Cracker
Friday
6 p.m., Fountain Plaza, NC Music Factory, 1000 NC Music Factory Blvd.,
$8, www.ncmusicfactory.com
In its third week the Music Factory’s annual Friday Live! concert
series features the return of the alternative pop-rock and roots purveyors
behind alt-rock staples “Low” and “Teen Angst.” Charlotte sextet Temperance
League opens the show with cranked up garage rock that channels decades worth
of early rock n’ roll.
Lyfe Jennings
Friday
8 p.m., The Fillmore, 1000 NC Music Factory Blvd., $25,
www.livenation.com
With the new single and video “Pretty Is” from his forthcoming
album “Tree of Lyfe,” the Atlanta-based R&B singer-songwriter updates the
“Flashdance” story boosting a struggling dancer’s confidence with positive
messages of self-reliance and independence. He calls the album his most
personal to date.
The Slackers
Just a year shy of its 25th anniversary the NYC ska,
rock steady, and reggae-tinged sextet may deliver nostalgia for those that
discovered its impactful sound during the `90s ska wave, but horn-fueled, but
the prolific band is working on new material due for release next fall while
prepping reissues of a handful of past albums.
Snug 600
The annual indie alternative to Speed Street includes
performances from the Poontanglers, Viajando, No Anger Control, and Gore Gore
Luchadores Friday, Jesse Clasen (formerly of HRVRD), Spirit System, the Nude
Party, and 1970s Film Stock Saturday, and Paint Fumes, It’s Snakes, Wahyas,
Banda Suki, and No Mi Toques Sunday.
USNWC Memorial Day Celebration
Sunday
4 p.m, US National Whitewater Center, 5000 Whitewater Center Pkwy, Free,
www.usnwc.org
The free concert follows the morning trail race and cornhole
tournament with roots, jam, and bluegrass acts the Packway Handle Band kicking
things off at 4 p.m. followed by Big Daddy Love at 6 p.m. and the Infamous
Stringdusters at 8 p.m. before the closing fireworks.
Blueprint/Supastition
Rapper Blueprint’s new “King No Crown” album pushes forward
thinking but accessible production, socially conscious lyrics, and an ability
to twist words with multiple meanings. He’s paired with Charlotte’s Supastition,
who after brief self-imposed retirement turns his working class reality as a
husband, father and musician into relatable lyrical fodder.
Tech N9ne
The don of Kansas City hip-hop, the hard-touring emcee and
prolific businessman has created a lucrative empire as an independent artist
and label owner, while pushing fellow artists like Krizz Kaliko, Murs, Chris
Webby, King 810, Zuse, and Iconoclast Crew, who share the bill.
Purity Ring/Braids
Two electronic combos with female vocals hailing from Edmonton,
Alberta. Purity Ring wowed crowds with its stunning, yet simple visuals and
ethereal yet propulsive tracks. On its third album, “Deep in the Iris,” opener
Braids tackles slutshaming and abuse with feminist fury, crisp production and
ethereal vocals that hint at Bjork and Kate Bush.
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