By JIM MUNGER
DavidsonNews.net

As a musician and longtime North Carolinian, I feel as though I have earned the right to an educated opinion when it comes to local music.  As a college student and longtime teenager, I feel as though any opinion I may have, though potentially invalidated by my youth, is of the utmost importance and needs to be heard by absolutely everyone.  With that in mind, these are the bands and musicians I personally think you should be seeing this weekend:

Thursday, June 9 –

Davidson –

Summit Coffee, 128 S. Main St.,  8pm, free – The Velcrows. Summit always has reliably decent music and a great atmosphere.

Friday, June 10 –

Davidson –

– Summit Coffee, 128 S. Main St., 8pm, free – Mike Strauss Trio. Go there if you’re hanging around Davidson for the night.

Charlotte –

– Evening Muse, – Red June w/ Twilite Broadcasters,

8pm, $10 at the door. Red June is an acoustic bluegrass trio out of Asheville; Twilite Broadcasters is an acoustic bluegrass duo, also from Asheville. Red June Website: www.redjunemusic.com Twilite Broadcasters Website: www.twilitebroadcasters.com

Breaking Laces, 10pm, $8 adv – Breaking Laces is an acoustic rock/pop band out of Brooklyn.  They have developed a reputation as an excellent live band, so if you’re looking to go somewhere to actually see a band, this is what I would recommend.  Breaking Laces Website: www.breakinglaces.com

Saturday, June 11 –

Davidson –

– The Birdsnest, 102 B S. Main St. (2nd floor) -No Power Fundraiser Concert featuring Davidson Local, 7pm and 9pm, $10 adv only – A fun show for a great cause, the tickets are $10 and must be reserved in advance.  100 percent of the money raised at this concert will go towards replacing the street lights on Knox Court with solar-powered, energy-efficient LED bulbs.  Definitely something to consider.  Tickets can be ordered by sending an email to davidsonncmusic@hotmail.com; be sure to specify the time you wish to attend and how many tickets you want in the email.

– Summit Coffee, 128 S. Main St. TBA, 8pm, Free

Charlotte –

– Evening Muse, Rachel Platten w/ Bess Rogers, 8pm, $8 adv – Rachel Platten is an interesting indie-pop artist out of Brooklyn.  Kind of like Metric with piano where the synths should be.  Bess Rogers is an indie-folk artist, also from Brooklyn.  Rachel Platten Website: www.rachelplattenmusic.com/ Bess Rogers Website: www.bessrogers.com/

10:30 p.m., David Earl and the Plowshares w/ Lera Lynn, $8 adv – David Earl & The Plowshares takes a more soulful approach to the folk rock formula, which is an excellent breath of fresh air.  Definitely something to check out if you’re in the area.  Lera Lynn is a bluesy folk artist from Athens, Georgia.

David Earl & the Plowshares Website: www.myspace.com/theplowshares

Lera Lynn Website: www.leralynn.com