By Chip Chandler — Digital Content Producer
Cody Jasper
Amarillo native blues-rocker Cody Jasper will return to town for a pair of shows this weekend: 10 p.m. today at Hoot’s Pub, 2424 Hobbs Road, with opening act Goldenspread, and at 3 p.m. Sunday for Golden Light Cantina’s Sunday Soundcheck series. Jasper told me he’s working with producers Stormy Cooper and Lyndon Hughes in Houston on his latest album. “This album (due in the fall) will be more diverse than the last,” Jasper said. “There is country, blues, rock, psychedelic, folk and a whole lotta soul.” Cover is $10 for both shows; moms get in free at Golden Light on Sunday.
Jim Rauscher
Longtime Amarillo College music professor Jim Rauscher will give a farewell recital at 3 p.m. Sunday in the AC Concert Hall Theatre. Rauscher will retire after 35 years at the college, including 25 years as music department chair. Rauscher will play Johann Sebastian Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in C Major, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Sonata No. 26 in E-flat Major and other favorites. A reception will follow the free concert.
Rich O’Toole
After a tumultuous relationship with Texas country (to say the least), Rich O’Toole may have found his equilibrium. “This is my roots. I never want to leave,” O’Toole said of Lone Star radio stations and venues – like Golden Light Cantina, 2906 S.W. Sixth Ave., where he’ll play at 10 p.m. Saturday. But his upcoming album, due out in October, will be “more of a Texas rock record,” O’Toole told me last week. “It has some of my best writing. It’s more mature.” He said that’s not a departure from his live shows: “The band’s always been a little rock ’n’ roll. We don’t have a fiddle, we’re really guitar driven.” His current single “Back to Back,” is climbing the Texas charts now; look for “American Kid,” a single about today’s political atmosphere, to drop in June. Cover is $15.
The Josh Abbott Band
Hot Lubbock country act The Josh Abbott Band will hit town for a 9 p.m. show today at Midnight Rodeo, 4400 S. Georgia St. Cover is $20. I interviewed opening act Zane Williams, who spoke candidly about his view of mainstream Nashville country music. Check it out.
Boxcar Bandits
I also chatted earlier with Denton-based skunkgrass band Boxcar Bandits, which features Amarillo native Rex Emerson. They'll play at 9:30 p.m. today at Leftwood's, 2511 S.W. Sixth Ave. Cover is $7. Here's the interview, in which Emerson talks about the band's forthcoming album, a long-awaited tribute to late bluegrass great Doc Watson..
The Tejas Brothers
The Gem Theatre in Claude will host popular regional band The Tejas Brothers at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The band mixes Tejano and Texas country influences and has developed a strong following in this area. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children. Call 806-226-2187.
Coffee Jams
The 806 will host its usual eclectic mix of live bands over the next few days. On tap this week: folk/blues singer Zach Pohl at 8:30 p.m. today, Americana singer Williams Lost at 8 p.m. Sunday, Americana duo Bird in Hand at 8 p.m. Tuesday and alt-rock band Epi III at 9 p.m. Thursday. The coffee bar is located at 2812 S.W. Sixth Ave.; shows are generally free, but donations are accepted.
Matt Hillyer
The longtime frontman of honky-tonk band Eleven Hundred Springs, Matt Hillyer occasionally bounces out on his own. In 2014, he released solo album “If These Old Bones Could Talk,” and now, he’s bringing a solo acoustic show to Golden Light Cantina for a 10 p.m. Wednesday show. “I was very close with my grandmother,” Hillyer said in his bio. “She was always pushing me to do it. She loved Eleven Hundred Springs, but she really wanted me to make something with my name on it. So, over the years, it started to seem like a good idea as I did more solo acoustic shows. It also seemed like a good idea for me to have a CD of my own to sell at some of those shows.” Cover is $8.
Hogg Maulies
Lubbock-based Texas country band Hogg Maulies will return to town for a 10 p.m. show today at Austin’s Texas Pub, 3121 S.W. Sixth Ave. Cover is $5.
Local Acts
Singer-songwriters Dave Regal and Josh Fitch will perform for the grand opening of the patio at Burger Bar, 614 S. Polk St. The show starts at 7 p.m. … Regal and his band The Long Ride Home will play at 7 p.m. at Moe Dogs Grill, 3515 S.W. Sixth Ave., and at 10 p.m. Thursday at Hoot’s Pub. … Country singer Trent Britten will give an acoustic show at 7 p.m. today at Wild Bill’s Fillin’ Station, 3514 S.W. Sixth Ave. … Atteberry Station is the latest band on the Amarillo Live! concert series at Midnight Rodeo, with a 9 p.m. Saturday show. Cover is $6. … Smokey City Rhythm Revue will play at 8 p.m. today at Joe Daddy’s, 2108 Paramount Blvd. … Johnny Reverb & The Scott Brothers will play at 8 p.m. at Smokey Joe’s, 2903 S.W. Sixth Ave. … The Flying Elbows Perspective will rock out at 10 p.m. today at Golden Light Cantina. Cover is $7. … Singer-songwriters Ray Wilson and J Trial will swap songs at 10 p.m. today at House Bar, 1219 S.W. 10th Ave. There’s no cover charge. … Amarillo indie rockers Shandy Bandits will steal the show at 10 p.m. Saturday at Hoot’s Pub. Cover is $7. … Tyler Higgins will play at 9 p.m. Saturday at Buffalo’s Southwest Café, 2811 Fourth Ave. in Canyon. … Jen Williams & The Potty Mouths will play at 9:30 p.m. Saturday at Leftwood’s, 2511 S.W. Sixth Ave. … J.W. Lane & County Road X will play at 10 p.m. Saturday at Austin’s Texas Pub. Cover is $5. …. Moon Dog will play at 9:30 p.m. today at Duke Tracy’s, 3101 S.W. 26th Ave. … Loaded Six will play at 10 p.m. today and Vengeance will play at 10 p.m. Saturday at Skooterz, 4100 Bushland Blvd. … Mason Jar & The Shine Brothers will play at 9 p.m. Saturday at Broken Spoke, 3101 S.W. Sixth Ave. … 2 Weeks and guests will play for the FireSongs concert series at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Fire Slice Pizzeria, 7306 S.W. 34th Ave. (Thanks to Amarillo Music Scene on Facebook for compiling these!)
Open mics
Maggie Burt hosts an open jam at 9 p.m. Tuesdays at Hoot’s Pub. … Trent Britten hosts at 8 p.m. Tuesdays at Sixth Street Saloon, 609 S. Independence St. … Thomas Thompson hosts an open-mic night at 9 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month at The 806, 2812 S.W. Sixth Ave. … Heath James hosts the Zombie Mic Open Jam at 9 p.m. Wednesdays at Zombiez Bar, 711 S.W. 10th Ave. … Mike Chism and Lee Scheetz host open mic nights at 9 p.m. Wednesdays at Whiskey River, 4001 S.W. 51st Ave. … Clint Culwell hosts open mics at 9 p.m. Thursdays at Austin’s Texas Pub.
Chip Chandler is a digital content producer for Panhandle PBS. He can be contacted at Chip.Chandler@actx.edu, at @chipchandler1 on Twitter and at www.facebook.com/chipchandlerwriter on Facebook.
