Derek Udensi

Audio art mixes with light at this new show from Vermont-born “musician, artist, bookbinder, juggler, woodworker, and dungeon master” Cooper McBean. Through a series of tones bounced off resonating panels as well as into an illuminated pool at the center of Recspec’s shipping-container venue, McBean’s work creates reflections that light up the space. These – the titular “caustics” – can be manipulated by the gallery’s audience through adding their own little hums and hahs into its atmosphere. Check out this mix of water, light, and sound on its opening night, Nov. 8, or during the second week of the Austin Studio Tour. – James Scott

Duster couldn’t have timed their second act better. The San Jose slowcore masters released two great, but relatively underground, albums during their initial Y2K-era run before disbanding for nearly 20 years. Shortly after reemerging with 2019’s Duster, the kids on TikTok discovered the melancholy guitar noodles and spacey drones of 1998 magnum opus

Plan you week in live music

Lots of reasons to get out of the house and bring the earplugs

Shoegaze, hip-hop, jazz, and three days of Wilco

In the grand Christmas tradition of weird holiday music, composer, provocateur, and experimentalist Graham Reynolds has already savaged holiday music a half dozen times, taking your beloved favorites and turning them into moody, depression-triggering nightmares. He’s at it again for the seventh year, ready to curdle your eggnog, crumple your presents, and crack your candy canes. Reynolds usually ropes in guests from the Austin jazz scene to join the anti-fun; for this show, he’ll be accompanied by vibraphone sorceress Carolyn Trowbridge (Coke/Michel Sextet, the Azmaris). Watch one of Austin’s maverick geniuses jingle your bells in all the wrong ways. – Michael Toland

Call it a melting pot. At Might Be Magic, the love child dance party series born from the minds of Brett Johnson and Claudia Hernandez, weekly club nights at various Austin venues keep the freshest crate diggers in touch with old-school seasoned DJs. This week at Cheer Up Charlies, MBM welcomes back Brownsville-reared, Austin-nurtured DJ and producer CHKLTE (pronounced “Chocolate”), whose rising star has taken him around the globe playing alongside tastemakers Marco Carola, Shaun Reeves, Doc Martin, and Raresh. Repping Club Eternal, M.Shogi and Al V Dam team up as Tough n’ Pretty. Neon Grotto’s Industry Night mainstay Oh!V completes the bill. – Christina Garcia

Get your weekdays planned out

Get in the spirit with these arts and cultural happenings

At Walker Lukens’ The Last Walt on Dec. 6, Carrie Fussell, wearing a glamorous black ball gown, belted “I Will Always Love You.” Usually, covers of this song – especially when sung like Whitney, not Dolly, as Fussell did – elicit in me only dread and secondhand embarrassment, as few people can pull off such an infamously difficult vocal performance. Fussell, apparently masking a powerful set of pipes during her time in Calliope Musicals, killed it. New project BRUCE reveals even more of her talents. “Cherry” offers insight into the artist’s neglected childhood, and preview tracks from upcoming projects signal art-pop experimentation. Knife Channel and Big Bill round out Friday’s bill. – Carys Anderson