Thursday 9
Truett, Steam Killed Lula — Truett’s large, pitch-shifted guitar riffs are the kind that made Jack White a singular talent. And his voice is a powerhouse somewhere between a growl and a come-hither. Steam Killed Lula lacks the refined edges of Truett, but leans into a more early Black Keys feel. The band is less polished, sure, but not without charm. With Passion Pigeons, Jody Jackson. — Ethan Fogus | New Brookland Tavern: 7:30 p.m., $8 (18-plus only); 803-791-4413, newbrooklandtavern.com
Little Bird — The Charleston-by-way-of-Annapolis quintet Little Bird call themselves an R&B/soul outfit, but that’s a little deceptive. They certainly have the grooves of soul music down, but the band, led by singer/guitarist Jay Hurtt, works in a good bit of rock guitar and a lot of spacey keyboards, and the instrumental flexibility leans a lot closer to jazz than soul. Nevertheless, it’s danceable, fun music that’s got a lot more going on underneath the surface than it initially seems. With Bryce James. — Vincent Harris | The White Mule: 9 p.m., $7; 803-708-5908, whitemulemusic.com
Void King — Indiana’s Void King is a devotee to the almighty riff, but where others might take a left-hand path toward dank doom or scathing sludge, or tilt toward expansive stoner rock, Void King hews close to the core. Meeting the mettle of its riffs with blues-rock melodies that evoke Clutch or Alice In Chains, Void King offers a gateway to the extremes of low-and-slow riff worship. Space Coke opens with a heady brew of heavy psychedelic rock. — Bryan C. Reed | The Space Hall (Tapp’s Arts Center): 8 p.m., $7; 803-988-0013, tappsartscenter.com
Friday 10
Baby Yaga, The Long Con, Hectorina — The Space Hall of Columbia has rightfully earned a reputation as premiere curators of vibe, and this bill is no exception. Charleston’s femme garage-pop trio Baby Yaga and emo-sludge outfit Neverbetter, the goth-leaning Columbia post-punks in The Long Con and the esteemed Charlotte rock opera wizards in Hectorina combine their powers for an evening showcasing some of the most exciting indie talent the Carolinas have to offer. — Cam Powell | The Space Hall (Tapp’s Art Center): 8 p.m., $10 ($8 in advance); 803-988-0013, tappsartscenter.com
H. Wade Johnson & Pride Ensemble — Hornblower H. Wade Johnson was born in McClellanville and teaches at Benedict College, but his long-running Pride Ensemble started at South Carolina State University, where it landed opening slots for the likes of Con Funk Shun, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, The Commodores, and Earth, Wind and Fire. Like any good opener does, the Pride Ensemble delivers ample energy, but the group can slow it down for smoove jams, too. — Patrick Wall | Chayz Lounge: 8 p.m., $20; 803-563-8375, chayzlounge.com
Real Work, A Fragile Tomorrow — A Fragile Tomorrow writes the kind of easygoing earworms that a Michael Stipe or Bob Seger might cook up — which is dang good, but the group might have my least favorite band name ever. It’s the kind of thing you scrawl on your notebook in middle school — pure sentimentality. Real Work’s stadium anthems sound like a secular version of Hillsong United, with big Edge guitars and urgent vocals. With After Midnight, Badweather. — Ethan Fogus | New Brookland Tavern: 8 p.m., $7 ($18-plus only); 803-791-4413, newbrooklandtavern.com
Soda City Music Night — Emma Kate McLain has compressed the Taylor Swift career model, letting earnest country ballads exist alongside dance club-ready pop instead of waiting for the former to transition into the latter. Bull Moose Party has an appetite for lead-heavy blues, while Stevie and the Crooked Lyons explore the genre’s funkier, more mellow side. Hey, Johnny Park headlines this Columbia-centric night at the city’s biggest rock club, offering something we didn’t even know we needed: a faithful Foo Fighters tribute band. — Michael Spawn | The Senate: 8:15 p.m., $5; 803-252-9392, thesenatecolumbia.com
The Turbos — Straight-ahead rockers at heart, Ohio quartet The Turbos cast a wide sonic net that encompasses the tight pop hooks of Cold War Kids and embraces the funky tendencies of Red Hot Chili Peppers. Bassist Cam Reck’s busy, yet melodic playing serves as the balancing through line, providing Flea-esque flair to the tunes without going fully sock-on-crotch overboard. Local outfits The Ectomorphs, The Poor Decisions, and Harry and the Hootenannies share the bill. — Cam Powell | Art Bar: 8 p.m., $6; 803-929-0198, artbarsc.com
Saturday 11
Bryan Anderson — Charlotte-based bassist Bryan Anderson is an unselfish bandleader, if his eight albums of funky smooth jazz are any indication. Guitar, sax, piano and more take the lead more often than Anderson’s bass, which percolates just below the surface and provides a solid underpinning and a meaty groove for the soul, Latin jazz and island vibes his bandmates cook up. — Kevin Oliver | Chayz Lounge: 8 p.m.; $20 ($25 reserved seating); 803 563-8375; chayzlounge.com
Angie Aparo — When Angie Aparo appeared last month in Patrick Davis’ songwriter series, he was irreverent, endearing and more than a little tipsy — in other words he was totally being himself, enjoying the life he almost lost to a 2016 stroke. Back in the ’90s, a major label tried to make him a rock star with **The American**, but Aparo’s multi-octave voice and multi-genre approach transcends labels. — Kevin Oliver | The White Mule: 6 p.m.; $7; (803) 708-5908; whitemulemusic.com
Drunken Prayer's Morgan Greer
Drunken Prayer — A vehicle for the songs of Morgan Geer (a former sideman for alt-country weirdos Freakwater and The Handsome Family), Drunken Prayer exists on the frayed edges of Americana. Geer splits his time between the Pacific Northwest and Appalachia, and his music betrays a fondness for both: There’s a foggy folksiness that comes from the former, a rustic twang and shit-kicking attitude that comes from the latter. With The Menders, Blocker. — Patrick Wall | Art Bar: 9 p.m., $5; 803-929-0198, artbarsc.com
Don Merckle, Chris Compton — Both of these songwriters have been in and out of a host of local South Carolina acts from Celtic rock to jam bands over the past 20-plus years. But recently, Don Merckle and Chris Compton have both been exploring historical topics via some solo songwriting. The folk balladry of Merckle’s 2017 release **The Ballad of Lincoln Wray** covered a piece of his family history, while Compton’s 2018 album **Furtherville** saw him focused on small towns and simpler times. — Kevin Oliver | Curiosity Coffee: 8 p.m., $5; 803-357-2889, curiositycoffeebar.com
Radio Cult — The Atlanta trio Radio Cult has a lot of ’80s and ’90s in them. Image-wise, it has a sort of self-consciously wacky thing going on, lots of costumes and glittery guitars, but it’s fundamentally a late-‘80s style hard rock band with a bit of punk sneer in the voice of singer/guitarist Bambi Lynn. It’s reminiscent of The Donnas, but with a lot more of a glitzy, sleazy feel. With Blues Deluxe Band. Part of the outdoor Rhythm on the River series. — Vincent Harris | West Columbia Riverwalk Amphitheater: 6 p.m., free; 803-791-1880, rorsc.com
Sunday 12
Heavens Die — The term “metalcore” connotes a range of styles, from a sort of wide-eyed, emo-plus-blast-beats to breakdown-worshipping **djent**, but in the case of Virginia’s Heavens Die, “metalcore,” is an apt portmanteau in need of no qualification. The band’s 2018 album, **Unnoticed and Unmissed**, fuses the belligerent backbeats and growling shout-alongs of modern hardcore with dissonant guitar runs that evoke old-school death metal titans like Entombed or Obituary. Shame Spiral, Purity, and Silenus open. — Bryan C. Reed | The Soda Live (Tapp’s Arts Center): 7 p.m., $15 ($10 advance); 803-988-0013, tappsartscenter.com
William Matheny — William Matheny is a direct descendant of troubadour road heros like Justin Townes Earle or Josh Ritter. “Christian Name” — off his 2018 single **Flashes and Cables** — contains exactly the kind of world-building narrative that made Earle and Ritter names. It’s got the hallmarks of songs about weary musicians — merch booths, gas stations, all matter of excess. Sure, there’s a lot you could fault the song for, but you absolutely cannot fault those hot, David Lindley-ish riffs. — Ethan Fogus | New Brookland Tavern: 7:30 p.m., $8 (18-plus only); 803-791-4413, newbrooklandtavern.com
