ARTS Pick: Scars on 45

British crooners Scars on 45 inspire soul-searching with tunes driven by hope and longing and grounded by piano and mellow guitar. Led by the soothing voices of Danny Bembrose and Aimee Driver, the quintet weaves an audio experience that is nothing short of euphoric. Tuesday 7/22. $15, 8pm. The Southern Café and Music Hall, 103 S. First St. […]

ARTS Pick: Martina McBride

Country music’s electric star Martina McBride is known for refusing trends and conventions, and with the release of Everlasting, the first album on her own label, she expands beyond country sounds. The Kansas-born artist finds fresh nuances in familiar favorites and songs that range from Motown and Etta James to Van Morrison and Linda Ronstadt. Saturday 7/19. $39-75, 7pm. […]

Melvins’ guitarist goes acoustic

His wife answers the phone. And it takes a bit for Buzz Osborne, the Melvins’ frontman, to pick up at his California home. No rush. A dog’s sporadically barking the entire time. As the most recognizable Melvin, Osborne’s taken a good deal of heat over the years for various developments in the avant-metal band’s music. […]

Chris Smither looks back at a 50-year career

Chris Smither has maintained a steady presence as an underground folk icon for the past five decades. His unassuming delivery offers rustic comfort, as he sings in a relaxed, weathered tenor that’s accompanied by front porch foot-tapping and blues-rooted finger-picking. Smither grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana but he left home in 1965 to join […]

Antics aside, Eugene Hütz’s Gogol Bordello is no joke

Eugene Hütz is a poet in any language. Speaking in his heavily accented English, his words pop. They have weight. They hit you like distorted riffs. Ask Hütz if his band Gogol Bordello’s exhaustive touring schedule takes its toll, for example, and he finds the perfect analogy. “Listen, this is like asking people that are […]

ARTS Pick: Sara Bareilles

Don’t ask her for a love song. Grammy-nominated piano pop superstar Sara Bareilles’ upbeat confessionals have sold out shows nationwide for over a decade. Born and raised in California, she now adds 2013’s The Blessed Unrest, recorded with an all-new backup band, to an edgy pop-rock repertoire brimming with jazz and soul influences. Saturday, 7/12. $35-65, […]

ARTS Pick: Red Wing Roots Music Festival

Every once in a while there’s reason to get out of town and enjoy the surrounding beauty. This week’s prime option is the Red Wing Roots Music Festival, a three-day gathering loaded with jazz, country, rock, bluegrass, or hip-hop all pieced together by the Steel Wheels who host the annual family-friendly fest in the gorgeous […]

After a debilitating hiatus, Durham’s Bombadil regroups and rebuilds

Five years ago, Bombadil was a band with a bright future. The band was mentored by Dolph Ramseur, whose Ramseur Records is home to The Avett Brothers and The Carolina Chocolate Drops, two of the country’s biggest roots music acts. Its rigorous touring routine built the band a considerable nationwide fanbase. Big festivals like Bonnaroo […]

ARTS Pick: The Extraordinaires

Philly’s punk-influenced rock outfit The Extraordinaires take their art seriously. From the quirky intelligent songwriting to the thoughtful limited edition packaging of albums wrapped in silkscreened artwork, accompanied by hand bound storybooks, the band lives a DIY aesthetic—and they get local cred because the new release Dress For Nasty Weather features print work from C’ville-based […]

ARTS Pick: Elizabeth Wise and the Shoo Flies

Dance the night away to acoustic blues that swing from Elizabeth Wise and the Shoo Flies. Richmond native Wise updates old classics with funky folk overtones and her smooth vocals run the gamut from soothing to tearing down the bar. This is heat that you can’t escape, so kick your boots up to rollicking original […]