WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31
Miggs The trio, led by guitarist/vocalist Don Miggs, writes no-nonsense rock tunes where the songwriting is taut and the music tightly spun. Yeah, nothing groundbreaking, nothing that myriad other bands aren't doing, but there's veteran songcraft here that seems all heart, wholly without pretension. After releasing several albums and a rotating crew of musicians, the current line-up gelled a couple of years ago. The combo's upcoming new album, Wide Awake, is cleanly produced, radio-ready fodder. With Mr. Gnome. The Evening Muse (Samir Shukla)
THURSDAY, APRIL 1
Israel Darling Sixty seconds (or less) into "Samson the Mason," the exuberant existential catharsis that opens this Asheville-based band's debut, Dinosaur Bones & Mechanical Hands, and it's obvious you're listening to one of the finest young songwriters in the Carolinas in Jacob Darden. Then you learn he wrote these countrified Neutral Milk Hotel-meets-Wilco songs when he was 18 after having seven friends die in car wrecks or from overdoses, and then lapsing into (and thankfully out of) his own O.D.-coma. Now 22, Darden and his sextet are upping the ante on the follow-up by, among other things, recording one song with a 33-piece orchestra comprised of their favorite regional bands. Catch 'em now so you can say you saw 'em when ... With Evelynn Rose and Caleb Caudle and the Bayonets. The Milestone (John Schacht)
The Plainfield Project Looking at their touring schedule, the South Carolina quintet doesn't seem to venture beyond the Carolinas and Georgia. But don't hold that against them. The Plainfield Project's music is as sunny as the, well, Carolinas' coast, with brightly colored reggae and funky rock that's custom-made for beachfront gin joints. Double Door Inn (Shukla)
David Garrett Dude's fresh off an Oprah appearance, he's young and good-looking, working in a traditional form (think fellow violinist Ashley MacIsaac without all the acting out, or mandolinist Chris Thile, perhaps), he's released five records since 2007, and he's had his music described as "wide-ranging" "from Metallica to Mozart." In short, he's getting the kind of attention that classical musicians in the United States can only dream of (or wouldn't even dare to dream of). BBC Music Magazine opined that "...Garrett is already the stuff of legend – in him is enshrined an entire corpus of virtuoso violin art, expounded with a fearsome beauty beyond comprehension." With that kind of praise, let's just hope he's not our generation's Nero. Knight Theater (Timothy C. Davis)
April Fool's Day Street Festival The good folks over at Salvador Deli in NoDa are holding a street fest with a handful of bands, and the good news is it's free. That doesn't mean you shouldn't get out and support the local business for all they do in the neighborhood. So, get out there and show them some love. On the bill are Danny Bedrosian (current keyboardist for George Clinton) & Secret Army – comprised of Lige Curry (longtime P-Funk bassist), Rico Lewis (P-Funk's main drummer), Dewayne Blackbyrd McKnight (The current musical director for P-Funk All Stars), Mark Munoz (guitarist for the Soular System), and Mike Maloney, Teresa Jimenez and Kendra Foster – The Walrus and the Carpenter and The Duende Mountain Duo. Salvador Deli (Jeff Hahne)
FRIDAY, APRIL 2
Tartufi The duo of Lynne Angel and Brian Gorman hew a rich, fractured world out of looped guitars, keys and voices, shape-shifting time sigs, and crashing percussion. They can go from Slint-inspired explosions or Built to Spill epic to Joan of Arc-like baroque or Breeders choogle in a measure or two, the shifts revealing unassailable logic as they unfurl. And this night they've got plenty of varied company at Duofest 3, including: 2013 Wolves, The Have and the Have Nots, My Milky Way Arms and Battle Beast. The Milestone (Schacht)
Lenny Federal Band Federal, formerly of the sho-nuff Federal Bureau of Rock 'n' Roll, has played more gigs over the last 20 years than perhaps anyone in town. Know what that gives you? Chops. Known for its brand of relatively straightforward bluesy originals and for its good taste in classic cover tunes, the Federal Bureau always resisted making the move to the Allman Brothers-like sound so many of their Caucasian compatriots did, in favor of keeping it simple – which is not always to say short. The band's surprisingly good at slow-burn blues, but can also get the asses moving with a little "Mustang Sally" when the mood calls for it. Is he part of the scene? Hell, he helped start the damn scene. Comet Grill (Davis)
SUNDAY, APRIL 4
Outernational Taking cues from politically charged icons The Clash and Rage Against the Machine, NYC's Outernational spew its own brand of protest, defiance rock, laced with spunky ska and punk. Telling it like they see it, hoisting the little guys of the world up with drunken bravado and "up yours" lyrics, the quintet's music is quite dancey. Their recent EP was produced by one of their heroes, Rage's Tom Morello. With Soft Opening and For Disaster. The Milestone (Shukla)
Joe Buck You might know him best for his motto "Joe Buck Yourself." The versatile musician, songwriter and producer has been around since the '90s, rising up as the guitarist of punk/blues band, Th' Legendary Shack Shakers. Traveling solo as "Joe Buck" Joe features alternative-country punk music with a sadistic style. Definitely not a show you want to take the youngins' to. With Lamb Handler. Snug Harbor (Nicole Pietrantonio)
