Mipso

Local Americana band Mipso seems born to play such splendidly sylvan settings as the North Carolina Museum of Art’s amphitheater. On the string band’s fourth album, last year’s Edges Run, bright harmonies and textured arrangments mingle with intimate, engaging songwriting. Despite a string of stellar studio releases, the band is still best experienced live. Without proof of studio wizardry, their live sets captivate with warmth and charm. Robert Ellis sweetens the bill with an opening set that’s likely to draw heavily from his latest record, Texas Piano Man. A career-redefining release inspired by Liberace’s spirit and Bill Evans’s playing, the album marries a wry sense of humor to the troubadour’s bold melodies. It’s also Ellis’s best yet: Fun, lively pop romps thrive alongside his incisive songcraft.