Music Notes

Heartless Bastards to play two nights at Antone's, plus more Austin music picks for early June

Heartless Bastards wil play two nights at Antone's on June 9 and 10.

Photo courtesy of

School’s out for summer, so now you've got plenty of time to take in the many great local shows that are coming up. Recommendations for the first half of June can be found here.

Beat 4 Beat at the Belmont – Thursday, June 1
Beat 4 Beat, which provides free after-school music classes for Austin-area school districts and private schools, is holding a fundraising show this Thursday, June 1 at the Belmont. Latin funk vets Grupo Fantasma will headline, and Jaime Ospina (of Superfónicos) will open the show. There are two ticket options: $30 for GA, $60 for VIP.

Rickshaw Billie’s Big Dumb Fest at the Mohawk – Sunday, June 4
Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol have put together what they’re calling the Big Dumb Fest, and it's this Sunday, June 4 at the Mohawk. Aside from the buzzy rockers, the lineup includes Gus Baldwin & the Sketch, Tia Carrera, Eagle Claw, Billy Glitter, Buzz Electro, and Pinko, plus you can expect eats by Chilly’s Philly’s, Bad Larry Burger Club, Jim Jams Biscuits, and Chef’s Kiss. Tickets for the event are just $20.

Britt Daniel at C-Boys Heart & Soul – Wednesday, June 7
Spoon frontman Britt Daniel has a solo gig lined up for Wednesday, June 7 at C-Boys Heart & Soul. Jo Alice will join him for the set, and you can also expect performances from Alicia Gail and Shooks. Tickets for the show are $12.

Sir Woman at the Parish – Friday, June 9
Soul pop act Sir Woman (Kelsey Wilson of Wild Child) has a new song on the way and a show on the books for Friday, June 9 at the Parish. Cat Clemons, Motenko, and Sketch round out the rest of the bill. Tickets are $22 each.

Heartless Bastards at Antone’s – June 9 & 10
Heartless Bastards have two shows coming up at Antone’s – Friday, June 9 and Saturday, June 10. The rock act, which features the big-voiced Erika Wennerstrom, will be joined by Jon Muq on the first night and Tele Novella on the second. Tickets for each show are $30.

Being Dead at Hotel Vegas – Friday, June 16
Get yourself to Hotel Vegas on Friday, June 16. Not only will Being Dead be celebrating the release of a new single off their anticipated album, When Horses Would Run, but the rest of the bill also features some noteworthy up and comers, including Die Spitz, Font, and je'Texas. Tickets can be had for just $10.

music live music concerts

Reexamining Don Draper

Jon Hamm, Henry Winkler, and more headed to Austin for TV festival

Getty Images

Jon Hamm is coming to Austin to talk about Don Draper.

From May 29 to June 1, 2025, the ATX TV Festival will take over downtown Austin, and this year Jon Hamm will be joining the festival for the first time.

Hamm will be here for an event called A Mad Men Retrospective, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the show's finale. In this panel (the moderator of which is not yet announced), Hamm will reflect on his Emmy-winning performance as Mad Men's Don Draper, the uniqueness of the character in the TV canon, and the show's influence 10 years after it ended.

Jon Hamm may be best known as Draper, but he's also given celebrated performances in several movies and other shows like Fargo, Black Mirror, and — fun fact! — Gilmore Girls.

Celebrating TV is what the ATX TV Festival is all about. This annual summer event is put on by ATX TV and consists of screenings, Q&As, and panel conversations; plus all sorts of parties, live music, happy hours, and other events. It's known for reunions of classic series and cult hits, and according to the website, it's like "TV camp for grownups."

Jon Hamm isn't the only heavy-hitter in this year's lineup.

Programming also includes an acting class and Q&A with Henry Winkler himself, a live script reading of classic episodes from The Golden Girls and Designing Women (guest actors to be announced), a reunion of the creatives and cast of the HBO hit series The Leftovers, a live recording of the podcast Sidebar: A Suits Watch Podcast with Suits stars and co-hosts Sarah Rafferty and Patrick J. Adams, and much more.

Additionally, the festival's annual Pitch Competition is still accepting open pitch submissions through January 17. This gives creatives in Austin a chance to pitch their show idea in front of some of the industry's biggest showrunners and executives. Those in the top 10 will receive a year of support to make the next steps in their TV careers.

Festival badges and passes ($150-535) are on sale now.

celebrities tv festivals