This week, Alamo City music fans have a chance to explore something new or bask in the familiar.
Those looking for the new end of the spectrum have the option of checking out the acoustic-driven R&B of Jessie Reyez and a deep-stacked bill of death metal up-and-comers.
If familiar sounds are more your bag, both iconic prog band Yes and legendary folk duo the Indigo Girls are making San Antonio stops as well.
Thursday, Oct. 20
Jessie Reyez
After a 2017 breakthrough, Colombian Canadian singer-songwriter Jessie Reyez continues to win over listeners with a raw, acoustic-driven R&B sound. Her just-released sophomore album Yessie explores a range of emotions, from love and heartbreak to those associated with struggle and self-discovery. On the intro track "Mood," Reyez delivers a heartfelt multicultural mashup, sampling the classic "Los Caminos de la Vida" by Los Diablitos while singing "waist gettin' slimmer, but I don't think my ass is." In August she debuted the album's first single, "Mutual Friend," on Jimmy Kimmel Live! $39.50 and up*, 8 p.m., Aztec Theatre, 104 N. St Mary's St., (210) 812-4355, theaztectheatre.com. — Marco Aquino
Friday, Oct. 21
Yes
On one hand, legendary prog band Yes is playing its classic LP Close to the Edge in its entirety — and on the 50th anniversary of its release, no less. On the other hand, this incarnation of the group includes exactly one member who appeared on the original album: guitarist Steve Howe. However, there's some consolation that this Yes lineup also includes longtime collaborators Geoff Downes on keyboards and Billy Sherwood on bass. And you've got vocalist Jon Davison standing in for singer Jon Anderson, whose shoes he's been filling for a decade now. The band's lineup has dwindled from the early days, but it's still stocked with formidable players. $64 and up*, 8 p.m., Aztec Theatre, 104 N. St. Mary's St., (210) 812-4355, theaztectheatre.com. — Mike McMahan
Saturday, Oct. 22
Indigo Girls, Jontavious Willis
If you don't believe in serendipity, just contemplate the origin of the legendary folk duo Indigo Girls. Amy Ray and Emily Saliers first met in the hallways of a Decatur, Georgia elementary school. The duo began performing together in high school, then reunited a few years later in Georgia. Their major label debut Indigo Girls was nominated for two Grammys in 1990, winning for Best Contemporary Folk Album, while losing to fraudsters Milli Vanilli for Best New Artist — an award since revoked. In addition to nine major label albums over two decades, Indigo Girls continues to release music on the members' own label. While Ray and Saliers are known as icons within the lesbian community for their advocacy of LGBTQ+ rights, they've also used their platform to support both environmental and Native American causes. $32-$79.50, 9:30 p.m., The Rustic, 17619 La Cantera Parkway, Suite 204, (210) 245-7500, therustic.com. — Danny Cervantes
Monday, Oct. 24
Shadow of Intent, Enterprise Earth, Infer, Wormhole
How many other bands can say their name is a reference to a Covenant ship from the Halo video game series? The members of death metal band Shadow of Intent are wearing their gamer-geek credentials on their sleeves, since their lyrics also mine subject matter from the franchise. The New England-based outfit charts a course between the melodic and symphonic ends of its genre, so expect operatic melodies to fill in the slivers of space between the guttural vocals. The other bands on this stacked bill also create music spanning the death metal spectrum, offering variations from the technical side of the genre to its more primitive roots. $18-$20, 6:30 p.m., The Rock Box, 1223 E. Houston St., (210) 772-1443, therockboxsa.com. — Brianna Espinoza
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