By Chip Chandler — Digital Content Producer

Rock, country, punk, Tejano, classical, opera and more are headed your way this weekend. Check Amarillo's ultimate guide to music before you head out.

Lorin Walker Madsen & The Hustlers

Maybe it's the tattoos and scruffy beard. Or the attitudinal, punk-inflected country that he plays. Or the way his latest album, Raise Your Glass, opens with the sound of a guy urinating.

For whatever reason, people sometimes doubt that Lorin Walker Madsen is a former Mormon from Salt Lake City.

"Yeah, a lot of folks can't believe I'm from Utah," Madsen said Wednesday in a phone interview to preview the first show by his band, Lorin Walker Madsen & The Hustlers, in Amarillo, set for 10 p.m. Friday at Leftwoods, 2511 S.W. Sixth Ave. (It won't be Madsen's first time in town, though; a previous band had a few gigs fall through at the last minute at a local bar.)

"In my neighborhood, it wa a lot of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saints church just all over the place," said Madsen, whose father was an active member himself. "It wasn't pushed on me by my family, but it was kind of everywhere you look."

Madsen found more inspiration in his older brother's ska band, though.

"That's what got me turned onto original music," Madsen said. "My brother is the one who showed me the underground ways of going to a house show or having a gig in somebody's basement. That's what turned me on and fed my need to get out and break away."

Madsen played in punk bands for a time, then a friend introduced him to Lucero.

"I remember driving around in his old, beat-up car, smoking cigarettes, thinking we were bada--es at 17," Madsen said. "That was the first band that bridged the gap of alt-country with a kind of rock 'n' roll sound, which was what I was starting to lean more towards. I loved punk, sk, metal, but I started gettind drawn to a more basic roots sound, the stories and the heartache.

"Those were the songs that started talking to me."

That's still what he gravitates toward.

"There's something about the honesty and the instrumentation," said Madsen, who now lives in Phoenix. "For me, it's just what hits me."

Cover is $5.

Additional shows

Acapulco Mexican Restaurant

El Trio Cortez will perform at 7 p.m. Friday at the downtown restaurant, 727 S. Polk St. Call 806-373-8889.

Amarillo College

New AC piano professor Diego Caetano will give his premiere Amarillo recital at 7 p.m. Wedneday in the AC Concert Hall Theatre on the Washington Street campus. Admission is free.

Amarillo Community Market

Heath Seager will provide tunes between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday during the outdoor market, which will move for one week only (because of the Tri-State Fair parade) to the parking lot of the Santa Fe Building, 10th Avenue and Tyler Street.

Amarillo Tri-State Fair & Rodeo

Texas country favorites Micky & The Motorcars will kick off the concerts at the Amarillo Tri-State Fair & Rodeo with a 9:30 p.m. Saturday show on the fairgrounds, 3301 S.E. 10th Ave. Also performing are Jennifer Nickerson on Tuesday and Bri Bagwell on Thursday. Concerts are free with fair admission. Call 806-376-7767.

Austin’s Texas Pub

The bar, 3121 S.W. Sixth Ave., will feature Lubbock favorites No Dry County at 10 p.m. Friday; cover is $7. Singer-songwriter Steven Simmons will give a 10 p.m. Saturday show; cover is $5. DJ TopLift will spin tunes for Sunday Funday beginning around 2 p.m. Call 806-803-9063.

The Big Texan Steak Ranch

Amarillo bluesman Stew Moss will perform at 7 p.m. Friday at the restaurant, 7701 E. Interstate 40. Call 806-372-6000.

The Burger Bar

Brandon Todd play at 8 p.m. Friday at the restaurant, 614 S. Polk St., followed by James Owen at 12:30 p.m. Saturday and Moses Morin at 8 p.m. Saturday. Maggie Burt will play at 8 p.m. Thursday. There's no cover. Call 806-376-4700.

Bracero’s Mexican Bar & Grill

Pete Y Los Releros will perform at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the restaurant, 2822 S.W. Sixth Ave. Jackie Haney plays at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Call 806-220-2395.

Broken Spoke Lounge

Country act The Jack Nelson Band will perform at 9 p.m. Saturday at the bar, 3101 S.W. Sixth Ave. There's no cover charge. Call 806-373-9149.

Butler's Martini Bar

Amarillo singer-songwriter Tyler Higgins will perform at 9:30 p.m. Friday at the bar, 703 S. Polk St. DJ Gemini will spin for a 9:30 p.m. Saturday show. There's no cover. Call 806-376-8180.

The 806

Acoustic instrumentalist Glenn Roth will perform at 9 p.m. Sunday at the coffee shop, 2812 S.W. Sixth Ave. Punk band 1 Last Chance will perform at 9 p.m. Monday. Shows are free, but donations are accepted. Call 806-322-1806.

Fire Slice Pizzeria

The FireSongs concert series continues at 7 p.m. Thursday at the restaurant, 7306 S.W. 34th Ave., Suite 10, with Amarillo singer-songwriter Mike Fuller. The shows are free, but you'll want to enjoy dinner with your tunes. Call 806-331-2232.

575 Pizzeria

Folk singer Andy Chase performs at 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays at the local pizza franchise’s original location, 2803 Civic Circle. Call 806-322-5575.

La Frontera

Los Cuatros Compadres will perform at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the restaurant, 1401 S. Arthur St. Call 806-372-4593.

Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts

Opera star Mary Jane Johnson will give what's likely to be her final full concerts with the Amarillo Symphony at the orchestra's season-opening concerts at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday in the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts, 500 S. Buchanan St. Check out my interview with Johnson, a Pampa native who now teaches at Amarillo College. Tickets are $16 to $52, plus fees. Call 806-376-8782.

Golden Light Cantina

Three guys named Chad, Lane and Kerry (sorry, that's all that was provided — helps a lot, doesn't it?) will give an acoustic show at 10 p.m. Friday at the cantina, 2906 S.W. Sixth Ave.; cover is $6. Amarillo rock band Roger Pressure will perform at 10 p.m. Saturday; cover is $5. And Texas country act The Jason James Band will perform at 10 p.m. Thursday; cover is $5. Call 806-374-9237.

Hoots Pub

Country singer George Ducas (who I interviewed earlier this week) will play at 10 p.m. Friday at the bar, 2424 Hobbs Road; cover is $10, and opener is Amarillo's Cody Jasper. El Paso-based country-rockers Dirty River Boys will return to town for a 10 p.m. Saturday show; cover is $15, and opener is Grady Spencer & The Work. The bar's happy hour performances continue: The Solano Project on Tuesdays, Johnny Reverb Holston with Marc Durham and Jay Weeks on Wednesdays and Bobby McCauley of The Cassettes on Thursdays. Happy hour shows start at 5:45, and there's no cover. Call 806-358-9560.

House Bar

Clark Griffin will perform at 10 p.m. Friday at the bar, 1219 S.W. 10th Ave. Dave Regal and Josh Fitch will perform at 10 p.m. Saturday, and Jason Hodges will perform at 10 p.m. Thursday. There's no cover. Call 806-677-6450.

Joe Daddy's

Amarillo icons Anderson, Flesher & Key will perform at 8 p.m. Friday at the restaurant, 2108 Paramount Blvd. There's no cover. Call 806-463-7900.

Joe Taco

Music on the patio at the Mexican eatery, 7312 Wallace Blvd., will include Cory Michael at 6 p.m. Saturday and Shane Rogers from 1 to 3 and 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday. There's no cover. Call 806-331-8226.

Jorge's Tacos Garcia

Sativa Ro and Mind Plays perform around 7 p.m. Thursdays at the bar, 1100 S. Ross St. Call 806-371-0411.

Kicked Back

DJ Element spins every Friday at the bar, 521 S.E. 10th Ave. Cover is $5 after midnight. Call 806-418-8971.

Leftwoods

In addition to alt-country/punk act Lorin Walker Madsen & The Hustlers at 10 p.m. Friday (see above), the bar, 2511 S.W. Sixth Ave., the bar will feature Amarillo punk band The Bastard Sons of David Hasselhoff at 10 p.m. Saturday; cover is $5 each night. Call 806-367-9840.

Midnight Rodeo

The Amarillo Live! concert series will continue with The Flying Elbows Perspective at 10 p.m. Saturday at the bar, 4400 S. Georgia St.; cover is $6 for ages 21 and older and $10 ages 18 to 20. Then, you'll rock out on Hump Day with a concert featuring Texas Hippie Coalition, Shaman's Harvest and local opener City Will Shake at 9 p.m. Wednesday; cover is $16 in advance and $20 at the door. Look for my interview with THC next week. Call 806-358-7083.

Moe Dogs Grill

Dave Regal and Josh Fitch will jam at 7 p.m. Friday at the restaurant, 3515 S.W. Sixth Ave. There's no cover. Call 806-220-2198.

Napoli’s Italian Restaurant

Andy Chase will play around 7 p.m. Friday on the patio of the restaurant, 700 S. Taylor St., followed at 7 p.m. Saturday by James Owens. Call 806-220-2588.

Pescaraz

Mike Fuller will play at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the restaurant, 3415 S. Bell St., Suite K. Singer-songwriter Yvonne Perea will play at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. Call 806-350-5430.

Rounders Club

Alaskan musician Dan Lesperance returns to town with an 8 p.m. Tuesday show at the bar, 2801 Virginia Circle; there's no cover charge. Call 806-352-3317.

Ruby Tequila's

The Solano Project will play at 6 p.m. Wednesday on the patio at the restaurant's Georgia Street location, 2001 S. Georgia St. And Mind Plays will rock out at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Soncy Road location, 3616 Soncy Road; call 806-463-7829. There's no cover at either location.

St. Andrew's Episcopal Church

Dallas organist Tim Effler will open the season for Friends of Aeolian-Skinner Opus 1024 with a 7:30 p.m. Sunday concert at the church, 1601 S. Georgia St. Tickets are $30 for adults and $10 for students. Call 806-376-6316, ext. 105.

7 Bar & Grill

Amarillo country singer Buster Bledsoe will perform at 7 p.m. Thursday at the restaurant, 3130 S. Soncy Road. There's no cover. Call 806-358-2222.

6th Street Saloon

Amarillo band Kilo Road will play at 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the bar, 609 S. Independence St. Cover is $5 for guys and free for women. Call 806-356-0873.

Smokey Joe’s

The Lakehouse Project (f/k/a Mesquite County) will play at 8 p.m. Friday at the restaurant, 2903 S.W. Sixth Ave. Then, Badfish will play at 8 p.m. Saturday. There's no cover charge for any show. Call 806-331-6698.

Skooterz

Amarillo rockers Hangman will perform at 10 p.m. Friday at the bar, 4100 Bushland Blvd., followed by Lubbock rockers Early Morning Reign at 10 p.m. Saturday. Cover is $5 each night. Call 806-355-6600.

The Spot

DJ Panda spins for Latin Nights at 10 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays at the bar, 4001 E. Interstate 40.

Taqueria El Tapatio

Singer Victor Gallegos will perform at 6 p.m. Friday at the restaurant, 3410 S. Coulter St. Call 806-331-6249.

Texas State Bison Music Festival

Robert Earl Keen will headline the sixth-annual Texas State Bison Music Festival on Saturday in Caprock Canyons State Park near Quitaque. The all-day event will feature arts and crafts vendors, food vendors and more. Music begins at 3 p.m. with acts including Kevin Deal,Zac Wilkerson and Mark Powell. Tickets are $30, which benefits the restoration of the state bison herd. Coolers are allowed with a $10 fee. Call 806-455-1492.

Throwbacks Sports Bar

Buster Bledsoe will play a solo acoustic show at 9 p.m. Tuesday at the bar, 7150 S. Bell St. Call 806-418-4482.

The Western Horseman Club

Gary Nix & West Texas will perform at 9:30 p.m. Saturday at the club, 2501 E. Interstate 40. Cover is $5 for men, free for women. Call 806-379-6555, ext. 2999.

Whiskey River

Zombiez Bar & Grill

The bar, 711 S.W. 10th Ave., will host a song swap between Brian Wynne and Maggie Burt at 10 p.m. Friday. Cover is $10. Call 806-331-7305.

Open mics