Crucial Concerts for the Coming Week

Chief Cleopatra (Photo by John Anderson)

Exquisite Corpse II

Far Out Lounge, Friday 30

Exquisite Corpse rises from the dead for a second installment celebrating Texas art and culture. This year, Caravan Collective founders Matan Benyamin, Josh Tsang, and Marielle Glasse joined forces with Austin booker For Spite Creative and host Far Out Lounge to amass an "art-stravaganza" on a larger scale, compared to the event's 2020 origins at Monkeywrench Books. "We noticed there weren't a lot of opportunities for DIY artists to showcase their work and wanted to create events, and projects, that moved across mediums to intentionally build collaborative artistic spaces," Benyamin says over text.

This observation led to the founding of Caravan (@caravancollectiv on Instagram) and the first iteration. Exquisite Corpse II continues live music and art installation staples while debuting a freshly orchestrated market of roughly 20 local vendors. Onstage, returning veterans the Point showcase a raw blend of Peruvian chicha- and psych-inspired rock via new EP Berto's Banquet, alongside Twisted June's snazzy hip-hop experimentation. Fest newcomers Joey Tea, Chucky Blk, and Chief Cleopatra join the mix before DJs Noamiash and Nov31. Nearly three years since its creation, this Exquisite Corpse seems alive and well.  – Kriss Conklin

Shinyribs, Tony Kamel, Scott Strickland

Beaumont boogie king Kevin Russell shares a distinct musical grounding with local openers Tony Kamel of bluegrass heroes Wood & Wire and songwriting protégé Scott Strickland, both originally from Houston: Gulf Coast grit and groove. We texted the Shinyribs ringmaster for the lowdown on his 2022-ending carnival. "Oh gosh," he writes back, "expect the usual high-energy party and also a good dollop of Bobby Boudin swamp-pop: eccentric sentimental ballads on a bed of Texamericana Salad. And wear your dancing shoes, because only the pros come out on NewYearsEveEve. This, I'm told, is the inaugural of what will be an annual event at ACL Live."  – Raoul Hernandez

TC Superstar, Sad Cops, Kiki Machine

Regardless of spiritual affiliation, a religious experience is guaranteed when synth-wave divinity TC Superstar resurrects at Swan Dive. Limited stage space equates no tangible bounds for the groove-busting collective, whose conceptual preoccupations include the American dream of cable TV. Supporting act Sad Cops haul emo-pop fusion over from Denton (the Midwest of Texas, sources say), while dreamy locals Kiki Machine flood luscious indie-pop with Mitski-meets-Avril edge. Motorsports, a wailing grunge-infused trio, join the bill, promising new tunes alongside May's dynamo triple-single Group Therapy for Being the Best All the Time.  – Laiken Neumann

Big Wy’s Brass Band

My first encounter with Big Wy's Brass Band came at a grimy co-op show, where I witnessed a truly once-in-a-lifetime sight: college kids moshing to a full jazz band. Graduating from West Campus royalty to citywide favorites, the Big Easy-influenced group brings the party to both local and international stages with their swaggering sixpiece horn ensemble and high-rolling rhythm section. Namesake Wyatt Corder works as a musical man about town, contributing trumpet virtuosity to sought-after Austin acts including Sir Woman, BLK ODYSSY, and Abhi the Nomad, but especially shines when surrounded by his Brass Band-mates.  – Genevieve Wood

Timbeko

Led by singer-songwriter/percussionist Mario "Mayito" Salomón, Bay Area combo Timbeko is one of the greatest stateside practitioners of timba – Cuba's homegrown variation on salsa that combines the dominant Latin American style with son cubano, jazz, funk, and soul. The band rules its region, earning high-profile gigs and collaborations with top Cuban acts like Los Van Van and Yordys Larrazabal, lead singer of Maykel Blanco y su Salsa Mayor. Bearing new single "Llego Lo Que Tu Esperabas," Timbeko ventures out to Austin's most elegant jazz club, with Cuban motion to spare.  – Michael Toland

Bad Sports, Damak, Tiny, Dregs

Free Week will start packing local clubs next Thursday, but there's a smattering of gratis lineups in the days leading up – the most anticipated being a midweek convergence of loud & fast bands at Empire. Dregs play razor-sharp punk with garage tones and hardcore intensity over which fervent bandleader Evan Jones sings and screams with a passion that thrived on 2019 LP The Worst. If you had to describe Tiny in 10 characters, they would be: NWOBHM+R&R – injecting young energy into classic metal with whiskey-drunk rock & roll impulses under raw punk vocals. With unpredictable arrangements, Minutemen-reminiscent Damak exhibits an especially arty lean by contrasting colorful music with comparatively monotonic post-punk singing. Denton-spawned Bad Sports, favorites of 2010's Texas garage punk, released two stellar albums on Dirtnap. Today, the trio of Daniel Fried, Orville Neeley, and Gregory Rutherford is a rare and welcome sight.  – Kevin Curtin

Patti Smith Tribute

Liz Burrito and Transy Warhol celebrate the legendary punk rock songwriter on her 76th birthday. – Derek Udensi

Flux Pavilion

British dubstep DJ best known for 2011 track "I Can't Stop." – Derek Udensi

NYE w/ Ephraim Owens Quintet

The Austin Music Awards Hall of Fame trumpeter rings in the new year with a festive jazz party. – Derek Udensi

Dance Yrself Clean NYE

David Ramirez & Friends tribute Brooklyn electronic rock band LCD Soundsystem. Icing, a Cake cover band, opens. – Derek Udensi