SOUNDWAVE

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ROMAN CANDLES, DONNER DEADS, THE LOCAL ODYSSEY

Imagine if the ’90s alt-rock boom didn’t stagnate into blurry third-generation copies of grunge (Hello Spacehog!) or spiral into evolutionary dead ends like rap metal. What if alt rock had continued to develop in imaginative ways that kept pace with contemporary musical developments? Charlotte bands Roman Candles is doing just that. The ve-piece crafts melodic satisfying rock that carries listeners through surprising twists and wraps songs in a lyrical conceit that’s part street poet/part pugilist. More: $10; Dec. 18, 8 p.m.; Heist Brewery, 1030 Woodward Ave., heistbrewery.com/concerts

SLAMCHARLOTTE POETRY SLAM

Blumenthal Performing Arts presents its monthly Poetry Slam event, hosted by SlamCharlotte, Charlotte’s own three-time national championship team of spoken word poetry. SlamCharlotte strives to promote poetic growth, enhanced performances and increased camaraderie among poets and the community through the monthly slam competitions. SlamCharlotte’s current Slammaster, Boris “Bluz” Rogers, is the 13th ranked individual poet in the world and an Emmy Award-winning poet and author. In September 2020, he was named Blumenthal Performing Arts Director of Creative Engagement. More: Free; Dec. 22, 8 p.m.; Ford Building, Camp North End, 300 Camp Road; blumenthalarts.org

VICARIOUS, VENUS INVICTUS, LATEPOST

Launching with a grating pulsing guitar stab like a ashing warning beacon, Vicarious’s catchy 2020 single “Not Quite Sober” tumbles into a guttural yet supple groove that culminates in an unlikely singalong chorus: “Not quite sober yet/to see the toxic places you left me.” Comprised of bassist/ vocalist Brad Williamson, guitarist Colin Moser and drummer Zach Winton, Vicarious weaves funk, jazz, psych, classic rock and metallic prog into a carboliclaced cocktail before electroshock therapy. More: $10; Dec. 23, 8 p.m.; The Milestone, 3400 Tuckaseegee Rd.; themilestone.club

INVADER HOUSES, PETROV, ALAN CHARMER, PROBABLY WILL

In April, Pullover founder Phil Pucci set o in a direction that diverges from his main band with his solo project Invader Houses. The project’s debut single “Me and Gina” charts a soulful psychedelic course where melody and mood predominate. With reverberating guitars and percolating acoustic drum samples, it’s a dream-pop/R&B hybrid weighted with the eerie frisson of a well-told ghost story. Pucci’s lyrics convey a giddy mix of yearning, mourning and dread. More: $10; Dec. 25, 10 p.m.; Snug Harbor, 1228 Gordon St.; snugrock.com

VICARIOUS Promotional photo

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‘THE HIP HOP NUTCRACKER’

A perennial holiday mash-up, The Hip Hop Nutcracker celebrates its seventh season on tour. Directed and choreographed by Jennifer Weber, the contemporary dance spectacle is a re-mixed and re-imagined version of the classic, where hip-hop dance and Tchaikovksy’s timeless music collide. The presentation boasts a powerhouse cast of dancers, a DJ, a violinist, and MC Kurtis Blow, one of hip-hop’s founding fathers and the rst commercially successful rap artist who paved the way for Grandmaster Flash, Run DMC, and everyone who followed. He opens the show with a short set. More: $20; Dec. 27 & 28, 2 p.m. & 7 p.m.; Knight Theater, 430 S Tryon St.; blumenthalarts.org

THE HIP HOP-NUTCRACKER Photo by Tim Norris

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