Wolf Creek, Porch Dog Revival play Canyons

Wolf Creek.

"It came from a Doc Watson cover by the same name," Wolf Creek vocalist Edward Main said. "It's just a real cool instrumental song, and it kind of summed us up as far as instrumentally what we can do on stage."

And the eastern Tennessee band is a lot to sum up. With energetic Americana strings and an eclectic mesh of rock and old school Doc Watson, Wolf Creek tries to set itself apart by jazzing up its acoustic set with electric and drums.

"It's not anything you're going to hear on Top 40 radio I don't think," Main said. "But it's really good stuff. I'm excited to be a part of this group."

Main and his band mates made the shift to acoustic music about five years ago ("We grew up listening to more rock and roll," he said) and have found their rootsy niche, but there's still enough electric punch to go around.

Friday, they bring that niche to Canyons in Blowing Rock. Expect energy, expect picking and expect versatility.

"We're changing instruments almost every song," he said. "So, there's no time to get bored."

Main's been doing this literally his whole life, so for him, there's a lot at stake in the sound.

"I grew up, my grandmother was a piano teacher," he said. "I grew up singing in church and went on the road, playing in the bars and stuff as I got older."

He and the rest of Wolf Creek just released an album, Like the Restless Wind, and Friday's show will be part of its promotional tour. "Hopefully, they'll like us and go online and buy the CD," Main said.

The show is free and starts at 9 p.m. Friday.

For a preview, check out http://www.wolfcreekmusic.com.

Also at Canyons this week?

Porch Dog Revival. You may remember them from their May appearance at Canyons.

They're grassy, they're folksy, and they serve it up with a double punch of gritty rock undertones.

"We have mandolin, a couple of guitars, a bass, high energy, and being upbeat is what we try to focus on," front man Dustin Transou said. "We have a good time playing that kind of music, and that usually reflects on what we're doing."

PDR hits Canyons for a free show at 9 p.m. Saturday.

For a preview, check out http://www.porchdogrevival.com.