Carnival II

Carnival II introduces Houston’s swanky night scene to one that’s a little rougher around the edges. The fledging enterprise had a successful debut when it meshed the cushy nightclub scene at Next with Houston’s indie rock and art crowd. This month it will take another shot with local groups the Umbrella Man and the American Masquerade. Umbrella Man, which features members of Los Skarnales, including Houston Press Music Award winner for Best Bassist Nick Gaitan, leans toward the swinging sounds of Django Reinhardt, mixing in a little bluegrass here and there. They will be followed by the pop rock sounds of the Masquerade, with local DJs Jacee and Gilberto and DJ Baby Jae of 97.9 The Box’s Kracker Nuttz filling in the downtime with plenty of dance--worthy hip-hop tracks. Next will lend its wall space to a handful of local artists including Matt Messinger, who creates newsprint collages, and Talia Gerber, who paints tropically themed portraits. Also see works from Tracey Cochran, Julie Zarate, Rene Gonzales and Basya Grinshtein today when uptown meets downtown.
Fri., Sept. 14, 8 p.m.