Sons of Bill come to town

Sons of Bill

Sunday at The Windjammer

Consisting of three brothers and two longtime friends, Virginia-based Americana band Sons of Bill's story sounds like it was written by someone such as Rick Bragg, Pat Conroy or some other Southern author.

The eldest three of six children, the Wilson brothers decided to name their band after their father, Bill Wilson, a professor of philosophy and songwriter who taught them everything from how to play guitar to how to back up a trailer.

Such a tribute by his sons says something about a man, something that is felt so deeply in Sons of Bill's songs that one can hear the grinding of truck gears and the smell of grease on their fingertips. There's a deep-rooted sense of authenticity in the band's music, surprising since its members still are all fairly young.

Sons of Bill will perform Sunday at The Windjammer, 1005 Ocean Blvd. Tickets are $10 and are available at www.the-windjammer.com or the door. Doors open at 9 p.m. with the show at 10 p.m. Call 886-8596 or visit www.the-windjammer.com for information.

Bloodkin

Saturday at Home Team BBQ

Though not particularly well-known on a mainstream level, Athens, Ga.- based band Bloodkin has earned the respect of some of rock music's biggest names.

Vocalist/guitarist Daniel Hutchens and backup vocalist/guitarist Eric Carter started Bloodkin in the '80s writing and performing a distinct formulation of Americana, country and rock music. Despite having several of their songs covered by multiple bands, most notably Widespread Panic, and Hutchens recording and performing with ex-Velvet Underground member Moe Tucker throughout the early '90s, Hutchens and Carter had yet to release a full album of their own.

That is until 1994, when Bloodkin recorded its first full-length album, "Good Luck Charm." Produced by Johnny Sandlin (Allman Brothers, Eddie Hinton), "Good Luck Charm" marked the beginning of a stream of Bloodkin albums over the next 16 years.

Bloodkin has since released eight albums and has worked with such producers as John Keane (R.E.M, Cowboy Junkies) and David Barbe (Son Volt, Drive By Truckers).

Bloodkin will perform Saturday at Home Team BBQ, 1205 Ashley River Road. Tickets are $10 at the door. Call 225-7427 or visit www.hometeambbq.com for information.

American Aquarium

Sunday at Home Team BBQ

It's the classic formula for country and rock-'n'-roll music -- the kind about booze, brawls, women and the invincibility of youth. They're the kind of things that Raleigh-based septet American Aquarium has lived, survived and written about over the years.

The group of 20-somethings, however, also knows about the hangovers, heartbreaks and vulnerable mortality that adulthood eventually smacks us in the face with, and it captures those truths just as eloquently.

From rowdy to revealing and from feisty to frail, American Aquarium bridges the gap between the teenager and the adult in all of us and staggers between humorous and heart-wrenching in a way that's as natural and evolving as puberty itself.

American Aquarium will perform with Ponderosa Sunday at Home Team BBQ, 1205 Ashley River Road. Tickets are $5 at the door. Call 225-7427 or visit www.hometeambbq.com for information.