Ben Kweller Friday, October 26, at The Kessler Theater, $22.50-$30 Texas native Ben Kweller is currently finishing up the handful of shows on his 62-date worldwide tour, in support of his February release, Go Fly a Kite. A now happily-married father of two, Kweller's most recent album is a little more mature than his past work. Catch the singer-songwriter's performance at The Kessler this Friday for his big welcome home show, sure to be packed with familiar faces. -- Rachel Watts
See also: - The 10 best Halloween shows in DFW
Ella Minnow, The Boxing Lesson, Treelines Friday, October 26, at Hailey's Club, $5/$7 Seven-member experimental group Ella Minnow has recently shown more restraint in their live performances, harnessing a cleaner sound. Check out their new material at Hailey's with Austin's The Boxing Lesson and Denton's Treelines, yet another band with Ryan Thomas Becker in it. -- Rachel Watts
Playdough, J. Rhodes Friday, October 26, at The Prophet Bar, $10/$12 Last week, we put the spotlight on Playdough and J. Rhodes, two Dallas emcees with new albums out. Playdough's Writer Dye: Deux or Die is a sample-heavy celebration of popular music and rap's interpretative nature, whereas J. Rhodes' Oak Cliff Huxtable reps the local scene a bit. Opener Ty City dropped his excellent new mixtape, Good Look on the Listen, this summer, and Dustin Cavazos is prepping his new one, In and Out of Sleep, for release later this fall. Add in VA the Gray, D. Hayes, DJ Niro and DJ M Knight, and you've got one fine seasonal display. -- Audra Schroeder
Whiskey Folk Ramblers, Slobberbone, Dove Hunter Saturday, October 27, at The Kessler Theater, $15 Whiskey Folk Ramblers are headlining what will prove to be an eclectic, talented lineup. The group's folk sounds will resonate well with Slobberbone's grittier rock and Dove Hunter's Southern influences. -- Rachel Watts
Shovels & Rope Sunday, October 28, at LaGrange, $10 Carrie Ann Heart and Michael Trent's savory Southern stew of folk, rock and blues makes the buzz they've received for their debut album as Shovels & Rope, O' Be Joyful, highly warranted. In concert, their loving chemistry is apparent, as each takes a seamless turn on a single snare, guitar and vocals. Their show in Dallas this past spring took place before a small, passionate fan base at Tradewinds Social Club. It's safe to assume more will show for this stop. Dallas' Somebody's Darling open up the show. -- Kelly Dearmore