VIOLINS OF HOPE UNC Charlotte's College of Arts & Architecture sponsors this unique series, wherein 18 restored violins that survived the Holocaust - (looking at you, Ahmadinedouchebagjad) - now bring us music again. Some were played in the concentration camps, others belonged to the Eastern Euro Klezmer culture the Nazis all but eliminated in their sinister quest for lebensraum. Under Christopher Warren-Green's baton, this final program ranges from the traditional Armenian lament "The Winds Descended" to Israeli composer Betty Olivero's affecting modern piece "Achot Ketana" and culminates in Beethoven's well-worn "Violin Concerto" chestnut, played here by Isaac Stern-pupil Shlomo Mintz. $28-$100. Belk Theater.

TODAY THE MOON, TOMORROW THE SUN Atlanta-based indie electro-fuzz-rock quartet Today the Moon, Tomorrow the Sun have been on the road full-time since 2009. In that time, they've polished both their live show and their ability to pack out a dance floor. Lead singer Lauren Gibson delivers her lyrics like a more swaggering, sensual Emily Haines (Metric) over the fuzzed-out guitars and ethereal synths of her compatriots. With a growing, diehard fanbase spanning the Southeast, TTMTTS is known for live shows that have fans leaving sweaty, sore and happy. With My Captain, Solar Cat. $5. Snug Harbor.

9th Annual Cash Bash This annual event not only pays tribute to the music of Johnny Cash, but also offers an opportunity to see some of the area's finest rockabilly and honky-tonk bands. This, the first of two nights, will feature Asheville's Southbound Turnaround, Charleston, S.C.'s Sky Paige & The Original Recipe, Greensboro's The Malamondos and Charlotte's own JT & The Dragpipes. Head back again on Saturday for Richmond, Va.'s Andy Vaughn & the Driveline, Winston-Salem's The Bo-Stevens, Greensboro's The Tremors and fellow Richmond band Venus Throw. $10 each night. Puckett's Farm Equipment.

THE EXPLORERS CLUB The Charleston-based combo's new album, Grand Hotel, as well as their early material, will get listeners looking at the copyright date. Wait. This was released earlier this year? Not the late '60s or early '70s? The band's muse lingers in an unmistakable late-'60s southern California pop vibe, with a dash of psychedelia, sprightly keyboards, happy guitars and plenty of harmonizing backing up the crooner. Lounge pop? Maybe. But the blokes are rather genuine in their love of the era, without being copycats. Brian Wilson would approve. With XVSK. $8 in advance. The Evening Muse.

THE PRETTY RECKLESS In an earlier life, model turned actress turned songstress Taylor Momson played one of several interchangeable glam brats on the CW's Gossip Girl. Her latest role, fronting loud hard-pop band The Pretty Reckless, is "rock bitch in heat" aka "front woman template model A" aka "slutty jailbait on drugs." But don't let the smokescreen of eyeshadow and the curtain of blonde hair fool you. Ms. Momson is quite good at this gig, putting the catchy tunes over with a raw throaty alto. When the band strays outside the radio-ready pocket, it can rock ferociously, with a hint of Black Keys blues savvy and better pop songwriting than your average eyeliner rockers. Striving for Hole or the Runaways, Momson and crew land closer to '80s hard popsters Transvision Vamp. This isn't a bad thing. Empty calories can be fun to burn. With The Hollywood Kills. $15-$40. Visulite Theatre.

VANITY THEFT All-gal combo from Ohio's got the upbeat pop ditties that sound as if written in the garage, where the guitars ably tackle the drums while the vocalist belts out loosely written lyrics. It takes awhile to get into their groove, and the tunes are generally well-phrased, but they're most interesting when the guitars are on the raw side. They sure seem to be having a blast playing raggedy pop-rock. With Needmore. $7-$9. The Milestone.

HuDost Multi-instrumentalists Moksha Sommer and Jemal Wade Hines join forces as HuDost, a world music group for which that title seems too limiting. They bring the definition to life as Sommer sings in at least a dozen languages, often taking on the identity of the characters she sings about. The music is often driven by language, though the music and rhythms often give it as much personality. As part of the Off the Record series on this night, you'll hear more of the stories behind the songs they'll be performing. With James Brown of Matrimony. $6. The Evening Muse.

LEFTOVER SALMON The jam circuit has long been the province of the bluegrass/rock 'n' roll fusion - but that was hardly the case when Leftover Salmon took electric instruments to rootsy Americana more than two decades ago. The improv pioneers charmingly dub their style "polyethnic Cajun slamgrass," mashing bouncy cajun and funk rhythms with high-energy bluegrass stomp. It's a formula that works - Salmon's influence is palpable in heavy-hitters all across the plugged-in folk ouvre, including occasional collaborator String Cheese Incident. Their first studio album eight years, Aquatic Hitchhiker, drops next month. $25. Visulite Theatre.

THE ZOLTARS If you hear in Austin's Zoltars elements of early Velvet Underground drone, Wreckless Eric's snark punk or the contemporary garage minimalism of, say, Wounded Lion, they're there for a reason. Lead Zoltar Jared Leibowich was a struggling filmmaker when he picked up his guitar and began writing songs with a knack for, as he told one interviewer, "stepping on friend's toes." Delivered in Lou Reed-like deadpan, the songs on the band's debut Should I Try Once More? are super simple and deceptively funny and not going to be appreciated for either trait by many. So fuck 'em. With Sister Fister and Chain Link Stains. $6-$9. The Milestone.

Shpongle Shpongle plays around with psychonautic scholar Terence McKenna's "stoned ape" theory of evolution. In short, early man ingested magic mushrooms that opened the hominid mind to religion, language and music. Whether you buy the idea or not, the psyc-ambient duo of self-styled "hallucinogenius" Simon Posford and magic flautist Raja Ram take the notion and run with it. The two offer a mix of world music, down-tempo electronica, earth-mother backing vocals and quicksilver flute. Their live DJ show mind-melds higher consciousness and body grooves in the swirling spiral nebula called Mind Fuck. 'Shrooms optional. $22-$24. Neighborhood Theatre.