Listen to the sweet, earnest indie rock of Tyler, TX band Eisley live Thursday, May 24, at South Texas College with The Myriad, and Vedera. I just discovered Eisley recently, but I’ve really fallen for the band’s delicate approach. They remind me a bit of Great Northern or The Sundays.

Eisley has a whopping 15 tracks available for streaming at their MySpace page, so give ‘em a listen and check out the video below for “Telescope Eyes.”

It’s still early in the week, but we already have some local concert news for you. This week, Valley music fans can look forward to catching Texas country legend Pat Green, pop rockers forever the Sickest Kids, emo rockers Alesana and Blues on the hill in Harlingen. Check out our Events Calendar for more info and keep reading to find out a little more about these artists.

Alesana
Emo screamo band Alesana performs this Wednesday at South Texas college with, reportedly, The Chariot, SkyEatsAirplane, LoveHateHero, Our Last Night and others. Check out Alesana’s MySpace page to get a sampling of the band’s sound, which features lots of Gollum-esque screaming.

Pat Green
Texas music legend Pat Green performs Thursday at the Las Palmas Racetrack in Mission. PopMatters has an excellent interview with Green and you can learn more about him at his official Web site.

Forever the Sickest Kids
Pop rockers Forever the Sickest Kids return to the RGV on Sunday to play South Texas College with The Cab, Danger Radio, The Maine and Metro Station. Check out our photo gallery from their Spring Break show a few months back.

Belanova
Latin Grammy-nominated Mexican synth-pop band Belanova will take the stage at Las Palmas on Sunday in McAllen. Check out sound and video clips at the band’s official Web site.

And don’t forget, Blues on the Hill is Saturday at Harlingen’s McKelvey Park.

Check out the following photos from Rio Fest 2008. These were shot Saturday, April 19 in Harlingen. We’ll post more of these in our photo gallery later today …

Tonight, McAllen’s Cine EL Rey will hold a celebration “in honor of the Virgin Mary” starting at 7 p.m. featuring local acts GoLightly Project, Brandon Garcia plus Brandy Bee Serrata, he daughter of tejano legend Jessy Serrata, and more.

The event will also feature dramatic plays and dancing. It’s only $10. Get more info on the event here.

There are tons of great events happening this week in the RGV. Reporters Daisy Martinez and Melissa McEver talked about a few of them, including the Lil Flip concert and a local film fest, in this week’s Weekend Edition, filmed at the Valley Morning Star offices in Harlingen. Click the links below to learn more about items mentioned this week, and don’t forget to catch the three-minute video here.

Music:
- Lil Flip
Chart-topping Houston rapper Lil Flip will play the Mercedes livestock show grounds on Saturday, Dec. 1. Other activities at the grounds, including a car show, bikini contest, other musical acts and a toy drive, will begin at 3 p.m. Click here for more info and check out our story on opening act Go Lightly Project.

- Greeley Estates
Don’tGetEmo presents Arizona hardcore band Greeley Estates with Confide and The Requested this Friday at STC. Get all the info you need here and stream some music at GE’s MySpace page.

- Three Days Grace with Miser and Neverset
Check out our interview with Three Days Grace drummer Neil Sanderson and click here for more info on the Dec. 5 show at Graham Central Station.

Art Events:
- Christmas Extravaganza
Click here to learn more about the holiday exhibits opening tonight at the Harlingen Arts & Heritage Museum

- WILD’s Original Film Contest
Indie film lovers can ditch the megaplexes and catch locally-produced movies this Friday at South Texas College. Learn more here.

Movie(s):
- ‘Awake’
Watch Jessica Alba and Hayden Christensen try to “act” in the trailer for this new thriller about a man who suffers “anesthetic awareness.” Get local movie showtimes here.

———-
Photos courtesy Sony Music and MGM

Santa Claus and Christmas cheer are popping up all over this week in the Rio Grande Valley. Last night, ol’ Saint Nick showed up in a pick-up truck (conforming to South Texas standards) to greet local kids at Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen at the “Lights for Life” event. Valley Morning Star staffer Theresa Najera shot that cute pic to the right. Click here for another.

There’s more holiday fun coming up this week. Harlingen’s Arts and Heritage Museum will debut its Christmas Tree and Wreath exhibit on Thursday during a Christmas Extravaganza. Thursday also marks the Jackson Street Holiday Rendevous. The downtown Harlingen event will feature food, beverages, music and merchandise provided by local shops. The historic Brownsville Museum will hold its annual Nacimientos del Mundo display on Friday, featuring nacimientos from all over the world.

Check our local events calendar for more events. We’re adding them every day.

Happy Thanksgiving … Daisy Martinez and I hosted this week’s “The V Cast: Weekend Edition” while grabbing a cup of coffee in Harlingen. Watch the video to learn about some of the great entertainment events coming to the Rio Grande Valley this week.

If you already watched the video you know that our co-host was The Wind. The Wind had a lot to say, and he stepped over a few of my lines this week. Maybe we’ll cut him out next week.

Check the notes and links below to find out more about items mentioned in this week’s episode. Check back for a new Weekend Edition and more notes every Thursday …

Music:
- Corry Morrow
The up-and-coming country music performer hits Harlingen’s Wild Bill’s on Friday.

- Marky Ramone
The former Ramones drummer plays Brownsville on Saturday and McAllen on Sunday. He’s backed by members of The Queers and local acts, including Superzero, are also slated to perform.

- Alejandro Sanz
The Latin pop star plays Dodge Arena on Thursday.

Art:
- 37th International Student Art Show
The annual show at the Brownsville Museum of Fine Art is always worth a look.

Movies:
- ‘August Rush’
We forgot to mention this saccharine-soaked drama starring Freddy Highmore, Jonathan Rhys-Myers and Keri Russell. Read a review here.

- Get local movie showtimes for ‘This Christmas,’ ‘The Mist,’ ‘Hitman,’ Enchanted’ and ‘No Country for Old Men.’

Thursday is Thanksgiving and the RGV is ready to kick off its holiday events season.

Friday marks the annual Lighting of the Island. The event starts at 6 p.m. at the Visitors Center at 600 Padre Blvd. The free event will feature caroling, hot coffee and chocolate, cake, cookies and ol’ Santa Claus.

The Harlingen Museum Association will host a Christmas Extravaganza on Thursday, Nov. 29 at the Arts and Heritage Museum. The event will feature music and will kick off the museum’s Christmas Tree exhibit.

There’s a lot more to come this holiday season. Keep an eye out for events in your town.

Lower Rio Grande Valley artist Gabriel Trevino will hold an art garage sale and free stencil workshop by artist Rene Garza at his Brownsville home Saturday, June 30. Gabriel is looking for Valley artists interested in selling and trading their work at the sale.

Gabriel is a well-known artist in the area (that’s his piece on the right). Rene is founder of the Museo {i}menos. The’ll be selling art at affordable prices (trust me, at $3 to $50, that’s cheapo for some quality work ). This sale sounds like a pretty good opportunity for local artists and art lovers. Here’s Gabriel’s press release:

ORIGINAL ART-GARAGE SALE & FREE STENCIL WORKSHOP BY RENE Z. GARZA

WHEN: SATURDAY June 30, 2007
10AM TO 6PM

WHERE: Casa de Gabriel
1040 JUAN DIEGO
BROWNSVILLE TEXAS 78526
(Rivera Heights Sub.-Corner of 802 Ruben M.Torres and 511-Next to Rivera Highschool)

WHY : “ART BBQ EXCUSE”

*ORIGINAL DRAWINGS AND PAINTINGS -FRAMED AND UNFRAMED

*GARAGE SALE PRICES OF COURSE - FRAMED AND UNFRAMED MIX MEDIA
DRAWINGS $3 TO $10 . PAINTINGS $10 TO $50.

*ARTWORK TRADE WELCOME

*ALL LOCAL ARTIST WELCOME TO JOIN THE ART-GARAGE SALE, NO FEE OR DONATIONS REQUIRED.

PLEASE CONTACT:GABRIEL 956-639-1497 , EMAIL: brownsvilleartform@yahoo.com

or

Ren

There are tons of great concerts and shows going on this weekend all over the Valley. Here are a few that local music fans won’t want to miss. Also, don’t forget to check out our searchable Music Calendar to find out when and where your favorite band is playing.

Friday :
- Aaron Watson: This Amarillo singer-songwriter is anything but a cookie-cutter, Corporation Nashville bore. Watson has been singing real, twangy country tunes for years. Even Willie Nelson’s a fan. Catch him at Wild Bill’s in Harlingen tonight. Read more about Aaron here.

- “Goodbar Strikes Back!”: Indiepop fans are in for a treat tonight with Gazelles, Brownsville’s the Citys and a slew of others at the McAllen Creative Incubator. Check out this concert preview.

Saturday:
- Rusty Wier: Austin country legend Rusty Wier is sure to put on a great show. He had me entertained for almost an hour on the phone the other day — and he didn’t even have his guitar with him. Check him out Saturday at Cine El Rey in McAllen and read my interview with Rusty here.

- Tragedy N April: These genre-blending Brownsville punks put on one of the most energetic shows in the Valley. They play Chapa’s in Brownsville Saturday. Also, check out their V247 profile page for an MP3 and links.

- Alvaro Lopez: Faith guides this Latin Grammy nominee to craft soulful pop tunes. Read about him here and hear him live Saturday morning in Hidalgo.

There’s lots more going on. Check out our calendar for more.