Friday night show recommendations

An on and off again "service" to my Austin readership, which benefits no one who is actually trying to decide what to do tonight. But I imagine it is a great benefit to anyone who is wishing to stalk me and it's really just my way of getting the names of bands I like on more websites.

Happy hour show at Beerland tonight from 7-9: Mr. Lewis and the Funeral Five. See this band if you get a chance. They are really cool and do a diverse and interesting set. And I'm not just saying that because they invite me to their parties, though that too is cool.

We're going to stay on to see the 00 spies, who I hear have one of the best drummers in town. Up-and-coming band The Winks are closing. There is DJ-ing all night, as is usual with Beerland, and it's probably going to be great. (They love garage rock there and so do I.)

For you cheap bastards, it's free week at Emo's, which is actually a lot of fun though it tends to get more clogged with terminal hipsters than usual during free week. (I think they spend all their money on clothes.) I have no idea who most of those bands are, but Camp X-Ray is a really great band. Well worth checking out for those with an unreasonable fear of the $5 cover charge at Beerland. According to the Chronicle, The Rise is good, too. But they used the word "politicore" in the description, which is so appallingly pretentious that it may be a strike against the band, who probably is pretty good.