WEDNESDAY, NOV. 19

Oakhurst It's the band's road-hardened musicality that makes the Western bluegrass of Oakhurst appealing. The Denver, Colo.-based quintet is constantly on the road with mighty-fine picking and harmony-laden crooning that gels into down-to-earth bluegrass, lightly tinted with rock when needed. Lead vocalist/guitarist A.P. Hill sounds like a genuine hillbilly, albeit from the Western hills rather than the Appalachians. Nothing wrong with that. Double Door Inn (Samir Shukla)

THURSDAY, NOV. 20

Dub is a Weapon Fans of good dub (wub-wub-wub-wub-wub) or at least good bud ought to find a lot to like here. Now about seven years into their career, the Richmond-based, Dave Hahn-led DIAW (no relation to Boris) can soften even the hardest of blood clots. Members past and present have played with Marley, Tosh, Gil-Scott Heron and The Congos, among others. Particularly impressive is the percussion, containing just the right amount of boom-bap along with the bleeps and blooshes. (I made that last word up.) With Bums Lie. Visulite Theatre (Timothy C. Davis)

Carrie Rodriguez Texas-born, Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter Carrie Rodriguez is a natural fiddle player who's not so shabby on guitar and mandolin, either. Her twangy and somber voice seems a perfect match for her crying fiddle. Rodriguez is as adept creating an atmospheric sound, as she is naturally folksy when penning alt.country tunes. She's quite introspective and blooms further on her recently released second recording She Ain't Me. With Romantica. The Evening Muse (Shukla)

FRIDAY, NOV. 21

Neil Halstead Quite a coup for the Muse landing the golden voice of Mojave 3 and former shoegaze guitar wiz of Slowdive – and on a Friday night, no less. Halstead's new one (and only his second solo disc in six years), the sublime Oh! Mighty Engine, is no great departure from the Mojave 3 aesthetic, where subtlety trumps showy, and the legacies of Brit and American folk combine to create something fresh, intimate, and mesmerizing. Highly RIYL for fans of Mark Kozelek/Red House Painters, James Yorkston, Adem, American Music Club, etc. With gogoPilot. The Evening Muse (John Schacht)

Hoots and Hellmouth The Philadelphia-based H&H have a lot of South in their mouths, ably combining elements of gospel, classic rock, gothic murder balladry and early country. Leave your carpetbagger concerns at the door, however: Philly-centric images of cracked Liberty bells and dilapidated buildings (not to mention general misplaced anger) soon give way to the wide open road and closed-to-the-public hootenannies, all laced through with torrents of stand-up bass, wildfire mandolin runs and lush, sweet-tea strumming. With The New Familiars. Visulite Theatre (Davis)

Bruce Robison The Austin, Texas, based singer/songwriter has penned hits for The Dixie Chicks ("Travelin' Soldier"), George Strait ("Wrapped") and Tim McGraw and Faith Hill ("Angry All the Time") – he recorded and released the same songs. He's released seven of his own albums, and will put out a greatest hits disc early in 2009. Puckett's Farm Equipment (Jeff Hahne)

April Verch The Canadian fiddle and step-dancing champion is being brought to the Queen City by the Charlotte Folk Society. The young talent – she's 27 – released two CDs before graduating from high school and now has seven discs to her credit. While she usually plays traditional Ottawa-style tunes from her homeland, she also incorporates Appalachian and other styles. Great Aunt Stella Center (Hahne)

SATURDAY, NOV. 22

The Houstons It's been said before, but it bears repeating – the Faircloth brothers make beautiful music together. For those who caught The Houstons in their recent full-band mode and thought they'd seen it all, well, think again. No offense to the talented folks who chipped in along the way, but there's something in the fraternal harmonies that really only pops – dare we even say, rocks? – in the two-piece set-up. Plus there's the kick of watching brother No. 1 finesse the keys with one hand and keep time on the trap with the other (did we mention the singing?), while brother No. 2 fills in the guitar and bass textures using all four limbs (again, often while singing). Verily, a sight – and sound – to behold. With Bruce Hazel & Some Volunteers. Snug Harbor. (Schacht)

SUNDAY, NOV. 23

3Oh!3 This nutty duo, harking from the cool climes of Boulder, Colo., is comprised of Sean Foreman and Nathanial Motte. Using the area code of their hometown as a funky moniker they scrounge and splatter a funky mishmash of electronica, rap and general goofiness. There are scads of hip-hop bravado and self-promotion sprinkled with ballady interplay and toasty beats. Notoriously popular on MySpace and the Warped Tour, the blokes can get old pretty quickly, though. Also on the bill are Innerpartysystem and Chain Gang of 1974. Tremont (Shukla)