The Avett Brothers releasing 'Live, Vol. 4' recorded in Raleigh

Continuing their ongoing series of live albums, the last of which was released in 2010, The Avett Brothers will release Live, Vol. 4 in just few weeks.

Live, Vol. 4 was recorded and filmed at the Avetts big New Year's Eve show Raleigh at the PNC Arena last year. The CD/DVD set will be released on December 18. Check out the track list below that includes two new songs from the show, "Satan Pulls The Strings" and "Rejects in the Attic."

The Avett Brothers just announced their spring tour plans and they include a return to the Azalea Festival in Wilmington on Thursday, April 7. Tickets will go on sale HERE at 9 a.m. on Saturday, December 5.

Boulevards signs with Captured Tracks, full-length coming in 2016

Raleigh R&B rising star Jamil Rashad, better known as Boulevards, dazzled a big crowd at CAM during Hopscotch last month (check out photos HERE). He released an EP a few weeks later, and now he has signed a deal that will see his first full-length hitting stores next year.

Boulevards has signed with the Brooklyn-based label Captured Tracks, home to indie acts such as Mac Demarco, DIIV and Wild Nothing. The label will release his full-length album sometime in 2016 and they are distributing his aforementioned self-titled EP released last month on vinyl, CD, cassette and digital. Check out the new music video for the song "Got to Go" from the EP below.

Boulevards will play Kings in Raleigh on Friday, November 27. T0W3RS will open. Tickets are on sale now via Etix for $10.

Rhiannon Giddens announces new EP for Black Friday Record Store Day

We've written about North Carolina rising star Rhiannon Giddens quite a bit this year around the release of her acclaimed solo debut Tomorrow is My Turn, but now she is prepping an addendum of sorts to the album, which will be released next month.

Giddens will release a new EP titled Factory Girl for Black Friday Record Store Day, on Friday, November 27. The EP includes five songs recorded during her T-Bone Burnett produced sessions for Tomorrow is My Turn.

After first being released exclusively to independent record stores on November 27, the EP will be released digitally on December 11.

Benji Hughes to release first Merge full-length in January

Benji Hughes just released his first music via Merge Records last week in the form of two 7-inch singles and now he's gearing up for his first full-length on the label due out in early 2016.

Hughes's new album is titled Songs in the Keys of Animals and will be to on January 26. The Charlotte singer-songwriter recorded the album over a two-year period, mostly in New York. It will be released on one LP or two CDs (the two discs are to emulate the idea of the side break with vinyl).

Check out the a-side of one of the two aforementioned 7-inch singles, "Freaky Feedback Blues," below.

Mount Moriah announces new 7-inch, fall release show

Local folk rock band Mount Moriah should have a new album in the no too distant future, but in the meantime the band will release a new three-song 7-inch this fall.

On October 9 Merge Records will release "Calvander" with a "garage rock" demo of "Baby Blue" and a live version of "Plane" from Fletcher Opera House during the Hopscotch Music Festival in 2013 as the b-sides.

The band will celebrate the release of the 7-inch on Friday, October 9, at the Pinhook in Durham. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, September 4, via Ticketfly for $10.

Birds and Arrows announce new album 'Edge of Everything'

Local folk rock duo Birds and Arrows are returning this fall with their seventh album titled Edge of Everything. The album will feature ten new songs from the group and will be released on October 30.

The album will feature a number of guest musicians including Ben Folds Five bassist Robert Sledge and singer and flutist Skylar Gudasz, among others. Check out the trailer for the album below.

The band will hit the road in support of the album this fall. They have a number of local shows coming up in Chapel Hill, Raleigh and Pittsboro. Check out their full tour schedule below.

Benji Hughes signs to Merge Records, new music out this fall

Charlotte singer-songwriter Benji Hughes has just become the newest artist to join the Merge Records family and he'll have new music out on the label this fall.

Hughes will release two new 7-inches on October 9. The first is "Freaky Feedback Blues" with the b-side "Jazz x 10" and the other is "Shark Attack" with the b-side "Mama, I'm a Zombie." He will release a new full-length album on Merge early next year.

Hughes will play Local 506 tonight, August 7. Tickets are $10 in advance via Ticketfly.

King Mez featured on Dr. Dre's new album 'Compton'

Raleigh rapper King Mez has been out in Los Angeles working with Dr. Dre for a while, his timeout west has resulted in a big placement on Dre's new album, his first in 16 years and possibly his last, Compton: A Soundtrack by Dr. Dre.

Mez is listed as a featured artist on "Talk About It," also featuring Justus, "Darkside / Gone," also featuring Marsha Ambrosius, the late Eazy-E and Kendrick Lamar, and "Satisfaction," also featuring Snoop Dogg and Marsha Ambrosius.

The album is already streaming via Apple Music to folks who have signed up for a free trial. It will be available to purchase on iTunes at midnight tonight or you can pre-order it now.

Born Ruffians announces new album 'RUFF,' fall tour

Canadian rockers Born Ruffians have just announced that they will release their fourth full-length album RUFF on October 2 via Yep Roc Records and the band will hit the road on a big North American tour this fall.

The band will play the Cat's Cradle Back Room in Carrboro on Wednesday, November 4. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 17, via Ticketfly for $10.

Check out the manic song "We Made It" from RUFF below.

Merge Records to release The Clientele's 'best of' collection in September

English indie pop band The Clientele haven't released a new album since the 2010 mini-album Minotaur, but the band has played a handful of shows, including the Merge 25 Festival in Carrboro last summer (see photos and a review HERE).

After reissuing their debut album Suburban Light as part of the Merge anniversary reissue series last year, the group will once again look back with a brand new best of collection. Alone and Unreal: The Best of The Clientele will be released by Merge Records on September 4 and will include songs from each of the band's five albums as well as one new song, "On a Summer Trail."

Mike Krol signs to Merge Records, new album out in August

Milwaukee via Los Angeles singer-songwriter Mike Krol is the latest musician to join the ever growing roster of talent signed with Durham-based label Merge Records. Krol's third album, his first via Merge, titled Turkey will be released on August 28.

Check out a teaser for the the new album below along with the complete Turkey track list.

East coast tour dates in support of Turkey have not been announced yet, though he will open for Mac McCaughan on a short run of west coast dates in the fall.

Merge Records to reissue Seaweed's final album in July

Tacoma punk rockers Seaweed released their final full-length album, Actions and Indications, in 1999 and now the album has been remastered to be released on vinyl for the first time.

Merge Records will release the limited edition vinyl including the song "Everybody's OK," previously only available on international releases, on July 31. The album will also include a bonus download of three demos of unreleased songs of the same time period.

Check out the remastered version of "Red Tape Parade" from Actions and Indications below.

Telekinesis announces new album 'Ad Infinitum,' fall tour

Singer-songwriter Michael Benjamin Lerner, better known as Telekinesis, will return this fall with his fourth full-length album Ad Infinitum, out on September 18 via Merge Records.

The album is self-produced by Lerner and will feature synthesizers and is aid to be a time machine to the 80s. Check out the song "In a Future World" from the album as well as a short teaser video for the album below.

Telekinesis will hit the road in support of the album in the fall and will stop at the Cat's Cradle Back Room on Sunday, October 18. Say Hi will open. Tickets are on sale now via Ticketfly for $13.

New music from Steep Canyon Rangers - "Radio"

North Carolina string band Steep Canyon Rangers will return this summer with a new album on Rounder Records titled Radio. The album, produced by dobro wizard Jerry Douglas, will hit stores on August 28. Listen to the driving title track from Radio below where you will also find the album's complete track list.

Steep Canyon Rangers will play the Wide Open Bluegrass Festival in downtown Raleigh on Friday, October 2. Ticket are on sale now via Etix.

The group will also play Memorial Hall in Chapel Hill on Saturday, December 12. Tickets are on sale now HERE starting at $49.

Merge to release debut album from HeCTA in September

Singer-songwriter and Lambchop frontman Kurt Wagner has joined forces with his fellow bandmates Ryan Norris and Scott Martin to form a new experimental electronic group called HeCTA.

Merge Records will release the group's debut album, The Diet, on September 18. Check out the song "Till Someone Gets Hurt" from the album below.

HeCTA currently has only two shows on the books, one of which is at the Hopscotch Music Festival in downtown Raleigh on Friday, September 11. Tickets are on sale HERE.

New music from Phil Cook - "Great Tide"

Local singer-songwriter and Megafaun member Phil Cook will return this fall with a new solo album titled Southland Mission that, as we previously mentioned, he will debut at the final night of his three-night stand at Duke Gardens in a few weeks.

Southland Mission features nine new songs co-produced by Phil's brother Brad Cook. The album will be released via Thirty Tigers and Middle West on September 11. Check out the third track from the album, "Great Tide," below.

As mentioned earlier, Cook and friends will play three evenings at Duke Gardens on June 22-24. Tickets are on sale HERE for $10. The final night, June 24, will feature the debut of Southland Mission.

New music from Ben Folds & yMusic - "Capable of Anything"

Piano pop guru Ben Folds has finally released the details of his new orchestra album that will feature collaborations with yMusic and the Nashville Symphony.

The album is titled So There and will feature 8 new pop songs recorded with yMusic and then Folds's concerto for piano recorded with the Nashville Symphony. So There will be out on September 11 via New West Records.

Check out the song "Capable of Anything" from So There below, which premiered via NPR on Friday.

Superchunk reissuing 'Come Pick Me Up' this summer

Local indie rock icons Superchunk have been reissuing remastered versions their back catalog over the last few years and they'll follow up last year's reissue of Indoor Living this summer with 1999's Come Pick Me Up.

The remastered version of Come Pick Me Up includes eight bonus tracks and will be available on CD and LP on July 10 via Merge Records. Check out the full track list below along with the remastered version of "Hello Hawk."

Superchunk frontman Mac McCaughan will play the Hopscotch Music Festival this year on Thursday, September 10.

Richard Buckner's 'The Hill' to get reissued this summer

It has been 15 years since the original release of Richard Buckner's The Hill, a collection of songs inspired by Edgar Lee Masters's collection of poems Spoon River Anthology which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

Merge Records will reissue the album on July 10 on CD, LP and as a digital download. Check out the song "Reuben Pantier" from the album below.

Sylvan Esso to release "H.S.K.T" remix collection

After releasing their self-titled album to much acclaim, rising high in the indie ranks over the last year and playing the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival just last month, Sylvan Esso will return soon with a new collection of remixes of the album cut "H.S.K.T.," which singer Amelia Meath recently revealed was inspired by Miley Cyrus.

The remix collection will feature five versions of the song, with an addition four versions will be included as a download. The tracks include remixes by Hercules and Love Affair and Dntel. Check out the Hercules and Love Affair Boom Mix, one of the bonus tracks below. The collection will be released digitally next week, on May 12, and will then be released on 12" vinyl on August 21.