Alison Krauss & Union Station announce hefty tour, coming to Cary

Bluegrass superstars Alison Krauss & Union Station are back with their first new album since 2004's Lonely Runs Both Ways. They'll release the the album titled Paper Airplane on April 12 and will hit the road from June to September on a hefty U.S. tour to support it.

They'll return to Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary on August 11. The group last played the venue in 2007. Tickets will go on sale on Friday, April 29 at 10 a.m. via the box office and Ticketmaster for $39.50 or $54.50.

[UPDATE: Dawes is not slated to open the show, making this a show you certainly don't want to miss.]

Album Review: Hammer No More The Fingers - Black Shark

 On Black Shark, the second album from Hammer No More The Fingers, the Durham rockers reign their raucous energy in and let their musical ideas loose.

There’s more ebb and flow to the song here than on their previous record, Looking for Bruce. Where they might have charged straight ahead before, Hammer No More The Fingers now change things up. The string interludes in "Thunder n’ Rain" is a perfect example.

This is a trio of some pretty good musicians and Black Shark highlights that. The production is cleaner, which allows the intricate guitar and bass lines to stand out.

The Love Language set up 4-night residency in Raleigh

Even though The Love Language have reached superstar status in the Triangle, they have repeatedly returned to smaller venues like Local 506 and Kings to play for their hometown audience. Now, they're set to do that on an even smaller scale in Raleigh this May.

The bombastic quintet will cram into Slim's Downtown in Raleigh for four nights on May 3, 4, 5 and 6 for some seriously intimate shows. Tickets for each night are $10 or you can buy a four-night pass for $32. They are available now via etix.

The band will make their way out west in April to play the Coachella Festival in Indio, CA and they will also open for Arcade Fire in Santa Fe, NM. Check out the band's full tour schedule below.

Hammer No More the Fingers playing Chapel Hill, Durham & Raleigh in-stores

In addition to the in-store performance at Schoolkids Records in Raleigh on Tuesday, April 5 promoting their new album Black Shark, the band are also set to play in stores in Chapel Hill and Durham earlier in the day.

First, they'll stop at CD Alley in Chapel Hill for a 3 p.m. performance. Then they'll head to Bull City Records in Durham for a 5 p.m. performance. They'll end at Schoolkids at 7 p.m.

Also, download the song "Leroy" from Black Shark below, and head HERE to download "Steam" from the album if you haven't already done so.

Mumford & Sons announces June dates, coming to Raleigh

British folk rockers Mumford & Sons are coming back to the U.S. this spring on a tour surrounding the band's festival appearances at Bonnaroo and Telluride. Before heading to the former, they'll swing through the Triangle.

They'll play the amphitheater in downtown Raleigh on Wednesday, June 8 with The Low Anthem and Matthew & the Atlas. Tickets will go on sale on Friday, April 8 at 10 a.m. via the Progress Energy Center box office and Ticketmaster for $27 to $32 plus fees.

The band performed with The Avett Brothers and Bob Dylan at the Grammys in February. Check out the performance including their song "The Cave" HERE.