Genevieve Wood

Shoegaze, noise rock, metal, post-punk, indie rock, chillwave, electroclash, and, yes, psych rock – there’s something for everyone on the lineup for this year’s Levitation, which takes over venues across Downtown and beyond this Halloweekend. The Far Out Lounge is particularly stacked with shows featuring Gang of Four, the Jesus Lizard, Dry Cleaning, Slowdive, and Drop Nineteens. Locals like Die Spitz, Grocery Bag, Porcelain, Witches Exist, Farmer’s Wife, and festival co-founders the Black Angels brush up against international favorites for a homegrown, but outward-looking, ode to alternative music. Choose your own adventure with individual show tickets, or snag a four-day pass for about $400. – Carys Anderson

After 30 years, the fivepiece returns to the scene for a genre fan’s dream By Genevieve Wood, Fri., Nov. 1, 2024

Gang of Four, Swirlies, Slowdive, and more highlights from the four-day fest Reviewed by Carys Anderson, Raoul Hernandez, and Genevieve Wood, Fri., Nov. 8, 2024

Plan you week in live music

I say a film was written by Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis, you think, obviously this is a time-travel romp about not dating your mom. Yet within their script-ology exists a strange screener written even before their Spielberg-directed flop

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

Hotel Vegas and Volstead fill hearts with cheer year-round, and the Yuletide season serves as no exception. Celebrate at the East Sixth staple with Minor Mishap Marching Band’s festive horn line, resident drag ensemble Vixens of Volstead’s Holiday Revue performance, and DJ sets from King Louie and ulovei. After snacking on pop-up bites from Crumpet Bottom and El Borracho Tacos, peruse an ATX Thrift-curated market, say cheese in a photo booth with drunk Santa, or shine bright at Christmas karaoke. – Genevieve Wood

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