Monday, April 6
Johnny P. and the Wiseguys
This week at Sam’s swing night, Johnny Panzarella and the Wiseguys bring the venue back to the Swing era, with happenin’ takes on the crooner songbook. $10, 7pm, Sam’s Burger Joint, 330 E Grayson, (210) 223-2830
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Bad Religion
Tuesday, April 7
Bad Religion, OFF!
The landscape of American punk rock was largely shaped by the West Coast movement of the late ’70s and early ’80s. Among the key players, Bad Religion has remained a staple in the punk rock world, consistently releasing albums over the last 30-plus years through guitarist Brett Gurewitz’s pioneering Epitaph Records. Syncopated drumbeats, trebly guitar riffs and frontman Greg Graffin’s powerful vocals are all hallmarks of the Bad Religion sound. Fellow LA punk legend Keith Morris, of Black Flag and Circle Jerks fame, will be providing support with his latest outfit Off! $27-$29, 8pm, Aztec Theatre, 201 E. Commerce, (210) 760-2196
Tuesday, April 7
YesBodyElse + Hyperbubble Electro-Country Hoedown
Special guests Hyperbubble will be performing all electronic versions of Country & Western classics, not with guitars and banjos but with Moog Synthesizer and Theremin. Free 7:30pm Tuesday, Liberty Bar, 1111 S. Alamo, (210) 227-1187
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Swans
Tuesday, April 7
Swans
Update: Monday, April 7, 2:54 p.m.
This show has been cancelled, due to a family emergency, Paper Tiger has announced.
One of the sweetest rock ‘n’ roll ironies lies in a Mick Jagger quote from a 1975 interview with People: “I’d rather be dead than sing ‘Satisfaction’ when I’m 45.’” Since turning 45 in 1988, Jagger has reneged on his words over and over again, making untold bundles of cash through the power of nostalgia.
But when Swans returned to flight in 2010, founder Michael Gira promised on the Young God label’s site: “It’s not some dumb-ass nostalgia act.” No irony there. Longing for Swans’ original run in the heavily-nostalgized No Wave scene of the ’80s has nothing to do with Gira’s current demands. In fact, if he were forced to pull out the old hits (like there were ever any legit Swans “singles”), Gira might just fulfill the G.G. Allin promise of self-sacrifice onstage.
Swans in 2015 is a collection of highly-talented ascetics, punishing themselves in the search for some art rock truth. With atonal stretches and marathon grooves, the sextet dives into half hour songs with an intensity most bands can only maintain for three minutes. With Little Annie, of fellow No Wavers Annie Anxiety and the Asexuals. $20, 7pm, Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s
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Tom Freund
Wednesday, April 8
Tom Freund, Garrett T. Capps
After working with reggae rocker Ben Harper and alt-country band The Silos, Tom Freund struck out on his own with his debut in 1998, North American Long Weekend. With acclaim from NPR and the New York Times, Freund’s charming acoustic rock has proven to be quite worthy of the screen too, with soundtrack appearances on Dawson’s Creek, Parenthood, One Tree Hill and This Is 40. On Garrett Capps’ “San Antone,” the cagey songwriter pins down Alamo City musical culture with verve and an insider’s knowledge: “I found myself down a deep, dark road / empty pockets and a wayward soul / then I heard somethin’ on the radio / sounded like San Antone. / It had deep blues roots, and a Vox organ / a groovy shaker, and a Fender tone / it said ‘she’s about a mover’ and I was gone / gone home to San Antone.” $7-$30, 7pm, Sam’s Burger Joint, 330 E Grayson, (210) 223-2830
Andy Johanson Photography
Van Allen Belt
Wednesday, April 8
Van Allen Belt, tides.
Named after the magnetic field around celestial objects, Pittsburgh pop quartet Van Allen Belt wields a similar magnetic charm on their 2014 LP Heaven on a Branch. In the spirit of Washed Out, Beach House and the host of other modern acts contained in the dream pop aesthetic into which tides. comfortably slides, there’s a subtle undercurrent to their music, gentle at first, that draws you in closer. And like those acts, the trick lies in making the complex sound simple. With Les Zombies, Varrin Menchen. $5, 9pm, K23 Gallery, 704 Fredericksburg, (210) 776-5635
The Van Allen Belt - Different Storm (Official Music Video) from Nonstop Everything on Vimeo.
