Raleigh
American Revival Tour

Stewart Theatre, NCSU CampusA more apt title for the American Revival Tour would be the Women Kicking Ass Acoustically Tour. While one might expect a revival of bluegrass to mirror its male-dominated origins, The Dixie Bee-Liners, Uncle Earl and Sierra Hull & Highway 111 are all bluegrass bands driven by women. Though the easiest but most reductive point of reference might be Alison Krauss, each of the three bands offers something different: Leading The Dixie Bee-Liners, Brandi Hart sounds more sassy and less melancholy than Krauss. The sextet isn’t scared of minor chords and sad lyrics, but an up-tempo undercurrent bubbles through most songs. Uncle Earl is the only all-female group of the evening. The band’s tunes ebb and flow, held together by vocal harmonies while lyrics about Napoleon Bonaparte ease past. A child prodigy on mandolin, the still-teenage Sierra Hull, both an instrumental virtuoso and a wide-eyed ingénue, opens the evening. Pay $5-$28 for the 8 p.m. show. For more, see www.ncsu.edu/centerstage. Andrew Ritchey

Durham
Caleb Calypso and the Midnight Marauders

Manbites Dog TheaterThough its title makes it sound like a 1960s-era Marvel war comic or a line of children’s fantasy novels, this play by Durham’s Howard L. Craft deals with issues of “race, class, regionalism and homophobia in today’s New Army,” set at the close of the Cold War in Bamberg, Germany. It was produced as a staged reading at UNC earlier this year. The show runs Oct. 29-31, Nov. 5-8 and Nov. 11-14. All shows are at 8:15 p.m. except Sunday, Nov. 8, at 3:15 p.m. Tickets are $17 Friday through Sunday and $12 weeknights, with discounts for students and seniors; tonight’s pay-what-you-can is a $5 minimum. For more information, visit www.manbitesdogtheater.org or call 682-4974. Zack Smith

Durham
Picasso’s Closet

Nasher Museum of Art, Duke CampusLittle Green Pig Theatrical Concern helps the Nasher celebrate its Picasso and the Allure of Language exhibit with a special staged reading of Ariel Dorfman’s play about Picasso’s plight during the Third Reich. (See Picasso articles in last week’s Indy.) The readings are today and tomorrow at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 2, with a final performance on Nov. 15. Tickets are $5. For more information, call 684-4444 and visit www.littlegreenpig.com. Zack Smith

Durham
Nevermore

Brody Theater, Duke CampusQuoth the raven … well, you know the rest. Just in time for Halloween, the Duke Players Lab Theater presents a play based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe. The particular stories providing inspiration aren’t listed, but the safe money’s on The Tell-Tale Heart, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Fall of the House of Usher and, given the show’s title, The Raven. It should be perfect for those who prefer to feel the slow burn of suspense rather than be scared silly by fake guts. Free for all ages, the show runs today through Oct. 31, with performances nightly at 8 and 11. For more information, visit www.theaterstudies.duke.edu or call 660-3343. Sarah Ewald

Durham
William Ferris

The Regulator BookshopUNC folklorist William Ferris presents a special slide show and reading from his book, CD and DVD Give My Poor Heart Ease: Voices of the Mississippi Delta. Based on a series of interviews Ferris conducted with African-Americans in the 1960s and 1970s as he toured his home state of Mississippi, the work combines an autobiographical essay on Ferris’ love of the blues with a rich history of an area, a music and a people. Give My Poor Heart Ease has earned acclaim from Toni Morrison, Morgan Freeman and B.B. King. The evening begins at 7 p.m.; for more information, call 286-2700 or visit www.regulatorbookshop.com. Zack Smith