This month of heat advisories is slowly coming to an end, even if the heat itself is not. But once again we’ve found plenty of budget-friendly events to keep you entertained (many of which are air conditioning-friendly too), from a music festival in Tomball to a spectacle at Miller Outdoor Theatre, wrestling at Traders Village and a hip-hop flea market. Keep reading for ten of our favorite events that won’t cost you more than $10 — and nine of them are free! Check out the Houston Press calendar for even more things to do, and be mindful that the ominous weather forecast for this weekend could any and all of them.
Tropic of Kansas, The God Peak and Noumenon book signings
Murder by the Book
6:30 p.m. Thursday, free
Three very different realities will be on display when Christopher Brown, Patrick Hemstreet and Marina Lostetter swing by Murder by the Book tonight. Brown’s Tropic of Kansas has been called a “modern dystopian buffet,” set in a world where all our societal fears have come true, from climate change to authoritarian rule and full corporate control. In The God Peak, Hemstreet’s sequel to The God Wave, Chuck Brenton returns to take on power brokers who are attempting to manipulate the superbeings Chuck has created by unlocking the brain’s potential. And Lostetter’s first full-length novel, Noumenon, jumps centuries into the future, with The Washington Post applauding its “dreamlike exploration of evolving societies and the many ways humans can control, fight and love each other.”
Film and Psychoanalysis: Moonlight
The Jung Center
7 p.m. Thursday, free
The Jung Center’s Film and Psychoanalysis series wraps up tonight with this year’s Best Picture winner, Moonlight, and a discussion led by Houston-based clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst Barbara Mosbacher. Barry Jenkins’s breakthrough coming-of-age tale about a young black boy’s journey to adulthood, contending with emotional abuse, a drug-addicted mother, dominant notions of masculinity and his own sexuality was – rightly so – a critical darling and a Hollywood game-changer. As The Atlantic noted, “This is not an ‘issue’ film that’s mainly ‘about’ race or sexuality; this is a humane movie, one that’s looking to prompt empathy and introspection most of all.”
Words & Art: Reading
Contemporary Arts Museum Houston
7:30 p.m. Thursday, free
The Words & Art reading series, originally organized by Mary Wemple as an opportunity for local poets and writers to create works inspired by the installations in Rice Gallery (R.I.P., 1995-2017), is making its debut at CAMH Thursday in conjunction with “A Better Yesterday,” on display through September 3. The Houston-based authors and poets will be sharing works inspired by JooYoung Choi, who created an interactive alternative universe for his part of the exhibit, one where visitors are asked to play along by remembering kids TV shows where their help was needed by the characters – sometimes by singing along, drawing a picture or simply imagining.
Godspell
Miller Outdoor Theatre
8 p.m. Friday, free
A.D. Players’ final mainstage show of 2017, Godspell, comes to the Miller Outdoor Theatre for two more shows this weekend. Though the show, an imagining of Jesus’ last days as told from the Gospel of St. Matthew, isn’t exactly regarded as the best, it does feature hit songs like “Day by Day,” and the Press’s own D.L. Groover recently praised the A.D. players for succeeding “in making Godspell, Stephen Schwartz and [John-Michael Tebelak’s] flower child story of Jesus’ ministry and last days, immensely watchable,” adding that the “razzle-dazzle of A.D. Players’ production is epic.” If you can’t make it out Friday, Godspell will also be performed Saturday, August 26, at 8 p.m.
4th Annual Tomball Texas Music Festival
Tomball Historic Depot Plaza
11:30 a.m. Saturday, free
The Tomball Texas Music Festival returns, bringing with it an impressive lineup of rockabilly, Texas Country and Cajun rock to Tomball’s historic downtown Depot. Two Tons of Steel headline, their punky alt-country complemented by Mike and the Moonpies’ Austin-born honky-tonk (for their second stop at the festival in three years), Bayou Roux’s spicy Louisiana fusion, and up-and-coming singer-songwriter Darbi Shaun, who already has an album and two EPs under her belt. Both admission and parking are free, so come prepared to stuff your face with festival food, peruse the vendors and let the kids exhaust themselves in the kids zone.
“Greenhouse,” “The Ocean Never Closes” and “XXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX” opening reception
Galveston Arts Center
6 p.m. Saturday, free
Note: Due to the weather forecast for Saturday, the opening reception has been postponed until September 9. Three new exhibits open Saturday night at GAC: Houston-based artist Bradley Kerl takes the seemingly mundane from everyday life – like the potted plants in a doctor’s office – and reimagines them on multiple mediums in “Greenhouse.” Angel Oloshove draws inspiration from the land and environment, playing with form and color, in a series of ceramic totems in “The Ocean Never Closes.” And painter Christopher Cascio’s new work referencing quilt patterns and past work utilizing concert wristbands will be on display in “XXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX.” Artists’ talks begin at 6:30 p.m., but don’t worry – if you can’t make it, the exhibitions will be on view through October 8.
Eve LaFountain: A Live Performance and Screening
Aurora Picture Show
7 p.m. Saturday, $10
Film, projection and sound do amazing things in the hands of Eve-Lauryn Little Shell LaFountain. The L.A.-based multimedia artist is of Jewish and Turtle Mountain Chippewa descent, and her Native American heritage played a role in creating Awasishkode (Beyond the Fire), which she’ll be presenting Saturday night at Aurora Picture Show with collaborator Jon Almaraz. The performance builds on the duo’s Waabanishimo (She Dances Till Daylight) project and features LaFountain running 35mm slide and small format film projectors, punctuated by light interruptions and set to Almaraz’s experimental guitar score, which evokes the live music played during the silent film era.
TASW Wrestling Summer Re-Match
Traders Village Houston
1 p.m. Sunday, free
Get your fill of powerbombs and suplexes this Sunday when the oldest independent pro wrestling promoter in the state, Texas All-Star Wrestling, returns to Traders Village. Headed up by Texas Wrestling Hall of Famer Bob Murphy, the promotion boasts TASW Heavyweight Champion Big Daddy Yum Yum and TASW Cruiserweight Champion Estrella Galactica, but check the website for the exact lineup, which has yet to be announced. Whatever the match card, however, it promises to be a great afternoon of old-school wrestling. To learn more about TASW, check out their Facebook page, and remember, the event is free and parking is only $4 per car.
Hip Hop Flea Market
RE/MAX Inner Loop
2 p.m. Sunday, free
If you recently looked in your closet and noticed a glaring lack of statement pieces amidst the Kangol hats and Adidas track suits, the high tops and snapbacks, make plans to do a little window-shopping and shopping-shopping at the Hip Hop Flea Market Sunday, a vintage market from Resale Folds and Bgirl City designed to appeal to all those hip hop fans looking for any missing ‘80s and ‘90s throwback staples. Come for the style, but stay for the music (a live DJ will be on hand spinning tunes), the food and the beer (free Saint Arnold’s for all over 21).
Z
Axelrad
9 p.m. Monday, free
What was the first movie to be nominated for both the Best Picture and Best Foreign Language Film Oscars? Yep, it was Costa-Gavras’s defiant Z. (No need to thank us next time you use this little fact to win a game of Trivial Pursuit.) Roger Ebert considered the fast-paced, suspenseful political thriller the best film of 1969, and with its classic Hollywood-style detective story, prescient use of handheld cameras, and its continued relevance, it’s hard to argue against its continued importance and why it’s worth the trip over to Axelrad. Oh, and the Beerstream bar will be open.
This article appears in Aug 17-23, 2017.
