WEDNESDAY, JAN. 14
David Bromberg Bromberg's American songbook style of pickin' – bluegrass, blues, country/western, folk, jazz and rock all get chapters – got an early boost from none other than Piedmont blues artist (and North Carolinian) Rev. Gary Davis during the mid-'60s, when the latter was giving lessons. Since that time, Bromberg, despite having played with the likes of Jerry Jeff Walker, Jerry Garcia, Bob Dylan and George Harrison (the latter of which he co-wrote the song "The Holdup" with), can't seem to get arrested in most burghs. Bromberg's first new studio album in 17 years (that might have something to do with it), Try Me One More Time was released in February of 2007 on Appleseed Records, and includes string-supercharged versions of Dylan's "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry" and Elizabeth Cotten's "Shake Sugaree." Pick it up when you see it – no telling when dude's putting out another one. Neighborhood Theatre (Timothy C. Davis)
The Eagles After a 14-year breakup, many fans thought the group would never get back together. Next thing you know, Hell Freezes Over and the band goes on tour back in 1994. Well, Ol' Scratch must be wearing a scarf and earmuffs by now as The Eagles breakup went the way of Brett Favre's retirement and Kiss' farewell tour. The band's last album, Long Road Out of Eden, was released exclusively at Wal-Mart. If you've seen four guys sitting on bar stools before with Eagles' music playing, you've pretty much seen the live show here. Time Warner Cable Arena (Jeff Hahne)
THURSDAY, JAN. 15
Girlyman The harmony-lathered folk and roots trio Girlyman (Nate Borofsky, Doris Muramatsu and Ty Greenstein) hails from Atlanta, Ga. Too much harmonizing can get a bit slushy, downright gooey, but this trio does it right with a mix of acoustic pop, folk rock, and a healthy heaping of American roots music. It's old-timey – acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin – yet oh so contemporary. The songwriting isn't too shabby, either. The Evening Muse (Samir Shukla)
FRIDAY, JAN. 16
Chad Mackey Band Charlotte's acoustic pop trio CMB, led by the pleasantly throated Mackey, has been making the rounds of regional clubs and juke joints for the past couple of years. Mackey's songcraft and style hints of Dave Matthews and Don Henley, while the band's self-titled debut recording, released this past summer, is uplifting and quite cozy. Tremont Music Hall (Shukla)
SATURDAY, JAN. 17
Coma League Imagine a Tusk-era Lindsey Buckingham jamming in tight quarters with a Murmur-era Peter Buck, backed by an any-era Swell Maps, all hopped up on a muscle relaxer speedball. Think a Southern-fried garage band sound (back before bands started trying to sound like garage bands, but rather came about it honestly). OK. You know what? Fuck it. The pet project of the super-talented show poster designer and visual artist Ben Gelnett, Coma League have a tasty little EP out thru Kinnikinnik Records, and a listen to that will tell you more than I can. All I can say is: me likee. With Matthew Paul Butler and the Beards of Power and The Flying Eyes. Milestone (Davis)
The Explorer's Club On its polished 2008 debut, Freedom Wind, this young Charleston-based sextet probably took their Brian Wilson/Beach Boys obsession too far into "tribute band" territory. But chalk it up to youthful exuberance (they're not the first or last to be so seduced) rather than a lack of ideas because their best songs incorporate a Southern wistfulness that suggests more diverse and intriguing new paths lay ahead. Even at that, you still want to doff your cap at how artfully they recreate any Wilsonian era, from baggies-and-boards surf pop to Pet Sounds harmonic alchemy. Paired with the out-from-hibernation power-pop/Indie Rot fun of Poprocket. The Evening Muse (John Schacht)
SUNDAY, JAN. 18
Giant A band whose MySpace blog highlights seminal Anarcho-Syndicalist and Situationist texts (and whose official band site links to Matt Groening's Futurama) should pique your interest on principal alone. But what makes this Greensboro-based collective worth your listening time are the transcendent instrumental dioramas (this music is physical) and plangent melodies they hew from epic guitar drones and percussive thunderheads. There's a tangible early-Mogwai debt in their new material, but as its full-house Neighborhood Theatre gig last fall proved to many, Giant creates its own spiritual experience. With locals Harvard and The Lights, Fluorescent. Milestone (Schacht)
The Dirty Little Heaters The Dirty Little Heaters is a spunky North Carolina trio led by big-voiced gal Reese McHenry. Sure they're still a bit rough around the edges but that just may be the point. Right? Their garagey psychedelic blues and rock are further tuned with McHenry's room-filling voice and guitar work. The bouncy percussion and jazzy bass ride alongside nicely. With Tooth. Snug Harbor (Shukla)
Pradigy Local hip-hop artist Pradigy will be performing songs off his debut disc, The Odessey, with the help of a live band as part of a Hip Hop Inauguration Party. Aside from the live band, Pradigy also sets himself apart from the pack by ocassionally shredding the guitar himself. The Wine-Up (Hahne)
