EXPERIMENTAL INDIE | Harrison Ray
w/ Clint4
Sat. July 12
8 p.m.
The Sparrow
w/ Lily Slay
Tues. July 15
9:30 p.m.
Free
Tattooed Moose
Harrison Ray lives two hours outside of Charleston in an old farmhouse. There, he paints pictures, carves magic canes, pulls weeds, and repairs faucets. He also plays music. But oddly enough, he can’t say he has ever sat down with the sole purpose of writing a song. “As ridiculous as it sounds, it just happens,” he says. Ray is strtongly influenced by Spanish music, which may be why he plays classical guitar most of the time. Beyond his music, however, Ray is an existential poet, as is evidenced by his Facebook bio: “The mushroom in the cowshit, the plant in the pavement, the spaceship in the barn, the fox in hen house, the Buddha of 432.” For Ray, self-expression and discovery are all part of his musical makeup. “It’s my reason for consuming resources. I was born into it,” he says. Ray has been playing solo for over four years with occasional help from various as-needed bandmates. Ray’s latest disc Speaking Through Blankets will be released in a few months. After that, Ray says he might retire and paint armadillos. —Kalyn Oyer
GARAGE PUNK | Billy Joe Winghead
w/ The Trash Hats
Thurs. July 10
10 p.m.
$5
Tin Roof
Loud, proud, profane, and irreverent Oklahoma garage-punk quartet Billy Joe Winghead open 2009’s Dark Ride with “Your Friend Jesus,” which puts door-knocking evangelists on notice. Denouncing the titular figure they advise, “Take your little book, and hit the motherfucking highway.” Billy Joe Winghead’s distortion-drenched slabs of rawk cook over the same Stooges-stoked coals as rowdy soulmates Nashville Pussy and the Supersuckers. The band’s been at it for more than two decades, but they’ve really gained momentum over the past 10 years. Last year’s Spanish Asshole Magnet brought such timeless paeans as the trans anthem,“Girl’s Got a Dick,” proto-punk ode/satire “Planet of the Apes,” and the band’s nutso The Producers/Evita mash-up, “Springtime for Argentina.” Frontman John Manson has an earthyvocal swagger that recalls the lead singers of I Can Lick Any SOB in the House and Deathray Davies. While Magnet is a great unhinged rock record, it doesn’t compare to seeing Manson and company perform before a properly lubricated audience. — Chris Parker
PSYCH ROCK | The Woodgrains
w/ Radiolucent
Fri. July 11
9 p.m.
$5
Royal American
In 2009, bassist Nick Carroll, drummer Evan Amburn, and electric guitarist Dylan Crosby first formed The Woodgrains, and since then they’ve worked on crafting an original, modern sound that’s steeped in the traditions of classic rock predecessors like Led Zeppelin, the Beach Boys, and Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young. Friends from a young age, Carroll, Amburn, and Crosby first played together in middle school, and they soon discovered a mutual affinity for complex rock, along with musicians like Gram Parsons, who the band cites as one of their most formative influences. The Athens, Ga. band’s sophomore album The Woodgrains was released at the start of this year, and it’s filled to the brim with whiskey-drenched, luminous harmonies alongside Jimmy Page-like guitar solos. This Friday, The Woodgrains will be joined by fellow Athens-based Southern-rock four-piece Radiolucent. — Lindsay Anne Bower
YACHT ROCK | Mr. Holland’s Oats: A Tribute to Hall & Oates
Fri. July 11
9 p.m.
$10
The Pour House
In homage to Daryl Hall, who moved to downtown Charleston last year, and John Oates, a group of local musicians have formed Mr. Holland’s Oates. The band’s founder Andy Greenberg, who also fronts Phish cover band Runaway Gin, recruited Zeke Tuten (percussion, vocals), Dave Grimm (guitar, vocals), Whitt Algar (keys), Alan Brisendine (keys, percussion, sax), Jesse Anderson (bass), and Daniel Crider (drums) to do their best renditions of Hall & Oates hits and more. “You can expect to hear two sets including all your Hall & Oates favorites, complete with extended solo sections and custom variations,” says Greenberg. “Our main goal here is to have fun, but we take the musical aspect very seriously. Everybody brings great energy, boundless talent, and loads of excitement to the table.” Hall & Oates’ music is worth celebrating because of the feelings and memories it evokes in so many. Greenberg says, “This is classic American music from our childhood, a more innocent time, that I feel should be heard and played more these days.” —Teddi Aaron
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