Thursday marks the beginning of Super Happy Fun Land's SXSW Overflow Fest, two weeks of performers stopping by the East End art space/music venue/sock-monkey emporium on their way to and from Austin.
Read more about it in this week's SXSW-related feature package.
This year Overflow Fest is bringing almost 100 artists through town, from as far off as Spain, China and Arkansas, very few of whom Rocks Off - or even SHFL owner Brian Arthur - has ever heard of. But at $8 a night or a measly $25 for a two-week pass, Overflow Fest is well worth taking a chance on.
To help you get acquainted, Rocks Off picked through the MySpace pages of some of the Overflow Fest artists playing over the next few days. We've got something special planned for Blowfly a little later on this week, and we'll do this again next week, but here's a little of what's in store at SHFL this coming weekend.
XPPR 5-9: Cheeky North Carolinan whose Casio lounge-pop recalls both King Missile and Mel Torme
(Thursday, March 11, 9:45 p.m.)
Jody Seabody & the Whirls: Houstonian psych-rockers who form a missing link between the glory days of International Artists Records and latter-day descendants like The Mars Volta.
(Thursday, March 11, midnight)
Houston Organizational Rally for World Naked Bike Ride Day: Pretty much exactly what it says. Naked people and banana seats - who wouldn't want to see that? (8 p.m. Friday, March 12)
Midtown Dickens: Never mind the Avett Brothers, this Durham, N.C. group combines traditional acoustic Appalachiana with the offbeat whimsy and instrumental variety of latter-day indie-pop.
(Friday, March 12, 9:30 p.m.)
Parallax: From the land of Atmosphere, more keyboard-driven, indie-friendly, fiery hip-hop.
(Saturday, March 13, 7:45 p.m.)
Dinosaur Feathers: Ragtag indoor Brooklyn tropicalia from a band who urge you "Don't Fear the Vagabonds"; their harmonies are nothing to be scared of at all.
(Saturday, March 13, 9:15 p.m.)
The Girls at Dawn: More Brooklyn noise, this time of the all-girl, lo-fi variety that nods equally to Bikini Kill and Phil Spector.
(Sunday, March 14, 9:15 p.m.)
See a complete Overflow Fest schedule and all the links you could ever want at www.superhappyfunland.com.