RTP-area local music and culture

[grady <grady AT ibiblio.org>]

Thursday, August 17
The Ergs   (http://dorkrockcorkrod.com)
Vireo    (http://www.myspace.com/vireoband)
The Hunchback    (http://www.thehunchback.net/)
Chaz's Bull City Records, Durham

Vireo contain the core members of a great, short-lived Greensboro band
called The Dirty Version. They re-emerged a couple of years ago with
des_ark drummer Tim Herzog, under the name The Killing Frost, but Tim
moved away, so now they're Vireo. Go see 'em.



Friday, August 18
Recess   (http://www.dyss.net/nightlight/)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

Recess is the semi-regular experimental-music evening curated by Nein
drummer Robert Biggers. The idea is that local musicians break out of
their "normal" rockband roles & try something new, generally involving
short solo or collaborative sets with different instruments/noises
than they're used to.

Got an email from Robert today, so now we know the lineup:

(http://www.myspace.com/pykrete) ] chuck johnson &
(http://myspace.com/rbiggers) ] robert biggers
limited palette = Fluid Listening, real-time exchange

(http://slatherpuss.blogspot.com/) ] brian howe & other(s)
anonymous pianism,
subsequent poetic manipulation thereof

(http://www.myspace.com/northcarolinaelectroacousticandexperimental) ]
c. hilton & bryce eiman
local/regional electro-acoustic forebears maintain

asplundh cadet
all electronics, all lo-fi, rough, angular, "baby-making," music



Friday, August 18
Colossus   (http://www.myspace.com/thecolossuswillcrushyou)
The Anchor Comes Home    (http://www.myspace.com/theanchorcomeshome)
Local 506, Chapel Hill



Saturday, August 19
Cantwell, Gomez, Jordan   (http://www.cantwellgomezandjordan.com)
Royal Bangs    (http://www.theroyalbangs.com/)
Twinkiebots    (http://www.bumblebeeorchestra.org/twinkiebots/)
Chaz's Bull City Records, Durham

Royal Bangs & Twinkiebots are from Tennessee, formerly known as the
Free Republic of Franklin. That state is nutso from Johnson City to
Memphis, so I reckon I've got high hopes.

Not that I'd need them; the presence of Cantwell Gomez & Jordan on the
bill pretty much guarantees you're going to hear something to flip yr
wig.



Saturday, August 19
Tres Chicas   (http://www.treschicas.org/)
Ollabelle    (http://www.ollabelle.net/)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro



Saturday, August 19
Twilighter   (http://www.twilighterband.com/)
Joe Romeo    (http://www.myspace.com/joeromeomusic)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

Joe Romeo used to front the great 60s-britrock-ish rockband Fake
Swedish. His new band, the Orange County Volunteers, render his
country influences slightly more overt, but all his crazy baroque
tendencies are still alive and well, thankfully.



Saturday, August 19
Renelvis   (http://www.renelvis.com)
Wrenn Mangum    (http://www.wrennmangum.com/)
Wetlands, Chapel Hill

Renelvis is a Filipino Elvis impersonator from Charlotte. He's kinda
short, and paunchy, and his hair is thinning, but he makes all his own
jumpsuits, and has augmented his set with numerous original
Elvis-inspired songs over the years, so he more than makes up in
enthusiasm what he may lack in verisimilitude. He's truly a piece of
work, and I mean that almost entirely in the positive sense.

Wrenn Mangum is a rockabilly revivalist/tribute artist from Richmond.



Sunday, August 20
Noncanon   (http://www.myspace.com/noncanon)
WXDU 88.7 FM, Durham

Noncanon is the new-ish band of Danny Vaughn, who was in a great
Raleigh band called Hourly Radio, and then an even greater Raleigh
band called Mothlight, which was just Danny and Nick Whitley of the
Cherry Valence, playing stripped-down spaced-out meandering
blues/jazz/whatever dronemuzik.

I've only heard one song by Noncanon, but it seems to be working
similar territory, this time with Cheap Heat drummer Rob Koegler, who
spends most of his time playing jazz gigs & should thus mesh nicely
with Danny's urge to wander.

5:00 p.m. at 88.7 FM or wxdu.org.



Sunday, August 20
Corndawg   (http://www.thecorndawg.com/)
In the Year of the Pig
(http://www.southernloveprod.com/ityotp.htm)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

In The Year of the Pig make a gigantic insane pulsing wall of
beautifully ragged/raging sound that generates sympathetic melodies
inside yr chest cavity.



Sunday, August 20
The People Under the Bridge
(http://www.duckonbike.com/artistinfo.asp?artistid=378)
Mingus Young    (http://www.mingusyoung.com/)
The Comfies    (http://www.myspace.com/thecomfies)
Wetlands, Chapel Hill



Monday, August 21
Up! Scumbag   (http://www.geocities.com/xupscumbagx)
The Cave, Chapel Hill



Tuesday, August 22
Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players
(http://www.slideshowplayers.com/)
Corn Mo    (http://www.cornmo.8k.com/)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro

The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players are, um, a family (Mom, Dad,
young drummer-daughter) who collect old slides (um, those are little
photo transparencies that people used to project on the wall like
non-moving home movies, back when cameras used film) from thrift
stores & estate sales, and then compose mini rock-operas about the
people in them.



Tuesday, August 22
The Meek   (http://www.myspace.com/themeekusa)
The Cave, Chapel Hill



Tuesday, August 22
Eyes to Space   (http://www.eyestospace.net/)
Cities    (http://www.citiesmusic.com)
Get Him Eat Him    (http://www.gethimeathim.com)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

Cities are a moody young band from Chapel Hill who released their
debut on Yep Roc earlier this year. RIYL young dudes with big echoey
guitars and impassioned, keening vocals. I can only hope they invested
some of their label advance money in a set of matching black shirts
with stylishly narrow collars.

Eyes to Space are a nerd-rock band; they've got a homemade keytar
*and* lyrics about, yes, outer space.



Tuesday, August 22
Deep Sea Diving   (http://www.myspace.com/deepseadiving)
Snowden    (http://www.snowden.info/)
Wetlands, Chapel Hill



Wednesday, August 23
des_ark   (http://www.des-ark.org)
The Physics of Meaning    (http://www.thephysicsofmeaning.com/)
Radiant Darling    (http://www.radiantdarling.com)
Duke Coffeehouse, Durham

This is the first show of the fall semester at the Duke Coffeehouse
(it's actually part of Duke Transfer Orientation, so you'll get the
added bonus of meeting some go-getters from outta town who just
xferred to Duke).

Physics of Meaning tend to absorb members of whatever other bands
they're fond of/touring with, so at the very least I'd expect to see
Aimee up onstage with them. The ringleader is still/always Daniel
Hart, with his violin and his songs of yearning & hope & confusion.

des_ark drove a PT Cruiser when they were on tour in Washington &
Oregon last week. My mom used to drive a PT Cruiser, but she traded it
in for a Prius.



Wednesday, August 23
The Never   (http://www.trekkyrecords.com/never.html)
Auxiliary House    (http://www.trekkyrecords.com/auxhouse.html)
Endless Mic    (http://www.trekkyrecords.com/endlessmic.html)
The Flying Anvil, Greensboro

Chapel Hill's Trekky Records take their show on the road to Greensboro
(well, actually there's a long history of Greensboro/Trekky
cross-pollenation, as quite a few Trekkies have gone off to college at
UNC-G, and in any case Endless Mic are a Greensboro band). The Never
just released a book/CD package called "Antarctica" that's about some
kids returning a nuclear weapon, or something. Not sure. Whatever it's
about, it's done with multi-part boy harmony.



Wednesday, August 23
Eastern Seaboard   (http://www.theeasternseaboard.com)
Savage Knights    (http://www.retroactivedynamics.com)
Kings, Raleigh

Savage Knights are one of Crowmeat Bob's slightly-more "rock" (or at
least let's say "groove") oriented bands. Drums, electric bass, tenor
sax, and Bob switching off between sax and guitar. They reminded me of
the kind of low rumbling dangerous groove that Morphine were going
for. They still get "out" and like to stretch things, but there's a
steady pulse underlying.



Wednesday, August 23
Starting Tuesday   (http://www.startingtuesday.com/)
Green River Ordinance    (http://www.greenriverordinance.com/)
Local 506, Chapel Hill



Thursday, August 24
Twilighter   (http://www.twilighterband.com/)
Glissade    (http://www.myspace.com/glissade)
The Balsa Gliders
Kings, Raleigh

This is an early (well, for Kings: 9:30) show; The Balsa Gliders are a
bunch of guys who went to school in NC but didn't form a band together
until they'd all moved to DC. Either that or somebody else swiped
their bandname.



Thursday, August 24
North Elementary   (http://www.northelementary.com)
Bringerer    (http://www.myspace.com/bringerer)
Fuse, Chapel Hill

Bringerer are among the half-dozen current guardians of The Chapel
Hill Sound, which I guess means that Sound is loose scraggly pop with
a range of influence spanning from early/solo "pop" Brian Eno to Cheap
Trick to Dead Moon.

North Elementary are becoming experts at creating massive woozy
fuzzed-out pop hooks; still waiting for them to assemble the Mass
Choir those hooks deserve.



Thursday, August 24
Vibrant Green   (http://vibrantgreen.iuma.com)
Shakermaker    (http://shakermaker.org/)
The Hymns    (http://www.hymnsband.com)
Local 506, Chapel Hill



Friday, August 25
Roman Candle   (http://www.romancandlemusic.com/)
The Whigs    (http://www.thewhigs.com)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro

So Roman Candle re-recorded and, after a roughly 3-year delay,
re-released their bright, loveable country-poppy debut, "Says Pop," as
the new, equally loveable "Wee Hours Revue." All signs (or at least
all magazine features) point to impending stardom; anybody got a
recent reading of the star-barometer? Anyway. See them before their
crowds start getting all Whiskeytown-post-Strangers-Almanac, unless
it's already too late for that.



Friday, August 25
Blackstrap   (http://blackstrap.org)
The Experts    (http://www.expertsrock.com)
Veronique Diabolique    (http://www.veroniquediabolique.com/)
Joe & Jo's, Durham

Blackstrap are old geezers plus 1 young geez-ette; they're exploring
their damaged recollections of what punkrock felt like back when they
were young enough to shinny down the drainpipe next to their bedroom
windows. Last year that meant it was sorta early-80s SoCal; lately a
bit of Slits/Wire echo has snuck in.

Veronique Diabolique are Durham's French Goth band; their cut on the
307 Knox Records Certified Diskette comp is their best yet.

The Experts are "funny".



Friday, August 25
Kingsbury Manx   (http://www.thekingsburymanx.com/)
Schooner    (http://www.schoonermusic.com)
DeYarmond Edison    (http://www.dyemusic.com/)
Kings, Raleigh

Schooner's cover of the Cars' "Drive" makes such perfect sense that
it's almost entirely redundant. They are soft-rock superstars &
they've got a fine collection of petit percussion.

Kingsbury Manx started out vaguely British Pastoral but have gone
increasingly American Pastoral with each successive album; it's like
watching Manifest Destiny in the form of 4-minute folkpop songs.



Friday, August 25
Honored Guests   (http://www.thehonoredguests.com/)
The Cave, Chapel Hill

The Honored Guests' 2nd album, "Tastes Change," reminds me a bit of a
subdued (OK, *sedated*) Rosebuds, or an infinitely rougher/sloppier
Spoon.



Friday, August 25
The Port Huron Statement   (http://www.porthuronstatement.com/)
The Never    (http://www.trekkyrecords.com/never.html)
The Hymns    (http://www.hymnsband.com)
Raleigh Music Hall, Raleigh



Friday, August 25
Hearts and Daggers   (http://www.heartsanddaggers.com/ )
Screaming Females    (http://www.screamingfemales.com)
Horsehead    (http://www.horseheadmusic.com)
Wetlands, Chapel Hill

Richmond's Horsehead have 2 ex-members of Dragstrip Syndicate and a
member of the Silos. They appear to be a rockband.

Hearts and Daggers are from Raleigh and they seem to split their
energies between western Cowpunk and slightly straighter country.
Their debut EP, "A Home For My Lonely Tears," is one of the better
local releases of the year thus far.



Saturday, August 26
Work Clothes   (http://www.workclothesmusic.com/)
Un Deux Trois    (http://www.undeuxtroisband.com/)
Sons
Wetlands, Chapel Hill

Work Clothes you know about; they were already near-perfect, yet
somehow they double in goodness every time I see them.

Un Deux Trois is the new band of Heather McEntire (Bellafea) and Jenks
Miller (In The Year of the Pig, Mount Moriah, etc).



Saturday, August 26
L in Japanese   (http://www.myspace.com/linjapanesemusic)
L.E.G.A.C.Y.    (http://www.myspace.com/ihatelegacy)
Odd Numbers    (http://www.oddnumbersmusic.com/)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

Local hip-hop. L.E.G.A.C.Y. is a member of [Little Brother's] Justus
League. L in Japanese did some time in Paris & I haven't heard yet how
that's affected his ladies' man persona, or his rhyming skillz. Odd
Numbers are from Raleigh and their (http://www.oddnumbersmusic.com/) ]
website has apparently been p0wned by Arab hackers. w00t!



Saturday, August 26
Strange   (http://www.thisisstrange.org)
TV Knife    (http://www.myspace.com/tvknife)
Creve Coeur    (http://www.crevecoeurmusic.com)
Kings, Raleigh



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