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(IBMA/YouTube) Raleigh will host the largest urban bluegrass festival in the world this week. The International Bluegrass Music Association's World of Bluegrass is an annual homecoming for the bluegrass music community. Taking place September 27 through October 1, it consists of three separate events: the IBMA Business Conference , the International Bluegrass Music Awards , and Wide Open Bluegrass . This is its fourth year in the Capital City. In addition to the three main events, bluegrass-related shows and attractions can be found scattered throughout Raleigh all week. A mix of free and ticketed events are available for bluegrass players and fans to expand professional networks, learn the latest about industry practices, and discover new music. Watch footage from last year's Wide Open Bluegrass festival: The IBMA kick-off will be held Monday evening at 7 p.m. in Market Hall in downtown Raleigh. It's free to IMBA volunteers, but will cost $10 for other attendee...

One look at Antiseen leader Jeff Clayton, with his chest-length graying beard and a forehead bearing the signs of one too many broken beer bottles, and it�s a safe guess that the band�s music is not used to soundtrack ballet recitals. While there is no mistaking the punk rock group�s musical chops are as sharp as ever, it�s also easy to see by their tour schedule that the days of being the young upstarts booking hundreds of shows a year are well behind them. When they roll into a city these days, as they will Sunday night at The Pour House Music Hall in downtown Raleigh, they know that the area holds a fan base ready to receive them with open arms and banging heads. �We try not to go do a bunch of �testing the waters� when it comes to touring,� Clayton admits over the phone. �We kind of go where it�s kind of a sure thing.� Nearly 35 years into a career that has taken Antiseen around the world and back multiple times, this is one of the only instances where the band has b...

With  the most live m usic  in the state, you can find a show in Raleigh, N.C., every day of the year and from one end of the destination to the other. And the calendar hits a high note around Sept. as some of the year's biggest festivals and concerts are staged in Raleigh, creating the Raleigh M.A.I.N. Events , an initiative that celebrates a month of m usic , a rt, i nnovation and n oise through 20 happenings. In addition to the Raleigh M.A.I.N. Events, the capital city's surrounding towns add can't-miss festivals to the mix�all the more reason to plan a road trip in Sept.!  African American Cultural Festival of Raleigh and Wake County   An annual celebration of African American culture as expressed through art, music, food and community, this two-day downtown Raleigh festival (Sept. 3-4) showcases local, national and international artists, performers, food vendors and area business owners. Admission is free.  Hopscotch Music Festival Featuring mor...