Olds, rejoice! A Funland reunion—sorta, barely, naw, not really. But Peter Schmidt—sitting on a solo disc he'd best release pronto, goddamnit—will be performing with Matt and Bubba Kadane, as they preview new New Year material from the September release titled, ahem, The New Year, which, from sneak peaks, is far less understated than the title. Of the Kadanes, I can only offer this as a longtime admirer (friendships well aside): the most overpoweringly unfussy twosome in the history of rock 'n' roll and, easily, this city's greatest musical treasure yet to receive its just due here despite being beloved elsewhere (like, oh, Europe, of course). Because if there's a better one-two soft punch than Bedhead and The New Year...oh, wait, there isn't—not from here to Wichita Falls, at least. Just ask them who used to watch The O.C., which made an entire episode from a New Year song.
And, of course, there's Will Johnson and his Centro-matic band, shooting the show for a in-concert DVD just as the boys are offering up the double-disc Dual Hawks—yet another in a long line of heart-melting, profoundly resonant masterpieces from a man who sheepishly brought me his now-famous Green Cassette demo way back when and said, "I'm thinking of going solo," much to our good fortune. And, rounding out the bill, The Theater Fire—heirs apparent to the work Schmidt, the Kadanes, Johnson and the other fellas brought before them, good men making rewarding music as expansive and all-encompassing as the entirety of Texas music, from forever ago till day after tomorrow. Show of the year? Book it.