SUPER APE
You set a high bar when you name your dub-flavored band after maybe the most seminal dub LP of all time, the Upsetters' 1976 classic, Super Ape. But this local quintet wisely uses dub as a reference point only, updating the sound with an array of sonic experiments and cross-pollinated styles. Dirty Haire (Dirty Drummer's Dave Haire) and bassist Jason Michel provide the foundation, building grooves that range from slinky back-beat funk to urgent Trans Am-like motorik, while Christopher Holston's guitar effects and Scott Slagle's keys cut through the tension or pile it on, depending on the tempo. (Fat Face Trio's Troy Conn will be sitting in on guitar during the residency.) Almost everybody chips in with the programming and sampling, but Stephen Barrett's turntables, sampling and programming further tweaks the sonic landscape into other compelling shapes and shades. This is the second of the band's five-Wednesdays run in October, and a reminder that Charlotte's homegrown music scene is a lot more varied and imaginative than it's often given credit for. With Great Architect and Elroy Sugarthroat on this night (Benji Hughes, Andy the Doorbum and Personnel will also appear during Super Ape's residency). Free. Oct. 16, 10 p.m. Snug Harbor, 1228 Gordon St.