Wild Nothing

Thursday 15, Radio/East

Jack Tatum is like suntan lotion. Though he emerged in the Aughts as Wild Nothing, his Eighties-washed indie synth-pop goes on cool and soothing, weaving jangly guitars and dreamy sounds into something inspired by the enduring mood of that decade. His co-writing projects with Japanese Breakfast (“Be Sweet”) and album production for Molly Burch (Daydreamer) showcase Tatum’s ability to help artists shine by taking advantage of his gently thrilling dance heaters in cozy tracks. French-born synth charmer Lou Rebecca, currently on keys for Wild Nothing, opens.   – Christina Garcia

Book Reports, Theft, Alexalonealone

Friday 16, Alienated Majesty Books

West Campus bookstore Alienated Majesty has quickly evolved into one of the most exciting show spaces in town, with delightfully weird music programming to match their left-of-center inventory. Friday’s show transforms the store into an ambient laboratory for two emerging local bands: Book Reports and Theft. Consisting of Kai Wilde (On Being an Angel) and Zachary Crow (Dorothy’s), the former’s recent release Thank You, Goodnight! delivers mind-bending improvisational crunch. Theft serves as the solo project of multi-instrumentalist Dante Zatto, who brings experience from Proun, Homewrecker, and more. Experimental staple Alexalone’s Alex Peterson joins the bill for a solo set.   – Genevieve Wood

Tony Kamel Album Release

Friday 16, Continental Club

The cover of Tony Kamel's sophomore LP, We’re All Gonna Live, shows the Grammy-nominated songwriter beaten and bloodied, but clinging to his banjo with a smile. "Makin’ it work is gonna have to work around here," he cheerfully sings on the rollicking lead-off track, and throughout the album the Wood & Wire frontman takes on the chaos and joys of fatherhood and the contemporary world with an optimistic if weary outlook. The 10 tunes are Kamel rolling personal and reflective through lightning bluegrass breakdowns and sincere back porch country ballads. Valley Flower closes out the night.   – Doug Freeman

The Damned

Saturday 17, Radio/East

The first UK punk single, first UK punk LP, first UK punk tour of the U.S. – arguably no Brits can lay claim to the OG title as much as the Damned. “New Rose,” that barreling first official release, has all the fixings: Brian James scratches razor-sharp guitars, Rat Scabies pummels primitive beats, and Dave Vanian fronts it all with an everyman howl. Damned Damned Damned, the 1977 album “New Rose” lives on, went on to inspire the thrashing hardcore of the Eighties, while over time Vanian’s deepening baritone influenced the goths. Eleven albums and decades of lineup changes later, salute these innovators for all things speedy, spooky, and, well, damned.   – Carys Anderson

A John Williams Celebration

Saturday 17, Festival Concert Hall, Round Top

I once burst into tears at the opening credits of 1978’s Superman when John Williams’ score kicked in, and I don’t even much like the movie. That is the power of our most celebrated film composer in history, whose iconic works – Star Wars, the Indiana Jones movies, Jurassic Park, E.T., Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Home Alone, the Harry Potter movies, the 1984 Summer Olympic Games theme, to name mere drops in the bucket – touch something elemental inside us. Austin Symphonic Band, Mansfield Wind Symphony, and Sugar Land Winds pay tribute to the maestro at this afternoon concert in Round Top.   – Kimberley Jones

Carrie Rodriguez’s Laboratorio With Calexico

Saturday 17, Paramount Theatre

Fresh off her composition collab of multimedia stage doc Postcards From the Border, Austin’s Texican vocalist and violinist Carrie Rodriguez spotlights more Latine perspectives with her latest installment of Laboratorio. Founded in 2017, this quarterly cultural celebration peers into the American experiment through always-fresh curations of music, art, and storytelling. Stretching from the State Theatre to the historic Paramount next door for the first time, this round welcomes Latin rhythm-infused indie rock purveyors Calexico – whose 2022 album El Mirador reads like an ode to Southwest borderlands – alongside decorated penner and Latin American art historian Roberto Tejada.   – Amber Williams

Austin Gay Men’s Chorus Presents Shake the Rafters

Saturday 17 - Sunday 18, First Austin

An early choral congratulations for having the taste to pick the gayest tunesters in Austin for your hearing pleasure. Bringing what they’ve called “a full-spectrum extravaganza of emotion, community, and vocal cords working overtime in the best way possible” – emojis removed to protect our Chron designers’ font sensibilities – the Austin Gay Men’s Chorus features modern songs from the likes of Harry Styles, Sam Smith, and the Beatles. (Look, at least two of them are alive so that counts as modern.) Snag your tix for Saturday or Sunday and get ready to watch those rafters, you know. Shake.   – James Scott

The Opera

Saturday 17, Hole in the Wall

The Opera’s thundering sound mingles heavy shoegaze feedback with hyperpop elements and punctuating lyricism. Lead singer Tyler Dozier, aka Lady Dan, made a name for herself with her genre-bending multi-instrumental solo project, drenched in sultry tones and mysterious harmonies. In the Opera, Dozier expands her cinematic universe. The group explores harsher punk guitars and a live performance driven by electronic experimentation, anthemic vocal expression, and vivid tonality. Feel-good punk rockers FLAGS and vocal-driven shoegaze act proun round out this Saturday set full of the best kinds of distortion.   – Caroline Drew

Ivan Cornejo

Saturday 17, Moody Center

At just 20 years old, Ivan Cornejo has taken the regional Mexican music world by storm. His heartbroken lyrics and mournful tone have earned him the title “Música Mexicana’s Heartbreak Kid” from Rolling Stone, but that doesn’t mean that his universe is all doom and gloom. He boasts three Billboard Latin Music awards, track collaborations with Peso Pluma and Eslabon Armado, and a recent Coachella performance, among other accolades. As the California native embarks on his North American Mirada tour, he’ll be making a few Texas stops including Austin’s own Moody Center. Latest release “Me Prometí” spills poetic reflections through a hauntingly disheartened parcel.   – Catalina Perez

Tormentor

Sunday 18, 29th Street Ballroom

Attila Gábor Csihar could be black metal’s Ozzy Osbourne – ground zero. As high priest of Mayhem’s BM bible De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas in 1994, the Budapest-born oracle, 54, still fills venues, including Mohawk last month, where said Norwegian legacy act concluded Decibel magazine’s annual road binge. Every human in the venue bought a Mayhem tee that night. Csihar leading avant-glaciers Sunn O))) – no less sensory. Tormentor remains his first BM vehicle, born in 1985 Hungary, and 2020’s live Covid Witchfuck Tatabánya preserves the group’s lo-fi heresy, sure to blow out the gratefully undead walls of 29SBR with Houston‘s Necrofier, who pit-crushed Mohawk’s inside room in January. True Iron Will opens.   – Raoul Hernandez

Hippo Campus

Wednesday 21, ACL Live

“Parietal lobe” and “cerebrum” just don’t have the same ring to them, now do they? Minnesotan indie group Hippo Campus made their way to Tokyo, China, and London on their Flood tour last year. In 2025, however, their North American expedition makes sure ATX isn’t forgotten. The last time the band was in town was back in 2023 at the Moody Amphitheater, so if you missed them, here’s your chance to catch them at ACL Live. Latest release Flood maintains a mellow mood with stripes of peppy tracks and acoustic flashes.   – Catalina Perez

Alison’s Halo

Thursday 22, 29th Street Ballroom

For every My Bloody Valentine, Cocteau Twins, and Slowdive we thank for the ongoing shoegaze revival, there’s an Alison’s Halo or a Swirlies – both of which performed at last fall’s pedal-worshipping Levitation – we should cite just the same. Formed in Tempe, Arizona, in 1992 and immortalized on record in sole 1998 compilation Eyedazzler, the former specialized in ethereal dream pop; Catherine Cooper’s elvish vocals float above her reverb-drenched guitars in tracks that take their time, more interested in crafting fuzzy, enveloping soundscapes than an aggressive wall of sound. San Antonio’s Fawn and San Marcos’ ladyluck, two contemporary Central Texas answers to these Southwest innovators, open.   – Carys Anderson

Jazz OUTside with Dave Laczko, Michael Goldsmith, and Damien Valenzuela

Thursday 22, Kenny Dorham’s Backyard

A hidden gem in the Austin jazz scene, Jazz OUTside has showcased live improvisation and spontaneous composition at Kenny Dorham’s Backyard for a dozen years. Curator/trumpeter Dave Laczko kicks off season 13 with guitarist Michael Goldsmith and saxophonist Damien Valenzuela, followed by a free jazz jam. This could be the final year due to continuing efforts by East Austin Creative Coalition, led by Backyard owner Harold McMillan, to transform the venue into the ambitious Kenny Dorham Center – a potentially major addition to Austin’s African American Cultural Heritage District. Every fourth Thursday through October, with food trucks, picnic tables, and a suggested $5 donation.   – Michael Toland

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Music Notes

by Derek Udensi

Kacy Hill

Friday 16, Mohawk

Hill has released multiple projects since she departed the G.O.O.D. Music record label in 2019. She titled her latest album, gardening-inspired 2024 release BUG, after her childhood nickname. Far removed from the days of “90210,” her heavily acoustic, reflective new single “Please Don’t Cry” incorporates elements of country music.

Water Damage

Friday 16, 29th Street Ballroom

Expect songs rivaling episodes of television shows in length when this experimental supergroup celebrates the release of their new album, Instruments, on Friday. Water Damage member more eaze (Mari Maurice) supports alongside frequent collaborator Claire Rousay.

A. Deeplove

Saturday 17, Kingdom

Andrew VanWyngarden, lead vocalist and guitarist for the band MGMT (“Kids”), has expanded his DJ’ing presence this year under the alias A. Deeplove.

SIMS Foundation 30th Anniversary Celebration

Sunday 18, Empire Control Room & Garage

For 30 years, SIMS Foundation has provided invaluable mental health services to Austin residents in the music industry. Proceeds from this all-day affair will directly benefit the impactful nonprofit. Performers include Heartless Bastards in the garage and THEBROSFRESH in the control room. SIMS co-founders Alejandro Escovedo, Don Harvey, and Wayne Nagel are also set to appear.

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