Hard rock thrives on excess. The larger the stadium, the bigger the hair, the more outrageous the offstage antics, the longer the extension of the reunion tour, the louder the guitars, the more flames that shoot out of Gene Simmons’ ass, the better. Even AC/DC, bare-boned and minimal compared to most of their rockin’ brethren, have a singer with a voice so freakishly unreal and guttural that it’s probably painful just in conversation. Like their antecedents, swagger, brash lyrics and big riffs course through The Faceless Werewolves’ latest mouthful of an album: Pardon Me, Are Those Your Claws on My Back?...

The rain is gone and the day did finally dawn beautiful. Never mind that, furnish your evening with quirky electro-pop from Single Frame along with garage rock from the Faceless Werewolves. The former has released some quality output over the years, shifting from dance-punk to post-punk within sets if not within songs while the Faceless Werewolves’ shows pack pure energy powered by multiple vocalists and noisy fuzz. The Strange Attractors and Scorpion Child round off......

*The views expressed in The Laurie Show are those of the author and do not represent Austinist as a whole.* -The Editors Insert dramatic sigh of relief right here, kids. Yours truly is truly not fond of the hectic holiday time in December, but it's fair to say I came out unscathed, and obviously ready to enjoy more great music from all the incredibly talented peeps we have in our city. As you may......

Saturday night the wonderful folks at Mohawk are throwing a Winter Dance Party. Now hold on minute o jaded one, this isn't your wastoid scenester roommate's type of dance party. No DJs in funny hats. No Madonna/Bloc Party mash-ups, no ironic 80s, and probably no bump 'n' grind. This is a 100% pure rock dance party, and you can bet your Beatle boots that you will be moved along with the rest of the......

F R I D A Y [17] [DJs/party] Caps and Jones at Barcelona (link) [music] Zykos, The Black, Evangelicals, and Michael Kingcaid at Emo's (link) [film] John S. Rad's "Dangerous Men" at Drafthouse Village (9:45pm) (link) [books] Anthropologist Jenny White presents her first novel, The Sultan's Seal at Bookpeople (Free, 7pm) (link) [party] Freescale Marathon kick off party at Runtex Riverside (Free, 5-7pm) (link) [music] Zookeeper, Sad Accordions, Alex Dupree & The Trapdoor Plan, Meryll......

* This post by future contributor Miguel Hinojosa This Saturday, The Longbranch Inn opens its doors to three Austin bands whose styles are so distinctively varied that it's sure to become one of the years most remembered performances: The Crackpipes evoke spirits of jukejoints, jazz clubs, and punk rock dive bars in music that explodes in an adrenal-mental joyous noise. Theirs is a live act that combines The Stooges' Raw Power with Ornette Colemans'......