Thursday, April 30, 2015

This week's hot concerts

Outlaw Country Tribute and Benefit
Friday  8:30 p.m., Neighborhood Theatre, 511 E. 36th St., $10, www.neighborhoodtheatre.com 
After four successful tribute concerts to benefit Levine Children’s Hospital, local musicians the  New Familiars, Amigo, Jim Avett, Chris Cook, the Sammies, Sherman Hellville, the Funky Geezer, Kodiak Brotherhood and others pay tribute to  country’s beloved one-time outsiders Merle Haggard, Willie & Waylon, and Johnny Cash.


The Offspring
Friday  9 p.m., Amos’, 1423 S. Tryon St., $30-$35, www.amossouthend.com
The little Cali punk band that did, did it again - topped Billboard’s mainstream rock chart, that is with its latest single “Coming For You” (no doubt aided by the band’s trademark humor of its mime-bests-killer-clowns video). It’s another in a string of hits that trade in half-time rocking testosterone, pop-grit, and a knowing wink.

Black Lodge Brouhaha: A Celebration of Twin Peaks
Friday  10 p.m., Snug Harbor, 1228 Gordon St., $5, www.snugrock.com
Showtime’s “Twin Peaks” reboot may be uncertain after David Lynch’s departure, but local fans Gray Revell’s Roman Candle, Toleman Randall, and Sam the Lion will revisit the `90 cult series with music from and fitting the show and its subsequent big screen prequel. There’s also prizes for the best Peaks’ costume. My money’s on Mrs. Palmer or Bob.


The Relationship/Gringo Star
Sunday  8 p.m., Visulite, 1615 Elizabeth Ave., $12-$15, www.visulite.com     
Weezer’s Brian Bell and US Bombs’ Nate Shaw tap Jon LaRue (Albert Hammond, Jr.’s writing partner) and Bravery/Morrissey drummer Anthony Burulcich for the second coming of this snappy anthem-writing pop-rock side project. Eccentric opener Gringo Star’s psychedelic Brit-influenced pop sounds like Arctic Monkeys meet the Pixies.

The Doobie Bros.
Tuesday  7:30 p.m., Belk Theater, 130 N. Tryon St., $20-$94.50, www.blumenthalarts.org
Last year the legendary classic rock band reteamed with former vocalist Michael McDonald and rerecorded some of its biggest hits with country stars like Blake Shelton and Brad Paisley. It’s no surprise the Tom Johnston and Pat Simmons-fronted mainstay appeals to both the rock and country crowds. It’s even added bluegrass-soul singer John Cowan on bass.


Shy Girls
Tuesday  8 p.m., Evening Muse, 3227 N. Davidson St., $10, www.eveningmuse.com    
Portland songwriter/vocalist Dan Vidmar left night shifts in the ER and the promise of medical school to focus on the bedroom R&B he’d been producing after work.  With 2015’s minimalist, left of mainstream “4WZ” mixtape, he’s proving that sensual soul doesn’t have to mean dumbed down.

John Fogerty
Wednesday  8 p.m., Uptown Amphitheatre, 1000 NC Music Factory Blvd., $29.50-$75, www.livenation.com   
Fogerty is felling nostalgic. With his memoir, “Fortunate Son,” due in October, the longtime Rock n’ Roll Hall of Famer revisits his biggest year with Creedence Clearwater Revival playing music from 1969. That was the year the band released an unprecedented three classic albums, which he’ll revisit along with several of his own hits.     


Midnight Ghost Train
Wednesday  9 p.m., The Milestone, 3400 Tuckaseegee Rd., $7, www.themilestoneclub.com      
The heavy blues and groove-anchored fuzz-rock trio (think headbanging stoner rock with growling metal vocals) was created as a tribute to a friend of founder Steve Moss. The group’s first release with Austria’s Napalm Records “Cold Was the Ground” celebrates masculine pursuits with a dark, rural bent that - in the video for “BC Trucker” has them charming even the “Children of the Corn.”


Delta Rae
Thursday  8 p.m., Neighborhood Theatre, 511 E. 36th St., $24, www.neighborhoodtheatre.com     
The harmony-driven Durham soulful folk-pop sextet followed up 2012’s career-making “Carry the Fire” in April with its sophomore album “After it All.” Built on those resonant harmonies and grand melodies, its receiving ample praise. Rising songwriter Greg Holden, who is drawing comparisons to A-list lyricists, opens the show.


Tuesday, April 28, 2015

New Music: Scowl Brow


Charlotte rock trio Scowl Brow released its new single "Repulsed" today. The new track is a precursor to a full-length album which the band will soon record with Rick Contes (Young & In the Way). You can listen and purchase it here as well as on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, and nearly every other digital outlet out there. 

Scowl Brow's 2013 self-titled debut full-length was not only my favorite local release that year, it was one of my favorite albums period. The band's short, blatantly confessional punk-fueled rock songs are mighty earworms that stick with you long after hitting eject (not that anyone hits eject anymore). Vocalist/guitarist Robby Hale is the kind of unapologetic lyricist that makes the listener a little uncomfortable (like "Appetite for Destruction" era Axl Rose), but he and the band deliver his thoughts in such succinct, catchy pop-rock vessels that you likely stick around to hear the whole sordid story while learning every word. 

Live, Scowl Brow is a force whose fans are half the show. Opening for Valient Thorr at Chop Shop in December, Scowl Brow roused the crowd to full blown unbridled, beer spewing chaos with friends and fans singing along fists raised at the front of the stage between moshes and merriment. It's rare to see that response to a hometown act. It doesn't hurt that they've got a beer hall-ready anthem "Don't Stay Sober" in their arsenal, but it's more than hard drinking sing-alongs and hard charging live shows that make the trio of Hale, bassist Justin Driscoll, and drummer Joshua Taddeo stand out. It's the rare personal warts and all honesty of Hale's songwriting and the knack for straight ahead rock that cuts the fat in the same way Nirvana and the Foo Fighters did/do. 

The band will be filming a video for "Repulsed" this summer outside at Snug Harbor, so keep an eye on their website to find out when. Hopefully they'll be able to capture the chaos of their live show with the clip. 



Sunday, April 26, 2015

Pop-up show at Neighborhood Theatre Wednesday

Neighborhood Theatre announced Saturday that the Dave Rawlings Machine - the lower profile sister band to Gillian Welch and David Rawlings - will play two sets at the NoDa venue Wednesday, April 29.

The Dave Rawlings' Machine has featured guest star players like Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones, Old Crow Medicine Show's Willie Watson, and Paul Kowert of the Punch Brothers. With Rawlings' only Machine output being 2009's "Friend of a Friend," it's safe to say a Machine set is looser than a Gillian Welch show, where fans expect to hear certain tracks. The Machine is notable for its covers and standards, as well as Welch and Rawlings' original material.

Rawlings, who played Neighborhood Theatre in November of 2013 and with Welch last May, has been announcing shows on short notice. He played Asheville's Orange Peel and Haw River Ballroom in Saxapaw last week with about a week's notice. As of Sunday morning Charlotte's show has not been added to Rawlings' website, which only lists scheduled concerts through Tuesday.

Although Tickets for Wednesday's show are on sale here for $25 a piece. The all ages show starts at 8 p.m.

Friday, April 24, 2015

New Music: The Flatland Tourists


When I was a little girl most of my weekends were spent accompanying my father to "pickin'" parties where his bluegrass musician friends would run through the same 35 songs every Saturday night. Aside from the occasional "Rocky Top" (which they only played out of obligation to a request) or "Fox on the Run," I didn't pay that much attention unless an odd lyric caught my ear. I remember sitting on the top bunk in a one room cabin when I began to think about the double meaning of "What Am I Doing Hangin' `Round." I grabbed a nearby rope and feigned literal hanging to my dad's amusement.

While I enjoyed the company of many of my father's friends, I was indifferent to music that had nothing in common with what I saw on MTV, "American Bandstand" (which was still on in the `80s), "Solid Gold," or even "Nashville Now." What would have caught my attention as a 7 or 8 year old girl, was a killer female vocalist and an original catalog that expanded on the 35 standards I'd heard on a weekly basis for years ("Don't they get tired of those songs, daddy?").

I could imagine my ears perking up and running toward the stage if Waxhaw's the Flatland Tourists had turned up at one of dad's bluegrass festivals. Now, Americana music is in a much different place than it was back then. And the Union County quintet isn't a straight bluegrass band, although those elements mingle with blues, folk, and country. What would have caught my ear as a kid is singer Rachel Garcia, whose soulful, bluesy voice reminds me of Rosanne Cash with a touch of Janis Joplin, but she's really got her own unique emotive sound and phrasing. When she sings "Coffee in the morning and cocaine afternoons...open the bottle, ease my pain" during "The Only Thread," the catch in her voice projects ample pain without overplaying it.

Earlier this year two of its songs - "Cold Water River" and "No Work No Pay" - made Roots Music Report's Top 10 singles chart, which tracks radio play placing the band in the company of Ryan Adams and the Carolina Chocolate Drops' Rhiannon Giddens.

The EP kicks off with "Cold Water River," which boasts lyrical harmonica that provides a counterpoint to Garcia's colorful vocals. This isn't what mainstream country is today, but its easy to imagine the Flatland Tourists singing "Cold Water River" or "Our Time (Hallelujah)" on "Hee-Haw" or "Nashville Now" back in the day.

Guitarist Joe Williams and bassist Kevin Winchester (who is also a novelist) add lyrical color by switching to a more humorous tone with "Elvis at the Fast Fare" (which you can hear in the clip above). Imagine recognizing Presley buying jelly donuts at a gas station in Knoxville (which actually is kind of what I imagined happening to Adam Ant when he lived in rural Tennessee - no joke - in the late `90s).

You can check out the Flatland Tourists' self-titled EP here or here. It's available on iTunes as well.

You can also catch them live. The band will play two acoustic sets at Waxhaw's free Art Kaleidoscope festival Saturday May 16 at 2 and 4 p.m.; at Treehouse Vineyard in Monroe Saturday May 23; and open for Shovels & Rope at NC Music Factory's Friday Live concert series June 3 and at Double Door June 13.

Thursday, April 23, 2015

This week's hot concerts


Apache Relay
Friday  9 p.m., Visulite, 1615 Elizabeth Ave., $15, www.visulite.com
The Nashville roots rock band took a turn toward lush `60s pop production and `70s country rock on 2014’s self-titled release. Boasting charismatic guitarist Mike Harris - a Mooresville native who met his band mates at Belmont University in Nashville - the Relay puts on a high-energy show that’s taken them from Bonnaroo to opening for Mumford.

Hardsoul Poets
Saturday  8 p.m., Visulite, 1615 Elizabeth Ave., $15-$17, www.visulite.com     
No it’s not 1991 and that’s not a misprint. This unique 25 year reunion show of the popular Southeastern band that followed in R.E.M.’s boot steps, features both the original Wingate-birthed lineup and the second and final Charlotte-centered lineup, three of whom went on to found major label `90s/early `00s Americana outfit Jolene.


Brandy Clark
Saturday  8 p.m., Neighborhood Theatre, 511 E. 36th St., $25-$35, www.neighborhoodtheatre.com    
Having co-written hits for country stars like the Band Perry (“Better Dig Two”) and Miranda Lambert (“Mama’s Broken Heart”), this Nashville songwriter saw her own star rise as a performer with a 2015 Grammy for Best New Artist as she continued to contribute songs to A-listers like Reba McEntire and Toby Keith.


Tim Barry
Saturday  9 p.m., The Milestone, 3400 Tuckaseegee Rd., $12, www.themilestoneclub.com   
The former frontman of second wave (or third, depending on who you ask) Richmond punk legends Avail celebrates 10 years making acoustic folk music as worn, earthy, and raggedly real as his beloved band’s working class punk. He released his fifth album, “Lost and Rootless” in late 2014, but with a family at home is more rooted than ever.

The Seduction
Saturday  10 p.m., Snug Harbor, 1228 Gordon St., $5, www.snugrock.com    
This tight Wilkesboro quartet may be NC’s best kept hard rock secret since Valient Thorr. Like Thorr, it wears its `70s and `80s influences with pride. Its songs ride in on thirsty grooves that put the rock in rock n’ roll with punk ferocity and glam swagger and nods to Iron Maiden and Guns n’ Roses. With Unfortunate Gentlemen and Greevace.

Kid Ink
Wednesday  8 p.m., Amos’, 1423 S. Tryon St., $25-$27, www.amossouthend.com
With appearances at “Wrestlemania” and the upcoming “X Games” and the theme from “Fast and Furious 7” following the release of his collab-heavy third album “Full Speed” (Chris Brown, R. Kelly, and Usher), the heavily tattooed, hard touring L.A. rapper/producer is covering all bases promoting an album he describes as a social media, party record.


Tyler, the Creator
Wednesday  8 p.m., The Fillmore, 1000 NC Music Factory Blvd., $40.23, www.livenation.com   
The controversial, beef-courting, L.A. Renaissance rapper has his hands in everything from production to directing to design, as well as heading up the Odd Future label. He kicked off his current tour at Coachella and on Tuesday celebrates the physical release of his new album, “Cherry Bomb,” which features the equally controversial Kanye West, Lil Wayne, and Schoolboy Q.      


Seryn/Songs of Water
Wednesday  9 p.m., Visulite, 1615 Elizabeth Ave., $12, www.visulite.com     
The strain of member and label shifts weathered by this Nashville transplant aren’t evident on the blissful new string and harmony-anchored album, “Shadow Shows.” Its aptly paired with NC’s Songs of Water, who share a chamber folk, gospel vibe with the headliner and will release its own new album in June.


Delfeayo Marsalis
Thursday  7 p.m., McGlohon Theatre, 345 N. College St., $25-$35, www.blumenthalarts.org   
The brother of Brandford and Wynton Marsalis is yet another of the jazz dynasty’s musician sons, the innovative producer and accomplished trombonist pays tribute to Duke Ellington during a special edition of the monthly Jazz Room Series during Jazz Appreciation Month.


Monday, April 20, 2015

New Music: Tattermask

Charlotte has come a long way for women in rock. When I first moved here for college in the mid `90s there were a handful of established female rock musicians like Hope Nicholls, Violet Strange, and a few others. But, even though I worked at a record store frequented by musicians, I wasn't running into girls like myself that wanted to start bands. Winston-Salem's Squatweiler came the closest to what I was looking for, which was a Southern answer to angry, punk-fueled riot grrrl.

Today the city is rich in female rock musicians from the folks that run Girls Rock Charlotte, who are fostering the next generation of female rockers to bands like Something Clever, Grown Up Avenger Stuff, and Tattermask.

The aforementioned metal five-piece kicks off Revolver Magazine's Hottest Chicks in Hard Rock Tour at Tremont Tuesday. The lineup also features female-fronted bands Flyleaf, the Agonist, Fit For Rivals, Diamante, and Falling For Scarlet. Yes, the sexist nature of singling out these ladies as "hot" is noted given that there's no hottest guys in hard rock tour. But if you dig female singers like I do, then a collection of these bands on one bill is a good thing. I've had bands tell me they've sometimes been told by promoters that they already have a "girl band" on a bill, so they don't need another, which I think is absolutely ridiculous. I want to see so-called girl bands and I think a lot of other people do too.

Tattermask recently released its "Carpe Noctem" EP. The 5-song collection includes the band's cover of Seal's "Kiss From a Rose" and four other original tracks. Tattermask specializes in catchy, hard charging metal with soaring theatrical female vocals reminiscent of Lacuna Coil and Evanescence. Obviously if they can cover Seal, they're a pretty versatile act and Amanda is a very capable vocalist.

The EP is stacked with memorable tracks. My favorite may be "Concern," which juxtaposes Middle Eastern guitar (maybe even sitar) with pummeling riffs and bass. "Better Off Alone" builds to a sing-along chorus while "Asylum" creates a menacing and haunting vibe that is fit for a horror movie soundtrack. It's capped with another memorable chorus and showcases the band's grasp of dynamics. Some metal bands just constantly hit you in the face with distortion and aggression, but it's the prettier, quieter parts that allow the heavier sections to rumble with even more force.

You can listen to "Carpe Noctem" here. And check them out early on Tuesday's bill. The show starts at 5 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door.

Tattermask seems like the perfect pick to open such a lineup. With talented players and a knack for writing and arranging, its on par with bigger national acts. Hopefully touring behind the EP will bring the group more national recognition.

(Photo: Scott Grube, Altered Ego Images)

Thursday, April 16, 2015

This week's hot concerts

Stuck Mojo
Friday  8  p.m., Amos’, 1423 S. Tryon St., $17-$20, www.amossouthend.com
Earlier this month frontman Rich Ward told “That Metal Show’s” audience that the recently reunited original lineup will record a new album. Its December hometown show at Atlanta’s Masquerade was its first with Ward, Bonz, Corey Lowery, and Frank Fontsere since 1998.


Blackberry Smoke
Friday  8 p.m., The Fillmore, 1000 NC Music Factory Blvd., $31.08, www.livenation.com
Over the course of four albums the Atlanta country-rock quintet has gained a reputation on the strength of its soulful live shows, riveting blues and Southern rock with nods to both AC/DC and the Allman Brothers that still manages to top the Billboard Country Chart. The Ben Miller Band and the Temperance Movement open the show. The latter is an on the verge act from the UK where it's already opened for the Stones.


The London Souls
Friday  9 p.m., Visulite, 1615 Elizabeth Ave., $12-$15, www.visulite.com     
In 2012, guitarist/vocalist Tash Neal survived a hit and run car accident that resulted in two brain surgeries. Only now are he and bandmate  Chris St. Hilaire releasing the album they recorded pre-coma, but the mix of Thin-Lizzy-meets-funk, poppy Beatles, wailing Zeppelin and folk, soul and roots is worth the wait.

Stephane Wrembel
Saturday 8 p.m., Evening Muse, 3227 N. Davidson St., $20, www.eveningmuse.com   
The French-born/Brooklyn-based guitarist is an incredibly nimble and fast picker with a light touch who flits between channeling Django Reinhardt and dividing his attention from Flamenco to rock. Wrembel, who performed his song from Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” at the Oscars, will play his latest album, “Dreamers of Dreams.”

Jake E. Lee’s Red Dragon Cartel
Saturday  8:30 p.m., Amos’, 1423 S. Tryon St., $20-$23/$32.95 VIP, www.amossouthend.com
The former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist, who replaced Randy Rhoads and played on “Blizzard of Oz” and “Ultimate Sin,” made headlines in late 2014 for admitting he was railroaded out of publishing royalties for the former. His first album with RDC is his first solo album since 2008 and his first output since 2009.


Guster/Kishi Bashi
Monday  8 p.m., The Fillmore, 1000 NC Music Factory Blvd., $33.05, www.livenation.com   
It’s hard to believe this Massachusetts alternative rock outfit has been at it for almost 25 years. It’s latest doesn’t sound like a band that’s growing old. The “Evermotion” is a lush, moody pop-rock album that calls on shoegazing Brit-pop, electronic jam bands, and pastoral folk-pop. One man looping violinist Kishi Bashi’s live execution can hypnotize.     

Billy Joe Shaver
Monday  8 p.m., Neighborhood Theatre, 511 E. 36th St., $20-$22, www.neighborhoodtheatre.com   
Last year the legendary Texas songwriter released his first album in six years, “Long in the Tooth,” with the help of A-list peers like Willie Nelson, Leon Russell, and producers Ray Kennedy and Gary Nicholson. By all accounts he hasn’t lost any of his ornery fire or his knack for creating hooky choruses and descriptive honky-tonk verses.
  
Hottest Chicks in Hard Rock Tour
Tuesday  5 p.m., Tremont, 400 W. Tremont Ave., $20-$25, www.tremontmusichall.com   
Flyleaf heads up this all female-fronted lineup, which feature “The Hottest Chicks in Hard Rock” according to “Revolver Magazine.” The Agonist, Fit For Rivals, Diamonte, Falling for Scarlet, and Tattermask - Charlotte’s answer to Evanescence and Lacuna Coil - thankfully aren’t just a bunch of pretty faces, but rock in equal measure.


The Woggles
Tuesday  9 p.m., Snug Harbor, 1228 Gordon St., $8, www.snugrock.com  
Known for its rollicking live sets, the veteran Athens-GA garage rock n’ soul throwback is a staple on Sirius/XM’s Little Steven’s Underground Garage where frontman Mighty Manfred is a DJ. The band is also signed to Steven Van Zandt’s label and just finished a EP of R&B covers that will be released in late summer.

Merlefest
Thursday  2:30 p.m., N. Wilkesboro Community College,$50 single day, $155-$180 3 and 4-day pass, respectively; RV camping is sold out, but tent camping is available for an added $75, www.merlefest.org 
The annual 4-day music festival kicks off its 27th year with a strong opening night lineup featuring Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn, Scythian, Trampled By Turtles, Lee Ann Womack, and Hot Rize along with its alter-ego Red Knuckles & the Trailblazers. The Avett Brothers, Dwight Yoakam, Del McCourty Band, and North Mississippi Allstars are among the weekend acts.

21st Annual Speed Street Festival reveals music lineup


The 600 Festival revealed the live music lineup for its annual three-night downtown Speed Street fan fest leading into the Coca-Cola 600 on May 24. 

Now called Circle K and Kangaroo Speed Street Presented by Coca-Cola, Speed Street kicks off Thursday, May 23 with popular tribute bands Appetite For Destruction: The Ultimate Guns n' Roses Experience and Journey tribute Departure. The former is a seasoned Gn'R act whose lead singer looks and sounds like Axl Rose. The latter boasts a vocalist with stratospheric range on par with the real Journey's current lead singer. 

Friday offers country music fans a double header with Southern country-rockers Parmalee (pictured), who got its start in Parmele, NC near Greenville before heading to Nashville and Corey Smith, a live fixture in the Southeast for years. Smith signed with Sugar Hill Records in February and will release his tenth album, "While the Gettin' Is Good" this summer. 

Saturday, May 25 Craig Wayne Boyd and Dennis DeYoung will close out the festival. The seventh season winner of NBC's "The Voice" joins the co-founder of Styx. During his tenure in the band in the `70s and `80s, DeYoung wrote and performed classics like "Come Sail Away," "Babe," "Lady," and "Mr. Roboto."

Headliners begin at 8:30 p.m. Thursday and 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. 

The Annual 600 Festival kicks off May 8 with over two weeks of free events throughout the area . Those include the "Movies on the Campus" screening of Disney's "Cars" in Kannapolis May 8; the Haulers on Union parade May 14; the Valvoline Little 600 May 19, which finds NASCAR drivers racing a fleet of GoPro Motorplex’s rental karts; and the inaugural PNC 5K run downtown Thursday morning at 8 a.m. followed by the Kids 600 Fun Run at 8:45. An awards celebration will follow the race on the Coca-Cola Stage at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.  

The Circle K and Kangaroo Speed Street presented by Coca-Cola also includes appearances by NASCAR drivers and celebrities and exhibits from sponsors. To find out more click here

Monday, April 13, 2015

Shovels & Rope, Mississippi Allstars among Friday Live acts

The NC Music Factory announced its 2015 Friday Live lineup today. The annual concert series begins May 8 with Robert Randolph and the Family Band. Chris Cook and the Heartless Road Band will open.

The after work early summer concert series continues to evolve its lineup. What started as a mostly nostalgic `90s rock lineup now includes Americana and roots music, indie rock, and tributes as well as tried and true returning acts like Cracker, who ride the fence between `90s radio hits, nostalgic alt-rock and power pop, and roots-rock.

The popular Michael Jackson tribute Who's Bad, which does a great job of covering Jackson's career, will headline May 15.

Cracker follows the next week, May 22, with local opening act Temperance League.

New York indie-pop band MisterWives headlines May 29 followed by Charleston's Shovels and Rope, who sold out the Neighborhood Theatre earlier this year. Union County Americana quintet Flatland Tourists also play.

Another big blues and Americana name - the North Mississippi Allstars - head up the June 12 bill with the Josh Daniel and Mark Schimick Project opening up.

Friday Live regulars and longtime live favorites Cowboy Mouth return June 19 with roots-reggae band Of Good Nature.

Indie rock band Surfer Blood closes out the series June 26 with Knoxville's the Black Cadillacs.

Tickets have risen from $5 to $8 this year, but given the caliber of eclectic acts the price hike is warranted. Plus you'd pay way more to see all of these bands elsewhere. A season pass is available for $50. Proceeds also benefit the Greater Charlotte SPCA.

Tickets are on sale now at www.ncmusicfactory.com. Friday Live takes place at the Fountain Plaza outdoors at NC Music Factory. All ages welcome, although note that not all neighboring Factory restaurants and clubs are family-friendly.

Thursday, April 9, 2015

This week's hot concerts


Lecrae
Friday  7 p.m, Bojangles’ Coliseum, 2700 E. Independence Blvd., $24-$59.93/$119.92 VIP, www.ticketmaster.com
The struggle to remain cutting edge and Christian rests on the shoulders of this chart-topping Atlanta-based rapper who manages to stay true to his faith while pushing boundaries with tracks that don’t distinguish themselves from mainstream hip-hop (his latest album “The Anomaly” debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200) and lyrics that aren’t always faith-based, but rooted in realism.

Cape Breton Fiddling & Piping
Friday 7:30 p.m., Great Aunt Stella Center, 926 Elizabeth Ave., Free, donations accepted, www.folksociety.org 
The Charlotte Folk Society introduces the city to the music of Cape Breton with three natives of the island off the coast of Canada which has preserved the Gaelic music and culture of the Scottish Highlanders who settled there. Fiddler/stepdancer Andrea Beaton, Northumbrian smallpiper Dick Hensold, and pianist Troy MacGillivray deliver old sounds anew to Charlotte. 

Friday  8 p.m., Evening Muse, 3227 N. Davidson St., $15-$18, www.eveningmuse.com
This multi-instrumentalist has spent nearly 40 years as a sideman for everyone from Meat Loaf to Mick Jagger, but is best known for his work with Todd Rundgren’s `70s prog-rock side project Utopia. He employees Rundgren and his fellow Utopians for his eclectic solo album “3,” which wears its link to `70s AM pop, classic rock, and prog on its sleeve.

Datsik
Friday 9 p.m., The Fillmore, 1000 NC Music Factory Blvd., $19.29, www.livenation.com 
The Canadian dubstep DJ ends his Ninja Nation Tour this week, so expect a mix of delirious exhaustion and amped enthusiasm as he pays tribute to hip-hop’s influence on dubstep - which is the same theme of his “Down for My Ninjas” EP - for the last time (the tour ends in Tennessee Saturday). With Etc., Etc., Bear Grillz, and Infuze.

Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires
Saturday  9 p.m., The Milestone, 3400 Tuckaseegee Rd., $8, www.themilestoneclub.com  
Alabama Shakes and St. Paul may have led the charge out of Birmingham, but this raucous rock n’ soul powerhouse is the meat to their potatoes with blistering performances of well-educated punk and literary folk-meets-Southern rock that verges on exorcism. Late Bloomer, Totally Slow, and Motel Glory fill out the impressive bill.


The Suffers
Sunday  8 p.m., Neighborhood Theatre, 511 E. 36th St., $10, www.neighborhoodtheatre.com
Take a fired up horn section, Latin percussion, and a charismatic soul singer in Kam Franklin and you’ve got Houston’s female-fronted answer to the next buzz band in the old school soul revival. It’s like a cross between Sharon Jones and St. Paul & the Broken Bones with a funkier rhythm section and startling versatility.


Sick of Sarah
Sunday  9 p.m., The Milestone, 3400 Tuckaseegee Rd., $8, www.themilestoneclub.com    
With its new single “Rooftops” premiering on EntertainmentWeekly.com last week, the Minnesotan girl group hit the road with the promise of a late June release for the long-awaited new album “Anthem.” “Rooftops” finds the rock band evolving with a touch of `80s longing and a knack for memorable melodies.

Whirr
Monday  8:30 p.m., Neighborhood Theatre, 511 E. 36th St., $11, www.neighborhoodtheatre.com  
If My Bloody Valentine had been a West Coast indie rock band with Jesus & Mary Chain’s taste for thick veils of distortion and tendencies for girly Northwest indie-pop (2012’s “Pipe Dreams”) and heavier, more masculine contemplation (2014’s harder “Sway”), it might’ve sounded like this San Fran shoegazer. With Wildhoney, Serfs, and Girl Pants.   


Tops
Tuesday  9 p.m., Snug Harbor, 1228 Gordon St., $8, www.snugrock.com    
The Montreal soft rock quartet ties together delicate harmonies, breathy (mostly) female vocals, warm, expressive guitar, and reverb-heavy synth that sounds like Fleetwood Mac and ELO producing twee, lesser known, `90s girl groups like the Softies with equal measures of pastoral folk and indie-pop.


Thursday, April 2, 2015

This week's hot concerts

Cassandra Wilson
Friday  8 p.m., Knight Theater, 430 S. Tryon St., $20-$59.50, www.blumenthalarts.org
With the release of her tribute to Billie Holiday, “Coming Forth By Day,” days away (it’s out April 7 to commemorate Holiday’s 100th birthday), the renowned jazz singer brings Holiday’s music to the stage. The album features what may be the most eclectic cast on record - Wilson, Yeah Yeah Yeah’s Nick Zinner, T-Bone Burnett, string arranger Van Dyke Parks, and Nick Cave’s rhythm section as well as Wilson’s regular collaborators.


Delta Spirit
Saturday  9 p.m., Visulite, 1615 Elizabeth Ave., $17-$20, www.visulite.com     
On its fourth album, “Into the Wide,” this Brooklyn transplant does a lot of things well. Reverb soaked guitars and grand production create a big, expansive sound, while singer and gifted lyricist Matt Vasquez’s twangy, fiery delivery can come off as Ryan Bingham leading Coldplay or a modern rock mashup of Neil Young and the Boss.


Daddy Issues
Friday  10 p.m., Snug Harbor, 1228 Gordon St., $5-$7, www.snugrock.com
With breathy, feminine vocals, surf rock guitar, a retro girl group vibe and riot grrrl humor and lyrics, this Greensboro indie quartet may have ruled K Records if it had existed in the `90s. Instead we’ll settle for NC’s lo-fi answer to Dum Dum Girls with wicked, winking sass.


Bakalao Stars
Friday 10 p.m., Neighborhood Theatre, 511 E. 36th St., $10, www.neighborhoodtheatre.com 
Almost a year after releasing its third album, “Afro Dijiak,” long-running Splanglish rock purveyors continue to keep local Latin rock alive in Charlotte 13 years after getting its start. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a livelier live unit as the quintet charges through seamlessly intertwined reggae, ska, hip-hop and self-described tropical rock. 

Boney James
Saturday  8 p.m., Knight Theater, 430 S. Tryon St., $45-$70, www.blumenthalarts.org  
The veteran jazz saxman, who started his career as a sideman for Morris Day, the Isleys, and Teena Marie, gets back to those mainstream pop and soul roots on the upcoming album “futuresoul” (out May 4). He took inspiration from youngsters like Ellie Goulding and Sam Smith and called on Mint Condition’s Stokley and Dwele to collaborate.


The Moms
Monday  9 p.m., The Milestone, 3400 Tuckaseegee Rd., $5-$7, www.themilestoneclub.com  
Delivering the irreverence of the Dead Boys or the Germs with the hook-laden excitement and pop appeal of early Weezer or Nerf Herder and a dark sense of humor and irony, this Jersey band make drunk-punk that’s much better than that self-coined description indicates. (Warning: A few choice words and dark adult humor in video).


Crobot
Tuesday  8 p.m., Tremont, 400 W. Tremont Ave., $8-$10, www.tremontmusichall.com   
This rising Pennsylvania psychedelic metal combo carries on the `70s rock tradition of Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, adds stoner rock riffs and the hip-shaking groove of blues-based rockers like Clutch and Maylene, and tops it with vocals that combine the howl of Chris Cornell and Dio and a fictional fantasy element that’s retro but refreshing.

Coal Chamber
Wednesay  7 p.m., The Fillmore, 1000 NC Music Factory Blvd., $33.58, www.livenation.com  
Thirteen years after its last album, “Dark Days” and 12 since its breakup, the `90s nu-metal band - which returned to touring in 2011 and reunited with all the members of the old lineup in 2013 - will release “I.O.U. Nothing” in May. Fans can get a preview on this tour with Filter, Combichrist, American Head Charge, Saint Ridley and Daywrecker.


Jess Klein & Rod Picott
Thursday  8 p.m., Evening Muse, 3227 N. Davidson St., $8-$10, www.eveningmuse.com  
Hot on the heels of her new live album, “Bootleg,” acclaimed singer-songwriter Klein - whose voice blends the earthiness and grit of Lucinda Williams and Bonnie Raitt and the unique timbre of Susannah Hoffs - joins construction worker-turned-troubadour Picott - whose songs have been covered by writing vets like Fred Eaglesmith and Ray Wylie Hubbard - for a string of East Coast dates.