Gary Clark Jr @ The Fillmore
WED 4/3 | TICKETS
The Texas native brings his style of Blues, Rock, and Soul to Charlotte in support of his third LP This Land.
Written over the course of two years on his 50-acre Texas ranch, the self-taught blues phenom brought in producer and engineer Jacob Sciba (Willie Nelson, Warren Haynes) to help flesh out his ideas and arrangements in studio.
The music on This Land is hard to label, jumping from the charged reggae of “This Land” to the acoustic blues of “The Governor” to “Feed the Babies,” which could be the great lost Curtis Mayfield song. And that’s the way Clark wanted it.
The dirty and often swampy tones of his guitar invoke a Hendrix feel while his vocals can either growl or turn into a Princely falsetto. Either way, the music is undeniably Gary Clark Jr. and he doesn’t care if everyone wants him to cover Hendrix at every show. To him the music is about being original and taking risks to push the music in a sonic direction that isn’t like every other blues album.
Acoustic Syndicate & Town Mountain @ Music in the Mill – Hickory
FRI 4/5 | TICKETS
Acoustic Syndicate brings their unique blend of bluegrass instruments, rock sensibilities, and conscious songwriting has inspired a generation of musicians. Through 7 albums, thousands of performances, and tens-of-thousands of miles, Acoustic Syndicate has long been heralded as one of the important influences on the modern roots-music revival.
Town Mountain bring their unique style of bluegrass to Hickory in support of their sixth studio album New Freedom Blues. The Asheville quintet stepped away from traditional bluegrass setup for this album and recruited Sturgill Simpson collaborator Miles Miller on drums and a duet with Tyler Childers, who also helped co-write the song. This album feels like it captures their many diverse influences, including traditional bluegrass, roots pop, and hard edged honky tonk.
Fans can continue to expect a raucous, no-holds-barred live performance while pushing their style of bluegrass into new territory.
Travers Brothership w/DJ Logic, Jeff Sipe, and more @ Lenny Boy Brewing Co.
SAT 4/6 | FREE SHOW
Asheville natives The Travers Brothership have been on quite a roll. They just returned from an extensive 6-week run in Europe that found them playing 30+ shows in 8 different countries and are starting to pop up on some high profile US festivals and venue marquees (Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival, Brooklyn Bowl, Mustang Music Festival, Mountain Music Festival, and Floyd Fest to name a few).
The Brothership’s music is rooted in blues, funk, and soul. The band’s unmatched live energy, instrumental prowess, and 3-part harmonies create a live atmosphere that transforms an audience into a community. A Brothership concert is best described as a wild block party, and this is a party you don’t wanna miss.
DJ Logic, Jeff Sipe and members of local funk acts Menastree and Akita will also collaborate to celebrate Lenny Boy Brewing’s seven years in the craft brewing business. Heads Up Penny and the JAH Will Band round out the lineup for Saturday’s party.
Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio @ Free Range Brewing
WED 4/10 | TICKETS
The Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio is Jimmy James (guitar), Keith Laudieri (drums), and Delvon Lamarr handling organ duties.
It’s the classic organ trio setup (Hammond B3, drummer, guitarist) and reminiscent of the 60’s and 70’s trios that often played a groove-infused style that incorporated blues/funk/soul versus straight ahead jazz. It’s more Soulive than Grant Green Trio. Their live shows have the feel of a late 60’s Stax album with Booker T. and Steve Cropper shining throughout.
They’re debut album Close But No Cigar was initially self-released in 2016 and has garnered high praise from fans and critics alike. They have since inked a deal with funk and soul label Colemine Records out of Ohio. Even more impressive is their live offering from Live at KEXP! which really shows off their groove style and impeccable chops. The Charlotte show is part of their 2019 world tour that finds the trio playing dates across the US and Europe.
Turkuaz @ The Underground
SAT 4/13 | TICKETS
Brooklyn-based Turkuaz bring their all-out funk assault to The Underground in support of the latest LP Life In The City. The most recent offering found the band working with Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads to help produce the album with a very hands-on approach.
Turkuaz is made up of nine individuals with each member representing a shade of the color spectrum.
Balancing male-female harmonies, strutting guitars, wild horn arrangements, and interminable grooves, this spirit takes shape in the color donned by each respective member on stage nightly via larger-than-life performances. Fans can expect an explosion of energy punctuated by neon hues, deft musicality, and show-stopping singalongs.
People’s Blues of Richmond @ Heist Brewery
THUR 4/18
The blues-based psychedelic rock n’ roll trio that is People’s Blues of Richmond (PBR) landed on most people’s radar after their mesmerizing performance opening up the main stage on Saturday at LOCKN’ in 2018. Most recently they electrified those on hand to see their opening set for TAUK in February at The Visulite.
A power trio reminiscent of Cream or Jimi Hendrix Experience with a splash of no-holds bar punk, PBR haven’t taken any half measures in their hard-touring life as a trio, approaching their music with the relentless determination of men with nothing left to lose.
“Take this band seriously, or miss hearing what vital guitar rock sounds like in 2016.” – Consequence of Sound
Charleston based Rare Creatures will be in support.
Earth Day Jam @ Rowan County Fairgrounds
FRI-SAT 4/19-20 | TICKETS
Stax Records recording artist Southern Avenue is set to headline the 6th installment of the Earth Day Jam Festival at the Rowan County Fairgrounds in Salisbury, NC. The five-piece blues and soul band have been one of the most talked about bands to come out of Memphis since they started touring in 2015 and released their self-titled debut album in 2017.
Earth Day Jam is a music & arts festival and Earth Day celebration benefiting local nonprofit Happy Roots. Happy Roots mission is to provide nature-based therapeutic and educational opportunities to enhance the wellness of the community and the environment.
With over 15 bands on two stages, 40 arts & craft vendors and environmental educators, Earth Day Jam hosts fun for the whole family while raising funds to support the Happy Roots nonprofit.
Additional musical artists rounding out the lineup include Travers Brothership, The Camel City Collective, Marvelous Funkshun, Paleface, and many more.
Love Canon @ Triple C Barrel Room
FRI 4/26 | TICKETS
Virginia-based jamgrass outfit Love Canon are known for covering hits from the 80’s with their bluegrass instrumentation. While bluegrass hardliners may scoff at the idea of a band re-imagining songs from the 80’s, their impeccable musicianship and thoughtfully crafted arrangements are nothing to joke about.
“If you go to hear the greats of bluegrass, like Tony Rice or Ricky Skaggs or Flatt & Scuggs, a lot of people were covering country tunes or, in the instrumental world, were covering old fiddle tunes from the British Isles,” says lead singer and guitarist Jesse Harper.
It’s a serious presentation of the music and they don’t mind that people give them grief about it. All musicians play covers but not all are created equal. If you’re covering Paul Simon’s “Graceland”, Toto’s “Africa”, or ZZ Top’s “Legs”, it takes work to rearrange all of those without a drummer carrying the rhythm section. Love Canon will gladly cover these songs and more — in spades.
Other Notable Shows and Festivals
Consider the Source @ Visulite Theatre • 4/6
Sycamore Spring Fest @ Sycamore Brewing • 4/13
Moo and Brew Fest @ AvidXchange Music Factory • 4/13
Charlie Hunter Trio @ Neighborhood Theatre • 4/17
Ghost Light @ Visulite Theatre • 4/20