Overlook immobilizing in your dad and mom’ sofa or overindulging on NYE; the calendar would not formally flip for native music followers till Free Week. Launched to spice up winter-slogged bar gross sales, the annual occasion has expanded right into a full-throttle fest already chugging at Resort Vegas, Feels So Good, and past. The Pink River Cultural District’s weekend version – tonight by means of Saturday – performs Cheer Up Charlies, Chess Membership, Elysium, Empire, Flamingo Cantina, Mala Vida, Mohawk, Stubb’s, Swan Dive, the thirteenth Ground, Valhalla, and Vaquero Taquero. Discover Austin requirements like American Sharks, Alexalone, Massive Invoice, Disko Cowboy, Sabrina Ellis, and the Brilliant Mild Social Hour within the unticketed, made-for-hopping combine. Alongside a Home of Lepore ATX Vogue Evening at Swan Dive tonight and a KUTX-curated Friday at Cheer Up Charlies, discover extra standouts under.
Yung Bambi, Doeman, Mason Flynt
Empire Management Room, Thursday 5
Whereas Ringo Deathstarr helms the Storage, Empire’s indoors hosts impactful producers and hard-hitting lyricists from past Texas. In L.A. by way of San Antonio, EDM-integrating sinister wordsmith Yung Bambi returns from South by Southwest and nationwide fests with newest “Geek.” Longtime Austin-based affiliate Mason Flynt, heard elegantly producing Bambi on predictive 2018 single “Lockdown,” joins alongside Houston rapper Joseph “Doeman” Gonzales. With Brian Hobbs’ SXSW e mail because the contact in his IG bio, Doeman brings Motown-mixing July report Barrio God Vol 2. UK-born, Cincinnati-based Suave’s moody alt-pop, plus Austin’s Moscato J and Dallas’ D. Smiley, spherical out the lineup. – Rachel Rascoe
The Crack Pipes, Excessive Heavens, Tyler Keith
The thirteenth Ground, Friday 6
The Crack Pipes have been in earnest stylistic flux since 1995, showcased within the melancholic blues of Magnificence Faculty (2005) and the glazed psychedelic/storage rock conviction of Each Evening Saturday Evening (2001). Final yr, Excessive Heavens duo Ernest Salaz and John Matthew Walker crafted immensely soulful tender rock prayers “Life Is a Mortgage Shark” and “Hundred Bullets” with producer Stuart Sikes, that includes instrumentation by members of …Path of Lifeless and Glorium. Rockabilly soloist Tyler Keith of the Neckbones visits from Mississippi, whereas Slim Haunts underscore angst rock on this Free Week illusion. – Mars Salazar
Swass Nite w/ God Shell, Discreet
Feels So Good, Friday 6
We apologize for the inconvenience: This week’s “Buns of Metal” aerobics class has been relocated to the seventh circle of hell. As twerkable as it’s ear-piercing, Austin’s perennial Swass Nite showcase shrieks into Free Week, gathering the town’s most fearsome punk/metallic noisemakers below a party-positive banner. Whereas Discreet and God Shell occupy opposing rhythmic ends of the blackened screamo sludge continuum – groovy and pummeling, respectively – ExCxLxCxCxBxPxCxTxSx pulls as much as the operate repping the, uh, “gorenoise” style. Whereas the Chronicle has but to find an cardio dance match for his or her effervescent liquid pus sound, we’ll maintain attempting. Necklace opens. – Julian Towers
Amplified Warmth, Duel, Sudden Deaf
Valhalla, Friday 6
Conjuring the doom-braised kraken brings a like-minded metallic triumvirate to steamroll by means of Seventies fuzz distortion and omnipresent overlord vox. Duel’s Lord of the Rings sorcery {couples} with ricochet bullet solos and brick and mortar riffs in Valley of Shadows (2019), and In Carne Persona (2021) might soundtrack the Odyssean voyages in Recreation of Thrones. Choosing searing blues and electrical boogie, Amplified Warmth cooks chord slabs in Texas-scorched warmth on Southern stomp “It is Exhausting” and bourbon-fueled romp “In a Forest of Love.” New metalheads on the block Sudden Deaf launched debut Havoc brimming with hellfire aggression harking back to Skinny Lizzy. – Alejandra Ramirez
El Tule, the Tiarras, Los Kurados
Flamingo Cantina, Saturday 7
Grupo Fantasma will get the press, however fellow vacationers El Tule solid as extensive a web in ATX. Cumbia, merengue, Afro Latin, reggae, and psychedelia forge the octet’s personal distinctively groovy Latin sound. The band hasn’t made a full-length album since 2015’s Cuatro, however retains the flame burning with regular gigging and a run of digital singles and EPs. El Tule by no means fails to mild up a stage, so this can be a good time to make their (re)acquaintance. Having dropped “Ladies” from their title, the Tiarras – aka the three Baltierra sisters – open with their very own spin on Latin pop rock like newest “Cumbia en el Cielo.” – Michael Toland
Annabelle Chairlegs, Queen Serene, Heavy Meddo
Resort Vegas, Saturday 7
Annabelle Chairlegs’ heavy mix of blues- and psychedelia-tinged rock erupts like a match strike. November single “Tolls (To See Me)” follows go well with: all hazy vocal reverb and glockenspiel twinkles, earlier than the observe blazes right into a sprawling, shrieking guitarscape, zipping quiet-loud-quiet as singer Lindsey Mackin beckons whimsically. Rising bed room rockers Queen Serene wield slinky hooks and guitar-fuzz melodrama throughout twofer Higher Issues / Ready Room, whereas Heavy Meddo bears Nice Information and mosaic noise rock, beginning with the sonorous “Tepid Ted.” Dream-pop multi-instrumentalist Chuck (Emily Ng of Nevil) opens. – Kriss Conklin
