RTP-area local music and culture

["Todd Morman" <tmorman AT nc.rr.com>]

I went to the Friday and Saturday shows, camera in hand, and had a blast.
Years and years in, the Cover-Up is still one of the best music parties the
Triangle has to offer. In fact, I'm having a hard time coming up with a
serious competitor. Ross wrote a few days ago, "Over the past few years, a
trend has developed whereby the local 'bands' aren't local bands at all, but
are instead just accretions of otherwise-unrelated local musicians,
assembled solely for the purpose of playing the Cover-Up," but my brain
tells me 'twas ever thus, from at least the 3rd year on. Besides, even he
admits the "pick-up" cover band idea has lead to some brilliant
performances, like the collection of atypical music geeks who did a
jaw-dropping Joy Division a few years back. That remains one of my favorite
live shows ever, cover band or not. The concept also allows folks not in
bands to strut their stuff, which I think includes Cy Rawls' amazing turn as
"Release The Bats"-era Nick Cave Friday. He nailed it, grunts, groans,
shrieks and all, even as the 2/3 of the audience who'd never heard of The
Birthday Party was left wondering who the fuck they were supposed to be
watching. Great punk moment.

I gotta go, but I'll start in hopes of hearing from other folks who were
there, and will post more later. The talk of Friday night was Thursday,
specifically Cypress Hill. Sorry I missed you, Tim; heard it was great. Jeff
Hart and pals did a fantastic Elvis Costello and the Attractions - fuck
anti-cover-band crap; it is *so* much fun to hear those songs done live, by
folks trying to recreate the look and spirit as well as sound. It's honestly
beyond me to understand how anyone who professes to like music would not
want to be there for that, beer in hand. And the B-52s, with Bart Tomlinson
from the Hatchet as Fred Schneider, capped the weekend off with a perfectly
insane party set, gorgeous wigs and all.

It's hard to beat an event like that. Really; I dare you to try. The
Cover-Up has consistently been one of the funniest, most musically
interesting events of the year; it's the kind of thing that helps reflect
and define the current music scene, and if you're one of the few folks who
still insist on turning your nose up at it out of some misguided scorn for
"cover acts," well, you're acting like a fucking moron and you should stop
as soon as possible.

todd no really we're laughing at you morman