Dwight Yoakam Arena Theatre, December 20
Throughout his career in the public eye, Dwight Yoakam has successully negotiated the perils of country stardom without ever once coming close to being labeled a sellout. The looming 30-year anniversary of his 1986 debut Hillbilly Deluxe is a big one -- alongside albums like Randy Travis' Storms of Life and Steve Earle's Guitar Town, it briefly sparked a honky-tonk revival within mainstream country still sometimes known as the "Great Credibility Scare."
Yoakam and the Nashville machine have long since gone their separate ways, but after a mid-'00s detour on New West Records, he's back making major-label albums again -- and his last one, 2012's 3 Pears (RCA), is a keeper and then some. CHRIS GRAY
Max Bemis Warehouse Live (Studio), December 20
Perhaps fatherhood has helped to tone down the notoriously edgy Max Bemis. During his Say Anything days he had a rough go of being in the public eye, what with a couple of public breakdowns and some press that was not so nice at all.
He seems to have calmed down lately, though, and since he's always made some pretty decent music - the Say Anything album ...Is a Real Boy, for example - we're glad to embrace Sir Bemis' newly calm nature. Saturday he's in town with his wife, Sherri Dupree-Bemis, formerly of the band Eisley, so it should be sweet to see them onstage together. ANGELICA LEICHT
thelastplaceyoulook's Holiday Bash Warehouse Live (Ballroom), December 20
In the spirit of giving, thelastplaceyoulook is giving fans an awful lot of rock for just ten bucks at their fourth consecutive Warehouse Live Holiday Bash, celebrating another successful year as arguably Houston's top modern-rock band. Friday, they're welcoming comrades in arms Otenki, Born Again Virgins (who, sadly, are allegedly breaking up), Runaway Sun and the Soapbox Revolution to help celebrate with copious plastic cups of holiday cheer.
It's been another year of heavy touring for the headliners and adorable sock-monkey mascot Wanker, including a fall run through the Midwest with pals Blue October and devising one of the savviest bits of merch we've seen in a while: "beardkinis." (Look on their Web site.) More recently, the guys premiered the video of the title track for forthcoming EP Rip It Out, their first non-single release since 2009 LP See the Light Inside You. CHRIS GRAY
More shows on the next page.
