What’s New This Week
for the week of September 11, 2015
Photo by: Me’lani Santos
One of the greatest aspects of music culture is the inherent ability to transcend diversity and adversity. There is no one or the other when it comes to genre – there are many. They can be blended. They can be isolated. They can be combined. They can be alternated. The same goes for taste – you don’t have to prefer one specific type of music to all the rest. You can change your mind, transitioning your music as often as you transition your mood. Nothing creates mood better than music, either. Nothing evokes nostalgia quite like music (like when you hear a specific song and it takes you right back to a memory from years ago as if it happened yesterday.) The great thing about our music culture here in Charlotte? You can take your pick on any given night, at any given establishment, and be gifted any given emotion or memory – new or old. 
Photo of Deep Sky by Kevin McGee
What better examples of music-induced nostalgia than the Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute band, Tuesday’s Gone, which can be enjoyed at The Ritz Raleigh on Friday, September 11, and the tribute to music of NYC held at Neighborhood Theatre featuring an array of the Charlotte music community forming a benefit for the Levine Children’s Hospital. Music and performances feature tributes to artists like Bob Dylan, The Ramones, Simon & Garfunkle, Blondie and more, including local artists and bands like Junior Astronomers, Reeve Coobs, Ancient Cities, Ross Adams, Business People, Charlie King, The New Familiars, Red Jesse, Toleman Randall, Grey Revell, Evergone and Dust & Ashes. Also in the crux of times past, Amos’ Southend hosts a revival of hard rock Friday night featuring Kings X, Kings of Spade and Deep Sky, The Rival Trio bring their marriage of rock ‘n’ roll and fuzz rock to Double Door Inn, and Los Angeles psyche-pop artist Vinyl Williams is joined by four-piece scenically sounded Gazoota, followed up by Maro and The Pricetags later in the evening with an alt-country kind of sound that’s fervently familiar even if you’ve never heard them before.
Also on Friday evening, you can check out another edition of Carolina Theatre Films at Durham’s Carolina Theatre featuring this week Retrotreasures, enjoy the timeless resolve of ZZ Ward at The Fillmore back in Charlotte, or celebrate with us and with Hectorina at Snug Harbor for their album release featuring Southern Femisphere and Fratmouth. Saturdays are for dogs, rock ‘n’ roll, and wrestling; at least this Saturday – September 12 - is. Woofstock 2015 Benefit will be going on at Amos’ Southend on Saturday featuring adoptable dogs, food and drinks, vendors and a silent auction, all to benefit Great Dane Friends of Ruff Love & Blue Ridge Boxer Rescue. Stick around for a while for a later set by Coldplay tribute band 42. The Milestone gives us a progressive rock lineup featuring Plato’s Stepchildren, Lucidea and Hey Zeus F. Chrysler, while the singer/songwriter founded rock/pop blend Matt Perrone & His Real Band team up with Charlotte-bred artist Cameron Floyd at Double Door Inn, and Snug Harbor hosts Clear Plastic Masks with Modern Primitives and Southern Gothic.
Photo of Sinners & Saints by Alex Cason
In addition to dogs and bands, Saturday night also provides a multiple award-winning bluegrass/country artist – Jim Lauderdale – at The Evening Muse, Grateful Dead material delivered by Cosmic Charlie at Carrboro County’s Cat’s Cradle, and another night of guilty pleasures with Fireball’s Grindhouse Wrestling Show at Tremont Music Hall. You can also enjoy a soulful and folk rock blend at Neighborhood Theatre with Raleigh four-piece Chatham County Line and folk/pop blend Bombadil, or check out Chris Cook at York’s The Sylvia Theatre. Snug Harbor gives us an early show on Sunday, September 13, with Mimicking Birds, Sinners & Saints, Brian Robert and Slade Baird, while Detroit music scene meets Charlotte music scene at Neighborhood Theatre with hip hop artist Slum Village, Charlotte DJ and producer Aswell, Lute and Keyza Soulsay, alt-country singer/songwriter Kevn Kinney pairs with NC singer/songwriter Ross Adams at The Evening Muse, and Durham wraps up its weekend with Milk Carton Kids at Carolina Theatre and The Fall of Troy at Cat’s Cradle along with And So I Watch You From Afar and Slothrust.
Monday night, September 14, gives way to our residential favorites, including Snug Harbor‘s Knocturnal and Double Door Inn’s Monday Night Allstars, as well as The Evening Muse’s spotlight night Find Your Muse Open Mic Night featuring this week Chip McGee. Also on Monday evening north of Charlotte, you can check out Zappa Plays Zappa at Carolina Theatre, or enjoy rock group Titus Adronicus at Cat’s Cradle with Brooklyn indie rock band Baked and long distance project between friends turned band Spider Bags. On Tuesday, September 15, you can choose between Careless Romantic, Grey Revell and Glimpses at The Milestone; Enanitos Verdes at The Fillmore, Double Door Inn’s resident mid-weeker Bill Hanna Jazz Jam; or an early show at Snug Harbor featuring Swarming Branch and Bo White Y Su Orquestra. Durham features Lisa Fischer & Grand Baton Tuesday night at Carolina Theatre, followed up by dynamic duo Johnnyswim on Wednesday, September 16, and Purity Ring’s “Another Eternity Tour” at The Ritz Raleigh.
Photo of by Lane Lovegrove
Back in and around Charlotte Wednesday night, check out Claude Bourbon – an artist that cleverly blends blues, Spanish, Middle Eastern and Russian – at The Evening Muse, electronic act Crunk Witch with synth-pop Sext Message, Charlotte crew El Sporko and the multi-instrumental emcee Mikal kHill at The Milestone, or Three Days Grace at The Fillmore. Snug Harbor’s September residency, YARBS, continues Wednesday night joined this week by K-9 Unit, Bad Eric, Mall Goth and Caged In, while Memphis soul artist Nick Black is accompanied by Charlotte duo Stolen Hearts at Double Door Inn, and Tremonstrous Comedy Wednesdays returns to Tremont with laughs induced by Tim Northern, Zo Myers, David Gamble and Micah Loving.
