Durham
Wattstax
Nasher Museum of ArtMore than 40 years later, the six fiery days of the Watts riots remain one of the most brutal incidents of the Civil Rights era. In 1973, director Mel Stuart, best known for helming the family-friendly Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, paid tribute to the riots and the lasting scars they left on Los Angeles with Wattstax, a documentary of a 1972 Watts tribute concert that showcases artists on the Stax label and also serves as a portrait of the community. The Nasher Museum shows this “Black Woodstock” event in a free screening as part of Nasher’s Birth of the Cool series. The Rev. Jesse Jackson hosted the concert, and it combined performances from the likes of Isaac Hayes and Rufus Thomas, along with commentary from Richard Pryor and numerous Watts residents. Wattstax is a showcase of great music and a tribute to a recovering community. Zack Smith
Durham
The Wiyos
Berkeley Cafe1920s city and country folk music meet in The Wiyos. The trio puts dirty guitar picking into a back alley club with upright bass, washboard, harmonica and vocal harmonies. The distillation is sparse, spontaneous, a lot of fun and a little naughty, like something you’d hide under your mattress as a kid. Tickets are $10-$12 for an 8 p.m. start. Andrew Ritchey
Chapel Hill
Hotel Hotel
NightlightTexas’ Hotel Hotel creates dim dins of minimal percussion and maximal tone, floating its pieces forward in uninterrupted stretches that hang like an arid Lone Star skyline. Tonight, the band joins Sons of Roswell and Remora, the one-man guitar spree of Brian John Mitchell. Mitchell also owns excellent Raleigh-based experimental label, Silber Records, which Hotel Hotel calls home. Music starts at 9:30 p.m. Grayson Currin
