Staff Picks

Thursday

AM Syndicate CD release
Emos

Austin’s orchestral art-rock collective AM Syndicate (with an ever-shifting lineup of members who have played with Rhythm of Black Lines, Knife in the Water and ...Trail of Dead, among other groups) will celebrate the release of its first full-length CD, Empire. The band will be supported by the very loud psychedelic rock trio Tia Carrera, avant-freestyler Astronautalis and laptop-enabled instrumental rockers This Will Destroy You.

—Kate Guillemette

Friday

“The Exonerated”
Texas State University Theatre

For those of you activists looking to have a meaningful weekend experience, the Texas State University Department of Theatre & Dance is producing “The Exonerated” at 7:30 p.m. The production is based on the stories of more than 40 exonerated death row inmates and has been stirring up critics and politicians alike all over the country.

—Phoebe Moore

Thursday, Friday

Cowboy Junkies
The One World Theatre

The Cowboy Junkies have been making their signature lo-fi folk-rock for over two decades and few have matched them in that time. Their music hearkens back to the roots of country and blues but is infused with a droning narcotic guitar hum that recalls the best of 90’s shoegaze. Last year’s Early 21st Century Blues featured mostly covers but was recorded in a minimalist style that has defined the group since their success with The Trinity Sesssion and their now-classic rendition of “Sweet Jane.” They are playing four shows over two nights at the intimate One World Theatre.

—Doug Freeman

Saturday

White Ghost Shivers
The Continental Club

Get in the Mardi Gras mood with Austin’s White Ghost Shi-vers. The always unpredictable group mixes jazz, blues and country with a saucy Cajun cabaret swing that sounds like a turn across an old-time radio dial. The band contains all the raucous energy of a parade down Bourbon Street confined to a single stage. It’ll raise the dead.

—Doug Freeman

Sunday

Big Pokey, Big Moe, ESG, Lil Keke
The Back Room

Big Pokey’s lyrics are cliché, he backpacks on the slang of his much more talented brethren, and his words are delivered in a lethargic manner. Proof can be found on Paul Wall’s massive hit, “Sittin’ Sidewayz.”

Big Moe on the other hand, is a dual threat, a soul stirrer and an established flower. Forget Nate Dogg, Big Moe is G-Funk and his live shows are fierce. His 2002 breakthrough single, “Purple Stuff,” is probably the funkiest tribute to an alcoholic drink since “Gin & Juice.”
ESG and Lil Keke, a first generation member of the infamous Screwed Up Click, round out the quartet of Houston rap royalty.

—Ramon Ramirez

Wednesday

Baby Dee
Cactus Cafe

Legendary Manhattan street performer and songwriter Baby Dee is an accordionist, a classically trained harpist and an accomplished sideshow attraction who has performed with folks ranging from Antony and the Johnsons to the unsettling Bindlestiff Family Cirkus. Local experimental acoustic guitar noodlers The Weird Weeds and singer-songwriter Jonathan Meiburg of Shearwater will be backing Baby Dee at the Cactus Café in the UT Union.

—Kate Guillemette

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