Converge and Neurosis play again at Neumo’s tonight—Akimbo opens.

And the Drive-By Truckers are playing their second night at the Showbox at the Market.

Drive-By Truckers, the Felice Brothers
(Showbox at the Market) About this time last year, Athens, Georgia, rockers Drive-By Truckers parted ways with their longtime guitarist and co- songwriter Jason Isbell. A lesser blow has destroyed many a band, but the sextet carried on as a quintet, and while the band claimed they were going to take some time to reconnect with themselves and their music, they instead got right back into things with a new record. On Brighter than Creation’s Dark, Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley tended to most of the songwriting and Shonna Tucker makes a few strong appearances as lead vocalist. “3 Dimes Down” is a dirty, Southern-rock anthem replete with guitar solos; “The Righteous Path” has a poppier sound with a little twang and late-’70s Tom Petty vibe; “Self Destructive Zones” mellows out with some keyboard and acoustic guitar and the most country-flavored vocals on the entire disc. There’ll be a lot of beer and a lot of beards in tonight’s crowd—and even hardcore fans of Isbell-era Drive-By Truckers shouldn’t be disappointed with the band’s new effort. MEGAN SELING