Haunt

Haunt, Savage Master

Friday 2, Lost Well

Scions of pioneering music-makers rarely outdo their parents – Ziggy Marley, Natalie Cole, Inhaler’s Elijah Hewson – but Trevor Church might have his old man beat. Alongside Ronnie Montrose, Sammy Hagar, (uncle) Denny Carmassi, and Bill “The Electric” Church, Seventies rockers Montrose set the template for Van Halen: superstar guitarist, producer Ted Templeman, Warner Bros. Records. Trevor’s Cali valley quartet Haunt rides galloping NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) on March’s Dreamers, which joins 18 releases since 2018: singles, EPs, splits, full-lengths. Covering Real Life’s “Send Me an Angel,” its nervy metallurgy opens the accompanying tour in Austin with decade-plus Louisville, Ky., occultists Savage Master, led by dark mistress Stacey Savage.   – Raoul Hernandez


Credit: Photo by Janell Shirtcliff

L.C. Franke

Friday 2, Waterloo Records

If L.C. Franke seems anachronistic in sound, consider that in a world spinning out of control, maybe the anchor of a smooth croon and earnest angst is precisely what we need. For Jeff Klein, the musical reinvention from the dark rock of My Jerusalem into the easy listening, string-strafed Sinatra pop of L.C. Franke provides a salve of nostalgia mixed for modern anxiety, a balm between Scott Walker and Richard Hawley. Franke goes in-store at Waterloo Records ahead of the Saturday release show at the State Theatre for his immaculately suave debut album, Still in Bloom.   – Doug Freeman


Kelly Willis and Dallas Burrow

Friday 2, Saxon Pub

Kelly Willis’ third act is shaping up as her most intriguing yet. From her Nineties emergence as alt.country sweetheart through the string of duets with former husband Bruce Robison to her current creative rejuvenation with Brennen Leigh and Melissa Carper as the Wonder Women of Country, Willis’ songs cut with an honest and raw emotion contoured by her sharp twang and sharper melodies. Her latest work rates among her best. Willis sits for song swap in the Saxon’s late-night slot with the low, languid drawl of New Braunfels native Dallas Burrow, riding last years’ fourth LP Blood Brothers.   – Doug Freeman


Credit: Courtesy of Snõõper

Snõõper

Saturday 3, Parish

A recent cover of early Devo rarity “I Think I’m Fallin’ in Luv Again” clocks in at only 57 seconds, which means Snõõper’s playing it at x3 speed. So “super fast Devo” could be a workable comparison to the Nashville quintet’s style, but so is “imagine the sound of a dragonfly’s brain after it drank from a puddle of Mountain Dew.” The lovable and lively new wave/psych punk revelers, wrangled by tremolo-voiced wild one Blair Tramel, possess a bonkers live show that includes curling novelty barbells and papier-mâché insects in the mosh pit. Sonic brain surgeons Blank Hellscape and glacial drone artiste’s Water Damage open.   – Kevin Curtin


Samantha Fish

Sunday 4, Paramount Theatre

Blues guitar wiz kid Samatha Fish spent most of 2023 and a sliver of ’24 promoting Death Wish Blues. A Jon Spencer-produced collaboration with local country powerhouse Jesse Dayton, it nearly won a Contemporary Blues Grammy for the duo. Fresh from opening for the Stones in Missouri and being Slash’s special guest on his Serpent tour, Fish hits the Paramount for her Bulletproof trek. Dayton provides direct support, likely leaning on his own recent The Hard Way Blues album, alongside The Zac Schulze Gang.   – Tim Stegall


Ghost Funk Orchestra

Monday 5, The 13th Floor

Going to high school in the early Aughts, my brother and I dove headlong into all five elements of the cultural juggernaut that is hip-hop. Hermanito got tied up in breaking. Me, the music. The two intersected at classic jams, cyphers where old-school breakbeats ruled the floor. My first encounter with multi-instrumentalist wünderkind Seth Applabaum’s Ghost Funk Orchestra – reminiscent of the Jimmy Castor Bunch and David Holmes – threw me back to running the CD player while my brother and his crew took on any fool who tried to test them.   – Cy White


The Nothing Song Presents: Elliott Smith Tribute & SIMS Benefit

Tuesday 6, Hotel Vegas and the Volstead Lounge

Oh, I was an angsty sad girl back in the day. Jeff Buckley and Elliott Smith on heavy rotation made my mind a swirling soup of unwanted feelings, but I felt seen. As with Buckley, Smith has made a home in my soul. His declaration of love between the bars of his melancholy – draped over a simplistically intimate love scene between Matt Damon and Minnie Driver in Good Will Hunting – made something heavy bloom in my heart. Dwight Smith, Jack & Grace, BOOHER, Daphne Tunes, and Slomo Drags converge to commemorate what would have been the late troubadour’s 55th birthday.   – Cy White


Credit: Courtesy of Parish

Redd Kross

Wednesday 7, Parish

By my count and hardly verified by Price Waterhouse, Redd Kross only taco’d in Austin once or twice, at the most, since lighting up Liberty Lunch during the mid-Nineties grunge takeover. Teen glam-punks from Los Angeles suburb Hawthorne, brothers Steven and Jeff McDonald remain SoCal pop pioneers, early Redd Kross band members famously including Greg Hetson (Circle Jerks, Bad Religion) and Ron Reyes (Black Flag). Their double-album debut, June’s self-titled Redd Kross, notches only their eighth album in 42 years, a sprawling pop-rock gem brimming with “Candy Coloured Catastrophe” and “Simple Magic.” 2023 documentary Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story fills in the blanks.   – Raoul Hernandez


John Mills Times Ten

Wednesday 7, Elephant Room

On the first Wednesday of every month, one of Austin’s most dedicated jazz musicians takes the stage for lessons in the art of swinging improvisation. A veteran jazz teacher at UT-Austin and an Elephant Room staple, Dr. John Mills has been active in the scene for decades, racking up stage and recording time with the Bob Meyer Concept Orchestra, 3rd Coast Jazz Orchestra, Carla Bley, Kenny Wheeler, Maria Schneider, and many more. His main gig, though, is leading his eclectic powerhouse of a 10-piece band – check 2018’s Flying Blind, on Elephant booker Michael Mordecai’s venerable Fable Records, for corroboration.   – Michael Toland


Pride Kickoff Party

Thursday 8, Cheer Up Charlies

On top of June’s nationwide Pride festivities, Austin queers are blessed with two summertime opportunities for celebration. Prior to the official city parade, Cheer Up Charlies teams up with music discovery platform Women That Rock for a stacked showcase of queer, femme, and gender nonconforming musicians. Guitar-slinger Barb specializes in bittersweet indie rock, while singer-songwriter Grace Gardner delivers gut-punch lyrics with a gentle touch. Neo-soul wiz KindKeith is sure to please with dancy recent drop “So Lonely,” as well as throwback psychedelia from The Past Lives. DJ Dragonqueen keeps the good vibes flowing past midnight.   – Genevieve Wood


Girl, So Confusing: Charli XCX vs. Lorde Dance Party

Thursday 8, Volstead Lounge

All I’ve wanted since the summer of 2014 was someone, anyone, to tell me the difference between the teen singing “Royals” and her curly-haired doppelgänger busting out the bridge on Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy.” So the release of “girl, so confusing” left me more lost than ever. But Volstead Lounge is leaning into that madness with the musical doppelgänger event of the summer. They’ve got Turito spinning out the classics from New Zealand queen Lorde and girl-of-the-summer Charli XCX, complete with brat-themed cocktails. There’s something for everyone – longing tunes and pop anthems with a slight neurotic edge? You should totally come to this party (just make sure to put your hands up).   – Cat McCarrey


Previous Industries Credit: Image via Merge Records


Music Notes

by Derek Udensi

Geto Gala

Thursday 1, the Far Out

Deezie Brown and Jake Lloyd team up to headline a night of quality local hip-hop. Support includes Chucky Blk and Dub Equis.

Grupo Firme

Friday 2, Moody Center

Another popular regional Mexican music act makes its way to the Moody Center as the Tijuana-based group comes to town. Grupo Firme released live album Desde Mazatlán, Sinaloa (En Vivo) back in March.

Previous Industries

Saturday 3, The Ballroom

Underground rapper Open Mike Eagle began 2024 by officially forming Previous Industries with longtime friends STILL RIFT and Video Dave. The trio’s debut album, Service Merchandise, features 35 minutes of exquisite lyricism rich with natural chemistry.

TC Superstar

Saturday 3, Mohawk

Connor McCampbell and company begin their tour with support from Susannah Joffe, who visits from New York City.

Fitz and the Tantrums

Sunday 4, ACL Live at the Moody Theater

Known for tracks like “Out of My League” and “Spark,” Fitz and the Tantrums’ sole 2024 single dishes out some nostalgia. May release “No Goodbyes (Friends Forever)” samples Vitamin C’s 2000 single “Graduation (Friends Forever)” in a track channeling that same positive, send-off vibe. Maryland band O.A.R. 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 August 2 • 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.

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.

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.