OUR TOP PICKS
Kiko Villamizar celebrates the release of his new album ‘Aguas Frias’ Friday. (RESHMA KIRPALANI / AMERICAN-STATESMAN)
Friday: Peligrosa, Kiko Villamizar CD release party at Empire.For almost a decade, on the third Thursday of every month, the mighty DJ collective has served a broad mix of Pan-Latin dance sounds from cumbia to merengue, tropical bass to reggaeton. This month’s event includes the release party for Austin360 April Artist of the Month Kiko Villamizar, whose new album, “Aguas Frias,” came out this month on the Discos Peligrosa record label. With most of the songs built around traditional Colombian drum and flute (gaita, in Spanish) composition, Villamizar’s powerful voice carries an emotional album that he considers a prayer for the water. $10. 10 p.m. 606 E. Seventh St. empireatx.com. — D.S.S.
» ARTIST OF THE MONTH: Kiko Villamizar finds magic and medicine in music and water
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Friday: Jimmy LaFave at Threadgill’s. A couple of weeks ago, on a balmy early evening to open a seasonal outdoor series in San Antonio, we were reminded of what a treasure Jimmy LaFave’s music is to the local community. Mixing original material from nearly 30 years’ worth of albums with cover tunes from sources both expected (Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie) and unexpected (Procol Harum, John Waite), LaFave and a top-shelf band of local backers played a thoroughly enjoyable set that highlighted his distinctive singing. Still strong as he’s passed 60, it’s a voice that balances high folk sweetness with deep bluesy grit. Ever since he moved to Austin in the mid-1980s and raised eyebrows with a cassette-only release that still holds up well three decades later, he’s made music that has helped make Austin special. $15-$20. 8 p.m. 301 W. Riverside Drive. threadgills.com. — P.B.
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Saturday: Kawehi at 3Ten.Part singer-songwriter, part electronica one-woman band, this Kansas-via-Hawaii YouTube sensation is touring behind her recent release “Eve,” which she calls “a sci-fi visual album.” In her latest video, she’s walking down a city sidewalk with a drum machine strapped to her torso, a keyboard attached to her arm and a headset mic rigged for her vocals. This is clearly a 21st-century artist. Heidi Lynne Gluck opens. $15. 7:30 p.m. 310 Willie Nelson Blvd. 3tenaustin.com. — P.B.
ALSO PLAYING
Friday
Mack, Jack & McConaughey’s Jack Ingram & Friends Concert with Kris Kristofferson, Little Big Town, Todd Snider, Lori McKenna, Butch Walker and more at ACL Live
Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan at Cedar Park Center
Doyle Bramhall II, Larkin Poe, Peterson Brothers Band at Mohawk outdoor
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Laura Gibson at Sidewinder
A Thousand Horses at Emo’s
The Deer perform Portishead’s “Dummy” at Spider House Ballroom
Smooth Hound Smith at Stubb’s indoor
Wiretree, Good Field at Lamberts
Joe King Carrasco at El Mercado Backstage
JD Clark, Hartley Hall at ABGB
Shaun Young & the Blue Dots at Continental Gallery
Shaun Martin & the Funky Knuckles at One-2-One Bar
Malford Milligan & Greg Coch, Jeff Plankenhorn, Denny Freeman at Saxon Pub
Saturday
Lonestar Crawfish Festival with Josh Abbott at Stubb’s
Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors, Stephen Kellogg at Antone’s
NF at Emo’s
Kim Lenz, Roger Wallace at ABGB
Wild Reeds, Blank Range, Wesley Jensen at Barracuda
Dangerous Toys at Grizzly Hall
Ninth annual Pocket FishRmen Fish Fry at Hole in the Wall
Trouble Boys, Gino and the Goons, The Cops, Cheap Fur at Hotel Vegas
Charley Crockett at Threadgill’s
Mary Fahl at Cactus Cafe
Bill Kirchen at El Mercado Backstage
Microsessions with Belcurve, Little Brave, Boone Graham, Brandon Luedtke at St. Elmo Music Lab
Lost Counts record release at Continental Gallery
Alyse Black record release at One-2-One Bar
Chili Cold Blood record release at White Horse
Sunday
Sallie Ford, Molly Burch at Stubb’s indoor
Soul of a Musician series with Carson McHone at Iron Cactus North
Semihelix, Sounds del Mar, Booher, Miranda Brown at Barracuda
Heybale, Willie Pipkin & Friends, Conjunto Los Pinkys at Continental Club
Jon Dee Graham & the Lo Jinx Orchestra at Continental Gallery
Wagoneers, Teri Joyce & the Tagalongs at C-Boy’s
Strange Mothers, Brother Sports, Dead Balloons, Magic Rockers of Texas at Hotel Vegas
Black Map at Hole in the Wall
Tres Bourbonnais at Elephant Room
