TOUBAB KREWE
When Ry Cooder jammed with Malian guitarist Ali Farka Touré in 1995, Western musicians woke up to the rich musical legacy of West Africa. Actually, the West African connection was there all along, since American blues is largely derived from the tribal music of Mali. In turn, West African musicians responded in the 1960's to the influence of western bluesmen like John Lee Hooker, and so on. It's been a trans-Atlantic ping pong game of musical influences for generations now, and Asheville's Toubab Krewe are merely the latest volley. TK band members caught the West African music bug in the late 1990's, trekking to Guinea, the Ivory Coast and Mali to study and live with master musicians. Such deep wood-shedding pays off in Toubab Krewe's energetic percussive grooves and founder Justin Perkins' mastery of the kora, a 21-string Malian harp-cum-lute. But the Krewe flip the script, adding a mix of zydeco, N'Awlins R&B and Southern-fried rock 'n' roll to the African stew, then top it off with Arabic surf guitar scales by way of Dick Dale. It should all be a mess, but Toubab Krewe's exotic electro world-funk reaches giddy psychedelic heights. Toubab Krewe may wander all over the map, but they always know where they're going. With John Brown's Body. $15-$17. Nov. 27, 8 p.m. Visulite Theatre, 1615 Elizabeth Ave. 704-358-9200.

GAZA
Heavy music isn't necessarily aggressive, even when it comes in clashing and raging like Gaza. The band's chopped, math-rock crust, if anything, evinces desperation: a severe adverse reaction to organized religion and its societal effects, coupled with and soured by knowledge of its power. Not an ultimately surprising tack for a band from Salt Lake City - hub and headquarters for all things Mormon - though that church is far from their only target. The band's discordant, Converge-esque approach twists metal and hardcore into an occasionally gruesome mess of incompatible chords and hoarse roars. In short, they sound pretty fucking pissed. With Young and in the Way, Code Orange Kids, Full of Hell, and Narratives. $8-$12. Nov. 27, 9 p.m. Milestone, 3400 Tuckaseegee Road. 704-398-0472.

MEGADETH
It must have been heartbreaking for fans of '80s thrash metal to watch Metallica, the titans of the genre, fade into curmudgeon-y assholes. Fortunately, those who want to hold on to pre-Mastodon metal ideals have Megadeth, whose singer, David Mustaine, was even briefly a member of Metallica. As the band's contemporaries changed with the times, Megadeth stayed virtually the same. Mustaine, a veritable caricature of himself as an aging rocker with a bad-boy pout, is still surfing the nostalgia wave more than 25 years after the band's '86 breakout record, Peace Sells. Peace Sells was a scathing condemnation of Reagan-era politics back in the day, but it seems like Mustaine has gone off the deep end with his recent comments stating President Obama was behind the deadly shootings in Colorado and Wisconsin earlier this year. Though if you're still pissed about the Star Wars missile defense program and trickle-down economics, moshing to Mustaine as he swishes his strawberry blond locks may be just what the doctor ordered. With Kyng. $32.50. Nov. 25, 8 p.m. The Fillmore, 1000 N.C. Music Factory Blvd. 704-549-5555.

HIP-HOP FAMILY REUNION
Two weeks ago, in our annual music issue, we discussed the growing strength of the city's music scene by asking, "Where is the black music in Charlotte?" This weekend, the answer to that question is at Chop Shop. If you're looking for some of the Queen City's finest rappers, they'll all be under one roof. From Golden Era-style to street anthem swag, the inaugural Hip-Hop Family Reunion is a great place to check the pulse of the local scene. Performers include Forever FC (Lute, Jimmy Kelso, Schyler Chaise and Ry), Royal-Tee, Elevator Jay, Luca Brazi, Mullah Mugzie, Shome, Lotta, Stranger Day, Yachts and Makeda. $10. Nov. 25, 6 p.m. Chop Shop, 399 E. 35th St. 704-765-2466.

NAPALM DEATH
Undeniably one of the most menacing and uncompromising bands in the land of metal, Napalm Death birthed grindcore nearly 30 years ago. It's been a quarter century since the band's groundbreaking (and ground-shaking) debut recording, and the blokes from Birmingham, U.K., continue to mutate young minds with their noise. The band's recent, 15th studio outing, Utilitarian, is evidence the music hasn't gotten any mellower with age. The breakneck riffing, piercing growling and machine-gun drumming are fully intact while lyrics attacking weasels in politics and religion stitch it all together. The band members' varied influences and tastes drizzle into their songs with avant garde flourishes amidst the mayhem, and while most songs are short and spastic, expect an occasional five-minute dirge, which is practically an epic in the world of Napalm Death. Also on the bill are Municipal Waste, Exhumed and Speedwolf. $15. Nov. 24, 8:30 p.m. Tremont Music Hall, 400 W. Tremont Ave. 704-343-9494.

GHOST TREES
Ghost Trees is the new vehicle of local hornman Brent Bagwell and his Eastern Seaboard bandmate, drummer Seth Nanaa. The two played during Great Architect's Snug Harbor residency recently sans Seaboard bassist Jordan Schranz, and really clicked duo-style. The combination of saxophone and drums feels primal and immediate, an energy never captured better (or likely to be improved upon) than when John Coltrane and Rashied Ali did it on the seminal sax/drums statement, Interstellar Space. Still, it's great to hear Bagwell, the city's most adventurous reedsman, in a setting where he's playing against/around/through a mostly rhythmic entity, as he does on the duo's gorgeous self-titled 10-inch picture disc whose release they'll be celebrating at Snug Harbor. On "Serpico's Dream," for instance, Bagwell and Nanaa joust and parry in ever-tightening circles before wrestling a surprisingly tight melody into submission. It's not quite as free as, say, peer collabs like those between drummer Frank Rosaly and saxophonist Dave Rempis, but their years together in Eastern Seaboard serve Bagwell and Nanaa well in establishing the trust level necessary to create some truly intriguing and adventurous moments. With Bo White, Great Architect and Blossoms. $5. Nov. 23, 10 p.m. Snug Harbor, 1228 Gordon St. 704-333-9799. .

LAMB OF GOD
Lamb of God is currently on a rescheduled tour, which was postponed after vocalist Randy Blythe was jailed in Prague in July on manslaughter charges. The arrest stemmed from the death of a fan who landed on his head after Blythe allegedly pushed him off the stage at a previous gig there. Now, Blythe is out on bail and the band is back on the road. The screamer insists he will return to Prague for any court hearings for the case. Meanwhile, the quintet's double-barrel metal is a cauldron of extreme metal genres, where the groove and bombast both converge to make the band one of the most intriguing on the circuit. The new recording, Resolution, is complete in its quest to destroy ear drums and goad testosterone-loaded pummeling in the pit. Also on the bill: In Flames, Hellyeah and Sylosis. $45. Nov. 21, 7 p.m. The Fillmore, 1000 N.C. Music Factory Blvd. 704-549-5555.

KAKI KING
Guitar master Kaki King has spent the nine years since the release of her first album building a reputation as one of the greatest living composers on six strings. And with her most recent release, Glow, she may just have solidified that reputation for good. "This record I made is amazing. I've never said that about anything I've done before," she told a crowd in Bologna, Italy, last March. And she's right. The secret to King's allure lies in her ability to capture emotion in her compositions. She does so masterfully on Glow, from the driving sense of urgency in album opener "Great Round Burn" to the slow, aching "No True Masterpiece Will Ever Be Complete." Stroking, tapping, even slapping her guitar, she makes sounds come out of it most folks would never imagine possible. Her performances are both moving and arresting, the work of a master in her prime. With Lady Lamb The Beekeeper, The Bear Romantic. $15-$17. Nov. 18, 8:30 p.m. Tremont Music Hall, 400 W. Tremont Ave. 704-343-9494.

GROSS GHOST
Mining some of the same fuzzy analog textures as the headliners, frontman Matt Dillon (ex-Spader) and Tre Acklen turned in one of this year's better regional indie pop records with Brer Rabbit. Unlike the Love Language, whose releases so far suggest a limited (if pleasant) palette, these 11 songs drift through a variety of styles with assured ease. There's the dubby syncopation of "Lazy Little Walk" and Jesus & Mary Chain summer jam of "Lurker," as well as Blur-y Brit-pop ("Sooner or Later") and frenetic, reverb-rich Surfer Blood rock ("The Architect"). Dillon's hazy, behind-the-beat vocals suit the garage-y guitars and compressed percussion to a tee, and when they put those components together with an addictive loping melody like "Leslie," you've got all the makings of what used to be known as a big ol' fat radio hit. The Carrboro band is already at work on the follow-up, and don't be surprised if their buzz eventually eclipses the headliners. With the Love Language and the Toddlers. $12-$14. Nov. 17, 10:30 p.m. Visulite Theatre, 1615 Elizabeth Ave. 704-358-9200.

THE LOVE LANGUAGE
Raleigh's Love Language started not so much as a one-man band as one hot mess. Reeling from a brutal breakup, singer/songwriter/multi-tasker Stuart McLamb hit the booze, hit the skids and landed briefly in jail. Licking his wounds, McLamb recorded a pile of no-budget pop gems that inadvertently became a debut LP. That such miserable beginnings would yield gorgeous ballads and bouncy guitar pop is a minor miracle. That McLamb's songwriting chops are highlighted rather than hindered by a Phil Spector meets Animal Collective wall of gauze - well, that's merely icing on the cake. Described as Big Star meets Guided by Voices on their way to The Band's Big Pink getaway, The Love Language's bubbly concoctions make room for swells of strings, cavernous drums and waves of surf guitar. Touring with a full band, and with sophomore LP Libraries out, McLamb has recently stepped out of his lo-fi comfort zone. The Love Language's new material retains the band's Merseybeat exuberance while gaining a smooth Burt Bacharach-styled sheen. When it all clicks, The Love Language chugs along with addictive pop perfection, suggesting Paul McCartney fronting Arcade Fire at a 1950s sock-hop. With Gross Ghost and The Toddlers. $12-$14. Nov. 17, 10:30 p.m. Visulite Theatre, 1615 Elizabeth Ave. 704-358-9200.