Summer touring and festival season is in full swing as we cross the half way point of 2019.

While Colorado jammers The Magic Beans get the feature slot, we highlight a number of paid and free shows this month.

Local acts 9DayTrip, HIPGNOSTIC, and Aarodynamics each get a nod. We also recommend jam heavy shows spread across folk, americana, bluegrass, funk, soul, delta blues and more.

The Wood Brothers @ Blumenthal Performing Arts
THUR – 7/11 | TICKETS

The Wood Brothers make a stop in Charlotte ahead of their return to famed Red Rocks Ampitheatre in September.

The brothers (Chris and Oliver) along with drummer and multi-instrumentalist Jano Rix, will be supporting their sixth studio album, One Drop of Truth.  One Drop is described as the freest and most independent album they have made to date and dives headfirst into a deep wellspring of sounds, styles, and influences.

Their intimate live performances bring together the americana and folk undertones they are well known for along with their impeccable musicianship and stage presence.

The Brothers will be supported by Chapel Hill’s indie Americana quartet Mipso.

9DayTrip @ Smokey Joe’s
FRI – 7/12 | TICKETS

9DayTrip is back on our radar after wowing the crowd at last months Crown Town Get Down 2 at Heist Brewery.

The quartet showed complete command of the stage, poignant lyrics and harmonies, and tight musicianship during their hour long set.

Rooted in blues, americana, and country, the band continue to make a name of themselves in the greater Piedmont area and are not to be missed.

The Magic Beans @ Free Range Brewing
THUR – 7/18 | TICKETS

Colorado jam band The Magic Beans make their return to Charlotte and will be supporting their recent LP Off Leash,  which just dropped in June.

2019 has been a busy year for the group that is known for their unique blend of funk, electronica, and high intensity improvisation in their performances.

They’ve made their headlining debut at Red Rocks,  released their fourth LP, and will continue touring throughout the remainder of the year with stops at Garcia’s at The Capitol Theatre and Peach Music and Arts Festival along the way.

Dave Matthews Band @ PNC Music Pavilion
FRI – 7/19 | TICKETS

The Dave Matthews Band tour rolls on and are back for their annual PNC visit (albeit this time on a Friday).

After almost 30 years on the road, 9 studio albums, and countless live offerings, DMB continue to bring their style of well written, jam-infused music to the masses.

With the addition of keyboardist Buddy Strong a few years ago, the band’s sound is tighter than ever with Strong also contributing a renewed sense of funkiness to the 7 piece.

Greensky Bluegrass @ Uptown Ampitheater
SAT – 7/20 | TICKETS

Greensky Bluegrass is back in Charlotte after playing to a sold out crowd at the Fillmore in January.  Demand was so strong that they decided to move the 5 piece bluegrass outfit to the Uptown Ampitheater, just behind the Fillmore, this time around.

Greensky will be playing in support of their most recent studio release, All For Money.  It’s worth noting that the last two albums were recorded up the road in Asheville at famed Echo Mountain Recording Studio.  Fans can expect Greensky to play with the intensity of a rock ‘n roll band, highlighted by improvisational moments, and all delivered through the beauty of stringed instruments.

Rayland Baxter has been tapped for the opener at the Saturday show.

HIPGNOSTIC w/Aarodynamics @ Heist Brewery
SAT – 7/20 | FREE SHOW

HIPGNOSTIC returns to Barrel Room at Heist and will welcome local artist Aarodynamics to join them on the bill.

HIPGNOSTIC is a live hip-hop band from Charlotte that incorporate powerful lyrics and creative instrumentation into each performance.  The result is a fusion of hip-hop, psychedelic funk, and melodic rock.

Aarodynamics is a multi-instrumentalist who fuses elements of hip-hop, funk, and jam music into all of his live work.  Along with his current drummer, Cortez Speer, Aarodynamics brings a high-level of intensity and improvisation to each live performance.

Town Mountain @ Visulite Theatre
THUR – 7/25 | TICKETS

Town Mountain make their return to the Visulite with support from Nashville based Front Country.

The Asheville, North Carolina, quintet is a rapidly-rising string ensemble, despite being more rock & roll than bluegrass and more honky-tonk than country.  This type of description for a string band is sort of a sign of the times considering many of today’s most revered bluegrass bands blur the lines on what is considered traditional vs progressive bluegrass (YMSB, Greensky, Kitchen Dwellers, Billy Strings, etc.).

Having played together for 14 years now, Town Mountain is still a band that focused on one major goal:  to always deliver a rousing and engaging live show and keeping the fans coming back for more.

Jerry Jubilee @ Divine Barrel Brewing

SAT – 7/27 | TICKETS

The second annual Jerry Jubilee is a Queen City celebration of the music and life of the late Jerry Garcia.

Velvet Productions has tapped Grateful Dead tribute band Cosmic Charlie as the headliner and Garcia tribute band For The Roses as the opener.

There will be a food truck, numerous vendors, and plenty of beer on hand throughout the day.  CannaBuddy and Cosmic Tattoos have stepped up as the main sponsors for this installment of the Jubilee.

House of Funk Series @ Heist Brewery
TUE – 7/30 | FREE SHOW

This free monthly funk gathering is back at Heist on Tuesday night July 30th.

House of Funk is curated by local guitarist Stefan Kallander (Queen’s Guard and Menastree) and brings together some of the heaviest hitters in the Charlotte area.

The revolving all-star cast of musicians are well versed in jazz, funk, soul, R&B, and everything in between.  Expect a deep catalog of funk and soul classics highlighted by moments of intense improvisation.

Heather Gillis @ Heist Brewery
WED – 7/31 | TICKETS

For those unfamiliar with Heather Gillis, she basically does it all:  singer, songwriter, arranger, guitar player, and lap steel player.

Gillis first made a name for herself as a touring member of Butch Trucks and The Freight Train Band.  She was already a big fan of the Allman Brothers, having grown up listening to her share of the delta blues and southern rock, when the late Trucks asked her to join the band in 2015.

Gillis’ guitar playing shows the fruits of her devotion to the art form. She has an incredibly fluid tone, channeling both the flexibility of a player like Duane Allman and the passionate outbursts of Carlos Santana. She’s equally adept at slashing, brutal solos, and chunky funk riffs.

In 2017, Gillis went back to focusing on her solo career playing to sold out venues and making appearances at various music festivals across the country.