TUESDAY, AUG. 4

Cracker David Lowery’s recorded output with his post-Camper Van Beethoven outfit has suffered in the comparison, but then bars don’t get set much higher than Key Lime Pie. Cracker’s 10th and latest, Sunrise In The Land Of Milk And Honey, is a middle-of-the-pack effort, though Lowery, always an astute culture observer, still has a sharp tongue and lyrical eye. Here, he turns it on eco-survivalists, the teetering nuclear state of Pakistan, the fading promise of the American dream, shell-shocked Iraq War vets, questionable companions and the ’80s American punk scene. John Doe, Mark Linkous and Patterson Hood guest on an album of wistful pot-baked country, ’70s-riff rock and high-BPM punk. Lowery, by the way, recently did a stint as Guest Editor at Magnet, where he praised The Foot Fist Way soundtrack composed by local rockers Pyramid and called “Dog Wild Heaven” one of the “best less-than-two-minutes songs ever.” That’s gotta count for something. Visulite Theatre (John Schacht)

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SUNDAY, AUG. 2

The Crystal Method The L.A.-based electronic duo is touring the circuit supporting their new release Divided by Night. A stellar cast of guests lend a hand on the record including Peter Hook (New Order), Matisyahu and Justin Warfield. Twisting the knobs with massive beats stroked by a moody undertow, the Crystal Method makes the live gigs as intriguing as their studio-prepared recordings. Amos’ Southend (Samir Shukla)

Fireworks If you’re looking to score some Ritalin, don’t ask these guys. This Michigan power-punk band needs it worse than you. With three-chord progressions that just won’t stop and the perfect pace to fit right in on Warped Tour, Fireworks have an energy reminiscent to old New Found Glory. Their sing-along songs and crowd-inclusive chants make for a fun live experience, but maybe more for the lost 15-year-old inside of you. With Four Year Stong, Set Your Goals, Polar Bear Club and Drive A. Visulite Theatre (Sam Webster)

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SATURDAY, AUG. 1

Idols Live! It was so fitting, last year, when the sponsor of the American Idol tour was Pop Tarts. Oh well … Last season’s top 10 are out on tour to sing their greatest karaoke hits with a live band. It’s amazing that a “cover band” can pack “The Cable Box” downtown, but there’s no accounting for bad taste. Rumor has it Kris Allen no longer has to sing his wretched first single, and everyone’s favorite screecher Adam Lambert will have the guyliner caked on extra thick so it can be seen from the upper deck. I’d suggest bringing wine to go with all the cheese. Time Warner Cable Arena (Jeff Hahne)

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FRIDAY, JULY 31

Actual Proof CD Release Who knew the vibraphone could be so intriguing? The Charlotte-based progressive fusion quartet’s jazz doesn’t slack up on subtle funk, either. Vibraphonist and Queens University professor Eric Mullis and company swirl spacey fusion interwoven with improvisation that sounds so effortless because each member is obviously a master of his instrument and can run solo sections and then jump right back into the mix without missing a note. They are celebrating the release of their debut CD where sound exploration is the modus operandi. With Jonathan Scales Fourchestra. Double Door Inn (Samir Shukla)

I Was Totally Destroying It This Chapel Hill outfit’s name may give you the wrong impression of its music. This power synth pop/rock quintet with a hardcore name sounds more like Paramore than Every Time I Die, but they still totally destroy your perception of prior pop/rock efforts. Super-charged yet soft-hearted, this one-girl-multiple-guy dynamic seems to work yet again. With The Sammies, The Groves and You Tonight. Visulite Theatre (Sam Webster)

Sam Bush Sam sure can play the man-do-lin, but man, do these bluegrass guys stretch themselves thin or what? The man’s played with New Grass Revival, Bela Fleck and Emmylou Harris, to name but a few, but his most satisfying work to these ears is with his own Sam Bush Band, a sort of New-New Grass Revival (Bush’s now legendary first supergroup, who more or less, like with Bill Monroe and bluegrass, defined a genre). Sam always shows up to a session ready to pick, however, and tonight’s show ought not to be any different, no matter who’s taggin’ along. Neighborhood Theatre (Timothy C. Davis)

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THURSDAY, JULY 30

Torche Here’s a double bill to get your innards good and rattled. These rockers twist metal, psychedelic wigouts, sludgy guitars and rumbling bass to unleash their, well, innard-rattling bombast. When touring with their buds and fellow Georgia rockers the legendary Harvey Milk, the night will be rife with chunks of guitar riffs, pounding percussion and ear drums buzzing for days. Co-headlining with the aforementioned Harvey Milk. Milestone (Samir Shukla)

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 29

Pterodactyl These four sound-alchemists are based in Brooklyn, N.Y., and their latest, Worldwild, certainly fits today’s multi-culti big-city sonic bill: polyrhythmic beat-fucking, rabid full-band chanting and cross-harmonizing, guitar FX detonations, epileptic arrangements and tempos, and plenty of laptop mischief – just to highlight the most tell-tale signs. How do they differ from the Battles and Animal Collectives living right down the street? By the slimmest of degrees. With Bo White & Guests and Bob Fields. Snug Harbor (John Schacht)

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TUESDAY, JULY 28

Jason Mraz The acoustic singer-songwriter has had a hit here and there but usually stays off on the edge of the top 40. That all changed after his collaboration with Colbie Callait and single “I’m Yours” was being played just about everywhere. Sure, his sophomore album hit high on the Billboard chart, but most people didn’t care. Now, people seem to be paying attention to his somewhat quirky style and funky rhythms. He’s out in support of 2008’s We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. this time around. Uptown Amphitheatre (Jeff Hahne)

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SUNDAY, JULY 26

Kid Rock/Lynyrd Skynyrd A pretty telling pairing, methinks. Kid Rock’s songwriting career is so dead in the water that he’s now forced to mash up old classic rock songs (Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” and Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London”) to write “new” hits. Skynyrd’s grim (reaper’d) legacy is haunted by the deaths of most everyone in the original band, excepting guitarist Gary Rossington. Still, Skynyrd once had something going for it, even as the group was too often seen as a bunch of knuckle-dragging rednecks who’d just crawled out of a swamp seconds before stepping on stage. Sporting songs about handgun violence (”Saturday Night Special”), the effects of drug and drink abuse (”That Smell” “Needle and the Spoon”), racism (”The Ballad of Curtis Loew”) and more, the band had lyrical heft to go along with musical muscle. Rock’s legacy? Well, as the saying goes, only the good die young. Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre (Timothy C. Davis)

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SATURDAY, JULY 25

The Despised Long running, on-again, off-again Atlanta punks The Despised unleash good ole L.A. style punk and hardcore. The blokes, influenced largely by Poison Idea, Black Flag and metal, are quite established in their own breakneck bombast that gets the crowd frenzied and bouncing in a Georgia minute. Also on the bill are Planet Piss, Razorkat and Randy Burke. Milestone (Samir Shukla)

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FRIDAY, JULY 24

Lamb Handler These rough and tumble rock & rollers from the Queen City will make you shake what you didn’t even know you had. Fast, hard-hitting beats with ferocious vocals and rockabilly charm, Lamb Handler’s performance is like a swift kick in the ass. You’ll leave drenched, feeling a little dirty and a bit sore from all that air drumming you did at the bar, but man, it’ll be a hell of a time. With Trouble Walkers and The Mangles. Snug Harbor (Sam Webster)

SkinKage Get your fists and devil horns scrubbed and ready. Mooresville-based headbangers SkinKage are releasing their new disc The Devastation at Hand. The thrashcore quintet isn’t bent on breaking any new ground; most tunes are straight-up thrash metal. But they do stir up plenty of dust with growly vox, rat-a-tat guitar licks and booming percussion. Along for the ride are A Road Eternal and Every Mans Enemy. Tremont Music Hall (Samir Shukla)

Songs of Water The lead instrument for this N.C. instrumental combo is the Appalachian folk staple, the hammered dulcimer. But the sextet Songs of Water isn’t a roots outfit, as its blend of folk melodies, flamenco-tipped guitar work, jazzy flourishes interlaced with classical and Latin interludes are brushed with funky percussion into a fine fusion of global vibes. This is a free gig to boot. Neighborhood Theatre (Shukla)

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