CHRIS ISAAK
Boosted by a Calvin Klein-hits-the-beach MTV video, Chris Isaak catapulted to fame with the spare, noirish Top 10 hit “Wicked Game.” With his chiseled Elvis-meets-James Dean features, Isaak was a natural for video, and his music career spread to film and TV throughout the ’90s and aughts. His amiable but mannequin-like acting worked best for David Lynch, where a non-reactive presence served as the calm eye amid a storm of mind-fuckery. However, the same reticence that grounded Isaak onscreen unfortunately hampers his carefully crafted music. Without fire in the belly, it’s a short step from languid to lethargic. Currently paying homage to vintage rock and country, Isaak’s “Beyond the Sun” tour highlights his new collection of covers. It’s a tasteful tribute to Isaak’s avatar and influence, Sun Studios honcho Sam Phillips, who cut classic 1950s records with Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and others. “Sun”-drenched in reverb, Isaak wails in a Roy Orbison falsetto and croons in an Elvis baritone over moody ballads and country shuffles. The craft on display is awesome, but while Isaak is trying for old-timey grit, his gut instinct is to go pristine. For all his allegiance to retro rockabilly, this Sun worshiper rarely rocks out. $44.50-$94.50. Sept. 10, 7:30 p.m. McGlohon Theatre, 345 North College St. 704-372-1000.

DEX ROMWEBER DUO
Siblings Dex and Sara Romweber — the guitarist and drummer of this Chapel Hill duo — have been essential players in the North Carolina independent music scene since the ’80s. Sara played with Winston-Salem pop-rockers Let’s Active, while Dex’s Flat Duo Jets' scorching rockabilly influenced, among others, some guy named Jack White. The duo that plays Snug tonight still features Dex’s scorched-fretboard technique, natch, but he and Sara also explore honky-tonk and outlaw country flavors. It’s not a huge shift, though, from rockabilly shred to western shuffle: both styles evolved in parallel from an early, pre-rock form — hillbilly music This common ancestor continues to educate Dex’s guitar approach, even as Sara’s percussive patience keeps him grounded. With The Dirt Daubers. $8. Sept. 9, 9 p.m. Snug Harbor, 1228 Gordon St. 704-333-9799.

DJ KEMIT
Having worked his magic for acts ranging from Arrested Development to India.Arie, DJ Kemit (do not say Kermit) is a quintessentially ATLien exponent of contemporary soul. Warm acoustic guitars? Check. A little house-style swagger? Check. Shades of early-’70s jazzy soul production, like the speaker-panning and buzzy bass you hear on old Stevie Wonder records? Check. Multicultural fusions such as hypnotic African instrumentation and lilting Caribbean rhythms? Check. A positive, good-vibes outlook? Check. Kemit’s wide-ranging new album, Everlasting — featuring a string of guest singers, from veterans such as Carl McIntosh of ’80s Brit R&B group Loose Ends to relative newcomers like Seattle neo-soulstress Choklate — can be hit or miss. But sound-wise, it’s a consistently engaging jaunt, and a few of the tracks are outstanding: Choklate’s sublime ballad “Releasing”; the rubbery, Brazilian-rooted groove of “Things Everlasting”; the kalimba-fueled soul that envelops Eric Roberson’s smooth tenor on “Fortune Teller” (not the Allen Toussaint classic). The Su Casa folks are bringing Kemit to town for a “listening lounge” event — that is, an unveiling of the new album from 9 to 10 p.m., after which Kemit will spin for the booty-shaking masses until the wee hours of morning. $10-$15. Sept. 8, 9 p.m. Su Casa at Dharma Lounge, 1440 S. Tryon St. 704-334-8336.

PETE ANDERSON
Producer, guitarist, label owner, songwriter, instrument designer and all-around twang master Pete Anderson has worked with A-list roots and Americana artists. In fact, peg Anderson as an early innovator and catalyst for Americana and the “new traditionalists” movements of folk and country, which of course includes his fabulous work with Dwight Yoakam. But when Anderson records solo material and hits the road with his six strings, his modus operandi is the blues, and he slings the guitar into expansive blues-rock, with a drizzling of rockabilly, honky-tonk, jazz and the aforementioned twang. Get there early to snag a spot near the stage, as his rep on the guitar and the cozy confines of the venue will make for a packed night. $10-$12. Sept. 8, 9 p.m. Double Door Inn, 1218 Charlottetowne Ave. 704-376-1446. www.doubledoorinn.com.

DONALD HARRISON
There are at least five Donald Harrisons. One is the inventor and undisputed “King of Nouveau Swing,” an alchemical mix of acoustic swing, modern R&B, reggae riddims and bossa beats. But the classic jazz gumbo of nouveau swing is just one facet of the swingin’ sax man’s musical schizophrenia. In another guise, Harrison played sideman with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and the Headhunters, going as hard bop as Blakey and as post-bop as Elton Dean. Woodshedding in various combos, this Harrison’s tight but restless alto goes places as spacey as Sun Ra. Still another Harrison got in on the hip-hop scene, mentoring a young Notorious B.I.G. Shape-shifting again, Harrison became the sultan of swank, topping the smooth jazz charts with “The Power of Cool.” But the Ur-Harrison, the one from which all others spring, is Big Chief Harrison of the Congo Nation. Under the Big Chief’s guidance, this Crescent City collective conjures the ghosts of Congo Square by wedding Mardi Gras Indian chants with sweaty R&B. Whatever guise Harrison takes, Afro-Indian Houngan, classical composer or silky smooth bandleader, he is sure to leave the assembly transfixed by the swing. He’s performing at the Coca-Cola Sunset Jazz Festival with Calvin Edwards Trio, Envision, Fat Snacks and Los Leones. Free. Sept. 8, 2 p.m. Symphony Park at SouthPark Mall, 4400 Sharon Road.

OUTERNATIONAL
Lord only knows why they call it “future rock.” But whatever name you want to slap on it, the music of New York City fivesome Outernational is pretty darn good. With the help of producer and mentor Tom Morello (who leading man Miles Solay befriended as a teenager in '96 after breezing past SNL security into Rage Against the Machine’s dressing room), Outernational has crafted Future Rock, an EP of ebullient rock & roll infused with political messages about topics including immigration and women’s rights. In the hands of less capable artists, this could be a real drag, but Outernational’s songs are catchy, delivered with charisma and swagger, and subtle enough lyrically that they don’t feel like lectures. Now, if they could only find a better name than “future rock,” they’d be set. With Antagonizers ATL and No Time For Breathing. $8-$10. Sept. 7, 9 p.m. Tremont Music Hall, 400 W. Tremont Ave. 704-343-9494.

EYES OF THE ELDERS
Like The Roots, Charlotte hip-hop mainstays Eyes of the Elders back their politically aware rap with live instruments. It’s a throwback to the heady days of pioneering MCs, when provocative rhymes sat atop a magpie’s cache of rock, funk and blues. At the same time, EOE are a jump into the future, folding classical influences, eastern-tinged psychedelia and Widespread Panic stoner-isms into their hip-hop soufflé. Without showboating or swagger, MCs Ricky Radar and Bearcat deliver lyrical wordplay that is by turns fiery and compassionate. The live backing is all over the map, while keeping touch with EOE’s forebears. “Glutton for the Button” boasts haunting violin that harkens back to prog-rockers Curved Air. Reggae shuffle “Occupy” pitches barbs at the Tea Party’s “patriotic patriots suspended in animation” with loping keyboards that would do Studio One maestro Jackie Mittoo proud, while “Dance Lies Stars” features Austin Hill’s plaintive R&B croon about the broadcasted bullshit we use daily to amuse ourselves to death. Expect EOE’s stage show to incorporate found footage in the style of last October’s raucous and committed “Occupy” video during the Media Blackout at Neighborhood Theatre. With BPL and Unknown Users. $10. Sept. 7, 9:30 p.m. Neighborhood Theatre, 511 E. 36th St. 704-358-9298.

GOD SAVE THE QUEEN CITY II
Don’t fret if you can’t make the drive (or cough up the cash) for Hopscotch, because God Save the Queen City 2 — a Friday-to-Sunday festival of Charlotte locals — makes staying home a safe bet. Or maybe you’re burned out from the DNC and just need several dozen rock bands to purge your system. From the depth of Jim Avett’s songwriting (I know that last name from somewhere ...) to varying degrees of country-punk from Scowl Brow and Pullman Strike to the straight-up heartland rock of Temperance League, these 40 bands cover the guitar-driven spectrum from singer-songwriter up to hard rock. There’s even some silly at work here, from Wicked Powers and Alternative Champs. With most of these guys, natives or locals, it doesn’t seem Charlotte needs much saving. $10 on Friday, $20 on Saturday, $15 on Sunday; $30 for three-day pass. Sept. 7-9. Chop Shop, 399 E. 35th St. 704-765-2466.