Another great weekend of show in the Houston area. Today (Friday, 4.9.10) the 2010 Texas Crawfish & Music Festival kicks off in Old Town Spring. The line-up over the next two weekends is impressive, with today’s bands including Jason Boland & The Stragglers, Grupo Fantasma, Brian Jack & the Zydeco Gamblers, Grand Mullett, Scooter Brown, Idiginis, Runaway Sun, Gerard Delafose Zydeco Band, and Right to Refuse. Check the website for more details.

Grandfather Child / Warpaint

Tonight (Friday, 4.9.10), the “all-star” local line-up of Grandfather Child celebrates its debut release with a show at Mango’s opening for the much-touted Warpaint. Balaclavas and Buxton are also on the bill. Wow… Tickets at Superunison.com.

Also tonight, The Jonx–which also plays a free show at Cactus tomorrow at 3pm and who recently released the impressive Vocabularian Herds, which I still need to review–returns to Rudyards with Woozyhelmet, MUHAMMADALi, and 500 Megatons of Boogie. Khon’s in Midtown hosts Inner Lights, Golden Cities, and Austin’s My Education.

Billy Joe Shaver plays the Firehouse Saloon, and Mia Kat Empire presents Hollywood Black, The Ride Home, The Goods, Framework, and Gretchen Schmaltz at Fuel Cyber Cafe in Humble.

Saturday (4.10.10) is the 19th Annual KTRU Outdoor Show at Rice University. The free show starts at noon and features Rafter, Fat Tony, Ghost Mountain, Wasp and Pear, Space City Gamelan, Rachel Buchman’s Homemade Band, and Office Party. 

Saturday night is the Black Congress CD release show at Rudyard’s. Golden Axe and Omotai  round out the bill. If that’s not hard enough, check out the Busted Sound Fest at The Hot Dog Shop (6405 Brittmoore), which features The Dead Rabbits, The Failed Attempt, Always Guilty, HRA, Los Desconocidos, Gutter Rats, Moochers, Obama Nation, The Pins, Cop Warmth, Dekayoss Wreckage, Atomic Assassins, Oscuridad Social, Action Frank, Kretas Bufonas, Morrow Librates, Sucker Fish, KTMC, and Dona Florinda. The fun starts at 3pm.

Old 97’s play House of Blues with Telegraph Canyon, and DJ Psychedelic Sex Panther is at The Big Top. Stone Coyotes play the Mucky Duck, and the Texas Crawfish & Music Festival continues in Old Town Spring, with performances by Hayes Carll, Nightbird (Fleetwood Mac tribute), Brad Randell & the Zydeco Ballers, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Robert Ellis & The Boys, Jesse Dayton, Sideshow Tramps, Nooney & the Zydeco Floaters, Jason Eady, Tyagaraja, The Blue Hit, Amber Digby, Fred Rusk & the Zydeco Hi Steppers, and Magnus Heart.

Born Liars plays at Rocbar on Sunday (4.11.10) with Dickey Hands, and The American Heist. Also on Sunday is the House of Hits book release party at The Continental Club, which features The Allen Oldies Band, The El Orbits, John Evans, and Nick Gaitan & The Umbrella Man.

The Texas Crawfish & Music Festival continues on Sunday, with shows by Adam Carroll, Owen Temple, Andrew Green, Fight to Rescue, Davin James, Brian Burns, Tommy Alverson, Bon Ton Mickey, Right to Refuse, and Music Tribe.

Have a great weekend.