THURSDAY, JULY 24
311/Snoop Dogg This may be an odd pairing at first glance, but a closer look makes you realize it's not so crazy. 311 does the rap-rock thing pretty well, and the D-O-double-G has always attracted rock fans with his rap. Sounds like a pretty good duo – though I'll be more impressed if the two can find a way to do some onstage collaboration. Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre (Jeff Hahne)
FRIDAY, JULY 25
Lamb Handler Charlotte rockers are one-part garage, one-part '70s arena rock and plenty of energetic punk and boogie. Their straight-up rock, no chaser, may not break any new ground, but so what. They are putting the final touches on a disc to be released by ComaGun Records in August, and if the early mixes and demos are any indication, then get ready to turn up the amps. With Up With the Joneses & The Broken Strings. Snug Harbor (Samir Shukla)
Seth Walker Blues is the highway on which Walker drives his trusty wheels. His roots in rural North Carolina, and his home base of Austin for the past decade, have helped his authentic American music have that sittin' on a porch feel. Walker has fine-tuned his writing and playing where traditional blues lovers as well as contemporary roots rockers can gather. His self-titled record from last year is like a snowball of his work over the past decade, where piano-tinged ballads and blues licks feel at home. Double Door Inn (Shukla)
SATURDAY, JULY 26
Lindsey Horne Band Horne's music is often described as "sultry" – think Savannah in the summer, humid and alive with emotions both dark, dreamy and, ultimately, exhilarating. While a cop-out descriptive for a performer (and pianist) with jazz-y leanings, it nonetheless fits Ms. Horne, who mixes lovely staccato bursts of melody with journal-ripped rambles on all the tough topics life throws at us: love, loss, and relocation (physically or otherwise). Think of it as easy listening that's not such an easy listen, if that makes any sense. With Hot House Heff-Tones. The Evening Muse (Timothy C. Davis)
Iron Cordoba These headbangin' lads leave no stone unturned in their Spinal Tap meets drunk rednecks camaraderie. Whether blasting AC/DC-like rockers or singing drinking ballads such as "Irish Kiss," the party and guitar mayhem is laced with good times, guitars, folk-metal, and even sing-a-longs. They'll headline the White Trash Party 4 also featuring Dethrow Bodean, DJs, hot rods, dancing Daisy Dukes, redneck games, and general debauchery. Visulite (Shukla)
SUNDAY, JULY 27
Arrive Sax man Aram Shelton leads this alto-vibes-bass-and-drums quartet, yet another top-notch ensemble from the fecund Chicago free scene. Shelton offers some familiar rhythmic and compositional footholds here for the free-wary, but there's still plenty of space for deep-groove exploration and invention. The band is at its best when Shelton and Jason Adasiewicz – channeling serious mid-60s‚ Blue Note Bobby Hutcherson vibes (both kinds) – are in heated conversations that get pushed relentlessly toward resolution and catharsis by Tim Daisy (drums) and Jason Roebke (bass). Nothing short of magic, and not to be missed by open-minded jazz fans. With Project Bluebird. Century/Patchwerk Playhuas. (John Schacht)
MONDAY, JULY 28
Counting Crows The first line that Adam Duritz sings on his band's new Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings ("I'm a Russian Jew American/ Impersonating African/Jamaican"), to these ears, ranks right up there with Nirvana's out-with-it verbal volley ("Teenage angst has paid off well/Now I'm bored and old") that begins In Utero. No one's saying Duritz is even sniffing the importance of a Kurt Cobain, mind you, but the man's renewed openness (and openness to finally letting "them guitars rang," as Patterson Hood of the DBTs sings) is utterly refreshing, especially when compared to the blather perpetrated by his band's "peers" – tourmates Maroon 5, Matchbox 20 and that ilk. The concept of Saturday night (secular) and Sunday morning (sacred) is an old one – see almost all the blues, much of country music, and everything Prince ever did – but Duritz pens personality into almost every track here, reminding you (and himself) that our days are ultimately what we make of them. With Maroon 5 and Sara Bareilles. Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre (Davis)
TUESDAY, JULY 29
Nas The last time Nas visited Charlotte (a little more than a year ago), he tore the Neighborhood Theatre down all on his own. But when he visits the Q.C. again tonight, he'll be joined by underground rapper Jay Electronica and hip-hop legend Talib Kweli. Expect to hear a ton of classic cuts by Nas and Kweli, as well as some stuff from Nas' controversial, brand-new CD. Amos' Southend (Carlton Hargro)
