Thursday, August 18
Monolord
Hailing from the metal holy of land Sweden, Monolord carries on the brütal tradition. With an ambiguous band name, Monolord can mean one god or, most likely, a guy that is really good at spreading mono, but their music is more of an anomaly. Coming from the land of storybook melodic metal, the kind that tells tales of trolls and local folklore, Monolord’s sound is more of the slow-burning sludge variety with a layer of sluggish stoner haze. $12-$15, 8pm, The Korova, 107 E. Martin St., (210) 995-7229
Thursday, August 18
Rayland Baxter
As a part of Alamo Beer Live, a Texas-based Americana concert series presented by Alamo Beer Company and produced by Untapped Fest, alt-country singer Rayland Baxter is the San Antonio offering. Not twangy enough for classic country revival, or catchy enough for country pop, Baxter’s identity as a alt-country singer with shades of folk pop and indie rock is enough for jaunty pick-me-ups. Free with RSVP, 8pm, Paper Tiger, 2410 N Saint Marys St.
Friday, August 19
Eve 6
Throughout the pop punk trappings, Eve 6 still sharpens the dull blade, even when they’re in the heat of a sticky pop chorus. Forever trapped in a Los Angeles state of mind, Eve 6, like princes of 1990s pop punk Blink-182, use their SoCal roots to the point of lyrical overkill. Despite this, Eve 6’s breakout hit “Inside Out” is a “forget you” post-breakup anthem, but edgier than Kelly Clarkson classic “Since U Been Gone” (thankfully). Even with chief songwriter Max Collins’ threat of pursuing his solo career, Eve 6, as a whole, is aging gracefully. With Oz, The Taking, Fader Friend, Christina Holmes. $18 – $20, 7pm, The Rock Box, 1223 E. Houston St., (210) 677-9453
Friday, August 19
Los #3 Dinners
Before SA’s punk export the Butthole Surfers, there was the rebellious, raucous Los #3 Dinners, who still rock just as hard – or harder – than the kids do. Formed 100 years ago – the 1970s – San Antonio legends Los #3 Dinners prove that there’s no prime age in rock ‘n’ roll. Their guitar-driven party anthems haven’t gathered cobwebs, the over 35-year-old band’s the equivalent to a souped up hot rod with a rockin’ flame paint job. It would be an insult to dismiss Los #3 Dinners as a band who performs at wedding receptions, ’cause when they get the fire going, it goes hard. Dads who rock have never sounded so good. 8pm, Viva Tacoland, 103 W Grayson St., (210) 368-2443
Saturday, August 20
Dwight Yoakam
Even though Dwight Yoakam got his start not-too-long-ago in the early-1980s, his honky tonk could’ve been the spark to set the country world ablaze during its origins. Despite his music’s traditional sound, there’s a rock ‘n’ roll edge that can only come out of the 80s. Along with a classic library of hits, including “Honky Tonk Man,” “Guitars, Cadillacs” and “Fast As You,” Yoakam goes down as one of the most underrated country music singers in recent memory. With Bryan Joyce & King Leg, Midland. $30.02-$415.70, 7:30pm, Whitewater Amphitheater, 11860 FM 306, (830) 964.3800
Saturday, August 20
Camila
While Mexican-pop group Camila hasn’t broken into the American pop culture conscience, their YouTube videos have accumulated over a billion views. But what’s behind the millions of views per video? Mostly tender love ballads with (sometimes) a rockin’ edge and voluptuous choruses augmented by screaming strings. $45-$125, 9pm, The Aztec Theatre, 104 N. St Mary’s St., (210) 812-4355
Saturday, August 20
Cool Ghouls
Kaleidoscope colors of deep reds and gold: If music was color coated, Cool Ghouls are more than transparent apparitions. From San Francisco, Cool Ghouls are the sights and sounds of the west coast decades ago. But with classic sounds bleeding into modern music, Cool Ghouls are the new-age of rad. With Junkie. $5, 7:30pm, KRTU 91.7 Radio Trinity University, 1 Trinity Pl., (210) 999-8917
Sunday, August 21
Sugar Ray, Everclear
Despite fizzling out after 1999, Sugar Ray’s fun and starry-eyed cuts still make the rounds on diet rock stations for good reason. Signature songs “Fly” and “Every Morning” still have charms – and inescapable catchiness – proving that Sugar Ray deserve the top billing of ’90s nostalgia concerts. Tour mates Everclear, like Sugar Ray, deliver unpretentious earworms, but with more bite. West coast grunge’s gone pop, and every minute is delicious and delirious. With Sponge, LIT. General admission $20 – $40, 7pm, Cowboys Dancehall, 3030 NE Loop 410, (210) 646-9378
Sunday, August 21
Summer Jazz and Lunch Series With Ken Slavin
Featuring premier San Antonio crooner Ken Slavin, McNay’s seventh annual Jazz series will charm for free. In addition to Slavin’s smoother-than-Bourbon, sweeter-than-honey voice, gourmet box lunches by Fresh Horizons Catering and the Jingu House are available for preorder. Classy. Free, 12:30pm, the McNay, 6000 N New Braunfels Ave., (210) 824-5368
Sunday, August 21
Mobley
The comments on his highest viewed video to date, “Solo,” show how adored the still-indie Mobley is. “I was here before this blows up” is a general feeling among his fans, and, maybe, they’re right about Mobley hitting the mainstream in the near future. His music is an eclectic collection of hotter than the Billboard 100 genres (dance, hip hop, R&B, pop), combined into an artsier package (Mobley plays all the instruments on his new album). $5-$8, 9pm, Limelight, 2718 N. St Mary’s St., (210) 735-7775
This article appears in Aug 17-23, 2016.