WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20

LAURYN HILL

From her pioneering work with The Fugees to her legendary turn as a solo artist to her continued presence on the cultural landscape as both an activist and artist, neo-soul legend Lauren Hill casts a long shadow over contemporary music. Hill joined The Fugees while still a teenager, helping the band evolve a new musical vernacular that connected the charged politics of early-nineties hip-hop to the syrupy sound of Stax Records. Her solo masterpiece The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill went further, brilliantly delving into the psychology of the systemically oppressed and giving full voice to her rebel heart. Timothy Bracy

RED HAT AMPHITHEATER, RALEIGH

6 p.m., $71-$431, www.redhatamphitheater.com

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30

SYLVAN ESSO & FRIENDS

Instead of hosting a run-of-the-mill release show for its second record, What Now, the Durham electro-pop duo Sylvan Esso is putting on a minifestival throwdown with friends tUnE-yArDs, Wye Oak, and Helado Negro. What Now, released in late April, is an exaggeration in production and lyrical play from Sylvan Esso’s eponymous 2014 debut, and this particular performance is a homecoming for the band before it launches into a long stretch of touring across the globe. Singer Amelia Meath has said the album echoes the personal and political valences of last year, and listening to What Now is like listening to all of the anxieties orbiting around everyday life as they collide into one another. At Shakori, though, those anxieties should evaporate in favor of a very, very good time. Katie Fernelius

SHAKORI HILLS, PITTSBORO

5:30 p.m., $50, www.catscradle.com

MONDAY, OCTOBER 2

KESHA

After five years and a very public legal battle with her former producer, Kesha has come out the other side with Rainbow, a perfect pop record with country and rock influences that is as triumphant to listen to as it is for the thirty-year-old star. Few people could pull off a fourteen-track album with guests like Eagles of Death Metal, the Dap-Kings Horns, and Dolly Parton, but Kesha has never been the type to back down from an adventurous collaboration. The humor we’ve come to know and love from Kesha is still there on songs like “Godzilla,” but overall this is an intimate record about learning lessons and finding peace in personal devastation. Annalise Domenighini

THE RITZ, RALEIGH

8 p.m., $55, www.ritzraleigh.com

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12

BRUNO MARS

With the death of Prince and the rise of producer-driven pop radio, it’s tempting to declare the era of the multi-threat pop performer a thing of the past. Then one stops to consider Bruno Mars. The Hawaii-born, Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist boasts intimidating chart-dominating capabilities and a seemingly endless capacity to make massive hits. His skills align with the tradition of the Purple One and Michael Jackson, but also with vaudeville, cabaret, Sun Records, and the Rat Pack. Sure enough, he’s even an amazing dancer. Elizabeth Bracy

PNC ARENA, RALEIGH

8 p.m., $198-$983, www.thepncarena.com

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19

OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW

Old Crow Medicine Show can credit much of its success to Bob Dylan, whose song fragment frontman Ketch Secor transformed into “Wagon Wheel,” the band’s inescapable breakthrough hit. Last year, the Nashville-based sextet demonstrated its reverence by covering Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde in celebration of the record’s fiftieth anniversary, and now takes the show on the road. Secor describes portraying the double album through “the many faces” of Dylan’s career, and while Old Crow’s interpretations often take interesting new directions, they’re just as often influenced by the band’s own proclivities, as when the bluesy “Pledging My Time” transforms into breakneck bluegrass. Outside of the band’s signature tune, expect few originals during this two-set performance. Spencer Griffith

MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM, RALEIGH

7:30 p.m., $33–$55, www.dukeenergycenterraleigh.com

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21

YEP ROC 20

To commemorate twenty years in the business, Yep Roc will do what comes naturally, which is to say rocking. The Hillsborough-based label began as the project of junior high school buddies Glenn Dicker and Tor Hansen, who went from jamming together to music industry jobs to starting their own label with the seemingly simple strategy of signing the artists whose music they love. Several of Yep Roc’s estimable roster will be on hand for two shows at Cat’s Cradle, including Nick Lowe, Dave and Phil Alvin, Tony Joe White, Dressy Bessy, Chuck Prophet, Josh Rouse, and surprise guests, with Wesley Stace, aka John Wesley Harding, serving as master of ceremonies. David Klein

CAT’S CRADLE, CARRBORO

8 p.m., $50–$155, www.catscradle.com

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2

PHAROAHE MONCH

New York’s hip-hop scene was ruled by violence and money in the late nineties, but away from the shiny suits and gun threats was Pharoahe Monch. He carried New York’s signature aggression in his delivery, but was more centered on lyricism with a conscious message. Monch’s music is the exception to the unwritten hip-hop rule that you’re either conscious and smooth, or hyper-aggressive with crowd-moving beats. For the past year, Monch has added PitchBlak Brass Band to his stage performance, which is sure to sound thunderous when he performs “Simon Says,” which samples the original score from Godzilla. Charles Morse

DUKE’S REYNOLDS INDUSTRIES THEATER, DURHAM

8 p.m., $10–$38, www.dukeperformances.duke.edu

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9

AN EVENING WITH RANDY NEWMAN

Randy Newman released his self-titled debut on Reprise, Sinatra’s label, in 1968. Newman stood out from the crowd with his croak of a singing voice, songs peopled with American eccentrics, and salient elements of concision, irony, and erudition. Initially he won accolades from critics and his fellow musicians, but Newman found mainstream success and a Top 10 hit with the satirical “Short People.” In time he turned to movie soundtrack work and earned a small fortune. He could have coasted, but Newman’s recent releases, including Dark Matter, out earlier this year, show his lyrical, musical, and imaginative skills have only sharpened over the years. David Klein

CAROLINA THEATRE, DURHAM

8 p.m., $63–$93, www.carolinatheatre.org

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13 & TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14

BON IVER

Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon once called the Triangle home, and he returns to the area for his first “official” show (see: not a guest appearance at Ponysaurus or The Pinhook) here in several years. The Bon Iver of today is markedly different from the intimate, folksy material of 2009’s For Emma, Forever Ago, but the murmured melodies remain. Last year’s 22, A Million leans far heavier on AutoTune and thick electronic landscapes, translating to a densely detailed sound. If you missed out on tickets for the November 13 date, don’t worry: the band added a second show the following night to satisfy demand. Allison Hussey

DURHAM PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, DURHAM

7:30 p.m., $46–$350, www.dpacnc.com

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 25

ST. VINCENT

More than one element of St Vincent’s 2014 record suggested a transformation: its eponymous title, album art featuring Annie Clark seated squarely upon a throne, and grandiose, theatrical live performances all contrasted with the St. Vincent of yore. Just two years prior, Clark had proclaimed that she “didn’t think of herself as a star,” but rather, “a musician’s musician.” If she wasn’t a star then, she certainly is one now, having worked with David Byrne, fronted Nirvana, and directed a horror film. Following such ventures, St. Vincent returns with a new record, Masseducation, in mid-October. Its massive-sounding singles from the record, titled “New York” and “Los Ageless,” speak to further grandiosities while simultaneously delving into Clark’s personal life. Noah Rawlings

DURHAM PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, DURHAM

8 p.m., $39–$142, www.dpacnc.com