What’s New This Week

for the week of December 11, 2015

Photo by: Dianna Augustine

The middle of December is officially upon us and that can only mean one thing– a torrent of holiday-inspired festivities is now upon us indefinitely through the end of the year. When the biggest day of gift giving not far around the corner, ask yourself: What better gift is there than the gift of music? From holiday classics like The Nutcracker to modernized parties such as Raleigh’s Whobilation, there’s plenty of variety and cheer for everyone.

Photo of Sext Message by Lane Lovegrove

Kicking off this weekend in the Raleigh/Durham area Friday night, December 11, is Kid Cudi at The Ritz Raleigh and Retrotreasures at the Carolina Theatre’s signature Carolina Theatre Films. Around the Queen City Friday night, you can check out organic folk rock crew River Whyless followed up by Charlotte Latin group Patabamba and indie-rock trio Ernie at The Evening Muse; Louisiana rhythm artist Samantha Fish at Neighborhood Theatre; Viajando with Bedowyn and Greevace at Snug Harbor; or swing by Double Door Inn for a high-energy performance by The Traffic Jam All Star Band, featuring Harvey Dalton Arnold of The Outlaws. Also on Friday, we’ve got Brant Bjork of Kyuss with The Low Desert Punks at Amos’ Southend; Nude Tayne at The Milestone with Hey Zeus F. Chrysler, The Francis Vertigo and Consumption Casualties; and Tremont Music Hall’s punk prom, Weirdo Winter Formal, featuring Mon Frere, YARBS, Del Rio, Sext Message, Alright and Good Bones.

Photo of Falling Through April by Dianna Augustine

On Saturday, December 12, Purgatory 67 returns to Amos’ with its Wicked Wonderland featuring DJ Triskyl, Wolfling, DJ CODEC, Djinn the NiteChylde, Art to Life and more. The Milestone hosts some hardcore rock courtesy of Random Conflict, No Anger Control, October and Barred In; Snug Harbor gets a lineup of Brave Baby and Sydney Eloise & The Palms; and rockabilly mashup Bill Kirchen takes over Double Door Inn. Neighborhood Theatre spends its Saturday evening with Young & In the Way, Scowl Brow, The Seduction and Funeral Chic, while Tremont delivers Atrium, Falling Through April, Ghosts Again, Bear Light Symphony and Rothschild. The Evening Muse has the layered rock of Whitehorse as well as Nashville songwriter Aaron Lee Tasjan, alternative pop-rock group The Well Reds and country duo Kingston Show.

Photo by: Arvind Bhandari

The weekend further north continues with AC/DC tribute band, Back In Black, at Ritz Raleigh Saturday night, as well as the Triangle Youth Ballet rendition of The Nutcracker at Carolina Theatre and Southern Culture on the Skids with The Bad Checks and Krektones at Cat’s Cradle. Moving into the latter part of the weekend, Carolina Theatre has Matisyahu’s Festival of Light on Sunday, December 13, while down below in Columbia, The Music Farm aids in benefitting the Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital with Parmalee. 

Photo of Funky Geezer by Kevin McGee

Sunday evening in Charlotte includes the holiday comedy show, The Grass Station Hot Dogs Good Time Christmas Show at The Evening Muse benefitting The Arts Empowerment Project and featuring performances by Funky Geezer, Mike Strauss, Stolen Hearts, Chuck Johnson, Gigi Dover & Eric Lovell, Kevin Marshall and Jeff LeVack. You can find Tory Lanez with Boogie and Rello at Tremont, and The Magic Fountain at The Milestone along with Cuttlefish Agenda and Young Someone. Elsewhere Sunday evening, Charlotte gets its own visit by Back In Black for a throwback at The Fillmore, and everyone’s favorite karaoke night, Bone Snugs-N-Harmony, returns another week at Snug Harbor.  

Snug Harbor’s Monday night residency, Knocturnal, returns for another week December 14. Other weekly favorites include Double Door Inn‘s The Monday Night Allstars and The Evening Muse’s Find Your Muse Open Mic Night this week featuring energetic folk artist Julie Haberstick. You can also check out Vanessa Carlton up at Carolina Theatre Monday night, while New England singer/songwriters San Fermin and Sam Amidon tag-team Cat’s Cradle. Ritz Raleigh hosts The 95x Holiday Whobilation featuring AWOLNATION and Metric Tuesday night, December 15.

Photo of August Burns Red by Dianna Augustine

In Charlotte Tuesday evening, Bill Hanna Jazz Jam holds down Double Door Inn; Kissmas Party 2015 kicks off at The Fillmore featuring Tori Kelly and Robin Thicke; and The Blind Spots take on Snug Harbor with Knowne Ghost and Good Bones. Wednesday, December 16, is all about rock and metal, including August Burns Red with Every Time I Die, Stick To Your Guns, Polyphia and Wage War at Amos’. Don’t forget about Snug Harbor’s December residency, Know Good Ent. + Oddboy Collective, or check out the melodic metal of Vesterian, Rapheumet’s Well, Noctomb and IV Never More at The Milestone. The Fillmore will host 1065 The End’s Not So Acoustic Christmas Wednesday night featuring AWOLNATION, while other venues take it down a notch: Double Door Inn with NC soulful Appalachian crew Look Homeward, and The Evening Muse with Nashville singer/songwriters Lauren Jenkins and Ingrid Andress. For those needing a good laugh, stop by Tremont for comedy night featuring Jarrod Harris of Comedy Central and TBS, Mikee Steinberg, Spencer Taylor and Jarred Kreger. Also on Wednesday night, Cat’s Cradle hosts The Get Up Kids 20th Anniversary Tour featuring Into It Over It and Rozwell Kid, and another version of The Nutcracker as shown by Carolina Theatre Films at Carolina Theatre.

Photo of Between the Buried and Me by Dianna Augustine  

Wrapping up this week in Charlotte, punk rockers Year of the Ox and Greevace can be found at The Milestone; Between the Buried and Me will be at The Fillmore; and The Muscle Shoals Revue will be at The Evening Muse starring Amy Black and Sarah Borges. Additionally, Snug Harbor’s end of the week party, SHIPROCKED!, continues another week, and the fiddle-riddled poetry of Rising Appalachia‘s Winter Solstice Tour can be experienced at Neighborhood Theatre. The Raleigh area closes out the week with Punch Brothers at Carolina Theatre, while Columbia’s Music Farm wraps up with Low Country Boil with performances by Jordan Igoe and Danielle Howle.

Let us know what you think about this week – leave a comment here, use hashtag #Shutter16, or shoot us an email at info@shutter16.com using subject line “What’s New This Week.” Don’t forget to take us with you wherever you may go this week – we wanna see what shows you’re checking out. Instagram, Twitter or Facebook your snapshots using hashtag #TWITFROMTHEPIT and we’ll see you out there!