Monday, July 6
Destruction Unit
In the promotional material for the new Destruction Unit album Negative Feedback Resistor, the Arizona crew proudly declares that they “sacrificed their ears to make this album as loud a statement as possible. Will you lend them yours?”
Believe the hype. At some point in the collective death drive they call a career, Destruction Unit glued their amp volume settings in place. At the shotgun-style K23 Gallery on Monday, the outfit will hit with all the recoil, violence and American ingenuity of a Marine Corps howitzer.
“If Death Ever Slept,” the first volley fire from the new album, serves as a good introduction to Destruction Unit’s psychotropic noise rock. A six-shooter chord progression kicks off the nightmare of guitar, hardcore rhythms and sibilant hiss. After a pause for guitar decay, the Unit returns to the breakneck march to pick up the remaining audience members and throw them deep into the void. With Black Liquid Drop, Filthy. $8, 9:30pm, K23 Gallery, 702 Fredericksburg
Monday, July 6
Sissy Spacek, Street Sects, Gila Man
Noise and musique concrète mastermind John Wiese leads the affront of Sissy Spacek. On the 2014 album Lead Their Exit, the LA band doesn’t pass the minute mark on a single tune. Somehow, Ryan Rousseau of Destruction Unit plans to play K23 Gallery with the band then hit Paper Tiger for a set of darkwave dance as Gila Man. With MXCG. $6, 8pm, Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s
Tuesday, July 7
Crimson Jazz Orchestra Orchestra
Saxophonist George Briscoe leads his band through the repertoire of Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Buddy Rich. In addition, the band performs compositions of contemporary big band arrangers. Free, 8pm, Blue Star Brewery, 1414 S. Alamo, (210) 212-5506
Tuesday, July 7
Jim Cullum Jazz Band
Any serious reputation San Antonio has as a jazz town has to be chalked up to Jim Cullum, Jr., the man in charge of the long running public radio show Riverwalk Jazz and who’s been consistently swinging in the Alamo City for decades. Cullum is one of the many legends this town has, like some bow-tied wearing anachronism who could only fit in a town like this, playing the old jazz canon and commanding new life from it. Free, 7pm, Bohanan’s, 219 E. Houston, (210) 472-2600
Wednesday, July 8
Cody Canada
Cody Canada shaped the Texas/Red Dirt sound with his long-running band Cross Canadian Ragweed, exploring a decidedly non-Nashville brand of country rock. From the mid ’90s until 2010, they played a kind of hippy honky-tonk rock that blends loose-limbed jams with barroom country and ’70s conceptual arena rock. With CCR on hiatus, Canada opened a new chapter with the Departed. With Mike McClure. $18, 8:30pm, 330 E. Grayson, Sam’s Burger Joint, (210) 223-2830
This article appears in The Burger Issue 2015.