Earth
Ears have been ringing for weeks in anticipation of Earth’s descent into Orlando. Their distinct heavy pull leveraged expansive drone and psych experimentations in the ’90s to echo the dissonance and doom of the cosmic ether. We were all ethereally floating through life without an ear bent to acknowledge it when Earth disbanded, but guitarist Dylan Carlson set that world on blast by reviving the project in 2003. Last year’s release, Primitive and Deadly, creates otherworldly textures and casts you naked and afraid in its spell, particularly by the time you reach its core, the 11-minute sprawl of the sparse yet dramatic “From the Zodiacal Light” with its alien vocal wails.
8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2, at Will’s Pub, $15
Fear Factory
Industrial metal band Fear Factory released Genexus this year, shocking fans with begrudging evolution toward melody, where before they'd primarily elected to melt faces.
6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2, at Venue 578, $25-$60
Earl Sweatshirt
"I can only talk about the truth," Sweatshirt says. "For the music to have a grip on someone, it's gotta be outlandishly truthful and super honest. That's the only thing that sticks out now. It takes a lot of self-awareness to make something that has a visible, palpable start and ending."Check out our interview with Earl Sweatshirt.
8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3, at Venue 578, $30
50 Cent
50 Cent unleashed Animal Ambition last year in lieu of Street King Immortal, pacifying fans with new tracks in the meantime and signaling a new independence that might give them good reason to "Hold On."
9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3, at Gilt Nightclub, $20-$80
KRS-One
People looked to blastmaster KRS-One (short for “poet,” duh) in the ’80s not just as a fiery (and seminal) hardcore hip-hop frontman of Boogie Down Productions, but also as “the Teacher” into the ’90s when his socially conscious solo career shoved fans into adopting new perspectives. Last year, an overview of his influence was released, The Essential Boogie Down Productions/KRS-One, and every current rapper should probably bounce back and remind themselves of its crucial lessons in responsible celebrity. (See “I’m Still #1”: “Now it’s my turn, and I am concerned/about idiots posing as kings/what are we here to rule?/I thought we were here to sing/and if we ought to sing, then let us begin to teach/many of you are educated, open your mouth and speak.”) His truths are still resonating, so don’t be a dummy and miss out while KRS-One’s school is thankfully still in session.
7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4, at Backbooth, $16-$20
Waka Flocka Flame
Head behind UCF Arena for this charity concert that benefits Orange County Public Schools. They're hoping the rapper can help them raise $50,000.
7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4, at the Venue at UCF, $20
Wet Nurse, the Welzeins
Hourglass Brewery's free concerts shake up your routine, and this one features notable garage rockers the Welzeins and rising garage punks Wet Nurse, whose new album is so close to releasing, our bellies hurt waiting.
9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 5, at Hourglass Brewery, free
Gringo Star
Intriguing Atlanta four-piece Gringo Star is a band of multi-instrumentalists whose live show sees them constantly rotating to keep the crowd's heads spinning.
8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 6, at Will's Pub, $8-$10
James Leg
Holy cow, the Reverend James Leg (Black Diamond Heavies) is in town, looking to stun us with innovative, stripped-down blues that bisects your soul with shockingly intense keys and gravel-ground vocals.
9 p.m. Monday, Sept. 7, at Will's Pub, $7
Christopher Paul Stelling
“My right hand can pretty much do anything I can imagine it to. I have a fluidity that I’m grateful for with my right hand. My fingers just feel really comfortable on the strings. I spent years improvising so I can just pretty much polyrhythmically do anything I can come up with. But I think that’s kind of like the equivalent of being a percussionist. My fingers are just drumsticks and my guitar is just a snare drum.” Check out our interview with Christopher Paul Stelling.
7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8, at Will’s Pub, $7
Ed Sheeran
Earnest pop singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran is consumed by innocent romance on last year's X, so go if you need to remind yourself the whole world isn't jaded.
7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8, at Amway Center, $57.50-$67.50