Brace yourself, I have two concert reviews for ya’ on this beautiful Friday. Actually, it’s only 65 degrees in Houston today. Chilly!

On Tuesday night I saw The Ting Tings at the new House of Blues in Houston. First of all, I got in for free! I was waiting in line around 8pm to purchase my ticket as the opening band was playing. The girl in front of me turned and said, “I have an extra ticket would you like it?” I later read in the Houston Press that they were offering free first-come-first-serve tickets at the HOB box office until 6pm and I didn’t feel special or lucky anymore. Anyway, the opening band was a local Houston band called The Watermarks. The only song I caught was called “Shut Down.” Then they ended with a little Janis—“Peace Of My Heart.”

And so began the LONG equipment set-up for The Ting Tings. The last thing they brought out was the huge bass drum that I knew would be used for “Shut Up and Let Me Go.” They had spelled out The Ting Tings on the drum with what looked like black electrical tape. Katie White took the stage wearing a huge wide-neck sleeveless top falling off her shoulders and belted at the waist. She had black shine leggings and black patent leather mid-calf wrinkled boots with huge silver studs along the rim. I loved the outfit. I will now probably try to copy it.

They started with “We Walk” and she played her compact keyboard. I guess that’s what it was. Although, it very well could have been something fabulous that I know nothing about as I lack instrumental knowledge. Both she and drummer Jules De Martino are great musicians. They play several instruments and their stuff includes a lot of percussion. When they did “Traffic Light” Katie said, ‘…and this is what it’s like when The Ting Tings do a slow song.” When it came time for the encore Jules came back onstage with his camera recording the crowd saying he had a lot of friends back in the UK that he wanted us to say hello to.

To put my British vocabulary to use, all in all I thought the performance was brilliant! It was very high-energy and the drum beats and repeated lyrics make the songs very catchy.

1. We Walk
2. Great DJ
3. Fruit Machine
4. Keep Your Head
5. Traffic Light
6. Be The One
7. We Started Nothing
8. Shut Up And Let Me Go

Encore
1. Impacilla Carpisung
2. That’s Not My Name

Have a listen to “Traffic Light”

Last night I went back to the HOB to see Sara Bareilles and Marc Broussard. I have seen Sara before at the Parrish in Austin, TX but I had never seen Mr. Broussard. I showed up when the opening band was performing as I always do. I did not get a free ticket this time and it was a little pricy for my taste. Usually my shows cost $12 to $18. This one was $25. Anyway, it was worth it.

Raining Jane was the name of the opening act. I walked in on what they later described as the Jam Session they like to call “Brown Town” which is a celebration of their ethnicity. One of the girls in the group was Persian. Then they sang ‘a little ditty about first love’ called “Papercut.” The lyrics were cute and the harmonizing was cute. It was altogether a cute song. They made me want to show up on time to every concert I go to because, while I hate waiting, I also hate to miss being introduced to something great. They co-wrote “A Beautiful Mess” with Jason Mraz and a version of it is available on iTunes. Their EP is called Paper Nest. They ended with a song called “Pinball.” All these songs can be found on their MySpace page if you follow the link above.

Marc Broussard followed Raining Jane and started with “Rocksteady” from the album Carencro. His first album on Atlantic Records, third full-length altogether, is called Keep Coming Back and was released on September 16, 2008. When he played “Another Night Alone” he told us that this was his favorite song off the new album. I bought his new LP and listened again when I got home last night. I love his pop-funk-blues mix of sound.

1. Rocksteady
2. The Wanderer
3. Real Good Thing
4. Another Night Alone
5. Home
6. Gavin’s Song
7. Going Home

Have a listen to “Home”

Sara B. came on-stage wearing a black pencil shirt and a white blouse looking like a business woman. Her lead guitar player wore a D.A.R.E tee-shirt. She started with my favorite song, “Vegas.” The whole night I knew what was coming next because I stood right near the sound equipment where the crew had a copy of the setlist. They included a little funk guitar when they performed “Morningside.” Then she did a song called “Love On The Rocks” and had a band member playing organ to her piano.

She then asked for a moment of our time to explain the ‘Vote for Eve’ buttons she had displayed on her merch table. Apparently she supports a non-profit whose sales proceeds go to the National Eating Disorders Association and by voting you may help Eve win $10,000 for her cause.

“Between The Lines,” she explained, is about always missing love. For instance, not being ready to love when someone loves you, or being in love with someone when they have just found someone else. Her song “August Moon” is about being cheated on by her high school boyfriend.

When she sang “Little Voices” she ended with ‘I used to rule the world, seas would rise when I gave the word’—yeah, she threw in a little two-line Coldplay teaser. Strobe lights flashed during “Come Round Soon” and I thought to myself, ‘as if I’m not already immersed by the music alone.’ She ended the song with, ‘I kissed a girl and I liked it.’ Okay, now she was just having fun. I could have done without the Katy Perry cameo. She sang “Love Song” exactly the way it is on the album which I thought was nice. Why change something everyone already loves as it is? She ended the set with “Many The Miles” and Marc Broussard joined her on-stage and they made it the little we-sing-you-repeat crowd interactive number of the night.

The encore came and she brought Raining Jane on-stage with her and they did “Sullivan Street.” She had been on tour with Counting Crows and that is her favorite Counting Crows song so she chose to include it in the encore. Then she finished with a solo of “Gravity.” It was a neat way to end the show. She just belted out this beautiful ballad while everyone stood still and silent listening, including all other band members and opening acts that I could see were standing just inside the stage curtain.

Have a listen to “Fairytale”

1. Vegas
2. Bottle It Up
3. Morningside
4. Love On The Rocks
5. Between The Lines
6. Fairytale
7. Feel It All
8. August Moon
9. Little Voice
10. City
11. Come Round Soon
12. Love Song
13. Many The Miles

Encore
1. Sullivan Street (Counting Crows cover)
2. Gravity

1:00pm
When I arrived on Friday the first thing I heard as I approached the entrance was Willie’s daughter, Paula Nelson, and her band covering Dylan’s “It Ain’t Me Babe.” I listened in passing to a few from swing gurus, Asleep at the Wheel, on my way to see Christopher Deny.

1:30pm
The first full set I listened to was the good looking group from Austin who call themselves What Made Milwaukee Famous (WMMF). They started with “Blood, Sweat, & Fears,” the first track off their latest album, What Doesn’t Kill Us. They also did “Cheap Wine,” my personal favorite off that album. Delta Spirit was scheduled to perform later that day and WMMF announced them as their ‘good buddies’ and did a cover of Delta’s “Trash Can.” They then played their own “Resistance St.” and of course “Sultan,” their album single. I wanted to hear “Self-Destruct.” I didn’t. Oh well. Frontman Jason Davis had to apologize for being ‘a sweaty f*@#ing mess’ as he stopped singing mid-song and walked away to get a towel to wipe it from his eyes. It was HOT outside!

2:30pm
On my way to see Vampire Weekend I saw a guy with a shirt that said “Beer is Food” and I laughed. Vampire Weekend opened with “Mansard Roof,” the first track to their debut self-titled album. They dance funny. Chris Baio, the bass player, may have been developing some signature moves. In his white cut-off jean shorts no less. Frontman, Ezra Koenig, stole the show with his intensity and obscure vocals. Not to mention the fact that he is absolutely adorable in his own way. Yes, I called that a fact. I’m not going to raddle off the setlist. When you have only one album you pretty much do them all. They brought the Austin String Quartet out for a few numbers including “The Kid’s Don’t Stand a Chance” and “M79.”

3:30pm
Up next on my agenda was soul singer Jamie Lidell. First let me just say that he made me laugh when he came on-stage wearing black and white chef-like pants and Jerry Lee Lewis-like white-top loafers. I stood by the VIP entrance and it occurred to me that all I really need to do is invest in a big fancy camera and pretend I’m a freelance photographer to get right up close at these venues. Anyway, Lidell was great. Very entertaining. He has a song called “Another Day” that has been stuck in my head for the past two days now. It’s the first track on his 2008 album, Jim.

4:00pm
I had heard of the California natives, Delta Spirit, probably because they toured with the band Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah! I stuck around to hear “Strange Vine” and “People C’mon” from their debut, Ode To Sunshine. At that point I had to get something to eat because I realized that I had not done that all day. Music makes me forget about everything else.

4:30pm
M. Ward is an artist that I briefly explored in 2003 for Transfiguration of Vincent, and again this year after the formation of She & Him (his duo with actress Zooey Deschanel) and the release of their Volume One in March. I missed everything in between. My favorite from his set was “Sad, Sad Song” from the 2003 album.

5:00pm
I was waiting in line for Jamie Lidell’s autograph and listening to Patti Griffin performing on a nearby stage.

5:15pm
Mates of State was my second Barsuk Records band for the day, the first being WMMF. I really enjoyed the song “Goods (All In Your Head)” but I missed “The Re-arranger” which is the one song I really wanted to hear. I probably missed it because I left early to get closer for Jenny Lewis. Probably a well worth it sacrifice. I have a piece of trivia for those of you who watch the television series Weeds. The producers decided to air a different version of the theme song “Little Boxes” every week for the past two seasons. They have used over 30 artists or groups and Mates of State prepared a version for an episode during the third season.

5:40pm
I was in the WaMu tent for Jenny Lewis. This was the only venue with a tent and I was thankful for that because even that late in the afternoon it was still hotter than the devil outside. Anyway, her band came on first then she timidly walked on-stage wearing a vintage denim jumpsuit and sat at the keyboard. She started with “Rise Up With Fists!!” from her 2006 Rabbit Furr Coat with the Watson Twins. I need to get her new solo album, Acid Tongue, because she had a lot of new stuff I was not familiar with. That album came out last Tuesday, September 23, 2008. She played “Bad Man’s World” and “See Fernando” from the new release.

6:45pm
I caught “Famous” and “Small Town Kid” by American country music group, Eli Young Band.

7:00pm
I promised my friend Ty that I would go see N*E*R*D for him. I watched from a distance because I couldn’t even get close enough to take a picture. Pharrell would be the name of the frontman. Yes, he’s very entertaining…and easy on the eyes. They played a song called, “It’s Almost Over Now” from I don’t know what album then they did “Sooner or Later” and “You Know What” off the new June album, Seeing Sounds.

7:30pm
In 2003 I was introduced to a band called G. Love & Special Sauce and I had yet to see them live. This is a hip-hop blues ensemble from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Frontman, Garrett Dutton, is a small but amazing man. They performed for a good hour and then brought reggae hip-hop group, Slightly Stoopid, up for the last song which I did not know. I do, however, want to list for you the songs they played that I did know. By the way, they had an interpreter. You may know that this guy sings fast. It would be like interpreting “One Week” by Barnaked Ladies. She must have learned all the songs because there is no way she could just listen and repeat.

1. Parasite- Electric Mile, 2001
2. Booty Call- The Hustle, 2005
3. Baby’s Got Sauce- G. Love & Special Sauce, 1994
4. Holla!- Lemonade, 2006
5. Who’s Got the Weed- Superhero Brother, 2008
6. Peace, Love, and Happiness- Superhero Brother, 2008
7. Stepping Stones- Yeah, It’s That Easy, 1997

8:30pm
The Mars Volta ended the night. That’s pretty much all I have to say about that. I thought it was a weak ending. They are too wild for me I guess. I like the song “Ouroboros” from their latest January 29, 2008 album, The bedlam in Goliath. They played that song and then I left.

On Friday I made an executive decision to skip Jakob Dylan and the Gold Mountain Rebels to see Vampire Weekend. To my surprise Jakob Dylan was scheduled to play after festival hours on Saturday at Antones on 6th street. So, of course, I went. The opening band was called Back Door Slam, a young blues- rock trio from the U.K. Both were great and Jakob Dylan is funny. I am now listening to his new album, Seeing Things.