The weekend starts a day early this week with a Thursday night show in Charlotte…

April is here and as the weather warms up so too is the concert calendar across North Carolina. This weekend is highlighted by another visit from a Texas artist in addition to an album release party from one of North Carolina’s own.

Kicking off an epic tour, Sarah Shook and the Disarmers are definitely a band you do not want to miss. On the rise, “Years” the groups second album arrives on Friday. In addition, there are a variety of other options available for your listening pleasure and many groups have two dates, so you don’t have to worry about making any difficult decisions – simply go to shows both nights – or all three if you start early.

There are plenty of options to choose from, so get out and support live music this weekend in North Carolina!

THURSDAY – APRIL 5, 2018

Travis Meadows – Puckett’s Farm Equipment, Charlotte

Meadows isn’t just waxing poetic about the perks of self-acceptance. The 52-year-old has clawed his way to the peace he’s found, and his willingness to map that journey through his songs has saved more lives than his own. On his anxiously awaited new album First Cigarette, Meadows proves once again that when he sings the truth he’s living, he can set us all free. “I’ve always put secrets in my records, but I had this ring of fire that nobody could get in––a defense mechanism from my childhood. Nobody gets too close,” he says. “I think this record is a way of me letting people in a little more, inside the ring of fire.”

Jack Ingram – Puckett’s Farm Equipment, Charlotte

Throughout a recording career that has spanned more than 20 years, Jack Ingram has maintained a reputation for uncompromising, personally charged song craft and energetic, charismatic performances, earning him prominent stature in a prestigious tradition of iconoclastic singer-songwriters. Ingram’s prior work has won him a fiercely devoted fan base as well as reams of critical acclaim, and now Midnight Motel marks a creative milestone for the veteran artist, his sound ever evolving while showcasing some of his most expressive, emotionally raw songwriting to date.

FRIDAY – APRIL 6, 2018

Sarah Shook and the Disarmers – Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro

When Sidelong, Sarah Shook & the Disarmers’ debut album, was released in early 2017, it quickly earned kudos for its blast of fresh, fierce honesty and sly wit. It was a welcome new voice in a genre too often mired in the staid and conventional. And while that record may have come to many as a surprise, 2018’s follow-up, Years, solidifies the point: Sarah Shook & the Disarmers have moved from getting people’s attention to commanding it.

Scooter Brown Band – Annex Plaza, Winston-Salem

After 4 years and 3 months, 2 tours overseas with 1 tour of combat in Iraq as a United States Marine, Scott Brown traded his guns in for guitars and hit the road. The Scooter Brown Band was formed in 2005 and played mainly in and around Houston, Texas. It wasn’t until 2009 with the release of their first studio album, “Between Hell & Texas,” that they gained a notable presence in the Texas music scene.

SATURDAY – APRIL 7, 2018

Steve Hartsoe – Motorco Music Hall, Durham

For this veteran rocker, a former AP journalist and college pitcher turned husband and father, that all-in conviction is an audible thread running through the 15 tracks on the Raleigh, N.C., artist’s latest indie release, “The Big Fix-Deluxe Edition,” released Dec. 1, 2017. After almost two decades removed from writing, recording and performing his own songs, Hartsoe is again singing about the daily of life — its troubles, joys and all the in-between. But this time he has a lot more life experience to sing about.

Chris Knight – Motorco Music Hall, Durham

Kentucky based singer-songwriter with a rich history in both although he didn’t start performing until he was 30 years old. Now a popular name in Americana music, Knight has released multiple albums in his career.

Sarah Shook and the Disarmers – Neighborhood Theatre, Charlotte

Another opportunity to celebrate the release of Years.

Scooter Brown Band – Crown Theatre, Fayetteville

A second chance to see them this weekend.

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Enjoy the shows, take advantage and keep spreading the love, one song at a time…