Nick Gaitan & The Umbrella Man 

Calling a mélange of Gulf Coast musical styles a “gumbo” is a cliché, so we’ll call what Nick Gaitan whips up for his Umbrella Man project a “caldo” instead. It’s a tasty H-Town stew, equal parts blues, Tejano, swamp pop, rockabilly, ska, cumbia, and vintage rock and roll, all roiling with a steady swing. When he’s not thumping the bull fiddle alongside Umbrella Man bandmates Bart Maloney (steel guitar), Brian Shoppell (drums) and Roberto Rodriguez (accordion), Gaitan (formerly of Los Skarnales) fills the same role in both the Octanes and in Billy Joe Shaver’s road band. — By John Nova Lomax

Price: Free