Concert of the Week: Kurt Vile & the Violators at North Beach Bandshell

Over the course of four years and three albums, Kurt Vile established himself as an indie-rock darling. The trek took 20 years, lots of CD-Rs, and a successful run as one-half of the acclaimed indie act War on Drugs.

Although already in his late 30s, the Philadelphia native has the visage of a precocious teenage rock prodigy. However, his youthful appearance belies the mature, world-weary temperament and tone of most of his music.

Emulating some of the finest American singer-songwriters – Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Neil Young – Vile continues a style and tradition that is both honest and utterly welcoming.

“Wakin’ on a Pretty Day,” the title cut from his 2013 effort, sounds as comely as the morning to which Vile refers. But it’s also melancholy, with casual references to death and suicide. Much like one of his heroes, J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr., Vile writes songs that are equally bouncy and moody, peppered with spacey guitar solos.

Perhaps his biggest hit to date is “Pretty Pimpin’,” off 2015’s B’lieve I‘m Goin Down…, his sixth studio LP. The album garnered widespread acclaim thanks in part to “Pretty Pimpin’,” which follows a man as he inadvertently compliments the man in the mirror whom he doesn’t recognize as himself. It exemplifies Vile’s weirdo, slacker-rock charm, and we look forward to chilling out this week with a man who never gets too high and never gets too low.

Kurt Vile & the Violators
7 p.m. Thursday, February 2, at North Beach Bandshell, 7275 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; 305-672-5202; northbeachbandshell.com. Tickets cost $20 to $30 via ticketfly.com.