Live Music in San Antonio This Week: Information Society, Softcult, Tropicana Joe

San Antonio's high-profile live music shows this week seem to be largely rock-adjacent: there's the alt-rock of Canada's Softcult, the post-rock of Austin's My Education and the electronic dance-rock of Information Society. And for those craving a slightly more exotic flavor, revered DJ Tropicana Joe will spin Exotica sounds of yore in an upstairs tiki bar.

The world is your oyster, music fans.

Wednesday, July 17

Softcult

Canadian twin sisters Phoenix and Mercedes Arn-Horn used the pandemic to focus on their vision of making music together, and Softcult is the result. Influenced by their childhood heroes Bikini Kill and Smashing Pumpkins, Softcult offers vaulting melodies with riffing guitars best showcased in the group’s 2021 single “Spit It Out.” The music of Softcult straddles multiple genres, including grunge, shoegaze and riot grrrl to come up with their unique sound. Its latest release, the six-song EP Heaven , evokes Soccer Mommy. $22, 8 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com. — DC

Thursday, July 18

My Education, Gary Davenport

Austin band My Education constructs evocative instrumental post-rock soundscapes that feel timeless. The group has earned praise for performing live film scores, particularly a stirring reimagining of F.W. Murnau’s Sunrise . Opener Gary Davenport, meanwhile, is one of SA’s great pop-weirdo geniuses, and his work spans all the way back to the ’70s. A recent reissue by famed label Numero Group has helped bring Davenport back to the public eye. $10, 8:30 p.m., Lonesome Rose, 2114 N. St. Mary’s St., thelonesomerose.com. — BB

Friday, July 19

Information Society, Anything Box, Machine X

Back in the ’80s, Information Society’s synth- and sequencer-heavy hit “What’s on Your Mind (Pure Energy)” sounded like our electronic near-future. Apparently the act’s prescience gave it staying power. InSoc has endured through the MTV Club tour, the CD-ROM era and the Internet age. Sam’s regular and fellow ’80s hitmaker Anything Box opens. $40-$65, 8:30 p.m., Sam’s Burger Joint, 330 E. Grayson St., (210) 223-2830, samsburgerjoint.com. — DC

Saturday, July 20

Tropicana Joe

Instantly recognizable by his panama hat, high-waisted trousers, pencil-thin mustache and tucked-in tropical shirts, Tropicana Joe is a mainstay of the Austin and San Antonio music scenes as a self-described ambassador for the Exotica sound. Exotica reached its peak in the ‘50s and ‘60s when U.S. soldiers returned from the Pacific Theater of World War II with wild tales of even wilder lands. Considered by many to be pseudo-tropical imitation for armchair adventurers, the genre largely fell out of fashion for its fetishizations. As a result, the genre is oft misunderstood and maligned. Due to his work shedding light on this niche genre and for his extensive collection of rare wax tracks, Tropicana Joe was honored as Best DJ in the 2024 Austin Music Awards. As Joe says, “Don’t stop the conga line” for this evocative genre, but don’t drop your tiki drink either. Free, Saturday, July 20, 10 p.m., Holy Diver, upstairs at Hi-Tones, 621 E Dewey Place, instagram.com/HolyDiverTikiLounge. — Stephanie Koithan

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