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Synthwave act Magic Sword shares the bill with Avatar and Tallah on Wednesday at the Aztec Theatre.
But if turning back the clock isn't your jam — or, perhaps, we should say "how you like to jam" — other options abound, from Danish hard rockers Volbeat to spooky synthwavers Magic Sword to flamenco shredders Rodrigo y Gabriela.
Monday, September 27
Squeeze
This legendary UK act from the new wave era is heading back to the States armed with memorable melodies built on groovy keyboard, solid guitar lines and the solid songcraft of writing partners Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook. The show, rescheduled from the summer of 2020, will include support from Austin-based Fastball. $44.50, 8 p.m. Tobin Center, 100 Auditorium Circle, (210) 223-8624, tobincenter.org. — Enrique Bonilla
Tuesday, September 28
Volbeat
It’s not common for a hard rock band to cite rockabilly as a key influence. Particularly when they’re Danish. And yet, here’s Volbeat. The band boasts a connection to thrash metal’s Big Four, having opened some of the titans’ European shows a decade ago. Since then, it’s separately toured with Big Four members Metallica and Megadeth. On top of that, guitarist Rob Caggiano quit Anthrax, another of the Big Four, to join Volbeat, which really says something. The band is characterized by polished songwriting, big choruses and melodic riffery. Just the thing for an early fall gig at a big outdoor venue. $63, 6:30 p.m., Vibes Live in the RockBox, 1223 E. Houston St., (210) 255-3833, facebook.com/VIBESEventCenter. — Mike McMahan
Rodrigo y Gabriela
It’s hard to imagine a duo more Puro San Anto than acoustic guitar maestros Rodrigo y Gabriela. The pair have been performing together for more than 20 years, focused on fleet-fingered flamenco guitar performances. But what makes them a perfect fit for the Alamo City is the way they incorporate their other key — and perhaps surprising to some — influence: thrash metal. New recruits will want to spin their take on Metallica’s epic instrumental “Orion.” The duo won a Grammy for its most recent release, 2020’s Mettavolution. $29.50-$59.50, 7:30 p.m., Tobin Center, 100 Auditorium Circle, (210) 223-8624, tobincenter.org. — MM
Wednesday, September 29
Avatar, Magic Sword, Tallah
The best bills feature bands that complement each other rather than being carbon copies, and that sure seems to be the case with this touring package. Gothenburg, Sweden’s Avatar bring an accessible metal sound, unsurprising for a group that’s toured with Avenged Sevenfold and Five Finger Death Punch. Magic Sword is a different matter, though. Their sound is undeniably synthwave, a genre with niche appeal that’s grown in stature thanks in part to the Stranger Things soundtrack. Magic Sword ups the ante, though, with costumes and an aesthetic that may remind some old school nerds of Dungeons & Dragons. And that is, without a doubt, a grand thing. $26.50, 7:30 p.m., Aztec Theatre, 104 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 812-4355, theaztectheatre.com. — MM
Thursday, September 30
The Kingston Trio
Known for the 1958 song “Tom Dooley,” which recounts the murder of a woman and the man who killed her as he is sentenced to death, The Kingston Trio’s clean-cut folk sound paved the way for the latter generations of Americana and folk revivalists. All three original members of the trio have since passed on, but the torch is being carried by George Grove, William Zorn and Richard Dougherty, family members of the original lineup. $46.50, 7:30 p.m., Tobin Center, 100 Auditorium Circle, (210) 223-8624, tobincenter.org. — Brianna Espinoza
Friday, October 1
Skillet
It would be easy to make fun of Christian rockers Skillet. And since the Current music desk isn’t afraid of the Garden of Eden’s low-hanging fruit, it’s on. The band aspires to blend a variety of heavy genres ranging from symphonic metal to nu-metal to alt-rock. Puritans know that’s tough to do without sounding generic, something frontman and Blabbermouth comments section punching bag John Cooper knows a few things about. If the audience is lucky, maybe the anti-vaccine crusader will do a bit of commentary on the Aztec’s COVID-19 policies — that is, in-between rocking the fuck out on songs that place the prayed-for double bill with Stryper in a more encouraging realm than whatever multiverse allows snowballs and Hell to coexist. $27.50-$99, 7 p.m., Aztec Theater, 104 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 812-4355, theaztectheatre.com. — MM
Saturday, October 2
Mike and the Moonpies
With their cowboy hats, Austin base of operations, neotraditional stance and self-aware tunes, Mike and the Moonpies are as modern country as you can get. Most recently, they released Touch of You: The Lost Songs of Gary Stewart, which commemorates the late country singer through an album of unreleased songs that he either wrote or cowrote. $15, 9 p.m., Gruene Hall, 1281 Gruene Road, New Braunfels, (830) 606-1281, gruenehall.com. — BE
Monday, October 4
August Burns Red
Metalcore juggernauts August Burns Red are no strangers to San Antonio. The outfit, known for welding precise and punishing riffs to songs with positive messages, is returning to Countdown City for the 10th anniversary of its album Leveler, which pushed them into more uplifting sonic territory. Fit for a King, Erra and Like Moths to Flame open the show. $27.50, 6 p.m., Vibes Event Center, 1211 E. Houston St., (210) 255-3833, facebook.com/VIBESEventCenter. — EB
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