Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Thursday 27, ACL Live
It’s difficult to overstate the influence of NGDB’s 1972 triple-platter LP Will the Circle Be Unbroken. The album aligned the country-rock insurgence of the 1960s with the Grand Ole Opry tradition, paying earnest deference to legendary country artists and styles while ushering in a new era for Nashville. Now after six decades, the California-born band embarks on their final tour celebrating a legacy that includes multiple Grammys, No. 1 hits like “Fishin’ in the Dark” and “Modern Day Romance,” and their seminal cover of “Mr. Bojangles” that cornerstoned Jerry Jeff Walker’s career. The Houston Kid Rodney Crowell opens. – Doug Freeman
Rique Pantoja Rio Jazz Quintet
Friday 28, Elephant Room
As might be inferred from his band’s name, Rique Pantoja is a Rio de Janeiro native. Educated at Berklee College of Music and based in Los Angeles, the keyboardist, songwriter, and singer has written music for television shows and commercials, and worked with everyone from fellow Brazilian icons Flora Purim, Airto, and Djavan to Carlos Santana, Ricky Martin, and classical guitarist Christopher Parkening. Pantoja has already graced the stages of Monks and Parker Jazz Club, so it’s only right that he brings his Brazilian jazz quintet to the Elephant Room to complete the ATX jazz troika. – Michael Toland
HONK!TX
Friday 28 – Sunday 30, Jackalope South Shore, Mueller Lake Park & Pan Am Park
If there’s anything that says “Austin Weird,” it’s a festival that includes music, community, matching outfits, pageantry, and free entry – aka, HONK!TX. Twenty-seven community bands from across the states and even one from Paris (France, not Texas) converge on our city to show off their talents on stages and in parks around town. The bands use different instruments and have different vibes, but they all focus on community, so be prepared to find yourself amongst the performers. – James Renovitch
El Combo Oscuro
Saturday 29, Sagebrush
Got a dancing fever you can’t bring down? This Saturday night, Sagebrush swaps disco for cumbia, chicha, and Afrobeat. Don’t fret – it’s just as groovy. Fresh off the SXSW train, Austin-based group El Combo Oscuro will be joined by Hard Proof and Hotel De Nova for the 21+ event. The headlining quintet’s 2023 release, La Danza de las Sirenas, amalgamates chicha, mambo, and boogaloo for a 29-minute transdimensional psychedelic experience. – Catalina Perez
NØ MAN
Saturday 29, Chess Club
It’s the first time in Texas for this political hardcore band hailing from Washington, D.C., which all but invented the stuff. Three of the folks – singer-guitarist Matt Michel, drummer Pat Broderick, and bassist Kevin Lamiell – hail from Nineties thrashers Majority Rule, while longtime friend Maha Shami rounds out the quartet on vocals. Supporting last year’s Glitter and Spit, they headline a night of ripping punk with a savage local trifecta of Glassing, Mujeres Podridas, and Palefade. Expect screaming. – Joe Gross
Lola Kirke
Wednesday 2, Sagebrush
East Coast cowgirl Lola Kirke knows exactly how to find the balance between tears and two-stepping. In her latest LP Trailblazer, the musician/actress/author’s penchant for storytelling shines through her quick wits and vivid details as she croons us through complex relationships and unconventional living. Pedal steel flatters the 34-year-old’s resonant rock & roll melodies and spotlights her lush vocals. The project’s jaunty rhythms (“Marlboro Lights & Madonna”) complement its tender ballad counterparts (“Hungover Thinkin’”) and accentuate their two-toned minimalism. Though the daughter of Bad Company drummer Simon Kirke, it’s evident that Lola paved her own twangy path and solidified her spot as a string-slinging siren. – Miranda Garza
Chanel Beads
Wednesday 2, 29th Street Ballroom
Dreamy, eerie, and seemingly recorded underwater, Your Day Will Come, Shane Lavers’ 2024 debut album as Chanel Beads, feels far away and close up all at once. The New York City-based songwriter envelopes soft pop melodies in experimental sound collage – one-note basslines thrum with reverb, scratchy violin drones, androgynous vocals and airy synths fade in and out. Like fellow pop troublers/indie darlings fantasy of a broken heart and Water From Your Eyes, Chanel Beads makes experimentation accessible, melodic, and inexplicable all at once. More Eaze, the project of the even more exploratory ambient composer/multi-instrumentalist Mari Maurice Rubio, opens. – Carys Anderson
Jessica Pratt
Wednesday 2, Scoot Inn
Dreamy folk artist Jessica Pratt returns to Austin, gracing the historic Scoot Inn stage with a mesmerizing evening presented by KUTX. Known for her hushed, intricate guitar work and ethereal vocals, Pratt’s latest album, Here in the Pitch, continues her tradition of delicate yet emotionally evocative songwriting. Pittsburgh singer-songwriter Merce Lemon opens, matching the vibe with her own brand of intimate, poetic folk. Expect an evening of beautifully subdued melodies and introspective lyricism, perfect for a slow spring night under the Scoot Inn string lights and the Texas sky. – Kyra Bruce
Shannon & the Clams
Thursday 3, Scoot Inn
Beyond the swinging girl group doo-wop and garage rock retro moxie of Shannon & the Clams is evidence of an entire universe of grief and love – perfectly encapsulated by an album created in mourning, The Moon Is in the Wrong Place. The third S&TC album produced by Dan Auerbach, The Moon sees Shannon Shaw and her bandmates process the sudden and tragic loss of Shaw’s fiancé. Slow and somber is miles from the band’s typical style, and there’s a brightness in the way Shannon & the Clams allow dark moments to catch the light of day. Being Dead opens. – Christina Garcia
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
Thursday 3 – Saturday 5, ACL Live at the Moody Theater
Much of Jason Isbell’s recent musical output has been notably pared down. His divorce-era offering Foxes in the Snow, released in March, is a stripped-down acoustic album, and in that spirit, the former Drive-By Trucker just completed an acclaimed solo tour capturing a quieter tone. His three nights in Austin – the only three-date city on this tour – marks his return to playing with his band the 400 Unit, the time alone perhaps lending some new perspective to his sets. – Abby Johnston
Music Notes
by Derek UdensiTim Fest
Friday 28 – Saturday 29, Empire Garage
Longtime comedian Tim Heidecker released his eighth studio album, Slipping Away, last October. Lyrics from “Dad of the Year” encapsulate the recent folk record’s not-for-laughs energy: “Now when I wake up and it’s still dark, I think about when I was cool/ Have a cup of coffee, turn off the news/ It’s time to take the kids to school.” The second Tim Fest features live episodes of the Office Hours Live podcast on night one and On Cinema podcast on night two. Tim Heidecker & the Very Good Band perform both days.
KUTX & Mueller Rock the Park
Friday 28, Mueller Lake Park Outdoor Amphitheater
KUTX’s free, family-friendly concert series returns for its spring season. Winner of the 2025 Austin Music Award for Best New Act, Grandmaster, headlines with support from Cloud Companion.
Jaimee Harris & the Rattle Trap Boys
Wednesday 2, Soundspace at Captain Quack’s
Folk singer-songwriter Jaimee Harris shares a birthday with country/Americana great Emmylou Harris. The former pays tribute to her self-professed favorite record ever, Emmylou’s Wrecking Ball, by performing the entire album on their birthday. A portion of this event’s proceeds benefit nonprofit Crossroads Campus.
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 28 • 2025.