Sentimental Family Band, Georgia Parker

Thursday 29, The White Horse

The next generation of Western swing is thriving in Austin, and Sentimental Family Band leads the way with the upcoming release of long-awaited debut LP Sweethearts Only on Tomika Records. The songwriting trio of Camille Lewis, Kyle Albrecht, and Matthew Shepherd expands to a full sevenpiece to fill out their sound, lacing classic Fifties-style country with touches of jazz and Bakersfield honky-tonk. Big Cedar Fever’s Georgia Parker sets up with new singles “Why Can’t It Be Me” and her take on Cindy Walker’s “Don’t Count Your Chickens.”   – Doug Freeman

Eli Josef Farewell Show

Friday 1, Hole in the Wall

Since launching in 2019 with the inquisitive pop-rock push-and-pull of internet-ready track "I Love You Aubrey Plaza," Eli Josef's conversational, chillout catalog has held on with self-deprecating catchiness and a carefree cadence. Some say quit while you're ahead, so the Austin artist officially taps out with a self-titled LP on local label Happen Twice, where titles "Cowboy Therapy" and "Slowcore Country Boy" aptly point to an infusion of barroom twang (plus a cover of Big Thief's "Red Moon"). The band's final stand calls on sleep well. (whose latest It’s Getting Brighter joins Josef on Spotify's open-ended "Fresh Finds Folk") and Stalefish (who just released their own alt-rocking Stalefish Does America).   – Rachel Rascoe

Leti Garza

Friday 1, Waterloo Records

“I’m in a little piece of heaven,” Leti Garza checked in early pandemic, “where there’s nothing except cows, who periodically eat grass in my front yard, a large assortment of birds, and the big, blue Texas sky.” You could hear it in the Texan’s Latin folk-pop then and especially on the resulting Canciones Sobre la Vida y la Muerte, a bilingual gem of Hill Country spirituality. Still but lifting – the spirit takes flight in the meditative – Garza’s songs of life and death sing, dance, cavort. Waterloo Records reclaimed the Best Record Store heavyweight belt at this year’s AMAs, so let’s pachanga.   – Raoul Hernandez

Bésame Mucho Festival

Saturday 2, Circuit of the Americas

Following its launch at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium last year, Bésame Mucho Festival expands to Austin with a multigenerational Latin music-focused lineup including Los Tigres del Norte, Juanes, Banda MS, Grupo Frontera, Caifanes, Bronco, Gloria Trevi, Café Tacvba, and Alejandra Guzmán. The absolutely massive schedule of over 90 Spanish-language acts divides among stages labeled Las Clásicas, Beso, Rockero, and Te Gusta El Pop? Tickets to the one-day fest, which launched at $275 presale, now run for $399.   – Rachel Rascoe

Tkay Maidza

Saturday 2, Antone’s Nightclub

Heralded as a lively reset of Tkay Maidza’s eclectic pop and R&B framework, Sweet Justice arrived on 4AD last year to break up with past boundaries. The sleek, synth-led, bass-heavy collaboration with major producers like Kaytranada and Flume followed the artist’s Last Year Was Weird EP trilogy, which stretched over three years and 24 songs. The Zimbabwean-born, Australian-raised, and now Los Angeles-based artist returns following a set at ACL Fest 2021.   – Rachel Rascoe

Dorian Electra

Saturday 2, Mohawk

Houston-born provocateur Dorian Electra promises gleeful genderfuckery and high-camp hyperpop as addictive as Mountain Dew. Like fellow genre-dodging pioneers/past collaborators 100 gecs, the performance artist mashes experimental pop, punk, and baroque stylings with reckless abandon, amalgamating in a highly theatrical output that drips with queer sex appeal. Since retiring their signature eyeliner-drawn pencil mustache, the artist remains equally playful with presentation as with genre, donning an Edwardian-era bodice reminiscent of a slutty Sgt. Pepper on recent album Fanfare’s cover. Supporting siblings Frost Children return their euphoric glitchcore to Austin after last spring’s electrifying SXSW sets, while atlgrandma supplies tongue-in-cheek digital pop.   – Genevieve Wood

Indigo Girls

Sunday 3, ACL Live at the Moody Theater

At 16 albums and counting, Indigo Girls are widely hailed as living legends. Rightfully so – the Atlanta-grown folk duo, made up of childhood friends Amy Ray and Emily Saliers, are beloved by audiences as much for their bluegrass-infused sound as their fierce political activism, blazing a vibrant trail for queer artists everywhere. Produced by John Reynolds of Sinéad O’Connor fame, latest LP Look Long (2020) packs soft, twang-tinged rock that basks in the gentle glow of their shared Southern upbringing. Alabama singer-songwriter Kristy Lee, fresh off 2023 album The Olive Tree, opens.   – Elizabeth Braaten

Sleater-Kinney

Wednesday 6, ACL Live at the Moody Theater

Trading agile punk for measured, electronic alternative, Sleater-Kinney’s second act hasn’t always stuck the landing. On fourth post-reunion album Little Rope, however, Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein find their footing. Rumbling like The Woods with a modern finish, the duo keeps recent experiments in synths, but brings back the angular guitar lines we’ve all missed. Brownstein sends up depression with a smirk in “Don’t Feel Right,” while Tucker, still an inimitably playful vocalist, leads “Small Finds” with both a winking sigh and an assured caterwaul. Opener Katherine Paul soundtracks her indigenous experience in indie rock project Black Belt Eagle Scout.   – Carys Anderson

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Music Notes

by Derek Udensi

Conway the Machine

Friday 1, Antone’s

Booker iLL MaNNER throws one of his biggest events yet by bringing the Buffalo rapper Downtown. The former Griselda member returns to Austin after performing at Mala Vida last year for EMPIRE Distribution’s South by Southwest showcase. He’s coming off an impressive 2023, in which he released multiple projects and presented the debut compilation LP for his Drumwork Music Group label.

1K Phew

Friday 1, Parish

Despite releasing music under Christian hip-hop royal Lecrae's Reach Records label, 1K Phew takes a different approach from what's expected of a Christian rapper by bringing trap sensibilities to the genre. He proudly displays his Atlanta roots through an assemblage of catchy flows, cadences, and beat selections. "The Offering" could easily pass as a Young Thug song until you hear "I don’t take no cap from the preacher." Recent release Pray for Atlanta is a collaborative project with superproducer Zaytoven, a man whose heavenly keys have blessed several trap greats over the years.

Bas

Monday 4, Emo’s

Paris-born, Queens-bred Dreamville Records signee tours in support of fourth studio album We Only Talk About Real Shit When We’re Fucked Up.