Cary
Carolina Hope Festival

Koka Booth AmphitheaterWhile relaxing on a lawn, listening to performances by Indigo Girls, Matt Nathanson and Christa Wells, you can also do your part to fight global poverty. The Carolina HopeFest is linked with Nourish International, an organization that works with college students to promote sustainable development in nations including Honduras, Peru and Uganda. Founded as a student group at UNC in 2003, Nourish now has chapters at 23 universities across the country. The main stage will host Mumbling Beefheads, boyishly handsome folk rocker Matt Nathanson and iconic folk duo Indigo Girls, while singer-songwriters Christa Wells and Jon Shain will perform on the acoustic stage. Tickets are $20-$45, and the show starts at 5:30 p.m. For more, see www.boothamphitheatre.com and www.carolinahopefest.org. Whitney Ayres

Raleigh
Cowboy Jack Clement

Berkeley CafeCowboy Jack Clement is best known for his behind-the-scenes work as a songwriter and producer. At Sun Records, he penned two hits for Johnny Cash and worked the mixing board for the likes of Roy Orbison and Jerry Lee Lewis. He went on to work for Chet Atkins at RCA. He’s been a producer for Townes Van Zandt, Waylon Jennings, Emmylou Harris, Kathy Mattea and Garth Brooks. He even produced a few tracks for U2’s Rattle and Hum. And that’s just the Cliff’s Notes.

But how is he in front of the mic? An inductee to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and the Music City Walk of Fame, Clement started his career as an artist. A young Elvis Presley even opened for him. Roughened with age, his voice now carries the gravitas of an American Recordings-era Cash, and a slight warble adds a sense of mourning to world-weary laments that would do Bob Wills proud. Though Clement can, and does, pick things up, Marley’s Ghost will likely bring the bounce tonight. Not scared of using humor, the quintet melds disparate folk music into a joyous mud pie of country, Cajun, Celtic, gospel and reggae. See the legend and the fun young ones for $14 at 7 p.m. Visit www.berkeleycafe.com. Andrew Ritchey

Durham
Banned Books On Stage

Durham County LibraryWhat do Judy Blume, Madonna and Kurt Vonnegut have in common? They’ve all had their books challenged (Tiger Eyes, Sex and Slaughterhouse-Five, respectively). The American Library Association’s list of books challenged during the ’90s includes many childhood staples, with some seemingly random picks (Where’s Waldo?, anyone?). The Durham County Library has organized an event to celebrate these books, complete with pseudo-damning passages intact. Today at 3 p.m., local actors will perform excerpts from selected banned works. (No word yet on who these actors will be.) Notable works include Joyce’s stream-of-consciousness magnum opus Ulysses, Nabokov’s ode to nymphets everywhere, Lolita, and Toni Morrison’s Beloved, inspired by the case of Margaret Garner, a slave in Ohio before the Civil War. What others might be on the agenda? Brave New World? Tropic of Cancer? Captain Underpants? Show up to find out. For more information, visit www.regulatorbookshop.com. Sarah Ewald