RTP-area local music and culture

[grady <grady AT ibiblio.org>]

Saturday, October 30
David Thomas and Two Pale Boys
[http://www.billions.com/artists/davidt_paleboys/], Billy Sugarfix
[http://www.soundclick.com/bands/8/billysugarfix.htm]
Local 506, Chapel Hill

David Thomas, aka Crocus Behemoth, was the massive presence at the
head of Pere Ubu since their inception in 1977; still is, I suppose,
as they periodically resurrect themselves. In between, he's been doing
this Two Pale Boys project for 8 or 9 years. Note of special local
interest: one of the Two Pale Boys is trumpeter Andy Diagram of
Spaceheads, the UK drums/echoey-trumpet outfit who've recorded two
albums for Merge & performed at least one amazing show at the Cradle.

Dean-of-my-generation-of-music-writers Douglas Wolk said this (via his
blog & then Toenes) about David Thomas:

"Michele and I went to see David Thomas and two pale boys last
night--one of the pale boys being, of course, Andy Diagram of the
mighty Spaceheads. Really extraordinary: D.T. was in a very bad mood,
as he seems to be often when I see him play, but a black cloud of
charisma hovers over him when he's annoyed. As usual, he was playing
his little accordion while wearing a huge red slick apron. Somebody
yelled "What's with the apron?" Thomas fixed him with a Zero
Mostel-type glare, and announced in the voice of a contemptuous
schoolteacher: "The apron is a condom. A protective barrier... a
prophylactic device... that protects the delicate workings of the
accordion... from the PASSION THAT FLOWS OUT OF ME.""



Sunday, October 31
Cantwell, Gomez, Jordan [http://www.cantwellgomezandjordan.com]
WXDU 88.7 FM, Durham

It's Halloween, and Cantwell, Gomez & Jordan are never ones to let
milestones pass without comment. You've seen the genius of their
cover-abilities, both in single-song (their "Born to Run" is sublime,
and their "What'd I Say" was the best Ray Charles death tribute among
the hundreds that month) and longer-form (their Police set made up in
twisted genius what it lacked in full-blown Sting-esque self-centered
bombast--they are nothing if not modest, to a fault) formats.

Now, for the first time on radio anywhere, they'll be performing a
full set comprised entirely of selections from their vast cover-song
repertoire. In costume. 5:00 p.m.  88.7FM   www.wxdu.org



Sunday, October 31
Torch Marauder, The Experts [http://www.expertsrock.com]
Kings, Raleigh

This is the matinee, which means it begins in the 5:00-ish timeframe.
Torch Marauder is blue & wears a cape, and yes, some of his songs
involve marauding. Many more of them nowadays involve sad, slightly
lonely characters & the mental gymnastics they perform to get
themselves through the days. They're beautiful in a way that words
can't quite get at--and the blue skin & the cape just make them that
much more affecting. Sort of.

The Experts are "clever" & I'll leave it to you to determine how you
feel about that sort of thing.



Sunday, October 31
Mike Watt [http://www.hootpage.com/], Cantwell, Gomez, Jordan
[http://www.cantwellgomezandjordan.com]
Local 506, Chapel Hill

This show starts comparatively early--around 9:30 for Cantwell, Gomez
& Jordan, assuming they beat the freak-gawker traffic on their way to
Chapel Hill from Durham. CGJ are playing an all-covers set on XDU in
the afternoon, and a more "normal" set of originals at 506--"normal"
being an entirely relative term for a band that regularly goes from
full-stop to frantic all-directions-at-once spazz-noise activity in a
fraction of a second. For some reason all the metaphors I can think of
involve the animal kingdom, and the lashing together of various
species which are mortal enemies, but I know the CGJ kids are such
animal lovers that I can't bring myself to write them down.

Mike Watt was in the Minutemen, and then later fIREHOSE. That's the
short version. The long version is too long to go into here, but
suffice it to say many of us wouldn't be here, or certainly wouldn't
be the same people, without him.



Sunday, October 31
Countdown Quartet [http://www.countdownq.com/]
The Cave, Chapel Hill



Sunday, October 31
Evil Wiener [http://www.evilwienerworld.com/], Billy Sugarfix
[http://www.soundclick.com/bands/8/billysugarfix.htm], Bringerer
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

Truly, Evil Wiener own Halloween. They also own most every other major
holiday, but they've been owning Halloween for longer & their claim to
it is stronger. I shouldn't have to tell you that there'll be
costumes, and skits, and terrifying moments, and almost certainly
candy. And Theremin.

My question is this: with Zen Frisbee completely out of the picture,
will Bringerer step up to the plate & assume the awesome
responsibility of donning the flaming pumpkin heads?



Monday, November 1
Erie Choir, Robyn Hitchcock [http://www.robynhitchcock.com/]
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro

Robyn Hitchcock's latest album spent a couple of weeks at #1 on the
WXDU top 88.7; while I know we're staffed in large part by nostalgic
old fogeys, I swear there aren't enough of us to pull off such a thing
by ourselves. This leads me to believe that the old nutter still has
something going on upstairs. Certainly he was one of the most
entertaining things about Jonathan Demme's "Manchurian Candidate"
remake.

Erie Choir haven't done bit parts in any Hollywood movies this year;
you'll have to settle for a copy of their newly-restocked and
still-utterly-devastating second EP, "Bad Tsars is a Drag," which is
still riding #1 on my personal local top-10 of 2004 as we meander into
the home stretch.



Monday, November 1
Fashion Design [http://fashiondesignband.com/], Veronique Diabolique
[http://www.veroniquediabolique.com/]
Local 506, Chapel Hill

Fashion Design = cute-but-deadly 80s crash-and-boom chorus-pedal
revivalism, Siouxie/JAMC/MBV-style. Veronique Diabolique = bona fide
vinyl-clad goth-en-francais. From Durham. I shit you not.



Wednesday, November 3
American Music Club [http://www.exitproductions.com/amc/], Will
Johnson [http://www.centro-matic.com/]
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro



Wednesday, November 3
Pykrete, Planecrash, Anti:clockwise
[http://www.tensionheadache.org/anticlockwise.htm]
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

Pykrete is the solo-electronic-bleeps-and-bloops project of
ex-Spatula/current Shark Quest guitarist Chuck Johnson. Anti:clockwise
is Tono Bungay-related in some way. My favorite Tono Bungay memory
involves them chucking Oreos at a giant drum at that first
Transmissions festival at Bub O Malley's.



Thursday, November 4
Solex [http://www.solex.net/], Ovian
[http://www.emusic.com/artist/11573/11573454.html], Worm is Green
[http://www.wormisgreen.com/]
Local 506, Chapel Hill

Solex is Elisabeth Esselink, Amsterdam record-store owner and
undisputed queen of weird homebrew looptronica with deadpan vocals
attached. She's come all the way here with Worm is Green, who are from
Iceland, and honestly people, isn't that enough?



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