Chess Club Third Anniversary Weekend
Friday 7 – Saturday 8, Chess Club
Hotel Vegas owners Jason McNeely and Brian Tweedy, plus Flesh Lights singer/guitarist Max Vandever and Cliff White, plotted such a soft opening of Chess Club during South by Southwest 2022 that they only hesitantly confirmed it to the Chronicle. Three years later, the tiny, 100-something capacity venue at 617 Red River – formerly Plush – is one of this writer’s Downtown favorites. Acts like Mean Jolene, Guiding Light, and Important Group (the latter featuring members of Being Dead) help Chess celebrate its anniversary on Friday; Grocery Bag, the Pinky Rings, haha Laughing, and more play Saturday. – Carys Anderson
Sanctuary*: A Benefit Show for Interfaith Action of Central Texas
Friday 7, Hole in the Wall
The Trump administration’s pause of the federal refugee program – and subsequent freeze of aid to organizations who specialize in refugee aid – has led to mass layoffs and safety crises across the country. Interfaith Action of Central Texas (iACT), an organization that calls on faith communities of all kinds to provide free English language instruction, health and wellness gatherings, youth mentorship programs, and youth summer camps for refugees, is in danger of the same fate. This Howdy Gals-presented show raises money for the team with sets by Ava McCoy, Vintage Pictures, Parker Woodland, modernform, Dress Warm, Lainey Gonzales, and sleep well. – Carys Anderson
Time Zero
Friday 7, Alienated Majesty Books
Finding ways to come at political engagement in Trump 2.0 times is a heavy burden – so sometimes art can be a way in. This Friday, Alienated Majesty bookstore offers a meditation on complex topics – nuclear proliferation, uranium mining, nuclear waste disposal – through myriad multidisciplinary sonic interpretations. Local experimental composer/Hindustani classical singer Sowmya Somanath’s solo project Plume Girl illuminates an adapted preview of the Time Zero podcast, launching later this month, which deals with “nuclearism, its aesthetics, and its influence on the paranoiac cultural architecture of postwar America.” Time Zero interviews artists Trevor Paglen, Rose B Simpson, Richard Misrach, Joanna Keane Lopez, and more, and features an original drone soundtrack by Sean J Patrick Carney. Local interdisciplinary artist Hannah Spector and queer eco-poet C. Rees join the discussion as well. – Lina Fisher
Rod Stewart
Friday 7, Moody Center
Is this Rod the Mod’s last ride? If so, how’s he going out? As the bluesy rocker belting out Faces-style raunch fests like “Stay With Me” and “Hot Legs”? The folk-tinged balladeer behind “Maggie May” and “You Wear It Well”? The slick Eighties pop star of “Some Guys Have All the Luck”? Or all of the above? Will he be swigging whiskey and punting soccer balls, or playing the suave crooner of The Great American Songbook? Whatever the guise, Rod always wears it well. Tickets start at $45.50. Doors open at 6:30pm, show at 7:30pm. – Tim Stegall
SAINT MOTEL
Saturday 8, Stubb’s
Is 2010s orchestral indie pop your type of music? Didn’t get that reference? Perhaps a show by the Los Angeles-based group SAINT MOTEL will get you on the same page. Recognized for the saxophone-led “My Type” and piano-charged “Cold Cold Man,” the quartet is heading to Stubb’s after having last performed in the Live Music Capital pre-pandemic at Emo’s. Elegance pervades latest release, Saint Motel & the Symphony in the Sky, as its newly introduced army of strings and upbeat tempos paint an art pop oasis – a different take from their established genre-bending world. – Catalina Perez
Far West Fest
Sunday 9, Hole in the Wall
Far West Records’ third annual unofficial South by Southwest showcase returns with an 11-act exhibit of homegrown and exported country, folk, and any other Americana-tinged music the tastemakers want to co-sign. Among this year’s performers are pedal steel king Zack Wiggs, Jake Ames and Tyler Jordan of Good Looks (playing separate solo sets), Big Thief-esque pluckers Other Vessels, fresh Far West signees Boomershack, and Julian Neel, who celebrated his new LP Gallery Show at HITW just last week. If these relatively young performers don’t catch your eye, OG twangy slowcore pioneers Knife in the Water lend a cross-generational pull to this early-in-the-fest event. – Carys Anderson
Keep It Local, Yokels
Sunday 9, El Tigre Coffee Roasters
Print’s not dead! Stop saying we’re dead! If you need more proof than the freakin’ paper in your own hands, then look no further than Austin’s new newsstand – Keep Looking Shop. Sharing space with 12th Street caffeine dealers El Tigre, the purveyor of glossies, zines, and other readable materials ups their game this Fest season with a party thrown in collaboration with creative collective the Good for Nothings Club. Local-focused festivities include a vendor market featuring vintage-spine slingers Idle Hands Books and trinket trustees Gia Dinh Goods among other hot-item hunters; a slew of free sips from Austin-based bev brands; à la carte culinary offerings; and live music. Feel free to pick up one or 100 pieces of print media while you’re around: You’re supporting a media style that’s proudly analog. – James Scott
Guillermo’s Classical Music Trivia Night
Tuesday 11, the Brewtorium
Sometimes an event is just happening during South by Southwest weekend, and sometimes, like with this edition of KMFA’s classical music trivia night, a Fest-adjacent fun time captures this yearly occasions spirit. This week’s SXSW-inspired questions all focus on local musicians. While you don’t need to be Frasier Crane to play along, truth is you might walk away from the night’s fun featuring special guests Nathan Felix and Austin Classical Jams with a taste for instrumental tunes. Or maybe you’ll just become a fan of host and education & outreach manager Guillermo Delgado, which’ll get you to tune in to his weekend radio show. Winners get bragging rights and a photo with Beethoven… well, his bust, anyway. – James Scott
Kevin Morby & His Sandlot All-Stars
Wednesday 12, The Long Time
Kevin Morby returns for a second year on the sandlot with a show that’s part concert, part baseball game. His ragtag team of musical all-stars are yet to be officially announced, but they’ll face off with the Texas Playboys in between performances by Liam Kazar, Sabine McCalla, Esther Rose, Scott Ballew, and Morby himself. Rest your weary SXSW bones in a sun-warmed lawn chair and give into the summer spirit while savoring Austin’s finest hot dogs, fresh off Zee’s Wiener System, and basking in the sweet sounds of Americana. [Editor’s note: This is sold out!] – Caroline Drew
Third Annual SoCo Stomp
Wednesday 12 – Sunday 16, C-Boy’s Heart & Soul
To the uninitiated, South by Southwest can appear exclusive, like only those OGs in the know can navigate it. Nothing could be further from the truth; the circus coming to town actually means local mainstay venues overflow with goodies especially yummy to Austinites old and new. Starting Wednesday, C-Boy’s runs indoor/outdoor stages, 10 acts a day, for five days of the best ATX offers – FREE, gratis. First day’s nuts too: the best country, soul, and blues, plus locally stirred Peruvian psych, while inside Will Johnson and Bonnie Whitmore headline. The entire event is insane: Angelo Moore, Tommy Stinson of the Replacements, Steve Wynn, Waco Bros. B-l-o-w-o-u-t. – Raoul Hernandez
SXS1st Street Festival
Wednesday 12, South First
Non-Austinites who’ve picked up this Chronicle, I am speaking directly to you. Maybe you’re here for the Fest, and maybe you’ve already enjoyed the mainstream delights of current year 2025 South Congress – where you can buy Warby Parker glasses and an Hermès scarf within five minutes of each other. However, if you’re looking for a more local experience, may I suggest trekking a single street over to South First? Quirky cultural artifacts abound, from jockstrap heaven Package Austin to vegan paradise Bouldin Creek Cafe, and this week they’re upping their game with live music offerings. On three different stages – Package, Once Over Coffee Bar, and Blue Suede – live music blares with vendor markets at Blue Suede, Glint Dental, and Devil’s Details Boutique offering boffo small-business scores. Stop in at Gully Cat for flash tattoos, or snag a taco at El Primo. Then take the memories back to wherever you came from as true local cred whenever someone mentions Austin. – James Scott
Tommy Fest
Wednesday 12, Sagebrush
Sagebrush offers an exceptional country showcase with Tommy Fest. Kassi Valazza leads off with the anticipated breakout of upcoming third LP From Newman Street, already impressing with her Joni Mitchell-inspired vocals and deeply personal songwriting. Willi Carlisle brings his big-heart community embrace and talking blues ballads from last year’s Critterland, while Emily Nenni unloads pure honky-tonk heartbreak and grit from Nashville with her third full-length, Drive & Cry. Theo Lawrence reps the local scene with Pickin’ & Singin’ for the dance floor, and Okies Jason Scott & the High Heat rock their new American Grin. – Doug Freeman
Bobby Sparks II
Thursday 13, Parker Jazz Club
Corsicana native Bobby Sparks II has tickled the ivories onstage or in the studio for Kirk Franklin, D’Angelo, Herbie Hancock, Tower of Power, Lalah Hathaway, Lizz Wright, St. Vincent, and Snarky Puppy, of whose extended family he’s a member. Apparently that gave him the range to fulfill a lot of musician ambition. Both 2019’s Schizophrenia: The Yang Project and 2022’s Paranoia are epic two-disc sets stuffed with not only tracks, but fellow travelers like fusion star Mike Stern, saxophonist Chris Potter, Puppy leader/bassist Michael League and guitarist Mark Lettieri, singer Chuckii Booker, and more. Expect jazz, funk, hip-hop, and plenty of etc. – Michael Toland
Music Notes
by Derek UdensiDoomy Folks Presents
Thursday 6, Crow Bar / the Raven Room
The new Crow Bar located on the Eastside held its soft opening last Friday after an arson incident burned down the original South Congress location in September 2022. Expect unofficial shows throughout South by Southwest courtesy of local promoters Doomy Folks. Doom metal band Slumbering Sun highlights the venue’s pre-SXSW throwdown. A suggested donation of $10 gets you in.
Floating World Fest
Tuesday 11, the Far Out Lounge
Barring improvement in the few days after the time of this writing, there’s a dearth of attention-grabbing rap showcases during this year’s SXSW. Dallas-based company Floating World is throwing one of the more interesting shows; Floating World Fest relocates from its Round Rock debut to Austin proper this year. Idiosyncratic New York rapper xaviersobased (“Patchmade”) headlines the all-ages event, which focuses on youthful underground rap. General admission tickets are available via the company’s website.
Love Your Music Fest
Wednesday 12, GSD&M Advertising
Music nonprofit Sonic Guild puts together another showcase featuring some of Austin’s premier acts, including BLK ODYSSY, the Point, and Grocery Bag. Admission is free with RSVP while a $20 donation grants access to an open bar.
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 March 7 • 2025.