The Unity Show w/ Heartless Bastards, Deezie Brown

Haute Spot, Sunday 5

Prepare for the onslaught of South by Southwest day shows with a locally packed afternoon north of the impending Downtown fray. Cedar Park scene the Haute Spot hosts the Unity Show, benefiting a number of nonprofits (DAWA, Free Lunch, and The Other Ones Foundation) and organized by songwriters Graham Weber and Graham Wilkinson's "Grahams Give Back" campaign. Holding down the headlining slot for the wildly eclectic lineup, Heartless Bastards tap into A Beautiful Life, empowering and anthemic behind Erika Wennerstrom's soaring vocals and golden guitar crescendos. Freshly tapped Austin Music Awards winner for Best Hip-Hop/Rap, Deezie Brown, rolls out masterpiece 5th Wheel Fairytale and latest Geto Gala single "Champagne Wishes," while Buffalo Hunt swirls in the art-pop Ambitions of Ambiguity. Supergroup of indie-pop KVN unites Primo the Alien, Dossey, and Lady Heartwing into a danceable barrage, and Goldie Pipes belts his own low-down blues and funk from 2020's The Chocolate Quarters. Country troubadour Jonathan Terrell continues his rise between rockers and ballads, while AMA folk artist of the year the Deer represents with Grace Rowland and Jesse Dalton. Gordy Quist (Band of Heathens) rounds out with a solo turn alongside Wilkinson and Weber.  – Doug Freeman

Swass Nites w/ Jad Fair, Graffiti Phallico, Blank Hellscape

Chess Club, Friday 3 – Sunday 5

Before SXSW comes to by and large replace wild, high-gain guitars and untamed, feral passion with, like, tastefully esoteric synth-bass patterns – noisy rock in Austin remains an overflowing bounty, accessible to anyone with cash in pocket (specifically $15 on Saturday and $10 on Friday/Sunday). Radical rewards for those possessing the stamina to travel directly from the hellfire-encrusted circle pit of This Is Austin, Not That Great: much-hyped dream-psych shoegazers Crushed and Clear Acid, lo-fi legend Jad Fair, new legacy punk configurations Graffiti Phallico (members of Milk Music) and Angelina (members of Fiddlehead), and the avant clamor of Blank Hellscape and God Shell uniting forces to level the whole city. Find the Chronicle's full preview of the weekend fest online.  – Julian Towers

Gabriel Santiago Quartet

Monks Jazz, Saturday 4

Multihyphenate guitarist (six-string, seven-string, 12-string, acoustic, electric – you name it) Gabriel Santiago hails from Brazil but received his doctorate in music from UT-Austin and keeps a foot in each camp. He's composed music for symphonies, chamber orchestras, film, and television shows, as well as jazz combos, and worked or studied with a daunting list of jazz luminaries: Esperanza Spalding, Maria Schneider, Pat Metheny, Stefon Harris, Chris Potter, Terence Blanchard. For this quartet gig, he recruits local talent and spotlights the seven-string for a celebration of jazz harmony and melodic groove.  – Michael Toland

Suki Waterhouse Free Show

Domain NORTHSIDE, Saturday 4

English actress Suki Waterhouse broke out with a music career last year thanks to TikTok favorite "Good Looking," a cinematic romance anthem that stomps with slow-beat drums and shimmering atmospherics. That introduction makes her record deal with grunge stalwarts Sub Pop a curious choice, but debut LP I Can't Let Go balances the grandiosity with slinky "The Devil I Know" and breezy "Bullshit on the Internet." The free show precedes a watch party for Daisy Jones & the Six, the star's new Amazon series set in the rock & roll Seventies.  – Carys Anderson

Stick Men, Dodo

Parish, Sunday 5

With King Crimson on ice, Chapman Stick artiste Tony Levin and Austin drummer Pat Mastelotto have plenty of bandwidth to reconvene with touch guitar master Markus Reuter in Stick Men. The (former?) side project released two albums (2021's Owari, with jazz fusion keyboardist Gary Husband, and 2022's live album Umeda) of their angular progressive rock, as well as the new EP Tentacles. With the stick and touch guitar having far wider ranges than the usual bass or six-string, expect mind-bending sonics and uniquely virtuosic playing powering Men classics like "Prog Noir," plus the occasional Crimson tune.  – Michael Toland

Cro-Mags, Ringworm, No/Más, Brat

The Lost Well, Tuesday 7

The New York band more responsible than almost anyone for fusing hardcore punk with thrash metal, Cro-Mags' founding member Harley Flanagan solely remains from the lineup who cut the landmark 1986 debut album, The Age of Quarrel. More recent output, such as the 2019 EP From the Grave, features Flanagan growling front and center, besides his usual bass duties. The new material retains the punch and subtlety of a 500-pound jackhammer. They arrive carrying a package of three other thrashsters – Ringworm, No/Más, and Brat.  – Tim Stegall

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Music Notes

by Derek Udensi

Chase B

The Marc, Friday 3

Travis Scott's touring DJ comes to San Marcos for a solo show.

Future Superstar Tour

Emo's, Saturday 4

In his latest endeavor, Nick Cannon hosts a tour focusing solely on music. The 24-stop trek features artists signed to the comedic Californian's N'Credible Entertainment label and budding touring acts. Headliners include Oakland rapper Symba and chart-topping wailer 24kGoldn – the latter responsible for setting an inescapable "Mood" in 2020.

LP Giobbi

Superstition, Saturday 4

The Oregon transplant begins her three-part monthly residency on the heels of remixing Jerry Garcia's Garcia (see the Chronicle's Feb. 3 review).

DVSN

Stubb's, Sunday 5

Slow jamming R&B duo consisting of singer Daniel Daley and producer Nineteen85, the Toronto tandem is currently signed to Drake's OVO Sound record label.