Paper Tiger's Free Week Offers Local Music Blowout of Insane Proportions

Free Week, presented by Paper Tiger and Do210, is back again for its second year. The sophomore outing for the raddest customer appreciation throwdown you've ever seen promises to be every bit as exhaustingly awesome as it was the first time around.

Before we begin to give you even a taste of the delights that the lineup holds, let's get some important details straight.

Yeah, it's not quite a week. But, with more than 55 acts (of all genres) taking the stage over the course of three days, it's safe to you'll have all you can handle and then some. Also: we're gonna call it an all-local lineup, even though there are a few bands playing which would qualify more as regional acts. Lastly, in the interest of full disclosure, we want to note that Current music writer Chris Conde will be getting in on the action as a Free Week performer.

While we are dead-set on trying to experience every damn performance, and would like to egg you on to similar dedication, there are a few acts that fall into the category of must-see.

On the first day of Free Week, largely filled with fine, local pop and rock (and pop-rock too), you've got to catch Elnuh (grunge-pop par excellence), Lonely Horse (blues-rock canvas, vision quest brush strokes), Pink Leche (bass heavy, experimental electro-pop), True Indigo (contemporary psychedelic rock, not lo-fi), Tera Ferna (slick alt-rock), and Granite Hands (jazzy, indie math-rock).

For day two, chock full of fast and hard shit, we're especially eager to see Beautiful Lou (rapper/producer), HÖTZI (righteous sludge), King Pelican (high drama surf), Whatever? (scuzzy pop-punk), The Cops (pure, unadulterated punk grit), and Pure Milk (garage-psych/post-punk).

On Free Week's closing night, the one we are looking forward to the most tbh, showgoers can dig The Grasshopper Lies Heavy (art sludge), Flower Jesus Quintet (Texas-flavored psych-rock), Topo Chica (pop-punk), Hairkut (nihilist slop-punk), Garrett T. Capps (cosmic country and raucous folk), Processions (dream-pop), and Pinko (experimental doom-punk).

If it all seems like just a bit too much, we suggest you avoid looking a gift horse in the mouth (the fuck is a "gift horse" tho?) and just roll with it. Free Week 2018 promises to be a swell way to start off a new year with a few new favorite local bands.

Free Week
Free, 8pm-midnight, Jan. 4-6, Thurs-Sat, Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., (800) 513-7540, papertigersatx.com.