Robert Earl Keen's Countdown to Christmas

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, Robert Earl Keen is launching a new holiday show experience – Countdown to Christmas: Lunar Tunes & Looney Times. Keen and his band will pay homage to the space race and all things celestial in an out-of-this-world evening of family holiday fun.

Concertgoers will blast off with Keen's classic “Merry Christmas from the Family,” fan favorites, and unearthly covers from his band members. “Merry Christmas from the Family” first appeared on Keen’s 1994 album, Gringo Honeymoon. University of Texas Press released Keen’s companion book, also titled Merry Christmas from the Family, in 2005.

Huffington Post describes his annual concert series as “part comedy/variety show (think The Carol Burnett Show of old) and part musical cornucopia that’s full of pleasant surprises. It’s akin to Christmas morning, but one where Keen and his merry band of musicians continue to unwrap gifts you didn’t even know you were hoping for until they share them on stage.”

Opening act: Austin-based, swamp-pop-soul supergroup Shinyribs.