Phantogram House of Blues, Monday 28
A duo from upstate New York, Phantogram will scratch that same after-hours electro-pop itch as School of Seven Bells' enchanting 2012 LP Ghostory. On two albums for Barsuk Records and now a new eponymous EP on Republic Records, Josh Carter and Sarah Bechtel slide dusty hip-hop beats around the kind of shoegazey sounds that were made for shutting your eyes and drifting off into dreamland. CHRIS GRAY
Rick Lee & the Night Owls The Hideaway on Dunvale, October 29
We once got to partake in the pleasure that is the Hideaway on Dunvale for steak night one Tuesday, and it included the magical blues stylings of Rick Lee & the Night Owls. Lee and his band do ZZ Top, Bobby "Blue" Bland and B.B. King covers. We also witnessed the man playing his axe with the leg of a chair and licking the strings at one point. It was a good night for everyone, and we're sure the guitar had no complaints either. CRAIG HLAVATY
Crocodiles Fitzgerald's, October 30
Glammy garage-punk duo Crocodiles fit right in on Frenchkiss Records, also home to blog-beloved acts like Bloc Party, Local Natives and Freelance Whales. Friends since their teens, Charles Rowell and Brandon Welchez specialize in the kind of feedback-drenched melodies the skinny-jean set has loved since the '60s, but stick closely to the dreamy noise-pop patterns established by the Jesus and Mary Chain.
This year's Crimes of Passion, Crocodiles' fourth album, was recorded under the auspices of fellow reverb aficionado Sune Rose Wagner of the Raveonettes. CHRIS GRAY
More shows on the next page.
Roky Erickson Continental Club, October 30
Roky Erickson's spooky vibe continues reverberating across the music world almost a half-century since his band the Thirteenth Floor Elevators pioneered psychedelic rock. Most recently, disturbing Swedish death-metal crew Ghost B.C. covered the Texas legend's "If You Have Ghost" for their forthcoming Dave Grohl-produced EP, and did a remarkably melodic job for a bunch of guys who go onstage in monks' robes and a skull-masked singer.
Under the stewardship of bandmate/manager/son Jegar, Erickson has largely vanquished his mental-health demons and resumed performing full-time. He arrives in Houston supporting a fresh reissue of 1981 album The Evil One, which he cut with his band the Aliens and includes horror-rock staple "Two Headed Dog (Red Temple Prayer)." With the Paul Ramirez Band. CHRIS GRAY
Zedd House of Blues, October 30
It was just a touch over a year ago that Zedd came to our fair city and leveled the place with his set at Something Wicked. At the time he was at the start of a year that would see him become one of the big breakout names in the world of EDM; crossover single "Clarity" went platinum earlier this year. Oh, and he's got a song on Lady Gaga's new album, as if his year wasn't big enough already. He's finally making his return to Houston, and if you're a fan of gigantic-sounding dance tracks, you won't want to miss it. CORY GARCIA
Deadstring Brothers Continental Club, October 31
Gram Parsons' ashes scattered to the hickory winds long ago, and more than a few settled on this lumberjack-looking trio. Forming around frontman Kurt Marschke in the early '00s, the Deadstrings certainly have the hungover cosmic-country sound of Parsons' early-'70s running buddies the Rolling Stones down cold -- road-weary songs brimming with sleepy steel guitar and churchified keyboards.
This past spring saw Cannery Row, their fourth album on Chicago's Bloodshot Records and first since relocating to Nashville from the Brothers' native Detroit. CHRIS GRAY
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