GIG OF THE WEEK

MATT BROWN MEMORIAL BENEFIT CONCERT @ HAW RIVER BALLROOM, SAXAPAHAW

It’s a shame these sorts of events don’t happen under happier circumstances. Organized to celebrate the life and mourn the death of local drummer Matt Brown, this 15-act showcase features a handful of bands who might sound suddenly light behind the kit. The headlining triple-bill assembled here is worth notice under any circumstances. Chapel Hill honky-tonk heroes Two Dollar Pistols make a rare reunion at the top of the bill. The band broke up in 2008, leaving 2007′s Here Tomorrow Gone Today as its strong tear-in-beer swan song. But last year, the Pistols reunited for a couple gigs, hinting at a possible second-wind for the local favorites. Without Brown, whatever chance there might’ve been seems especially thin. Remembering his first time playing music with Brown, Pistols frontman John Howie, Jr. told the Independent Weekly, ”I immediately knew he was the only drummer I’d want to play with from then on out.” He recruited Brown to join his excellent post-Pistols country-rock band, The Rosewood Bluff, too. Between the Two Dollar Pistols reunion set and Howie’s warm-up with The Rosewood Bluff, Hüsker Dü drummer Grant Hart lends a solo set on behalf of a fallen friend. And Hart’s no novice at the singer/songwriter game. In addition to sharing lead vocal duties with Bob Mould in the Hüskers, Hart’s led a steady solo career since the late-80s. Stripping away the noise and aggression of his iconic hardcore outfit, Hart reveals a fluid pop craftsmanship any Hüsker Dü diehard will recognize immediately. —Bryan C. Reed

CALENDAR

May 31

• Withered @ Ground Zero, Spartanburg
• Midtown Dickens w/ South Carolina Broadcasters @ Tin Roof, Charleston
• Bear Trap w/ Street Pizza, Torch Runner @ The Union, Raleigh

June 1

• Corrosion of Conformity w/ Torche, Black Cobra @ Amos’ Southend, Charlotte
• Alejandro Escovedo w/ Jesse Malin @ Grey Eagle, Asheville
• JKutchma & The Five-Fifths w/ Filthybird, Brice Randall Bickford @ Tir Na Nog, Raleigh
• Annuals w/ Little Tybee @ Kings, Raleigh
• Floating Action @ Jack of the Wood, Asheville
• Midtown Dickens @ Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia

June 2

• Whatever Brains w/ Gross Ghost @ The Pinhook, Durham
• David Dondero @ Jack of the Wood, Asheville
• King Mez @ Kings, Raleigh
• Jonathan Scales Fourchestra w/ Casey Dreissen @ Grey Eagle, Asheville
• Sir Greendown @ Tin Roof, Charleston
• Lonnie Walker w/ T0W3RS, Blossoms @ Snug Harbor, Charlotte

June 3

• Porcelain Raft w/ Jon Lindsay @ Local 506, Carrboro

June 4

• John Butcher @ Conundrum, Columbia
• Elves w/ Seaboard + Andy Thewlis @ Snug Harbor, Charlotte

June 5

• Sectarian Violence w/ Pure Scum @ The Union, Raleigh
• Phantogram @ Orange Peel, Asheville
• Haunted Puttluck w/ Witch Mountain, Lord Dying @ The Haunted Mill, Belmont

June 6

• tUnE-yArDs @ The Orange Peel, Asheville
• Fitz & The Tantrums w/ Royal Teeth @ The Handlebar, Greenville, S.C.
• Clare and the Reasons @ Lexington Ave. Brewery, Asheville
• The Beast + Big Band @ Duke Gardens, Durham
• Witch Mountain w/ Lord Dying, Hog @ Kings, Raleigh
• Dan Sartain @ Tin Roof, Charleston