James Speer

James Speer plays The Continental Club Gallery on Thursday, August 20, with the set starting at 8:30 PM. He's an Austin-based piano virtuoso, and the night is built around his keyboard work, his voice, and a repertoire that pulls from jazz, R&B, and modern standards. It's a solo bill, so the whole evening is his.

That R&B side is where he draws a good bit of his character. His singing is described as combining the soul of legends like Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder with the swing of modern troubadours like Michael Bublé and John Legend. Between the piano and the vocals, the set moves through jazz, R&B, and modern standards, so you'll hear him working across a few different styles in one night.

The venue is the Gallery, the upstairs room above the Continental Club's main floor. It opened in 2008 and holds around 40 people, and it books rotating regulars across jazz, singer-songwriters, and jam bands. Once a quarter it hosts Tertulia, a night in the Iberian tradition that mixes poetry, song, and performance. The room has a couple of Austin Chronicle Critics Picks behind it: Best Intimate Music Moments in 2015 and Best Re-Opened Li'l Lounge in 2009.

It's a $10 cover, and you'll need to be 21 or older to get in. The show starts at 8:30 PM at The Continental Club Gallery, 1313-A S. Congress.