FRIDAY, JULY 24

Lamb Handler These rough and tumble rock & rollers from the Queen City will make you shake what you didn't even know you had. Fast, hard-hitting beats with ferocious vocals and rockabilly charm, Lamb Handler's performance is like a swift kick in the ass. You'll leave drenched, feeling a little dirty and a bit sore from all that air drumming you did at the bar, but man, it'll be a hell of a time. With Trouble Walkers and The Mangles. Snug Harbor (Sam Webster)

SkinKage Get your fists and devil horns scrubbed and ready. Mooresville-based headbangers SkinKage are releasing their new disc The Devastation at Hand. The thrashcore quintet isn't bent on breaking any new ground; most tunes are straight-up thrash metal. But they do stir up plenty of dust with growly vox, rat-a-tat guitar licks and booming percussion. Along for the ride are A Road Eternal and Every Mans Enemy. Tremont Music Hall (Samir Shukla)

Songs of Water The lead instrument for this N.C. instrumental combo is the Appalachian folk staple, the hammered dulcimer. But the sextet Songs of Water isn't a roots outfit, as its blend of folk melodies, flamenco-tipped guitar work, jazzy flourishes interlaced with classical and Latin interludes are brushed with funky percussion into a fine fusion of global vibes. This is a free gig to boot. Neighborhood Theatre (Shukla)