What’s New This Week
For the week of May 13, 2016
Photo of Common Ground Music Festival by Arvind Bhandari
In just a couple of weeks, summer will officially have arrived. Summer music festivals and events are so close, you can almost taste the warm beer and get a whiff of B.O. overkill in the air. Don’t get me wrong – summer concerts are my favorite. Nothing feels more like summer than a blanket on the lawn at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre with a tall can of Strawberrita that’ll be warm and sweaty by the time you get back to your spot. But those are always some of the best nights with some of the best memories handspun by those lukewarm beverages and itchy grass-covered blankets. So before you jump into the lake to escape your summer camp’s serial killer in a hockey mask this Friday (the 13th), make sure you also take some time out for some great live music as the best season for music events inches closer and closer.
Friday, May 13, hosts a plethora of musical genre, from alt-rock and country to reimagined pop and roots rock. For those in the mood for something closer to the Southern end of the musical spectrum, you can check out Chase Rice at The Fillmore, roots music singer/songwriter Scott Miller at Double Door Inn, or ’90s alt-rock band native Chris Trapper opening up the night at The Evening Muse and followed up by neo-soul crew Phantom Pop and old school funk and rock blend Funk Rush. If you’re in the mood for something a bit different from that collection, consider swinging by Visulite Theatre instead Friday evening for The Mantras with Electric Soul Pandemic, Amos’ Southend for pop erotica event The Sweet Spot‘s Make It Rain, or stop by Snug Harbor to celebrate the EP release of Faye along with Blanket Fort and Tape Daze.
Photo of Andy the Doorbum by Shutter 16
On Saturday, May 14, enjoy some classic hard rock at Amos‘ with Sebastian Bach and Santa Cruz, check out Reverb Fest at Snug Harbor, or a local favorite lineup at The Milestone including Young and in the Way, Scowl Brow, Andy the Doorbum, Funeral Chic and Extermination Rite. Also, you can stop by Double Door Inn for Asheville blues rock back Back South and Charlotte duo Headfun, Visulite Theatre for Sun Dried Vibes along with The Bleeps and Yuki X MacSwavy, Neighborhood Theatre for the eclectic Americana rock of Scythian, or The Evening Muse for some live music, art, and more courtesy of Tangents Magazine. Enjoy a night filled with the rock/country music of Mike Strauss, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Clay Cook and national comedy club performer Tim Northern and friends.
Get a last minute dose of energy for the top of the week Sunday night, May 15, at Neighborhood Theatre with some dance music courtesy of STRFKR, Com Truise and Fake Drugs, with the estrogen-empowered Chick Singer Night at Visulite Theatre, or with Snug Harbor’s karaoke night Bone Snugs-N-Harmony. Elsewhere Sunday evening, The Milestone hosts an itinerary of metal music featuring Mobile Deathcamp, Dirty South Revolutionaries, and Kairos, while The Fillmore gets a visit from The Devil Makes Three and Trampled by Turtles.
Photo of Bloc Party by Shutter 16
The weekend further north for our friends in the Raleigh/Durham area has its own variety, including the abstract rock ‘n’ roll of Parquet Courts, B Boys, and Flesh Wounds at Cat’s Cradle and Carolina Theatre‘s Carolina Theatre Films edition of Retro Amore Friday evening, some pop rock at Cat’s Cradle with The Front Bottoms, Brick & Mortar and Diet Cig Saturday night followed by Bloc Party joined by The Vaccines Sunday night. You can also check out Legacy Repertory Company’s The Little Mermaid at Carolina Theatre Saturday night.
The top of the week in Charlotte gets going Monday night, May 16, with another NC stop for Bloc Party and The Vaccines at The Fillmore, Snug Harbor’s music trivia night Let’s Get Quizzical, multi-instrumentalist and genre-blender Buckethead at Neighborhood Theatre, and Half Moon Run with Jesse MacCormack at Visulite Theatre. Some other Monday night rituals also continue elsewhere Monday night, including Double Door Inn‘s variety night, The Monday Night Allstars, and The Evening Muse‘s open mic night featuring this week Atlanta-based singer/songwriter Kara Claudy. Tuesday night, May 17, has a lineup featuring Finnish cello-based rock group Apocalyptica at Amos‘ along with 10 Years and Failure Anthem, Del Rio with Future Punx, Wieuca and Big Morgan at Snug Harbor, and Double Door Inn‘s Bill Hanna Jazz Jam.
Photo of Avian Law by Dianna Augustine
The mid-week gets a rather fashionable jumpstart with RuPaul’s Drag Race: Battle of the Seasons at Amos‘ on Wednesday, May 18, hosted by Michelle Visage and featuring a DJ set by Pearl as well as Adore Delano, Alaska Thunderf*ck, Courtney Act, Ginger Ming, miss fame, Phi Phi O’Hara and Violet Chachki. You can also check out Snug Harbor‘s May residency Wednesday night, Bubonik Funk, some melodic metal at The Milestone with Titans In Time, Breathing Theory, and Sovereign, singer/songwriter Gareth Asher & The Earthlings with singer/guitarist Benny Basset at The Evening Muse, or some eclectic pop by Beloved Binge and Avian Law at Double Door Inn.
Wrapping up the week Thursday, May 19, in Charlotte will be Snug Harbor‘s weekly week-end party, SHIPROCKED!, John Papa Gros of Papa Grows Funk at Neighborhood Theatre, rockabilly crew Big Sandy and His Fly-rite Boys at Double Door Inn, singer/songwriter Rick Monroe with country artist Taylor Centers and folk/roots rock duo Beau + Luci at The Evening Muse, and The Rap Round Robin Tour at The Milestone featuring Height Keech, PT Burnem, Impulse Control, Eze Jackson, StereoLoud, Human Pippi Armstrong and MC Stealth. Closing out the week in Carrboro County at Cat’s Cradle will be indie crew Rogue Wave and Hey Marseilles Wednesday evening, followed by some more indie rock by Say Anything, mewithoutYou, Teen Suicide and Museum Mouth on Thursday.
Photo of Human Pippi Armstrong by Joshua Gooch
Share your thoughts on this week’s shows and events by leaving a comment here, using the hashtag #Shutter16, or emailing us at info@shutter16.com using subject title “What’s New This Week.” Don’t forget to show us where you’re at this week by posting your live action shots using hashtag #TWITFROMTHEPIT.
