RTP-area local music and culture

[grady <grady AT ibiblio.org>]

There's an art-show opening of works by David Rose at Room Gallery in 
Carrboro (that's the one just down the street from ex-Go/Reservoir) 
tonight; David's openings in the past have involved elaborate staged 
Mexican-style wrestling weirdness, and there may well be more of that 
tonight, along with live music. And beer.

Otherwise:

Friday, July 8
The Spinns [http://www.thespinns.freeservers.com/], The Lobsters
The Cave, Chapel Hill

The Spinns are blissfully rudimentary and garage-stompy, which makes
their occasional attempted Hendrix-isms all the more endearing.



Friday, July 8
Cherry Valence [http://www.thecherryvalence.com], The Dynamite
Brothers [http://www.dynamitebrothers.com/]
Kings, Raleigh

This is a CD-release party for the new Cherry Valence (I believe it's
called TCV3, or maybe that's the name of the new R.Kelly). If there is
a photo of the Cherry Valence accompanying this blurb, then it is
probably inaccurate, because half of them left last year to form the
Birds of Avalon.



Friday, July 8
Chest Pains, New Recruits, Hum Machine
Wetlands, Chapel Hill

Wetlands has a fog machine, and a green laser that makes psychedelic
patterns on the floor. They also have PBR on draft, which seems like a
waste of a perfectly good tap to me, but whatever.

Chest Pains are the oldschool (as in old, not as in "retro" or "spirit
of 77 mohawk punx" or whatever) punk band of former Spectator music
scribe and all-around gruff-but-lovable guy Greg Barbera.



Friday, July 8
Fake Swedish [http://fakeswedish.4t.com/index.html], Crash Kelly
[http://www.crashkelly.ca/], Leadfoot [http://www.leadfoot.net/]
Local 506, Chapel Hill

The Swedes bailed, so two Local 506 staff bands have leaped in to fill
the bill. It doesn't hurt that either of the two locals could headline
506 on a Friday night anyway.

Fake Swedish don't buy into that whole Beatles/Stones false-dichotomy;
they realize that the true distinction is between people who try to
promote that false dichotomy on the one hand, and on the other hand,
people who've heard of the Kinks, and the Who, and the Yardbirds, and
the Faces.

Leadfoot splintered off from mid-period Corrosion of Conformity, when
the two members added to COC for "Blind," singer Karl Agell & bassist
Phil Swisher, left & Mike Dean came back. Karl & Phil formed Leadfoot
with some other dudes, most of whom aren't in the band anymore; the
current lineup features Local 506 bartender John Dzubak.



Friday, July 8
Strange [http://www.thisisstrange.org], Wilderness, AC Unit
Nightlight, Chapel Hill



Saturday, July 9
The Wusses, Haulin' Oates
Kings, Raleigh

Just to erase any misconceptions you might have: The Wusses are more
than just a Little River Band tribute. Way more. They've got covers
from *all* your favorite 70s soft-rock superstars.

Haulin' Oates is just what you might imagine; it was originally a
one-off for another weird Kings theme night, but as happens in so many
horror movies, it took on a life of its own. In the words of my man
Vincent Price: [http://www.fuelinjectedrock.com/oates/page1.htm]
"Scream! Scream for your lives!"

Here's the [http://indyweek.com/durham/2005-05-11/eichenberger.html]
lowdown from another perspective, that of local Gonzo disciple Peter
Eichenberger:

"I roll on through Saturday as best I can, head swimming, wandering
from bar to bar, ending at the end of the evening at Kings. I lurch
through the door and take my seat at the bar. "Rich Girl," by '80s
cheesemeisters Daryl Hall and John Oates, is on the juke box. Then,
behind the bar, I see the pencil drawing of Mr. Hall.

Hoo-boy--this is a live performance. The stage is full of Daryl Halls.
Daryl Halls are running all around the club. What the fuck is this? An
Elvis thing? A cargo-cult? The GodHead? Another dimension? Daryl Hall
wanders by, lugging a 55-gallon Rubbermaid of empties.

It makes no sense--the craziest, most absurd thing I have ever seen.
This is no "tribute," these bipeds are channeling Hall and Oates. This
is it: exactly what I am talking about. My transcendence. I start
laughing, really laughing--so hard tears are squirting out of my
eyes."



Saturday, July 9
Shallow Be Thy Name
[http://www.screwmusicforever.com/music/artists/shallow/index.html],
Jett Rink [http://www.jett-rink.com/], Bill Taylor
Wetlands, Chapel Hill

Jett Rink are slowly emerging from the semi-hibernatory state they've
been in. Will they all have long beards hiding their gaunt cheekbones,
or will they be fat & hairless, or just some mysterious state
in-between?

Shallow Be Thy Name singer Caroline Blomquist was right-down-front for
the July 4th Evil Wiener show, and she heckled Billy Sugarfix
mercilessly when he attempted to persuade the audience to drink some
water in amongst all that beer. If this were a different era, she'd
drive a Dodge Charger and fling cigarette butts at kids on bikes, but
instead she rides a badass Stingray and wears a big black motorcycle
helmet, and sings sweetly psychedelic bedroom low-fi indie-pop with
her husband Clarque.



Sunday, July 10
Superchunk [http://www.superchunk.com], Dinosaur Jr
[http://www.freakscene.net/], Majik Markers
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro

Yes, it's sold out. Yes, you can probably get in if you go stand in
front of the Cradle a little while before showtime. Yes, Superchunk
are playing again on July 29th (sans Dinosaur Jr). Question: Are you
hoping *for* a Mascis/Barlow blowup, or *against*?



Sunday, July 10
Leslie and the Lys [http://www.leslieandthelys.com], Robo Sapien
[http://www.gorobosapien.com/], Black Widow
[http://www.myspace.com/blackwidow]
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

Let's just assume for the sake of argument that you have a day-job,
one that involves access to email and the web. You have probably seen
a [http://www.lesliehall.com/8-sweaters1.html] website featuring a
deluxe variety of bedazzled sweaters.

But have you seen [http://www.transbuddha.com/mediaHolder.php?id=437]
the video? More to the point, are you aware that you can see THE REAL
THING at Nightlight tonight?



Monday, July 11
White Mice [http://www.thewhitemice.com/], The Coughs
[http://www.loadrecords.com/bands/coughs.html], Cantwell, Gomez,
Jordan [http://www.cantwellgomezandjordan.com]
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

Both White Mice and The Coughs have records out on Load Records of
Providence, RI, home of all things earsplittingly loud, stoned, and
severely fucked-up. White Mice may or may not actually arrive dressed
as giant lab mice, but they will make a hellacious noise when they get
here either way.

And of course we love the hellacious noise generated by our own
Cantwell, Gomez and Jordan, who will doubtless seem like an island of
sanity by comparison. Note to those of you, in fact, who're still
having trouble "getting" CGJ: this may be the show to do it; any port
in a storm, as it were.



Monday, July 11
Black Socks [http://www.myspace.com/blacksocks], Spader, Creeping
Weeds [http://www.myspace.com/creepingweeds]
Kings, Raleigh



Wednesday, July 13
The Woggles [http://www.hostess.com/woggles/]
The Cave, Chapel Hill



Wednesday, July 13
Dressy Bessy [http://www.dressybessy.com/], Cities
[http://www.citiesmusic.com], Ben Flanagan
Local 506, Chapel Hill



Friday, July 15
The Venables [http://www.myspace.com/thevenables], Fake Swedish
[http://fakeswedish.4t.com/index.html], The Cartridge Family
[http://www.cartridge-family.com/]
The Cave, Chapel Hill

The Venables are the Early Show (7:30ish); they include former and
soon-to-be-again Triangle resident Phil Venable, and [at least
sometimes] various current/former members of the $2 Pistols, whom Phil
used to manage. Despite that, Phil says they sound like Husker Du. I
didn't get a chance to ask him if that would be SST, or Warner Bros.

The late show is Chapel Hill's Fake Swedish and Raleigh's Cartridge
Family.



Friday, July 15
Nathan Asher & the Infantry [http://www.nathanasher.com/]
Kings, Raleigh



Saturday, July 16
Can't [http://www.irfp.net/], Pykrete
[http://www.bullfightparty.org/cirox/pykrete], Jason Crumer
[http://www.dadadrumming.org/jasoncrumer/]
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

Ryan went a little nutso describing this one:

"Jessica Rylan is a Boston sound artist who designs and builds her own
modular synths. Jessica is also Can't. She sings pretty songs
through boxes that cause the sound of her voice to scatter and flutter
all over the place, often while demonstrating some of her amazing
dancing skills. The effect is probably my favorite performance I've
seen here in the past year. One gets the distinct impression that
she causes dozens of meaningful crushes every time she plays.

Pykrete is Chuck Johnson's increasingly compelling & restless
electronic music project. At the last basement party at 401 Pritchard
(and also at a show at 506 apparently) he and Robert Biggers caused a
totally unselfconscious, sweaty bodies-on-bodies freak-out RAVE dance
party. DJ Nasty Boots & Juan V play my favorite dance records ever.
The Crumer sets I've seen usually make me happy to be alive, despite
being another year older - PLUS this is his first show since
"quitting noise" some time ago. Tonight is all about the abolishment
of the ego. I'm very excited about this show because it's my first
birthday party since I turned five. Love, Ryan"



Sunday, July 17
Kudzu Wish [http://www.kudzuwish.com/]
WXDU 88.7 FM, Durham

Kudzu Wish are half-Greensboro, half-Chapel Hill, and they make
muscular, slightly nerdy political-as-personal post-whatever vaguely
emo-ish (hey, they care, OK?) rock that I used to compare to At The
Drive-In, but they don't exist anymore (and they don't sound a thing
like the Mars Volta, sorry Karen) so I guess Kudzu Wish won that
round. This will be the 2nd time they've played on WXDU, and their
first time in our newly spacious (we threw out the skanky couches)
lounge/"performance space." 5:00 p.m. 88.7 FM or www.wxdu.org.



Sunday, July 17
Schooner [http://www.schoonermusic.com], Erie Choir, Can Joann
[http://www.canjoann.com/]
Local 506, Chapel Hill

This is the commencement of a grand experiment, involving live rock at
the Local 506 being carried, presumably over The Internet, to WXYC and
from there out to your tender ears via the radio or whatever other
technology you use to hear WXYC. Or you can just go to Local 506 and
hear it directly, as well as see it & smell it. That last may be the
deciding factor for many of you.



Sunday, July 17
Bringerer, Sin Eater, Kaiser Cartel
The Cave, Chapel Hill

The more I hear the new Bringerer CD, the more I like it; it redraws
the half-hidden connections between Cheap Trick, Brian Eno, and
21st-Century indie-rock in a way that sheds positive light on all
three.



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