Weekend Picks: Alejandro Escovedo, J Roddy Walston & the Business, Crushed Out, Mothers, Southern Belles, Big Mama Shakes

The weekend starts Thursday with Americana/roots rock singer/songwriter Alejandro Escovedo at The Tin Pan. Doors are at 6, show is at 8, no opener is listed. Tix are $45 advance, $50 at the door. He's recording an episode of Austin City Limits (ACL) as I write this on Wednesday night. And he is a perfect representative for ACL. He grew up in San Antonio and then California. He's got brothers who were in Santana and his niece is Sheila E. He joined a punk band in SF called The Nuns who opened for the infamous last Sex Pistols show at Winterland. Moved to Austin in the early '80s and joined roots rock band, The True Believers. Then he struck out on his own and earned such distinctions as No Depression magazine’s Artist of the Decade Award in 1998 and the Americana Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Performing in 2006. I saw him about 2 years ago at Capital Ale House and it was a fantastic show musically and lyrically. Here he is last month as a trio, one an original, the other, his tribute to Bowie.






Soul Rock/ Southern Americana band Big Mama Shakes does the final show in their First Thursday residency at The Camel on, well, Thursday. Doors open at 8, show starts at 8:30 with openers Ladies Drink Free and Isaac Friend & Father Figure. Just $7 to get in. Here's Big Mama Shakes at one of the First Fridays earlier this year:

Psychedelic rockers The Southern Belles are also closing their First Friday residence at The Camel on, well, Friday. It's $10 to get in, $12 at the door. Doors open at 8, show starts at 9 with openers The Band Piano. After 48 First Fridays at The Camel, there will be a lot guests stopping in to celebrate the last one including:-Original Bass Player Zach Hudgins of Red Light Rodeo

-Original Drummer Raphael Katchinoff of The Congress and Milkstains
-Slide guitarist Stephen Kuester of Jackass Flats, featured on both of our studio albums
-Andrew Rapisarda of Mekong Express & The Get Fresh Horns
-and perhaps our most supportive and dedicated friend and fan, who led us through years of development and growth, Ben Butterworth of Captain Grandpa

Here's a taste of the Belles a few weeks ago at The Pour House in Charleston SC:



Saturday at Hardywood, they release their delicious Christmas Morning stout at 1 PM. The Richmond Craft Mafia has their indie holiday craft show Handmade Holiday show from noon until 7 PM (noon to 5 PM on Sunday). And the music starts at 5:30 with Lobo Marino (drone-vibing world-fused folk music), Great American Canyon Band (Alternative Rock; Soft -> Loud -> Soft -> Loud.), and finally, Mikrowaves (based out of Richmond, VA, combine explosive grooves and trance-like rhythms with cathartic melody). Here's Mikrowaves at Hardywood on July 4. I may have been there. It's all a blur.

The National hosts the pulsing rock and roll of J Roddy Walston and the Business Saturday night. Tix are $18 advance, $23 day of show. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8 with The Quaker City Night Hawks. J Roddy and the Business will be joined by special guests, Sleepwalkers, for a Christmas-themed encore, in addition to playing some new, unreleased material fresh from the studio. The band recently had their music featured on the Cinemax series, "Quarry". Here's "Goodnight Baby" from the show:



NOTE: THE JOSH RITTER PERFORMANCE HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED TO FEB. 11. ACCORDING TO AN ANNOUNCEMENT FROM JON GUNTER, MODLIN CENTER MARKETING DIRECTOR, RITTER HAS POSTPONED THE CONCERT ON DOCTOR'S ORDERS BECAUSE OF AN UNSPECIFIED ILLNESS. CLICK THE LINK BELOW FOR THE MODLIN CENTER FOR MORE DETAILS.
Folk musician Josh Ritter is at Modlin Center for the Arts Saturday. The show starts at 7:30. Tix range from $10 to $40 depending on who you are, though it will be $40 for most of us. Lowland Hum open the show. Here's the press blurb on Josh:

“...he sets out to carry a world of ideas on a few basic chords... there is no limit to the depth and ambition of his songs.” –The New York Times

Josh Ritter, one of the “Top 100 Living Songwriters” (Paste Magazine), returns to the Modlin Center in support of his eighth full-length album, sermon on the rocks, which NPR Music calls “gorgeous and glorious.” In 2011, Ritter’s debut novel, “Bright’s Passage,” became a New York Times best-seller, and Stephen King wrote that Ritter’s work “shines with a compressed lyricism that recalls Ray Bradbury in his prime...This is the work of a gifted novelist.”

 Here's Josh performing live at Jack White's Third Man Studios in August:

It's Christmas with The Taters! It sounds like a Christmas Special on RFD-TV but it's really a live Christmas special at The Tin Pan on Saturday night. Doors open at 6, show starts at 8, no opener. Tix are $15 advance, $20 at the door. Here they are last year playing Elton John's "Step Into Christmas":

Rock & Roll, Surf, Proto-Punk, Country Blues duo Crushed Out will groove at Strange Matter Saturday. The show starts at 9 and it costs money to get in. The Strange Matter site doesn't say how much. The You Go Girls (love the name), Dadmobile, and Death Birds Surf Club open. This should be a fun show. Here's Crushed Out's latest video "Out of the Blue":

The Bush League do their 4th Annual Give Back Food Drive show at Poe's Pub on Saturday to benefit Feedmore. $5 at the door for entry and if you bring a canned food item, the band will give you a discount off of The Bush League merchandise. Show starts at 9:30. The band may play some new music and they may have Twinkies too. Here's the band at the Hull Street Festival last month:



Indie rockers Mothers are at Strange Matter Sunday. Doors open at 8 with openers Night Idea and Blush Face. Tix are $8 advance, $10 day of show. Here's a 30 minute set from Mothers on Audiotree in September 2015:



That'll do it. Have a great weekend! I'll leave you with this one from The Wild Reeds. I have been in love with this song over the last week. I'm a sucker for female three-part harmonies and I love the way this song builds.



Tony Jordan