Credit: Image via Sub Pop

The Reverend Horton Heat

Thursday 9 – Saturday 11, Continental Club

Regrets? Plenty! That clear vinyl re-press of The Full-Custom Gospel Sounds of the Reverend Horton Heat at Breakaway Records on North Loop last spring practically scrawled my name in Sharpie across the front. Second pull on an introductory Sub Pop trifecta, Jim Heath’s 4/20/93 joint came laced with PCP, turning Lone Star psychobilly as lysergic as producer Gibby Haynes’ Butthole Surfers. Corpus Christi-christened and DFW-souped, the low priest of high-octane guitar exorcisms roars onto South Congress for his annual three-night stand at Harlem’s Cotton – er, Austin’s Continental Club.   – Raoul Hernandez


Credit: Photo by Syd Fuller

Hallo

Friday 10, 13th Floor

Hallo (pronounced Hollow) celebrates the release of the indie folk quartet’s full-length debut, Unsaved. At first, emotionally raw single “Worth It All” feels like salt in the wound, as vocalist Tiana Stuart recalls her partner’s warped value of her, but the song ends triumphantly as the songwriter forgives herself for her clandestine self-flagellation. Also on the bill, Kate Heron pairs ethereal vocals and heartwrenching lyrics with a distinctive “indie orchestra.” Post-punk/shoegaze fearsome foursome Paper Sister rounds out this study of musical hauntology with their layered, swirling guitars and bleak, depressive-episode lyrics, as heard in their outstanding single “Brain Drain.”   – Kahron Spearman


Slug

Friday 10, Chess Club

All angsty teenagers have the same fear: What if I die in my hometown without ever getting out and Experiencing Things? Now known as Slug, Gulfport, MS native Jona Hope long released their bedroom pop compositions under the name if i die in mississippi – though the songwriter, now living in Austin, clearly did make it out. Hope’s lo-fi confessionals pair with singer-songwriter Haikey, alt rockers Mimiclou, and acoustic-loving emos nervous on this introspective, four-band bill.   – Carys Anderson


Progger

Saturday 11, Monks Jazz

Because Progger’s members are busy with the usual work immensely talented players do to pay the rent (playing with Bruno Mars, Jon Batiste, Janelle Monáe, the Kill Tony band, etc.), Austin’s best jazz fusion conglomerate doesn’t perform as often as we’d like. Fortunately, this gig does more than wipe off the dust. Alongside four albums of rocking electric jazz that stand up to the best of Billy Cobham or Return to Forever, leader Brian Donohoe, bassist Ryan Hagler, drummer Daniel Watson, and ace axemen Matt Muehling and Carter Arrington showcase new songs from a forthcoming album. Be there and be dazzled.   – Michael Toland


Credit: Photo by Will McCarthy

Trauma Ray

Saturday 11, Hotel Vegas

This Saturday, Hotel Vegas hosts a killer night of alt-rock, headlined by Trauma Ray. Celebrating the release of their new album Chameleon, the Fort Worth band will perform the record in full, delivering their signature blend of lush melodies and driving energy. Local favorites Porcelain add their polished, melodic post-hardcore flavor to the lineup, joined by the high-energy, genre-spanning sounds of Ritual. Newcomers I Wear Your Chain round out the night, showcasing tracks from their recently released EP, Demo. Word on the street is that tickets are moving fast, so don’t miss your chance to see this stacked lineup.   – Kyra Bruce


Bidwell/Marshall Quintet

Tuesday 14, Monks Jazz

Black Pumas by day, hard boppers by night. Despite the funky psychedelic blues and soul drummer Stephen Bidwell and keyboardist JaRon Marshall play most of the year while on tour with the Austin success story, the pair yearned to go back to their jazz roots – thus, this new combo was born. Joining Bidwell and Marshall for a set list of favorites from the early Sixties Blue Note Records catalog are saxophonist Paulo Santos, trumpeter Erik Telford, and bassist Sam Pankey. Given the talents on display, every tune should boast a fresh spin on an old classic.   – Michael Toland


Credit: Photo by Daniel Cavazos

Mountain Time

Wednesday 15, Hotel Vegas

Chris Simpson has helmed some of Austin’s most iconic indie outfits, from the influential Nineties emo and indie rockers Mineral and the Gloria Record to the quirky pop of this century’s Zookeeper, but Mountain Time presents as the songwriter’s most ambitious and intricate project. Second album Dream Homes, released last fall, swells with a lush orchestral sound balanced against a rock edge and unexpected pop twists, songs that play simultaneously disorienting and inviting. Genuine Leather delivers the synthy dance vibes of 2023’s Genuine Pleasure first, along with Mike St. Clair’s Pocket Sounds kicking off the early 6pm start.   – Doug Freeman


Ray Bonneville

Thursday 16, The 04 Center

It wasn’t until after Quebec native Ray Bonneville served in Vietnam, absorbed six years of New Orleans-style rhythms, and toured two decades with blues bands when the traveler finally settled into his songwriting boots. Ten albums later, the 76-year-old brings rich poetry steeped in heaving, grooving Americana blues to the 04 Center. Joining the bill is climate activist and fellow culture crosser Seth Glier. The multi-instrumentalist and mushroom forager’s 2024 album Everything reaches from a cappella birch hymns to soft-pop mammoth lullabies while inviting listeners to imagine a more connected planet.   – Amber Williams


TILT

Thursday 16, Mohawk

Ten years after dropping their self-titled debut EP, Austin emos TILT returned in March with Twin Brain, a six-song collection of chiming guitars and hollered vocals. Beefy yet catchy, Josh Pelletier and Carson Caldwell weave mathy melodies while drummer Mason Buchanan pummels – even more so on latest single “Grave,” which lands with more classic punk energy. Supporting a September long player, Virginia Creeper brings slow-churning indie to this outdoor bill, while Midcard bridges the gap, delivering equally earnest introspection with a “post-alt-country” twang.   – Carys Anderson


Credit: Courtesy of Motenko

Motenko

Thursday 16, Austin Proper Hotel

When he’s not playing keys for indie pop favorites Wild Child, Micah Motenko makes his own buoyant R&B. Anchored by his velvety vocals, the 2024/2025 Austin Music Awards nominee rips a bluesy guitar solo on “Peace of Mind,” layers near-gospel harmonies on “Free Yourself,” and shakes swampy grooves on “Screen Time,” all cuts from his October EP To Grow. The artist plays the Quill Room at this West Second hotel.   – Carys Anderson


Music Notes

by Derek Udensi

For the Sake of the Song

Saturday 11, Soundspace at Captain Quack’s

The first edition of this free event features two back-to-back showcases of four songwriters performing in the round. Artists set to perform include Jake Farr, Nathan Hamilton, and Caroline Sears.

Rod Wave

Rod Wave

Wednesday 15, Moody Center

Over the years, Rod Wave has fashioned a successful rap career among a leading class of Southern crooners expressing their personal anguish in a melodic way. His latest album to chart inside the Billboard top five, Last Lap, adds more songs for lovelorn folks to his discography. The 26-year-old Floridian began his previous tour with melodramatic theatrics in the form of a trust fall off a balcony, but new songs such as “25” provide enough reflection on their own. Support includes Memphis heavy hitter Moneybagg Yo (“Wockesha”) and North Carolina-cultured rapper Toosii (“Favorite Song”).

The 4411

Thursday 16, 3ten ACL Live

Still flying high after releasing debut EP We Killed the Sun in June 2024, the 4411 wraps up a five-date tour back home in Austin. The indie folk duo dropped their latest single, “Change the World,” last month. Jack Hartman opens.

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 January 10 • 2025.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

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Carys Anderson moved from Nowhere, DFW to Austin in 2017 to study journalism at the University of Texas. She began writing for The Austin Chronicle in 2021 and joined its full-time staff in 2023, where she covers music and culture.

As the Chronicle's Club Listings Editor, Derek compiles a weekly list of music events occurring across town. The University of Texas alum also writes about hip-hop as a contributor to the Music section.

San Francisco native Raoul Hernandez crossed the border into Texas on July 2, 1992, and began writing about music for the Chronicle that fall, debuting with an album review of Keith Richards’ Main Offender. By virtue of local show previews – first “Recommendeds,” now calendar picks – his writing’s appeared in almost every issue since 1993.

Kahron Spearman is a journalist and writer with bylines including The Austin Chronicle, Austin Monthly, Consequence of Sound, Texas Highways, and the London-based journal The Break-Down. He currently serves as Senior Editor at Atmosphere TV.

Michael Toland started writing about music in 1988 on the Gulf Coast, moved to Austin in early 1991, and has inflicted bylines upon the corporeal and digital pages of Pop Culture Press, The Big Takeover, Blurt, Amplifier, Austin.citysearch, the Austin American Statesman, Goldmine, Sleazegrinder, Rock & Roll Globe, High Bias, FHT Music Notes, and, since 2011, The Austin Chronicle.

Doug Freeman has been writing for the Austin Chronicle since 2007, covering the arts and music scene in the city. He is originally from Virginia and earned his Masters Degree from the University of Texas. He is also co-editor of The Austin Chronicle Music Anthology, published by UT Press.

Kyra Bruce is a freelance writer and videographer from Tulsa, Oklahoma—bringing her love for fringe music scenes and her docu-concert series People To Wave To with her to Texas.