In the 80's, Eric Sommer broke out of the Boston folk music scene with a mixture of roots-pure, fingerstyle acoustic guitar and new wave pop, a blurred combination of Nick Lowe, The Cars, and Spider John Koerner.

Triple bill! The Ill Family are warm and mellow fuzz straddling psych and surf counties. Sounds like vintage amps and the dust of old garages. Hailing from Bucks County, PA, Sand Reckoner is currently based in Boston, MA. Taking influences from the 1960s and 70s, the trio creates their own brand of psychedelic blues rock. Songs involve folk melodies and harmonies to create a sound that everyone can get into. The Old One-Two is a self-christened 'pusselgut blues' band based out of Greensboro, NC. The trio's blend of dirty electric tones, pounding percussion, and gritty vocals comes together to form an inimitable style of spooky lo-fi blues rock, supported by just enough groove to allow for a sound simultaneously unique in its simplicity and its creativity.

Another triple bill! Combining the raw electric energy of blues-tinged folk and alt-country with haunting and (sometimes) heartwarming songwriting in the spirit of the American folk tradition, Chet Vincent & the Big Bend reconcile the great divide between intellectualism and accessibility. Hearts of Knotty Pine are an all-acoustic quartet with "part singing" who do the folk/Americana thing. Morning Brigade is Peter Vance's new band.

Free from the shackles of any singular genre, Brother Han sounds like the child of Bob Dylan, Jack Johnson and some imaginative rogue MC. Blending the sounds of folk, rock, pop and traditional hip hop storytelling, his music and stories cater to people from all walks of life. His songs are driven by the good the bad and the ugly and his lyrics are thought provoking, visual and full of color. With a voice as honest and true as his songwriting, Brother Han is a breath of fresh air and an artist worth discovering.

Church of Wolves are four people playing heavy music, growing basil, and practicing black sorcery. Utah are a loud two-piece from Athens, GA that plays downtuned rock 'n' roll with a metal and hardcore influence.

The River Rats play fast paced rock and blues via the age old technique of call and response but taken to the next level with the goal of connecting to people with their musical influences and life experiences.

Randy Dean Whitt is songwriter. Like a Braque painting, or a view from your passenger side window, on your long ride back home, Randy's songs could be described as a collection of images in motion. Never content to only explore one theme, these songs express nuanced portrayals of a life lived hard, and a life lived full, but always living as much as you can. At times an embrace of the beauty of the simple, at times an embrace of manic joy, and at other times a meditation on the melancholy of the mundane. Randy Dean Whitt, like you and me, and all of us, is an artist of the human condition. Or, as a close friend once said, "Randy is passionately askew." The roots of The Bo-Stevens go deep into the mantle of country music. Take their commitment to tradition and mix some rockabilly, a pinch of gospel, and a dash of bluegrass into the stew to serve up a tasty Friday night.

Since 1987, the local duo Nikki Meets the Hibachi has become legendary. If you haven't seen them yet, you need to do so - now!

Pierced Arrows, the Portland-based trio comprised of legendary members Fred and Toody Cole of the seminal punk band Dead Moon and drummer Kelly Halliburton are coming to the Cave. Advance tickets are on sale behind the bar now! You'll probably need one, so come on by and buy a pair today!

Don't form a genre-blurring blend that spans the musical spectrum from melodic punk rock with surf overtones to an atmospheric wall of emotive and evocative sounds. Think Siouxsie sharing a fifth of Southern Comfort with the Mermen in the back of Willie Nelson's tour bus while listening to the Wipers.

Pineapple Shaped Lamps began its life as a humble "shadow cast" for The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Since then, they've expanded into a full-fledged comedy powerhouse, with a weekly live sketch comedy show called "TNL" (Thusday Night Live), live musical productions, and a little show called "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog."

Seize the sax!

The Blotter Magazine exists to nurture underground, outsider literature and art and to provide it to a wide audience. This requires money, so...

Most known as a founding member of Squirrel Nut Zippers, Katharine Whalen's work post-Zippers has ranged from her own take on jazz standards with "Katharine Whalen's Jazz Squad" to the avant-pop of her "Dirty Little Secret" release. Whalen is a chronic passionate creator, and the common thread winding its way through her creations - be it music, building dollhouses, Tambourine (her headwear line that turns vintage textiles into wearable art), or her column on picnics in her North Carolina hometown paper - is a general contagious exuberance. Her music is collage of news-clipping from the pages of her life; swinging and swaying, our heroic belter throws open the barn doors, and we can't help but join the party!

The resident turntable repair guy for All Day Records in Carrboro has pile of scrap units that he keeps around for spare parts called 'the turntable graveyard.' It fits musically with this band, which is to summon the ghosts of rock to rattle their chains one more time.

John Pardue, famed founder of Carrboro Music, lauded for his work in Puritan Rodeo Show, reknowned as co-founder of Songslinger's Showcase, has yet another funky project called "Honeychile." Nanner Head plays Traxx by Draxx.

John Wilkes Boothe And The Black Toothe is here to assassinate your blues and chase away the crushing despair of modern life with their unique brand of stripped down, super high energy acoustic folk rock.