Credit: Photo by Bill Patrick

CHKLTE

Thursday 12, Cheer Up Charlies

Call it a melting pot. At Might Be Magic, the love child dance party series born from the minds of Brett Johnson and Claudia Hernandez, weekly club nights at various Austin venues keep the freshest crate diggers in touch with old-school seasoned DJs. This week at Cheer Up Charlies, MBM welcomes back Brownsville-reared, Austin-nurtured DJ and producer CHKLTE (pronounced “Chocolate”), whose rising star has taken him around the globe playing alongside tastemakers Marco Carola, Shaun Reeves, Doc Martin, and Raresh. Repping Club Eternal, M.Shogi and Al V Dam team up as Tough n’ Pretty. Neon Grotto’s Industry Night mainstay Oh!V completes the bill.   – Christina Garcia


Nolan Potter’s Nightmare B4 Xmas

Thursday 12, Hotel Vegas

There’s a lot going on on the bill for psych-prog wizard Nolan Potter’s annual holiday party. On the Hotel Vegas patio, the Nightmare Band headlines following early evening sets by fiery punk newcomers Grocery Bag and theatrical masked jazz collective Grandmaster. At 10pm, the shindig moves indoors, where noise masters Borzoi pummel and post-punks Queen Serene celebrate a new split-single with experimental outfit Heavy Meddo, who wrap at midnight. Bill Baird doesn’t lead a normal set with his noise quartet, however; instead, Britt Daniel joins the band for a Cure cover set, honing in on cuts from the goth innovators’ 1980 classic Seventeen Seconds.   – Carys Anderson


Credit: Photo by Mike Miller

Gary Clark Jr.

Friday 13, Domain NORTHSIDE

At the third and final Austin City Limits 50th anniversary taping late last month, all-star show closer Gary Clark Jr. took the stage with his backing quartet as augmented by his Austin High bestie Eve Monsees, local guitar trueheart and Antone’s Records co-owner. In fact, the native blues great ceded a portion of vocals and solo shreds to his childhood chum. 2024 gave much from Clark, whose sixth studio LP, March’s JPEG RAW, shredded a deep and diverse effort that debuted partially the following month opening for the Rolling Stones in Houston. This free show localizes on Domain Boulevard, next to Vuori, at 8:30pm.   – Raoul Hernandez


Credit: Photo by Cal McIntyre

Ride

Saturday 14, Emo’s

British alt-rock icons Ride return to Austin, bringing their shimmering guitars and shoegaze atmospherics to the Emo’s stage. With an over three decade-old legacy, the band’s U.S. tour has reignited fan interest in their early Nineties classics like Nowhere and Going Blank Again. Expect a set bridging Ride past and present, featuring new tracks from 2024’s Interplay, which continues exploring noise, melody, and hypnotic grooves. Will their live show recreate the same wall of sound that earned them cult status, or will the evolution of their sound surprise longtime fans? Get there early to find out.   – Tim Stegall


Of Montreal Credit: Courtesy of Resound

Holiday Hootenanny

Saturday 14 – Sunday 15, Radio/East

Bands, DJs, and complete insanity – expect all of the above at Radio/East’s first-ever Holiday Hootenanny. A joint effort between Resound, KUTX, and prolific music photographer Pooneh Ghana, the winter mini-fest boasts a piping-hot lineup of local and out-of-town talent. On Saturday, high-energy sets from Danny Brown and Tear Dungeon are sure to defrost any seasonal chill, while indie mainstays Of Montreal and Voxtrot headline Sunday. After braving the event’s mechanical reindeer (!), peruse a full-scale holiday market or stop by the ornament decorating station. Staying in tune with the holiday spirit, a portion of proceeds benefit children’s advocates CASA of Travis County.   – Genevieve Wood


Thomas Wenglinski Quartet

Sunday 15, Monks Jazz

Pianist Thomas Wenglinski made his bones on the Austin scene while studying with John Mills and Jeff Hellmer for a degree in Jazz Composition at the University of Texas at Austin. He’s since decamped to the University of Miami to attain his Doctor of Musical Arts degree, and has played, composed, and arranged for a dizzying array of leaders: clarinetist Anat Cohen, saxophonists Joe Lovano and Tom Scott, even Texan soft rock icon Christopher Cross. Never fear, however, as he maintains his Austin ties by working with the Christian Wiggs Big Band and performing Monks gigs like this one.   – Michael Toland


Credit: Photo by Emma Delevante

Robert Earl Keen’s Lights, Camera, Christmas!

Tuesday 17 – Wednesday 18, ACL Live at the Moody Theater

Apparently, this year’s Xmas shindig from one of Texas’ most beloved songwriters is inspired by such films as Pretty Woman, Pulp Fiction, and The Big Lebowski, among others, which is to say REK and friends will populate the set with tracks from these movies. There is no way y’all are not hearing “Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon” at least once, because that thing is really fun to sing. Expect songs you know from Christmas, songs you know from the movies, and songs you know from the man’s extremely deep back catalog.   – Joe Gross


John R. Miller

Tuesday 17, Sagebrush

“Called in sick so I could get to work,” lays out John R. Miller on “Nobody Has to Know Your Mind,” opening to last year’s fourth LP Heat Comes Down. The native West Virginian rolls a stony cosmic Americana, woozy and laid-back as he attempts to insulate himself from the chaotic world swirling around him with contemplative, easy-riding melodies. Miller’s songwriting slides through unexpected lines that leak insights by looking at the world a little askew, perfectly captured on the just-released EP Fireside Sessions Vol. 1, recorded around a campfire in his Tennessee backyard.   – Doug Freeman


The Dialtones, Sophie Seng

Wednesday 18, Hotel Vegas

Far from the Queens, NY, doo-wop group, the Dialtones, a project of former Okkervil River guitarist Lauren Gurgiolo, features a sound not immediately specific. The swirling sonics ring familiar and nostalgic in the mode of what British social critic and intellectual Mark Fisher called hauntology, a study of lost futures and unburied pasts. Freshly shared to Spotify, past dream collages “Eagle Eye City Surveyor” and “Desire” push the avant-garde envelope. Vocalist and saxophonist Sophie Seng, an ideal co-conspirator, blends Fiona Apple-adjacent art pop with swinging jazz rhythms. Her 2023 EP Precipice emphasizes layered honeyed vocals and ruminative songwriting.   – Kahron Spearman


Robert Glasper

Thursday 19, Empire Control Room & Garage

Ever since his Grammy-winning 2012 breakout Black Radio – which reimagined tracks by Sade, David Bowie, and Nirvana with hip-hop and jazz instrumentation – Houston-born pianist Robert Glasper has reminded the world that all music stems from Black culture. He challenges another American staple with latest LP In December, a Christmas album that colors holiday classics with rolling beats and lengthy, minimalist improvisations. Always a ready collaborator, Glasper taps the Baylor Project, Doobie Powell, and even Elphaba herself, Cynthia Erivo, to lead covers of “Little Drummer Boy,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/Carol of the Bells,” and more.   – Carys Anderson


Credit: Photo by Jana Birchum

Free Press Forever with Geto Gala

Thursday 19, the Chronpound

Our monthly concert series is coming to an end, which means next Thursday is your last chance to catch live music in the backyard of a Hyde Park house-turned-office while hanging out with the staff of your favorite alt-weekly. And what better soundtrack for the Free Press Forever wrap party than the hip-hop stylings of Geto Gala? Fresh off the release of their debut full-length Major League, local MCs Deezie Brown and Jake Lloyd link for a 10-track excursion into catchy R&B melodies (“Champagne Wishes”), funky slap bass (“Groovin”), and rugged, braggadocious rap (“Ring of Honor”). Donate to the paper at austinchronicle.com/support for the chance to attend.   – Carys Anderson


Music Notes

by Derek Udensi

Howdy Gals Seventh Anniversary

Saturday 14, Antone’s

Whether it’s a songwriter showcase on a Monday at Hole in the Wall, zodiac-themed parties for avid astrologists down south at the Far Out, or even a show on either coast, Howdy Gals have become one of the top booking teams in town. The women-and-nonbinary-led squad celebrates seven years of curating memories with performances from brand-new band careabout, sleep well., Stalefish, and UT-Austin alum Susannah Joffe.

Devin the Dude

Saturday 14, Empire Garage

This Houston hip-hop veteran’s relaxed flow and chill beat selection consistently channels the vibe of a hazy room filled with smoke. His newest single, October release “Air Fried Funk,” supplies a healthy rotation of laid-back, marijuana-laced lyrics as he readies a new album. Local standards Mike Melinoe (“Casper”) and David Shabani support.

Joyer

Tuesday 17, Mohawk

This shoegaze duo of brothers based out of Boston and Brooklyn returns to Austin after several performances during this year’s South by Southwest. Joyer recently released a three-track EP, I See Forward and Back, back in October. Indianapolis-based indie band Wishy headlines.

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.

This article appears in December 13 • 2024.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

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Carys Anderson moved from Nowhere, DFW to Austin in 2017 to study journalism at the University of Texas. She began writing for The Austin Chronicle in 2021 and joined its full-time staff in 2023, where she covers music and culture.

As the Chronicle's Club Listings Editor, Derek compiles a weekly list of music events occurring across town. The University of Texas alum also writes about hip-hop as a contributor to the Music section.

San Francisco native Raoul Hernandez crossed the border into Texas on July 2, 1992, and began writing about music for the Chronicle that fall, debuting with an album review of Keith Richards’ Main Offender. By virtue of local show previews – first “Recommendeds,” now calendar picks – his writing’s appeared in almost every issue since 1993.

Tim Stegall contributed to The Austin Chronicle 1991-1995, and was a staff writer 1995-1997. He returned as a contributor in 2013. He has also freelanced for publications ranging from Flipside to Alternative Press to Guitar World. He plays punk rock guitar and sings in the Hormones.

Michael Toland started writing about music in 1988 on the Gulf Coast, moved to Austin in early 1991, and has inflicted bylines upon the corporeal and digital pages of Pop Culture Press, The Big Takeover, Blurt, Amplifier, Austin.citysearch, the Austin American Statesman, Goldmine, Sleazegrinder, Rock & Roll Globe, High Bias, FHT Music Notes, and, since 2011, The Austin Chronicle.

Kahron Spearman is a journalist and writer with bylines including The Austin Chronicle, Austin Monthly, Consequence of Sound, Texas Highways, and the London-based journal The Break-Down. He currently serves as Senior Editor at Atmosphere TV.

Doug Freeman has been writing for the Austin Chronicle since 2007, covering the arts and music scene in the city. He is originally from Virginia and earned his Masters Degree from the University of Texas. He is also co-editor of The Austin Chronicle Music Anthology, published by UT Press.