Local Rock Weirdos, Death Metal Out-of-Towners, and More Crucial Concerts (2024)

On Being an Angel & A Woman Under the Influence

Friday 26, Eastside Cinema

After last month’s kickoff, “Austin’s last single-screen movie theatre” Eastside Cinema and go-to record shop End of an Ear continue ENDSURROUND, a mash-up of local bands and essential offbeat films. On this pairing, perfectly fuzzy ATX bubble-grungers On Being an Angel – led by EOAE vinyl-slinger Paige Applin – play ahead of John Cassavetes’ devastating tour de force A Woman Under the Influence, independently released 50 years ago. It’s a prime opportunity to check out the Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex-housed theatre’s throwback digs, reopened in January by the team behind Blue Starlite. Even with live music, ticket prices stick at $10 (with an extra checkout option for popcorn and candy).   – Rachel Rascoe

The Golden Roses CD Release + Farewell

Friday 26, the White horse

Is there anything more Austin than a dual album release and farewell show? After 10 years, the Golden Roses are packing it in, but not before dropping one last platter with third LP Heartbreak Fixer Uppers. Although the pedal steel-raked quintet led by John Mutchler can load a dance floor, they truly excel in dripping classic honky-tonk heartbreak and barstool ruminations, especially in Heather Rae Johnson’s fiddle and aching vocals that mark the title track and standout duet “Five Years Too Long.” Aaron McDonnell sets it up early, and Gus Clark & the Least of His Problems close it down.   – Doug Freeman

Exciter, Midnight

Friday 26, Come & Take It Live

Inspired by the first wave of British heavyosity – as evidenced by naming themselves for a Judas Priest teeth rattler of the same title – Ottawans Exciter came together in 1978 and proved a key influence on thrash. Labeled speed metal and still anchored by stickman and eventual screamer Dan Beehler plus bassist Allan Johnson, the trio bristles far more primordial in hindsight. Raw and revelatory, Exciter seethes like Venom on seminal 1980 bow Heavy Metal Maniac. Need proof? Look no further than the headliners supporting them here: Cleveland’s contemporary blackened thrashers Midnight, whose new sixth LP, Hellish Expectations, shrieks Exciter-esque.   – Raoul Hernandez

Caleb De Casper

Friday 26, Vinyl Beauty Bar

Caleb De Casper teases that “Sik Culture,” his first single since 2022 album Femme Boy, boasts a “fresh, dark, and bold approach.” Strap in, then, because De Casper wasn’t exactly a shrinking violet before. We’ll be eager to hear this promised reboot to De Casper’s synthy sexy groovers, which have already captured the darkest corners of the dance floor. The release at Vinyl Beauty Bar features complimentary co*cktails (and, thus, is 21+ only), chair massages, and mini-manicures from the combination music venue/record store/spa and salon.   – Abby Johnston

Swamp Dogg

Friday 26, Antone’s

There is, perhaps, no better living historian of the versatility of country and blues than Swamp Dogg. Over his six-decade career, he’s explored bouncy, hip-shaking funk and R&B, and tears-in-your-beer blues tinged with his signature “country soul.” This year’s album Blackgrass: From West Virginia to 125th Street leans into the more overt overtures to country roots – putting a razor-sharp point on Beyoncé’s message with Cowboy Carter: Black people were the originators of the wide-ranging country genre. Catch the original Dogg for the Antone’s show Friday night or an interview and record signing at Waterloo earlier in the day.   – Abby Johnston

The Jerrells & the Saddle Sores

Saturday 27, Continental Club

Jeremy Slemenda works a Saturday-night double shift on South Congress with both of his outfits dropping new 7-inch singles. The Jerrells step up first, following up the rockabilly blister of the quintet’s 2021 debut Wanted Man, with the new small plate of “Shoot Shoot Shoot” between “One More Drink.” The Saddle Sores, meanwhile, slide their rockabilly sound further down the country spectrum, cutting their boogies with Western swing and honky-tonk flavors from 2020’s You Again. Their new vinyl slings “I’m Over Being Sober Over You” b/w “Sweet Tooth Baby.”   – Doug Freeman

Being Dead

Saturday 27, Hotel Vegas

One year after dropping their long-simmering debut LP, When Horses Would Run, Being Dead preps EELS, due in September. Hot off lead single “Firefighters” and premiering follow-up “Van Goes,” the surf-rock/psych-pop weirdos play the Hotel Vegas patio for the venue’s School’s Out summer concert series. Opening for the trio are noise rockers Wet Dip, whose debut, Smell of Money, landed last year with a no-wave snarl, and Grandmaster, who premiered their own funk-prog blend in May. Our headliners’ weather-appropriate bits include a solar eclipse KEXP reenactment, so fingers crossed there’s a slip-n-slide at this summertime showcase.   – Carys Anderson

BRAVE Fest

Sunday 28, Antone’s

B.R.A.V.E. Communities – Building Relationships, Awareness, Voices, and Engagement – returns with its annual celebration of the arts and community: BRAVE Fest. Emlyn Lee, founder of the Austin-based nonprofit, has been throwing the immersive community event since 2018, and each year the festival has only gotten bigger and more impactful. This family-friendly gathering highlights women and creatives of color, featuring a stellar lineup of performers that includes the Foxtones, Mariachi Las Coronelas, 2x Grammy-nominated SaulPaul, and the Peterson Brothers. The legendary venue’s second floor hosts a pop-up market spotlighting local Black, brown, indigenous, queer, and women entrepreneurs.   – Cy White

The Tiarras: Pan Am Hillside Concert Series 2024

Tuesday 30, AB Cantu Pan Am Park Hillside Theatre

Next up in the Pan Am Hillside Concert Series is local ska-inspired Tejana band the Tiarras. This trio of sisters has set an incredible standard for musical siblings. Their last release, “La Negra Tomasa” – their rendition of the 1988 hit from band Caifanes, itself a remake of the Cuban classic by Guillermo Rodríguez Fiffe – epitomizes the Tiarras sound. A heavy dose of rock & roll with Tori’s Gwen Stefani-esque timbre blends effortlessly with the aural amalgamation of traditional and secular sounds that is the Tejano genre. Along with DJ Rich de LaRosa, Fuzion, and Ruben Ramos & the Mexican Revolution, they’re about to turn the AB Cantu Pan Am Park Hillside Theatre into a rock haven.   – Cy White

Fallujah: Flesh Prevails 10th Anniversary Tour

Tuesday 30, Come & Take It Live

“The Flesh Prevails shook the technical death metal world by storm on its initial 2014 release and remains one of the most revered albums in our catalog.” So notes SoCal/London imprint Unique Records upon reissuing Fallujah’s high-water mark, the remaster of which is indeed shaking its tempestuous fan base. The San Franciscans’ sophom*ore album checked all boxes, everything everywhere all at once: DM excoriation, progressive wizardry, and technical dominance. Passages of pointillist beauty like the title track matched ethereal harmonies by Roniit Alkayam, and Scott Carstairs’ ax mania astounds. Andorrans Persefone and South Africans Vulvodynia support, while Dawn of Ouroborus and Blightfeeder open.   – Raoul Hernandez

Bob Meyer’s Concept Orchestra

Wednesday 31, Elephant Room

Trumpeter Bob Meyer (1941-2013) not only established himself as a top-flight player in Beto & the Fairlanes, among other outfits, he also spent decades working the other side of the aisle with the Austin Federation of Musicians, the City of Austin (as the first official music liaison), and UT-Austin (as director of Jazz Studies). He also led the Concept Orchestra, a contemporary big band that upheld tradition without being shackled to it. CO mainstays Elias Haslanger (sax), Michael Mordecai (trombone), John Mills (sax), and Mike Sailors (trumpet) lead the cast for this tribute performance to their leader’s melodic and swinging compositions.   – Michael Toland

Magna Carda

Wednesday 31, Monks Jazz

The group Mashable called “Austin’s answer to The Roots,” Magna Carda brings Monks Jazz alive on a Wednesday evening. The mellow grooves of the duo of Megz and Dougie Do instantly turned me into a fan. Coming from the school of J Dilla, D’Angelo, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu – the entire Soulquarians outfit – their brand of hip-hop endears itself in such an emotional way. It’s less about the feeling of going back to childhood (or late teen years); it’s about connecting with a band who understands the need for musicality in music. Can’t make it out? You can still experience the midweek cool of this incredible hip-hop power duo by purchasing a virtual listening room ticket via Monks’ website.   – Cy White

B-Side Quintet

Thursday 1, Monks Jazz

After studying with veteran timekeepers Jimmy Cobb and Cindy Blackman in New York, drummer Kevin Witt hit Austin in 2006, establishing himself as one of the city’s best rhythm partners. He also leads the B-Side Quintet (or Quartet, depending on who shows up), a group so dedicated to the classic hard bop ethos they prefer to dig into the second sides of great albums, rather than stick with the traditional standards. Expect Thelonious Monk, Miles Dave, John Coltrane, and their peers, but not necessarily the songs you expect. Witt’s current compadres: saxophonist Jerry Espinoza, guitarist Bruce Saunders, pianist Terry Bowness, and bassist Chris Maresh.   – Michael Toland

by Derek Udensi

Sweet Limb

Friday 26, Drinks Backyard

Chris Robinson’s group centered around creating a lo-fi rap/R&B vibe has garnered some momentum after the release of debut album Thank You for Not Snitching earlier this year. The quartet continued its streak of releases with July single “Get It Right.” FRSH LMN and Natethemosaic will also perform.

Street Forum ATX benefit

Friday 26 - Sunday 28, Hole in the Wall

Happen Twice presents a three-day benefit event for unhoused individuals in Travis County. Performers include Semihelix, Stalefish, and True Summit. Tickets are $10; all ticket sales go toward benefiting Street Forum ATX.

Soupmakesitbetter & the Deli

Friday 26, Sunny’s Backyard

Chill boom-bap production from the Deli meets Soupmakesitbetter’s smooth raps on the pair’s 2024 EP, For Your Ears Not Your Belly. They tag together for a free show at Sunny’s, with support coming from frequent collaborator Ifé Neuro.

Janet Jackson

Saturday 27, Moody Center

Together Again, again! Last year’s successful Austin tour stop for the R&B icon planted seeds for another go-around this summer. She retains the formula of employing an early-Aughts hip-hop staple (Ludacris last year, Nelly this year) as an opener.

Want to see all of our listings broken down by day? Go to austinchronicle.com/calendar and see what's happening now or in the coming week.