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)
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)
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)
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)
Blue Dogs The S.C. band is back once again – this time around, they’ll warm up the Alive After Five crowd. As horrendous as the band schedule has been this summer with cover band, after cover band, after cover band, the AAF folks should be given credit for scheduling a damn-fine band this week. Stand-up bass, acoustic guitar, drums and a good bit of Southern twang give the Blue Dogs a broad appeal. Sure, the crowd may not be singing along to every word, but they can get feet moving, asses shaking and the majority of attendees to pay attention to quality original music for a change. Epicentre (Jeff Hahne)
Sean Walsh & the National Reserve Move on over, Bon Iver and Band of Horses. We have to make room for more heartbroken, tenderhearted boys with guitars and pains they need to work out. At least let Sean Walsh & the National Reserve on the bandwagon. They’ll tear you up and break you down, but leave you swaying to the music, smile on your face, oblivious to what’s around you that could possibly ruin that moment. This may be a trend, but hopefully it’ll be like leggings and just never go away. With Erika Blatnik. Tremont (Sam Webster)
Ben Henry These days, Ben Henry is all over the place on the Charlotte music scene. When he’s not playing drums with The Lesser Pauls, he’s rocking an electric guitar in front of a Marshall stack with the duo The Have and the Have Nots. He hasn’t forgotten his acoustic roots though and can still be seen at solo gigs like this one. His manic guitar playing is the background for quirky vocal rhythms. He’s one of three talented guitarist/singer/songwriters on the bill – with Erika Blatnik and Andy the Doorbum – all of whom are worth checking out. Common Market (Jeff Hahne)
Lost In The Trees This is not quite the type of haunting experience you probably imagined encountering at the Milestone. This 12-piece orchestral ensemble from Chapel Hill, lead by mastermind and tortured soul Ari Picker, creates beautiful, soul-bearing music combining folk with unconventional classical that will make your toes curl. Picker could sing about a rock, but with stunning composition and sweeter-than-buttercream vocals, your head would still be spinning in amazement. With Trachtenberg Family Slideshow Players, LA Tool & Die and Lady Blanche. Milestone (Sam Webster)
Jim Weider’s Project Percolator Actually, he spells it “ProJECT PERCoLAToR,” which I’m sure has some meaning, but I’ve neither the time nor the energy to parse it. No, Jim Weider’s not the weightlifting supplement guy, but rather a seasoned tickler of the Telecaster guitar. His new project (excuse me, ProJECT) features fellow roadhawgs Rodney Holmes (drums), Mitch Stein (guitar) and Steve Lucas, along with a sampler and loop machine or two. Weider’s real claim to fame is having played with The Band, albeit a “The Band” which was a little past its expiration date and perhaps more correctly described as “A Band.” Regardless, Weider’s more than just another guitar player. Double Door Inn (Timothy C. Davis)
Sequoyah Prep School These boys aren’t the new kids on the block, but they are beginning to stand out with their Southern charm. It’s good time music, for good old boys and girls, with an edge that just barely leaves a scratch but is still so good it makes you want a band-aid anyway. Something is in the water in the Carolinas, and everybody just needs to keep drinking up. With Flagship. Visulite Theatre (Sam Webster)
Castanets Raymond Raposa is Castanets, and through four previous full-lengths, Castanets has been good; often more than good. But with his upcoming September release, Texas Rose, The Thaw & the Beasts, Raposa has taken the Great Leap Forward. Here, the San Diegan channels his inner Willie Nelson into his tightest songs yet, adding the gothic accents (processed beats, synths, howling guitars, etc.) that embellish his best previous work and here take him in even more compelling directions. The result is luminous and organic, songs that glow through the dark like phosphorescent jellyfish viewed in sparkling high-def. (Speaking of which, fans of Matthew Houck’s Phosphorescent, especially, should take note – this, too, is beautifully fucked-up folk-twang.) With Ma Turner (of Warmer Milks) and Bo White. Milestone (John Schacht)
“…the best kept secret in the music business.” — Kris Kristofferson
‘Nuff said. If I had to pick one sentence to best describe Paul Thorn and his band, the above by the legendary Kristofferson would be it. If the man who wrote songs for icons like Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Waylon Jennings says Thorn is legit, then he is. Don’t just take my word for it.
When Thorn brings his band of country, rock and blues outlaws to the Neighborhood Theatre on Saturday, July 18, it’s a show one needn’t dare miss. Thorn, one of the most rambunctious, funniest and just plain good artist’s touring today is an action-packed show of songs, jammin’, stories and a thick Tupelo Mississippi accent. (more…)
