Ruben V, Jimmy Spacek & Will Owen Gage (Friday July 4)
Jimmy Spacek and Strat
Ruben V sounds like a pretty rad name for a stripper or a sandwich, but alas, it’s the moniker of a SA blues outfit led by the guitarist of the same name. With capable guitarist Jimmy Spacek and Will Owen Gage also on the bill, fans of America and Jimi Hendrix can only hope someone will bust out a Woodstock-style “Star Spangled Banner.” $12-$45, 7pm, Sam’s Burger Joint, 330 E. Grayson, (210) 223-2830
http://youtu.be/wD7KvowoTtY
Los Nahuatlatos (Saturday July 5)
SA summarizers Los Nahuatlatos
“We fuse everything,” says Los Nahuatlatos’ artist statement. “Skajunto, hip hop cumbia, Surfer polka rock, reggae y huapango.” Like a one-band retrospective of San Anto’s musical heritage, Los Nahuatlatos effortlessly cruise through the West Side sound, Tejano and Norteño, sounding versed in each genre. Free, 9pm, Dorcol Distilling Company, 1902 South Flores, (210) 229-0607
http://youtu.be/RRfU3eaxzPc
Texas Tornados (Saturday July 5)
Pretty Flaco, Shawn Sahm and Augie Meyers
The Tejano supergroup of organist Augie Meyers and accordionist Flaco Jiménez play the venue where their best live recordings were made in the Doug Sahm days. Though singers and SA Legends Sahm and Freddy Fender are up in the great Tex-Mex gig in the sky, Doug’s son Shawn Sahm and Nunie Rubio have stepped in to continue the Tornados tear across South Texas. Sold out, 9pm, Gruene Hall, 1281 Gruene, (830) 606-1281
Turnpike Troubadours, Jerry Jeff Walker (Saturday July 5)
Turnpike Troubadours in old school gear.
Red dirt up-and-comers the Turnpike Troubadours made a solid Billboard debut with 2012’s Goodbye Normal Street, reaching No. 14 on the country charts and No. 57 on pop. Most famous for writing the blues standard “Mr. Bojangles,” Jerry Jeff Walker has recorded 33 albums in his 47-year career as a Texas legend. $25.40-$1,083.79, 7:30pm, WhiteWater Amphitheater,11860 FM 360, (830) 964-3800
The Grasshopper Lies Heavy Tour Kickoff Show (Saturday July 5)
TGLH deconstructing the van on their tour poster
When I saw The Grasshopper Lies Heavy debut the stuff from their sophomore album All Sadness, Grinning Into Flow, it was the first time I’d felt the pain receptors in my fake, nerveless tooth. It’s that loud. Current contributor James Woodard and his quartet create huge, instrumental textures of doom with the infrastructure of gear nerds and the aesthetic sense of metal kids with a penchant for art music. To complement TGLH’s touring away party, Ghost Police and Spokesmodel add their visceral rock modes, vying with each other for the status of SA’s best pure punk band. Along with the Smokey Robinsons, a sample-based, doo-wop-drone offshoot of Flower Jesus, Saturday evening’s Ten Eleven bill is an enviable display of SA’s heavy music. $5, 9 pm, theteneleven, 1011 Avenue B, (210) 320-9080
This article appears in Jul 2-8, 2014.