TIME SAWYER

Standing at the crossroads of rustic folk, mountain bluegrass and rocking alt-country, Elkin, N.C.’s Time Sawyer is a young band with plenty of old soul. They craft catchy, uplifting, not-too-polished tunes that retain the uncertainty and grit of daily life. The hooky but rough-hewn indie Americana of Ryan Adams, Justin Townes Earle and Jeff Tweedy are obvious influences, but the band’s roots stretch far and wide to include echoes of Buddy Holly’s rockabilly shuffle and Nashville Skyline-era Bob Dylan’s countrified warble. With an average age of 24, the foursome is energetic — they’ve released four albums in three years — and musically mature, weaving banjo, guitar and harmonica into an easy-going, organic sound that seems to have sprung fully formed from the Yadkin Valley soil. The group’s name is a mash-up of Mark Twain’s enterprising young hero and a heady yet grounded perception of time. By crafting songs where past and present occupy the same space, Time Sawyer illustrates how we all want to keep precious moments frozen forever. (Pat Moran)

Price: $8/$10