Instant Crunk: All The Local Music News You Can Handle

​It's that time again! We've slogged through Twitter streams and RSS feeds just to bring everyone up to speed on Houston's prolific music scene. So let's get down to the business of getting down, starting with our soundtrack for the week: a 49-minute mix from DJ Sun, performing at The Flat.

If you decide to stay home tonight, you can catch one current and one former Houstonian two former Houstonians on NBC's The Tonight Show With Jay Leno when John Evans and Hayes Carll perform a song from Carll's upcoming Lost Highway disc KMAG YOYO (& Other American Stories).

We had a lot of news from the Zenhill camp this week. As we previously reported, Roky Moon & BOLT spent Monday recording their new album, American Honey, at SugarHill Studios. Other Zenhill news includes notes on The Ton Tons' current recording efforts, the release of the Honky Tonk Blood soundtrack, and the announcement that singer, songwriter and Sideshow Tramp Craig Kinsey has signed to the label.

Meredith Cunningham

​Speaking of folks signing to labels, Robert Ellis and New West Records agreed to terms on a record deal as well. Terms were not disclosed, but Ellis did inform us that it's a three-record deal, the first of which will be entitled Photographs, and released sometime this summer.

Our favorite local string quartet, Two Star Symphony, is raising money to record and release the original score they wrote for Dominic Walsh Dance Theatre's Titus Andronicus, and you can help.

There's a lot on the old music calendar this weekend - particularly the behemoth Main Street Block Party taking place at The Continental Club, Shoeshine Charley's Big Top Lounge, The Mink and Natachee's tomorrow. The show runs from 1 p.m.-2 a.m., with around 50 acts present - and advance tickets are a scant $10 - talk about value pricing.

​Other shows this weekend:

• The Pharcyde isn't passing Houston by, rolling through Groundhall tonight with Ozeal and Nosaprise as local support.
• Z-Ro & Slim Thug are throwing a slightly belated joint birthday party for Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., complete with live band, at the Arena Theatre tomorrow.
• It seems like every rapper in Houston will be active on Saturday, with the One Mic Houston two-year anniversary party going down at Groundhall as well.
• It feels like high school all over again for Rocks Off, with The Get Up Kids tonight and NOFX tomorrow. The best part of all that, though, is probably Cobra Skulls coming in for support on that NOFX show.
• Sunday is the H-Town Sneaker Summit, featuring The Cool Kids at Warehouse Live.

We're not certain who else is on the Sneaker Summit show, but there's a nice mixtape of local hip-hop artists that surfaced as an accompaniment to the affair, courtesy of 3Kings Clothing. Grab it and brush up on your local rappers, Houston.