Active in the Austin music scene for over 15 years, Ukemi is an Austin-based indie acoustic ensemble featuring three vocalists, violin, guitar, keys, bass, and percussion. Blending the cinematic energy of DeVotchKa and Gogol Bordello with the atmospheric depth of Lord Huron and Swell Season, Ukemi delivers a dynamic live show built on soaring harmonies and rich instrumentation. 

Evan MacGregor is an Austin-based blues guitarist and vocalist whose sound lives somewhere between Stevie Ray Vaughan's grit and John Mayer's groove. A McCombs School of Business student, former UT D1 athlete, and foosball world champion, he brings the same competitive edge to the stage — searing tone, expressive vocals, and energy that fills rooms twice the size.

Texas String Assembly is a band based in Austin, TX, playing high-energy americana-bluegrass roots-rock music. Since the release of Doggabone in 2022– a “raucous, jamming debut” (Austin Chronicle), Texas String Assembly has become a fixture of the local live music scene while expanding their reach by touring through clubs and festivals across Texas, the southeastern USA, New York City, Mexico, Europe, and beyond.

Lia Graham is a singer/songwriter based in Houston, Texas. Pulling inspiration from classic rock and indie folk, Lia's music comes from a place of emotion and honesty. Recorded and produced locally, she hopes her songs find you exactly at the right time and place. 

Darlin’ is a country duo made up of Chloe Byars and Sarah Royse, two singer-songwriters whose honest storytelling and undeniable chemistry have quickly earned them a growing audience. Originally from Texas and Oklahoma, the pair met in a small college town before reconnecting years later in New York City, where their friendship evolved into a musical partnership. Since joining forces in 2025- they have quickly gone from opener to headliner at some of NYC’s most well known venues, become regular acts at every NYC honky tonk and currently recording debut tracks with industry professionals. They look forward to playing shows in Oklahoma and Austin this July! 

This project is supported in part by an Elevate Grant from Austin Arts, Culture, Music

Continuing her Global Songbook concert series, Elena Diaz presents: Songs from Havana’s Golden Age—an evening celebrating the sones, boleros, guarachas, mambos, and early Latin jazz that defined a musical era. Featuring a live rhythm section and four-piece horn section, the program explores the music of Beny Moré, Celia Cruz, Tito Rodríguez, Tito Puente, Machito, and Omara Portuondo, tracing the evolution of Cuban popular song from intimate boleros and folkloric roots to the vibrant big-band sounds of Havana and New York.

Don't miss your chance to see these 5 up-and-coming songwriters in
Austin's best listening room!

For artist previews, sign up here.

These songwriters were selected from hundreds of local artists because
of their raw talent, songwriting, and artistry.
This showcase only happens 3 times a year, and they are the MOST magical shows.

With dedicated sound engineers, a full selection of craft beverages,
and a spotlit stage, there will be no better vibe in town.

8/1
Doors/Drinks 7:00 pm
Show 7:30-9:30ish pm

Featuring:
Owen Stroud
Mayan Herman
Larry Kirbo
Marie Giroda
Phlip Coggins

See you at the Cactus!
Jake

In a world of imitators and social media facades, BELLES (Kelli Belles) stands out as an artist unapologetically true to herself. Hailing from Omaha and now based in Nashville, BELLES brings a Midwest grit and authenticity to everything she does, balancing small-town roots with big-stage ambition. Her voice is as striking as her presence—effortlessly blending a dreamy, modern edge with the timeless soul of country music’s golden era.

Combine Townes Van Zandt with Jimmie Rodgers, and somewhere in the middle, you’ll find Matthew Payne. 

Texas songwriter and Americana artist Matthew Payne grew up in the beautiful hill country surrounding Dripping Springs, and worked as an educator in Austin for almost two decades. He taught high school English and Creative Writing, and loved every minute of it. The release of his debut EP, Coyote Howlin Blues, showcases an earthy, down-home style reminiscent of the old-time country and acoustic blues traditions of Texas songwriters mixed with Appalachian folk. It explores the human heart at its raw depth. It’s a love story, perhaps, among other things, and howls like the wild coyote. “Matthew’s vocals crack with raw authenticity and the songs sparkle like bright amethysts you find when you split open the dusty rocks of life,” says Americana Highways. 

Doak Hensley is an American songwriter from Happy Place, TX. His songs are textured with the dust and grit of the great American landscape, woven from tales of salt of the earth folks. Inspired by hippies, rednecks, outlaws, and old cowboys who never thought much of labels, Doak’s music will put a boogie in the britches of anyone with boots to scoot and an ear to bend. He’ll be glad to see you when he does, and you’ll be glad you did when you’re gone.

JOURNEYGLO is a Dallas-based indie artist whose songs live in the unresolved spaces of life — grief, longing, friendship, and the quiet process of becoming.

Drawing from folk traditions and intimate storytelling, her music invites listeners into moments that feel both deeply personal and universally human. Her debut full-length album, Limp By Your Side, explores what it means to walk beside one another through uncertainty rather than rushing toward easy answers.

For this special Cactus Cafe performance, JOURNEYGLO will share songs from Limp By Your Side in an intimate acoustic set, with an opening set by Austin-based singer-songwriter Lily Dabbs.

Austin-born, NYC-based musician Ricky Stein writes songs that seek to find spiritual common ground between the mesas of West Texas and the cobblestones of South Brooklyn. Titles such as "Night Shines On," "American Dreaming," and "The Great Empty" capture the energy of urban life in the modern era; latest single "Heart of the Night" attempts to find hope and meaning in an uncertain future. "The Tex-Mex Song" is about cheese enchiladas. All of these original compositions are delivered in an earnest baritone accompanied by some of Austin's finest local pickers, including Gary Newcomb on pedal steel, Phil Morris on bass, and his younger sister Erin Stein on backing vocals. The Austin Chronicle praised Stein's debut album Crazy Days as "Excellent right outta the gate" and sophomore release Long Summer as "among the best country sounds to come out of Austin this year." 

Jazzmyn is an innovative ensemble that weaves the elegance of Chinese classical music with the vibrant energy of jazz fusion. By blending traditional instruments and melodies with jazz harmonies and rhythms, the band creates a rich, multicultural soundscape that bridges past and present.

B-side Quartet plays in trio to quintet formats, bringing fresh interpretations, eclectic songs, history, and storytelling — always true to jazz. Led by Austin drummer Kevin Witt, the group draws on the hard bop ethos while embracing modern ideas, pushing the music forward in meaningful ways. Their performances blend historical context with narrative, spoken word, and samples, offering audiences both depth and surprise.

Discounted tickets available for UT students. Must present UT ID at door to redeem discounted tickets.

For years Cactus Lee has quietly made records at a relentless pace, plugging along and playing out at local honky tonks in and around his hometown of Austin, Texas.What began as a home recording project for songwriter Kevin Dehan in 2019 quickly became a group with rotating members and pick-up bands along the way. The project has played New York and Los Angeles multiple times, as well as a Chicago residency as part of the Cosmic Country showcase.

The new album, Lee’s Dream will be released on vinyl February 21 with a special album release show in London, UK at The Lexington. A digital and retail release will follow on April 10, 2026.The album, his second for Western Vinyl, was conceived while on a monthlong solo tour. He stopped at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, where he saw a replica of Guy Clark’s basement room.“This was the place where he smoked cigarettes, repaired guitars, and recorded songs. There’s a wall of cassettes on one side and on the other a guitar hangs with a piece of paper taped on that says ‘EASY MONEY.’ That stuck out to me as I continued on my travels and became the first song I wrote for this record.”The shows on that tour saw Dehan playing to new faces every night in small cities in the Midwest and the South, writing songs in the van en route to the next one. “When I got back things in my home life with my family started to get turbulent. It caused me to seriously question whether or not I should be out on the road as much.”“I took a little time off. I was able to write, which helped me cope with some serious life events. Music is very important to me, but my family will always come first. My wife and daughter.”Dehan tookthose songs to Billy Horton’s Fort Horton Studios in Wyldwood, Texas to record. Similar to his work with Charley Crockett and Theo Lawrence, Horton pushed Dehan toward classic country songs and production choices.

“Billy has been making classic records out at his studio for a long time,” shares Dehan. “I went in and he started giving me lists of artists who either I reminded him of or who he thought I should push toward in the process of making this album. John D. Loudermilk, George Hamilton IV, Glen Campbell and early Gordon Lightfoot were artists that Billy put on a playlist for me to listen to.”Horton’s nostalgic taste leans heavily on the Sun Records era of recording. He pushed Dehan to think as a solo artist bringing songs into the studio for a band to pick up and flesh out, a thought not wholly unfamiliar to his home recording roots. Dehan took those initial recording sessions with Horton home to put the finishing touches on, with bass and piano being recorded by Jack Montesinos and Joe Roddy from the Point, and Lindsey Verrill of Little Mazarn lending flute and cello. The album feels communal, lived-in, joyous, and melancholy.

A lifelong Texan, Dehan writes about the Armadillo World Headquarters, Lone Star beer, and Valentine, Texas. He sings of easy money, bad luck, and seeing spots. A historian as much a songwriter, Dehan pulls from music and country folklore to illuminate archetypes in his writing, often crafting melodic fever dreams that feel instantly familiar. Visually he takes it even further. His last record licensed an image from the great R. Crumb, with this album’s artwork adapted directly from Roger Miller’s 1964 debut album Roger and Out, even adapting the liner notes to read:“Cactus Lee is a recording artist through and through. He has written some of the finest tunes in the Country & Western field, and some of the ‘farthest out’ songs in all fields. He is a stickler for originality. Seldom, if ever, will he co-write. He doesn’t need to, as any listener to this album will hear.The idea must be Lee’s own idea—the dream must be LEE’S DREAM!”