Photo by Pin Lim

Robin Kirby
Last Concert Cafe, June 18

Singer-songwriter Robin Kirby entered the Houston music scene in 2008 after leaving her band Robin & the Hurricanes behind in Dallas. Since then she's been constantly on the go, offering a stripped-down and honest style that sounds absolutely timeless.

Kirby's voice has that combination of silk and sandpaper that made Janis Joplin such a powerful presence; every note and melody is custom-built to draw a listener into her honest and open expression. With Wendy Elizabeth Jones. JEF WITH ONE F

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Photo by Marco Torres

Bun "Future Houston Mayor?" B

Bun B, Trae Tha Truth
Baybrook Mall (1355 W. Bay Area Blvd.), June 14

These days Bun B is a multitasking pillar of the community, one of the area's most beloved public figures: to say nothing of his high social-media profile,. Lately he's been helping Houston Mayor Annise Parker battle texting while driving, appearing regularly on Channel 39's NewsFix, and now launching his own food blog, You Gotta Eat This!. The one thing Bun hasn't done a whole lot lately, it seems, is pick up a microphone and bust out a rhyme or two.

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Photo by Groovehouse

Cley Miller at Free Press Summer Fest earlier this month

Dynamic Houston indie-rockers Young Mammals, who only recently returned to active duty after a lengthy college-induced hiatus, are recovering from the theft of nearly all of guitarist Cley Miller's equipment just as the group was ready to begin work on its first album in nearly three years.

According to Miller, the value of the stolen gear -- two guitars, several pedals and various accessories -- amounts to right at $5,000. At the moment he sounds less than hopeful that he'll see any of it again.

"I filed a police report, but they didn't seem too optimistic about the odds of my gear being recovered," Miller says via email.

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Photo by Marco Torres

Kendrick Lamar at House of Blues last December

Kendrick Lamar
Reliant Arena, June 11

Before Kendrick Lamar had ever released his major-label debut, he'd already worked with hip-hop giants like Dr. Dre, Drake, Warren G and Lil Wayne, thanks to a rabid Internet following and some wildly successful independent work. He's continued to find his footing as one of hip-hop's elite, with last year's studio debut good kid, m.A.A.d city being met with some crazy critical acclaim.

He's also been crowned MTV's 2013 choice for "No. 1 Hottest MC in the Game." Pretty incredible, considering his album only dropped last October. Also with Schoolboy Q, Ab Soul, Jay Rock and Kid Ink. ANGELICA LEICHT

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Fall Out Boy
Bayou Music Center, June 7

Fall Out Boy, the emo-pop band that took the airwaves by storm in the early '00s, is back and apparently ready to save rock and roll, according to the title of their new album. They've taken the past few years off to pursue other endeavors, but now that they've hit the touring scene on the heels of Save Rock And Roll, the guys who brought you "Dance, Dance" are gracing our city with not one but two concert dates, this Friday and again September 25 at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. With American Fangs. ANGELICA LEICHT

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NTO

The Nicholas Tremulis Orchestra: (l-r) Nick Tremulis, Derek Brand, John Pirucello, Larry Beers, Rick Barnes.

I normally don't take jobs from artists. The request to supply blurbs or write liner notes usually comes with that implied sneaky little handshake with the bills folded in the palm and a wink that says, "No one needs to know, right?" The expectation is that for a hundred bucks or so, a writer will produce scribblings drenched in adulation and praise, burying any blemishes in passionate purple prose and a landslide of neon-light superlatives.

A wise journalistic friend of mine refers to this type of writing as "the black art," and it is in most cases. So I was hesitant to take on the task of writing the back-jacket notes to the Nicholas Tremulis Orchestra's new album, For the Baby Doll, dropping June 18.

The question in my mind: "Why me? Why not someone else?"

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Photo by Kristian Embdal/Pitch Perfect PR

Iceage
Mango's, June 3

Not even out of their teens, Denmark's Iceage caused quite a stir within the indie-punk world a couple of years ago with New Brigade, an album that was almost pure id. With one nihilistic fuzz-bomb after another, it caused some critics to suggest a latter-day Joy Division with an even worse attitude problem.

Iceage returned earlier this spring with You're Nothing (Matador), which, apart from the odd lessening of vitriol on songs like "Wounded Hearts," suggests these enfants terrible have a ways to go before maturity sets in; so much the better for their fans. CHRIS GRAY

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When the Texas town of West was rocked by the April 17 explosion at a nearby fertilizer plant, a few on the Texas country/Red Dirt scene were affected as well.

While no one in his family was hurt, singer/songwriter Wade Bowen has ties to the community.

"West is pretty much a second home town to me," says Bowen, who performs tonight at Mo's Place in Katy. "I played my first gig there, I used to work at a pizza place there, my sister married into a family there. I've got a lot of connections with that little bitty town, and I just wanted to get a first hand glimpse of what they were going through and dealing with, and man, it's pretty rough."

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Photo by Marco Torres

Heeeeeeeeeeeere's Axl again.

DJ Sun
The Flat, April 1
Now that some of the well-deserved publicity surrounding DJ Sun's first-ever full-length release, One Hundred, has subsided a little, his true accomplishment on the disc seems even more impressive. In the span of 70 minutes, he pours his 20-plus-year career as one of Houston's most in-demand DJs into a seamless work that never lulls, never lags and maintains an unshakably mellow groove throughout.

But then, One Hundred's intricately laid-back latticework should come as no surprise to anyone lucky enough to have met the man. Among his multitude of weekly gigs, Sun's long-running Monday residency at the Flat is probably the most chill environment to glimpse this true turntable craftsman at work. CHRIS GRAY

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Photo by Marc Brubaker

The Black Angels at Warehouse Live in 2010

The Black Angels
Fitzgerald's, May 24

Austin's Black Angels, with a band name pulled straight from the Velvet Underground's catalog, and a high-contrast image of Nico splayed across their logo, are unapologetic in their admiration of the prophetic NYC rock band. The Angels, though, have carved out a sound quite their own, which they've dubbed "Native American Drone-N-Roll."

Using an excess of throbbing bass, droney reverb, and spacey, hypnotic undertones, they've not only earned critical acclaim, but also hopped on tour with the Black Keys, Queens of the Stone Age and Wolfmother, just to name-drop a few fans. ANGELICA LEICHT

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