ericdoa
Thursday 1, Empire Control Room
Angsty, glitchy, brash bastion of the Spotify-encouraged hyperpop genre, a teenage ericdoa signed to Interscope in 2021, alongside his frequent collaborator glaive. In Eric George Lopez’s case, glitchcore and emo-rap labels also stick. More signs of the times leading up to this month’s album DOA (which stands for “dead on arrival”): “sad4whattt” debuted on HBO’s Euphoria in 2022, while last year’s impassioned “>one” partnered with the video game Valorant. With less electronics than his tourmate, Los Angeles’ bixby brings saccharine but similarly punchy indie pop with titles like “are you sleeping alone again?” on Dylan Brady of 100 gecs’ imprint, Dog Show Records. – Rachel Rascoe
Lord Friday the 13th
Friday 2, Radio/East
Fresh off of their two-month European stint, Lord Friday the 13th represents the second coming of glam rock divinity. Fronted by siblings Sloane and Felix Lenz, the duo resurrects the glitter-driven theatrics of Bowie and the unabridged, strident sound of New York Dolls. Treading on the first anniversary of breakneck EP Disaster Piece’s snarling melodies, the band’s modern punk flair balances earsplitting riffs (“Sleeping Cutie”) and ever-revolving rhythms (“Big Biznezz”). The terror twins will be joined by NSFWHO and Party Van. Expect a triad of static electricity and head-banging frenzy.  – Miranda Garza
Terry Allen & the Panhandle Mystery Band
Friday 2, Paramount Theatre
“I’ve always been interested in the stuff you don’t see in a person, the other side of something, of an idea or an object or a motion,” Terry Allen told the Chronicle in 2020 with the release of Just Like Moby Dick, and this year’s annual Paramount shindig follows that unique lens. Under the theme of “Greatest Missed Hits,” the iconoclastic Panhandle artist, songwriter, and storyteller wrangles his all-star band to delve into his half-century career of small-town tall tales, Lone Star ramblers, and sociopolitical revelations laced with Allen’s curious literary insight and poetic Southwest wit. – Doug Freeman
Mick Jenkins
Saturday 3, Come & Take It Live
For a generation of rap fans, mere mention of the name “Mick Jenkins” invokes a flood of 2010s-tinted nostalgia. The Chicago rapper captivated audiences with 2014 breakout The Waters, a conceptual mixtape widely hailed as one of the Windy City’s finest blog-era offerings. Jenkins has grown up since then. On 2023 album The Patience, the sonically evolved artist stuns with fierce lyricism, making a strong case for why he’s still one of the best the genre has to offer. Nigerian-Canadian artist TOBi, fresh off soulful third LP PANIC, opens. – Elizabeth Braaten
Will Johnson
Sunday 4, The Ballroom
Last Saturday, Will Johnson joined Alejandro Escovedo’s jam-packed Texas songwriters tribute at ACL Live alongside Terry Allen and Shakey Graves, opening the show with Eighties Austin group the Reivers’ “I Knew.” No surprise, given Johnson’s longtime Lone Star presence leading acts like Centro-matic and South San Gabriel, plus recent touring with Jason Isbell and Bob Mould. For a special full-band Texas tour, the singer-songwriter/painter/author focuses on the steely-eyed, soft-focus rock propulsion of last year’s No Ordinary Crown, released with local Keeled Scales. Labelmate Renée Reed joins with sensitive, spiderwebbed folk sprung from her Cajun roots in Lafayette, Louisiana. – Rachel Rascoe
AJW Youth Jam
Sunday 4, Batch Craft Beer & Kolaches
Here in the Live Music Capital of the World, there should be no shortage of opportunities for kids to develop their tuneful talents and pursue rockstar dreams. Austin Jazz Workshop’s jam series is one of these opportunities, with twice-monthly jams led by Gil Del Bosque just for middle- and high school students to get a feel for a real gig setting. Thanks to a financial boost from the city’s Cultural Arts Division, jams are scheduled through August: first Sundays at Batch, last Sundays at Central Market South, both at noon. – Kat McNevins
Squirrel Flower
Tuesday 6, the Ballroom
The emotionally and environmentally charged songwriting project of Chicago-based Ella Williams, Squirrel Flower released Tomorrow’s Fire late last year. Williams’ third LP leaps headlong into loud, looping rock but pays homage to her indie “prairie-pop” beginnings in the Iowa DIY scene. Tuesday’s lineup brings both ends of that spectrum into focus, with Austin-based folk group Little Mazarn and shoegaze soundscapists alexalone setting the tone for a night of fuzzy guitar, angelic harmonies, and big feelings. – Bridget Kingston
Touch Girl Apple Blossom 7” Release
Wednesday 7, Hotel Vegas
Celebrating a 7” vinyl release to follow up last year’s EP, Touch Girl Apple Blossom befits Hotel Vegas with hair-twirling jangle-pop that bounces guitar twinkle around bandleader Olivia Garner’s sugary vocal drone. Dreamy rockers Proun feed the lineup’s unofficial twee narrative, while Houston act A Mourning in Heaven flicks crushing, industrial slowcore into the mix. Teethe player Kai Wilde continues to darken the bill with his ambient weave of acoustic and electric flair. A perfect yin-yang of saccharine and bitter. – Laiken Neumann
The Temptations Review
Thursday 8, Antone’s Nightclub
In 1960, two Detroit vocal groups, Otis Williams & the Distants and the Primes, fused as the Elgins and signed the following year to Motown Records as the Temptations. Only the Rolling Stones rivaled the powerhouse quintet in bad behavior and R&B. Still led by Texarkana-born Williams, Messrs. Ron Tyson, Terry Weeks, Jawan Jackson, and Anthony Grant croon, shoop, and glide through Antone’s annual fundraising gala for local nonprofit American YouthWorks. Celebrating its golden anniversary next year, the org’s YouthBuild provides vocational training in healthcare, IT, and construction for high schoolers, while their Texas Conservation Corps works landscape management and natural disaster response. Ain’t too proud to fundraise! – Raoul Hernandez
Carla Bley Tribute
Thursday 8 , Soundspace at Captain Quack’s
Over the latter half of the 20th century, the late jazz composer Carla Bley created a mountain of irrepressible, irresistible tunes that casually obliterated lines of demarcation. Though she maintained deep ties to the avant-garde, especially through her New York-based Jazz Composers Guild, her songs leaned hard into melody and expressed an impish sense of humor. That makes her music perfect for saxophonist Alex Coke and guitarist Carl Michel, who’ve been known to gleefully hop boundaries themselves over their long careers in Austin jazz. They’ll be joined by vibraphonist Carolyn Trowbridge, drummer Masumi Jones, trombonist Ken George, and bassist Tex Goretex. – Michael Toland
Music Notes
by Derek Udensi
Body Rock ATX 14th Anniversary
Friday 2, Sahara Lounge
Jonathan “Chaka” Mahone and Ghislaine “Qi Dada” Jean have persistently made their voices heard since they moved to Austin in late 2009. Community-building, nonprofit work, music – the three-time Austin Music Awards Band of the Year winners’ contributions to this city constitute an impressive list. Yet, their liberating monthly dance party with vital partner DJ Chorizo Funk still arguably reigns supreme. Chaka brings A Tribe Called Quest member Jarobi to town for Body Rock’s birthday celebration. Unlike other editions of the monthly series, this is a $10 ticketed event, with all proceeds going to Mahone’s DAWA organization.
KAZI Comedy Jam
Friday 2, The Coral Snake
Crack a couple laughs in between sets from Eastside standouts Blakchyl and Kydd Jones. You can also catch Onyx D’Or founder Jones for free at Menchaca Branch Library on Sunday afternoon.
Rome Fortune
Thursday 8, Parish
Eclectic Atlanta-based rapper coming off his self-produced October release, Grown, Fortune pairs primarily electronic beats with romantic crooning across the project’s 13 minutes to curate a colorful, tropical vibe. A slew of local DJs open: Ashmar, La Morena, and Bambi.
This article appears in February 2 • 2024.
