OUR TOP PICKS
Friday: Tift Merritt, Sera Cahoone at 3Ten. Singer-songwriter Merritt’s move last year back to her North Carolina home (though her not native state; she was born in Houston) was well-timed for reasons beyond being close to her new daughter’s grandparents. It also meant a chance to work with Sam Beam, aka Iron & Wine, who himself relocated to the N.C. Triangle recently after many years in Austin. Beam brightens three tracks on “Stitch of the World,” Merritt’s sixth studio album, which was written partly in Marfa. Opening act Sera Cahoone, from Seattle, makes a good pairing, as both she and Merritt push country and folk foundations toward indie avenues. Cahoone’s fourth album is due out next month. $20. 8 p.m. 310 Willie Nelson Blvd. 3tenaustin.com. — P.B.
Friday: Jens Lekman at the Mohawk. The Swedish rocker makes freewheeling indie pop that meanders from wistful love songs dripping with irony to upbeat Europop with frequent forays into unexpected sounds — a hint of Afropop here, a bossa nova rhythm there, an occasional soulful blast of horns. His wry lyricism, full of colorful characters, vivid details and tender emotion, gives the air of a sunnier Morrissey. The Dove and the Wolf opens. $20. 8 p.m. doors. 912 Red River St. mohawkaustin.com — D.S.S.
Friday: Curtis McMurtry CD release at Cactus Cafe. Two things about McMurtry up front: Nobody in Austin is doing anything quite like his music right now, and his talent as a lyricist is well above the vast majority of young songwriters in town. The latter is not surprising, given his pedigree — Americana troubadour James and renowned novelist Larry are his father and grandfather — but Curtis has clearly found his own voice. “The Hornet’s Nest” is an adventure in mood swings, from the self-doubt of “Smooth As Thorns” to the playful yet mean-spirited “Loves Me More” to the complicated heartbreak of “Rebecca” to the resolute determination of “Shot at the Title.” His sweet tenor vocals disguise those many moods, cast against keenly sophisticated instrumental arrangements that give the songs a jazz-folk-pop cabaret feel. Mother Falcon cellist Diana Burgess and ubiquitous percussionist Mike Meadows (Hayes Carll, Willie Nelson) are among a strong supporting cast, with accents of trumpet, upright bass, pedal steel and bass clarinet filling out the colors. $15-$20. 8:30 p.m. 2247 Guadalupe St. cactuscafe.org. (McMurtry also plays a free in-store at Waterloo Records at 4 p.m. Sunday.) — P.B.
Saturday: Bobby Patterson birthday bash at Antone’s. Texas soul great Patterson is starting his 73rd trip around the sun and he’s celebrating with a smoking set at Austin home of the blues. Recommended if you like your guitar licks mean, your rhythms funky and your vocals hot as asphalt in August. Can’t make it live? KUTX’s Rick Daddy will do a live broadcast from Henry’s Vinyl and Gifts in the front of the club. Dallas blues singer Gregg A. Smith opens. $10-$15. Doors at 9 p.m. 305 E. Fifth St. antonesnightclub.com. — D.S.S.
Bobby Patterson at SXSW in 1996. Photo by Kevin Virobik Adams for American-Statesman
ALSO PLAYING
Friday-Saturday
Crazy World of Arthur Brown at Barracuda
White Ghost Shivers at C-Boy’s
Friday
Leon, Jacob Banks at Antone’s
Phil Vassar at One World Theatre
Sam Baker at Stateside at the Paramount
Suzanna Choffel at One-2-One Bar
Ruby Jane at Geraldine’s
Zoltars, Quin Galavis at Beerland
Gary P. Nunn at Broken Spoke
Henry + the Invisibles vinyl release with DJ Chicken George at Empire
Tameca Jones & Honey Gun, Blues Specialists Celebration of Life for Weldon Gentry at Continental Club
The Halfways album release at Mohawk inside
JD Clark at Hotel Vegas
Don Diablo at Kingdom
Dave Madden & David Messier at Townsend
Don Leady’s Rockin’ Revue at Evangeline Cafe
Tomar & the FCs at Oskar Blues
Dwight Yoakam Tribute with Jonathan Terrell & friends at Saxon Pub
Christy Hays, Brian Kremer, Altamesa at Stay Gold
Go Fever, Deep Time, Big Bill at Cheer Up Charlie’s
Seu Jacinto, Atash at Sahara Lounge
Hooka Hey at the Blackheart
Saturday
Amos Lee at ACL Live (sold out)
Growlers at Emo’s
Joseph, Kelsey Kopecky at Parish
Terri Hendrix & Lloyd Maines at Stateside at the Paramount
Reckless Kelly, Mike & the Moonpies, Harvest Thieves at Mohawk outdoor
Austin Instrumental Music Fest with El Ten Eleven, Rattletree at Empire
Sister 7, Spoonfed Tribe at One-2-One Bar
Adam Torres at Cactus Cafe
Don Harvey & A Is Red, Patricia Vonne, Stefano Intelisano & Nagavalli Medicharla at Townsend
Gary Nicholson, W.C. Clark, Bobby Whitlock & CoCo Carmel at Saxon Pub
Cornell Hurd Band at Driskill Bar
Cumbia Night with El Tule, Los Kurados at Hotel Vegas
Los Skarnales, the Ugly Beats at Flamingo Cantina
Moving Panoramas at Cheer Up Charlie’s
Albert & Gage Band at Donn’s Depot
Jason Roberts at Little Longhorn Saloon
Ramsay Midwood, Jason Blum at Sam’s Town Point
Ghost Wolves at ABGB
Raby album release at the Blackheart
Yacht Rock Revue at 3Ten
Igor & the Red Elvises at the Continental Club
Sunday
Jesca Hoop, Dana Falconberry at 3Ten (Hoop also plays at 6 p.m. at Waterloo Records)
B.J. Thomas at One World Theatre
Timberos Del Norte at One-2-One Bar
Rose Selavy, Muff at Hotel Vegas
Landlady, Slomo Drags at Mohawk inside
Lawrence and Andy Frasco at Stubb’s inside
