PROGRESSIVE Nu METAL | Stellar Circuits
w/ HAWKING, Carbon Bandit, and Jupiter Down
Thur. Sep 19
9 p.m.
$8
Tin Roof
North Carolina-based band Stellar Circuits will headline a diverse progressive rock lineup at the Tin Roof. As masters of guitar delay and scream vocals, their style is a blend of nu metal and post-hardcore. In two records, the band has defined their studio-mastered sound. Their latest album, Ways We Haunt, was well-received and a few of the tracks are featured on some of Spotify’s own curated playlists. Supporting them is Canada’s own HAWKING. They describe their sound as “powerful, melodic vocals with surgically tight, interlocking guitar work and syncopated rhythms to yield a sound as viscerally impactful as it is highly addictive.” On top of that, they have a notable reputation in their home country for being one of the hardest touring alternative rock outfits around. HAWKING is polished onstage while at the same time maintaining a high energy and confidence that goes into the audience. The band creates an atmosphere in their music, and sonically stands out amongst their contemporaries. Further support from progressive metalcore band Carbon Bandit adds another unique element to the event. Stylistically, the progressive rock theme is still the core of the act. However, Carbon Bandit expands on the genre by bringing out complexities and blending styles of modern metal with infinite amounts of other music. Rounding it out, Charleston-based one-man-band, Jupiter Down, will take the stage. Jupiter Down creates sonic mindscapes with an axe of seven strings. The guitar work is heavy, beautiful, and sure to stick out. —Henry Clark THURSDAY
COUNTRY | Kacey Musgraves
w/ Weyes Blood
Fri. Sept. 20
8 p.m.
$90-$129
Volvo Car Stadium
Recent Grammy-winner Kacey Musgraves exhibits her knack for melodic harmony on the critically acclaimed album Golden Hour. While she’s revolved around the modern day country scene since 2012, she is just now reaching the apex of her entire career. “Slow Burn,” the opening track on Golden Hour, helps introduce the most distinct and truthful lyricism that Musgraves has been striving for. The combination of her mellifluous voice, vibrant guitar playing, and playful lyricism offers a state of relaxation and contentment to listeners who stumble upon the artist. Although Musgraves alone would be enough to satisfy a night of melodic music, she has recruited Weyes Blood, whose album Titanic Rising has been deemed a top candidate for Album of the Year. Other songs on Golden Hour are equally as memorable and worth noting as the opener. “Oh, What A World,” which gave Musgraves the name of her extensive tour, provides a pleasant milieu that can make anyone a fan of hers. Musgraves has earned three No. 1’s on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and she has a total of six Grammys. She made history at the 2018 Country Music Awards, becoming the first female to win the Album of the Year category in 4 years and sixth female to win in this category in the show’s 52-year history. The Texas artist currently has three original albums, one Christmas album, and two EPs. —Matthew Keady FRIDAY
SOUTHERN ROCK | Motel Glory
w/ Ned Brash, MYFEVER
Fri. Sept. 20
9 p.m.
$5
The Royal American
Motel Glory is known for their ability to blur the lines between southern rock, country, and punk. Whether on the stage at the Royal American, through the aux at a house party, or a cookout on a Sunday afternoon, Motel Glory has the wide-range of anthems to get the job done. With the title of “chaotic rock-and-roll that winks and screams,” the Rock Hill-based band is continuing to offer unique sounds that bend the rules of anything deemed traditional — making the release of their new album Let ’em Live that much more anticipated. “We did the record this time in a huge unfinished basement instead of in a studio, and we weren’t in a rush,” says songwriter Greg Ellis. It’s easy to celebrate their collaborative elements while listening to the dynamic and danceable rhythms floating around their songs. “We are loud and welcoming and it still comes from the heart,” Ellis adds. “We love bringing people a good time.” Motel Glory is bringing their good time to the Royal American on Sept. 20 to celebrate the release of their new album. Don’t miss the opportunity to check out this eclectic band for yourself— your new favorite song could be on Let ’em Live. —Abrie Richison FRIDAY
Fusion-Jam-Jazz | Snarky Puppy
Mon. Sept. 23
8 p.m.
$39.50
Music Farm
It’s hard to talk about the New York-based musical collective Snarky Puppy without foregrounding their instrumental virtuosity. Sure, this is in part because they are genuinely dazzling musicians, but it’s also because there is little else that sticks to them as their core identity. Grounded in groove-based music and their shared formal jazz training at the University of North Texas, the fluctuating lineup most often sounds like a funk-tinged jam band working through the paces. But they can just as often run down a soul vamp, soar into a rock anthem, or slide down to a sensitively rendered digression, into a vast range of global roots styles. What has built the band’s cultish following, in the end, is a formal elegance that they bring to their infectious, inventive instrumental arrangements. By bringing a chamber music level of precision to an ostensible jam band, they appeal to two different and rarely overlapping set of heads that share a love of the musicians who can play the most notes in the most ways for the longest time. —Kyle Petersen MONDAY
ELECTRONIC POP | Sexbruise?
Thurs. Sept. 26
10 p.m.
$8
The Commodore
Charleston’s own multi-platinum malcontents are back with a new EP. That’s right: Sexbruise? has descended from their thrones of future-band supremacy with Real Gold, and they waste no time getting down to business. On the opening track, an unstoppable electro-funk monster called “The Weather Channel,” singer Julie “J-Dollar-Sign” Slonecki lets us know that she’s “rainin’ on these hoes like a dick parade.” And it’s off to the races from there. The band serves up three more slices of programmed, pulsing, and perfect dance-pop before peacing out with the auto-tuned title track, a ballad lamenting the fact that the media won’t leave the band alone, and that it’s really hard for them to be so damn rich. “This album is about fame, money, being famous, having money, being rich and being famous,” says drummer John “Bitcoin” Pope, right before J-Dollar-Sign grabs the phone from him during the interview to clarify the point. “Look, this album was co-name-screamed by DJ Khaled, and is already up for several Oscars, so what we’re saying is, you should listen to it so you can feel relevant,” Slonecki says. “We didn’t really need to make this album, since we already have four other platinum albums, but we figured, why not make more money? Everyone knows that artists like ourselves profit enormously from streaming, so we’ve been thinking about buying our third yacht, and then if there’s anything left, donating it to the children.” Slonecki wasn’t super-specific about which children the leftover royalties would be donated to, but this EP is so sick that we’re pretty sure the third yacht has already been paid for. Check out the video for “Party in the 80s.”—Vincent Harris THURSDAY
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