Auto Harping

(Autoharp photo courtesy of www.jetmedic.com)

I've got a shotgun blast of scattershot news for you tonight, so prepare for screaming pellets of concert/music information.

Pellet No. 1. First off, I urge any of you who have any interest in folky, indie rock to head over to The Boot tomorrow to hear Sarah Carter. Sarah, who sings and accompanies herself on autoharp, is promising to play a set of mostly original tunes. If they're as good as the ones I heard recently at an in-store performance at Volume in Virginia Beach, I'll be a happy man. Regardless, though, Carter is a fine live performer. Her voice -- which seems to bridge a gap between Irish Dement and Billie Holiday -- is in itself something to behold. Friday, she's playing with the duo Ellery and a singer-songwriter named Kyler England. Cover is $5, I think.

Pellet No. 2. I heard today that The Watson Twins are opening for Billy Bragg at the Attucks Theatre on October 30. OK, I really didn't need another reason to get excited about this show. But here's another reason. I've read up and down reviews of the Watson Twins' record, but several of the tunes I heard on their MySpace page were pretty terrific.

Pellet No. 3. Jeff Maisey wrote a nice story about the local SHDWPLY Records in the current issue of Port Folio. The label, which has released an LP by Norfolk's own Super Vacations and a split 7-inch with Norfolk's Little Trooper on one side, Houston's Wicked Poseur on the other. This is a record I need to get my grubby paws on. Read the full story here.

Pellet No. 4. Finally, I learned this week that one of my favorite Hampton Roads cover bands, Ampersand, is playing a local wine festival this fall -- good news for anyone who likes 1980s and 1990s rock songs reinterpreted in an acoustic format. [UPDATE!]They’re playing at the Neptune’s Fall Wine Festival, on Saturday, at the 31st Street Park at Virginia Beach. They’re supposed to be on from 2:30 to 5 p.m.