Friday, March 22, 2013

This week's hot concerts

Circa Survive/Minus the Bear/Now Now
8 p.m. Friday, March 22, Fillmore, 1000 NC Music Factory Blvd. $31. www.livenation.com
These two progressive indie-rock favorites have musically evolved, mellowing and maturing especially on their 2012 albums. Opening act Now Now manages to do both ethereal and dreamy and catchy pop-rock equally well.

Nicki Bluhm & the Gramblers
8:30 p.m. Friday, March 22, Visulite, 1615 Elizabeth Ave. $13-$15. www.visulite.com
With a voice and presence that twists the sultriness of Stevie Nicks and the soul of Dusty Springfield, this California singer could have time traveled from the `70s. She was featured along with the Avetts in that 2012 Gap campaign and became a YouTube sensation with a series of lively full band covers recorded from the road - in her tour van.

Force MDs/Sunshine Anderson/Case
8 p.m. Saturday, March 23, McGlohon Theater, 345 N. College St. $38.50-$49.50. www.blumenthalarts.org
The vocal group scored R&B and pop hits like the radio classic “Tender Love” (from “Krush Groove”) and “Love is a House” in the `80s, while Case and Charlotte’s Anderson scored their biggest hits (“Missing You” and “Heard It All Before,” respectively) well over a decade later. All three R&B artists celebrate old and new at the “Throwback Spring Affair.”

Natalie Merchant
8 p.m. Saturday, March 23, Belk Theater, 130 N. Tryon St. $44.50-$79.50. 704-372-1000.
The former 10,000 Maniac joins the Charlotte Symphony for orchestral arrangements from her eclectic latest album “Leave Your Sleep” - poems and vintage literary works set to various styles of music from different eras and regions - as well as songs from her solo career, her former band’s catalog, and a handful of songs from her upcoming orchestral album.

Ray Wylie Hubbard
10 p.m. Sunday, March 25, Double Door, 1218 Charlottetown Ave. $17. www.doubledoorinn.com
A favorite among his peers, this rootsy Texas songwriter trades in country, blues, folk, and rock but does it all with the edge of a seasoned singer-songwriter that’s lived the kinds of colorful stories he tells.

IAmDynamite
8 p.m. Thursday, March 28, Tremont, 400 W. Tremont Ave. $8-$10. www.ticketfly.com
With it’s simple duo makeup and songs that are simply catchy, this guitar and drums duo (which is half based in Raleigh) easily wins over crowds with crisp, punchy pop-rock that’s as quirky and completely infectious as early Weezer.

The Vignettes
8 p.m. Thursday, March 28, Milestone, 3400 Tuckaseegee Rd. $5-$9. www.ticketfly.com
The loud, messy, free-spirited punk of the riot grrrl era is alive and well in this spunky, bluesy female duo who exhibits the vocal power of Sleater-Kinney combined with a sense of humor and a taste for dark underground garage rock.