MUSIC
Leon, Leon Bridges
October 4
The Fort Worth artist’s previous solo album, 2021’s Gold-Diggers Sound, captured R&B energy inspired by the retro Hollywood hotel where it was recorded. His new project is a self-portrait that reflects his Texas roots—even if he recorded its thirteen tracks in Mexico City and Nashville. But judging by the song “Peaceful Place,” which blends Latin and West African vibes, Leon’s sonic points of origin may be the EPs Texas Sun and Texas Moon, which Bridges made with Houston’s globe-trotting, genre-bending band Khruangbin. Wherever he’s creating music, his pristine sound inspires nostalgia for a place—or a feeling—that he loves. As he sings on “Peaceful Place”: “I feel at home / Anywhere that I go.”
FESTIVAL
Oktoberfest, Fredericksburg
October 4–6
Immigrants from Deutschland (and their traditions) began arriving in Texas in the 1830s. Today, when more than two million Texans claim German ancestry, there are annual celebrations of Bavarian culture across the state. But the Hill Country’s epicenter of Old World charm may be the best place to enjoy the beers, brats, lederhosen, and polka dancing of Oktoberfest.
BOOK
Ballroom Marfa: The First Twenty Years, by Virginia Lebermann and Fairfax Dorn, with Vance Knowles
Phaidon, October 29
When Dorn and Lebermann visited in the early aughts, Marfa was evolving as a destination for creative expression. They saw a onetime auto shop and envisioned a place for art and performance. Ballroom Marfa opened about a year later. Over two decades, the space came to represent the West Texas town’s transformation. This anthology features images of and commentary from iconic artists such as Terry Allen and Mel Chin.
FESTIVAL
Texas Sounds International Country Music Awards
Marshall, October 3–5
Nearly two dozen country acts from four continents will arrive in the East Texas town to compete in categories including Male Vocalist, Female Vocalist, and Texas Balladeer. Over the past twelve years, artists from such unlikely places as Iceland and Eswatini have played their takes on Texas country in the region that produced George Jones and Lee Ann Womack.
This article originally appeared in the October 2024 issue of Texas Monthly. Subscribe today.
Image credits: Downtown Fort Worth: Getty; Fort Worth skyline: Barbara Alper/Getty; Leon: Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty; Jack Bool
