Last Dance: The Best of The Week
Rhye. Photo: Chris Molina/One Nation
It’s hot and it already feels like that’s not going to change any time soon. Aside from the fact that the weather is pretty unbearable, there’s still plenty of things to do around town this week. Acts like super producer group Rhye will be rolling through town, alongside a ton of local offerings. Houston, here’s how to navigate your next seven days.
On Wednesday you can kick off over at House of Blues on the Voodoo Stage in the Crossroads Restaurant to catch a set from the alt country of Houston’s Quiet Morning & the Calamity. This band is pretty amazing to see live, they have a reserved beauty to their sound, and they often mix standards into their sets. The all ages show has doors at 6 pm and it’s 100% FREE.
Bob Lane, Photo: Courtesy of Artist/Facebook
We should all head to MKT Bar, when Bob Lane of Another Run and Whit stops by the gastropub to drop a DJ set. If you don’t know Bob by now, you should stop by this event to meet him. He’s a super nice guy, a heck of a bassist, and the one guy who will share your event on Facebook for no other reason than being a nice person. The all ages event runs from 7 pm to 10 pm, there’s free parking in the attached garage, and it’s 100% FREE.
If that’s not your vibe, then you could swing by Nightingale Room to catch the return of Galveston’s Come See My Dead Person. Possibly one of the most intriguing bands you could catch live, this six-piece mixes bluegrass, Americana, rock, and folk with hints of Gypsy soul and a punk attitude. Their music is entertaining and captivating to see in person, and it’s nice to see when they come out of the woodworks to perform. There’s no word of openers but that might change for the 100% FREE 21 & up show with doors at 7 pm.
Ringo Deathstarr. Photo: Shelley Hiam
Satellite Bar will host a barn burner when the high energy of Austin’s Ringo Deathstarr returns for what will probably be a memorable set. The three-piece will be here in support of this year’s Pure Mood that echoes their vibes of dream pop and indie rock pretty perfectly. The shoegaze psych of Pennsylvania’s The Stargazer Lilies will be on as direct support, while the darkwave noise pop of Austin’s Pale Dian will be on beforehand. The always chill psych sounds of Houston’s Mantra Love will go on prior while a Delphine Coma DJ set will open the all ages show with doors at 8 pm and tickets for $10.
Over at Rudyard’s you can catch the crazed sounds of LA based no frills, no BS, rock duo The Two Tens. At first glance you might think that they’re a take on a certain red, white, and black themed duo from Detroit. But once you delve into their new album, Volume, you should realize that they’re more of a punk duo with garage pop influence. They’ll have the energy heavy sounds of Houston sleaze rock band Killer Hearts on hand as direct support and openers. If you’ve never caught these guys then you’ve been missing out. The 21 & up show has doors at 8 pm and an $8 cover.
Thursday you can get going at Satellite Bar when the roots rock of Atlanta’s Drivin’ N Cryin’ stop by to perform for the first time in Texas in over fifteen years. In their 30th year, this band has a gold record and a slew of hits, and have kept dropping albums since they had their biggest hits almost twenty years ago. The alt country goodness of Houston’s Ruckus will provide the duties of direct support, and prove why they’re a band that you shouldn’t sleep on. dUNE TX will open the all ages show with doors at 7 pm and tickets for $12.
Dead To The World. Photo: Violet Alvarez
If you’d rather get your punk fix then you could head to Nightingale Room to catch the charged sounds of Dead To The World. These guys seem to gain more fans with each and every passing show, they definitely bring their a game to every performance, and last year’s EP War, echoed the sounds of early Rancid. Houston’s Revels will be on hand to open the 21 & up show with doors at 7 pm and it’s 100% FREE.
In the ballroom at Warehouse Live you could go see the massively popular R&B sounds of LA-based duo, Rhye. This group, made up of a Canadian singer and a Danish multi-instrumentalist, has gone pretty far with an elusive starting. They’ve gotten praise for their engaging live shows as of late and 2024’s Woman contained more than enough hits. Chris Baio of Vampire Weekend will open things under his solo project BAIO for the all ages show with doors at 8 pm and tickets between $23 and $25.
Continental Club will host day one of their 16th Annual Rock Baby Rock It festival that will see a headlining set from Huntinanny. The surf trash four-piece from San Francisco has made quite the name for themselves for their engaging honky tonk tunes and their fun live shows. Their latest release, this year’s Cadillac Hearse, is in line with their twangy tunes. The 21 & up show has doors at 8 pm and three-day passes for $45 or $10 for this show specifically.
Friday you could start off at Walters for the metalcore of LA’s Terror. Though this hardcore five-piece has only been around a little under fifteen years, they have a pretty rabid fan base and are rumored to have insane live shows. Last year they dropped another intense album with The 25th Hour and their set should be a crazy one. The speed metal thrash of Dallas’ Power Trip will be on as direct support, while the electronic hardcore of Chicago’s Harm’s Way will go on prior. The hardcore punk of Maryland’s Angel Du$t will also perform while the all ages show will get opened by DC’s Red Death. The doors are at 5 pm and tickets are between $23 and $25.
Sklar Brothers Photo: The History Channel
If that’s not your thing, then you could attend one of the two shows for the always funny Sklar Brothers over at Rec Room presented by The Secret Group. Here to drop two comedy sets that liken to their funny podcast Sklarbro Country, the St. Louis-born brothers have kind of done everything from stints on ESPN to a new special on Netflix. They’ll have their podcast compatriot and fellow comic, the hilarious Daniel Van Kirk as their feature act. Houston’s Andrew Youngblood will be on as host for the two 18 & up shows with doors at at 6:30 pm or 10 pm both with tickets between $18 and $22.
If you want to catch one of the biggest Norteno music stars going, then you could stop by Toyota Center to see Julion Alvarez y su Norteno Banda. If you know who this guy is, then you know he’s a big deal with a crazy large fan base. If you don’t, that’s okay too, but his 2024 album Mis Idolos, Hoy Mis Amigos!!!, which translates to “My Idols Today Are My Friends,” is a juggernaut of the genre. Pancho Barraza and El Coyote will open the all ages show with doors at 7 pm and tickets between $65 and $181.
If you didn’t make it over to catch Louis CK last week, then you could head to Joke Joint Comedy Showcase this week to catch one of his support acts, Joe List. List has done more than open for CK, he’s been on Letterman, he’s had a half hour Comedy Central special, and he’s an all around funny guy. His latest album, Are You Mad At Me? from this year, is pretty much a laugh a second and he should be worth checking out. New York-based act and Kingwood high school alum Sarah Tollemache will be on these shows as the feature act. Tollemache is seriously one of the funniest comics you might have missed and her stints on Comedy Central alone are enough to make it out to see her on these shows. As per all of these shows, one of Houston’s better comics will perform the duties of host. The 18 & up shows are at 8 pm and 10 pm on both Friday and Saturday, and they all have tickets between $16 and $18.
Something Fierce. Photo: Jason Smith
Fitzgerald’s will be hosting their 39th Anniversary show with the always engaging and entertaining sounds of Houston’s JW Americana. Is this band punk, Americana, country, or something in-between them all? I think it’s just fair to say that they’re great and leave it at that. Their last album, 2024’s Black Eggs, sounds like you’re between an amazing and a bad trip on acid while visiting a campsite outside of Southern Texas, and their live sets are always legendary. The fun power pop punk of Houston’s Something Fierce will bring their energy on as support, while the crazed energy of Giant Kitty will open the all ages show with doors at 8 pm and tickets for $10.
If you’re a fan of Burden Brothers and Toadies, then you should head to the studio at Warehouse Live to catch a solo set from Vaden Todd Lewis, vocalist for both. The show will be an acoustic set where he plays your favorites from both catalogs. There’s no word of openers or support, but that could change. The all ages show has doors at 8 and tickets between $18 & $22.
Day two of Rock Baby Rock It at Continental Club will see a headlining set from Midwestern rockabilly trio, Three Blue Teardrops. These guys are rumored to be crazy live and though they don’t drop albums often, they’re all on point with Heads Up For 53! being their most recent. The garage rockabilly of Florida’s The Wild Tones will be on hand as direct support, while things will get kicked off by the always amazing roots rock of Austin’s The Octanes. This is a killer lineup for any fan of the genre and it’s a steal for the three day $45 ticket or if you just want this show, it’s $20. The 21 & up show has doors at 8 pm.
Since Always. Photo: Dwayne Cathey
Over at Rudyard’s you can catch the shoegaze indie rock sounds of Houston’s Since Always. Though they’re now a two-piece and they just dropped the album, Consequences last year, they’re already set to release another album sooner rather than later. The indie alterna rock of Houston four-piece Super Robot Party will be on hand as direct support, with Purapharm on beforehand. Houston’s Brock Boehm will open the 21 & up show with an $8 cover and doors at 8 pm.
The Red Light At Springbok will host a set from Houston synth pop duo Camera Cult. These guys make some catchy, dance-worthy tunes when you catch them live, and their singles like “Don’t Hang Out” feel like they could be played during any eighties film. The chillwave ambient pop of Whale Bones will also be on the bill, while things will get started with the highly energized pop rock of Well Well. Get there early for those guys as they have a pretty crazy live show. The 21 & up show has doors at 9 pm and it’s 100% FREE.
You can close out your evening at Big Top when the surf rock good times of The Phantom Royals perform. These guys are a three-piece with the intensity of a much larger band, and they play standards and favorites from the genre with high energy and ease. The 21 & up show has doors at 9:30 pm and it’s 100% FREE.
Saturday you can begin at the Big Barn at Dosey Doe to catch the hit maker country group, The Oak Ridge Boys. When I was a kid and every country artist had their own TV show, these guys were racking up hits like crazy. If you’ve never seen them before, they’re pretty entertaining and rumor is that they haven’t missed a beat since. They’ll play all of their hits like “Family Reunion,” “Elvira,” and “Bobbie Sue” to name a few. They’ve gotten a lot more gospel since the seventies, but they also don’t come here much anymore. There are two shows that both include dinner with your tickets, served an hour before each show. The shows are at 5 pm and 8:30 pm and both have tickets between $108 and $168.
If that’s not your thing, then you can head to the Woodlands Pavilion for the popular sounds of Miami rapper Pitbull. This guy has been going strong since Luther Campbell got the rapper to drop a verse on the “Lollipop” single. His latest single “Messin’ Around (w/Enrique Iglesias)” and last year’s album Dale just prove that he might be an unstoppable force. New York bachata singer Prince Royce will be on hand as direct support and opener for the all ages show with gates at 6 pm and tickets between $29.95 and $129.95.
Linda Gail Lewis. Photo: Courtesy of Artist/Facebook
Day Three of the Rock Baby Rock It at Continental Club will close off with a set from the legendary Linda Gail Lewis. Sister to Jerry Lee Lewis, she’s worked with the likes of Van Morrison, her brother, and more. Her latest album, Heartbreak Highway (What Can I Do, What Can I Say) is a barn burner for sure. There’s a ton on the last day like a burlesque set from Mary Lynn Mayhem, Phantom Shakers, and a ton more. The 21 & up show has doors at 6 pm and three day passes are $45 or this show by itself is $25.
At Avant Garden, you can attend Jeff Fest III in honor of Jeff Hunter who graced a ton of Houston shows and did a ton for the local music scene. The show will feature poetry, music, and art from a long list of artists. Sets from Devil Killing Moth, Space Villains*, Whit, Mouthing, BIZ, Dillon Trimm and many more will be on hand to perform. The 21 & up show is 100% FREE, it has more information available here and it gets going at 6 pm.
Steve Miller Band. Photo: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP
However, if you’re a joker, a smoker, or even a midnight toker; then you might want to head to Revention Center to catch seventies rock legends, the Steve Miller Band. Miller himself is kind of a badass in that he recently called out the record industry after his induction to the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame. He also has a slew of hits like “The Joker,” “Fly Like An Eagle,” “Take The Money and Run,” and “Rock’n Me” to name a few. He’ll have the Southwestern rock of Houston’s Pecos Hank on as direct support. Hank of the band Southern Backtones makes some of the most chill and interesting sounds you can hear today, and his latest, last year’s El Reno Blues, is a trip to say the least. The all ages show has doors at 7 pm and tickets between $39.50 and $59.50.
Over at Satellite Bar you can catch the soulful electro pop of Austin’s The Wild Now. This duo plays music you can dance to or make out to, and their latest release Tides is pretty hard to not groove to. Houston’ Kyle Hubbard will be on as direct support to drop rhymes and gain even more fans. Though the rapper dropped an album last year with Majestic Hotel, he’s already released a follow up this year with the EP Four Free. The psych blues jams of Mojave Red will also perform, while the groovy soul of Mind Shrine will go on prior. A DJ set from Mark Drew open things up. The all ages show has doors at 8 pm and tickets for $8 or $10 for under 21.
Charlie & the Regrets. Photo: Courtesy of Artist/Facebook
Fitzgerald’s will be celebrating day two of their 39th Anniversary weekend with a set upstairs from Sergio Trevino of Buxton. I don’t think I convey enough that the last Buxton album Half A Native is a true masterpiece, or the fact that Sergio by himself acts as the catalyst for those songs and more. His solo stuff is a mix of Buxton, Guess Genes, Ancient Cat Society, and rare gems. He’ll have the soulful folk of Houston’s Sara Van Buskirk on prior as direct support, and a set from alt country songstress Libby Koch on before that. Downstairs a set from the Skrla Steel Trio will provide some Western swing while Frantz performs beforehand, and the always entertaining country twang of Charlie and The Regrets start things off. The all ages show has doors at 8 pm and tickets for $10 at the door.
You can get your prog rock fix at Scout Bar when Houston’s Valeluna performs at their album release party. The five-piece has been dropping covers between this new album and their debut from two years ago, and they seem to have the whole post alt rock thing down with precision. The progressive and alterna rock sounds of So Soon, The Truth will be direct support, and the traditional rock of now four piece, Save The Fire will play prior. The crazed and intense precision of Vox Vocis will open the all ages show with doors at 8 pm and tickets between $7 and $10.
Hiram. Photo: Jay Tovar
Another edition of A Really Kool Party will commence over at Fox Hollow. Alongside the resident DJ’s Gracie Chavez and Hiram, this edition will feature a headlining set from the elusive producer duo also known as floods. If you haven’t been paying attention, the two producers birdmagic & android genius have been gaining plenty of steam under their partnership of floods. With a selective few only seeing them drop sets and an album out this fall, this set should definitely be on your to-do list. The 21 & up show will get hosted by Reko Trill with doors at 9 pm. It’s 100% FREE until 11 pm, and then it’s $5.
Under The Volcano will host the sixties garage and doo wop DJ sounds of Here Come The Girls. It seems like it’s been a while since I’ve seen the all female DJ group perform, and this is a great venue to see them at. The 21 & up evening gets going around 9 pm and it’s 100% FREE.
You can close out over at The Flat when Damon Allen stops by to drop a DJ set under the moniker Serpentine Disco. This guy knows how to get feet moving and drop jams whenever you see him. Things get going around 10 pm and the 21 & up event is 100% FREE.
Sunday you could start off at Donkey Paw Screenprint Design for an all day barrage of punk, psych, and everything in-between on the Fast Times at Dirty High show. A tour kickoff for Talk Sick Brats, there’s also sets from Silver Blueberry, MODFAG, Licker, and Austin’s Savage Pinks as well as a bunch more. The details are here, it gets going around 2 pm, and it’s 100% FREE.
Charles Bronson. Photo: Cannon Films
Later on, if you had planned on stopping by Walters for their Charles Bronson Appreciation Night, it has since been cancelled.
House of Blues will have the popular country-infused indie pop of Whitney. Built around the songs of former Unknown Mortal Orchestra member Julien Ehrlich, this duo makes catchy as hell songs that are found all over their debut, Light Upon The Lake from this year. The fuzzy pop rock of Ontario’s Michael Rault will be on hand as direct support and opener for the all ages show with doors at 7 pm and tickets for $13.
Monday at Walters you can catch the alt rock of Trade Wind. Grabbing plenty of props from the starting gate, this band has become well known for intense live shows, and their latest release, You Make Everything Disappear, is getting lots of praise. The ambient folk of Houston’s Many Rooms will be on hand as direct support, and if you missed last year’s beautiful sounding album Hollow Body, then you need to catch this set. The indie rock of Oakland’s Wander will be on hand to open things up, and their album Mourning makes me think that you should go early to check them out. The all ages show has doors at 6:30 pm and tickets between $10 and $12.
Junkie. Photo: Oscar Moreno
Tuesday you could swing by Satellite Bar to catch the garage surf sounds of San Antonio’s Junkie. This three-piece is rumored to have insane live shows, they’re finishing up a large scale tour, and their latest release W/E is pretty stellar to say the least. Houston’s Jeremy Carswell will technically go on after them to close out the night with his intriguing indie pop sounds. Katy’s A Tribute To The Sun will bring their lo-fi sound on the bill as well, and Pasadena one man band MATAMOROS will open the all ages show with doors at 7:30 pm and a $5 cover.
That’s about all that’s happening this week. No matter what you decide to do, please do so in the safest manner possible.
