Tearjerk
Friday 1, Hotel Vegas
Verbose songwriting, unflappable vocals, and Western-tinged guitar solos unite in singer-songwriter Vanessa Jollay’s project Tearjerk. The fourpiece has released a steady stream of life-pondering, upbeat singles since 2022, eventually leading to a soon-to-be-released debut album and the angels whirr. Tearjerk still has a single up their sleeves before then: “green lacewing” comes out this Friday at a should-be-lively reception at Hotel Vegas, joined by Magic Rockers of Texas’ gritty dad-approved humor and Nineties distortion lovers A Band Called Ma. – Caroline Drew
Austin Chamber Music Festival: Twelfth Night
Friday 1, Bates Recital Hall
Weekend three of Austin Chamber Music Festival presents a treat: the Austin debut of Twelfth Night. Founded by violinist Rachell Ellen Wong and keyboardist David Belkovski in 2021 after meeting as Juilliard students, the New York City ensemble specializes in baroque and early music, but they do more than merely reenact. Believing that art should not only evoke the past but look to the future, the duo and their collaborators remain dedicated to the idea that the music should be entertaining as well as enlightening. The program includes music from Antonio Vivaldi, Georg Philipp Telemann, and more. – Michael Toland
Exploded Drawing 65
Friday 1, dadaLab
Butcher Bear and Soundfounder’s Exploded Drawing takes over dadaLab’s studio for its 65th session. The remarkably prolific Daedelus, the creator of at least 20 full-length projects, emerged alongside Madlib, Busdriver, and Flying Lotus in the vibrant Los Angeles underground music scene. After completing an artist-in-residency with SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) at the University of California, Berkeley, they produced their ambitious album, Xenopocene, in 2023. Also performing, Alex DL and Ben G. R. team up to debut their smart bedroom-rave collaborative set. Little Jack Heart Attack’s breathy house (the too-brief “Stomach”) is a smash. – Kahron Spearman
Kerr County Flood Relief Show
Saturday 2, Mohawk
Musicians, promoters, and venues from throughout the local music scene have produced no shortage of impressive benefit show lineups in light of July’s historic flooding in the Texas Hill Country, but we’re partial to this Resound and Mohawk affair – and not just because the Chronicle is a sponsor. Psych rockers DAIISTAR, post-punks Font, synth-pop experimenters Club Coma, electro-funk master Sexpop, hazy Latin groovers lluvvii, and fresh art-pop innovators Alma Muñeca raise funds for the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund, with bites from Bad Larry’s Burger Club to boot. – Carys Anderson
Austin Chamber Music Festival: Poiesis Quartet & Friends
Saturday 2, Bates Recital Hall
This up-and-coming string quartet named its first album release as we are, which sounds about right for a group made up of early twentysomethings pointedly trying to expand the classical music canon to include emerging composers and underrepresented voices. Saturday’s set list includes Hadyn and Brahms, but also millennial composers, including the Austin premiere of Kevin Lau’s “String Quartet No. 7.” Hungry for more? Poiesis Quartet joins forces with the Miró Quartet on Sunday, in this next-to-last weekend of the summerlong Austin Chamber Music Festival. – Kimberley Jones
The Beer and Now
Saturday 2, Saengerrunde Hall
Beer, and now? Sounds good already. But also: excellent choral music from Austin’s Inversion Ensemble, featuring a world premiere of Be Drunk by Adrienne Inglis, a setting of Charles Baudelaire’s poem “Enivrez-vous” commissioned by Beerthoven. But wait, there’s more! Free warm pastries from Easy Tiger and free cold beer from Lazarus Brewing await, all in the historic Saengerrunde. Beerthoven put it best: “It’s a night of musical mindfulness that invites you to be present and drink up whatever joy, art, beauty, compassion, and love you can find in this moment.” Cheers! – Kat McNevins
Blues on the Green
Tuesday 5 – Wednesday 6, Zilker Park
Austin’s longest-running free concert series nearly ran out of gas last year before a last-minute save and consolidation to two nights. Only fitting, then, that this year’s return should highlight the 50th anniversary of another local institution, Antone’s. Night one kicks off with the blues fireworks of Antone’s Allstars, featuring Sue Foley, the Peterson Brothers, and the mighty Ruthie Foster, while Blakchyl’s R&B and rap sets up Bob Schneider to headline. Wednesday swings more country, from the mellow indie-pop swells of Elijah Delgado to Next of Kin’s anthemic harmonies, and capped by Chaparelle’s seductive Western Pleasure. – Doug Freeman
Hayes Carll
Tuesday 5, Waterloo Records
Following last year’s rollicking collaboration with the Band of Heathens, Hayes Carll’s new ninth LP rolls back with a more reflective tone. Not that We’re Only Human isn’t cut with Carll’s classic winking wit – take the rhyming of “Deloris” and “divorce” on “Progress of Man (Bitcoin & Cattle),” for instance – but the balladeer offers up contemplative philosophical musings and aphorisms on our modern condition with a ruminating and roughened vocal that hearkens Lyle Lovett’s playful wisdom. The album runs in search of what unites us as much as the absurdities that we’re all plodding through. – Doug Freeman
Lex Chabraja Quartet
Wednesday 6, Monks Jazz
Pianist Lex Chabraja has gadded about town in bands like Cosmic Intuition, Nané, ATXFLOWDOWN, and the Jeff Lofton Electric Thang. But he also leads a quintet that veers between hard bop and neo-soul, as well as the brand-new quartet showcased here. Though he notes classic influences like Duke Ellington, Nina Simone, and Thelonious Monk, he’s willing to stretch the boundaries of harmony and rhythm beyond tradition. Helping Chabraja to put jazz standards through the wringer are saxophonist Valentino Maltos, bassist Braedan Connolly, and drummer Nicolas Chacon. – Michael Toland
Alex Riegelman
Thursday 7, Radio/East
When he’s not playing guitar in philosophical art-punk fourpiece Big Bill, Alex Riegelman lays out plenty of his own contemplative truths in his solo work. His latest single informed listeners that “There’s Nothing Left to Imagine,” staring at our oversaturated world with a blinking, omniscient expression both bleak and comforting. More ideas about the modern era and its woes likely await the crowd at this songwriter-studded single release show, featuring zany threepiece Specific Thing and poetic wordsmith Alex Dupree. If you’re counting, that’s two Alexs, three guitars, and a whole lot of words. – Caroline Drew
Music Notes
by Derek Udensi
Charity Fest
Friday 1 – Sunday 3, Haute Spot
Charity Eden almost exclusively listened to Christian music until earlier this decade. Now she’s traveling across the country as a full-fledged, unofficial tribute of Taylor Swift’s record-breaking Eras Tour, which she calls LOVER. This three-day event adds a Sabrina Carpenter-centric tribute set (Tall N’ Sweet) on Friday and a Sunday brunch featuring the Dallas artist’s original music.
Bars Still Matter Cypher
Saturday 2, Crazy Conchaz
ItsErnie (@itsernie on TikTok) runs a simple yet successful shop with his Crazy Bars I’ve Heard social media platform (@crazybarsiveheard on Instagram). The Fort Worth-based content creator/rapper literally begins each post by saying, “Crazy bars I’ve heard,” before transitioning into a clip of a rapper spitting what he feels are impressive lines. He’s taking his appreciation for lyricism on the road by hosting the Bars Still Matter Cypher. Emcees can enter the cypher for a chance to win cash and a free music video. The Bronx rhymer Mickey Factz headlines the show.
Lew Apollo
Thursday 7, Antone’s Nightclub
Neo-soul artist Lew Apollo celebrates the release of his debut full-length, Fool’s Gold, which comes out the day after this show. Brother Thunder supports.
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 August 1 • 2025.
