Quick picks: 5 area shows to see this week

Ben Folds will perform Sunday, Oct. 27 at the Peace Center in Greenville. [Photo: Joe Vaughn]

Ben Folds and A Piano is an apt description for what to expect when the veteran pop singer-songwriter performs Sunday, Oct. 27 at the Peace Center, 300 S. Main St., Greenville. Widely regarded as one of the major music influencers of his generation, the North Carolina-born Folds will draw from his massive catalog of genre-bending songs he’s crafted over the course of a three-decade career during an intimate solo performance that will also include Savannah Conley as the opener. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $35-$55. For more information, call 864-467-3000 or visit www.peacecenter.org.

The Note Ropers and Tyler Key will take the stage at the GR8 Big Fall Fish Fry, being held from 6-10 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24 at The FR8yard, 125 E. Main St., Spartanburg. The Greenville-based Note Ropers churn out retro-fueled honky-tonk and rockabilly that draws from such icons as Hank Williams and Johnny Horton, while Key, who hails from Athens, Ga., offers a solid brand of folk-Americana. The event is a benefit for Casting for Recovery, which provides healing outdoor retreats for women with breast cancer at no cost to the participants. Tickets are $40, including a special chef-driven dinner of crispy fried flounder, house-made slaw, fries and more plus one alcoholic beverage and a charitable donation to the cause. General admission tickets are also available for $5. For more information, visit www.fr8yard.com.

With Halloween just around the corner, the timing couldn’t be better for a performance by Unknown Hinson, who will take the stage Saturday, Oct. 26 at The Firmament, 5 Market Point Drive, Greenville. With his Dracula-like appearance, the Charlotte-based musician might look like a novely act but his impressive guitar playing and hell-bent songs in the country and psychobilly tradition prove that he’s the real deal. Little Lesley & the Bloodshots and Beitthemeans open. Showtime is 8 p.m. with doors opening at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 day of show. For more information, visit www.firmamentgvl.com.

Poplar Corner, a new outdoor performance space at 141 Morrow Road in Spartanburg, will host Bark-n-Roll from 6 p.m. to midnight Saturday, Oct. 26. Proceeds from the event will benefit Boxer Butts & Other Mutts, a nonprofit dog rescue organization. An assortment of roots and rock artists from the Hub City will appear on stage, including Shane Pruitt & Uncle Rick, Tony Slaughter, Howl in the Valley, Outbound Train, On the Rocks, Devin Bailey, Kenny Lawrence & Friends and Brandy Lindsey & the Punch. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased in advance via at www.eventbrite.com/e/bark-n-roll-tickets-74354762095. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/events/428664077777268/.

Sponsored by the Bootleggers Car Club, “Grunge in Greer” is a concert event being held Saturday, Oct. 26 at The Spinning Jenny, 107 Cannon St., Greer. On the bill are the Charlotte-based Jeremy’s Ten: A Pearl Jam Tribute and Angry Chair, which pays tribute to Alice in Chains. Expect not only the hits by two of the most prolific and influential bands of the 1990s but also some deeper cuts and, in the case of Jeremy’s Ten, even some material from Pearl Jam bootlegs that only diehard fans will know. Showtime is 8 p.m. with doors opening at 7 p.m. Tickets are $12 in advance and $16 day of show. For more information, call 864-469-6416 or visit www.thespinningjennygreer.com.