Micah P. Hinson

In March, I drove to an abandoned church to be saved. More specifically, the place was Austin's Church of the Friendly Ghost, an unofficial concert venue during the SXSW music festival, and the preacher was Micah P. Hinson, a songwriter from Abilene. I'd seen accolades from mags like Uncutand NMEabout his debut album, Micah P. Hinson and the Gospel of Progress, but I had no idea what I was in for until the 25-year-old stepped to a microphone and hushed the crowd with his dark, gorgeous voice and humble-yet-soaring songs. Truly, silencing a SXSW crowd is a feat, and he pulled off the same silence at two other amazing shows during the fest. Concert recommendations are a dime a dozen, but really, Hinson's haunting odes to his teenage addictions, arrests and downfalls are too beautiful to miss. This is the concert of the week.