Happy weekend, intrepid music fans! Full disclosure. This is an incredible weekend of music. I could have easily picked eight shows instead of my usual three. My recommendations include a pair of record releases and an Americana/outlaw country artist plying her trade at a rock and roll brewery. Dig the weekend and listen local!
Friday, May 31
March and Beauty release w/Dossey, Poly Action, Obsolete Machines
@ Cheer Up Charlies (900 Red River) – 9 p.m. – Facebook event
Upbeat indie rock with a post punk feel, March and Beauty elevates the standard formula with tasty hooks and tight musicianship. “Out of Time” exemplifies the group’s sound with a delicious chorus backboned by complex drumming, crisp ’80s showgaze guitar work, and lead vocalist Teri Dittmar.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, “Stay” allows Dittmar’s vocals space to breathe, above a subtle bed of plinking guitars that blooms into a mid-tempo rock jam.
The new single, “Breaking Glass,” opens with the jump and dance of a Cure record and explodes halfway through in a musical expression of shattering glass. Some of the best music I’ve heard this week and well worth a trek to Red River to experience live.
Also playing is pop sensation Dossey, power-pop band Poly Action, and dream pop act Obsolete Machines.
Saturday, June 1
Shy Beast vinyl release w/Otis the Destroyer, Dr. Joe
@ Antone’s Nightclub (305 5th St) – 9 p.m. – Tickets
If you’ve followed this series with any regularity, you know I try to keep my recommendations varied. I don’t like to play favorites. But as a fan of Shy Beast since they were MCG, I’ll make an exception.
Celebrating the release of the brand new compilation vinyl “Shy ‘Til You Die,” Mariclaire Glaeser and company promise to turn Antone’s into an indie rock dance party.
The record is comprised of existing songs (Side A being the band’s first self-titled EP and Side B comprised of 2018’s “Leave Me / Let Me”). But when the music is this good, who cares. Experiencing gems like the buoyant, glorious “Back With Me” and the groovy “Leave Me Be” on vinyl will be an absolute treat. This Saturday show at Antone’s will be the icing on the cake.
Also playing are rock gods Otis the Destroyer and blues/soul master Dr. Joe.
Sunday, June 2
Julie Nolen
@ Skull Mechanix Brewing (1005 E. St. Elmo) – 3 p.m. – Event page
Americana roots county with a definitively Texas bent, Julie Nolen personifies the best of the genre with her honest depictions of life, love, and personal experience. Paired with the rock and roll vibe of the amazing Skull Mechanix brewery, and you have a Sunday Funday worth enjoying.
And if your weekend is packed with cookouts or dips in Barton Springs, Nolen is in the midst of a weekly residency at Skull Mechanix, so there are still plenty of chances to check her out live.
Nolen also promises a suite of random songwriters to join her on stage, so every weekend provides something a little bit different. An Austin original enjoyed with a delicious beer equals a Sunday to remember.
@BillTuckerTSP wants to know:
Which Austin bands are you checking out this weekend?
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