Musicians bring music to Charlotte students

The decline of arts in public education is no secret, but educators are working out interesting ways of bringing music into schools. Tuesday Charlotte-based BNR Records' artists help kick-off Career Week at Ridge Road Middle School. Eighth grade students will be treated to performances by Pradigy GT (pictured above), J Da Realest, and G-Tee featuring HumbleCreations. In addition to those performances BNR's Jermaine Spencer will talk music and marketing and another of the label's artists, Young Jules, will discuss the industry from an artist's perspective. 

Career Week at Ridge Road isn't the only interesting music education opportunity in Charlotte schools this week. Touring jazz violinist Christian Howes, who plays the Double Door Wednesday, November 14, will lead master classes and workshops with Renaissance students at Olympic High School Tuesday. The classically-trained violinist has recently received accolades and awards from "Downbeat Magazine" and the Jazz Journalists Association. The Ohio-based musician's show at The Double Door begins at 9 p.m. Tickets are $10-$12. 

This week's hot concerts

The Lacs/South 85

8 p.m. Friday, November 9, Amos’, 1423 S. Tryon St. $12-$15. www.etix.com

The hick-hop duo follows label mate Colt Ford’s curious combo of rap and country (as well as Southerners like Bubba Sparxxx and Yelawolf) with its YouTube smash “Kickin’ Up Mud,” which has logged over 6 million views. South 85 adds a bit of female empowerment and Southern rock to the bill.

Social Distortion/Lindi Ortega

8 p.m. Friday, November 9, Fillmore, 1000 NC Music Factory Blvd. $32.50. www.livenation.com

The punk legends last seen opening for Foo Fighters this time last year return for a headlining gig with Canadian country-esque crooner Ortega who - with her Johnny Cash-like writing and lonesome, longing sound - does for Tex-Mex what Amy Winehouse did for Motown.

Anthony David/Avery Sunshine

9 p.m. Friday, November 9, Neighborhood Theatre, 511 E. 36^th St. $20-$30. 704-358-9298.

The Grammy nominated, Atlanta-based R&B singer-songwriter, whose work is intelligent and often topical, celebrates the release of his new album, “Love Out Loud.” Gospel-rooted former choir singer, Sunshine, sings mature, relateable soul and R&B.

Bruce Hornsby

7:30 p.m. Saturday, November 10, McGlohon Theatre, 345 N. College St. $29.50-$59.50. 704-372-1000.

The busy, eclectic songwriter takes a break from scoring Spike Lee’s latest movies and working on his own musical (“SCKBSTD”) to play a rare intimate solo piano set that will includes material from Lee’s “Red Hook Summer.”

Pretty Lights

8 p.m. Saturday, November 10, Bojangles’ Coliseum, 2700 E. Independence Blvd. $39.35. www.ticketmaster.com

The electronic DJ, who leads his Illumination Tour, flits between electro-soul and hip-hop while flirting with thick dubstep and synthesized atmospherics (all of which is available on his website for free download).

Stephane Wrembel

8 p.m. Saturday, November 10, Amos’, 1423 S. Tryon St. $15. www.etix.com

With a performance at the 2012 Academy Awards and score for Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris,” the French-born gypsy jazz guitarist (who honed his craft around Gypsy campfires in the French country side) expands on that style with blues, rock, and flamenco on his latest “Origins.”  

Madonna

8 p.m. Thursday, November 15, Time Warner Cable Arena, 333. E. Trade St. $57.65-$381.65. www.ticketmaster.com

It’s taken the pop culture icon her entire 30-year career to grace the Queen City. The production alone should make this 22-track set (which relies heavily on current material) worth it if the ticket price doesn’t have you questioning your inner material girl.

Zion I/Minnesota (UPDATE: THIS SHOW HAS BEEN CANCELLED)

8 p.m. Thursday, November 15, Amos’, 1423 S. Tryon St. $15-$18. www.etix.com

The long running Oakland duo brings something different to the hip-hop playbook with subtle electronic dance-flavor, mid-tempo, synth-heavy melodies, and thoughtful rhymes. Dubstep up and comer Minnesota, who worked on Zion I’s latest, also appears.

Dirty Bourbon River Show

9 p.m. Thursday, November 15, Double Door, 1218 Charlottetown Ave. $8. www.doubledoorinn.com

This prolific New Orleans-based, self-described gypsy brass band creates lively vaudevillian rock with horns and accordion and a taste for vintage theater and timeless fun.  

Local band scores new car commercial

If you saw the new Chevy Malibu commercial that premiered during the World Series you heard Charlotte's Matrimony. The group's track "Obey Your Guns" (which you can hear in the above music video) is available on iTunes here.

The band reports it has completed recording its major label debut, which should be out next Spring. You can catch them live before then as they'll be hitting the road in anticipation. You can follow their antics on Twitter here.

Download Charlotte rapper's free mixtape, see clip

Charlotte-based hip-hop artist KiDD Saturday's recent video for "The Gamechanger" is worth a look and a listen. There's quite a bit of Charlotte in it and you get a sense of the emcee's personality. His latest mixtape, "T.L.A. The Love Anecdote" is also available for download for free from his website along with some of his earlier work. Click here. It includes the above track as well. There is a parental advisory label on it - so take note. There's also a blip of profanity in the video above, but it's pretty blink-and-you'll-miss-it.

KiDD Saturday's next Charlotte performance is at a multi-genre Battle of the Bands at Tremont Music Hall December 8. Tickets are $10-$12 and are available here.

This week's hot concerts

Chris Robinson Brotherhood

7 p.m. Friday, November 2, Neighborhood Theatre, 511 E. 36^th St. $20-$30. 704-358-9298.

The Black Crowes’ frontman continues to explore his trippier, hippier side with rootsy cosmic Southern blues and funk on two albums released in the last six months after relentlessly tweaking CRB’s material on the road.

Brandi Carlile/Blitzen Trapper

8 p.m. Friday, November 2, Fillmore, 1000 NC Music Factory Blvd. $39. www.livenation.com

With a soaring alto, rich, textured songs, and her incredibly charismatic backing twins, Carlile is like a young, hipper Shawn Colvin - Americana that flirts with rock, soul and gospel. Psych-folk fellow Northwesterners Blitzen Trapper brings its dreamy rock to the big stage.

Tony Lucca

8 p.m. Friday, November 2, Visulite, 1615 Elizabeth Ave. $15. 704-358-9200.

Long before the former actor/Mouseketeer was second runner-up on “The Voice,” he was growing his fanbase the old fashioned way on the singer-songwriter circuit performing fairly regularly at intimate venues like Evening Muse. With Matt Duke.

Wolf Gang

8 p.m. Saturday, November 3, Booth Playhouse, 130 N. Tryon St. $15. 704-372-1000.

This British band, who has become a fixture on Sirius/XM’s college and alternative stations, proved it’s capable of working an arena crowd with infectious alt-pop when it opened for Coldplay in July. The concert was originally scheduled for Stage Door Theater, but has been moved to the larger Booth. 

Jimmy Herring Band/Victor Wooten

9 p.m. Saturday, November 3, Neighborhood Theatre, 511 E. 36^th St. $30-$40. 704-358-9298.
On his second solo album the Widespread Panic/Allman Bros/Dead guitarist tackles jazzy instrumentals with lyrical playing that aims to mimic the human voice in tone and style. Grammy winning Flecktones’ bass wizard Wooten gets jazzy on two versions of his own new album - one with soulful female vocalists and one instrumental.

The Whigs

8:30 p.m. Saturday, November 3, Visulite, 1615 Elizabeth Ave. $12-$15. www.visulite.com

Like the Little Engine That Can, this spunky Athens’ rock trio makes each album better than the last and has grown into a live force. The underrated group can go lick-for-lick material and performance-wise with better known acts.

Motion City Soundtrack

7 p.m. Saturday, November 3, Tremont, 400 W. Tremont Ave. $18-$21. www.ticketfly.com

Having Rocked the Vote at UNCC during the DNC, the punky pop outfit is back for more heartfelt tales that veer between snappy and snarky, nerdy and fun. With Jukebox the Ghost, who is always a live standout and has a fervent Charlotte following.

Kishi Bashi

9 p.m. Sunday, November 4, Evening Muse, 3227 N. Davidson St. $10-$12. 704-376-3737.

Last seen on stage in Charlotte with Of Montreal in June, the looping violinist (whose sound can be beautiful and experimental) returns for a solo show after his date with Passion Pit in July was cancelled. With Tall Trees. Read my story from July here. 

Del the Funky Homosapien

7:30 p.m. Wednesday, November 7, Tremont, 400 W. Tremont Ave. $15. www.ticketfly.com

Having followed up a triple disc collection, “Golden Era,” in 2011 with the resurrection of Deltron 3030 this summer, the critically acclaimed underground hip-hop legend remains busy and vital.  

Charlotte's Jupiter Tide unveils EP at free show

Charlotte hard rock quintet the Jupiter Tide celebrates the release of its new six-track EP Friday, November 2 with a free show at Chop Shop in NoDa.

The group’s debut release is a polished slice of new rock that’s both heavy enough for metal fans, but accessible enough for mainstream radio.

The closing track “Regret Nothing” for instance while heavy with ample riffing contains interesting, personal lyrics that beg for a deeper listen and a continuous layer of fluttery metallic guitar work just beneath the surface that manages to simultaneously remain subtle and showy. Diverging guitar harmonies add texture to other tracks as well. In fact the interplay between Monte Anderson and Brett Baker is one of the band's strengths. As players they know when to stay quiet and let a song breathe. And when the arrangements grow busy with complex layers they don’t play all over each other. Instead the arrangements are tasteful and well thought out while remaining heavy.

The song “Lydia” is a good example of those dynamics with quiet, almost flamenco-flavored picking that swells into a barrage of tension-building riffs.

There’s other interesting musical moments like the echoing bell sound on the opening track “This Is Us.” That song demonstrates the band’s more radio-friendly emotional arena rock side and strong vocal harmonies. It seamlessly blends post-grunge `90s rock with a soaring solo and heavy bridge that plays up its metallic tendencies.

The charging yet steady rhythm section of Joey Garrett and Daniel Hoover add colorful fills and runs while singer Adam Nelson serves as the emotional anchor and provides lyrical depth.

In addition to the Chop Shop show at 8 p.m. Friday, Jupiter Tide plays Greensboro Saturday and Rock Hill’s Firewater 110 on November 9. For more about the band click here or find it on Facebook. 

Folk Society traces Carolinas' Scotch-Irish roots

The Charlotte Folk Society's annual monthly gathering features storytellers and musicians David DiGuiseppe and Rober Sharer (pictured above) Friday, November 9 at The Great Aunt Stella Center (926 Elizabeth Ave). Titled "Bound for Carolina," the program promises to be entertaining and educational as DiGuiseppe and Sharer guide audiences through an exploration of Scottish and Irish folk traditions from the homeland to the Carolinas through dance, song, and stories.

They'll introduce less common instruments like Irish cittern and wooden flute alongside the more familiar fiddle, dulcimer, accordion, guitar, and banjo. In addition to traditional music from Scotland, Ireland, and the newly settled South, the program will hit on geography, migration patterns, history, and the stories and experiences of immigrants.

DiGuiseppe is a well known accordionist who began his career in the late `70s. He's also a multi-instrumentalist, singer, and storyteller. Sharer relocated to Ireland's County Clare in 1998 and has toured the US, China, and Europe playing traditional Irish music with Irish musicians Dennis Liddy and Michael Hynes. 

Refreshments, a song circle, and a jam follows the hour long concert. The Charlotte Appalachian Dulcimer Club will have loaner instruments on hand for anyone that wants to try it. The event, which begins at 7:30 p.m., is free, although donations are accepted and appreciated. For more information check out www.folksociety.org.