RTP-area local music and culture

["Glenn Boothe / Local 506" <gboothe2 AT earthlink.net>]

I think one of the things we love about the local music scene, the
abundance of solid bands, also works as a disadvantage to the
unitiated.  Where do you start?  Unless you know someone in a band, how
do you pick from the plethora of shows or CDs out there.  I often feel
that way in a record store, there is so much I want to buy that I'd
rather leave empty-handed than try to make a decision. It can be
intimidating.

>Didn't that CD come out less than 1 year ago? Am I to assume that it wasn't 
>considered a success by whatever metric they decided to judge it by?

Oddly enough, Heard Together was kinda my idea, something I wanted
Local 506 to do. With so little time, I mentioned it to my intern at
the time, Stuart Cullinan (now in Tennis & the Mennonites) and he and
some friends executed it (as I always say, ideas are a dime a dozen,
only execution matters.)  The idea was to make a greatest hits CD of
current local recordings, as opposed to limiting exclusively to
unreleased, and possibly weaker, material.  Track for track, I think
it's one of the best local music comps available and a great intro to
the scene.  Fuck, the unreleased Transportation track is worth the
price alone.

With that said, I don't think it was financially successful and
probably didn't convert that many newbies.  One of the problems (which
happens with a lot of comps) is too many bands.  I think in this day
and age, less is more.  I think the recently released '3x4' is a better
way to go - less bands, more songs per band (and I haven't even heard
it!)  I think it takes more than one song these day to excite people
about a band.

Along those lines, I actually made my own "Best of Local 506" CD for
2006 for some friends, but I listen to it alot myself.  In fact, it was
playing at 506 prior to Planet Claire on Saturday.  If my myspace page
was active, I'd try to have some of the tracks on it.  Heck, here is
the track listing, maybe you can track some of these down yourself.  It
isn't comprehensive as I could't fit everything I wanted on it - and to
create space, I developed some rules such as the band had to have
played 506 last year, which ruled out two of my favorites, The Rosebuds
and Kingsbury Manx.  I included Erie Choir (which Ross actually bought
for me!) even though that is from 2004 as one of my friends is a fan
and I didn't think he had heard that song and I didn't include Hotel
Lights, whose "AM Slow Golden Hit" is one of the greatest songs ever by
an NC band (no, i'm not joking!,) as I had included that on a different
CD for the same group of friends.  These are in no particular order
beyond trying to make a CD that flows well.  The last song was a bonus
track, something me and my friends tend do do for a our CDs, but DJ
Twombley is Tim Ross so I thought it apropos. It's a mash of Kelis'
"Milkshake" and Arcade Fires "Neighborhood" - and it's great.  If you
haven't heard that, I think you can download it at his tubafrenzy site
(that's where I got it.)

Erie Choir      Favorite Fotos
Autopassion     I Like Your Purse
The Sames       Bomb Scare
Des Ark        No More Fighting Cats, OK?
Fake Swedish    Remember This
The Moaners     Oh Christy
Chrome Plated Apostles  Blues
The Hellsayers  Sarah's Lament
Transportation  Baby You're So Young
The Old Ceremony        Shadows
Portastatic     Truckstop Cassettes
Work Clothes    South Bronx
Pyramid Devil In The Details
The Prayers & Tears Of Arthur Digby Sellers     Raise Up, You Celestial
Choirs
Pleasant        Monster
The Honored Guests      Postmarked
Bellafea        Tara
The Nein        The Vibe
Sweater Weather Every Eye Will See
The Strugglers  The Disappeared
DJ Twombly      Neighborhood # 5 (Milkshake)