Dillon Francis
Thursday 3, The Concourse Project
Moombahton pioneer Dillon Francis emerged on the electronic zeitgeist with a boost from Diplo, leading to their collaboration on the Maluca-featured smash “Que Que” and “Masta Blasta” from his debut mixtape, Westside! EP. The L.A. native is best known for earth-shaking festival jam “Get Low,” featuring friend-enemy-friend-again DJ Snake, as the lead track from his proper debut, Money Sucks, Friends Rule. 2023’s This Mixtape Is Fire TOO, the sequel to one of his most beloved mixtapes, is a forward-paying love letter to dance music collaboration. More recently, the 37-year-old teamed with producer Albert Hype for a pop-punk-inspired project called Sorry My Love. – Kahron Spearman
Reckless Kelly & Friends
Thursday 3, The Long Center
From their celebrity softball jams at the Dell Diamond to their annual Braun Brothers Reunion in Idaho, Reckless Kelly has become a force for convening the independent country scene. As the rocking roots group looks to celebrate their third decade together, they gather an all-star roster of fellow songwriters for the Texas Music Scene Independence Eve Party. Among the artists joining the quintet for the early celebration are Lone Star legends like Alejandro Escovedo, Kelly Willis, Jason Boland, and Jack Ingram, and the next generation with Calder Allen, Lilly Hiatt, and Ellis Bullard. Kat Hasty provides the opening fireworks. – Doug Freeman
HAWK DAWG 3
Friday 4, Mohawk
Back for a third helping, HAWK DAWG throws the hot dog party of the year. Tear Dungeon unleashes their bloody, punky, in-your-face chaos-core theatrics, Queen Serene brings dreamy punk precision, and Dregs rounds it out with raw, sludgy urgency – all soundtracking the Independence Day glizzy-guzzling event. Between sets, brave contestants battle for hot dog dominance, fueled by franks from Zee’s Wiener System. Starts early, ends messy. Competition signup hits inboxes after ticket purchase. All ages, all stomachs welcome. – Kyra Bruce
Gummy Fang Album Release
Friday 4, 29th Street Ballroom
The comparisons to close friends Being Dead are easy – Willow Braun’s light falsetto soars atop her jangly guitar chords like Falcon’s, and Cody Dosier produced their self-titled debut, officially released last week – but while that psych-surf trio revels in the weird, Gummy Fang takes a jazzier, quieter, unabashedly twee approach to pop. Fructose’s basslines, nimble and melodic, drive songs almost as much as Braun’s guitar, and the eight-track LP, often slow and introspective, plays like a minimalist yet meticulous slice of indie perfection. Being Dead side project Important Group opens the release show alongside the Opera and DJs Hollywood Jones and Maurice. – Carys Anderson
Freedom Farce: A Star-Spangled Sh*tshow
Friday 4, The Courtyard ATX
Reject our nation’s narratives and revel in resistance this Fourth of July with a day full of performance and protest. J’cuuzi’s relentlessly electric performance style will close out the spectacle, preceded by groove sweethearts Redbud, punk-infused synth duo Almost Heaven, and self-described “thrash funk” group Little Brain. Surprise performances and DJs spinning protest tunes soundtrack a deliciously on-the-nose water gun splash zone, plus vendors and more. Celebrate community over country and counterculture over compliance, while the state of the union grows increasingly dire. – Caroline Drew
Dr. James Polk’s Centerpeace
Friday 4, Elephant Room
In a town with more jazz legends than we remember, Dr. James Polk outshined them all. His Sixties group James Polk and the Brothers, which included W.C. Clark, Angela Strehli, and Martin Banks, was one of the first integrated bands in Austin. Following a decade with Ray Charles as keyboardist, composer, and arranger, Polk lectured on music history at Texas State, joined Elias Haslanger’s scene staple Church on Monday, and led Centerpeace. Though it’s been just over a year since he passed, Centerpeace keeps Polk’s repertoire alive. Forget fireworks – for ATX jazz fans, there’s no better Independence Day party. – Michael Toland
Freedom Is Free Fiesta
Friday 4, Hotel Vegas
“An immigration fundraiser benefiting Austin Sanctuary Network,” this four-act fiesta asks for your coalition alongside its faith communities, immigrants, and “other community members of civil society.” ASN counts more than a dozen local orgs, from the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin to the Workers Defense Project, and here adds a quartet of affirming orgs: ATX’s of Montreal, pop pranksters Slomo Drags (10pm); Latin indie-pop foursome ChicoSelfie (10:45); Alex Alcocer’s Latin psych-funk amalgam Los Alcos (11:30), and headliners Los Desechos (12:30am). The latter preview upcoming LP bow Cumbias Levantamuertos as the local genre all-stars raise the dead. – Raoul Hernandez
ATX #4Real: Big Tree’s Bday Kickback
Saturday 5, Flamingo Cantina
March full-length BNWM 2: The Come Up represents local rapper Big Tree #4Real as a broke brother with money and a deliciously OG delivery. “Pay Up,” he demands, and you will following his clean, clear, commanding understanding of hustle. Exhibit A, his birthday: DJ Berlin (9pm), Traccboy23 (10), RawWitDaDaw (10:20), College of Hip Hop Knowledge & the Dropouts (10:50), Blakchyl (12mid), and DJ Berlin (1am). His associates in centerpiece act CHHK notch a solid decade of Wu Tang Clan-like dominance in Austin behind nine MCs performing together, and here set up Blakchyl, aka Te’aunna Moore, who damn near stole Empire Garage’s RazzFest in May. – Raoul Hernandez
Summer Hillside Concert Series
Tuesday 8, Oswaldo A.B. Cantu / Pan Am Neighborhood Park
Austin’s longest-running free concert series is back! For the 67th year, Pan Am’s hillside stage welcomes families and community members to dance and revel in free music at the park. This year’s series kicks off with Seguin-based group Conjunto Cats, local Tex-Mex conjunto ensemble Grupo Cruzsante, and Tejano pop stars Daniel Lopez y Aventura, plus DJ Party Pete gets the party started. Every Tuesday through the rest of July promises a similarly packed lineup – get there early to get a good spot! – Caroline Drew
Hombres G and Enanitos Verdes
Tuesday 8, Moody Center
Forty years separate the self-titled 1985 debut from Madrid’s Hombres G and April’s ¿Por qué no ser amigos? Post New Wave, Spanish G-Men David Summers (v/b), Rafael Gutiérrez (g), Dani Mezquita (g/p), and Javi Molina (d) plied lithe, skittering guitar pop with sweet, breathy, built-in nostalgia. Notching four decades, the same quartet fleshes out its highs with help from guests including Carín León, Mario Bautista, and Morat. Tour co-stars Enanitos Verdes date back further, 1979, and positively swooned the first Besame Mucho fest at COTA with MTV bounce. Of the original Argentine trio, guitarist/singer Felipe Staiti remains, with frontman Marciano Cantero having passed in 2022. – Raoul Hernandez
Music Notes
by Derek Udensi
High Sunn
Saturday 5, Chess Club
At the conclusion of his current tour, Justin Cheromiah plans to put the dream pop/shoegaze outfit he launched as a 14-year-old on an indefinite hiatus. The San Francisco native released what’s currently set to be High Sunn’s last album, welcome to life, last year. Locals KindKeith and philo* support.
Sixpence None the Richer
Thursday 10, Gruene Hall
Best known for Nineties hit “Kiss Me” and their catchy cover of the La’s’ “There She Goes,” Sixpence None the Richer reunited last year for a tour celebrating the 25th anniversary reissue of their self-titled album. Tickets to the Gruene Hall stop during last year’s tour sold out, so this summer presents another opportunity to catch Justin Cary, Leigh Nash, and Matt Slocum back home in New Braunfels. Alex Wong opens.
BMI Showcase
Thursday 10, Still Austin Whiskey Co.
BMI’s latest showcase at Still Austin highlights the stylings of alt-pop Universal Mexico signee Sophia Warren, alternative rapper Fak3 5miles – performing two weeks after his Grim Village collective released debut album H.I.T. (Hidden in the) – Keelan Donovan, and Waves in April.
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 July 4 • 2025.
