THU-SAT09_16 - 09_18 SCHULER KING
When they tell a comedian to kill ‘em or slay the audience, it’s just a figure of speech, but for Sumter, S.C. native Schuler King, the expression has added resonance. Graduating from the University of South Carolina with a degree in media arts, he went on to graduate from Gupton Jones Mortuary College with a degree in mortuary science. He’s likely the only comedian/funeral director on the comedy circuit. When he isn’t performing at comedy clubs, he works as a licensed funeral director and embalmer at his family’s funeral business in South Carolina. More: $25; Sept. 16–18, various times; Comedy Zone Charlotte, 900 NC Music Factory Blvd.; cltcomedyzone.com
RAYE ZARAGOZA Photo courtesy of Raye Zaragoza
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As a Japanese-American, Mexican, Indigenous woman, Zaragoza spent much of her early life trying to assimilate with the world around her — until she decided, “Fuck that shit.” A purveyor of feminist anthems and fearless protest folk music, Zaragoza has released Fight For You, a protestdriven debut in which the artist focuses on finding her voice as a woman of color. Anchored by brisk, compelling melodies, her songs celebrate the power of embracing your own identity, particularly in a society that often seems intent on erasing you. It’s a potent message from an incendiary artist. More: Free; Sept. 9, 6 p.m.; Camp North End; 300 Camp Road; camp.nc/events
Before being derailed by COVID, The Black Crowes were supposed to stop off at PNC pavilion in July 2020. It was part of their reunion tour for that summer, marking the 30th anniversary of their debut album Shake Your Money Maker, featuring the Crowes’ biggest hit, a blistering cover of Otis Redding’s “Hard to Handle.” The rock and soul revivalist band launched in the mid-1980s by brothers Chris and Rich Robinson plan to play that album in its entirety, along with popular cuts like “Morning Song” and “Evergreen”. More: $11 and up; Sept. 10, 8 p.m.; PNC Pavilion, 707 Pavilion Blvd.; charlottemusicpavilion.com
“With every opportunity, [Howell is] using her craft to tell a story in the way that only Maria Howell can,” wrote Queen City Nerve contributor Greg Jarrell in our 2021 Music Issue. Howell, a gifted performer from Gastonia, may be the hardest-working woman in Charlotte showbiz. She acts on the side, appearing in movies like The Color Purple and Hidden Figures. An aficionado and master of the Great American Songbook, Howell joins pianist and frequent collaborator Noel Freidline, saxophonist Ziad Rabie, bassist Ron and drummer Alfred Sergel IV for the reopening of the Jazz at the Bechtler series. More: $20; Sept. 10, 6 p.m. & 8:15 p.m.; Bechtler Museum of Modern Art; 420 S. Tryon St.; bechtler.org
Progressive alternative four-piece Phantom Friends has drawn comparisons to bands as disparate as The Allman Brothers and Foo Fighters. Their eclecticism was built-in from the band’s beginning in 2016. Put on a bill to play a Common Market South End showcase, Richie Gaiser enlisted close friends Matt Wilson, Dominic Birckbickler and Dave Wilson to throw together an ad hoc band that drew on influences ranging from funk to ’80s hair metal. More: $10; Sept. 11, 10 p.m.; Snug Harbor, 1228 Gordon St.; snugrock.com
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MARIA HOWELL Photo by April Friedline
SCHULER KING Photo courtesy of Comedy Zone
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THE BLACK CROWES
MARIA HOWELL
THE PHANTOM FRIENDS, OCEANIC, FAMILY VIDEO
THE BLACK CROWES Photo by Dick Clark Mises
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