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BY MELISSA RUGGIERI
An array of 30 acts, from classic rock to hip-hop to throwback pop, will drop their sounds on Piedmont Park this weekend. Sure, you know Elton John and Drake, but maybe you aren’t so familiar with some of the others.
Here is a briefing on five performers worth your time at Music Midtown.
Kodaline
The background: The Irish quartet was known as 21 Demands until 2011. During that incarnation, they became the first independent Irish band to record a No. 1 single in their homeland with "Give Me a Minute." As Kodaline, their songs have been heard on episodes of "Grey's Anatomy" and "The Vampire Diaries." Their second album, "Coming Up for Air," bowed in February.
The sound: The dreaminess of Coldplay melded with the introspection of the Swell Season.
Songs you should know: "High Hopes," "Honest," "The One"
Catch them live: 4:45 p.m. Friday on the Electric Ballroom Stage
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Metric
The background: It's hard to believe the Canadian quartet fronted by Emily Haines has been around since 1998. The band has a collection of Juno Awards (the Canadian version of the Grammys), and its members stay busy with side projects as well (Haines and guitarist James Shaw perform with Broken Social Scene). Metric's sixth album, "Pagans in Vegas," arrives on the same day as their Music Midtown performance.
The sound: Early Pretenders meets Blondie.
Songs you should know: "Breathing Underwater," "Youth Without Youth," "Gold Guns Girls"
Catch them live: 8:15 p.m. Friday on the Cotton Club Stage
X Ambassadors
The background: These guys owe plenty to Imagine Dragons. As the story goes, when the hitmakers heard an acoustic version of the upstate New York band's song "Unconsolable," they urged Interscope Records to sign X Ambassadors. Their full-length debut, "VHS," was released in June. X Ambassadors is comprised of brothers Sam Harris and Casey Harris; Noah Feldshuh and Adam Levin.
The sound: Percussive, soulful pop. Sam Harris' voice, when it isn't reaching falsetto heights, actually sounds a bit like Daryl Hall's gritty croon.
Songs you should know: "Renegades," a No. 1 alt-rock hit, and "Fear" with Imagine Dragons
Catch them live: 1:45 p.m. Saturday on the Honda Stage
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Elle King
The background: The singer-guitarist is the daughter of comedian Rob Schneider and former model London King. Gigging since she was 16, the now-26-year-old released her first single, "Good to Be a Man," in 2012. In February, she released her debut album, "Love Stuff," which has sold about 100,000 copies, and spent the summer opening for Modest Mouse in the U.K.
The sound: There's a hint of Grace Potter in King's attitude-drenched "Ex's & Oh's," an enticing slice of shuffling blues rock.
Songs you should know: Her No. 1 hit, "Ex's & Oh's," and "American Girl"
Catch her live: 3:15 p.m. Saturday on the Belk Stage
Catfish and the Bottlemen
The background: The quartet hails from Wales and formed in 2007. Their debut album, "The Balcony," arrived in September 2014 and peaked at No. 9 on Billboard's Top Alternative Albums chart. The band spent much of last year playing festivals in Europe.
The sound: If you took Oasis and the Strokes, threw in a little Smiths and mashed it all together.
Songs you should know: "Kathleen" and "Cocoon"
Catch them live: 6 p.m. Saturday on the Cotton Club Stage
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