Chaos In Tejas 2008 kicks off this evening at Emo’s with Roky Erickson & The Explosives headlining the outside stage. Erickson has had a storied if troublesome life -- he was an instrumental force in the psychedelic music revolution in Texas in the 60’s with the 13th Floor Elevators, he then battled mental illness and had some run-ins with the law, and in the 80’s, he apparently claimed to have been possessed by a Martian. Erickson’s career returned to some sense of normalcy in the 90’s and by 2005, he was back in the limelight, performing at the 2005 Austin City Limits Music Festival with The Explosives.

Last year, he taped a performance (assisted by Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top -- coincidentally also performing in town tonight, at The Backyard) for the ACL TV Show while also finding time to make appearances at major festivals such as Bumbershoot and Coachella. Erickson has been the subject of a stellar documentary (You’re Gonna Miss Me) and his compositions have been immortalized via a tribute album (Where The Pyramid Meets The Eye) by fans including ZZ Top, R.E.M., Butthole Surfers, Bongwater, and The Jesus & Mary Chain. Still, many have never had a chance to witness the legend’s music live in concert but you can change all that by heading down to Red River St. tonight and witnessing a true Tejas icon in action.

Retro flavored garage rock from The Strange Boys, noisy psychedelia from Pink Reason, and bluesy metal from Amplified Heat paves the way to Roky this evening.

[Roky Erickson & The Explosives MySpace]
[The Strange Boys MySpace]
[Pink Reason MySpace]
[Amplified Heat MySpace]