Getting Over the SXSW Hangover: A month's worth of great shows

One very nice thing about Austin is that even after a blowout like South by Southwest -- a week in which nearly every living musical artist that's recorded a song in the last 30 years plays a live show here -- there's always something to look forward to. This year, April seems to be overloaded with good shows. Not only that, you won't have to follow a twitter feed to locate the secret mustard yellow Chevy El Camino parked in the secret parking lot that's handing out fliers with the secret phone number that tells you were to get the line for the show that's actually got more people on it than the capacity of the venue that you're trying to get into.

In a lot of ways, April is more of a month to celebrate live music here in Austin than March. A lot of locals I'm sure would agree. In anticipation of the month to come, we've put together a list of our Austin area concert picks for April 2011. 32 shows for 30 days. Also, over on the right side of our page, we've updated our Grooveshark player with a mix from the bands listed below. That way you can do a little investigative research before deciding whether to ante up.

There's much more than we could ever possibly list. If you're interested in other listings, I recommend checking out Austin360, Austinist, Do512 or Yelp! Events. Also, tickets for many of these shows are available at Waterloo Records (check the list here).

4/1 (Fri): Cold War Kids, Baths, Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors ][ Stubb's (outside) ][ sold out ][ doors @ 7:00

4/1 - 4/3 (Fri-Sun): 10th Annual Lonestar Round Up f. Alejandro Escovedo, Jimmie Vaughan, The Ugly Beats and others ][ Travis County Expo Center ][ no advance sales; $10 wristbands sold at gate for those without a car registered (more info)

• From the official website: "It's hard to believe its been a whole decade since we started this thing, just a small gathering on an old football field of like-minded gearheads, artists and musicians who love traditionally-styled Hot Rods and Kustoms, that became an annual tradition right here in Austin, Texas. It's now a huge car show with amazing rides driven here from all over the country, and attracts visitors from all over the world. Its a killer live music festival, its some seriously talented artists, pinstripers & unique shopping, its great food and cold drinks, its folks and friends and families getting together for a special Texas-sized weekend."

4/2 (Sat): Del the Funkee Homosapien (FREE!) ][ Mohawk ][ doors @ 8:00

• I have seen Del a couple of times over the last few years. Each time he put on a pretty tight show of mostly classic material. He also brings people with him from Hieroglyphics -- last time it was A-Plus from Souls of Mischief. Plus, it's free!

4/3 (Sun): Scissor Sisters ][ Stubb's (outside) ][ TIX ][ doors @ 7:00

• I have never seen a show live, but from what I've seen of their performances in video, I suspect that a dance party will break out on the 800 block of Red River that night.

4/6 (Wed): The Residents ][ Mohawk ][ TIX ][ doors @7:30

• If you're lucky, you'll find out who these people are. Nobody's been able to do that, though, for 39 years, making the identity of the members of the Residents the biggest mystery in rock music after Who's So Vain.

4/7 (Thu): Guster, Jukebox the Ghost ][ Stubb's ][ TIX ][ doors @ 7:00

• I'm not really a Guster fan. Not that I dislike Guster -- I really barely know the group's work. From what music of theirs I've heard, they sound fine and dandy to me. Nothing planet-shattering, but then again, so little is. However, on a much more important note, the quartet formed at Rachel and my alma mater (Tufts) while we were there (a very long time ago). So go check out the biggest music sensation out of Medford/Somerville next to the Tufts Beelzebubs scoring big on "The Sing Off."

4/8 (Fri): Wire, TBA ][ Mohawk ][ TIX ][ doors @ 9:00

• How often do you get a chance to see a legendary rock group that still has its shit together in a great indoor-outdoor venue with a capacity under 700?

4/9 (Sat): The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Twin Shadow ][ Emo's (outside) ][ TIX ][ doors @ 9:00

• We caught Pains about a year ago at Mohawk. Apparently the rise continues as they've moved on to the slightly roomier outdoor space at Emo's. The raw rockers deserve it, and I imagine they'll fill up the space with beautiful noise. Here's the Pains of Being Pure at Heart doing "Heart in Your Heartbreak" live on Letterman a couple nights ago (3/23/11).

4/9 (Sat): Warpaint, RVT, Family Band ][ La Zona Rosa ][ TIX ][ doors @ 8:00

• Warpaint opened for Sonic Youth back in October for an ACL aftershow. During that show at La Zona Rosa, they seemed ready to headline. Lots of things going on in Warpaint's music, including (Rachel notes) a moderate dose of trip-hop a la Portishead. Could bands finally have gotten over mining the 80s for inspiration?

4/10 (Sun): Maserati, My Education ][ Mohawk (indoors) ][ TIX ][ doors @ 9:00

4/10 (Sun): Bill Callahan (book reading) ][ Book People ][ 5:00

4/10 (Sun): Real Estate, TBA ][ The Parish ][ TIX ][ doors @ 8:00

• From David Bevan of Pitchfork's review of Real Estate's 2009 eponymous LP (rated 8.5/10): "[W]hat sets Real Estate apart from the rest of the herd is how evergreen its beauty can be. Despite the summery song titles and the beach balling associations that might follow these guys around, this music transcends the notion of seasons. Inside the overcast tenor of 'Black Lake' and the airy upstrokes of 'Green River,' there's much more at play here than what goes on between the months of June through September. And impressionism aside, this is a band whose chemistry and technical gifts suggest there's more coming down the pipeline: more good times to be soundtracked, and more songs and records and sounds to communicate exactly that."

4/12 (Tue): The Raveonettes, Tamaryn, Hips Have Fangs (outside) ][ Emo's ][ TIX ][ doors @ 9:00

4/12 (Tue): Kings of Leon, Band of Horses ][ Frank Erwin Center ][ TIX ][ doors @ 7:00

4/13 (Wed): British Sea Power, A Classic Education ][ Mohawk ][ TIX ][ doors @ 6:30

4/14 - 4/17 (Thu-Sun): Old Settler's Music Festival f. The Avett Brothers, The Richard Thompson Electric Trio, Band of Heathens, Jake Shimabukuro, Sam Bush and many more ][ Salt Lick Pavilion (Driftwood) ][ TIX

4/14 (Thu): Gogol Bordello ][ Stubb's ][ TIX ][ doors @ 6:00

4/16 (Sat): Pete Yorn, Ben Kweller, The Wellspring ][ Stubb's ][ TIX ][ doors @ 7:00

4/19 (Tue): Yacht, TBA ][ Emo's (outside) ][ TIX ][ doors @ 9:00

4/20 (Wed): The Kills, Cold Cave, The Entrance Band ][ La Zona Rosa ][ TIX ][ doors @ 7:00

4/21 (Thu): Foals, Freelance Whales, The Naked & Famous ][ La Zona Rosa ][ TIX ][ doors @ 8:00

4/21 (Thu): Interpol, School of Seven Bells ][ Austin Music Hall ][ TIX

4/21 (Thu): Titus Andronicus, TBA ][ Emo's (outside) ][ TIX ][ doors @ 9:00

4/22 (Fri): Cut Copy, Holy Ghost! ][ Stubb's (outside) ][ TIX ][ doors @ 7:00

4/23 (Sat): Those Darlins ][ Mohawk ][ TIX ][ doors @ 8:00

• These young ladies (and gentleman) played with a lot of fun and energy during their set at ACL last year. I bought the self-titled LP and quite enjoy the mix of punk and country, sweet and bawdy. The Mohawk is a great spot for Darlins show. They should feed off of the intimacy. If you want to check 'em out, there a free download available of the title track to their upcoming LP release, "Screws Get Loose."

4/27 Wed): Rooney, Skybombers, Voxhaul Broadcast ][ Emo's (outside) ][ TIX ][ doors @ 8:00

4/27 (Wed): Flogging Molly ][ Stubb's (outside) ][ TIX ][ doors @ 6:00

4/28 (Thu): Black Lips, Vivian Girls ][ Emo's (outside) ][ TIX ][ doors @ 9:00

4/29 - 5/1 (Fri-Sun): Austin Psych Fest f. Roky Erickson, The Black Angels, Atlas Sound, Crystal Stilts, Prefuse 73, No Joy, Fresh and Onlys, Growlers, many more (full lineup) ][ Seaholm Power Plant ][ TIX & more

• Roky's Austin's favorite comeback kid. He's just the icing on the cake at this very cool sounding festival at one of the trendiest places in Austin these days to throw down, Seaholm. Rachel and I will be relaxing in Mexico that weekend, so if you go, send us some notes!

4/30 (Sat): The Decemberists, Other Lives ][ Stubb's (outside) ][ TIX ][ doors @ 7:00

4/30 (Sat): Grupo Fantasma ][ Paramount Theater ][ TIX ][ 8:00

4/30 (Sat): Willie Nelson's Birthday Celebration ][ The Backyard ][ TIX ][ doors @ 6:00

• You probably think we end every month here in Austin with a Willie concert. I gather there was a time not that long ago when he did play pretty regularly, but he's scaled back. These days, when the Red Headed Stranger's not touring, I imagine he's mainly just chilling (and getting high). Still, count on him for a birthday party and 4th of July picnic every year. As long as there's a Willie. Here's the man performing "Me and Paul" at the old Backyard in 2008: