Tonight: Keeton Coffman Releases His New Album, Out at Dosey Doe (Plus Other Cool Shows, Too)

I know I’ve been missing a ton of great shows lately, but dammit, I can’t let this one slip by without a mention. Keeton Coffman, who the longer-memory-having folks among you might remember as the frontman of gone-too-soon band The 71’s, is my absolute favorite guy singer/songwriter in town these days.

It’s a close fight, true, and there are a lot of contenders near the top of the pile, but that tortured howl, that subtle croon, that range…I just can’t get past it. Of course, it helps that he’s also a hell of a songwriter, too — he’s up there with people like David Ramirez or Will Sheff, and in my personal language of musical awesomeness, that’s high praise. He’s seriously, seriously good, and if you don’t know him, you really damn well need to.

The best part? Well, he’s got a brand-new album coming out today, Friday, September 9th, and to celebrate he’ll be rocking out up in The Woodlands, at the storied Dosey Doe (which I’ll admit I’ve never been to, sadly; I just don’t get up north very often). I’ve seen him play live before, and even with just that voice and a battered guitar, he conjures fireworks from the air like some kind of magician.

I’ve only gotten a brief listen to Killer Eyes, the aforementioned new album, so far, but I’m already bowled over. His past couple of EPs showed a ton of promise, especially Stumble On Love and The Ghost, but this feels like a culmination of all that, with Coffman crafting a stunning, unique brand of rootsy, Americana-ish folk-pop that’s miles and miles above a lot of its contemporaries.

Again: if you don’t know this guy yet, you should. Especially fans of intensely personal, confessional, fiery songwriting and goddamn gorgeous vocals; trust me on this one.

But hey, don’t believe me, that’s fine — just watch/listen to this, instead:

Also going on… Yeah, okay, so while the Keeton Coffman show is my personal favorite, there is a crapload of good stuff happening this weekend, starting…well, um, last night, actually. So here’s who else is playing tonight that I happen to think is cool:

The Kills/Kim and The Created @ White Oak Music Hall
Oh, hell yes. I finally fulfilled my longtime wish of seeing The Kills live at FPSF a couple of years back, and despite the heat (they appeared pretty fried, and Jamie Hince actually declared loudly onstage that Houstonians were insane to live in a climate like this), they were pretty amazing. I’ve loved the band’s gritty, grimy, murky, post-punk-meets-blues rock since the very first time I heard it, and later releases have only served to cement Hince and Alison Mosshart (Discount! Woo!) in my heart as a pair of my favorite music-making people ever.

Nathan Quick Band/The Beans/Jazz Radio @ White Oak Music Hall
I first listened to {Nathan Quick} because he was playing Madness on Main Street back in 2014, and I was truly, truly impressed, quickly having to revise my initial impression of him as Yet Another Roots-Rock Guy. He’s way, way more of a rocker, along the lines of, say, Dax Riggs or maybe Jon Dee Graham, blurring the lines between swampy, rough-edged blues and country-tinged, straight-up rawk. He’s good, seriously, and so are funky rock dudes {The Beans}, who also happen to put on one hell of a fun show.

Richard Cheese & Lounge Against The Machine @ House of Blues
Yeah, it’s pretty much what you’re thinking — goofy covers of ’90s tunes, done in lounge-lizard style. But Richard Cheese goes the full mile, so all in on the conceit that it feels like he’s actually not kidding, not at all. You and me, we can snicker at Cheese crooning “Let’s get down with the sickness” while his band nimbly rolls along behind, but believe it or not, the guy means it.

Garbage/Cigarettes After Sex @ Revention Music Center
I never, ever thought I’d say this, but dangit, I’ve found myself missing Garbage quite a bit over the past decade, and I full-on hated them when they were big the first time. I’m not sure if that means I’ve mellowed or not or that Shirley Manson and company have grown on me somehow, but eh, I’m okay with it either way.

Channel K/Belcurve @ The Nightingale Room
Demi Lovato/Nick Jonas/Mike Posner @ Toyota Center
Mind Shrine/Rex Hudson @ 8th Wonder Brewery (2202 Dallas; 7-9PM, free!)
Rosewood Thievz (EP release)/Dirty & Nasty/Bigg Fatts/DJ Gracie Chavez @ Walter’s
The Nightowls/Band On The Run @ The Continental Club
Impalers/Strutter/Dress Code/Wild Thing/Erupt @ The Clinic (7444 Harrisburg)
Blaggards @ Ashford Pub
Superna/Worhol/The Glass/Chaotic Justice @ Fitzgerald’s
DJ Flash Gordon Parks @ Ladybirds (5519 Allen)