Zander Schloss, Solo and with Circle Jerks

Chess Club, Friday 21
Carson Creek Ranch, Saturday 22

Actor/musician/composer Zander Schloss is the quietest sorta punk rock legend. He's acted in most of director Alex Cox's films, beginning with Repo Man, where he met the cameo-ing Circle Jerks, whom he joined on bass guitar, playing on five LPs and countless tours. From there he became a prime collaborator with another Cox repertory member, Joe Strummer; reactivated '77 L.A. punk heroes the Weirdos; and other luminaries including Thelonious Monster and Mike Watt.

So why's he playing solo acoustic at the tiny Chess Club on Friday night? Well, it's likely because he will be assuming his bass duties with the Circle Jerks on Saturday, at NOFX's two-day farewell tour stop.

The more intimate Chess Club gig will certainly promote his newly released first solo album Song About Songs, which he indicates is less about high-volume punk bashing and more about "space and vulnerability and excruciating, almost subconscious emotions." He'll be joined by other punk legends flexing their acoustic sides, including Riverboat Gamblers' Mike Wiebe & Ian MacDougall, Chris Gates (Big Boys/Poison 13/Junkyard), and PEARS' Zach Quinn.

Schloss, Wiebe, MacDougall, and Quinn all exercise their punk sides the next day at Carson Creek Ranch, when Circle Jerks, Riverboat Gamblers, and PEARS take the stage at NOFX's Punk in Drublic Festival, alongside UK anarcho-punk heroes Subhumans, Codefendants, Days N' Daze, and San Antonio punkjunto Piñata Protest. – Tim Stegall

Old Settler’s Music Festival

Tilmon, Texas, April 20-23

As a registered nonprofit, Old Settler's Music Festival commits itself to carrying the legacy of American roots music to a new audience. Today, more than 25 years in, the festival's Americana emphasis stretches from folk to jazz to gospel. Each night after musical performances, three campgrounds stretched over 29 acres host late-night jams. Alongside local food and clothing vendors, the four days pack British singer-songwriter Yola, Grammy-nominated for her country soul, and New York trio the Wood Brothers. Eclectic sounds from Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, Shinyribs, Buffalo Nichols, Sunny War, Ley Line, and more will sound through the open land.  – Katie Karp

Austin Reggae Festival

Auditorium Shores, April 21-23

Since 1994, Austin Reggae Festival has hosted some of the genre's biggest names, alumni including Mykal Rose and Julian Marley. The locally owned music event annually benefits the Central Texas Food Bank. This year, the Skatalites, Jesse Royal, and Inner Circle will headline and bring storied iterations of their Jamaican sounds to Austin. Further, Hawaii-based Makua Rothman provides West Coast surf while Virginia reggae icon Mighty Joshua stages his mind-and-body-focused sounds. In addition to the international flood, local acts like Micah Shalom and Lion Heights remind of Austin's very own ska and dancehall artistry.  – Katie Karp

Lemon Twigs, Andrew H. Smith

3ten ACL Live, Saturday 22

With Beach Boys harmonies, Todd Rundgren melodies, and Sweet riffola, Long Island's Lemon Twigs channel Me Decade glam rock, soft rock, and power-pop into impeccably crafted, fervently performed ingots of pure rock & roll. Despite being too young to experience that music directly, the D'Addario brothers – sons of Sixties/Seventies singer-songwriter Ronnie D'Addario – sound so steeped. Only seeing their baby faces in person will dispel the illusion of listening to a long-lost act from the era. The band's fourth album Everything Harmony comes out in early May. Garage-pop clown Andrew H. Smith opens.  – Michael Toland

Yee-Craw feat. Galactic, the Suffers

Empire Control Room, Sunday 23

Come April in Austin, you can count on three Cs: cedar allergies, concerts, and crawfish boils. From the minds of live music connoisseurs Resound Presents comes Yee-Craw, a joint celebration of Texan & New Orleanian culture and cuisine. The first bucket of crawfish is available when doors open at 2pm, followed by a groove-filled set from Baton Rouge-born R&B duo THEBROSFRESH. Roadhouse-ready Austin duo Greyhounds and Gulf Coast soul group the Suffers join. The crawfish is all-you-can-eat, but save room for late-night sets from Galactic featuring Anjelika "Jelly" Joseph, Punkadelick, and the Iceman Special.  – Genevieve Wood

Caroline Polachek, George Clanton

ACL Live at the Moody Theater, Tuesday 25

The time machine doors open in 2015. Breathless, neck damp with sweat, you emerge with a message for the people: "Listen, the biggest alternative-pop star of 2023 is the vocalist from Chairlift. Yes, those nostalgic Eighties indie-synth also-rans. But get this, Polacheck's music is riotously forward-thinking – a queasily sensual (or is that sensually queasy?) haunted frog pond of whooshing ambient textures and impish, gurgling glitch work. WHAT'S MORE, she's bringing a (former) vaporwave dude on tour!" The denizens of the Obama era stare back confusedly as you hand them a copy of George Clanton's surging, anthemic 2018 dance-trance masterpiece Slide and disappear in a flash.  – Julian Towers

Dream House Quartet

Bass Concert Hall, Tuesday 25

Led by veteran French pianists Katia and Marielle Labèque, and featuring guitarists David Chalmin and the National's Bryce Dessner, the Dream House Quartet grew out of the sisters' ambitious 2013 album Minimalist Dream House. As with that record, the DHQ highlights minimalist composers like Philip Glass, Meredith Monk, and Aphex Twin, alongside new works by Chalmin and Dessner. The group's brand new self-titled EP, released on renowned international classical label Deutsche Grammophon, presents their rich, gorgeous sound in all its luminous glory. This tour also features the first North American airing of Thom Yorke's classical opus Don't Fear the Light.  – Michael Toland

Enslaved, Insomnium

Come & Take It Live, Tuesday 25

According to our records, Norwegian black metal vikings Enslaved last stormed these landlocked shores March 13, 2008 – at a SXSW day party. First act on at Stubb's during an afternoon bill headlined by Motörhead, the now-32-year-old extreme pioneers clamored onstage around 12:20pm and played exactly 19 minutes, British mag NME later calling the performance "aborted." Short, yes. Thrilling, YASSS. Fifteen interminable ages later, they return for a full set on the occasion of 16th full-length Heimdal, a typically progressive and fully ripping uptick from 2020's Utgard. Finnish melodic death metallers Insomnium and blackened NYC thrashers Black Anvil support.  – Raoul Hernandez

Trouble in the Streets Album Release

Parish, Thursday 27

Following self-descriptive EPs Electro Tribe (2016) and Rule Breaker (2019), Trouble in the Streets unveiled their first album last week. The Austin band will perform the electro-punk sounds of Satisfy Saturn live next Thursday. From contemplative, futuristic tunes like "Can I Breathe" to guitar-heavy rock bangers like "Get High" – all the way to the slow, soulful "Scar Tissue" – the LP packs with a vast range of individually eclectic songs. Beyond artful sounds, the group never shies away from equally impressive and experimental visuals. Caleb de Casper opens up the Intergalactic Prom-themed evening.  – Katie Karp

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Music Notes

by Derek Udensi

KUTX Rock the Park

Mueller Lake Park Outdoor Amphitheater, Friday 21

A free, family-friendly opportunity to catch ascending local pop outfit Luna Luna. Parker Woodland opens.

billy woods

Parish, Monday 24

Unorthodox, technical, two-decade-plus rap veteran who represents one half of underground duo Armand Hammer. After dropping two solo albums last year, the NYC-bred rhymer will release the collaborative album Maps next month with Los Angeles-based producer Kenny Segal.

Babyface Ray

Emo's, Tuesday 25

A key player in helping the modern Detroit rap scene gain national attention during the pandemic – breakout 2021 mixtape Unfuckwitable a signifier of his new status – the seasoned 32-year-old drops lines with a laid-back flow, as if he's groggily awaking in luxurious Versace pajamas. Motor City contemporary and frequent collaborator Veeze provides support.