Free Press Forever: Keelan Donovan
Thursday 26, the Austin Chronicle
I still don’t quite know how we’re supposed to refer to our new office area: the Chron-club? The Chron-stablishment? The Chron-stillation? Whatever we’re calling it, you oughta be here for this month’s edition of Free Press Forever. Donate to the Chronicle and you’ll be entered for a chance to win passes to this party. Enjoy food, bevs, music, and fraternization with our fabo writers, editors, sales & marketing staff, and also the Luv Doc – who is apparently a local icon? Sorry: To me, he is just my coworker who longboards everywhere. September’s live music comes to us from Keelan Donovan, a “hotel soap enthusiast” who happens to have over 5.1 million streams on Spotify. I’m pretty sure he won’t be coming to talk suds, but perhaps that’ll come after the guitar strums settle down. – James Scott
Elias Haslanger and Tommy Howard Play Funky Grant Green
Friday 27, Monks Jazz
The late Grant Green has been called “one of the great unsung heroes of jazz guitar,” with a bluesy, instantly recognizable playing style. His career divides into two halves: the Fifties/Sixties hard bop years, with a string of classic jazz records in various configurations, and the late-Sixties/Seventies funk years, in which he laid down the boogie for some of the era’s greatest party music. Saxophonist Elias Haslanger and guitarist Tommy Howard will be focusing on the latter, particularly Green’s sizzling hot concert records Alive! and Live at Club Mozambique. As Haslanger proclaims, “All groove all the time.” – Michael Toland
Future Traditions Fest
Friday 27 – Sunday 29, Nepantla & Dadalab
No better time to explore the ingenuity of current experimental Latine artists than the closing of National Hispanic Heritage Month. Celebrating one’s culture extends to its future, which these artists represent in their multimedia work covering music, video, sound, and more. Friday presents an experimental video showcase, curated by Rio Grande Valley’s own filmmaker/archivist C. Diaz with soundscapes by vinyl DJ Pinche Juan. Saturday is filled by an artist talk from composer Cecilia Lopez (NYC), local producer/DJ Malika Boudissa’s Synth Salon, and performances by local, national, and international Latine performers. Close up the fest with a Sunday screening of Luzmila and the Birds, a doc covering Bolivian singer Luzmila Carpio’s voice and worldview. – James Scott
Beerthoven: Cloudy With a Chance of Ale
Friday 27 – Sunday 29, Saengerrunde Hall
Full disclosure: My friend is playing at this. But this doesn’t “cloud” my judgment. When I tell you that the Amorsima Trio – a stringed threesome featuring violinist Mia Detwiler, cellist Kourtney Newton, and violist Michael Capone – always play interesting tunes that redefine what the string family can sound like, I’m now backed up by the classical music curators over at Beerthoven. At this edition of yeasty concertgoing, you’ll be able to enjoy Easy Tiger pastries and sips from Lazarus Brewing – including non-alcoholic ones – while listening to renditions of I Only Speak of the Sun (c. Jessica Meyers), “in soft echoes…a world awaits” (c. Jeffrey Mumford), and Kaija Saariaho’s Cloud Trio. – James Scott
Tommy Stinson With English Teeth
Saturday 28, C-Boys
At SXSW earlier this year, local rockers English Teeth curated an all-star tribute to the Replacements, which included a couple songs with Tommy Stinson himself. The ’Mats guitarist enjoyed it so much, he invited the band to back him on a full set later that week, and is now reportedly in town recording an album with the Austinites. They’ll sling classics and likely some new material from across Stinson’s storied career (with an encore show following next weekend at the Continental Club). Shannon McNally opens at C-Boys with the troubadour blues off her latest Special Edition EP. – Doug Freeman
KK’s Priest, Accept
Sunday 29, Paramount Theater
Bassist Ian Hill and guitarist Kenneth Keith Downing founded Judas Priest in 1969 Birmingham. In West Bromwich a few miles away, the now 72-year-old Flying V pilot shared big bang influences with the Beatles and Stones: “I would go see people like Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee,” he told the Chronicle in 2008. “And obviously the Kings all came over – Freddie, Albert, B.B.” While Priest rolls into the race track next month, the founding gunner now flies solo, but last year’s The Sinner Rides Again cranks, crunches, and lunges as classic as his old mates. Paired with German legacy act Accept, Downing recoils a rare metal gig at the Paramount. – Raoul Hernandez
Johnny Marr
Sunday 29, Stubb’s
Morrissey without Marr, and vice versa, doth not the Smiths make, but at least the guitarist refrains from spewing racist, right-wing vitriol. Plus, his recent takedown of the singer, who accused him of hogging the band’s trademark and ignoring a lucrative reunion offer, rang out as beautifully as his jangly six-string: “I didn’t ignore the offer. I said no.” On a Marr solo bill (alongside Britpop icons James), enjoy “This Charming Man” and “How Soon Is Now?” from at least one Smith who internalized Moz’s words: “It’s so easy to laugh; it’s so easy to hate; it takes guts to be gentle and kind.” – Carys Anderson
Bridges of Sound From Austin to Palestine
Sunday 29, Far Out Lounge
Hear the unsung songs and stories of Palestine as dozens of artists come together to perform Palestinian folk songs and raise money for Heal Palestine and Help Me Live USA. Musical director of the Viva Palestina Orchestra Sari Andoni promises original compositions inspired by the global protest movement. Shop from local vendors, and don’t miss openers Nemegata, the Point, and Cecilia & the Broken Hearts to feed your love of Latin music and futuristic fusion. – Eden Shamy
Kaelin Ellis and Moody Bank$
Sunday 29, Mohawk
When R&B chanteuse Moody Bank$ first arrived on the music with debut EP Full Blunts & Full Moons, she was already on a mission to become one the city’s most recognizable names for smooth soul and vocals that evoke her namesake. By the time she released her first full-length album, 2022’s FEELING COLORS, she’d established a musical relationship with award-winning producer and multi-instrumentalist Kaelin Ellis. His work is renowned among some of the most respected cross-genre artists. Names like nerdy lyrical master Lupe Fiasco, soul vocal prodigy Jazmine Sullivan, and K-pop superstars EXO have all had Ellis’ signature musically intricate touch on their tracks. They join forces this Sunday. – Cy White
Good Lands ATX
Sunday 29, Lefty’s Brick Bar/Hotel Vegas
As anti-immigrant rhetoric swells this election season, local community organizers the Artlands Creative and GOOD group ATX team up for an all-day event dedicated to aiding migrants at the southern border. All proceeds support the Val Verde Border Humanitarian Coalition, which provides essential aid to individuals and families in transit – think clean clothing, packed lunches, and phone service. During the day, browse a clothing swap and silent art auction at Lefty’s Brick Bar while preparing for a stacked lineup of local music at Hotel Vegas. Alt-rock staples like Pelvis Wrestley and Nolan Potter’s Nightmare Band grace the patio stage, while Club Coma, Fur Dixon, and more perform indoors. – Genevieve Wood
Music Notes
by Derek UdensiKygo
Saturday 28, Circuit of the Americas
Norwegian DJ/record producer specializing in house and dance-pop tours in support of his self-titled studio album. The lead single from KYGO, “Whatever,” sees underrated dance-pop artist Ava Max tackle a heavy interpolation of Shakira’s 2001 smash “Whenever, Wherever.”
Sum 41
Saturday 28, H-E-B Center at Cedar Park
The Canadian pop-punk/heavy metal band responsible for early Aughts classics such as “Fat Lip” and “Still Waiting” embarks on their farewell tour. Sum 41 released their eighth and final studio album, Heaven :x: Hell, earlier this year. The Interrupters and Many Eyes open.
La Cocina Sessions
Sunday 29, Antone’s Nightclub
Whether it’s releasing music or founding her songwriting collective, SongCraft.co, Angélica Rahe usually whips up something solid. The two-time Austin Music Award nominee is back onstage for an event named after her recording space, La Cocina (“the Kitchen” in Spanish). She teases unreleased songs, with support from Sisi and Soulstress.
Horse Jumper of Love
Tuesday 1, Parish
Slowcore/shoegaze band returns to Austin after performing at Cheer Up Charlies for an unofficial South by Southwest 2024 showcase. The Boston-based trio recently released a new full-length, Disaster Trick, last month. Dallas act Teethe supports.
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 September 27 • 2024.
