While we are still another month away from summer, festival season is in full swing here in Charlotte and across the country. We showcase a few festivals in the May installment of our live music preview along with shows spanning bluegrass, funk, rock ‘n roll, americana, and soul.
Nate Smith + Kinfolk @ Heist Brewery
FRI 5/3 | TICKETS
Drummer Nate Smith may not be a household name (yet) but his recent rise into the social media spotlight is nothing short of spectacular. Smith will bring his recent project Kinfolk to Charlotte for a May 3rd show at Heist Brewery.
A jazz drummer by trade, Smith has been thrust into the spotlight over the past 18 months due in large part to his work with The Fearless Flyers (a project that includes Cory Wong and Joe Dart from Vulfpeck along with Mark Lettieri of Snarky Puppy).
With the Kinfolk project, Smith cites “I wanted to focus on creating the material with very few ingredients; just improvising at the drums or piano or singing ideas into a voice recorder, focusing primarily on rhythm and melody. I want to see what other ingredients the players or singers would bring to the material. I’m interested in a true band sound: I want to know how the musicians will color, shape, and season the raw ingredients, and how to pull all of those pieces together to a whole.”
Nate Smith + Kinfolk will be supported by blues and funk band Bencoolen.
Yonder Mountain String Band @ First Ward Park
FRI 5/3 | FREE SHOW
Colorado natives Yonder Mountain String Band will bring their progressive bluegrass chops into Charlotte Friday night to kick off the Sounds of Summer Concert series at First Ward Park. The live music series brings together top artists in Roots and Americana music surrounded by delicious-smelling food trucks, craft beer, and wine in a relaxed setting in First Ward Park.
For the past 20 years, Yonder Mountain String Band has redefined bluegrass music, expanding the traditional acoustic genre beyond its previously established boundaries by steadily pushing the envelope into the realms of rock n’ roll and improvisation.
Sharing the bill Friday night will be NC Bluegrass supergroup Hank, Pattie & The Current.
Tyler Ramsey @ Evening Muse
SAT 5/4 | TICKETS
Multi-instrumentalist Tyler Ramsey will play the Evening Muse Saturday evening in support of his recent solo effort For The Morning.
As guitarist for and co-writer with the rock group Band of Horses, Ramsey found himself on the road constantly, forced to make temporary shelters inside of hotel rooms and bus bunks. After ten years with the band it was time for a change, and Ramsey seized the opportunity to pour all of his creative energy into his solo work.
His first work since his 2011 solo debut The Valley Wind, Ramsey tapped into that insulated world where imagination flourishes and sounds for mining are plentiful to create his most realized and regal work yet.
Tyler will have support from Charlotte singer-songwriter Dane Page.
NC Brewers and Music Festival @ Historic Rural Hill
FRI-SAT 5/10-5/11 | TICKETS
The annual North Carolina Brewers and Music Festival is back showcasing the best in Americana and Bluegrass music from the region. Held at beautiful Historic Rural Hill in Huntersville, the 2 day festival is for those with a palate for quality craft brews made right here in North Carolina and those who enjoy a good outdoor jam.
This years lineup includes The Infamous Stringdusters, Donna The Buffalo, Dangermuffin, and more.
Details on artists, camping, brewers, and sponsorship/vendor opportunities can be found here: https://www.ncbrewsmusic.com/
Umphrey’s McGee @ Romare Beardon Park
FRI 5/10 | TICKETS
Jam titans Umphrey’s McGee will overtake Romare Beardon Park as part of the headlining series of acts to play the inaugural Charlotte SHOUT! Festival. Charlotte SHOUT! is a celebration of art, music, food and ideas in Uptown Charlotte taking place April 29 – May 11.
The music of Umphrey’s McGee unfolds like an unpredictable conversation between longtime friends.
A call of progressive guitar wizardry might elicit a response of soft acoustic balladry, or a funk groove could be answered by explosive percussion. At any moment, heavy guitars can give way to heavier blues as the boys uncover the elusive nexus between jaw-dropping instrumental virtuosity and airtight songcraft.
Funk You @ Visulite Theatre
SAT 5/11 | TICKETS
Hailing from Augusta GA, the nine-piece funk powerhouse that is Funk You plays the Visulite on Saturday, May 11th ahead of high profile appearances at Domefest, Summer Camp, and Mountain Music Festival in the coming months.
Since their inception in 2010, the band has grinding it out on the road often playing until the early hours of the morning, celebrating the band’s performance until dawn, then departing early the next morning to start the process all over. “It’s a beautiful curse,” says drummer and vocalist Will Clark. “You’re doing what you love, meeting new people and making new fans. It definitely has its up and downs, but we still love it.”
The Funk You “sound” mainly focuses on dance driven grooves with powerful clean vocals. Incorporating intriguing musical composition, tasteful lyrics, and crowd captivating live performances, Funk You is surely to make an impression on your musical palette.
Funk You will be supported by Charlotte natives The Hawthornes and The Goodnight Brothers Band.
DownTown Abby & The Echoes @ Evening Muse
FRI 5/17 | TICKETS
Charlotte quartet DownTown Abby & The Echoes are set to play Evening Muse on Friday, May 17th ahead of their anticipated appearance at the 8th Annual Mustang Jam in Corolla, NC along side notable acts Ghost Light and Travers Brothership.
DownTown Abby & The Echoes (DTA) captures the spirit of old soul while emphasizing its youthful energy and fresh songwriting. DTA takes influence from the work of the Tedeschi Trucks Band and Grace Potter & The Nocturnals along with many titans of soul, blues, and southern rock.
Delivering vocals and keys is leading lady, DownTown Abby, Abby Bryant. Laying down the groove are The Echoes with Bailey Faulkner (guitar), Logan Hall (bass), and Steven Cornacchia (drums).
DTA will be supported by Nashville singer-songwriter Daniel Jordan.
Tenth Mountain Division @ Heist Brewery
FRI 5/17 | $12 DOS at door
Colorado natives Tenth Mountain Division (TMD) will make a stop in Charlotte on the 17th on the heels of their May 11th performance at the famed Aiken Bluegrass Festival.
TMD was originally founded by Winston Heuga (Mandolin) and MJ Ouimette (Electric/Acoustic Guitar). They initially started out as a bluegrass outfit. After a few years dedicated to playing bluegrass, the duo transitioned to an electrified, rock ’n roll sound. After years of finding their roots in college and playing with an array of different line-ups, the band finally found their permanent line up in May of 2017 with the addition of bassist and vocalist Andrew Cooney.
Drummer Tyler Gwynn and the ever-talented keyboard player Campbell Thomas round out the quintet that creates a diverse soundscape combining soaring electric guitar leads and jabbing keys while retaining its roots in bluegrass with Heuga’s incomparable mandolin style.
Tenth Mountain Division has evolved greatly since its inception but retains its roots in the American musical styles of rock, americana, bluegrass, prog and the crossroads between them all.
TMD will be supported by Charlotte based roots/funk/americana band Heywire and Jack Ryan’s Shady Recruits (Jack Ryan and Steve Campbell of Marcus King Band and Marcus White of Voodoo Visionary)
Andy Frasco & The U.N. @ Visulite Theatre
SUN 5/19 | TICKETS
Jam Cruise alum Andy Frasco & The U.N. return to Charlotte in support of their latest LP Change Of Pace.
While the albums title is about finding balance in one’s life, it also represents a stark contrast to the road they have endured over the years.
Andy Frasco & The U.N. have spent the past 10 years crisscrossing the US and Europe playing on average 200+ shows a year. The front-man has made a habit of crowd-surfing and booze-chugging his way from relatively unknown to one of the most talked about front men in the jam scene. The performance is one part circus act and one part high-octane rock ‘n roll show. Expect the unexpected.
Andy Frasco & The U.N. will be supported by Virginia natives The Trongone Band.
Notable Shows
Charlotte Jazz Fest @ Uptown • until 5/3
Doom Flamingo @ Visulite • 5/10
Charlotte SHOUT! Festival @ Uptown • until 5/11
Greta Van Fleet @ Uptown Amphitheatre • 5/15
Toubab Krewe w/Jonathan Scales Fourchestra @ Visulite • 5/29