OUR TOP PICKS
Friday: Old 97’s Holiday Extravaganza at Mohawk outdoor. Dallas twang-rockers the Old 97’s love the holidays so much that they just released an album called “Old 97’s Love the Holidays.” Austin’s catching them on the back-end of their yuletide run, but it’s quite an extravaganza indeed: Frontman Rhett Miller will play his own solo set to open the show, and there’s also a performance by Caseymagic, billed as the “DIY punk magician.” $20-$25. 8 p.m. doors. 912 Red River St. mohawkaustin.com. — P.B.
Saturday: Heart Bones at 3Ten. You never know just what Sabrina Ellis will do next, only that it’ll be really cool and probably a whole lot of fun. The sparkplug of local bands A Giant Dog and Sweet Spirit has teamed up with Minneapolis mainstay Sean Tillmann, a.k.a. Har Mar Superstar, to form a duo that performs the songs from the 1980s film “Dirty Dancing.” $22.50-$25. 9 p.m. (Har Mar Superstar also performs his own show at the club on Sunday; $15, 9 p.m.) 310 Willie Nelson Blvd. 3tenaustin.com. — P.B.
Saturday: Glover Gill's finale with 8-1/2 Souvenirs at Continental Club. Few musicians in Austin have gained, and earned, more respect from their peers than Gill, a pianist and accordion player whose old-worldly music has been a part of the city's culture for decades. A punk early on with circa-1980 band D-Day, he eventually dug deep into swing-jazz and tango, most notably with 8-1/2 Souvenirs, who'll play first on this bill followed by the Naughty Ones. It's Gill's last show before he retires from the stage, largely because of joint pain that has made performances difficult. But he'll still compose; his credits include scoring Rick Linklater's film "A Waking Life" and creating the music for a Ballet Austin production. He also has a new record, "A Ponzi Scheme," made with co-conspirators that attest to his standing: producer Charlie Sexton, the Tosca String Quartet, choral group Panoramic Voices and rocker Jon Dee Graham among them. $13-$15. 8 p.m. 1315 S. Congress Ave. continentalclub.com. — P.B.
Monday: Austin’s New Year at Auditorium Shores. The city’s official celebration, an alcohol-free event, starts and ends early, opening at 3 p.m. and concluding with fireworks at 10 p.m. In between, more than a dozen Austin acts will perform on three stages. Highlights include Superfonicos (Lake Stage, 9 p.m.), Western Youth (Oak Stage, 8:30 p.m.), Nakia & the Blues Grifters (Lake Stage, 5 p.m.), Tiarra Girls (Oak Stage, 3:30 p.m.) and Midnight Butterfly (Community Stage, 7:30 p.m.). There’s also children’s activities, art presentations, food trucks and more. Free. 900 W. Riverside Drive. austinsnewyear.com. — P.B.
Monday: Grupo Fantasma, Lyrics Born, Mobley at Empire Control Room & Garage. As far as bang for your buck goes on New Year’s Eve, it doesn’t get much better than this. World-class cumbia funk ensemble Grupo Fantasma, headlining the Garage stage, are one of the best Latin dance bands in the country. They’re joined on the bill by indie hip-hop lifer Lyrics Born. Meanwhile, pop savant Mobley plays the Control Room stage, topping a bill that includes excellent electro-groove ensemble Trouble in the Streets. $25. 8 p.m. 606 E. Seventh St. empireatx.com. — D.S.S.
Monday: New Year’s Eve 2001 at Hotel Vegas. The east side hot spot’s creative take on the holiday is to celebrate a different era from the past every year. This time around it’s 2001, which means music from the Strokes, the White Stripes, Outkast, Britney Spears, Jimmy Eat World and others, performed by members of local bands Sweet Spirit, Moving Panoramas, Residual Kid, Go Fever, Sailor Poon, Tinnarose and many more. $40. 7 p.m. doors. 1502 E. Sixth St. texashotelvegas.com. — P.B.
Tuesday: Free Week begins. It’s not hard to find quality music for free in Austin on any given week, but the first few days of January have marked an official “Free Week” run in clubs along Red River Street (plus a few east side venues) for around a decade now. It’s a good way to sample some of the buzz bands of the indie scene you may have heard about. Highlights of the first few days include Marfa Crush and Rival Waves at Stubb’s indoor on Tuesday; Ume with Darkbird and Cosmico at Mohawk outdoor on Wednesday; and Lowin, Go Fever, Tinnarose and more at Cheer Up Charlie’s on Thursday. Other participating venues include Barracuda, Beerland, Scoot Inn, Swan Dive and Hotel Vegas. Check individual venue websites for show times, and freeweek.do512.com for a full list of shows. — P.B.
ALSO PLAYING
Friday-Saturday
“The Jungle Show” with Billy Gibbons, Jimmie Vaughan, Sue Foley, Mike Flanigin, Chris Layton at Antone’s (sold out)
Friday
Tasty benefit for Central Texas Food Bank with New Fame, M-Cubed, Eimerol Sol, Torre Blake, Lord Meraki at Empire
Red Young Quintet, Sharon Bourbonnais at Elephant Room
Haydn Vitera, Costello Roquero, Patricia Vonne at Continental Club
Jesse Dayton at Broken Spoke
Dent May, Hall Johnson, Get a Life at Barracuda
Hector Ward & the Big Time, Extreme Heat at One-2-One Bar
Money Chicha, Rosie Flores Revue at C-Boy’s
Charlie Belle, Ben Root, TC Superstar at Stubb’s indoor
Mayeux & Broussard, Roger Wallace, Lucas Hudgins at White Horse
JD Clark, Billy King & the Bad Bad Bad, Poly Action at Hotel Vegas
Khali Haat, Atash, Enrique Legarreta & Mariachi Continental at Sahara Lounge
Aaron McDonnell at Geraldine’s
Mrs. Glass at Lamberts
Deadeye at Parish
Saturday-Monday
Willie Nelson & Family New Year at ACL Live (sold out)
Saturday
Revolution, DJ Mel at Emo’s
Washed Out, Mack, Buhu at Mohawk outdoor
Walt Wilkins, Bobby Whitlock & CoCo Carmel, Leeann Atherton at Saxon Pub
A-Town Getdown, Graveltooth, Josh Pearson Trio at Stubb’s indoor
Tasty benefit for Central Texas Food Bank with Tone Royal, Big Wy’s Brass Band, Sydney Wright, Capitol, MIM, Groovy Ancestors at Empire
Western Youth, Daniel Markham at Cosmic Coffee
Magna Carda, Pnthn, T. Englert at Hotel Vegas
Dale Watson at Broken Spoke
Peterson Brothers Band at ABGB
Albert & Gage Band at Donn’s Depot
Shelley King, Van Wilks at One-2-One Bar
Lost Counts, Emily Gimble at Continental Gallery
Cornell Hurd Band at Driskill Bar
Fairbanks & the Lonesome Light, Sam Pace at Stay Gold
Jonathan Tyler at Sam’s Town Point
Sunday
“An Evening of Twisted Tales” with Reverend Horton Heat & Kinky Friedman at Stubb’s indoor
Mike Flanigin Trio with Jimmie Vaughan & George Rains, Whitney Rose at C-Boy’s
Charley Crockett, Jaime Wyatt at Antone’s
Conjunto Los Pinkys, Hermanos Cruz, Vicente Alonzo at Sam’s Town Point
Angel Cintron, North Avenue, Jarrett Michael at Come and Take It Live
Resentments, Deann Rene, Richard Jessee at Saxon Pub
Savage Poor, Bo Davis & the Dreamers at One-2-One Bar
Kevin Lovejoy Trio at Elephant Room
Aaron McDonnell, Silo Road at White Horse
Bill Carter at Driskill Bar
Sarah Arenella at Geraldine’s
Marshall Hood at Lamberts
Monday
Black Angels, Holy Wave, Dallas Acid at Mohawk outdoor
Black Pumas, Hard Proof at Antone's
Texas Gentlemen, Carson McHone, Croy & the Boys, Ramsay Midwood, Mrs. Glass, Think No Think, Big Wy’s Brass Band, Wil Cope at Spider House Ballroom
Bob Schneider, Billy Harvey at Paramount Theatre
Lettuce, Bobby Sparks at Emo’s
Cosmic Disco NYE with Golden Dawn Arkestra, Heart Bones, Hikes, Reputations, Smiile at Barracuda
NYE Party on the Lake with Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears at P6 at the Line Hotel
Mike Flanigin Trio with Jimmie Vaughan & George Rains, Soul Man Sam at C-Boy’s
Tomar & the FCs, Peterson Brothers at Continental Club
Mike & the Moonpies, Jonathan Terrell. Cory Johnson at White Horse
HeartByrne (Talking Heads tribute) at 3Ten
Nightowls at Stubb’s indoor
Guy Forsyth, Hoody & the Wolves at Saxon Pub
Ephraim Owens at Elephant Room
Will Taylor & Strings Attached at Townsend
Alvin Crow at Broken Spoke
Ruby Dee & the Snakehandlers at Driskill Bar
Candi & the Muthaload, Ben Cina at Geraldine’s
Calliope Musicals, Mamalarky, Gold Leather, Nevil at Hole in the Wall
Body Rock ATX: NYE Playa’s Ball at Sahara Lounge
Nth Power’s NYE Love Train at Lamberts
Saved by the Ball 2 with DJ Girlfriend, DJ Big Daddy B at Cheer Up Charlie’s
An Evening of Led Zeppelin (tribute band) & Ain’t Wastin’ Time (Allman Bros tribute) at One-2-One Bar
Yacht Rock New Year’s Eve with Heavy Mellow at Stay Gold
Tuesday
Marfa Crush, Rival Waves at Stubb’s indoor
Leather Girls, Go Fever, Rotten Mangos, Lolita Lynne, Boleys at Hotel Vegas
Fragile Rock, Honey & Salt, Tinnarose, ST37, Local Shadows at Barracuda
Wednesday
Ume, Darkbird, Cosmico at Mohawk outdoor
James McMurtry, Jon Dee Graham, William Harries Graham at Continental Club
Ray Prim at Geraldine’s
Guy Forsyth Band, Bill Carter at Antone’s
Matt Hubbard Trio, Cheatin’ Hearts at C-Boy’s
Brannen & Red Show, Blue Moon Jazz Quartet with Rosie Flores at Continental Gallery
Shaks in the Deep End, Belcurve at Stubb’s indoor
Tinnarose, Nevil, Lake of Fire, Mountebank at Hotel Vegas
Sailor Poon, Big Bill, Mamis, Slaughterstein, Pelvis Wrestley at Cheer Up Charlie’s
Ghost Wolves, Think No Think, Billy King & the Bad Bad Bad, more at Swan Dive
Warren Hood at ABGB
Thursday
Reputations, Lowin, Go Fever, Tinnarose, Booher, A. Sinclair, Oysters, Girling at Cheer Up Charlie’s
Otis the Destroyer, Think No Think, Boyfrndz, Megafauna at Mohawk outdoor
Spice Poon, Flesh Lights, Andy Grant, Crooked Bangs at Barracuda
Abhi the Nomad, Bishops at Stubb’s indoor
Dale Watson at Highball
Bonnie Whitmore, Monte Warden & the Dangerous Few at Continental Club
Barfield, Casper Rawls at Continental Club
Peterson Brothers at Geraldine’s
Super Thief, Ruiners, Dregs, Luv Web at Beerland
McFarland at Townsend