Texas musician Austin Collins (whose “22 Hours” is always spinning around my iPod) play the Mucky Duck this Tuesday (3.11.08). Showtime is 7:30pm.

Collins’ latest album (with The Rainbirds), is the impressive Roses Are Black, and was released in late February on Austin label Fat Caddy Records. It’s near the top of the list of my favorite albums so far this year (Mando Saenz’s Bucket being another). I strongly recommend picking it up. You can read more about Collins in the March issue of Envy magazine.

Sleeper Car’s Love & Anxiety, an outstanding record, is available at CDBaby now.

More info on Collins and Roses Are Black can be found at www.austincollins.net. More information on Sleeper Car can be found at www.myspace.com/sleepercarband. Click here for info on the Mucky Duck.