JONATHAN WILSON "Could you swing me back there, to North Carolina ..." Jonathan Wilson sings on his acclaimed recent CD, Gentle Spirit. Yes, indeedy. Wilson finally brings it all back home for his first Charlotte appearance in a half-decade. Things haven't changed much since he left town on his musical quest 15 years ago. Still skinny, still slinky, still long-haired, still creating some of the most mystical and thoughtful folk-pop-rock grooves around (as a solo artist and a producer to others). The new rub? The world has caught on. They're ga-ga for him in the U.K. and Europe, where he's cast as the prince of the new Laurel Canyon sound (even though he's since moved neighborhoods, ha!). He's off to open Tom Petty's European tour shortly after this show, so catch our native son while you can. $10. Visulite Theatre.

GREG LASWELL Gravel-voiced singer-songwriter Greg Laswell has a melodic sensibility that lends itself particularly well to soundtracks. His sleepy, heartfelt ballads have underscored TV shows and films from Grey's Anatomy to Final Destination, and it's not hard to figure why: Laswell seems to have an uncanny knack for stirring, emotive storytelling. Though he rarely breaks out of the singer-songwriter mold, the do-it-all musician and recording engineer has mastered a formula that is simple, moving and downright lovely. His fifth studio album, Landline, adds to an already rich well of what has become Laswell's signature sound. $10-$12. Tremont Music Hall.

LUKAS NELSON & THE PROMISE OF THE REAL What if Willie Nelson switched to an electric guitar, plugged in and used his strong songwriting to pen rock songs instead of country and folk? Well, it might sound a bit like this. The country legend's son is making a name for himself without riding on daddy's coattails. His approach to rock is straightforward, and classic with a tinge of Southern influence and dad's vocal tone. His latest album, 2010's Promise of the Real, proves he's grown enough to stand on his own. $12-$15. Visulite Theatre.

A HAUNTED MANTRA Charlotte's A Haunted Mantra plays a unique brand of melodic death metal, foregoing high-pitched power-chord shredding for a heavier, doomier sound, and even skewing into acoustic territory when the mood strikes. But don't let that fool you into thinking this foursome is soft. With hard-hitting drums, frenzied guitars and a lead singer with a low growl straight out of hell, Haunted Mantra delivers aggressive, technically precise music for the headbanging set. $10-$12. Tremont Music Hall.

MAYER HAWTHORNE & THE COUNTY On paper, this sounds like a smug, too-hip-for-the-room fiasco. Hip-hop DJ and voracious crate digger Drew Cohen sings brand-new retro-soul compositions, using the pick-your-porn-name party game - middle name Mayer, home street Hawthorne - to christen his crooning alter ego. Oddly, his Motown-by-way-of-slick-'70s-session-pop actually works. Smoothly sung with punchy Hitsville horns and uncluttered arrangements, Hawthorne's songs are neither hipster goof nor slavish pastiche. Hawthorne knows soul is all about hurting so good, so when he drops the F-bomb it's a natural progression and not the least bit mannered. Wicked humor emerges, particularly on the bitter breakup ditty "The Walk," which comes complete with a trigger happy Tarantino-inspired video. $18-$20. Neighborhood Theatre.

MOVERS & SHAKERS This band lists both Austin and Boston as home ports, and without getting real nitpicky about actual mileage, Memphis is more than just a midway point along the musical route. The band's excellent 2011 release, National Harvester, is replete with River City signifiers, from the Reigning Sound organ swells and Stax horns to the Lucero guitars. Throw in some Alex Chilton/Paul Westerberg bar balladry and you have a compelling mix that deserves a wider audience than most of what passes for roots music these days. With Junkhat and Spice of Life. $6-$9. The Milestone.

BLOODKIN Bloodkin is a study in contrasts. The band's guitars can go full-tilt Crazy Horse crunchy or swing like the Stones at their most country-fried. Rebel rockers to the core, Bloodkin's ragged but right songwriting is closer to the romantic alt-traditionalism of Son Volt than the swagger of Skynyrd. Vocalist Daniel Hutchens waxes lovelorn and literate, but the cut-and-paste impressionism of '50s Beat poets is as much a lyrical influence as the moss-festooned loquacity of Faulkner. And despite decades of excellence, Bloodkin's greatest exposure still comes from cover versions of the band's songbook by neo-hippie jammers Widespread Panic. Few bands both define and transcend Southern rock as deftly as Bloodkin. It's the group's strength, and curse. $10. Visulite Theatre.

THE ORCHIDALES With the proliferation of twee and dream-pop, there seems to be way too much "kids are alright" and not enough "teenage wasteland." But then there's The Orchidales, three dudes from Belmont who finished high school a few years back and, well, didn't leave. Their surfy, trash-fi translation of Brian Jonestown Massacre well reflects the kind of nihilistic, hard-drinking slumming that takes place among the young and disillusioned - as do their rowdy, equipment failure-plagued live shows. It's all about the train wreck, baby, and it's been a good wreck so far. Opening for Modern Primitives and Blossoms. Free. Snug Harbor.

Charlotte's first VH1 Save the Music benefit concert will be held tonight at the Chop Shop in a national effort to keep music in schools and instruments in the hands of students. In addition to a performance from the School of Rock, there will also be sets from Stephen Warwick's new band Ancient Cities, Hectorina, North Elementary, The Houstons, Future Ghosts and more.

The schedule follows:

Inside The Chop Shop
School of Rock 6:30 p.m.
Ancient Cities 7:15 p.m.
Hectorina 8 p.m.
North Elementary 8:45 p.m.
The Houstons 9:30 p.m.
Rusted Radio Dial 10:15 p.m.
The Ethnographers 11 p.m.
Future Ghosts 12 a.m.

On the patio (acoustic)
The Cloers 7 p.m.
Eli Parker 7:50 p.m.
Stephen Warwick 8:40 p.m.
Guns & The Open Sea 9:20 p.m.
Dylan Gilbert 10:10 p.m.

SIERRA HULL When Sierra Hull walks on stage, there's a moment you might think she's just another cute Americana songstress - until she picks up a mandolin. The 20-year-old string prodigy makes tearing through intricate bluegrass arrangements look like child's play - and, for Hull, it was. She first caught Alison Krauss' eye at age 11 and has since shared the stage with a who's who of the folk elite. Now at the helm of her own band, the petite beauty single-handedly challenges any notion that high-energy bluegrass picking is scruffy guy territory. Just wait until she unleashes on that mandolin. $16. The Evening Muse.