RTP-area local music and culture

[grady <grady AT ibiblio.org>]

If you're a local band and I don't already have music by you, then you 
should really probably either send a CD to WXDU Durham, PO Box 90689, 
Durham NC 27708, or put up a goddamn website and put some MP3s on it. 
However, if you can't muster the energy to do either of those, I'm 
currently [experimentally] accepting mp3s at music AT trianglerock.com

We'll see how long *that* lasts . . . for now, onward!

Thursday, October 19
Can Joann    (http://www.canjoann.com/)
Midtown Dickens    (http://www.myspace.com/midtowndickens)
Joe Romeo    (http://www.myspace.com/joeromeomusic)
Dirty Little Heaters    (http://www.thedirtylittleheaters.com)
Bellafea    (http://www.bellafea.com/)
Joe & Jo's, Durham

Night 2 of the 2006 Troika Music Festival. One pass gets you into every 
show, or there are individual tickets available, I guess. Note, of 
course, (should be obvious looking at these shows) that there is a ton 
of overlap, so you're going to have to pick your intinerary carefully.

Can Joann, 7:00 pm
Midtown Dickens, 8:00 pm
Joe Romeo & The Orange County Volunteers, 9:00 pm
The Dirty Little Heaters, 10:00 pm
Bellafea, 11:00 pm

Can Joann are an indie-rock band. Midtown Dickens are a Durham 
guerilla/anti-folk band; armed with banjo, accordion, and trumpet, 
they'll play anywhere. Joe Romeo used to front Fake Swedish; his Orange 
County Volunteers are a more countryish concern than his former band. 
The Dirty Little Heaters are an explosive gtr/drums 2-piece; see 'em 
soon, before they outgrown this tiny town. Bellafea are *also* a 
gtr/drums two-piece, but they're less like a bomb & more like a stiletto 
between the ribs.



Thursday, October 19
Bombadil    (http://www.bombadilmusic.com/)
Jew(s) & Catholic(s)
Cantwell, Gomez, Jordan    (http://www.cantwellgomezandjordan.com)
Kolyma    (http://www.myspace.com/kolyma)
Chaz's Bull City Records, Durham

Night 2 of the 2006 Troika Music Festival. Chaz's floor is verging on 
collapsing into the chic boutique below him, so step lightly.

Bombadil, 7:00 pm
Jew(s) and Catholic(s), 8:00 pm
Cantwell, Gomez & Jordan, 9:00 pm
Kolyma, 10:00 pm

Bombadil are a cutesy band with matching hats; they're labelmates of the 
Avett Bros. Jew(s) and Catholic(s) are from the Triad. Cantwell Gomez & 
Jordan are the tightest loosest band in North Carolina; they play music 
that's impossible to cover--even their covers. Kolyma are from Raleigh; 
they make spiraling freakout rockmusic with ranty female vocals.



Thursday, October 19
Red Collar    (http://www.myspace.com/redcollarmusic)
Pleasant    (http://www.pleasantmusic.com)
Jennifer O'Connor    (http://www.jenniferoconnor.net/)
Portastatic    (http://www.portastatic.com)
Duke Coffeehouse, Durham

Night 2 of the 2006 Troika Music Festival. Portastatic are another of 
the headliners of the festival, and the Coffeehouse is still a 
[nonsmoking, all-ages, BYOB] Small Venue, so if your heart is set on 
seeing the full-band Portastatic (he promised as much after his acoustic 
set at the Cradle last month), show up early.

Red Collar, 8:30 pm
Pleasant, 9:30 pm
Jennifer O'Connor, 10:30 pm
Portastatic, 11:30 pm



Thursday, October 19
Shawn Deena
Leah Magner    (http://www.myspace.com/leahmagner)
Eberhardt    (http://www.myspace.com/eberhardtnc)
Charles Latham    (http://www.myspace.com/sircharleslatham)
En Garde    (http://www.myspace.com/engardemusic)
Francesca's, Durham

Night 2 of the 2006 Troika Music Festival, although this is a free show 
for everybody. Site also says "all ages and smoke free, food." The lineup:

Shawn Deena, 7:00 pm
Leah Magner, 7:30 pm
eberhardt, 8:00 pm
Charles Latham, 8:30 pm
En Garde, 9:00 pm

All I know about eberhardt is that it's Colin's band; you know Colin if 
you've been to a rockshow in Durham anytime in the past 2 years, even if 
you don't know you know him. Charles Latham is a skinny smart-mouthed 
punk who plays acid-tongued folk music. En Garde features a bunch of 
local indie-rockers cashing in, emo-style.



Thursday, October 19
Shakermaker    (http://shakermaker.org/)
Vibrant Green    (http://vibrantgreen.iuma.com)
The Cassandra Project 
(http://www.swiftbennett.com/photowerx/index.cfm?cid=175&gal=PERFORMANCES)
The Longshoremen    (http://www.myspace.com/thelongshoremen)
Cosmic Cantina Lounge, Durham

Night 2 of the 2006 Troika Music Festival. This is a free show for 
everybody. The Lineup:

Shakermaker, 8:00 pm
Vibrant Green, 9:00 pm
The Cassandra Project, 10:00 pm
The Longshoremen, 11:00 pm

I've only heard one Shakermaker song, and it starts out kinda Stonesy 
before veering more indie-rocky. Vibrant Green are the longtime project 
of Stephen Tunnell, whose brothers play in The Never. The VG are kinda 
anthemic in a U2/Smashing Pumpkins kind of way--if those bands were one 
guy from Chapel Hill, that is. The Cassandra Project all perform in 
evening gowns.



Thursday, October 19
Mondo Topless    (http://www.mondotopless.com/)
Jimmy & The Teasers    (http://www.geocities.com/booze1031/teasers.html)
Pulpit Red    (http://www.myspace.com/pulpitred)
The Cave, Chapel Hill



Thursday, October 19
Hazerai    (http://www.bearsalive.com/hazerai)
Worn in Red    (http://www.myspace.com/worninred)
Reservoir, Carrboro

Hazerai contain former members of the Fugazi-influenced Chapel Hill band 
the Country Bears.



Friday, October 20
Future Kings of Nowhere    (http://www.thefuturekings.net/)
The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers 
(http://www.prayersandtears.com/)
The Mountain Goats    (http://www.themountaingoats.net/)
Man Man    (http://www.wearemanman.com)
Olympic Ass Kicking Team    (http://www.terryandersonrocks.com/)
305 South, Durham

It's Night 3 of the 2006 Troika Music Festival. They say of 305 South: 
"all ages, smoke free, BYOB" The lineup:

The Future Kings of Nowhere 7:00
Shipwrecker 8:00
The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers 9:00
The Mountain Goats 10:00
Man Man 11:00
Terry Anderson & the Olympic Ass-Kickin Team 12:00

The Future Kings of Nowhere are rip-snorters, or at least the one song 
I've heard is. Shipwrecker play lopey country-rock, sitting down. 
PATOADS are part of the Bu Hanan collective; they make impassioned rock 
music with stabs of strings (real or fake, no matter). Mountain Goats 
are so damn proud of Durham it just makes yr heart crimp, just a little. 
Man Man aren't from around here; they make a sort of gimpy carnivalesque 
Tom Waitsy cabaret-rock. Terry Anderson's Olympic Ass-Kicking Team can't 
get mentioned anywhere without somebody bringing up the Georgia 
Satellites, which has also been true of any other band Terry's been in, 
ever since he wrote "Battleship Chains."



Friday, October 20
Vedere Rosso    (http://www.myspace.com/vedererosso)
The Heist and the Accomplice 
(http://www.myspace.com/theheistandtheaccomplice)
Spider Bags    (http://www.myspace.com/spiderbags)
Schooner    (http://www.schoonermusic.com)
Marvell Building, Durham

Night 3 of the 2006 Troika Music Festival. The Marvell Building/Event 
Center is on Main St. in Durham, and it's usually the home of 
Thursday-night hardcore shows, plus the occasional hip-hop show. Here's 
tonight:

Vedere Rosso, 7:45 pm
The Heist & the Accomplice, 8:30 pm
Spider Bags, 9:30 pm
Schooner, 10:15 pm

Spider Bags make Stonesy country with filthy, filthy mouths. Schooner 
are from Chapel Hill & they make swoony pop that drives the girls (and 
boys) wild.



Friday, October 20
Like a Bear    (http://www.myspace.com/likeabear)
The Fake Accents    (http://thefakeaccents.com)
The Ex-Members    (http://www.myspace.com/theexmembers)
Homemade Knives    (http://www.myspace.com/homemadeknivesrva)
des_ark    (http://www.des-ark.org)
Joe & Jo's, Durham

Night 3 of the 2006 Troika Music Festival:

Like A Bear, 8:00 pm
The Fake Accents, 9:00 pm
The Ex-Members, 10:00 pm
Homemade Knives, 11:00 pm
Des Ark, Midnight

Some of these bands are new, or from out-of-town. This may be the 
long-delayed Durham debut of the Ex-Members, who used to be in Gerty & 
the Butchies, and who took a long unscheduled hiatus when drummer 
Melissa York had spine surgery.

des_ark are just moments away from releasing a split CD with Ben Davis, 
which will only knock you on your ass if you haven't seen her lately; 
cuz if you had, you'd already be down there.



Friday, October 20
The Nein    (http://www.thenein.com/)
Black Taj    (http://www.amishrecords.com/ami021.html)
The Moaners    (http://www.themoaners.com/)
Embarrassing Fruits    (http://www.myspace.com/embarrassingfruits)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

This is another installment in the periodic WXYC Backyard BBQ show 
series. Black Taj contains half of Polvo, along with Grant Tennille, who 
guested on the last Polvo album, "Shapes." They sound somewhat like the 
more straight-ahead "rock" moments from that album.

The Nein have undergone some lineup changes lately -- bassist Casey 
Burns moved to the West Coast, and he's been replaced by Josh Carpenter 
(ex-Piedmont Charisma). At the last show Chuck Johnson was sitting in on 
guitar & loops/noise; later somebody told me Dale Flattum was moving to 
the upper midwest.

The Moaners are Melissa Swingle (ex-Trailer Bride) and Laura King 
(ex-Gerty, ex-Grand National); guitar, drums, no fuckin' around.



Friday, October 20
Beloved Binge    (http://www.myspace.com/belovedbinge)
Torch Marauder's Grappling Hook 
(http://home.att.net/~sandydave/torchhome.html)
The Whole World Laughing    (http://www.myspace.com/twwl)
Veronique Diabolique    (http://www.veroniquediabolique.com/)
Colossus    (http://www.myspace.com/thecolossuswillcrushyou)
Ringside, Durham

Night 3 of the 2006 Troika Music Festival. In case you hadn't figured 
out, tonight's the big night, and all the venues are arrayed in & around 
Downtown Durham, to encourage you to race madcap from show to show. This 
one will be a toughy to skip out on:

Beloved Binge, 8:30 pm
The Gates of Beauty, 9:00 pm
The Veldas, 9:30 pm
Torch Marauder's Grappling Hook, 10:00 pm
North Elementary, 10:30 pm
The Whole World Laughing, 11:00 pm
Véronique Diabolique, 11:30 pm
Colossus, Midnight
Un Deux Trois, 12:30 am

Beloved Binge are a kinda K-Records style DIY husband/wife duo; they 
moved here last year from Seattle. The Gates of Beauty are the 
long-awaited new band featuring Wendy Spitzer from Eyes to Space, Anne 
Gomez (Cantwell Gomez & Jordan, America's Next Top Models), and Shannon 
Morrow (Scene of the Crime Rovers, ex-Bicentennial Quarters). Anne & 
Shannon used to play together in the Special Agents of Her Majesty's 
Secret Service. The lineup is Bass, Bass, Drums. Yowza.

Torch Marauder's Grappling Hook is the Torch's full-blown metal band. 
North Elementary make woozy druggy popmusic with great hooks buried 
'neath the noise. The Whole World Laughing are a supergroup featuring 
Dave Cantwell on bass & Scotty "Clang Quartet" Irving on drums.

Veronique Diabolique sing in French; Un Deux Trois don't (they're 
Heather (Bellafea) McEntire's new band with Jenks Miller). Colossus will 
rip yr face off.



Friday, October 20
Ethereal Planes Indian    (http://www.myspace.com/etherealplanesindian)
Venison Whirled    (http://www.myspace.com/venisonwhirled)
Esperanto Bat
MC Trachiotomy    (http://www.myspace.com/mctrachiotomy)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

Nightlight sez, semi-coherently:

This show is shaping up to be one of those nights that lulls you into 
complete trance mode and then thrusts you out into the corridor with a 
warmth from within that heats up your leftovers and carries you on. 
Ethereal Planes Indian is a novel of chimes, timbre, musique concrete, 
and chords that weaves a dream of spicier dementia. This may very well 
be an inaugural performance in NC, I'll get back to you on that one. 
With releases on Beta-Lactam Ring Records and Twilight Flight Sound, EPI 
is B.C Smith, who performed with Shawn McMillan in Iron Kite and in Eric 
Arn's Primordial Undermind. Venison Whirled is Lisa Cameron, drum 
thumper of ST37 and 3 Day Stubble and former member of Glass Eye and 
Brave Combo. Hailing from Central Texas, the sound is purported to be 
more Big Bend, less Dallas, with a dash of El Paso? Releases available 
through Volcanic Tongue. Venison Whirled is actually a covert Buddhist 
Monk, fresh from the taxidermy in a salivating earthquake of pos/neg 
anti-matter disposal. The name emerges from a real life establishment of 
similar name - sub whirled for world and you get the idea. Regardless, 
expect more tricky relaxation and thought-provoking sound collage. 
Esperanto Bat returns with a post-Quisp toodle-ooo. See, Esperanto Bat 
was Chuck Johnson, Randy Pelosi, and Ethan Clauset. Then they added Jane 
Allen for one show I remember. Then they did some other lineups as well. 
Well, this time, we definitely have Randy and Ethan, plus maybe Jane, 
but no Chuck. So perhaps you have never seen this band before? 
Regardless, expect demon cello, program jello, and a whole lot of weird, 
weird sounds. With the addition of MC Trachiotomy we are left with a 
confusing reminder that nothing is sacred or meant to be understand. He 
hails from NOLA and I was introduced to his second release w/Love from 
Tahiti by Jim, the guy that played bass for Mike Watton when Haunted 
House was still in the Frigid North. He's like Bill Cosby and Old Dirty 
Bastard with very little Bottle Smashing and more intelligability. Or 
rather it is not. His tour is in support of his new album Rowdy Life, a 
collaboration with Quintron. The new stuff sounds different that the 
Tahiti record, less bizarre and more meaningful, like maybe that bigass 
hurricane made him wonder. The Love Boat smokes bones in the staircase. 
Someone out there will bring us a segue. I wouldn't want your deep 
trance to get knocked too far off kilter.



Friday, October 20
Electric Sunshine
The Naughts
Slim's Downtown, Raleigh



Saturday, October 21
Erie Choir    (http://www.eriechoir.com)
Wigg Report    (http://www.synchronizedswim.org)
Strange    (http://www.thisisstrange.org)
Summer Set    (http://www.summersetworld.com )
Ben Davis + The Jetts    (http://www.lovitt.com/artists/bendavis.html)
305 South, Durham

The Grand Finale of the 2006 Troika Music Festival. Will there be 
LocoPops, and fried Oreos, and tasty Indian food like last year? More 
importantly, can they possibly stick to this absurdly optimistic 
band-every-30-minutes schedule? Only one way to find out:

Ace of You, 4:00 pm
Rock Camp, 4:30 pm
The Dry Heathens, 5:00 pm
The Capitols, 5:30 pm
the Octobers, 6:00 pm
The Rose Marie, 6:30 pm
Erie Choir, 7:00 pm
Grasshopper, 7:30 pm
Wigg Report, 8:00 pm
Dom Casual, 8:30 pm
The Experts, 9:00 pm
Strange, 9:30 pm
Summer Set, 10:00 pm
The Moaners, 10:30 pm
Ben Davis & the Jetts, 11:00 pm
Two Ton Boa, 11:30 pm
Asobi Seksu, 12:30 am



Saturday, October 21
David Bazan    (http://www.davidbazan.com/)
Bowerbirds    (http://www.myspace.com/bowerbirds)
The Strugglers    (http://www.thestrugglers.org/)
The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers 
(http://www.prayersandtears.com/)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

David Bazan (Pedro the Lion) plays an early show (~7:30 p.m.) for $8.00, 
and then Bowerbirds, Strugglers, and the Prayers and Tears of Arthur 
Digby Sellers play a free show at 10:00. Is Bazan going to play for 3 
hours, or will all his fans have cleared out by the time the truly 
brilliant Bowerbirds take the stage? Hell, extend "brilliant" to the 
Strugglers as well, and if I were more open to overwrought emotion, you 
could probably tag the PATOADS that way too. This is the show to beat, 
and I say that knowing full well that there are 400 bands playing on the 
last night of Troika over at 305 South. At my age, 3 brilliant bands 
back-to-back are infinitely preferable to 6 or 8 great bands intermixed 
with 6 or 8 others.



Saturday, October 21
A is Jump    (http://www.myspace.com/aisjump2)
Chest Pains    (http://www.myspace.com/thechestpains)
tommygun    (http://www.tommygunrock.com)
Joe & Jo's, Durham

Night 4 of the 2006 Troika Music Festival. If you're terrified by the 
thought of 87 bands and 8700 people at the Main Event over at 305 South, 
the Troika folks have thoughtfully provided this smaller show, featuring 
newish Durham band A is Jump, old Durham punx the Chest Pains, and 
Winston-Salem shoegazers tommygun:

a is jump, 9:00 pm
The Chest Pains, 10:00 pm
tommygun, 11:00 pm



Saturday, October 21
I Broke My Robot    (http://www.myspace.com/ibrokemyrobot)
Nauseous Youth Future    (http://www.brokenfadercartel.com)
Alex Polzien    (http://www.myspace.com/alexpolzien)
Production Unit Xero    (http://www.myspace.com/productionunitxero)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

In case you're disinterested in all the various styles of ROCK being 
played around the Triangle tonight, the Nightlight has a showcase of 
members of Asheville's Broken Fader Cartel, who specialize in blips, 
bloops, glitches & busted loops. They say, via the Nightlight website:

Production Unit Xero - "Frequencies that transform the space and time 
around you into an ethereal dream scape, flowing from ambient and 
soulful to hard , in your face madness. " So say the PUX hisself. Based 
on what I know, if you took an open-face roast beef sandwich with extra 
gravy and then put that shit that made the Ninja Turtles on it, a 
monster would spring up out of the toast and it's spitting and snarling 
would sound like PUX.

Alex Polzien- Winston Salem/Asheville - melodic/distorted. A founding 
member of Broken Fader Cartel, he manipulates bobbleheads and beats with 
ORANGE CRUSH keyboards and computer. Part Grover, Part Oscar, ALL BIG BIRD!

Nauseous Youth Future- cut-up and mash machine guns and funk into one. 
Blitzkrieg via WLAN, Midi controlled humans, pouco raunchy IDM, - 
glitchtronica tonic inducing zombie vs JIMBO IN HELL dance moovez. Guest 
appearance by sqrt(ur mother).

i broke my robot- blip-tastic speed frenzy. In this case broken robot 
means robot is coming to eat your cold lamb sandwich backwards thru the 
hoop of ungreased fleece.



Saturday, October 21
MC Trachiotomy    (http://www.myspace.com/mctrachiotomy)
Grampa Bampa 
(http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=15725863)
Clik Clak
Kings, Raleigh

Grampa Bampa was the wheelchair-bound member of Krapper Keeper. MC 
Trachiotomy is from New Orleans.



Saturday, October 21
Stratocruiser    (http://www.stratocruisermusic.com/)
Slim's Downtown, Raleigh



Sunday, October 22
Tiger Bear Wolf    (http://www.tigerbearwolf.com)
Black Taj    (http://www.amishrecords.com/ami021.html)
Birds of Avalon    (http://www.myspace.com/birdsofavalon)
The Tiny Meteors    (http://www.myspace.com/thetinymeteors)
The Flying Anvil, Greensboro

There has always been this weird time/spacewarp that has allowed 
Greensboro & Raleigh to cross-pollenate musically without any fallout 
striking Durham or Chapel Hill. Both cities have long prided themselves 
on their no-bullshit styles of ROCK, though Greensboro has tended to 
skew more psych and Raleigh more over-the-top wankitude.

Example du jour: TigerBearWolf are the current state of the art in huge 
Greensboro sing-yrself-hoarse rockbands: equal parts Fugazi, Motorhead, 
and Raging Slab.

Black Taj are the "rock" half of Polvo (bassist Steve Popson & guitarist 
Dave Brylawski), plus Grant Tennille and Tom Atherton of that brilliant 
Hendrix tribute band The Jimi Hendrix Inexperience. Grant's also in 
Idyll Swords with Dave, and played "rock" guitar on the last Polvo 
album; the first Black Taj album picks up more or less where those parts 
of "Shapes" left off.

Birds of Avalon are a Raleigh supergroup featuring current or former 
members of The Cherry Valence, the Weather, Strange, and god knows 
who-all else.

Tiny Meteors are a new Triad band, and if I'm decoding their MySpace 
correctly, they include Joe Garrigan (Urinal, Taija Rae), Chris 
Clodfelter (Geezer Lake) and Kemp Stroble (Malabaster, All Astronauts), 
and Mark Wingfield (Health).



Monday, October 23
Bettie Serveert    (http://www.bettieserveert.com/)
Alina Simone    (http://www.girlwithguitar.net/)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro



Monday, October 23
Imperial Battlesnake    (http://www.imperialbattlesnake.com)
Black Skies    (http://www.myspace.com/losblackskies)
Bloodcow    (http://www.myspace.com/bloodcow1)
Kings, Raleigh

Black Skies are the 3-member final core of The Man, rebranded & ready 
for heaviosity. One note: Kings is now NON-smoking until Midnight. I 
think that's a most excellent compromise for the short-term, and 
hopefully a first step towards a long-term permanent smoke-out.



Tuesday, October 24
Melvins    (http://www.melvins.com)
Porn
Altamont
Big Business    (http://www.bigbigbusiness.com)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro

<cribbing from the Indy> Big Business contain members of Karp and Murder 
City Devils. Porn & Altamont are side-projects of Melvins drummer Dale 
Crover. Show starts at 8:30 and the music (umm, and/or sonic assault 
and/or ear-whooping) commences from the moment the doors open.</crib>



Tuesday, October 24
Decibully    (http://www.decibully.com/)
Megafaun    (http://www.myspace.com/megafaun)
Auxiliary House    (http://www.trekkyrecords.com/auxhouse.html)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

Megafaun is most of the members of DeYarmond Edison, soldiering on after 
the departure of one of 'em. Auxiliary House is the house-band / 
conjoined supergroup of Chapel Hill label Trekky Records.



Tuesday, October 24
Pony Pants    (http://www.myspace.com/ponypants)
Red Rocket
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

Nightlight slurred'n'garbled:

A sure fired firing squad of post-vienna sausage runts'n'nerds 
PUNK-dance frijoles! Earlier this year Pony Pants released a full-length 
on Badmaster called "Till Death Do Us Party", which summarizes how I 
feel about this show. Pony Pants is fronted by Emily J.K., who is the 
vocal sass-master of this dual-guitar/drum maquina trio. They hail from 
the anarcho-indiepunk underground of West Philly and would fit in 
perfectly here in our neck-o-da-woddz. With haircuts my momma would 
guarantee are funny looking and a sound that beckons early Le Tigre 
sans-samples. Down to Earf.



Tuesday, October 24
Black Skies    (http://www.myspace.com/losblackskies)
Imperial Battlesnake    (http://www.imperialbattlesnake.com)
Bloodcow    (http://www.myspace.com/bloodcow1)
Reservoir, Carrboro

This is a post-Melvins afterparty / rockshow thing, so don't bother 
showing up before the Cradle/ArtsCenter strip stops visibly throbbing.



Wednesday, October 25
Wayne Robbins and the Hellsayers 
(http://www.goodluckcricket.com/hellsayers/)
Oakley Hall    (http://www.oakleyhall.net/)
Charles Latham    (http://www.myspace.com/sircharleslatham)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

Oakley Hall are from Brooklyn, although at least one of 'em used to be 
part of that Werehouse posse in Winston-Salem. I think they've also got 
Papa Crazee (ex-Oneida) and it's all assembled in pursuit of American 
country-rock of the Neil Youngish variety, and no, you don't have to 
tell me Neil's from Canada.

Wayne Robbins and the Hellsayers are from Asheville, and I fell so 
deeply in love with the song "Jesus" from their debut CD, that I 
couldn't help but wind up a little disappointed when I finally saw 'em 
and they *didn't* bust out a deafening cathartic wall of grinding 
feedback at the midway point of the song. Tainted my impression of the 
whole show, it did. I'd like to see 'em again, now that I've 
internalized that a little, to see how their pastoral mountain folk-rock 
translates otherwise.

p.s. had an email today from local anti-folk troubadour-sans-subway 
(goddamn TTA!) Charles Latham to say that he's been added to this bill.



Wednesday, October 25
American Band    (http://www.blossomingnoise.com/ab.html)
Clang Quartet    (http://www.myspace.com/clangquartet)
Black Meat    (http://www.blackmeat.org)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

Ryan says:

Nascent noise supergroup AMERICAN BAND is embarking on it's first ever 
tour with CLANG QUARTET and BLACK MEAT, and they're making a special 
stop here, where it all began - AB is Jason Crumer of Noise Music and 
the metal band FACEDOWNINSHIT, Matt Franco of AIR CONDITIONING and JEFF 
THE PIGEON, and Lee Counts of Greensboro NC playing the circular saw. 
New CD available soon on BLOSSOMING NOISE. Speaking of which, that 
label's heads are also behind the gory tone filth of BLACK MEAT, outta 
Atlanta GA - - CLANG QUARTET is the aforementioned HOUSE BAND of 
NIGHTLIGHT this season, you should know what to expect by now, and you 
know that sometimes I cry. Tonight is perhaps the noise show of the FALL...



Thursday, October 26
Dry Heathens    (http://www.myspace.com/dryheathens)
The South French Broads    (http://www.thesouthfrenchbroads.com)
Pill Shovel    (http://www.myspace.com/helloimstoned)
Marvell Building, Durham

Dry Heathens are classic Triangle-style bitter indie-rock. The South 
French Broads are an, um, "eclectic" duo from Asheville--spazzo 
drums/sax/noise rantyness, but in more of a Maynard G. Krebs mode, as 
opposed to an Anne Gomez one. Pill Shovel are from Durham & apparently 
take drugs.



Thursday, October 26
Oakley Hall    (http://www.oakleyhall.net/)
Birds of Avalon    (http://www.myspace.com/birdsofavalon)
Heads on Sticks    (http://www.thisisstrange.org/)
Kings, Raleigh

This is Night One of Hatchetfest, the annual rockfest thrown by the fine 
people at the free monthly mag the Raleigh Hatchet. Oakley Hall we just 
discussed (Brooklyn, Neil Young, etc). Birds of Avalon are a Raleigh 
supergroup of ex-members of Cherry Valence and the Weather, and that's 
pretty much what they sound like: Mods & Rockers, united. Heads on 
Sticks is the solo project of Strange's Dave Mueller.



Thursday, October 26
Mustang
Blackstrap    (http://blackstrap.org)
The Gondoliers    (http://www.myspace.com/comeseethegondoliers)
The Cave, Chapel Hill

This is night one of Blackbeard's Lost Weekend, the annual garage-rock 
blowout hosted at the Cave by the [now ex-]members of the Spinns. 
Speaking of ex-Spinns, Gondoliers include some of them, plus some 
ex-Young Ideas. Blackstrap are from Durham, and lately it seems like 
every time I list a show for 'em, they wind up cancelling, so we'll see. 
Mustang I dunno (go ahead, *you* try Googling Mustang & lemme know what 
you get).



Friday, October 27
The Port Huron Statement    (http://www.porthuronstatement.com/)
Brite Boy
Transportation    (http://www.myspace.com/transportation)
Dan Bryk    (http://www.bryk.com/)
Kings, Raleigh

This is Night Two of Hatchetfest, put together by / in honor of the free 
monthly rock/arts/drinking magazine the Raleigh Hatchet. Tonight appears 
to be Pop Night; Port Huron Statement come from an early-Bowie/glam-pop 
angle, albeit sans platforms & glitter. Dan Bryk is a transplanted 
Canadian who makes Beatlesy piano-driven pop that'd sit quite nicely on 
yr [Dad's] iPod between the Michael Penn & the Aimee Mann. He has a 
fouler mouth than either of those, though.

Transportation are from Chapel Hill (well, they all moved down here en 
masse from Amherst, MA, but that was eons ago, maybe even back in the 
'90s, so they're from Chapel Hill now, by god), and they're fluent in 
various 70s pop idioms from Queen to Wings to Billy Joel.



Friday, October 27
Oakley Hall    (http://www.oakleyhall.net/)
The Lowlands    (http://www.myspace.com/thelowlands1)
I'll Think About It    (http://www.myspace.com/illthinkaboutit)
The Flying Anvil, Greensboro



Friday, October 27
Recess    (http://www.dyss.net/nightlight/)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

Nightlight is the monthly[ish] local experimental musical roundtable 
thingy curated by Robert Biggers (the Nein, Audubon Park). Here's his 
quick blurb about this one:

"Company Night" featuring Dave Cantwell, Carrie Shull, Crowmeat Bob, 
Drew Richardson, Joshua Willis, Marc Faris, Ryan Martin, Chuck Johnson, 
and myself. In which new combinations will casually take the stage and 
see what happens. 10:00pm sharp. $5.



Friday, October 27
Dirty Little Heaters    (http://www.thedirtylittleheaters.com)
The Lobsters    (http://www.myspace.com/thelobsters)
Thee Crucials    (http://www.theecrucials.com/)
The Cave, Chapel Hill

This is Night Two of the annual Blackbeard's Lost Weekend garage-rock 
mini-fest (any fest happening at The Cave has gotta be compact, just to 
fit through the door). This is the LAST SHOW EVER for the Dirty Little 
Heaters, and I don't think I need to provide any other reason for you to 
attend. See it, or I suppose you'll never know what you missed.



Friday, October 27
Unknown Hinson    (http://www.unknownhinson.com/)
The Crimson Spectre    (http://www.slavemagazine.com/crimsonspectre/)
The Tremors    (http://www.tremorsrockabilly.com/)
Walking Dead    (http://www.myspace.com/wearewalkingdead)
Greene Street, Greensboro

What does it mean that the folks at Greene Street were so readily able 
to come up with 4 NC bands working the ghoul/zombie theme *year round*? 
Are other states so richly endowed with ghoulish rockers?

This is billed as Punk vs. Rockabilly, with Crimson Spectre & Walking 
Dead on the side of the former, and the Tremors & Unknown Hinson on the 
latter. Of the four, my money's on the Crimson Spectre, who may dress 
like ghouls, but are really a top-notch socialist / communist / populist 
/ pro-union / pro-worker hardcore band.



Friday, October 27
Totimoshi    (http://www.totimoshi.com/)
Throttlerod    (http://www.throttlerod.net)
Caltrop    (http://www.myspace.com/caltropband)
Wetlands, Chapel Hill

Caltrop are an utterly huge, absurdly heavy rockband featuring 
ex-members of El Sucio, Continent & the Ladderback.



Saturday, October 28
Tres Chicas    (http://www.treschicas.org/)
Alejandro Escovedo    (http://www.alejandroescovedo.com/)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro



Saturday, October 28
The Strugglers    (http://www.thestrugglers.org/)
The Mattoid    (http://www.antifolk.net/artists/themattoid/)
Instruments    (http://www.orangetwin.com/)
The New Sound of Numbers    (http://www.thenewsoundofnumbers.com/)
Duke Coffeehouse, Durham

I've reached the limits of my hyperbole when it comes to the Strugglers; 
no matter how overblown my descriptions of their sometimes-hushed, 
sometimes majestic country/folk/rock, they manage to outperform my 
guarantees every time they take the stage.



Saturday, October 28
Black Mona Lisas    (http://www.myspace.com/theblackmonalisas)
Coffin Bound
The Young Sinclairs    (http://www.myspace.com/theyoungsinclairs)
Dexter Romweber    (http://www.dexterromweber.com)
The Cave, Chapel Hill

Night Three of Blackbeard's Lost Weekend, the annual garage-rock fest 
hosted at the Cave by the [ex-]members of the Spinns.



Saturday, October 28
Stone Fox
The Hundredaires
Death of the Sun
Local 506, Chapel Hill



Saturday, October 28
The Greatest Hits    (http://www.thegreatesthits.org/)
Noncanon    (http://www.myspace.com/noncanon)
The Tiny Meteors    (http://www.myspace.com/thetinymeteors)
Alphas Wear Grey    (http://www.alphasweargrey.com/)
Kings, Raleigh

Night Three of the Hatchetfest, a party for/by the Raleigh Hatchet, a 
free monthly chronicling the Capital City's music, art, and boozing 
options. Tonight's kind of a catchall, from the Raleigh Rock of the 
Greatest Hits & the stripped avant-blues/drone of Noncanon, to the 
experimental electronic pop of Alphas Wear Grey. Tiny Meteors are the 
wildcard; they're a triad supergroup featuring Joe Garrigan (Urinal, 
Taija Rae), Chris Clodfelter (Geezer Lake), Kemp Stroble (Malabaster, 
All Astronauts), and Mark Wingfield (Health).



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