SNAKEHIPS
British electronic duo Snakehips kind of earn the backhanded compliment, “They sound like everything else on the radio.” While there’s something innately familiar about James Carter and Oliver Lee’s brand of coolly detached, booty-shaking R&B—as there should be; they’ve remixed everyone from The Weeknd to Banks—that doesn’t mean it isn’t fresh or original. Perhaps the best way of describing Snakehips is suggesting that its members may be radios themselves, picking up the signal that’s in the air, and putting their own very individual bump and buzz to it. August 3, 9 p.m., $24, Hard Rock Hotel Pool. –Geoff Carter
THE CHAMANAS
If anyone can speak to life on the border, it’s The Chamanas, a Mexican/American indie-pop quartet that lives in what it considers the “single city” of El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Its music certainly is the artistic reflection of its residential dynamic, as it blends the traditionalism of Mexican folk and balladry with American rock and electronic influences (and a smattering of other international styles). And as recently as April, it addressed the issue of Trump’s proposed border wall with “If You Build It, We Will Break It,” co-sung by fellow El Paso musician Jim Ward (formerly of At the Drive-In)—a potential highlight should the band play it Monday night. With DJ Joseph. August 6, 9 p.m., $10-$12, Bunkhouse Saloon. –Mike Prevatt
BEN NICHOLS
The grizzly-voiced frontman for veteran country-rock band Lucero pulls into town on his Bikeriders Western Ride tour, alongside tattoo artist Oliver Peck of Ink Master TV fame. Nichols’ solo sets are typically acoustic, one-man affairs, culling from Lucero’s consistently interesting—and lyrically probing—20-year catalog and the Arkansas native’s own excellent 2008 album, The Last Pale Light in the West. Expect some material from latest Lucero LP Among the Ghosts, which debuted on npr.org on July 26. U.S. Christmas leader Nate Hall and locals No Red Alice provide support. August 8, 8 p.m., $20, Backstage Bar & Billiards. –Spencer Patterson
