LIVE MUSIC PICKS

TODAY

Robinella

Knoxville singer Robinella marries pre-rock era pop-jazz to some rootsy Appalachian ‘grass stylings. Like fellow bluegrass-based explorers Nickel Creek, she doesn’t seem concerned with following any rule book, drawing from a wide pool of influences.

Robinella and her band are touring in support of her latest disc, “Solace for the Lonely.”

6:30 p.m. Jan. 2. $18; $15 advance. Eddie’s Attic, 515-B N. McDonough St., Decatur. 404-377-4976, www.eddiesattic.com.

SATURDAY

Hightide Blues

Southern rockers Hightide Blues played at this year’s Bonnaroo festival thanks to a win at the annual Searcharoo contest. The Atlanta-via-Alabama quartet built on that exposure with the solid 2008 EP “Love Come Easy,” a soulful eight-song set that promises the great things this band’s live set always delivers, with frontman Paul McDonald’s distinctively gruff voice leading the charge.

8 p.m. Jan. 3. $10; $8 advance. Smith’s Olde Bar, 1578 Piedmont Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-875-1522, www.smithsoldebar.com.

MONDAY

Taproot

Despite earning the scorn of Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst, Taproot has persevered. Early in this decade, Durst expressed interest in signing the band, but his offer was a little slow in coming, according to Taproot. He famously left vocalist Stephen Richards a scathing answering machine message after the Michigan quartet began looking for a deal elsewhere.

Oh, and the band’s music? The brutal guitar bursts and melodic vocals remain, but the unoriginal rap inflections of the band’s early years have fallen away, leaving a more streamlined hard-rock sound.

With Dear Enemy, Sid Aerial, Fear Within.

7 p.m. Jan. 5. $12 advance. Masquerade —- Hell, 695 North Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-577-8178, www.masq.com.

THURSDAY

Caroline Herring

It’s been less than a month since Herring was one of our picks, but her show at the Decatur Library is sure to be one of the week’s highlights.

The Decatur-based Mississippi native will easily win over any audience with her haunting melodies and sharp lyrics, which she delivers in a voice that conveys pain and regret.

She’s one of the Atlanta area’s best-kept secrets but continues to make waves on a national level. “Lantana,” her latest album, was one of NPR’s “Folk Alley’s” Top 10 folk albums of the year. Herring plans to head into the studio in January to record the follow-up.

7 p.m. Jan. 8. Free. Decatur Library Auditorium, 215 Sycamore St., Decatur. 678-436-3237, www.dekalblibrary.org.

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