Johnny Nicholas

Johnny Nicholas plays The Saxon Pub on Friday, September 18, from 8 PM to 9:30 PM. He's the only name on the bill, so the whole set belongs to him.

If you're not familiar with his name, the best way to get a handle on what he does is to look at where he's spent his time. He's lived in Texas for 45 years, but before that he was soaking up the music scenes of Chicago and Southwest Louisiana. He's mostly known as a blues legend and a storyteller, but he describes his music as full-spectrum Americana—a rich gumbo of blues, Southwest Louisiana soul, Texas swing, and honky tonk. That's a wide net, and it's exactly what you'll hear in one set: the slow burn of the blues sitting right next to the danceable swing of a Texas dance hall.

He's been recording for a long time, and his 2018 reissue project, Too Many Bad Habits, came out as a double vinyl package and earned a Grammy nomination in 2019. It's a good place to start if you want to hear the kind of material he brings to the stage.

The show is at The Saxon Pub, 1320 S Lamar, Austin, TX 78704, on Friday, September 18, from 8 PM to 9:30 PM. Tickets are $15 general admission, and it's a 21+ room.