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Grandpa’s Cough Medicine w/Fil Pate Delivering a blend of foot stompin’ bluegrass and outlaw country seasoned with hillbilly Americana and thrashing metal is Atlantic Beach, Fla. three-piece Grandpa’s Cough Medicine. The rugged drawling vocals of fast flat-picking leader Brett Bass (acoustic guitar, dobro) is paired with the twangy higher register harmonies of upright bassist Jon Murphy, their string interplay joined by the five-string finger-picking mastery of Mike “Banjo Boy” Coker. Their songs tell stories of murder, mayhem, love and betrayal, boozin’, crooked cops, doing time, and the blue collar folks who make our little world go ‘round. The cheeky title track off just-released sophomore album, The Murder Chord, is about a boy who discovers heavy metal and slaughters his family (“Soon the songs, they began to change him, relentless drums with blazing double bass / and the twin attack of a rabid thrash guitar with solos that would cause a melted face”), while in “Julianne,” the narrator is a Clyde deserted by his Bonnie and paying for their crimes on death row: “And I wonder if she ever really cared for me at all, or was I nothing more than just a guy to take the fall / I surely wanted her and I became her wanted man, I’d kill and die for my Julianne” (which he does, ultimately). The trio also plays 8th Avenue Pub in Safety Harbor on Friday. (Ale and the Witch, St. Petersburg)

Charliepalooza: Charlie Daniels Angelus Country Concert Now in its 22nd year, the Charlie Daniels-hosted charity event to benefit The Angelus — a Hudson-based home for the severely handicapped — kicks off on Thursday at Hard Rock with a blackjack tourney and a jam session featuring Daniels and TBA guests, while the celebrity golf classic follows at Hunter’s Green Country Club on Friday. Everything culminates at Dallas Bull on Saturday with Charliepalooza, the official concert part of the three-day event, which finds the fiddling extraordinaire joined by his regular band in a headlining performance of Southern fried blues-fused country music. Support by Georgia country rockers Confederate Railroad and Nashville duo LoCash Cowboys. (Dallas Bull, Tampa)

emma’s revolution Pete Seeger-approved acoustic guitar-toting vocal harmonizing roots-folk songstresses Pat Humphries and Sandy O. are emma’s revolution, an activist duo who’ve appeared at their fair share of protests and rallies over the past eight years. emma’s revolution yields a regular harvest of material reflecting on relevant issues, like the song about the plight of illegal immigrants off their 2004 debut that earned them the John Lennon Songwriting Contest grand prize, “If I Give Your Name,” and more recently, “Take Your Vagina to the RNC!” written in response to Reps. Lisa Brown and Barb Bynum getting silenced for saying the “V” word in the Michigan House of Representatives. (Craftsmen House Gallery, St. Petersburg)

Napalm Death w/Municipal Waste/Exhumed/Speedwolf Hailing from England and credited with laying the groundwork for the entire grindcore genre is Napalm Death, established in 1981 and known for mixing speed, punk and death metal in their punchy record-setting odes (they hold the Guinness World Record for shortest song ever recorded with the 1987 one-second “You Suffer”), which are marked by fast tempos, deep gutt-wrenching vocals and sociopolitical commentary. None of the original members remain but the current lineup led by Mark “Barney” Greenway has been together since 1997 and released their 15th record, Utilitarian, this year. (Orpheum, Ybor City)

An Evening with Richard Marx The balladeer with deep brown eyes soft-rocked his way through the late 1980s with a string of amorous hits. Though he hasn’t recorded much new material or been on the charts too much lately, he still keeps rather active. In June, Marx released a live concert CD/DVD, A Night Out With Friends, and followed it with a holiday LP, Christmas Spirit, in October; the album includes five tracks off his 2011 Christmas EP along with eight other seasonal cuts, among them, “Little Drummer Boy,” “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town,” “White Christmas” and “Alleluia.” He also manages a healthy tour schedule and plays two shows at Capitol Theatre, this Saturday night set, and another on Tuesday. (Capitol Theatre, Clearwater)

Microgroove One-Year Anniversary Party w/The Winter Sounds/Alexander Charos/Feral Babies/Criminal Culture/Rose Quartz Hard to believe it’s been a year since Microgroove — currently owned and operated by former Vinyl Feverite/New Granada Records man with the plan, Keith Ulrey — started serving the public with a fine and tasteful array of music retail, hosting scattered live performances, and bringing added indie street cred to that particular stretch of North Florida Avenue already brightened up by The Independent and Cappy’s. To mark the occasion, Microgroove stages a storewide 10 percent off sale and presents music between 1 and 5 p.m.; performers include New Orleans-based synth rockers The Winter Sounds, in town for a CD release show occurring the night before, Alexander Charos (of Alexander & The Grapes), punk rock faves Feral Babies, self-styled ‘posi-punks’ Criminal Culture, and Rose Quartz, the latest experimental project of indie/DIY songstress/performance artist Brigid Oschorn. (Microgroove, Tampa)