UNKNOWN HINSON Fans of the Cartoon Network may recognize Unknown Hinson, not for his off-kilter psychobilly music, but for his voicing of Early Cuyler, the lead character of Squidbillies. But for those who are unfamiliar with Hinson’s mighty twang, fat-Elvis mutton chops and absurdist lyrics, his music should come as a pleasant surprise. For one thing, the man can shred. His songs, playing on classic country-western subjects from money troubles to gettiing blotto, flirt with dark themes and are sometimes simply ridiculous. “Venus Bound,” for example, finds him singing, “I’m building me a rocket ship/To go where womens don’t give no lip/I’ma blastin’ off/Baby I’m Venus bound.” Delivering his cheeky, politically incorrect ditties in ’60s country-western garb, Hinson’s onstage persona calls to mind fellow hillbilly hero Jesco White, if only the dancing outlaw hadn’t huffed quite so much gas. In the strange space where music and comedy overlap, Unknown Hinson makes songs you can dance and chuckle to at the same time. With Aqualads. $15-$18. Aug. 25, 8 p.m. Visulite Theatre, 1615 Elizabeth Ave. 704-358-9200.

MERCIES
This Connecticut band records in an old barn they’ve refitted into a studio and cleverly dubbed “The Barn” in the Constitution State’s northern hinterlands. If you think that translates into backporch pickin’ or rustic Americana, think again. The band — co-founded by Josh Rheault and Sammy Dent in 2009 — is touring behind its dream-like EP Ballet, released in March. Instrumental music commissioned for a ballet, its lush textures and minor-key melancholy bear a distinct wintery stamp. Ironically, it was the band’s debut, Three Thousand Days, that it recorded in the dead of winter, often when powering the equipment trumped the electric heaters. Maybe that’s why that album has a wistful, late-summer feel, as though each song were a mini-vacation to some warmer clime. Mercies’ Bandcamp page calls the music “folk rock, beach pop, (and) forest-core,” but more specific sonic toeholds would point to elaborate vocal harmonies influenced by the Beach Boys and sounding like, say, Midlake; keyboards that carry the melody as often as they wash through it, and guitars that serve as accents rather than centerpieces. The singer’s delivery tilts over-dramatic at times, but your mileage may vary. Otherwise, a promising act. With Vess, Wazu. $5. Aug. 24, 9 p.m. Snug Harbor, 1228 Gordon St. 704-333-9799.

BEFORE THE EYEWALL I miss post-rock, I really do. I was very happy in the mid-’00s, when so many excellent, epic albums dropped — lofty monoliths of inspiring yet hard-rocking instrumentalism. And though the Pitchfork spotlight no longer shines on poor Mogwai, the band’s heady subgenre remains distinctive and refreshing. Therefore, thank the gods for post-rock trio Before the Eyewall, which stops at the Milestone in support of its new EP Euxine Currents, which consists of one 25-minute mammoth composition. It has all the patience and cinematic dynamism I loved six years ago, when this kind of stuff was still all the rage. Yet, time has passed, and Before the Eyewall has evolved accordingly. There’s no plodding through the familiar quiet-medium-loud-loudest-quiet structures that, eventually, were post-rock’s downfall. Let’s put it this way: rather than take you to the mountaintop (see: Mono), Before the Eyewall goes hacking through the underbrush with a machete. With Labyrinthe, Black Pope, Towering Pyre and Alabaska. $7-$9. Aug. 24, 9 p.m. Milestone, 3400 Tuckaseegee Road. 704-398-0472.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH Pardon me, Broseph, but can you point me in the direction of the nearest testosterone-fueled heavy metal band that’s pop enough to make the radio, but aggressive enough to make me feel threatened? Five Finger Death Punch fits the formula perfectly — they can show off a soft side before heavy chugging guitars and thundering drums drive into your skull with authority. It’s by-the-book stuff, but damn if they don’t pull it off really well. Some of the emo-induced lyrics are laughable — “did you hear the one about me being a punk/did you hear the one about me being a drunk” — but live, the band is a juggernaut. Rarely do you see a quintet with equally kinetic stage presence that pulls your eyes in five different directions at once. The band’s biggest fans probably have fake testicles hanging on the back of their pickup trucks, but if you’re going to listen to soul-less aggro-rock, why not make it one of the few who do it really well. On the Trespass American Tour with Killswitch Engage, Trivium, Pop Evil, Emmure, God Forbid and Battlecross. $20-$65. Aug. 21, 4:30 p.m. Time Warner Cable Uptown Amphitheatre, 1000 N.C. Music Factory Blvd. 704-549-5555.

STEVE VAI Thank god the Olympics are over. And I’m not being contrarian here — there are some events I genuinely dig (who can hate archery? Or the high dive?). But there is only so much fast-for-the-sake-of-fast, strong-for-the-sake-of-strong or agile-for-the-sake-of-agile a person can take. After a while, sustained overstimulation simply deadens your nerves, rendering you incapable of any reaction beyond “Oh, gee. That woman can outrun a horse. What else is on?” You probably see where I’m going here, since, if shredding was an Olympic sport, guitar badass Steve Vai would most certainly be on the American team. But for all his extreme speed and agility and whatnot on the fretboard, watching him play can be the real endurance test. Much like with the Olympics, once the superhuman “wow” factor wears off, the acrobatics get a bit tedious. With Beverly McClellan. $33. Aug. 20, 7:30 p.m. The Fillmore, 1000 N.C. Music Factory Blvd. 704-916-8970.

BANDS TOGETHER FOR LUPUS An inaugural benefit for the Alliance for Lupus Research has been organized as a Sunday afternoon event at the Chop Shop, featuring plenty of music, a raffle and free food. The all-ages event will have a variety of music by local artists who are banding together for a good cause. From the electronica of Andrew Stamper to the folk ’n’ roll of Sy Arden; from the acoustic rock of Ryan Bach Band to the, um, funky stylings of Funky Geezer — there’s a bit of something for everyone. Also on the roster: Jackson Cozort, Flesh & Stone, Leigh Ann Stevens and Friends, Matt Perrone, Vulture and Austin Hill. $10. Aug. 19, 3 p.m.-8 p.m. Chop Shop, 399 E. 35th St.

ZOE VETTE & THE REVOLVERS With a previous Revolvers incarnation, Queen City rock goddess Zoe Vette cranked out guilty pleasures like the giddy S&M rocker “Ground Ginger.” A new line-up continues and improves on ZVR’s glossy grinding punk, thanks in part to secret weapon, guitarist/producer Grey Revell. A product of N.Y.C.’s anti-folk scene, Revell produced luminaries Kimya Dawson and Regina Spektor while crafting solo music that ranges from acoustic punk to Eno-esque atmospherics. His “anti-showbiz” stance and rock solid chord progressions mesh well with Zoe’s Go-Go’s-after-they-gargled-carbolic vocals and “I Love Rock ’n’ Roll” attitude. As for that attitude, it’s easy to tag ZVR as Joan Jett fronting hair metalists Faster Pussycat. (Indeed, as a fuck you to the constant Jett comparisons, ZVR covers not Joanie, but fellow Runaways alumni Lita Ford.) Placing ZVR in this pocket ignores their glammy experimental side, evidenced in rocked-up covers of Eno and T-Rex. Still, Zoe remains a gutsy, outspoken evangelist for the Church of Chick Rock. Seated on the right hand of patron saints Fanny, The Runaways and Suzi Quatro, she celebrates the shambolic glory of pre-hardcore melodic punk. With The Joy Kills, The Fill Ins, and Jym Chapman & the Migrant Workers. $5. Aug. 18, 9 p.m. Snug Harbor, 1228 Gordon St. 704-333-9799.