With another week in the books and a scorching weekend on the horizon, there’s nothing better than chilling out with some live music. This week, we recommend an Austin blues legend, heavy metal showcase, and emotional ’80s synth pop. Yep, we’re all over the place! Enjoy the weekend and listen local.
Friday, May 11
W.C. Clark (Credit: Scott Newton)
W.C. Clark
@ Giddy Ups (12010 Manchaca Road) – 5:30ish p.m.
If you’ve ever discussed Austin blues and the name W.C. Clark failed to come up, then you’re missing out on an ATX all-time great. Throughout his nearly 60-year career, Clark has played with everyone: locals like Stevie Ray Vaughan and Lou Ann Barton, and international acts like James Brown, B.B. King, and Freddy King. For Pete’s sake, the man taught Will and Charlie Sexton how to play guitar back in the ’80s.
Smooth as butter and swimming with 12-bar soul, W.C. Clark in an intimate setting is an experience not soon forgotten.
Saturday, May 12
Credit: Death of a Dream
Keep Austin Metal Fest w/Death of a Dream, Death With Tremble, the Bvtcher, more
@ Come & Take It Live (2015 E. Riverside Dr., Bldg. 4) – 6 p.m. – Tickets
A metal showcase of epic, ear-splitting proportions, Keep Austin Metal Fest will make you a believer in the art of pounding drums and machine gun riffs. Death of a Dream is a wall of Fear Factory double bass and insane technique, bolstered by vocalist Shawn Twyman’s throaty scrawl.
On the flip side, Death Will Tremble dials down the tempo in favor of a brooding, crushing sound, dripping with emotion. If you’ve written off metal as noisy nonsense, then this showcase will change your mind.
Mr.Kitty w/Lucid Dementia, Culttastic
@ Elysium (705 Red River St.) – 9:30 p.m. – $8
Every other week, it seems like I’m typing the words “’80s synth” into my Concert Picks. In the case of Mr.Kitty, however, the term only tells part of the story. Tight, danceable back beats and keyboard vamps wrap a cage around thoughtful, moody lyrics. The equivalent to a sad, lonely boy staring out of a window during a dance party, Mr.Kitty touches you both rhythmically and emotionally.
Also playing: horror/rock band Lucid Dementia, and Ukranian visual artist and electro-pop club banger Culttastic.
@theAustinot wants to know:
Where will you be catching local music in Austin this weekend?
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