CL previews upcoming concerts (Aug. 26-30) 

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 26

Hot Tuna Electric Hot Tuna's Jack Casady and Jorma Kaukonen, both of whom have been hunting white wabbits since the mid-'60s with Jefferson Airplane, don't seem ready to rest their collective heads on the pop-star pillow – Surrealistic or otherwise – anytime soon. Kaukonen's finger-picked blues, jazz and bluegrass-inflected fretboard runs still sound as silver-toned and shimmery as ever, with Casady's loose, loping bass runs providing the requisite rubbery low end. Long may they swim. With Old School Freight Train and Contagious Blues Band. Amos' Southend (Timothy C. Davis)

Asphalt Blaster Not too long ago, former Black Crowe Johnny Colt opened up NoDa Studios in, you guessed it, NoDa. He's recently been performing with Train, but he's also got his own band going, too. Expect a good dose of rock with these guys, and Colt isn't one to mess around. These guys lean more metal than pop – sounding more like The Cult at times. With Zoe Vette & The Revolvers, Pistolero. Snug Harbor (Jeff Hahne)

THURSDAY, AUG. 27

Chickenfoot Most of the time, big collaborative records between musicians and their friends turn out to be big, self-indulgent wank-fests. Anyone remember Hagar, Schon, Aaronson and Shrieve? How about GTR? Anyone dust that one off recently? I didn't think so. Basically excuses to solo endlessly – free of the constraints of, you know, being tasteful and actually advancing the song – these records clog cut-out bins from coast to coast, or else dustily reside in the record collections of mulleted, Guitar Center employees ("Dude – when Morse goes into that pentatonic scale, he just rips it up!"). Chickenfoot, having the requisite ridiculous name, masturbatory guitarist (Joe Satriani), howler vocalist (Sammy Hagar) and solid rhythm section (Michael Anthony, Chad Smith) don't appear to have advanced the art any. With Back Door Slam. Uptown Amphitheatre (Davis)

FRIDAY, AUG. 28

Drive-by Truckers Considering this two-night, no-openers mini-residency, it's hard to believe there was a time when the Truckers could open for long-gone Slobberbone (among others) and play to 30 souls at the Double Door Inn. But that's what finding the right niche will do for you. For Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley and now bassist Shonna Tucker, that means a mix of well-crafted (read: literate) old-school twang, Southern cock-rock, and some Muscle Shoals soul. Maybe Hood will break out a song or two from his much-delayed, just-released solo record, Murdering Oscar (and Other Love Songs). Visulite Theatre (John Schacht)

Machete! What the hell do you need a whole band fer? Charlotte's experimental noise duo Machete! spews a sludgy blend of hardcore and noise that rattles the rafters as well as a whole posse of mofos. It's a no-frills bombast from a couple of scene veterans where the rolling bass spars with drums and then some. Playing as part of Duo Thon, where all the bands are, well, duos. With Siren, Battle Beast, The Have and The Have Nots and No Shoulders. Milestone (Samir Shukla)

AM L.A.-based AM has an uncanny knack for crafting pop songs shaken and stirred with Philly R&B, Motown soul, '60s rock and folk, and Brazilian rhythms that get in your head and swirl around for a spell. His intelligent lyrics and vocal range color all the songs on the deftly crafted sophomore release Future Sons & Daughters. With The Rescues. The Evening Muse (Shukla)

SATURDAY, AUG. 29

Husbians Reuniting because it feels that good, this N.C./N.Y.C.-based band released just one full-length – Unpopular Flips – during their four-year ('92-'96) tenure, but listening to it now you wonder why there weren't more. It's certainly emblematic of its time – a near-thrashy grunge aesthetic mixed with a Screaming Trees-like melodic bent – but unlike the rest of that gloom-and-doom era, the songwriting has a funny bone (note their 7-inch, The Age of Asparagus). That's not too surprising, given that front man Rick Randall went on to fame with the Alternative Champs, while guitarist Fred Hutchinson went on to play in Subculture, Pig Fucker and Fran Hammer. Should be fun, but don't forget yer flannel. With Red Collar and Arsonists vs. Arborists. Snug Harbor (Schacht)

Hot Politics This sextet sound as if they honed their funk in the French Quarter in NoLa or the back alleys of Harlem, but they hark from our own neck of the woods in Greensboro. They've fine-tuned their original compositions over the last couple of years into organic funk and R&B where sinewy bass lines, rollicking horns and percussion lay down a firm foundation. Let the party begin. With Sci Fi. Double Door Inn (Shukla)

SUNDAY, AUG. 30

Crüe Fest 2 What separates this show from last year's? The supporting acts – including Godsmack, Drowning Pool, Theory of a Deadman and Charm City Devils – and the fact Mötley Crüe will be performing Dr. Feelgood in its entirety. You can also guess they're going to play "Girls, Girls, Girls" and "Shout at the Devil," too. Oh, and Tommy Lee will play a drum solo, girls will flash their breasts ... not much has changed at a Crüe concert in the last 20 years. Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre (Hahne)