Lamb Handler Charlotte rockers are one-part garage, one-part '70s arena rock and plenty of energetic punk and boogie. Their straight-up rock, no chaser, may not break any new ground, but so what. They are putting the final touches on a disc to be released by ComaGun Records in August, and if the early mixes and demos are any indication, then get ready to turn up the amps. With Up With the Joneses & The Broken Strings. Snug Harbor (Samir Shukla)
Seth Walker Blues is the highway on which Walker drives his trusty wheels. His roots in rural North Carolina, and his home base of Austin for the past decade, have helped his authentic American music have that sittin' on a porch feel. Walker has fine-tuned his writing and playing where traditional blues lovers as well as contemporary roots rockers can gather. His self-titled record from last year is like a snowball of his work over the past decade, where piano-tinged ballads and blues licks feel at home. Double Door Inn (Shukla)