VAN HALEN Am I the only one who caught the band's 2007 reunion show in Charlotte? Sure seems that way. Either way, fans are going nuts for the latest tour - perhaps it's due to a new album, A Different Kind of Truth. David Lee Roth is back at the helm and the quartet rounds out with Van Halen's Eddie and Alex and Eddie's son, Wolfgang. They'll be bringing back all the non-Hagar hits complete with over-the-top guitar solos and plenty of DLR cheese. No word if brown M&Ms are allowed. Kool and the Gang opens. $38.45 and up. 7:30 p.m. Time Warner Cable Arena.

TRAMPLED BY TURTLES Authenticity's a slippery concept. One person can hear it in these up-and-coming Duluth headliners, while another turns away from yet another generic Avetts/Mumford knockoff picking at the bleached bones of roots music with "authentic" instrumentation. To their credit, and despite the ridiculous band name, Turtles do kick up significant dust, in part by virtue of their chops but mostly because they pen a decent tune. With William Elliot Whitmore. $18-$33. Neighborhood Theatre.

ACROSS TUNDRAS There's a criminal abundance of heavy or aggressive bands that claim country influence, yet never seem to transcend cartoonish rockabilly tropes. We all love the Man in Black, natch, but do we really need uncreative musicians slapping on Cash shirts and mirror shades and stomping around like that ludicrous, distended wolf from Looney Tunes? Among all these wasted efforts, it's an absolute relief to hear a band like Across Tundras. Sage, the latest LP from this Nashville trio, exists in a delicious and mean middle ground between heavy stoner rock and menacing outlaw country. I mean, Jesus, it's like Kyuss meets Earth meets Waylon Jennings. Fuck the dude ranch; this brutal, mythologized version of the American West is as serious as it comes. With Lullwater, Nihm. $6-$9. The Milestone.

Bachaco Much like the big-bottomed ant that shares its name, all it takes is one (sound)bite of Bachaco's cumbia-dancehall-reggae fusion to get your entire body shaking. The Miami-based band, with members hailing from Venezuela, Colombia, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and the U.S., plays high-energy, feel-good music that's become emblematic of the Latin alternative scene in South Florida (think Locos por Juana and Xperimento). But it's not all fun and games; in songs like "El Inmigrante," they tackle tough social issues, like the plight of the undocumented immigrant whose kids grow up without him. Don't worry about the language barrier, there's plenty of English peppered into the songs to keep your bearings. With Ultima Nota. $8 in advance. The Evening Muse.

DAVE DESMELIK I thought guys like this were a dying breed. Plain-spoken and earnest, Dave Desmelik delivers his high country, coffee-house Americana in a road-weary voice suggesting hard won acceptance and serenity. Introspective lyrics are married to plaintive harmonica and a breezy acoustic guitar shuffle, but there's a hint of bitter almond in the air. Though his self-effacing delivery can veer dangerously close to Andy and Mayberry, it sits atop a mother lode of raw emotion. Like a campfire storyteller who weighs each word carefully, Desmelik has mastered the art of writing simple songs that resonate long after the guitar is packed away. Free. Common Market.

VIOLINS OF HOPE UNC Charlotte's College of Arts & Architecture sponsors this unique series, wherein 18 restored violins that survived the Holocaust - (looking at you, Ahmadinedouchebagjad) - now bring us music again. Some were played in the concentration camps, others belonged to the Eastern Euro Klezmer culture the Nazis all but eliminated in their sinister quest for lebensraum. Under Christopher Warren-Green's baton, this final program ranges from the traditional Armenian lament "The Winds Descended" to Israeli composer Betty Olivero's affecting modern piece "Achot Ketana" and culminates in Beethoven's well-worn "Violin Concerto" chestnut, played here by Isaac Stern-pupil Shlomo Mintz. $28-$100. Belk Theater.

TODAY THE MOON, TOMORROW THE SUN Atlanta-based indie electro-fuzz-rock quartet Today the Moon, Tomorrow the Sun have been on the road full-time since 2009. In that time, they've polished both their live show and their ability to pack out a dance floor. Lead singer Lauren Gibson delivers her lyrics like a more swaggering, sensual Emily Haines (Metric) over the fuzzed-out guitars and ethereal synths of her compatriots. With a growing, diehard fanbase spanning the Southeast, TTMTTS is known for live shows that have fans leaving sweaty, sore and happy. With My Captain, Solar Cat. $5. Snug Harbor.

9th Annual Cash Bash This annual event not only pays tribute to the music of Johnny Cash, but also offers an opportunity to see some of the area's finest rockabilly and honky-tonk bands. This, the first of two nights, will feature Asheville's Southbound Turnaround, Charleston, S.C.'s Sky Paige & The Original Recipe, Greensboro's The Malamondos and Charlotte's own JT & The Dragpipes. Head back again on Saturday for Richmond, Va.'s Andy Vaughn & the Driveline, Winston-Salem's The Bo-Stevens, Greensboro's The Tremors and fellow Richmond band Venus Throw. $10 each night. Puckett's Farm Equipment.