CL previews upcoming concerts (April 20-26) 

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20

BROKENCYDE After graduating from Berkelee's rigorous musical academy and surveying the far boundaries of post-modernism for their PhDs (all between blackouts!), the members of this New Mexico act — Mikl, Se7en, Phat J, and Antz — formed their punk-crunk vehicle in 2007. Armed with little more than auto-Tune, the word "titties" and gallons of Grey Goose Vodka, BrokeNcyde ("broken inside" — get it?) wielded those pop-culture references like scimitars against modern American culture's glorification of binge-drinking and date-rape. As performance artists, they of course have to "act" like they're shallow morons and, sure, their core audience may be 16-year-old piercing pin cushions and STD-wracked jailbait. But BrokeNcyde is willing to suffer for their art — and you will suffer from it whether you attend or not because, as we're often reminded, children are the future. (We are so, so fucked.) With Vampires Everywhere!, Dot Dot Curve and It Boys! (Various exclamation points theirs). $13-$15. Tremont. www.tremontmusichall.com. (J-Shatz)

OFF THE RECORD WITH HARVARD, ELECTRIC COMA Combining acoustic or stripped-down performances with on-stage interviews, Off the Record gives music fans an in-depth look at a variety of artists and the songwriting process. The artists are asked about their lyrical content and the creation of their music. This month, Charlotte acts Harvard and Electric Coma will get the live Q&A treatment. $7. 10:30 p.m. The Evening Muse. www.theeveningmuse.com. (Jeff Hahne)

THURSDAY, APRIL 21

MATTHEW MAYFIELD Coming out of Birmingham, Ala., Mayfield just wanted a taste of the glory he saw in bands like Guns 'N Roses. After getting a record deal with Epic in 2005 and doing big tours, you would think he was almost there — but it wasn't what he thought it'd be. After leaving the band Moses Mayfield in 2008, he set out as a solo act and soon that buzz began to grow too after stellar shows at last year's SXSW. $5. Double Door Inn. www.doubledoorinn.com. (Mike McCray)

DANCING ON THE DARK SIDE Musicians from Actual Proof, Chasing Edison, Automatic Chi and Incognito Mosquito have teamed up with a handful of Charlotte-area dance artists to create a visual tribute to the music of Pink Floyd. With visuals by Mike Wirth, the night will cover the Dark Side of the Moon album in addition to other classic tunes. $5. 8 p.m. Neighborhood Theatre. www.neighborhoodtheatre.com. (Hahne)

SATURDAY, APRIL 23

PONDEROSA The quartet is touring Southern hoods on the heels of their strong debut, deftly woven with blues, country and Southern rock. If you dig the Black Crowes and the Rolling Stones, check Ponderosa's recording Moonlight Revival. Lead singer/songwriter Kalen Nash and the band inform barroom rockers and ballads with a steady pace. The slow burning gem "Hold on You" should be all over the airwaves. $10. Visulite Theatre. www.visulite.com. (Samir Shukla)

HELLBLINKI This Asheville troupe's mix of clanking percussion, baritone sax, glockenspiel, violin and guitar straddles the bohemian worlds of Weimar cabaret, '50s beat, Italian operetta, swamp blues, and punk rock. The blend may owe a bit to Herr Tom Waits, a fact band leader Andrew Benjamin openly acknowledges, but since when has that ever been a bad thing? (Please don't mention Scarlett Johansson.) It's where you take your inspirations that matters, and the group's latest, the oddly titled These Bubbles Come From Ants, is definitely its own incarnation. Opening for Babyshaker and with The Chalkies. $5. Snug Harbor. www.snugrock.com. (John Schacht)

GROOVE 8 After the release of its first studio album, Debut, Charlotte's Groove 8 brings it back home to celebrate its fifth anniversary as a band. With an eclectic mixture of jazz, funk and a smidgen of rock, this eight-member ensemble (hence the name) guarantees head-nodding and foot-tapping enjoyment with their original tunes and superb instrumentals. Armed with gifts for the audience and voice actor Derrick Hines as host, this show is already proving to be one not to miss. $10. Duke Energy Theatre. www.blumenthal.org. (Johnathan Cruse)

TUESDAY, APRIL 26

DIRT DAUBERS Col. JD Wilkes, of the Legendary Shack Shakers, leads the trio Dirt Daubers. Their raw, lo-fi hillbilly authenticity may not shake a shack but it's rollicking with the potency of backcountry Appalachian bluegrass, jug-band hoedowns, and plain ole drinking music. It's front porch real with fiddles, banjo, and stand-up bass. $3. Snug Harbor. www.snugrock.com. (Shukla)

SEPULTURA The founding Cavalera brothers have long since departed, but the Brazilian metal quartet keeps blasting away with explorations in guitar noise, courtesy of Andreas Kisser. Birthed in 1984, Sepultura became one of the most important metal bands of the late '80s and '90s. No longer as groundbreaking, their relevancy remains intact as they tour in support of the new recording Kairos, where there's no slackness evident in the runaway freight train rumbling through death and industrial metal. With Belphegor, Hate, Keep of Kalessin, and others. $22-$25. Tremont Music Hall. www.tremontmusichall.com. (Shukla)

LUCINDA WILLIAMS Williams has been plugging away for over 30 years now and after 14 Grammy nods and three Grammy wins, the same passion that fueled the critical acclaim is still there, even if the sales don't always say so. Nearly 60 now, her Americana blues still ring true and the stories she tells are still as vivid as when TIME called her America's best songwriter a decade ago. $39.50-$44.50. McGlohon Theatre. www.blumenthalarts.org. (McCray)