Our Picks Recommended

Midtown Dickens 

"Don't you worry about that setting sun," advises Midtown Dickens during "Walk Don't Run," from Home, their acclaimed third album. The aptly titled collection of tunes is a warm introduction to the band's country quirk. A mishmash of banjo strums, harmonica pulls, mandolin runs and fingerpicked guitar lines flow together under lyrics that combine disarming candor and playful imagery. The easygoing presence they recommend lyrically holds on records and on stages. This evening's performance proves the point better than most thanks to the addition of several special guests and friends of the band, on hand to help re-create and reimagine arrangements from the album. That enviable list of collaborators includes Brad and Phil Cook of Megafaun, Mark Daumen and Leah Gibson of Lost in the Trees, Joe Hall of Hammer No More the Fingers and Christy Smith of The Tender Fruit. For a Durham-grown band to come into its own creatively is a great achievement; to do so in collusion with such strong company makes this night that much more appealing. —Ashley Melzer