WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9
ZACH MYERS Most people know Myers from the band Shinedown, the rock outfit that sold more than 8 million albums worldwide. As the rhythm and lead guitarist, he helped maintain the hard rock edge their fans enjoyed but now Myers is stripping this down for an acoustic tour that will allow him to show his soul and blues roots. The Memphis native is relishing the opportunity to get away from stadiums instead doing small venue with a handful of his oldest friends. $10. Amos' Southend. www.amossouthend.com. (Mike McCray)
G. LOVE Known as much for his funky rap style as he is for his bluesy approach to music, G. Love is a man of many talents when it comes to performing. His new album, Fixin' To Die, takes on that acoustic blues feel and was produced by The Avett Brothers. With the Avetts not on tour, it would be great for them to make an appearance here, but I wouldn't bet on it. $25. The Visulite Theatre. www.visulite.com. (Jeff Hahne)
THURSDAY, MARCH 10
DISCORDIAN SOCIETY With the use of heavy metal guitar and orchestra-style instruments the Discordian Society can't help but to produce a sound of its own. Guitar strums, saxophone trills, heavy percussion pounding and minimal vocals makes up a plethora of the band's musical choices. With a heavy touring schedule, Discordian Society continues to spread its progressive and experimental sounds, making Charlotte one of its favorite places to rock out. $5. Double Door Inn. www.doubledoorinn.com. (Johnathan Cruse)
FRIDAY, MARCH 11
SOURVEIN SourVein's down-tempo metal is chiseled with tank-like riffs, cinematic flourishes, tribal beats, and doom vocals, etching their own sound out of the Black Sabbath foundation. The N.C. combo is on a mini tour prepping for the early summer release of its new recording, Black Fangs. Also on the bill are Jucifer, Hour of 13, and Young & In the Way. $8-$10. Tremont Music Hall. www.tremontmusichall.com. (Samir Shukla)
ROMANTICA Singer/songwriter Ben Kyle writes serene folk and Americana with a hint of Chris Isaac. This is mood-caressing music that's custom-made for twilight quietly fading into the wee hours. Ryan Adams has recorded a song with Romantica and that Americana underbelly binds most of the compositions. With Nick and the Babes. $10. The Evening Muse. www.theeveningmuse.com. (Shukla)
SHARON JONES & THE DAP KINGS Augusta, Ga.-raised Sharon Jones got her start, like a lot of great secular soul singers, in church choirs. She soon immersed herself in the classic R&B of the '60s and '70s, but because people were apparently exceptionally stupid in the '80s, her Stax-flavored music was considered passé. Thankfully, she was rediscovered in the mid-'90s (she'd been a corrections officer at Rykers Island, among other gigs) and has slowly built the very-well-deserved reputation as heiress to the great soul ladies of the past. She's backed by the excellent Dap Kings, themselves comparable to some of the era's tightest and funkiest bands such as, say, Wilson Pickett's Falcons. $29.50-$39.50. McGlohon Theatre. www.blumenthalcenter.org. (John Schacht)
SATURDAY, MARCH 12
GEORGE PORTER JR. & RUNNIN' PARDNERS With four decades of performing behind him, Porter's bass has become a bodily extension, a mutated third arm. Porter was a member of New Orleans funk institution the Meters, a feather alone worthy of legend. But he is also a master bassist who's lent his thumping funk, jazz and R&B to numerous artists and recordings. Porter is touring some new songs that stack right up there with the musical story of New Orleans of which he is a defining element. $12-$15. Double Door Inn. www.doubledoorinn.com. (Shukla)
WHITE HILLS Wielding riffs like brain-mashing cudgels and guitar solos like psychedelic thunderbolts, Dave W. (guitar, vox) and Ego Sensation (bass) are joined by Oneida's percussion monster Kid Millions again on the band's latest effort, the EP Stolen Stars Left for No One. Their music locates somewhere between Hawkwind's space jams, Mudhoney sludge and Sunn0))) drone, but there's something ineffably uplifting in White Hills' heavy heavy heaviness. With locals 2013 Wolves and Greevace (featuring members of Drat and Black Lagoon). $7. The Milestone. www.milestoneclub.com. (Schacht)
SUNDAY, MARCH 13
THE ROBERT GLASPER EXPERIMENT Jazzy riffs with a hip-hop influence puts the Robert Glasper Experiment in a category of its own, leaving them to set the ground rules for anyone else that follows. With the use of a piano, saxophone, bass and drums, these musical geniuses combine playful melodies with an experimental sound that can't be written. Don't be surprised if, for a second, you think of the great Theolonious Monk when listing to these greats. $20-$25. Petra's Piano Bar and Cabaret. www.petraspianobar.com. (Cruse)
BRAIN F≠ Charlotte's Brain F≠, pronounced Brain Flannel, takes the punk vision and offers male and female vocals. In keeping with the punk ethos, the band isn't trying to reinvent the wheel or take it to new levels, instead staying on the straight and narrow and driving forward with punk riffs and simple lyrics. With plenty of tattoos and t-shirts around town, this band's getting bigger daily. With Fang Island. $10. The Milestone. www.themilestoneclub.com. (Jeff Hahne)
TUESDAY, MARCH 15
REMY ST. CLAIRE The Savannah native with an art school background has tried to take the things he loved about how legendary directors Stanley Kubrick and Alfred Hitchcock scored their movies and told stories and apply that to his music. After spending more time jamming with local blues men than going to class, St. Claire left school and Savannah, moving to Charlotte to record with an old friend. The set is part of the Fight Against Hunger event. $5. Double Door Inn. www.doubledoorinn.com. (McCray)
