It’s hot, you’re still recovering from the fourth of July, you’re not sure you want to do anything for the weekend. Well, maybe these shows will entice you, whether it’s the hybrid musical stylings of Roxy Roca or the icy cool double header of Marissa Nadler and ssleeperhold.
Saturday
If you’ve never seen Roxy Roca then I pity you. Front man Taye Cannon is a living, breathing legend. They find the perfect middle ground of old school funky soul that this city is missing. With elements of jazz, polished blues sound and an explosive showy rebel rock attitude, Roxy Roca is one of the most entertaining performers in Austin right now. As if that wasn’t enough to get your ass in the door, opening is the constantly rising star Mighty Mountain. Right on the heels of our coverage of lead singer Jonathan Horstmann’s self-directed music video and with touring dates on the horizon the indie folk group still has not stopped hustling with regular performances all over the city. I was lucky enough to catch their acoustic performance at the gorgeous Austin Recording Conservatory of Austin and glimpse the magical chemistry amongst the members. They communicate with a barely a glance and play off each other like they’ve been doing this for 20 years. All of these amazing musicians are coming together for something even more exciting: Sam Pace’s album release. Pace and his band The Gilded Grit spent the winter recording their third album in Chicago, and will be premiering it here before taking off for the west coast. Down and dirty rock and roll is hard to come by these days, even more difficult for it to achieve the level of success Pace has. Funky soul, indie pop and old school rock that complement each other flawlessly, this is a night not to be missed. Doors are at 8pm for $10 at The Parish, see ya there!
Sunday
I was searching for how to spend my Sunday night when an unexpected Transmission event caught my eye. Boston singer-songwriter Marissa Nadler was in town with local electronic creation Ssleeperhold opening. Marissa Nadler may seem like an unusual pairing for Ssleeperhold, but upon more inspective listening it clicked why this was a match made in heaven. Nadler’s ethereal voice and alluring ambience provide the exact same indescribable feeling of the hairs standing on your neck that the eerie atmosphere of Ssleeperhold always sets. Nadler posses a rare ability to deliver whimsical dreamy folk concoctions similar to Dana Falconberry or set a chilling ambient sound like an unplugged Julianna Barwick, but also has within her a rousing bluesy gut and dark gothic hints that remind me of the earbusting brooding wails of Bloody Diamond’s Sara Elizabeth. This show is the hiding in plain sight secret of the week with a genius out of box pairing. Don’t miss out on a memorable night, doors are at 9pm for all ages for $10 at Holy Mountain.