Looking for ways to celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop in Austin? Find our concert picks here.

Los Cogelones

Electric Church, Sept. 2, w/ Gran Moreno, Eterno Scroll
The 13th Floor, Sept. 4, w/ Gran Moreno, Hidden Ritual

Update: Both Los Cogelones shows, previously scheduled for August, have been moved to September.

What's got deeper roots than trad punk? How about ancestral punk? Los Cogelones – a quintet of brothers wearing face paint, feathers, and jewelry along with sleeveless leather and biker boots – perform a strain of experimental punk informed by their Mexica (Aztec) heritage. The band hails from Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl, or Neza, an area east of Mexico City sitting in the drained bed of Lake Texcoco with a dense population that's been historically marginalized.

Beginning with anarcho-punk interests, Los Cogelones later strengthened their musical identities with the rebellion and resistance of their cultural heritage – incorporating its traditional instruments, language, and dress. 2020's full-length debut, Hijos del Sol, with distorted guitars, driving bass, Aztec rhythms, and gritty, impassioned singing, gained Los Cogelones an international fan base. An ensuing KEXP performance video showcased their striking live show, where a pounding huéhuetl drum, resonating tlapitzalli flutes, and declarations in the Nahuatl language magnify the spirited release of punk rock.

Following a tour in Spain, Los Cogelones now hit a 10-day run of U.S. shows, two of them being in Austin. – Kevin Curtin

PickleStock

Kick Butt Coffee, Friday 11 – Saturday 12

Homegrown punk fourpiece Stuck on 45 pushes frontman Christopher Thomas Lamon to the fore annually: "This year we celebrate 51 years of me being a wanker with a two-day all ages festival [of] punk, hard core, thrash, and hip hop bands." Friday begins at 6pm: Morocco (7), Royal Space Chimps (7:45), Sorry About Your Unicorn Problem (8:35), HellCat! (9:20), Böndbreakr (10), Dave Armstrong & the Bottlenecks (11), American Shit Storm (12mid), Despero (1am). Saturday, 2pm: Sorry 4 Swearing (3), Shfux (4), Falling Knives (5), Blanket of M (6), Marla Strange (7), Beaver (8), the 13th Victim (9), Worm Suicide (10), TrumpCard (11), the Wee-Beasties (12mid), Stuck on 45 (1am). $20 per day or $30 for both. – Raoul Hernandez

Croy & the Boys Album Release

Sagebrush, Friday 11

A fearless truth teller holding up a honky-tonk mirror to modern America, Corey Baum defines his songwriting with uncompromising social commentaries. Those elements still bite on Croy & the Boys' official third LP, What Good's the Medicine? as songs like "What I Had to Do," "Did It Happen That Way?" "Throw Em Out," and the title track raise fists and drinks for the working folk and those left behind – operating in the best of country music's traditions. Yet equally powerful is Baum's tender croon elevated by Walker Lukens' production, hitting a weary but defiant swoon as he takes stock of what matters.
 – Doug Freeman

Zella Day, Okey Dokey

3ten ACL Live, Saturday 12

After pushing the envelope at Willie Nelson's Luck Reunion in March – and entering the alluring, tradition-twisting singer-songwriter big leagues with Lana Del Rey and Weyes Blood on a 2021 cover of Joni Mitchell's "For Free" – Zella Day brings her disco-touched, Seventies-swirled drama to town. The Los Angeles-based artist's band notably relies entirely on locals: expressive Spaceflight Records indie pop act S.L. Houser (Sara Houser) on keys, and danceable electronic igniter EMSKIII (Emma Berrigan) on drums. After the local tour finale, listen to Houser's July track "Dotted Line" or attend Berrigan's "Psycho" single release on Thursday, August 17, at the Venue ATX. – Rachel Rascoe

Moondance Mini Fest w/ Superfónicos

Empire Control Room & Garage, Saturday 12

Under the light of Moondance, Empire celebrates a decade of shows in the Red River Cultural District. Doubling as a fundraiser for local mental health org SIMS Foundation, the not-so-mini fest offers a dance-filled evening soundtracked by nine stellar local acts while boasting delights in local vintage vendors. Come early for Ruthie Craft's soulful synth-pop and Dodo's fierce fusion, then decade-surf with Je'Texas and Pearl Z before Colombian funk wizards Superfónicos and Eighties horror film scorers Nolan Potter's Nightmare Band close out the night. – Kriss Conklin

Lady Dan, Brides, Futon Blonde

The Ballroom, Sunday 13

Still buzzing from Hot Summer Nights, Lady Dan's dejected Western soundscapes make the perfect soundtrack for sweltering dog days. Offstage, her eclectic discography holds a multitude of genre dabblings: from the emotional yee haw indie rock of 2021 album I Am the Prophet to a dark club cover of Bill Withers' "Just the Two of Us." The post-hardcore of Brides, nodding indie grooves of Futon Blonde, and plucky garage pop of Squamps further encapsulate the moody themes of the night. – Adam Cherian

Kiltro, Jamie Drake

The Ballroom, Wednesday 16

Only in Denver did Chris Bowers Castillo decide to recast himself into his current moniker. Tribute to Valparaiso, Indiana, where the Chilean American used to give walking tours among the street dogs and day drink, Kiltro translates as "strays" or "mutts." His current trio's 2019 debut, Creatures of Habit, strummed and hummed South America-leaning pop, but June follow-up-cum-lockdown-product Underbelly clicks and skips a delicate coupling of psych ambience and shoegaze, tempered by folk neorealism and Latin percussion. "[When] we added the rhythmic component," he said, "I realized that having a bit of noise and chaos can add emotional depth." Los Angeles folk singer Jamie Drake opens.
 – Raoul Hernandez

Third Thursdays w/ Mélat

Bullock Texas State History Museum, Thursday 17

A first-generation Ethiopian American and Austin native, Mélat carefully weaves her distinct worldview into her music through stories of love in all forms. The artist's 2014 debut Move Me exudes staples of slinky melodies and featherlight vocals, while more recent cuts "The Lesson" and "Negn (I Am)" veer toward jazz and electrifying a cappella. She wraps the museum's Third Thursdays summer concert series, offering extended hours from 5 to 8pm to view "The Harmon and Harriet Kelley Collection of African American Art: Works on Paper" exhibition, and make your own print with Flatbed Press. – Kriss Conklin

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Music Notes

by Derek Udensi

The Offspring, Sum 41, Simple Plan

Circuit of the Americas, Friday 11

All of the pop punk your angst-filled, early Aughts heart can handle.

Joan Jett & the Blackhearts

Round Rock Amp, Friday 11

KLBJ 93.7FM celebrates 50 years with a performance from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and her band. Jett & the Blackhearts released the six-song EP Mindsets back in June.

Taméca Jones

Antone's, Saturday 12

The soulstress deviates from South Congress for a show also featuring Riders Against the Storm and Motenko.

Sa-Roc

Empire Control Room, Thursday 17

Effortlessly flowing Washington, D.C., native with a deep lyrical bag to match. "I turned the tragic to a classic like The Color Purple," she boasts on new single "Talk to Me Nice." Local R&B singer/podcaster Nubia Emmon supports.