I can say with no doubt in my mind that Saturday, April 12 was one of the nicest days Houston will see all year. I hope my fellow Houstonians enjoyed the beautiful weather as much as I did - the Westheimer Block Party was the place to be for great music and some serious people watching. Armed with extra allergy medication (anyone else out there feel like kicking spring's ass?), I wandered in and around Numbers, Avant Garden, and Mango's to check out the action.

See pictures from the Block Party and read our highlights after the jump

I started the day off with a little skyblue72. I was running a bit late (por supuesto!), but didn't mind because I could hear them playing almost the entire walk from my apartment. Even from a few blocks away I was immediately taken in by drummer Jessica Zweback's voice. I'd heard her sing live before (with Zwee, another musical project featuring Jessica and brother/guitarist/bassist Frank Zweback) and I remember being impressed, but I still found myself surprised by the rich jazzy feel she added to the band's sound. Having listened to their most recent release Feel My Way Home before, I expected their show to veer more towards pop territory, and I loved that they changed it up and rocked a few extended jams. Yearnings for a Zwee show in the near future quickly surfaced, and I definitely won't be sleeping on Frank's set with D.R.U.M. at iFest this Saturday.

After skyblue72's set, I wandered over to Avant Garden and cursed my sinuses while sipping a too-strong-for-people-who-are-on-medication-and-probably-shouldn't-
be-drinking-anyway rum & diet on the patio. I peeled myself out of my chair and walked down to the outdoor stage just in time to catch...half of the last song of News on the March's set. I liked what I heard, though. Next I opted to check out what was going on at Mango's. I walked over the threshold into a frenzied audience crowded in front of Come See My Dead Person. My "hell yeah!" grin quickly spreading over my face, I jockeyed for better position and then...the set ended. Half of the last stinkin' song again. You can bet your tax refund I'll be catching them again as soon as I can, though.

Music floating in from the Super Happy Fun Land stage just outside the door drew me to Mistress Green's set. I especially enjoyed a Latin-infused song they played near the end of their set...and was anyone else as amused as I was by the palm frond that seemed attracted to the drummer's face?

I stepped a bit further from Mistress Green's set to jot down some notes, and something from the direction of Avant Garden's outdoor stage caught my ear. It sounded like--but it couldn't be--was I missing the Sideshow Tramps? I frantically whipped out my schedule and was relieved to see that they weren't set to play for another 2 hours. Still, the idea of another band that sounded so much like the Sideshow Tramps piqued my interest enough to propel me to Avant Garden.

It was, of course, the Sideshow Tramps. I really should've had no doubt - they seem to have a penchant for surprise shows. I happened upon them at one of last year's block parties, nonchalantly jamming on the sidewalk. This time, I found myself diving into the middle of the so-swampy-it-makes-me-shiver "4th Street Mess Around". After encouraging the crowd to 'take a whiff' on them during "Cocaine Habit Blues", they offered up "Lady Vodka" as a chaser. And for anyone who wanted to cleanse themselves after all that substance abuse, a Tramps-style revival overtook the stage, replete with shouts of "Amen!" If you missed the party on Saturday, don't despair: the Sideshow Tramps will be playing every Monday this June at Avant Garden as part of a Return of Medicine Show Monday series.

I waited around after the Sideshow Tramps set because, according to my not-so-trusty schedule, Buxton would be taking the stage soon. Instead, a dude in a blazer proclaiming himself to be 'Eugenius' began...rapping? At any rate, he came complete with a videographer. I hopped back over to the Numbers outdoor stage and took in a bit of Basses Loaded's set; wanted to hear more, but I headed inside to meet a friend during B L A C K I E's show. True to form, I arrived near the end of the last song and found B L A C K I E immersed in the audience. Wish I'd been up on the guerrilla set he and Cop Warmth threw down in front of the Houston Bike Shop later that day.

Just after B L A C K I E's set I overhead someone inside Numbers saying that Buxton was now onstage outside Avant Garden. I sprinted out of there and swam through the sea of bodies outside Avant Garden. I'd experienced a few foiled attempts to see this band over the preceding months, and was highly anticipating the opportunity to finally see them live. They didn't disappoint. It wasn't a perfect set, but it's clear that the group's foundations are strong, and their energy immediately won me over. I particularly enjoyed the more alt-country-tinged songs they played - at times, they reminded me of that genre's veritable heroes, Wilco. I've spent the past few days falling in love with A Family Light, their full-length debut, and you should too (more on that in a soon-to-come review).

After picking up a few friends at Numbers, we cruised over to The Wild Moccasins' set outside Mango's. Eggs and I saw them for the first time recently and were instantly made fans, so I expected no less from them at the Block Party. Their poppy-folk sound floated gracefully through the packed Mango's parking lot, and left the crowd wanting more.

We meandered around outside for awhile, then headed back into Numbers to see Karina Nistal and meet up with our Check Other friends. Karina has a lovely voice and great stage presence (and smokin' legs!), but I have to say that I expected a little more out of her supporting band. There was a gaggle of people onstage - including a DJ, two Latin percussionists, and a trumpet player - but what I heard didn't seem to correlate with the number of musical personnel.

We migrated to the balcony overlooking the Numbers outdoor stage, where Electric Touch were ironing out some sound difficulties prior to their set. They've got a huge summer coming up, what with appearances at Coachella, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, and ACL lined up, but that didn't seem to curb their enthusiasm for performing in a parking lot in front of a crowd of Montroaches. They played mostly original material, but paid tribute to a few of their influences with covers of The Beatles' "Come Together" and Tom Petty's "American Girl". Armed with the experience they'll undoubtedly gain on the festival circuit, this band has the potential to soon become the next band that Eggs brags about seeing for free way back when.

Back inside Numbers, B. - a Houston-based collective a la Broken Social Scene - stunned us with their Explosions in the Sky-esque instrumental deliciousness. Their two drummers were the primary focal point, while the guitarists and horn player made their contributions from behind them.

My allergies got the better of me around 8:30 and I had to drag my sniffling self back home. I really wanted to see the ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead/HEALTH show later that night, but I found myself at home hugging a box of Kleenex instead. Still, it was a freakin' fabulous day overall. Hope you were able to share the fun; if not, there's always October!

You can view the rest of our photos here.

We'll post our videos from the Block Party very soon, so check back!
[Update: videos are up]

Carpe ientaculum.

--Cereal