Universities bring in lots of noteworthy shows, but none moreso than the Duke Performances series, which has presented some of the most interesting musical works in recent years under the guidance of Aaron Greenwald. He's our Tar Heel of the Week, so check out the profile in Sunday's paper.

Howdy, folks. I'm back from last week's vacation, and still struggling to catch up. While I do that, take a listen to this and peruse a couple of quick items about upcoming live shows:

New to the TWCMPAWC schedule, redneck gal Gretchen Wilson on Sept. 12 -- because, you know, there just haven't been enough country shows out there this year. On-sale details to come.

Also at the same venue is a show billed as 2009 Soul Music Festival on Aug. 29, headlined by the incomparable Erykah Badu. You can expect her to give an onstage shout-out to our own Ninth Wonder, who produced one of Badu's bigger recent hits. On-sale details also to come.

Over at Duke University, meanwhile, the 2009-10 live-concert season schedule is out, with highlights including Punch Brothers, Rosanne Cash, Los Lobos, Alejandro Escovedo and lots more. Check the complete lineup here.

The 2008-09 schedule for the Duke Performances series is out, and there's a particularly well-timed show set for Nov. 1. Click through for details.