Nashville singer-songwriter Will Hoge has seen his share of ups and downs, including a scooter accident in 2008 that nearly killed him and knocked his musical career onto the back burner for 10 months while he recovered. You can hear those hard times, and the good ones, in his rugged voice and heartfelt tunes. He’ll be at Local 506 tonight. local506.com

LIGHT Art+Design, in the Greenbridge building at 601 W. Rosemary St., will open its holiday show, “Metal,” with receptions from 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 7 and from 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 8. The show features works by both established and up-and-coming metalsmiths. It will be up until Jan. 26, 2013. 919-942-7077, LightartDESIGN.com

UNC alum Melanie Edwards, a New York-based "musical scientist," will return to town Dec. 9 to do a concert featuring songs from her third solo album, "Back to Basics," at the Franklin Hotel. Seating is limited; you can reserve a seat at melanieedwardslabs.com