Laurie Gallardo

Every single track on NNAMDÏ‘s Please Have A Seat is addictive enough to get stuck in the brain, and rightly so. The Chicago-based artist made a conscious decision when making the album: Each track had to be hummable.

Heralded as a multi-genre pop savant, NNAMDÏ mixes together what may typically be regarded as disparate sounds and sonic textures, and makes them work together in strangely satisfying, complimentary ways. Really, it boils down to NNAMDÏ making…whatever he wants.

NNAMDÏ returns to Austin for a performance tonight, Tuesday April 11, at the Parish, 501 Brushy St. Fellow Chicago artist Luke Titus opens the show. Doors at 7 p.m.

Songwriter, guitarist and vocalist Jess Shoman confronts the question eternal: Why do we not go for the excess of love we deserve? Or, in her own words, “What the hell?”

As Chicago-based music artist Tenci, Shoman celebrates self-rejuvenation on her second album A Swollen River, A Well Overflowing, an interplay of multiple instruments, and words and ideas from Shoman’s journal, trying to comprehend what this journey is all about. Tenci’s tour brings her to Austin for a show tomorrow night, Tuesday April 11, at Mohawk on Red River, on the inside stage. Austin-based artist and AMM fave Egaux Sells opens the show. Doors at 7 p.m.

The song featured on today’s AMM is R&B artist Daniel Fears‘ “Keep On,” and it caught the attention of composer Nate Laningham. He approached the KUTX Artist of the Month alumnus and asked if he’d be interested in arranging the song for a string ensemble. It made perfect sense. As a conservatory-trained trombonist himself, Fears was very interested in the idea, but he wanted to take it to the next level. The plan was simple: Fears and Laningham’s collaboration would create a welcoming space for R&B within the classical realm. Needless to say, the results were stunning, and it was only the first of Fears’ songs that would be reimagined through this classical soundscape.

Close To Home is a special program featuring intimate performances of these reimagined works, an absolutely breathtaking reintroduction to Fears’ distinctive R&B style through the workings of a classical ensemble, with arrangements by composers Laningham, Mobley, and Anthony R. Greene. There are two shows scheduled for Close To Home with Daniel Fears – Saturday’s show is sold out, but some tickets remain for tonight’s performance at the Draylen Mason Music Studio at KMFA, located at 41 Navasota St. The show starts at 7 p.m.

They will not be contained. Just before heading out on a spring mini tour, including a performance at This Is The End Fest in Houston, Austin-based hardcore psych/rage punks (and AMM fave) BONDBREAKR get the pit started at a big show tomorrow night, Friday April 7 at Kick Butt Coffee, 5775 Airport Blvd. They’re on the line-up with another band about to hit the road, headliner Hans Gruber and the Die Hards, along with SUMPP, Pocket FishRmen, and Jankem. Doors at 7:30 p.m. Prepare to be wrecked.

Do not adjust your TV set. Actually, the adjustments will be made to you. (Insert evil laughter here.)

Today’s AMM presents a video premiere for a new track by Hong Kong Wigs, “Fa Fa Fa.” Sure, everything seems all rosy and Brady Bunch-esque at first, including a family with mostly chipper expressions glued onto their paper bag faces. But things turn trippy and the cookies from the oven go bad. Real bad. What is that family watching on TV?? Check out the video below, and join Hong Kong Wigs for the first night of their April residency tonight, Wednesday April 5, at The 13^th Floor on Red River. They’re joined on the bill by Pollen RX and Exotic Fruits, with DJ Beats of Burden wrapping up the night. Doors at 8 p.m.

It’s the power of the inner metamorphosis.

Tearjerk songwriter/vocalist Vanessa Jollay pierces the heart with dream folk resplendence on today’s AMM-featured track “Can’t You See I’m Changin’,” a gentle but unwavering admission of letting go and rebuilding, with a renewed point of view. “I’ve opened blackout curtains / Dug up wisdom from within…”

Tearjerk kicks off a new residency this week at Hotel Vegas on E. 6th, where they’ll perform every Tuesday in April with different guests in the line-up each week. This week includes The Stacks and BRUCE, a solo project by Carrie Fussell (Calliope Musicals). The first residency show is tonight, Tuesday April 4. Doors at 9 p.m.

Yes, it’s a special occasion tonight at The Saxon Pub. Following BMI‘s Songwriter Series performances, 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., will be an intimate evening with two Austin artists on The Texas to Tennessee Tour:

• Here stirs an Irish spirit with a Texas heart. Austin-based artist Pat Byrne achingly captured the often unglamorous and unforgiving elements of a musician’s tour life on his recent release, “Feels Like Living,” recorded within the walls of an old church with some of his favorite local artists. Keeping the faith isn’t easy, but the music seems to move the soul forward.
• Postcards and letters are more romantic than email or texts. But even better? For Nashville-based songwriter Jaimee Harris, it’s writing love songs. That was part of the inspiration for getting Harris’ album Boomerang Town in motion, though it really began to take shape in 2016 during a time of great loss and personal reevaluation of her life, including a reconnection to her faith.

Tonight’s show starts at 8 p.m.

Time for the AMM to dish out the drama. There’s NO rest for the wicked famous. You can’t go for a walk, a coffee, or a freakin’ bathroom break without the ruthless paparazzi mowing you down in the damn bathroom stall with cameras and personal questions referencing that mean-ass tweet about you that went viral.

Now that the AMM rant portion is out of the way, time for some tea-spilling about everyone’s favorite trash-glam garage punks Lord Friday the 13th. DID YOU KNOW: The band is celebrating the video premiere of their single “Larger Than Life,” a gloriously over-the-top look at the highs and lows of fame – and notoriety, filmed in LA from Sunset Boulevard to a jaunt through Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

See the new video tonight, Saturday April 1, at Feels So Good Records, 211 E. Alpine Rd. Following the premiere are performances by Lord Friday the 13^th, Favor and Grocery Bag, with DJ Hollywood Jones spinning between sets. Dimestore glitz, trashy glamour, and blinding impetuosity. Doors at 6 p.m. And dress for that red carpet, darling.

Here’s another friendly reminder during KUTX’s spring membership drive of all the musical discovery that KUTX brings to you. This week, the Austin Music Minute spotlights two bands putting out new singles: Felt Out’s new album Until I’m Light is out April 14, and just ahead of its release is the hushed “fraught pop” beauty of “Room”; and today, experimental alt.-quartet Glasshealer releases their brilliant, searing art punk single “Ever Love, Ever Have,” featured on today’s AMM.

Catch Glasshealer and Felt Out at their double release show tonight, Friday March 31, at Hotel Vegas on E. 6th, on a bill that includes experimental metal outfit God Shell. Doors at 9 p.m. Holy hell, all of this is badass…

Expect three new EP’s from Austin-based band Futon Blonde this year, starting with today’s new release, Something That We’ve All Experienced Together Before, with the fantastic opener featured on today’s AMM, “Lonely As the Sun.” And on each EP, the band’s taking a leap into different genres, with the newest leaning more into brighter pop/rock hooks and a breezier touch.

Join Futon Blonde for their EP release show tonight, Thursday March 30, at Chess Club on Red River, with KUTX Artist of the Month alumus San Gabriel, and songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Drew Patrizi‘s project Trumpeter Swan. Doors at 8 p.m. This is going to rule.

Just on the heels of a very busy SXSW, Austin-based dream pop/shoegaze psych outfit Daydream Twins are wrapping up their March residency at Hole In the Wall tomorrow night, Wednesday March 29. It’s been a solid run at Hole, with ample opportunity for the band to share a new song on each show night, in advance of the follow-up to their self-titled 2022 debut LP.

Doors for tomorrow night’s show are 8 p.m., and joining the Twins on the bill are Dewey Ivy, I’d Really Like To See You Again, and Bristol/Toronto artists UVB-76.

When not shredding for Hong Kong Wigs or Sweet Spirit, Jon Fichter embarks on his own mad scientist musical experimentation as Jon Lloyd. And what’s in the lab? Fichter delights in weaving unusual and intriguing soundscapes into traditional pop styles. Inspired by all the good things like horror films, detective novels, good doggos, road trips and (oh HELL yes) Gary Numan, Fichter creates a unique trip of his own on Jon Lloyd’s debut LP, Walking the Rope, released on Mr. Pink Records.

Now’s your chance to catch Jon Lloyd during a night of awesome solo performances tonight, Monday March 27, at Chess Club on Red River, with Vanessa Jollay (Tearjerk) and Paul Stinson on the bill. Doors at 8 p.m., and the music starts at 9 p.m.

Today’s AMM featured track “Filtered,” a single from the forthcoming EP Unraveling by Austin-based duo Deer Fellow, explores the side effects of endless exposure to personal details of people’s lives via social media. But is this actually reality, these perfectly packaged action shots of brief moments that are meant to stir up envy? It’s time to see past the filters.”This song is a reminder to myself to…not look at my own life through this lens of altered reality that we’ve come to regard as normal,” says songwriter/vocalist Alyssa Kelley.

Deer Fellow celebrates the single release with a show tonight, Saturday March 25, at Radio Coffee and Beer, 4204 Menchaca Rd. The line-up includes a solo set by Katie Claghorn (Redbud), Aubrey Hays, and Elijah Delgado. The show starts at 8 p.m.

More shout-outs are in order from the AMM! If you haven’t already, make time to listen to Pause/Play‘s episode highlighting the experiences of Black artists in the local music scene. One of those artists is in the spotlight on today’s Music Minute – writer, actor and hip-hop artist Te’aunna Moore, known to the world as Blakchyl.

Moore got into rap when she was in high school with the help of a local nonprofit known as Cypher, connecting students to musicians to encourage them to write and perform. Moore’s biggest hope is that this kind of mentorship will continue to inspire and pave the way for future artists, the way it did for her. ““I hope to see something like a Cypher in the future,” she says. “I feel like if young people had some type of guidance like that, seeing other men and girls that look like them, who are really genre-bending and helping their community and making opportunities for themselves to leave and see the world.”

Blakchyl is one of several artists in tonight’s HELL’S HOTTEST Vol. 2 showcase at Empire Control Room on E. 7th. South Texas hip-hop artist and producer HELLCAT leads the bill featuring Censored Dialogue, Ben Buck, Khxnid, Sol Basik, Apollo and Naahlah. Doors at 7 p.m.

Xavier Sanchez and Thom Valles first met during their high school freshman year in their hometown of El Paso, and it strikes the AMM as hilarious that the two couldn’t stand the sight of each other. However, a drumline teacher at school instinctively brought them together in band. Something clicked back then, and now their combined talents and exploration of rock, punk, psych and thrash creates a badass primal explosion. On their debut release TRASH, Cheeky Orange knows the distortion draws you in and messes you up.

Catch Cheeky Orange at their show tonight, Thursday March 23, at Mohawk on the indoor stage, with Gorbit and Luxury Television on the bill. Doors at 8 p.m.

Tell them the El Chuco homegirl sent you.

If you’re on Instagram, the AMM recommends following Yawn Productions (@yawnproductions – sporting a yellow logo and the subheading “Stevie Ray Yawn”), spearheaded by the wonderful and talented Jake Ames. Somehow, the bassist for The Good Looks and guitarist/lead vocalist of The Stacks finds the time to book these awesome shows for South Austin treasure Sagebrush, but it’s clearly the dedication of a genuine music-lover.

These have been some pretty stellar line-ups, from Buffalo Hunt and Twain, to Batty Jr., Big Bill, Alex Dupreé, and Lord Friday the 13th, to name a few. The next show coming up features Lady Dan, Lady Chops and The Goddamn Jam, and Sugar Purr, all performing tonight, Wednesday March 22 at Sagebrush, 5500 S. Congress Ave. The music starts at 9 p.m.

If you know, you know. This is a special occasion with plenty of beautiful music to go around. Today’s AMM points you toward a cozy gathering of magical artistry stirring the mood tomorrow night, Wednesday March 22, at Mohawk on Red River. The indoor stage will be graced by the gorgeous musical ambling and hushed vocals of banjoist Lindsey Verrill and saw/harmonium player Jeff Johnston as Little Mazarn; one half of South Portland experimental pop duo Dimples, Colby Nathan; and, as featured on the AMM, Feels So Good Records artist and Tin Whistle Art Gallery proprietor John Wesley Coleman III. Coleman’s latest album Kiss Apocalypse includes today’s track, “Talk About the Good Times.”

These are the good times. Doors at 8 p.m.

All right. Perhaps you’re still in bed, guzzling water or craving greasy food. Or maybe you managed to maneuver your way around the SXSW-induced chaos and avoided it altogether. Either way, you’ve survived SXSW. Well done. However, the AMM is here to remind you that the music keeps going here in Austin all year round.

Rest up, then catch the Tuesday Rock Show tomorrow night, Tuesday March 21, at Kick Butt Coffee, 5775 Airport Blvd. Danny B. Harvey and Casino Frap are joined on the bill by Trashy Annie, Deuce Coupe and The Genders. Doors at 7 p.m., and the music starts at 8 p.m.

These lists are not so random. There’s a method to the madness. It’s just that the madness tends to take over. Here are the AMM’s SXSW picks for Friday, March 17. Remember to hydrate:

• Space Flight Records has its official showcase tonight at The Creek and The Cave, 611 E. 7^th, which includes Christeene, Kalu and The Electric Joint, Primo the Alien, Trouble In the Streets, Big Bill, Otis Wilkins, Night Glitter, The Tender Things, S.L. Houser and more.
• The Third Man Records unofficial showcase (part two) at The 13th Floor on Red River features Be Your Own Pet, Protomartyr, Snooper, Olivia Jean (“Trouble” from the forthcoming album Raving Ghost is featured on today’s AMM), and more.
• Ovrld and LORO present a showcase at Central Machine Works with an acoustic set by Sir Woman, Angel White, Retro Cowgirl and Goons.
• Aquarium Drunkard and Gold Diggers present a showcase with Golden Dregs, Aoife Nessa Frances, a solo set by Fruit Bats, Bonny Doon, Pearl & The Oysters, and Orions Belte.
• Mike & The Moonpies play tonight at Sagebrush, with Mayeux & Broussard, Jordan Matthew Young, and a couple of sets celebrating new releases by siblings Ben Ballinger and Galen Ballinger.
• Chicken Ranch Records‘ official showcase at Valhalla includes Caleb De Casper, Mr. Lewis and The Funeral 5, Peelander Z, Broken Gold and more.
• The Earth Libraries showcase at Hole In the Wall features Batty Junior, The Juniper Berries, Future Crib, Dorio, and more.
• Tonight’s Kill Rock Stars official showcase at Cheer Up Charlie’s includes Mightmare, Shaylee, Shutups, Ron Gallo and more.

Also tonight: Adrienne Mack-Davis at Shangri-La, 1016 E. 6th St.; The Tiarras at Cooper’s BBQ, 217 Congress Ave.,; Blondshell at Swan Dive; and Os Mutantes at Hotel Vegas.

All right, little trooper. Little camper. Little buckeroo. These are your AMM SXSW picks for Thursday. And if you can sneak a nap in between shows, you are one lucky bastard:

• An official SX showcase starting at 7 p.m. at Sheraton Backyard with We Don’t Ride Llamas, Grace Sorensen, Lara Price, Daniel Fears, and Nemegata (“Pasos” is featured on today’s AMM).
• An official showcase at 8 p.m. at Valhalla, 710 Red River, with Vacation, Drakulas, Urban Heat, Decent Criminal, Glass Spells and Rich Aucoin.
• The IFeelGoodRightNow showcase at Central Machine Works with AMM fave David Shabani & The Nu Leopards, Shakiel Smith, Kydd Jones and more.
• Texas Cookin’ with Mayeux & Broussard and Friends at Sam’s Town Point, 2115 Allred Dr., with Mayeux and Broussard, Kathryn Legendre, David Beck and more.
• Southby Schmouthby at Long Play Lounge East, 1910 E. Cesar Chavez, includes Star Parks, Slomo Drags, Billy Glitter, Waldo Witt, Hong Kong Wigs and more.
• The SPIN showcase at Stubb’s features Killer Mike, Painted Shield, Voxtrot, Renforshort, Sunflower Bean, AMM fave Sunny War and more.
• Stoner Jam 2023 heavy music fest at The Far Out Lounge and Stage, with DUEL, LaGoon, Greenbeard, Amplified Heat, Monte Luna, High Desert Queen and many more.