Christian Rock | Anberlin
w/ Morning Parade and Iamwe
Tues. Nov. 6
7 p.m.
$16/advance, $19/door
Music Farm
It’s a question anybody might ask after spending 10 years at the same job: Why am I doing this? Anberlin frontman Stephen Christian asked himself this question and he got an answer. “What I came up with was the fact that live shows are the most exciting thing, better than any drug or any experience,” Christian says. “Those moments with fans connecting on this real level, that’s why I’m doing it.” That answer informs their latest album Vital. On the Christian rockers’ new disc, Anberlin dives deeper into electronic music with the atmospheric synth-laden ballad “Innocent” and the clubby darkwave firestarter “Intentions.” “We didn’t want to rehash or mimic ourselves,” Christian says. They also reunited with Aaron Sprinkle (Emery, Kutless) who produced their first three albums. In the process they rediscovered that old white magic. “As soon as we stepped into the studio, there was instant chemistry based on an amazing past,” says Christian. “We could go full-throttle because we didn’t have to get to know each other.” Their third album for Universal, Vital blends sweeping emotions and soaring melodies with shadowy, gothic emo pop. Christian says, “It’s awe-inspiring we’re still here, creating.” —Chris Parker TUESDAY
Americana | The Dirty Guv’nahs
Shawn Poynter
w/ The Delta Saints
Sat. Nov. 3
9 p.m.
$8/advance,
$10/door
Pour House
A lot of people watch the CBS thriller Criminal Minds to get their murder-solving fix, but now folks have another reason to tune in. Dirty Guv’nahs singer James Trimble disclosed that their song “Honey You” will be featured on the Oct. 31 episode. This is not the first of their songs to be picked up by national television. “Baby, We Were Young” (off of their recent album Youth is in Our Blood) was just featured on the new ABC drama Nashville. It’s a bouncy, idealistic tune that was written by Trimble after he spotted a stranger packing her car and wrote a song about what it would be like if they were to fall in love. The Dirty Guv’nahs are currently working on a new record, Somewhere Beneath These Southern Skies, which was completely funded by their fans through Kickstarter. In a matter of three short days, $20,000 was raised by their followers, and three months later they were back in the studio. As the Dirty Guv’nahs set out to promote the new record, they’ll perform in Charleston, and then move to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Simple Man cruise. “We are always on tour, if I’m honest,” Trimble says. “We never really take more than a week or two off.” —Katie Kimsey SATURDAY
Indie Rock | The Head
John Boydston
w/ The Dunder Chiefs and Stop Light Observations
Thurs. Nov. 1
9 p.m.
$5
Royal American
Twin brothers Jack and Mike Shaw of the Atlanta-based trio the Head grew up in a family of hard-core pop music fans. “My parents didn’t play, but they played great music,” Jack says. “They introduced us to the Beatles and R.E.M., and we picked up guitars when we were nine years old.” In 2007 while the twins were in high school, they decided to team up with their best friend Jacob Morrell to start writing and performing original material. By their senior year, the trio had connected with Atlanta producer Don McCollister (Indigo Girls, Sister Hazel) and recorded the full-length album Puckered. Jack says Puckered was sort of an experiment, but apparently it was a successful one. In June, they released their second long player Hang On, which was finished during breaks of their second year of college. Spin magazine’s review of Hang On declared that the Head had “mastered the beloved science of catchy, toe-tapping melodies plus rich vocal harmonies.” —Katie Kimsey THURSDAY
Lethal Funk | Kung Fu
w/ Damn Right
Tues. Nov. 6
9 p.m.
$10/advance,
$12/door, $2 off with “I Voted” sticker
Pour House
In a bizarre turn of cosmic events, Connecticut-based funk band Kung Fu will be playing on Election Night at the Pour House. It’s cosmic because Kung Fu’s keyboardist Todd Stoops was living in Charleston at the time of the election four years ago. “When I was first living in Charleston, I played at the first Pour House,” Stoops says. Not only that, but he was in the band Emotive with local American Idol contestant Elise Testone back in 2008, and he was a regular player in her much beloved James Brown Dance Parties. While in the Holy City, Stoops also hopes to catch-up with old Charleston friends. In regards to the Election Night gig, the Kung Fu keyboardist ensures us that his band will be able to bring some levity to an otherwise serious night, and if their funky, electro-jazzy sound and whimsical karate suits are any indication, the guys are game for a good time. —Katie Kimsey TUESDAY
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