Nineties hip-hop heavyweights Digable Planets will perform Saturday at The Espee. Credit: Courtesy Photo / Digable Planets

No summer slowdown here.

The rising heat outside hasn’t put the brakes on great live music in the Alamo City. Folks looking for ear candy this week can choose from a revered SA musical institution, trippy indie-rock, jazzy hip-hop and eerie electronica with a gothic twist. Let’s take a look.

Thursday, June 19

Westside Horns

Over the years, decades-old SA institution the Westside Horns have featured some of the city’s finest musicians: Spot Barnett, Rocky Morales, Sauce Gonzalez, Charlie McBurney and Louis Bustos among them. The group has backed Doug Sahm, Randy Garibay, Joe King Carrasco and others who have defined the Alamo City sound. Not all the original members remain, but the group carries on as torchbearers for SA’s musical legacy. Free, 7 p.m., Blue Star Brewing Co. , 1414 S Alamo St. #105, bluestarbrewing.com. — Bill Baird

Thursday, June 19

Bear Hands, Retro Cowgirl

“Nothing good happens past 2 a.m.” Bear Hands sings in the chorus to trippy lo-fi indie hit “2AM.” Besides being relatively good advice, the song best captures the vibe of the Brooklyn-based trio. Bear Hands’ most recent album, The Keys to What, dropped last year to mixed reviews, but the group’s catalog is strong and includes plenty of gems that will likely feature in live shows. Local standouts Retro Cowgirl serve as an inviting opener. $60-$65, 6 p.m., The Rock Box, 1223 E. Houston St., therockboxsa.com. — Danny Cervantes

Friday, June 20

Booker T. Jones

Bow down, Booker T. is in the house. The legendary multi-instrumentalist and leader of Booker T. and the MGs will grace SA with grooves spanning an illustrious career. Yes, we all hope he’ll play “Green Onions,” but he also can draw from a vast collection of material that spans his solo career along with session and production work for Otis Redding, Bill Withers, Willie Nelson, Neil Young, Ray Charles and others. A virtuoso from an early age, the 80-year-old Jones emerged an American music icon with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and inclusion in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame to prove it. $48-$232, 8 p.m., Charline McCombs Empire Theatre, 226 N. St Mary’s St., majesticempire.com. — Stephanie Koithan

Saturday, June 21

Digable Planets, Mr. FUNkateer

Nineties hip-hop heavyweights Digable Planets were one of the foremost purveyors of so-called “jazz rap,” fusing rap with live jazz instrumentation. However, Digable Planets brought more to the party than some brass. They created music that felt eccentric, experimental and smooth, all at once. Though they only recorded two albums before breaking up, each was a landmark in its own right. Seemingly swept away by the gangsta-rap tidal wave, Digable Planets have quietly reemerged and are coming to SA to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the classic debut album Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time and Space). $55, 8 p.m., The Espee, 1174 E Commerce St., theespee.com. — BB

Elita, Glixen

Actress and Instagram star Emma Harvey, known professionally as Elita Harkov, also fronts the trippy, Canada-born trio known as Elita. The group launched with a cover of the Velvet Underground’s “After Hours,” and Harkov channels the femme fatale sound of Nico with a sharper edge. Her vocals bring icy appeal to songs including “Sour Switchblade” and the recently released “Masturbating in a Coffin.” The group blurs the lines between shoegaze and electronica with a gothic lyrical twist. $20.10, 7 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com. — DC

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This article appears in Jun 12-25, 2025.