I’ve been to nearly every music venue here in Corpus Christi, yet I always find myself coming right back to The Artisan. Located at 218 North Chaparral, this quaint bar was the host of an Aug. 30 concert I attended. 

If you’ve been looking for a reason to see some live music, or just want something different to listen to, allow me to introduce you to three different bands from three different cities. 

 AHAVA 

Hailing from Corpus Christi, Ahava is a four-piece classic rock (the Led Zeppelin and Doors kind) band that came straight from the ‘70s. They just wear their influences on their sleeves and dress the part as well. 

I’ve listened to this band before, having heard them at a battle of the bands over the summer, so I knew what to expect: a concentrated dose of heavy blues and tumultuous love stories, courtesy of the old school. This is a band I have nothing but admiration for. 

Without the competition urging the band to crank up the theatrics this time, I took in their covers (such as their wonderful rendition of The Doors’ “Light My Fire”) and watched a band fully immersed in their element. 

There was something special about seeing a group of college students take the classics and turn them back up to 10, breathing life into a well-used catalog of songs by bringing back the energy that music was birthed from. Their set was a blast from the past, and I’m glad that there are local bands keeping the torch burning. 

 THE BLACK VELVETS 

The Black Velvets are from Dallas, the first of the two bands from out of town. They made their Corpus debut with this impressive showing of indie-meets-garage rock hybrid sounds. If they introduced one more chord into their sound, I think they’d just graduate to a Midwest emo band that can sing. 

Speaking of singing, this band has pipes. Their singers may not be advantageous with their delivery, but they can really harmonize. I was blown away by their sound check alone, with the way they pulled off studio-quality singing in a live setting. 

These folks performed a very sedate set, only playing their original music (most of which can be found on Spotify). I never thought of melodic, downtempo indie rock as very danceable music, but The Black Velvets proved me wrong. Dead wrong too, because they were just so catchy that I can’t really help from moving a little. 

Eventually I wasn’t the only one moving too! It took a couple of songs, but a good chunk of the crowd moved right in front of the band and started dancing as well. The Black Velvets is the kind of music you can kick back and relax or let loose to, and for that they have my admiration. 

 RAUL AYALA 

The work of an Austin native, Raul Ayala is nothing short of a funk rock-hard rock prodigy. If it’s not his music of his four-piece band that’ll impress you, it’ll definitely be his crowd control that does. It took basically no time for that man to have the packed venue wrapped around his finger, myself most definitely included. 

This set comprised primarily of original music, with Ayala’s manic early-Red Hot Chili Peppers-esque energy captivating everybody and sending a wave of emotion through The Artisan. His music perfectly complimented the excitement in the venue, with its curated levels of bouncing hyperactive rhythms and sweet harmonies being the perfect soundtrack to close the evening to. 

Ayala always seemed to find some new way of engaging with the crowd as the band’s set went on. He started by taking off his shirt and jumping off the stage, playing while his hair and guitar were doused in water. As the night wore on and the excitement grew, he started getting the crowd to sing with him and getting his bandmates in on the chance to show off their skills, like when he let his other guitarist show off while Ayala fixed his guitar. 

In you’re in the mood to be wild and energetic, consider having Raul Ayala as the soundtrack for that moment. Better yet, do it at his show; he’d probably jump offstage and join you in the frenzy. 

After some final conversations and goodbyes, I saw myself taking off from The Artisan with a couple of friends. This was one of the strongest showings I’ve seen in town yet, and I hope to encounter a concert that comes close to the quality of both music and musicians as this one.