Live Music in San Antonio This Week: STRFKR, Meshell Ndegeocello, Movements and more

Alex Maas, frontman for Austin's The Black Angels, will also be in town to perform a solo set. This week's live music in San Antonio is highlighted by Grammy-winning bassist Meshell Ndegeocello, Portland-based synth-pop band STRFKR, and California-based post-hardcore band Movements. Other performances include a performance by step-siblings Kelli Mayo and Peyton Bighorse from Skating Polly, who combined their creativity and pop sensibilities to create an alt-rock trio. The band's latest LP RUCKUS! will be released by the Vibes Event Center and will be accompanied by the work of acclaimed writer, activist and all-around badass James Baldwin. Other live performances include an appearance by Alex Maas from Austin's The Black Angels, founder of the Levitation Music Festival and Austin Psych Fest.

Published : 4 weeks ago by San Antonio Current Staff in Entertainment

This week's live music offerings in San Antonio appear to stick to the theme of bridging genres.

Grammy-winning bassist and singer-songwriter Meshell Ndegeocello — known for bringing together funk, jazz, rock and hip-hop — will perform at the Carver Community Cultural Center's Jo Long Theater, while Portland, Oregon-based STRFKR will bring a sound bridging alt-rock and electronica to the Aztec Theatre. There are also opportunities to check out acts that mash indie-pop together with punk and post-hardcore with good old-fashioned emo.

Step-siblings Kelli Mayo and Peyton Bighorse founded Skating Polly in 2009 while they were 9 and 14. In 2017, the Oklahoma City-based duo enlisted Mayo's brother Kurtis to play drums and morphed into an alt-rock trio. They collaborated with Louise Post and Nina Gordon of Veruca Salt for the EP New Trick in the same year. The group continues to rack up critical acclaim by combining indie pop with a dash of punk. $15, 8 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary's St., papertigersatx.com. — Danny Cervantes

Californian post-hardcore band Movements emerged in 2015 as part of an "emo revival" uprising. The band released its first two albums, Feel Something and No Good Left to Give, in 2017 and 2020, with a sound and forlorn lyricism characteristic of the genre. The group's newest LP RUCKUS! embraces new sounds — even pop sensibilities — while still maintaining the energy and intensity of the previous albums. DIY punk band Tigers Jaw, long known for raw, heart on-the-sleeve tracks, will open with additional support from Webbed Wing and Paerish. $30-$35, 7 p.m., Vibes Event Center, 1223 E. Houston St., (210) 255-3833, facebook.com/vibeseventcenter. — Dalia Gulca

Genre-bridging Meshell Ndegeocello's work as a bassist, singer-songwriter and rapper has earned her 11 Grammy nominations and two Grammy wins. Her 1994 collaboration with John Cougar Mellencamp, "Wild Night," introduced her to a wide audience when it reached No. 3 on the Billboard singles chart. For this special performance, Ndegeocello and her band will explore the work of groundbreaking writer, activist and all-around badass James Baldwin. $41, 8 p.m., Jo Long Theater, Carver Community Cultural Center, 226 N. Hackberry St., thecarver.org. — Bill Baird

As frontman for Austin's The Black Angels and a founder of that city's Levitation Music Festival and Austin Psych Fest, Alex Maas helped spur the resurgence of Texas psychedelic music. For his solo work, Maas presents a slimmed-down and more personal vision that's no less compelling than his main band. San Antonio mover and shaker Garrett T. Capps opens and Strawberry Jams provide support. $12, 9 p.m., The Lonesome Rose, 2114 N. St Mary's St., thelonesomerose.com. — BB

Portland, Oregon-based synth-pop band STRFKR — yes, it's said how you think it is — straddles the gauzy line between alternative and electronica. The group is touring in support of its just-released fifth album with Polyvinyl Records, Parallel Realms. Besides its cheeky name, STRFKR is best known for the catchy hit "Rawnald Gregory Erickson The Second," which came to mass consciousness with its use in commercials and TV soundtracks. $34-$82, 8 p.m., Aztec Theatre, 104 N. St. Mary's St., (210) 812-4355, theaztectheatre.com. — DC

Topics: Music

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