Big Business Warehouse Live (Studio), Monday
Since 2003, the twosome of drummer-yelper Coady Willis and bassist-howler Jared Warren (give or take a guitarist) has been making a perfect sludgy mess as Big Business. They ended up joining Melvins Buzz Osbourne and Dale Crover along the way, both live and on record, but continue to release great slabs under the BB name every two years or so, including three new albums for the soon-to-be-departed Hydra Head label. CRAIG HLAVATY
Garbage House of Blues, Tuesday
We didn't get our Shirley Manson fix in April due to a family emergency in the Garbage camp, but the long-running modern rock act is finally making up their highly anticipated Houston return. The band's latest, Not Your Kind of People, dropped in May to wide fan and critical acclaim, and the band still has that same twitchy, witchy magic live. They are still one of most solid rock acts to survive the '90s. Did we mention Shirley Manson will be there? CRAIG HLAVATY
The Shins House of Blues, Wednesday
Indie nation made a collective sad face when the Shins went on hiatus after 2007's Wincing the Night Away. That departure added a whole new layer of poignancy to the songs that had already made James Mercer's Portland-based crew one of the '00s most beloved bands, even before Natalie Portman raved about them in Garden State. But those frowns turned upside down when Mercer assembled a completely new cast of bandmates and returned earlier this year with Port of Morrow (Aural Apothecary/Columbia), a new batch of quintessentially wistful songs that blow through like a soft, melancholy breeze. CHRIS GRAY
Trampled by Turtles House of Blues, Thursday
When the improbable success of Mumford & Sons put the spotlight on scruffy youngsters toting banjos and mandolins, this Duluth, Minnesota crew was one of the bands peeking back out from the shadows. Trampled by Turtles started in 2004 out of pure necessity: After his previous band's equipment was stolen, singer Dave Simonett figured a group that didn't need amplifiers would be less of a target. Now TBT are seasoned regulars on the bluegrass-festival circuit and released their sixth collection of breakdowns and ballads, Stars and Satellites, earlier this year. CHRIS GRAY
Lip Gloss and Lyrics The Mac Bar (13105 Veterans Memorial Dr.), Thursday
Houston rap has several generations of history in the books by now, but one chapter that sadly still goes underwritten is the one about female rappers. But they're here, make no mistake about that, and Thursday several of Houston's lady MCs are about to speak up at the "Lip Gloss and Lyrics" concert at the far, far northwest side's Mac Bar. Scheduled to appear are Bosslady Jaye ("Bitch I'm From Houston," "He Can Get It"), Surreall ("Swisha House's first lady"), Miss Juicy 44 (the Juice Box mixtape), Miss Kenya ("100 Bars of Bitches"), Justified ("Vibin'"), Tawn P, DJ Fat Alberta and more. Keep updated on Twitter at #713LGL, and come out Thursday and see what far too many of us have been missing. CHRIS GRAY
http://www.reverbnation.com/bossladyjaye
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