25 Smokin’ Figurados
Ruta Maya, Thursday 6
If this local under-the-radar duo is half as good live as their songs on new CD Divine Spirits, Holy Smoke, the dark horse factor is a sure bet. Hey, we’re going to have a new president – you need something this left field!
Dirty Dozen Brass Band
Antone’s, Thursday 6
I’ve loved this NOLA band for 25 years because they are as sly as they are soulful. I recently fell for them all over when I heard them on KUT doing “The Monkey Speaks His Mind,” as cool a New Orleans song as ever written by the great Dave Bartholomew.
The Bluebonnets
Continental Club, Friday 7
Now that Kathy Valentine is back home in Austin, she’s digging into her roots and having a grand time with the Bluebonnets. What Dominique Davalos and Eve Monsees bring to the band give them entirely different mojo, and it makes for one of the most interesting combinations of talent around.
Eric Laufer Tribute and Benefit
Nutty Brown Café, Saturday 8
The tribute honoring Two-Timin’ Four’s Eric Laufer kickstarts with a motorcycle ride at 10am from the Harley Davidson store in Round Rock and shifts into gear at 2pm at the Nutty Brown Café. The beloved singer-songwriter died in a tragic motorcycle crash in September; artists paying homage to him include Wayne Hancock, Miss Lauren Marie & the Horton Bros., the Thunderchiefs, Big Sandy & the Fly-Rite Boys, Kim Lenz & the Jaguars with Nick Curran, and many more.
This article appears in John McCain.