RTP-area local music and culture

[tommy Gibson <tcgibson AT mindspring.com>]

Friday, November 10
The Nevers - CD Release Party (http://www.thenevers.net/)
w/ Stratocruiser (http://www.stratocruisermusic.com/)
and
The Breaks* (http://www.thebreaksrock.com/)
The Pour House, Raleigh


*On a [somewhat] related note, John Ensslin (The Breaks) will exhibit a 
5-year
retrospective of his artwork as part of Carrboro's 2nd Friday Art Walk.
You can see Ensslin's work at the Weaver Street Realty offices from 6-9 
p.m. tonight.

(http://2ndfridayartwalk.com/)








grady wrote:
> Things you need to know, before I get to the list:
> 
> 1) Big art opening at Fuse on Sunday from 6-9, featuring art by local 
> rockers. Big article in the Indy all about it: 
> http://www.indyweek.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A39854    _+_ 
> http://www.myspace.com/minussoundresearch
> 
> 2) Joanna Newsom is playing at a big institutional venue in Greensboro 
> on Saturday the 18th. The show is being promoted by the Flying Anvil, 
> and I'm told Chaz has tickets at his store.
> 
> The list:
> 
> Friday, November 10
> Charalambides    (http://www.flash.net/~whother/artist.html)
> Josephine Foster    (http://www.100songsising.com)
> Chuck Johnson
> Datahata
> DJ One Duran
> Nightlight, Chapel Hill
> 
> Nightlight says (hey! I just got an email that said they're going 
> NONSMOKING! fuckin'-A awesome!):
> 
> Charalambides features Christina Carter, who turned our heads back on 
> Sunday Sept 17th, that fateful day. Christina Carter and Tom Carter 
> explore a singular form of interplay amongst spiritual soul-lifting 
> forms and formlessness through developed interplay and a respect for 
> chance. Songs get worked for skeletal structures to include and then 
> exclude the haunting vocalizations of Christina while the masterful 
> guitarwork of Christina and Tom is laid bare between and amongst slight 
> noises like bells and wind. A true treat for the Nightlight faithful. We 
> also have Chuck Johnson, who is a local treasure, but I heard he's 
> moving to NYC, so this might be one of your last chances to see Chuck so 
> accessibly. Chuck has offered a "mystical drone set", which sounds very 
> Middle-Earth to me. Elves, dwarves, and Chuck's masterful work at 
> creating and sustaining subtly nuanced yet very pronounced musical 
> passages using whatever he pleases, including but not limited to guitar, 
> homemade electronic devices, and a mysterious suitcase. [. . .] After we 
> relax and get unspooked from Chuck and Charalambides, a special 
> appearance by former Chapel Hill resident/now ASHEVILLE party lover ZEKE 
> GRAVES, who will be rolling down from Asheville to twiddle our 
> dee-lite-alicious twizzler dispenser. One Duran spins your fucking hed 
> off. Right round the turntable out comes thick deep beats and funky ass 
> hip-hop glory. Markus Maerk - organized Signal Music Fest and now we get 
> him for a night.
> 
> 
> 
> Friday, November 10
> Maple Stave    (http://www.maplestave.com)
> Red Collar    (http://www.myspace.com/redcollarmusic)
> In the Year of the Pig    (http://www.southernloveprod.com/ityotp.htm)
> Joe & Jo's, Durham
> 
> This is the beginning of the weekend-long celebration of Chaz's one-year 
> anniversary as a music purveyor in Durham. It's also a Maple Stave 
> CD-release party (finally!) for their EP Two. And of course you also get 
> the Fugazi-influenced prole-rock of Red Collar, and the tiny-animal-hat 
> wearing wall-of-throb noisejam that is In The Year of the Pig.
> 
> 
> 
> Friday, November 10
> Erie Choir    (http://www.eriechoir.com)
> Audubon Park    (http://audubonpark.blogspot.com)
> Pleasant    (http://www.pleasantmusic.com)
> Local 506, Chapel Hill
> 
> This is a dual CD-release show for both Audubon Park & Erie Choir; 
> perhaps more remarkably, both CDs are apparently full-lengths, rather 
> than the EPs that both bands have made their names/reputations with over 
> the past 2-3 years. Can either one sustain "the mood" for more than 4-5 
> songs running? Show up, pay yr $10, and take home yr complimentary 
> copies of both discs so as to find out.
> 
> In case that last paragraph wound up mis-construable: Erie Choir & 
> Audubon Park are two of my favorite bands in the Triangle, and the 6 EPs 
> (if you count Erie Choir's contribution to the 3x4 comp) they've 
> released between them have been among my very favorite CDs of the past 
> few years. They've managed to avoid giving me advance copies of the new 
> discs, but even without having heard them I'll wager that a couple of 
> slots on my year-end top-10 list will be filled tonight.
> 
> 
> 
> Friday, November 10
> Weisstronauts    (http://www.weissy.com/weisstronauts/)
> Killer Filler    (http://www.myspace.com/killerfiller)
> The Cave, Chapel Hill
> 
> A double dose of instrumental garage/surf/whatever mayhem from Boston's 
> Weisstronauts & locals Killer Filler.
> 
> 
> 
> Friday, November 10
> Hearts and Daggers    (http://www.heartsanddaggers.com/ )
> The Tripple Twins
> The Della Rounds
> Spader    (http://www.myspace.com/spadermusic)
> Kings, Raleigh
> 
> 
> 
> Friday, November 10
> The Bleeding Hearts    (http://www.thebleedinghearts.net/home.html)
> Slim's Downtown, Raleigh
> 
> 
> 
> Friday, November 10
> Two Dollar Guitar 
> (http://www.smellslikerecords.com/artists/tdg/index.html)
> Reservoir, Carrboro
> 
> 
> 
> Saturday, November 11
> Wigg Report    (http://www.synchronizedswim.org)
> Beloved Binge    (http://www.myspace.com/belovedbinge)
> Charles Latham    (http://www.myspace.com/sircharleslatham)
> Chaz's Bull City Records, Durham
> 
> This is an all-afternoon extravaganza; in addition to the bands I've 
> listed, Chaz is also promising solo sets by Sean Murphy & Jamie McLendon 
> (both of Dom Casual), plus food & god knows what else, all as part of 
> his 1st Anniversary party for himself and the shop.
> 
> 
> 
> Saturday, November 11
> Richard Buckner    (http://www.richardbuckner.com/)
> Two Dollar Guitar 
> (http://www.smellslikerecords.com/artists/tdg/index.html)
> The Flying Anvil, Greensboro
> 
> This is an early (7:00 p.m. and they mean that) show. Richard Buckner 
> has been making his sparse singer/songwriter music for 20-odd years; the 
> last couple have been on Merge, and he's been getting more into creating 
> ambient guitar soundscapes. I saw Two Dollar Guitar once, but it was 
> from the street outside the Lizard and Snake, so really all I saw was 
> the back of Steve Shelley's head.
> 
> 
> 
> Saturday, November 11
> Across the Elementary    (http://www.myspace.com/acrosstheelementary)
> Ingenue
> European Ambulance
> Above the Ground    (http://www.myspace.com/abovetheground)
> Nightlight, Chapel Hill
> 
> Nightlight says this one is all acoustic & most/all solo, and it starts 
> at 8:00 (you're encouraged to get a sammich, and I have to heartily 
> concur with that).
> 
> 
> 
> Saturday, November 11
> Gob Iron    (http://66.113.175.214/discs/index-gobiron.htm)
> Cat's Cradle, Carrboro
> 
> Gob Iron is the name of the new collaboration between Jay Farrar (Uncle 
> Tupelo, Son Volt) and Anders Parker (Varnaline, ex-Raleighite); it's all 
> about revising/re-imagining the American folk songbook, or something.
> 
> 
> 
> Saturday, November 11
> Natasha    (http://www.myspace.com/natashatheband)
> Le Weekend    (http://www.myspace.com/mattwkalb)
> Noncanon    (http://www.myspace.com/noncanon)
> Torch Marauder's Grappling Hook 
> (http://home.att.net/~sandydave/torchhome.html)
> The Scene of the Crime Rovers 
> (http://www.myspace.com/sceneofthecrimerovers)
> Duke Coffeehouse, Durham
> 
> This is the annual WXDU Fall Benefit. Every year we (OK, well, mostly 
> Herrick) struggle mightily to overcome the convoluted overbooked work 
> schedules of the Triangle's musicians in order to bring you the freshest 
> possible lineup of bands your friends will be asking you about 9 months 
> from now. I'd give you a list of bands who've played previous benefits, 
> but it'd be so long & so studded with the names of yr favorite bands 
> that you'd probably collapse in tears for having missed 'em.
> 
> This year we've got Natasha, who formed 2 years ago at Carolina Friends 
> School, played a handful of gigs, recorded and released a knockout CD of 
> crazy low-fi Le Tigre-style synth party/punk jams, and promptly broke 
> up. Later they realized the horrible error of their ways, and now 
> they're devoted to rocking you into & out of pants, yours or someone else's.
> 
> Le Weekend is the brand new (as in, this is their first or maybe second 
> gig, depending on who you ask) band of Matt Kalb, who plays guitar in 
> Audubon Park & who sang & wrote half the songs in the late lamented 
> Hotel Motel. He's got various local rock superstars backing him on this, 
> so if sparks don't fly, it's probably not our fault.
> 
> Noncanon are a gtr/drums duo featuring Danny Vaughn (ex-Mothlight) and 
> Rob Koegler (Cheap Heat). Danny sings and plays guitar that veers from 
> blues to free jazz to Chrome shards and back again. Rob plays 
> jazz-inflected drums with a light touch & a good ear for where Danny 
> might be wandering.
> 
> Torch Marauder's Grappling Hook is the culmination of everything the 
> Caped One has been working for all these years. He's traded in the TV 
> sets for Evan Rowe (Maple Stave), Jenny Greer & Dave Heller (both 
> ex-Analogue, Cheap Heat), and the consensus seems to be that all the 
> scifi/fantasy subject matter is elevated from confusing/amusing dadaist 
> prank to the level of genuine emotional resonance, however improbable 
> that may seem.
> 
> As if that weren't enough, we've been promised a visit by Durham's own 
> avant-garde marching band, the Scene of the Crime Rovers.
> 
> 
> 
> Saturday, November 11
> Jimmy & The Teasers    (http://www.geocities.com/booze1031/teasers.html)
> The Cogburns    (http://www.cogburns.com/)
> The Cave, Chapel Hill
> 
> 
> 
> Saturday, November 11
> The Heartless Bastards    (http://www.theheartlessbastards.com/)
> Blag'ard    (http://www.blagard.com/)
> Wetlands, Chapel Hill
> 
> 
> 
> Saturday, November 11
> Detroit Cobras    (http://www.motorcityrocks.com/cobras.htm)
> The King Khan & BBQ Show    (http://marksultan.com/kingkhanandbbqshow.html)
> Taylor Hollingsworth    (http://taylorhollingsworth.com/)
> Local 506, Chapel Hill
> 
> 
> 
> Sunday, November 12
> Bowerbirds    (http://www.bowerbirds.org)
> WXDU 88.7 FM, Durham
> 
> Bowerbirds are primarily Phil Moore (ex-Ticonderoga) and Beth Tacular; 
> locally they're often joined by Mark Paulson (also ex-Ticonderoga) and 
> Brad & Phil Cook (ex-DeYarmond Edison). I actually have no idea 
> which/how many of those folks will be playing today, but I'm fairly 
> confident it'll be magical regardless. Bowerbirds songs make an initial 
> impression of fragility, 'til you realize they bend, but never break. 
> Acoustic guitar, drum, accordion, maybe violin, trombone, whatever seems 
> to fit. 5:00 p.m. 88.7 FM or wxdu.org.
> 
> 
> 
> Sunday, November 12
> Les Georges Leningrad    (http://www.lesgeorgesleningrad.org/)
> Future Islands    (http://www.myspace.com/futureislands)
> Cantwell, Gomez, Jordan    (http://www.cantwellgomezandjordan.com)
> Local 506, Chapel Hill
> 
> I saw Les Georges Leningrad once; were they the Montreal spazz/electro 
> crusty punks whose singer/keyboardist appeared to be in perpetual fear 
> of a wardrobe malfunction? Her apparent preoccupation with her 
> decolletage kinda undercut their radical posturing, but it was a good 
> time nevertheless.
> 
> Future Islands are a synth/dance pop weirdness band from downstate; they 
> used to exist in another dimension as Art Lord & the Self Portraits.
> 
> Cantwell Gomez & Jordan deserve a better introduction than I can give 
> them; they're one of those bands who can recharge yr "seen it all & 
> anyway too tired to leave the house" batteries over & over & over again, 
> assuming you get a charge out of seeing three people play crazy 
> fucked-up music because they love it or they don't know any other kind 
> of music to play.
> 
> 
> 
> Sunday, November 12
> Ben Davis + The Jetts    (http://www.lovitt.com/artists/bendavis.html)
> The Cassettes    (http://www.thecassettes.com)
> Summer Sorcerer    (http://www.myspace.com/summersorcerer)
> Reservoir, Carrboro
> 
> Ben Davis you know about; he was in Sleepytime Trio & Milemarker, but 
> now he's slightly more settled & makes moody piano-driven artpop with a 
> rotating cast of local rockers. Summer Sorceror is some kind of local 
> supergroup featuring folks from Milemarker & probably Kerbloki (since 
> all local supergroups seem to involve someone from Kerbloki nowadays).
> 
> 
> 
> Monday, November 13
> Flicker    (http://www.chapel-hill.nc.us/flicker)
> Cat's Cradle, Carrboro
> 
> Flicker is the monthlyish short-film festival started by Norwood Cheek 
> back in the 90s to showcase short films shot on film, as opposed to the 
> by-then-omnipresent video. Norwood long since moved to LA, but he's 
> actually going to be in town to host this episode of Flicker, which is 
> devoted to screening shorts from *other* regional Flickers around the 
> country. Show starts at 8:00-ish, and there will be, as always, sweet 
> treats & door prizes.
> 
> 
> 
> Monday, November 13
> Blue Cheer    (http://bluecheer.us)
> Birds of Avalon    (http://www.myspace.com/birdsofavalon)
> Adult Film Makers    (http://www.myspace.com/adultfilmmakers)
> Local 506, Chapel Hill
> 
> Yes, *that* Blue Cheer, or rather 2/3rds of them. I forget which 2/3rds, 
> but we're not talking rocket science here, we're talking "Summertime 
> Blues" and "Parchment Farm."
> 
> Also on the bill, Raleigh psych/rock supergroup Birds of Avalon, and the 
> Adult Film Makers, in which Ghost of Rocks/Bad Checks drummer Rock 
> Forbes steps out from behind the kit & reveals a pretty-damn-good 
> Jaggeresque singing voice. Go Rock, Go.
> 
> 
> 
> Monday, November 13
> Cities    (http://www.citiesmusic.com)
> So Many Dynamos    (http://www.somanydynamos.org/)
> Eyes to Space    (http://www.eyestospace.net/)
> Grasshopper    (http://www.ahhgrasshopper.com/)
> Wetlands, Chapel Hill
> 
> Local young-turk indie-rockers Cities, along with even-younger-turk 
> indie-rockers Grasshopper, nerdrockers Eyes to Space, and some cats from 
> out of town.
> 
> 
> 
> Tuesday, November 14
> North Mississippi All-Stars    (http://www.nmsallstars.com/)
> Spencer Dickinson    (http://www.yeproc.com/artist_info.php?artistId=10902)
> Cat's Cradle, Carrboro
> 
> North Mississippi All-Stars is the band of Luther & Cody Dickinson, 
> who're the sons of [legendary] Memphis producer Jim Dickinson. Spencer 
> Dickinson is what you get when you throw those boys in a van with Jon 
> Spencer. Remember him? Blues Explosion! I still cringe.
> 
> 
> 
> Tuesday, November 14
> Califone    (http://www.flydaddy.com/bands/califone/califone_fr.htm)
> The Judy Green    (http://thejudygreen.com)
> Local 506, Chapel Hill
> 
> 
> 
> Tuesday, November 14
> Video Hippos    (http://www.videohippos.com)
> Planecrash
> Dig Shovel Dig    (http://www.digshoveldig.com/)
> Nightlight, Chapel Hill
> 
> Nightlight rambled:
> 
> Asheville couch testers bring toe-tapping keyboard slag with bass/drums 
> feroxity and not an ounce of pretense, despite the fact that their 7 
> Inch Record on Lookalive records was titled Recent Works From the Most 
> Important Composers in the Universe. For fans of cheap bourbon and 
> infrequent shaving (legs or face). Hype reggae farcical indescribable 
> theatrics - weird vocalizations and spooky in your face shoe-untying 
> madness. Mark and Ted, bass and drums, they both sing (yell/slurp), and 
> Ted plays the keyboard with his toes. I love it, and Mark turned me on 
> to Lightning Bolt soon after they released Ride the Skies, and for that 
> I am eternally grateful. They requested Plane Crash - Stuart will be 
> going back to the old format, with the TVs and turntables and a lot of 
> loud ass shit. Videohippos - WTF? VIDEOHIPPOS from Baltimore (home of 
> John Waters and sludge) are going to be in NC for a week doing some 
> shows, wat a supwise - 2 piece !drummer+ guitar! with video art pieces 
> that are projected onto their bodies along with prerecorded 
> keyboards/loops so this is like some kind of weird pairing here tonite. 
> Wow what luck. :::::: part of the wham city art collective in 
> Baltimore::::::::::: Sounds like the freaks come out to night, thanks 
> Whodini! You will leave overstimulated, for sure.
> 
> 
> 
> Wednesday, November 15
> North Elementary    (http://www.northelementary.com)
> Now It's Overhead    (http://www.nowitsoverhead.com/)
> The Never    (http://www.trekkyrecords.com/never.html)
> Local 506, Chapel Hill
> 
> Now It's Overhead is the band of Athens producer/Bright Eyes 
> collaborator/nice guy Andy Lemaster, and the ladies of Azure Ray. The 
> Never are a baroque harmony-pop/rock band who recently released a 
> concept album called Antarctica that comes with a picture book about 
> some kids returning a nuke, or something, I dunno, my copy didn't come 
> with the book. And who would they return a nuclear weapon to? Maybe 
> better to just bury it in the woods.
> 
> North Elementary are still pumping out the psych-pop hits, only now 
> they've also taken on a side-job of spawning an endless number of 
> spinoff bands (recent additions to that list: Simple, The Rose Marie).
> 
> 
> 
> Thursday, November 16
> IV Thieves    (http://www.myspace.com/ivthieves)
> Velvet    (http://www.velvetpop.com)
> Bang Bang Bang    (http://www.bangbangbangrock.com)
> Local 506, Chapel Hill
> 
> 
> 
> Friday, November 17
> Micah P. Hinson    (http://www.myspace.com/micahphinson)
> Tennis and the Mennonites    (http://www.tennisandthemennonites.com)
> The Rose Marie    (http://www.myspace.com/ryanleedunlap)
> Local 506, Chapel Hill
> 
> Tennis & the Mennonites have a brand-new album out; it's 18 songs in 
> about 35 minutes, and it includes most of the hits from their earlier 
> limited-release EP, including "Magnets," which is a Perfect Song. Most 
> bands never get to write a Perfect Song, so even if T&theM spent the 
> rest of their careers doing Mariah Carey covers, they'd still be ahead 
> of the game.
> 
> The Rose Marie are, I'm told, some sort of North Elementary spinoff. The 
> one song I've heard, "Breathing All Wrong," is a sort of mournful yet 
> weirdly stately number, but I've no idea whether it's at all representative.
> 
> 
> 
> Friday, November 17
> $2 Pistols
> Mason Smith Band    (http://masonsmithband.com/)
> Nola    (http://www.myspace.com/nolaband)
> Bickett Gallery, Raleigh
> 
> There's apparently a show of Johnny Cash photos up at Bickett, and this 
> therefore is the Johnny Cash Tribute show. Mason Smith Band are from 
> Wilmington & that's all I know. $2 Pistols y'all know already; John 
> Howie Jr's voice can only get lower & more heartfelt as the years pile 
> upon it.
> 
> Nola are a youngish country band from Raleigh & I love their song "Hey" 
> every time I hear it; it's in the player somewhere, go look for it.
> 
> 
> 
> Friday, November 17
> The Billy Carter Band
> The Ex-Members    (http://www.myspace.com/theexmembers)
> Boyskout    (http://www.boyskout.com)
> Kings, Raleigh
> 
> 
> 
> Friday, November 17
> Ear Pwr    (http://www.myspace.com/earpwr)
> Blacks on Blondes 
> (http://www.myspace.com/douglasbrazilandafroamericanfriends)
> Nightlight, Chapel Hill
> 
> 
> 
> Saturday, November 18
> Cursive    (http://www.saddle-creek.com)
> Fin Fang Foom    (http://www.lovitt.com/artists/finfangfoom.html)
> Jeremy Enigk    (http://www.myspace.com/jeremyenigk)
> The Cops    (http://www.thecops.com.au/)
> Cat's Cradle, Carrboro
> 
> 
> 
> Saturday, November 18
> The Ex-Members    (http://www.myspace.com/theexmembers)
> Boyskout    (http://www.boyskout.com)
> Marce    (http://www.marceonline.com/)
> Duke Coffeehouse, Durham
> 
> It bears repeating a few dozen more times, since there was a bit of a 
> gap in there: The Ex-Members are the new name for the final 3-piece 
> incarnation of Gerty, and they're still bringing the danceable 
> 80s-inflected indie-rock.
> 
> 
> 
> Saturday, November 18
> Ahleuchatistas    (http://www.ahleuchatistas.com/go.php)
> Doctor Oakroot    (http://www.doctoroakroot.com/)
> Gutbucket    (http://www.gutweb.com)
> Nightlight, Chapel Hill
> 
> Ahleuchatistas make total ADD gtr/bass/drums avant-jazz instrumental 
> mayhem; it sounds like it's recursing infinitely yet it never winds up 
> in the same place. I think that's called Relativity. Gutbucket are 
> jazzbos from elsewhere. Bluesman Doctor Oakroot was playing the Skylight 
> long before it developed its Nightlight alter-ego, and if you can't 
> quite suss why he's on the bill, the fact that he makes all his own 
> instruments out of household items may be reason enough.
> 
> 
> 
> Saturday, November 18
> The Sammies    (http://www.myspace.com/thesammies)
> Elevator Action    (http://www.elevatoractionband.com/)
> The Artichokes    (http://www.myspace.com/theartichokes)
> Wetlands, Chapel Hill
> 
> 
> 
> Saturday, November 18
> Future Islands    (http://www.myspace.com/futureislands)
> Sodajerk    (http://www.sodajerkcountry.com)
> Video Hippos    (http://www.videohippos.com)
> Kings, Raleigh
> 
> 
> 
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