New Grass Swing | Steel Rollers
w/ Chompin’ at the Bit String Band
Thurs. May 2
9 p.m.
$5/adv., $7/door
Pour House
Sat. May 4
10 p.m.
Free
Snapper Jack’s
Since forming in 2012, the Steel Rollers have been winning converts to their mix of contemporary and traditional string music. The band — Ryan Morris (banjo, mandolin, harmonica, vocals), Dallas Baker (guitar, harmonica, vocals), Brad Poplin (upright, vocals), Chris Williams (dobro, guitar), and Jonathan DePriest (violin, cello) — recently wrapped up their 2013 album, Right on Track. Produced by Plowground Studios’ Jim Donnelly, the album blends the best of the Allmans and the Grateful Dead with a touch of Bob Marley and plenty o’ grass. They’ll be promoting the album with a Thursday CD release show at the Pour House. You can also catch them headlining Snapper Jack’s on Folly. They’re hoping to make it to the festival circuit, or as Baker says, “We’re in this as far as it will take us.” —Davin Turkewitz THURSDAY
Honky-Tonk Tears | Junkyard Angel
w/ Dash Rip Rock and Guilt Ridden Troubador
Sat. May 4
7 p.m.
$5
The Alley
Jim Marshall was touched by an angel, and in his case that angel was the rusted-out, white 1982 Ford Bronco that he once owned. Unfortunately, that old gal has moved on to junkyard heaven. “She was put to sleep several years back,” says Marshall, singer and guitarist for Charleston’s Junkyard Angels. “I like to think she is somewhere hanging out with beautiful old rusty-dream vehicles of yesteryear, overlooking majestic kudzu vines and mud pits.” Marshall and company are currently putting the finishing touches on a new LP, Silent Hero, which should be ready any day now. The head Junkyard Angel says you can expect classic honky-tonkers (“10 Jugs In” and “Mississippi Bound”), a couple of acoustic numbers (“My Rosie” and “Kate’s Song”), and plenty of tear-in-your-beer pain (“[I Won’t] Bring You Down,” “Daddy’s Drinkin’ Problem,” and “Faith [Will Lead You Home]”). The recording of Silent Hero was a bit of a slog, but Marshall is proud of his bandmates. “There was a time there where it looked like we might not make it through and pull it off, but we did and I think, personally and as a band, we are much stronger and connected through all the struggle,” he says. —Chris Haire SATURDAY
Hip-Hop Horrorcore | Tech N9ne
w/ Brotha Lynch Hung, Krizz Kaliko, Kutt Calhoun, Rittz, Ces Cru
Fri. May 3
8 p.m.
$20/adv., $25/door
Music Farm
Like fine wine, Tech N9ne’s taken time to mature and breathe. The Kansas City rapper had a couple of near-miss opportunities in the early ’90s, but that long apprenticeship gave him plenty of time to craft a steely, rapid-fire style befitting his name. N9ne’s production tends toward a frantic, high-impact sound that recalls Esham’s spooky horror core and early Public Enemy. N9ne got his break with 2001’s Interscope-distributed Anghellic, but he bristled at the label’s lack of promotion and struck out alone, self-releasing 2002’s Absolute Power. The decision slowed his rise to the top, but it couldn’t hold the prolific rapper back. His efforts eventually culminated in 2011’s minor breakthrough All 6’s and 7’s, which was quickly followed by the collaborative album, Welcome to Strangeland. Both releases introduced Tech N9ne’s sinister sound to the mainstream and whetted appetites for June’s Something Else. —Chris Parker FRIDAY
Drive-By Americana | Shonna Tucker and Eye Candy
w/ Josh Roberts & The Hinges and Radio Lucent
Sat. May 4
9:30 p.m.
$8/adv., $10/door
Pour House
For nearly a decade, Shonna Tucker served as the bassist for the much-loved Nü Southern rock band, the Drive-By Truckers, but in 2011 she left Patterson Hood and the boys behind. These days, Tucker is making time with her new band, Eye Candy. During most of Tucker’s Drive-By tenure, she was married to then-Truckers guitarist Jason Isbell, but the pair split and Isbell left the band. In his absence, Tucker contributed several songs of her own to the Truckers, most notably the terrific country-soul kiss-off, “(It’s Gonna Be) I Told You So” off 2010’s The Big To-Do. She has a deep, grainy voice with a corn-fed charm, but it’s the expressiveness of her singing that wins the day. There’s still no word on when a new album can be expected, but she recently released the pretty, slow-burn tune “Your Jealousy.” Tucker’s opening for Columbia roots-rocker Josh Roberts, who’s supporting his third album, Mighty Old Distance and Murky Old Time. —Chris Parker SATURDAY
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