This weekend's Free Press Summer Fest at Eleanor Tinsley Park is officially (way) sold out, so our readers who don't have passes at this point are sadly now forced to test their skills at the "secondary market." For those of you who are already in, this week Rocks Off will be bringing you our staff recommendations for acts you might consider checking out while you're there. Today we turn our attention to artists who hail from Houston and the surrounding hinterlands -- including Austin. (Note: planets correspond to FPSF stage names.)
SATURDAY
American Fangs Beginning a month-long tour in support of your debut, full-length album at Fitzgerald's and ending it at FPSF sounds like a distant dream for a Houston-born band, but that's exactly what American Fangs are doing. Having survived a run-in with a self-declared vampire in Wisconsin, this hook-heavy punk act will be back in town Saturday, no doubt climbing rafters, surfing on the hands of their fans and causing all sorts of ruckus. (1:30 p.m. Saturday, Neptune) MATTHEW KEEVER
Now that they're gaining momentum on a national level thanks to their single "Pomona," FPSF is as good a time as any to check out American Fangs and see what the fuss is about. Also, they fought a vampire, and you should always support your local vampire fighters. CORY GARCIA
La Catrin and Dem Dam Dames La Catrin has been on my radar since a 2010 Houston Press article by Jef Rouner depicting her concert at Etro ("Witchy Woman"), and yet I've never managed to see her live.
In my head she lives somewhere between Lady Gaga's "Let's Dance" and La Santa Muerta. Pair that with stage sexiness by Houston burlesque troupe Dem Damn Dames, and you won't need the heat to make you sweat. (1:10 p.m., Mercury) BRITTANIE SHEY
Geto Boys The one local act that I must see is pioneer rap crew The Geto Boys. A reunited Scarface, Willie D, and Bushwick Bill have only played a twice together in the past decade, and neither of those times was in Houston. I believe that hearing "Mind Playing Tricks On Me" and "Damn It Feels Good to Be a Gangsta" in the shadow of the H-Town skyline will be an experience you definitely shouldn't miss. (3:40 p.m., Saturn) MARCO TORRES
