Born Omar Velasco to Mexican parents who clawed their way into the United States, it’s no surprise that the soulfully psychedelic R&B musician now going by Omar Apollo loses all inhibition while performing.
Apollo made an entrance inside Antone’s on Wednesday night akin to that of a professional wrestler. Drummer Joey Medrano, guitarist Manny Barajas, and bassist Oscar Emilio played in front of a plain black screen with the words “Omar Apollo” in cursive before the man himself sprung on stage, prancing about wildly and without stop.
“How many Mexicans are here?,” he asked after his first song. A small set of arms shot in the air just under the strobe lights. “That’s good, right in the front.”
The lanky, 21-year-old Chicano quickly addressed his subpar vocals: “I have a sore throat, [but] I swear I can sing better.”
What the genre-bending singer lacked vocally, he and his live band made up for in dancing and potent instrumentation respectively. Apollo repeatedly attempted every move imaginable in a six-song, 25 minute set. Maybe performing in Austin motivated him to try to tear up an ACL Fest moment many months before the fall annual.
After starting the set with the more pop-oriented “Ignorin,” things got a bit dreamier, a bit funkier toward the end as lights dimmed and the Indiana native murmured passionately into the microphone with closed eyes and open heart.
Omar Apollo
Wednesday, March 13, 10pm, Antone’sThis article appears in March 8 • 2019.