Mar. 21

Photo courtesy of Rapper Big Pooh

RAPPER BIG POOH W/ TAB ONE @ THE SOAPBOX, WILMINGTON

Representatives from two generations of Triangle hip-hop highlight this coastal bill, offering potent proof — if you still need it — that rap in the Old North State holds its own with sounds eminating from more renowned locales.  Since the demise of Durham’s Little Brother, his duo with current Foreign Exchange frontman, Phonte, Rapper Big Pooh has worked to refine and expand the gritty, old-school vibes that nearly made that group famous. On efforts such as last year’s Fat Boy Fresh Volume Two: Est. 1980, Pooh weilds his smooth, brawny flow over beats that stick with the grimy, soul-inspired feel that 9th Wonder brought to Little Brother, but the sound is filled out with denser arrays of samples, sly synthesizers, and more authoritative bass lines. Over these rock solid beats, Pooh offers convincing verses about loyalty amongst theives (“They Aye Aye”), excessive vanity (“Excercise in Futility”) and other topics that might seem humdrum in the hands of a less talented MC. Tab One, one of three exciting rappers who converge for the Raleigh-born group Kooley High, unleashes his elastic flow and sharp wit in support. —Jordan Lawrence

CALENDAR

Mar. 21

• Parenthetical Girls w/ Cassis Orange @ Local 506, Chapel Hill
• Sinkane w/ Casual Curious, Oulipo @ The Blind Tiger, Greensboro
• Alex Bleeker and the Freaks w/ Naked Gods @ Boone Saloon, Boone
• Dangerous Ponies w/ Norwegian Arms, Elvis Depressedly @ Conundrum Music Hall, Columbia
• Old Crow Medicine Show w/ Robert Ellis @ House of Blues, Myrtle Beach

Mar. 22

• Honey Rider w/ Naked Gods @ Krankies, Winston-Salem
• Justin Robinson & The Mary Annettes @ Kings, Raleigh
• The Lollipops w/ Wing Dam, Jenny Besetzt @ The Pinhook, Durham
• Honey Rider w/ Naked Gods, Kovacs and the Polar Bear @ Krankies, Winston-Salem
• Mail the Horse w/ Adulterers, Bo White @ The Milestone, Charlotte

Mar. 23

• Benoit Pioulard w/ Heads on Sticks, Feltbattery @ Casbah, Durham
• Schwervon! w/ The Wigg Report, Phil Cook and His Feat @ The Pinhook, Durham
• South Carolina Broadcasters w/ Justin Robinson & The Mary Annettes @ Motorco Music Hall, Durham
• Brave Baby w/ Blacktop Desert @ Tin Roof, Charleston

Mar. 24

• Little Tybee w/ Prypyat @ Kings, Raleigh
• Blossoms w/ Les Rhinoceros, Great Architect @ The Milestone, Charlotte

Mar. 25

• Little Tybee w/ Colorfeels, Ghost Trees @ Snug Harbor, Charlotte

Mar. 26

• Les Rhinoceros w/ Shane Perlowin @ Apothecary, Asheville

Mar. 27

• Javelin w/ Raleigh Moncrief, Jamaican Queens @ Kings, Raleigh
• Whatever Brains w/ Double Negative, Neo Cons @ Slim’s, Raleigh
• Futurebirds @ The Blind Tiger, Greensboro
• Floor w/ Joint D≠, One Another, 2013 Wolves @ Tremont Music Hall, Charlotte
• Hrvrd w/ Junior Astronomers, Heyrocco, Elonzo @ New Brookland Tavern, Columbia

Mar. 17

Photo courtesy of Bad Seed Ltd.

NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS W/ SHARON VAN ETTEN @ THE ORANGE PEEL, ASHEVILLE

This selection first comes with a caveat: If you’re in Charlotte on Saturday, please attend the benefit for Paint Fumes frontman Elijah Von Cramon, who was struck by a car last month. The line-up is killer, and Elijah is a nice and talented dude who deserves your help in his time of need. Do him (and yourself) a favor and don’t miss it if you have the opportunity to be there.

That said, it’s kind of impossible to pick against a guy who possesses the legendary status and continued vitality of Nick Cave. Yes, the show is sold out, but as this writer found out when he realized he had made a mistake in not buying tickets early, it’s still possible to find a pair if you’re willing to do some scouring. Putting in that effort would actually seem fitting tribute to Cave, a 55-year-old rock veteran with legitimately nothing left to prove who nevertheless continues to refine and expand his own creepy, confrontational and often quite beautiful style.

Cave, who first achieved notoriety while fronting The Birthday Party back in the 80s, resurrected his Bad Seeds last month with Push the Sky Away, the band’s first album since 2008′s Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!.  In the interim he toured and released two records with Grinderman, a group that took Dig‘s magnificently jagged grime to even grungier extremes, raunchy riffs slicing and dicing as he pushed his dark and deep pipes to achieve an even more menacing mood.

Push is almost antithetical to that aggression. The stark change makes sense — guitarist Mick Harvey, Cave’s closest collaborator in the Bad Seeds, exited the group following its last outing — and the new mood really just serves as an opportunity for Cave to wow listeners with his versatility. Where Dig lashes out, Push simmers, understated bass throbs giving substance to darkly textured guitars and ominous string charts. Cave’s singing in this context is rich and nuanced, his deep, velvety croon re-tasked to songs that are content to calmly explore issues rather than ranting and raving about them.  The intelligence and insightfulness of his words shines in this context. “The past is the past, and it’s here to stay,” he contends on “We Real Cool.” “Wikipedia’s heaven/ When you don’t want to remember.” Skewering the dangerous factual wiggle room within the Internet’s information overload, it’s one of many moments on Push that prove Cave hasn’t lost a single step after more than three decades in the game. Seeing him live promises to be an essential experience. Don’t miss out. —Jordan Lawrence

CALENDAR

Mar. 14

• Modern Man w/ Wailin’ Storms, Octopus Jones @ Slim’s, Raleigh
• Curtis Eller’s American Circus w/ Rogue Band of Youth @ Tir Na Nog, Raleigh
• “Writers in the Round” w/ Katharine Whalen, Justin Robinson, Shawn Luby, Christy Smith @ Casbah, Durham
• Burnt Books @ New Brookland Tavern, Columbia

Mar. 15

• Mission of Burma @ Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro
• Crowfield (farewell show) @ Charleston Music Hall, Charleston
• Birds and Arrows (album release) w/ June Star, Katharine Whalen @ Local 506, Chapel Hill
• Late Bloomer w/ Old Flings @ The Milestone, Charlotte
• Pinback @ New Brookland Tavern, Columbia
• Last Year’s Men w/ Daytona @ The Pinhook, Durham
• Shannon Whitworth (album release) w/ Andrew Marlin (of Mandolin Orange) @ The ArtsCenter, Carrboro
• Andy the Doorbum w/ Serfs, Joint D≠ @ Krankies, Winston-Salem
• Hemlock w/ Height @ Apothecary, Asheville

Mar. 16

• Elijah Von Cramon Benefit Show w/ Joint D≠, Meat Group, Last Year’s Men, Appalucia, Serfs and more @ Tremont Music Hall, Charlotte
• Modern Man w/ Cement Stars @ Tin Roof, Charleston
• Birds and Arrows w/ June Star, Lowland Hum @ Krankies, Winston-Salem
• Dark Water Rising (album release) @ Kings, Raleigh
• Tyler, the Creator @ Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro
• The Emotron w/ 2013 Wolves @ Snug Harbor, Charlotte

Mar. 18

• Behold . . . The Arctopus @ New Brookland Tavern, Columbia

Mar. 19

• Local Natives @ The Orange Peel, Asheville
• Behold . . . The Arctopus @ Kings, Raleigh
• Thao & The Get Down Stay Down @ The Grey Eagle, Asheville

Mar. 20

• Jack Toft w/ Andy the Doorbum @ The Milestone
• Zs w/ Guardian Alien @ Kings, Raleigh
• The Veldt (EP release) @ The Pour House, Raleigh
• The Sea Wolf Mutiny w/ King of Prussia, People Person @ New Brookland Tavern, Columbia

Mar. 8-9

Photo by Eric Monson

SHIRLETTE AMMONS @ THE PINHOOK, DURHAM; TIN ROOF, CHARLESTON

Considering how long poet and MC Shirlette Ammons has been a fixture in the Durham scene, it seems a little odd that the recently released Twilight for Gladys Bentley (streaming below) is her first solo LP. But the album — a tribute to the titular singer, a bawdy, boundary-pushing lesbian performer in the 20s and 30s who was later pressured back into the closet — validates her patience, drawing from Ammons’ diverse accomplishments to create an album that is far-reaching and fun but also accomplished with incredible focus and filled with insightful wordplay. In the past seven or so years, she has led two vastly different outfits — the prog-ishly complex modern R&B ensemble Mosadi Music and her collaboration with The Dynamite Brothers, a muscular, mildly psychedelic funk outfit that pushes Ammons in a more fiery direction. These approaches merge to a certain extent on Twilight, which collages sounds ranging from soul to rock to techno, compacting them with meaty bass lines that are near impossible to resist. The beats sets up perfectly for Ammons’ potent words — the sexually explicit puns on “Dandelion (Eatin Out),” the heartfelt confessions of love and determination on “Twilight” — which throw her queer identity into sharp relief, offering further proof that rap is neither a boy’s club nor a straight one. All told, Twilight is a powerful piece created by an artist who blows past any and all arbitrary restraints — be they artistic or social — and the opportunity to see Shirlette recreate it live is not to be missed. Sookee, a similarly provocative female rapper from Germany, opens both of Ammons’ Carolina dates. —Jordan Lawrence

CALENDAR

Mar. 7

• Major Lazer @ Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro
• Cowboy Junkies @ McGlohon Theatre, Charlotte
• Holly Williams @ The Evening Muse, Charlotte
• Ducktails w/ Alex Bleeker and The Freaks @ Kings, Raleigh
• Josh Moore & Friends w/ Jeff Crawford @ Tir Na Nog, Raleigh
• Braids w/ Snowmine @ Local 506, Chapel Hill
• Mandolin Orange w/ The South Carolina Broadcasters @ The Pour House, Charleston
• The Mumbles @ Boone Saloon, Boone

Mar. 8

• Rebirth Brass Band @ The ArtsCenter, Carrboro
• Bombadil w/ The Genuine @ Krankies, Winston-Salem
• Tenacious D @ The Ritz, Raleigh
• The Dead Tongues w/ Schooner @ Kings, Raleigh
• The Backsliders w/ John Howie Jr. and the Rosewood Bluff, Michael Rank and Stag @ Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro
• Sara Watkins @ Pisgah Brewing Company, Black Mountain
• Jphono1 w/ Wembley (album release), Actual Persons Living or Dead (album release) @ Casbah, Durham
• The Sammies @ Snug Harbor, Charlotte
• Oulipo w/ Albert Adams @ Apothecary, Asheville

Mar. 9

• Rebirth Brass Band @ The Blind Tiger, Greensboro
• Overmountain Men @ Gaston County Museum, Dallas, N.C.
• The Dead Tongues @ Krankies, Winston-Salem
• Tenacious D @ House of Blues, Myrtle Beach
• Grandchildren w/ Oulipo @ Kings, Raleigh
• Cowboy Junkies @ The ArtsCenter, Carrboro
• Effingham (album release) w/ The Magnolia Collective @ Motorco Music Hall, Durham

Mar. 10

• Coheed & Cambria w/ Between The Buried And Me, Russian Circles @ The Fillmore, Charlotte
• Black Zinfandel w/ Drag Sounds, The Critters @ The Cave, Chapel Hill
• King of Prussia w/ Elonzo @ The Chop Shop, Charlotte

Mar. 11

• Knives and Daggers w/ King of Prussia, Telecine @ Apothecary, Asheville

Mar. 12

• Derek Warfield and The Young Wolfe Tones @ Charleston Music Hall, Charleston
• Daryl Hall and John Oates @ Township Auditorium, Columbia

Mar. 13

• Overmountain Men @ Sylvia Theater, York, S.C.
• Daryl Hall and John Oates @ DPAC, Durham
• JP Harris and The Tough Choices w/ John Howie Jr. and the Rosewood Bluff @ The Pour House, Raleigh

Mar. 5-6

Photo courtesy of Matador Records

CHELSEA LIGHT MOVING @ THE GREY EAGLE, ASHEVILLE; KINGS, RALEIGH

It’s somewhat surprising that any band fronted by Thurston Moore would be playing clubs so small as The Grey Eagle and Kings at this point. Asheville and Raleigh both claim larger rock rooms with capacities hovering around 1,000. You’d think that the résumé line “frontman of Sonic Youth” would be worth at least that many heads through the door.  Still, it’s probably for the best. Chelsea Light Moving, the outfit Moore formed to fill the void left by Sonic Youth during its current hiatus, creates rock rich with deliciously abrasive tones and unflinching intensity — a far cry from the delicate acoustic revelations on Demolished Thoughts,  Moore’s 2011 solo album. The music is agressive and agressively weird, to the point that it might even push some Sonic Youth fans out of their confort zones. Crunchy guitar tones elongate into bleary expanses before the distortion solidifies into moments of concussive heft. Think slacker rock by way of Swans. On the band’s self-titled debut, officially released the day of its Asheville gig, the thrills are tremendous, the dynamics overpowering, creating a rock onslaught that loudly announces itself and forces your continued attention. It stands to reason that the group’s Carolina appearances will possess similar power. —Jordan Lawrence

CALENDAR

Feb. 28

• Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba @ Asheville Music Hall, Asheville
• Mobile Deathcamp @ The Drunk Horse Pub, Fayetteville
• Spider Bags w/ Flesh Wounds @ Slim’s, Raleigh
• The Bronzed Chorus w/ Cusses @ Tir Na Nog, Raleigh
• The Last Bison @ The Evening Muse, Charlotte
• The Lollipops w/ White Laces @ Kings, Raleigh
• Megan Jean and the KFB @ The Radio Room, Greenville, S.C.

Mar. 1

• Efterklang w/ Nightlands @ Kings, Raleigh
• American Aquarium w/ Elonzo @ Visulite Theatre, Charlotte
• The Restoration w/ Company @ Conundrum Music Hall, Columbia
• Black Tusk @ Ground Zero, Spartanburg
• The Bronzed Chorus w/ Cusses, Virgin Lung @ The Soapbox, Wilmington
• Megan Jean and the KFB @ Tin Roof, Charleston

Mar. 2

• Bombadil w/ Christy Smith (of The Tender Fruit) @ Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro
• The Kingsbury Manx (album release) w/ The Toddlers @ Nightlight, Chapel Hill
• George Clinton & The Parliament Funkadelic @ Ziggy’s, Winston-Salem
• Shovels & Rope @ Charleston Music Hall, Charleston
• stephaniesid w/ Antique Firearms, The Old Ceremony @ Asheville Music Hall
• Mechanical River w/ Company @ Slim’s, Raleigh
• Cement Stars w/ Modern Man @ Visulite Theatre, Charlotte
• Larry Keel and Natural Bridge w/ Driftwood @ The Pour House, Raleigh
• of Montreal @ The Handlebar, Greenville, S.C.
• Burnt Books @ Art Bar, Columbia
• Helado Negro @ Motorco Music Hall, Durham

Mar. 3

• Nas w/ DMX, 9th Wonder @ DPAC, Durham
• Waxahatchee w/ Museum Mouth @ Duke Coffeehouse, Durham
• Company @ The Radio Room, Greenville, S.C.

Mar. 4

• Eels w/ Nicole Atkins @ Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro

Mar. 5

• Drive-By Truckers @ Haw River Ballroom, Saxapahaw
• Alt-J @ Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro
• Howl @ The Milestone, Charlotte

Mar. 6

• Mount Moriah w/ Company @ Tin Roof, Charleston
• Mac Demarco @ The Pinhook, Durham
• Holly Williams @ Lincoln Theatre, Raleigh
• Lee Bains III and The Glory Fires @ The Pour House, Charleston

Feb. 21-22

Photo by Hisham Bharoocha

MOUNTAINS @ BROADWAYS, ASHEVILLE; CONUNDRUM MUSIC HALL, COLUMBIA

“Ambient Music must be able to accommodate many levels of listening attention without enforcing one in particular,” Brian Eno wrote in the liner notes to his 1978 opus Music for Airports. “It must be as ignorable as it is interesting.” It’s with that definition clearly in mind that it’s bristling to see the Brooklyn-via-Chicago duo Mountains labeled an ambient band. Sure, musicians Brendon Anderegg and Koen Holtkamp craft lengthy instrumental works that develop glacially and gracefully into widescreen, pastoral soundscapes that seem boundless and borderless,  but their music is entirely too interesting and too engrossing to be ignored. That’s due in part to their fastidious and insular compositional approach. Case in point: “Propeller,” the centerpiece of their excellent new long-player Centralia, released on the seminal Chicago label Thrill Jockey. Its 20-plus minutes unfold meditatively, blooming from stereo-panned guitar textures to striking, laser-beam melodies to harsh swatches of acidic noise that fade into a gentle, droning whir. Each movement is crafted deliberately and delicately, imbued with a rich, organic sense of grandeur befitting the band’s name. It’s folly to ignore Mountains’ majesty. There’s just too rich a reward in their lush, absorbing ambiance.

The duo plays both Asheville’s Broadways and Columbia’s Conundrum Music Hall, but Asheville wins the opening-act arms race: Textural guitarist par excellence David Daniell, who recently moved to Asheville, adds a set of his own avant-garde solo guitar drone to Thursday’s Broadways gig. Sorry, Columbia. —Patrick Wall

CALENDAR

Feb. 21

• Tame Impala @ Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro
• Tift Merritt @ The Grey Eagle, Asheville
• Matisyahu @ The Orange Peel, Asheville
• Bombadil @ The Radio Room, Greenville
• Naked Gods w/ Invisible Hand, Spooky Woods @ Tir Na Nog, Raleigh
• The Royal Tinfoil w/ Holy Ghost Tent Revival @ The Pour House, Charleston
• Elim Bolt w/ Wilder Maker @ Tin Roof, Charleston
• Netherfriends @ The Pinhook, Durham
• Larry and Jenny Keel (duo) @ Pisgah Brewing Company, Black Mountain

Feb. 22

• Tame Impala @ The Orange Peel, Asheville
• Fishbone @ Motorco Music Hall, Durham
• Virgins Family Band and Baobab (double album release) @ Local 506, Chapel Hill
• Toddlers (EP release) w/ Savage Knights, Black Zinfandel @ Kings, Raleigh

Feb. 23

• Oulipo w/ Body Games @ Slim’s, Raleigh
• Day Joy w/ Onward, Soldiers; Some Army @ Snug Harbor, Charlotte
• Naked Gods w/ Yardwork, Great Architect @ Boone Saloon, Boone
• Orquesta Gardel w/ Africa Unplugged @ Kings, Raleigh
• Cement Stars w/ Modern Man @ Visulite Theatre, Charlotte
• Valley Maker w/ Bombadil @ Conundrum Music Hall, Columbia
• Parquet Courts @ The Blind Tiger, Greensboro
• Holy Ghost Tent Revival @ Visulite Theatre, Charlotte
• The Fishing Journal w/ The Mazloom Empire @ Art Bar, Columbia
• Casual Curious w/ Day Joy @ Apothecary, Asheville

Feb. 24

• Foxygen w/ Naked Gods @ Local 506, Chapel Hill
• Some Army w/ Small Houses; Onward, Soldiers @ Krankies, Winston-Salem

Feb. 25

• Ra Ra Riot @ Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro
• The Toasters @ The Soap Box, Wilminngton
• Day Joy w/ Casual Curious, Drag Sounds @ The Blind Tiger, Greensboro

Feb. 26

• Ra Ra Riot @ The Grey Eagle, Asheville
• The Toasters @ Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro
• Some Army w/ Small Houses; Onward, Soldiers @ The Pinhook, Durham
• Teenage Bottlerocket w/ The Queers @ The Milestone, Charlotte
• WOOL w/ The Love Language (acoustic with string accompaniment), Ryan Gustafson @ Slim’s, Raleigh
• Ken Stringfellow w/ Spooky Woods @ Local 506, Chapel HIll
• Day Joy w/ Casual Curious @ The Garage, Winston-Salem

Feb. 27

• Ken Stringfellow w/ Greg Cartwright @ The Grey Eagle, Asheville
• Pilgrim w/ Samothrace, Demon Eye @ Slim’s, Raleigh
• Bruce Cockburn @ Fletcher Opera Theater, Carrboro
• The Last Bison @ Motorco Music Hall, Durham
• Baobab w/ Day Joy, Casual Curious @ Kings, Raleigh

Feb. 15-16

Photo courtesy of Overmountain Men

OVERMOUNTAIN MEN @ THE EVENING MUSE, CHARLOTTE; THE GARAGE, WINSTON-SALEM

Much of the interest in Charlotte’s Overmountain Men has been generated by the involvement of Bob Crawford, bassist for the massively successful Avett Brothers. But those who would go see them because of his pressence will be out of luck at the band’s upcoming tour dates. During sessions for the group’s recently released sophomore effort, the eclectic and expressive The Next Best Thing, Crawford’s daughter was diagnosed with cancer. Dealing with the situation has kept him off the road, but that shouldn’t disuade you from attending one of the Men’s upcoming shows. The band’s songs key on the vivid storytelling of David Childers. The songwriting veteran lent his voice to the regionally beloved Modern Don Juans, and his experience shines through with Overmountain Men as well.  He’s equally adept at wry, but insightful ruminations on love (the marriage-effacing “All Out of Diamonds”) and tragi-comic balladry (“Poison Cookies,” a tale of murder in which the victim ends up getting ironic revenge). But his best offerings feed into his love of history — the band’s name refers to fighters in the Battle of Kings Mountain, a Revolutionary War conflict contested by Childers’ ancestors. “Alexander Hamilton,” a highlight from The Next Best Thing, uses the sad story of the Founding Father turnned dual casuality to explore rigid ideals and their consequences. The band backs Childers’ meaningful yarns with a mercurial mix of Americana. Lilting, piano-led delicacies give way to back-porch stompers propelled by breezy picking, both of which are carried out with charming confidence.  —Jordan Lawrence

CALENDAR

Feb. 14

• Art Lord & The Self-Portraits (album release) w/ Googooloo, Lonnie Walker (solo) @ Kings, Raleigh
• Patterson Hood w/ Jay Gonzalez and Brad Morgan @ The Grey Eagle, Asheville
• Kooley High @ The Pour House, Raleigh
• Modern Man (vinyl release) @ Snug Harbor, Charlotte
• Frontier Ruckus @ Local 506, Chapel Hill
• Ramona Falls @ Emerald Lounge, Charlotte

Feb. 15

• Patterson Hood w/ Jay Gonzalez and Brad Morgan @ Grey Eagle, Asheville
• The Love Hangover @ Kings, Raleigh
• Unifier (album release) @ The Pour House, Raleigh
• Carey Murdock (album release) w/ Heyrocco @ The Radio Room, Greenville, S.C.
• The Brand New Life w/ The Bronzed Chorus, Casual Curious @ The Pinhook, Durham
• Psychic Ills @ Duke Coffeehouse, Durham
• Modern Man w/ Cement Stars @ Black Lodge, Winston-Salem
• Driftwood w/ Mipso @ Motorco Music Hall, Durham
• Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba @ Haw River Ballroom, Saxapahaw
• Modern Primitives w/ Yardwork @ Snug Harbor, Charlotte
• K-Holes w/ Call of the Wild, Magician’s Hand Practice @ The Cave, Chapel Hill

Feb. 16

• Jonathan Richman @ Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro
• Imagine Dragons w/ Atlas Genius @ The Orange Peel, Asheville
• Krankies Record Label Showcase: Potluck Records w/ Robes, Organos, The Evil Tenors, Jphono1 @ Krankies, Winston-Salem
• The Last Bison w/ Bombadil @ Altamont Theatre, Asheville
• The Sparkletones @ Hub-Bub, Spartanburg
• Knives and Dagges w/ Modern Man, Cement Stars @ The ODDitorium, Asheville
• Dear Blanca w/ Happiness Bomb!, Bo White @ Conundrum Music Hall
• American Gun w/ Meagan Jean & The KFB, Mountain Homes @ Art Bar, Columbia
• Caspian w/ Junius, Make @ Local 506, Chapel Hill
• Burnt Books @ New Brookland Tavern, Columbia

Feb. 17

• Desaparecidos w/ Joyce Manor @ Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro
• Modern Man w/ Cement Stars @ The Radio Room, Greenville, S.C.
• Some Ember w/ Alligator Indian @ Apothecary, Asheville

Feb. 19

• Menomena @ The Grey Eagle, Asheville
• Cusses w/ Cement Stars @ Snug Harbor, Charlotte
• Speck Mountain w/ Humble Tripe, Stella Lively @ Kings, Raleigh

Feb. 20

• Menomena @ Motorco, Durham
• Fishbone @ The Grey Eagle, Asheville
• Cusses w/ Whatever Brains, Octopus Jones, PC Worship @ Casbah, Durham
• Mountains w/ Feltbattery @ Nightlight, Chapel Hill
• Holly Williams @ Music Farm, Charleston
• Sinners & Saints w/ Bo White @ The Evening Muse, Charlotte
• Drag Sounds w/ Blossoms, Blood Waves @ Krankies, Winston-Salem

Feb. 8

Photo courtesy of Sequoyah

SEQUOYAH (FAREWELL SHOW) W/ BRAVE BABY, NATHAN HUSSEY (OF ALL GET OUT) @ NEW BROOKLAND TAVERN, COLUMBIA

In its nine-year existence, South Carolina’s Sequoyah — which first sprang into existence as Sequoyah Prep School — has refined its sound into a potent combination of swaggering Southern rock and nervy indie pop, in the process helping to establish the stylistic foundations for the state’s rising rock scene. The group that came together as high schoolers in Florence flirted with major label dreams before burning out, regrouping and recording 2011′s Spells, a purposeful collection that adds firey verve to band’s absorbing fuzz and twang. The road ends for Sequoyah on Friday as the group plays one last show at the New Brookland Tavern, one of its favorite haunts.  It would be easy to tell you to attend out of obligatory respect for a band whose efforts helped pave the way for the exciting bands now bursting from Palmetto country. But Sequoyah is also just an entertaining live outfit, an infectious force that you should by all means see one more time — whether it’s your first or your 15th. Brave Baby, a new Charleston outfit actively furthering Sequoyah’s Southern-infused pop path, opens alongside Nathan Hussey of the explosive All Get Out. As an added treat, Sequoyah will play a separately ticketed acoustic set before the big show begins. —Jordan Lawrence

CALENDAR

Feb. 7

• Torche @ Local 506, Chapel Hill
• Old Quarter w/ Elonzo, Octopus Jones @ Casbah, Durham
• River Whyless w/ Birds and Arrows @ Boone Saloon, Boone

Feb. 8

• Toro Y Moi @ Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro
• Carolina Chocolate Drops @ Memorial Hall, Chapel Hill
• Jphono1 (album release) w/ Prisms, Ye Olde Shoppe, Wichita Falls @ Nightlight, Chapel Hill
• “A Benefit for Ian Bruce” featuring Kenny Roby, Caleb Caudle, I Was Totally Destroying It, Lila and more @ Tir Na Nog and The Pour House, Raleigh
• Kooley High w/ HaLo, Toon & The Real Laww @ Local 506, Chapel Hill
• Chris Stamey and the Fellow Travellers (album release) @ The Arts Center, Carrboro
• Rapper Big Pooh w/ Chaundon, Lute, Forever FC, DJ Skillz @ Kings, Raleigh
• Jon Shain Trio (album release) w/ Lizzy Ross @ Casbah, Durham
• Flogging Molly @ House of Blues, Myrtle Beach
• Small Talk Industries w/ Secret Hospital, Temperance League @ Snug Harbor, Charlotte
• River Whyless w/ Birds and Arrows @ Lexington Avenue Brewery, Asheville

Feb. 9

• The Dead Tongues (Ryan Gustafson) (album release) w/ The Toddlers, Michael Holland @ Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro
• Unifier (album release) @ The Blind Tiger, Greensboro
• Man Man w/ Murder By Death, Samantha Crain @ The Soapbox, Wilmington
• Joe Gore &  The Alternative w/ Old Avenue Band, Bo Lankenau @ Casbah, Durham
• Barren Girls w/ Yardwork, Zack Mexico @ Kings, Raleigh
• Cotton Jones w/ Rogue Band of Youth @ Local 506, Chapel Hill
• Wretched @ Tremont Music Hall, Charlotte

Feb. 10

• Man Man w/ Murder By Death @ The Pour House, Charleston
• The Slackers @ Blind Tiger, Greensboro
• Wretched @ The Drunk Horse Pub, Fayetteville
• U.S. Girls @ Nightlight, Chapel HIll
• The Lovely Few w/ VYIE @ New Brookland Tavern, Columbia

Feb. 11

• Rapdragons w/ Sam Herrig (of Future Islands) @ Local 506, Chapel Hill

Feb. 12

• Patterson Hood w/ Jay Gonzalez and Brad Morgan @ The ArtsCenter, Carrboro
• Bowerbirds Kickstarter Party @ The Pinhook, Durham
• Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires w/ Jason Kutchma @ Slim’s, Raleigh
• Holopaw w/ Heyrocco, Octopus Jones @ Nightlight, Chapel Hill

Feb. 13

• Old 97’s @ The Orange Peel, Asheville
• Patterson Hood w/ Jay Gonzalez, Brad Morgan @ McGlohon Theater, Charlotte
• Heyrocco @ The Evening Muse, Charlotte

Feb. 1-2

DOUBLE BARREL BENEFIT X @ THE POUR HOUSE, RALEIGH

Now in its 10th year, the Double Barrel Benefit has cultivated expectations that are almost impossible to live up to. The annual two-night local music showcase and fundraiser for WKNC, the student-run radio station of N.C. State University, has hosted many of the Triangle’s more famous musical exports: The Mountain Goats, The Love Language, Polvo, Lost in the Trees, Roman Candle, The Old Ceremony and DeYarmond Edison (the band that birthed both Bon Iver and Megafaun) have played the event during its decade-long run.

This year’s Double Barrel lives up to that legacy quite well. Spider Bags, a veteran garage rock outfit from Durham, had their biggest year yet in 2012, releasing the precisely raucous Shake My Head to plaudits from around the Carolinas and elsewhere — including an 8.1 out of 10 from Pitchfork.com. They headline on Saturday. JKutchma & The Five Fifths take top billing on Friday,  and while their music has yet to reach as many ears, the band’s lush folk-rock and their leader’s relentless work ethic make future success seem like a foregone conclusion. Kutchma, frontman of the redemptive punk powerhouse Red Collar, fills his more somber solo offerings with the same resolve to fight for your dreams — even if they’re already falling apart.

The rest of  the line-up is filled out with promising and accessible bands who could easily follow in the headliners’ footsteps. Winston-Salem’s Estrangers play the day party on Saturday, a two-stage affair that incorporates the nearby Tir Na Nog. The psychedelic pop outfit indulges often in flourishes of weird effects but never at the expense of their irresistible hooks. Some Army, who support Spider Bags on Saturday, offer luxurious indie rock balladry that equals Kutchma in its exploration of broken dreams. Lilac Shadows, who spearhead an opening trio of fuzz-infused pop acts on Friday, darken ’60s psych-rock with dense distortion borrowed from shoegaze. It’s easy to believe that a year from now, any one of these group’s could be the area’s “next big thing,” which makes this year’s line-up a worthy extension of Double Barrel’s legacy. —Jordan Lawrence

CALENDAR

FESTIVAL

• Feb. 1-2: Bull City Metal Fest @ Casbah, Durham

Jan. 31

• “Writers in the Round” w/ Amy Ray, Heather McEntire, Phil Cook and M.C. Taylor @ Casbah, Durham
• Diali Cissokho and Kaira Ba @ Lexington Avenue Brewery, Asheville
• Broken Prayer w/ Meat Group, NO LOVE @ Slim’s, Raleigh
• Octopus Jones w/ Deep Space Giants @ Tir Na Nog, Raleigh
• Ancient Cities @ The Evening Muse, Charlotte
• Grass Widow @ Emerald Lounge, Asheville

Feb. 1

• The English Beat @ Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro
• Hectorina w/ Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires, Modern Primitives, Temperance League @ The Milestone, Charlotte
• Man Will Destroy Himself w/ Richard Bacchus & The Luckiest Girls @ Slim’s, Raleigh
• Grass Widow w/ Stems, Des Ark (solo) @ The Pinhook, Durham
• Shallow Palace w/ Elonzo @ The Radio Room, Greenville
• Matt Pond PA w/ Company @ Tin Roof, Charleston
• Diali Cissokho and Kaira Ba @ Pisgah Brewing Company, Black Mountain

Feb. 2

• Airstrip (album release) w/ Whatever Brains @ Kings, Raleigh
• Overmountain Men (album release) @ High Rock Outfitters, Lexington, N.C.
• Jeff Mangum w/ Tall Firs @ The Grey Eagle, Asheville
• Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba w/ Africa Unplugged @ The Blind Tiger, Greensboro
• Save Our Arts 2013 w/ Phil Cook and His Feat, Mipso, The Tender Fruit @ Motorco Music Hall, Durham
• Sea Wolf Mutiny w/ Elonzo, Octopus Jones, LATENIGHTS @ New Brookland Tavern, Columbia
• The Explorers Club @ Charleston Music Hall, Charleston
• Heyrocco w/ The Mobros @ Conundrum Music Hall, Columbia
• Big Gigantic w/ Two Fresh @ The Orange Peel
• Holopaw @ Tin Roof, Charleston

Feb. 5

• In Flames @ The Orange Peel, Asheville
• Trixie Whitley @ Local 506, Chapel Hill
• Stratocruiser (album release) @ The Blind Tiger, Greensboro

Feb. 6

• The Residents @ The ArtsCenter, Carrboro
• Torche w/ Center of the Sun, 2013 Wolves @ Tremont Music Hall, Charlotte

Jan. 30

Photo courtesy of Pitch Perfect PR

TY SEGALL W/ EX-CULT, GROSS GHOST @ KINGS, RALEIGH

Confronted with the most tantalizing week of shows yet to hit the Carolinas in the young year, it was tough to pick out one to recommend above the rest. Release celebrations for exciting new albums from Rock Hill pop outfit Elonzo and ambitious Columbia punk group Burnt Books are certainly deserving, and a buzz-worthy appearance by The xx is difficult to ignore as are tour stops by indie rock heroes Jeff Mangum and Morrissey. Confronted with so many options, I decided to talk about the show that happens to excite me the most:

San Francisco sensation Ty Segall is coming off a staggering year that saw him ascend to the upper echelon of today’s suddenly crowded garage rock pack.  He kicked off 2012 with a weirdly cozy psych-pop collaboration with White Fence, but his other two releases from last year offer better previews of what you can expect at Kings. Slaughterhouse, credited to the Ty Segall Band, finds him ripping through a series of frenzied rockers with staggering energy. Guitars are blown out into monstrous smears of distortion as Segall howls with semi-coherent confidence. It’s his closest approximation yet of his electrifying live show, not surprising as he recorded it with his well-oiled backing band. Twins, his third effort from 2012, clearly benefits from the experience. It collects a series of his most powerfully catchy material and accentuates it with gobs of immersive fuzz and bursts of unbridled guitar wizardry. But as satisfying as these records are, there is still no substitute to seeing Segall harness his gifts live and in-person.

Adding to the show’s already overwhelming appeal are sets from Memphis’ brashly kinetic Ex-Cult and Carrboro’s precisely shimmering Gross Ghost. —Jordan Lawrence

CALENDAR

Jan. 24

• The Human Eyes w/ Wool, White Laces @ Kings, Raleigh
• Bombadil w/ Samantha Crain @ The Soapbox, Wilmington
• Jphono1 w/ Clinton Johnson, Clarq B, Wichita Falls @ Tir Na Nog, Raleigh
• Can’t Kids w/ Cusses @ New Brookland Tavern, Columbia
• Yandrew w/ Blanko Basnet @ The Pinhook, Durham
• RBTS WIN w/ CLOUDEATER @ The Grey Eagle, Asheville

Jan. 25

• Camper Van Beethoven w/ Kenny Roby @ The Grey Eagle, Asheville
• Gray Young (album release) w/ Wesley Wolfe, The Bronzed Chorus @ Kings, Raleigh
• Bombadil @ The Tipsy Teapot, Greenville, N.C.
• Andy the Doorbum w/ Spoken Nerd @ The Milestone, Charlotte
• Ahleuchatistas w/ Common Visions @ Apothecary, Asheville
• Wretched @ Ziggy’s, Winston-Salem
• ASG @ The Soapbox, Wilmington
• Crowfield @ The Handlebar, Greenville, S.C.
• Burnt Books w/ Whores @ Tin Roof, Charleston
• Acoustic Syndicate w/ Overmountain Men @ Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro
• The Human Eyes w/ White Laces @ The Cave, Chapel Hill

Jan. 26

• Burnt Books (album release) w/ Whores @ New Brookland Tavern, Columbia
• Purity Ring w/ Young Magic @ The Orange Peel, Asheville
• Steep Canyon Rangers @ Lincoln Theatre, Raleigh
• Calexico w/ Bahamas, The Kingsbury Manx @ Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro
• Mipso w/ Overmountain Men @ The Grey Eagle, Asheville
• Wretched @ Ground Zero, Spartanburg
• Crowfield w/ Heyrocco @ Visulite Theatre, Charlotte
• Mazloom Empire w/ The Lovely Few @ Art Bar, Columbia

Jan. 27

• Shabazz Palaces w/ The Helio Sequence @ The Orange Peel, Asheville
• Junior Astronomers w/ The Weeks, Yardwork @ Tremont Music Hall, Charlotte
• Corrections House w/ Grohg, Nate Hall (with backing band) @ Kings, Raleigh
• Ben Seretan w/ Ezekiel Graves @ Nightlight, Chapel Hill
• Onuinu w/ Tiger Waves, Heyrocco @ Local 506, Chapel Hill
• Rob K and the Jam Messengers w/ Greg Cartwright @ The Odditorium, Asheville

Jan. 28

• Morrissey @ The Orange Peel, Asheville
• The Music Tapes Present: The Traveling Imaginary @ Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro
• Mechanical River @ The Cave, Chapel Hill

Jan. 29

• Jeff Mangum w/ Tall Firs @ Charleston Music Hall, Charleston
• Chelsea Wolfe @ Local 506, Chapel Hill
• Amy Ray w/ Heather McEntire, Hiss Golden Messenger @ Evening Muse, Charlotte
• The Music Tapes Present: The Traveling Imaginary @ Duke Coffeehouse, Durham
• Flesh Wounds w/ Midnight Plus One @ Motorco Music Hall, Durham
• Yonder Mountain String Band @ Music Farm, Charleston

Jan. 30

• The xx @ The Orange Peel, Asheville
• Jeff Mangum w/ Tall Firs @ Brooklyn Arts Center, Wilmington
• Amy Ray w/ Heather McEntire, Hiss Golden Messenger @ Emerald Lounge, Asheville
• Elonzo (album release) w/ The Sea Wolf Mutiny, Of Sinking Ships @ Snug Harbor, Charlotte
• Big Gigantic w/ Two Fresh @ Music Farm, Charleston
• Yonder Mountain String Band @ Ziggy’s, Winston-Salem
• Colossus w/ Make @ Local 506, Chapel Hill

Jan. 17-20

BRAVE BABY AND ELIM BOLT @ THE POUR HOUSE, CHARLESTON; VISULITE THEATRE, CHARLOTTE; NEW BROOKLAND TAVERN, COLUMBIA; EMERALD LOUNGE, ASHEVILLE

Regular Shuffle readers will know this already, but Charleston is in the middle of a pop-rock renaissance. Band of Horses is the big (and these days, boring) deal in town, but a cadre of exciting up-and-comers — Company, Mechanical River, Shovels & Rope — are poised to seize the next big break. Two frontrunners in this coastal wave are crashing through the Carolinas this weekend, giving the rest of the region a chance to get in on the fun. The relatively green Brave Baby moves with an arena-sized swagger that recalls the less grating aspects of bands like Passion Pit and M83, but the Charleston outfit sings its songs with an earnest conviction that outstrips those Pitchfork favorites. Forty Bells, Brave Baby’s recently released debut, is a diverse indie rock collection overflowing with infectious naievity and enormous hooks. Don’t be surprised if you find it playing in your local Starbucks come the fall. Even more intriguing is Elim Bolt, who packages ’50s pop charisma within warming slacker rock, accomplishing the task in a way that honors both traditions. Johnnie Matthews’ velvety croon hiccups and warbles over reverb-drenched R&B riffs, expressing the kind of deliciously downtrodden heartache that made legends of Roy Orbison and Elvis Presley. Catchy and accessible, these two acts are able ambassadors for their bustling scene. Inlanders be warned: You won’t want to miss them. —Jordan Lawrence

CALENDAR

Jan. 17

• Jon Spencer Blues Explosion @ The Grey Eagle, Asheville
• Catharsis w/ Man Will Destroy Himself, Dead In The Dirt @ Kings, Raleigh
• The Soft Moon w/ Majical Cloudz, Prisms @ The Pinhook, Durham
• Mel Washington @ New Brookland Tavern, Columbia
• Jphono1 w/ People Person @ Conundrum Music Hall, Columbia

Jan. 18

• Young And In The Way w/ Calormen, Ghost Trees @ The Milestone, Charlotte
• Toubab Krewe @ The Orange Peel, Asheville
• VaVatican @ Squidco, Wilmington
• Annuals w/ The Lollipops, Eros and the Eschaton @ Local 506, Chapel Hill
• The Old Ceremony w/ Crystal Bright & The Silver hands @ The Blind Tiger, Greensboro
• Yardwork @ Tin Roof, Charleston
• Bleeding Rainbow w/ Jenny Besetzt @ Duke Coffeehouse, Durham

Jan. 19

• Loincloth w/ Solar Halos, Demon Eye @ Kings, Raleigh
• VaVatican @ Conundrum Music Hall, Columbia
• Toubab Krewe @ The Orange Peel, Asheville
• Carbon Leaf @ Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro
• Holy Ghost Tent Revival @ The Grey Eagle, Asheville
• Kenny Roby @ The Green Bean, Greensboro

Jan. 20

• “Rock for Roe” featuring The Mountain Goats, Blooz Travellerzz, Creedence Queerwater Revival @ The Pinhook, Durham
• Hot Water Music w/ La Dispute, The Menzingers @ Amos’ Southend, Charlotte
• R. Kelly @ Ziggy’s, Winston-Salem

Jan. 22

• Pat Benatar & Neil Geraldo @ McGlohon Theater, Charlotte

Jan. 23

• Yo La Tengo @ Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro
• The Music Tapes Present: The Traveling Imaginary @ Krankies, Winston-Salem
• VaVatican w/ Ahleuchatistas @ Apothecary, Asheville
• Bottle Rockets w/ Marshall Crenshaw @ The Handlebar, Greenville, S.C.
• Elonzo w/ Blossoms, Can’t Kids @ Snug Harbor, Charlotte
• Denney and the Jets w/ Derek Hoke @ Local 506, Chapel Hill