Live Music in San Antonio This Week: Dawes, Cherubs, Tear Dungeon

Even though we’re well into December, live music in San Antonio certainly hasn’t hit the holiday doldrums.

Whether you’re looking to hear stirring Christmas tunes, chaotic garage punk, heartfelt indie-rock or Texas-style noise rock, local venues have got you covered. Let’s take a look.

Wednesday, Dec. 11

323rd Army Band

This free holiday concert is a perfect way for folks to experience top-tier musicians celebrating holiday cheer while checking out San Antonio’s similarly top-tier new venue. Army bands have a long history of producing outstanding musicians — Jimi Hendrix, anyone? — and “Fort Sam’s own” 323rd is know for delivering performances with the expected precision. Free, 7 p.m., Stable Hall, 307 Pearl Parkway, stablehall.com. — Bill Baird

Friday, Dec. 13

Tear Dungeon

Tear Dungeon features members of Austin punk legends A Giant Dog and Sweet Spirit, but you may not know it from the gimp masks and bondage gear they strut onstage. Musically, the act specializes in kickass garage punk combined with over-the-top theatrics, sometimes involving spewing fake blood. The band will be on Paper Tiger’s side stage, joined by Eastern Condors, Noisy Neighbors and Gult. $15-$25, 8 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com. — BB

Soft Kill, SIKM, Bullshit Detector, Rosegarden Funeral Party, Anchorite

Paper Tiger is hosting a brutal doubleheader of shows this Friday. While Tear Dungeon spews blood at the club’s side stage, its main room will host a stacked lineup of post-punk, oi and hardcore acts. Soft Kill, originally from Portland but now based in Chicago, rejects the label of “cold wave,” a subgenre inspired by Kraftwerk and other electronic pioneers. Even so, the band’s early work incorporates desolate synth sounds into its guitar-driven approach. Rosegarden Funeral Party, a self-described “lovechild of Morrissey and Siouxsie Sioux,” will lend its emotionally evocative post-punk to the evening. Atlanta hardcore act SIKM, joined by Texas hXc bands Bullshit Detector and Anchorite, will round out the darkness and brutality. $25-$35, 8 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com. — Stephanie Koithan

Rattlesnake Milk, Dylan Earle, Emily Nenni

New West Records has put together an excellent bill, dubbed Ho Down XIII, to raise money for local nonprofit San Antonio Cultural Arts. Headliner Rattlesnake Milk is one of the best “progressive country” acts out there, combining atmospherics and a DIY spirit with good vibes and great songwriting. Dylan Earle and Emily Nenni are also rising stars helping redefine Americana, country or whatever you want to call it. $20, 8 p.m., The Lonesome Rose, 2114 N. St. Mary’s St., thelonesomerose.com. — BB

Dawes, Winnekta Bowling League

Brothers Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith, the founder of Dawes, set out on their own as a duo in support of the indie-rock act’s latest album Oh Brother, which offers a more intimate and reflective take on its rootsy sound. Openers Winnekta Bowling League climbed the alt-rock charts with their delicate but driving single “This is Life.” $35-$99, 7 p.m., Stable Hall, 307 Pearl Parkway, stablehall.com. — Danny Cervantes

Sunday, Dec. 15

Cherubs, The Grasshopper Lies Heavy, Trash Dragon

Austin’s Cherubs ruled the Texas noise-rock scene in the early ’90s thanks to a series of 7-inch records and a killer LP called Icing. After an extended hiatus, the band is back with a bruising brand of sonic extremism not unlike Lone Star State predecessors including the Butthole Surfers and Scratch Acid. Cherubs will melt your face, and you will thank them for it. $12, 8 p.m., The Lonesome Rose, 2114 N. St. Mary’s St., thelonesomerose.com. — BB

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This article appears in Nov 28-29, 2024.