Live music in Austin: Odesza and Sylvan Esso, Santa Fe Klan, Deezie Brown

Deborah Sengupta Stith and Peter Blackstock, Austin American-Statesman
·3 min read

Here are our top picks for live music events in the Austin area Aug. 18-24.

Friday: Odesza with Sylvan Esso at Germania Insurance Amphitheater

Expect state-of-the-art visuals and pyrotechnics aplenty when the Seattle electronic music duo hits the stage. According to Pitchfork, the group is packing an “estimated 11 semitrucks worth of gear and a crew of 100” for this summer’s arena outing. The tour celebrates “The Last Goodbye,” the group’s first studio album in five years, a sprawling release that features nostalgic vocals swirling through extravagant soundscapes engineered to provoke swells of emotion and release. Electro duo Sylvan Esso, whose fourth studio album “No Rules Sandy” dropped on Aug. 12, opens. $79 and up. 7:30 p.m. germaniaamp.com.

— D.S.S.

Friday: Santa Fe Klan at Moody Center

With streaming platform spins in the hundreds of millions, the young rap sensation from the Santa Fe neighborhood of Guanajuato, Mexico, has become the voice of the streets for a new generation of Spanish-language music fans. His summer outing follows a sold-out debut U.S. tour this spring, and with a recent placement on the new “Wakanda Forever” EP, expect his star to continue to rise. Tornillo and MC Davo open. $49.50 and up. 8 p.m. moodycenteratx.com.

— D.S.S.

Deezie Brown, seen here at Austin City Limits Music Festival 2021, has an album release show this week.
Deezie Brown, seen here at Austin City Limits Music Festival 2021, has an album release show this week.

Friday: Deezie Brown album release at Hotel Vegas

Brown’s debut full-length, “5th Wheel Fairytale,” is not just the best ATX hip-hop album of the year; it’s a spectacular production destined to catapult the Smithville spitter onto a national stage. Streetwise, raw and aching with heart, Brown draws on a broad cast of players including R&B singer Malik, pop artist Mobley and blues standout Jackie Venson to present a cinematic platter that reveals the scope of Austin’s Black excellence. From the buoyant tale of hood love “Jeromeo and Juliet” to the redemption rap joint “I Met Nova at the Rodeo” to the sparkling retro bop “My Little Turbo Black 5000,” this is a release for the lover in all of us. $12. 9 p.m.  texashotelvegas.com.

— D.S.S.

More:Charley Crockett to play free Longhorn City Limits concert on LBJ Lawn

Sunday: Alex Isley at Antone’s

Isley grew up with music in her blood. Her father is early funkmaster Ernie Isley of the Isley Brothers, and her maternal grandmother was an opera singer. Her own classical music training began at 12, and she went on to study jazz at UCLA. Her high-profile collabs include backups on Kendrick Lamar’s 2016 Grammy winner “These Walls” and a duet on PJ Morton’s 2020 release “The Piano Album.” Technically sold out. 7 p.m. antonesnightclub.com.

— D.S.S.

Sunday: “Lost ’80s Live” at Haute Spot

If the 1980s was your favorite decade for music, this revue-style show in Cedar Park may be for you. It’s packed with acts whose music rarely lasted past that era but helped define it: A Flock of Seagulls, Wang Chung, Naked Eyes, Missing Persons, Musical Youth, Dramarama, Animotion, Stacey Q and Trans X. $49-$169. 5 p.m. hautespotvenue.com.

— P.B.

Sunday: Kevin Gates at Waterloo Park

The Louisiana hip-hop artist known for his confessional story raps became a viral sensation on TikTok earlier this year when his 2013 song “Thinking with My (Expletive)” (featuring Juicy J) became the soundtrack to thousands of users’ bad-decision flicks. Gates tagged the song onto the end of his third studio album, “Khaza,” which dropped in June.

— D.S.S.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Top concerts in Austin: Odesza with Sylvan Esso, Santa Fe Klan