RTP-area local music and culture

[grady <grady AT ibiblio.org>]

Thursday, January 11
The Tourist    (http://www.myspace.com/thetouristnc)
The Sibling Project    (http://www.thesiblingproject.com/)
Ruth Eckles    (http://www.myspace.com/rutheckles)
Marvell Building, Durham

This is a free show. The Tourist is an Elliott Smith fan from Cary. The 
Sibling Project are a Rainer Maria-influenced brother-sister duo from 
Raleigh, or at least that's the impression I get from their CD. Ruth 
Eckles occasionally writes for local papers/magazines, and I guess also 
writes songs.



Thursday, January 11
Tennis and the Mennonites    (http://www.tennisandthemennonites.com)
Future Islands    (http://www.myspace.com/futureislands)
Black Socks    (http://www.myspace.com/blacksocks)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

Tennis & the Mennonites have a *long* full-length CD out now; it 
includes the brilliant "Magnets," so if'n you missed it on their 
self-released EP last year, you get another chance. Future Islands 
contain a bunch of ex-members of the Greenville-based 
muttonchops/synthdance band Art Lord & the Self Portraits.



Thursday, January 11
The Ghost of Saturday Nite 
(http://www.myspace.com/theghostofsaturdaynite)
50 Foot Face
Kings, Raleigh



Thursday, January 11
The Scourge of the Sea    (http://www.aliasrecords.com/scourgeofthesea.htm)
Petticoat, Petticoat    (http://www.petticoatpetticoat.com)
Sweater Weather    (http://www.sweater-weather.com)
Wetlands, Chapel Hill



Thursday, January 11
Colossus    (http://www.myspace.com/thecolossuswillcrushyou)
Serpents    (http://www.myspace.com/serpents666)
(Lone) Wolf and Cub    (http://www.hewhocorrupts.com/wolfandcub/)
Reservoir, Carrboro



Friday, January 12
Dexter Romweber    (http://www.dexterromweber.com)
The Cave, Chapel Hill

This is the early (7:30ish) show at the Cave. Who knows what Dex'll be 
doing; maybe he'll bring his sister Sara and rock out, maybe he'll play 
solo guitar, maybe he'll bring a piano & work through a bunch of his 
original solo piano compositions which were showcased on his most recent 
album.



Friday, January 12
North Elementary    (http://www.northelementary.com)
Schooner    (http://www.schoonermusic.com)
Un Deux Trois    (http://www.undeuxtroisband.com/)
Audubon Park    (http://audubonpark.blogspot.com)
The Heist and the Accomplice 
(http://www.myspace.com/theheistandtheaccomplice)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro

This is a free show, a relative rarity at the Cradle. Buncha great local 
pop(ish) bands, with a fairly early start time, a smoke-free room, and 
no cover? I expect to see you all there.

Schooner represent the new swoony croony adult-pop face of that 
ex-shoegaze Durham label Pox World Empire. OK, not really: they know how 
to step on a distortion pedal at just the right moment; plus, Audubon 
Park are also on Pox World Empire, and their highly tricked-out 
hyperliterate OCD short-attention-span indie-rock freakpop doesn't do 
much swooning or crooning.

Pleasant used to be on the bill, but they've been replaced by Un Deux 
Trois, which is the new side-project from Bellafea singer/guitarist 
Heather McEntire, In The Year of the Pig drummer Jenks Miller, and 
(nowadays, apparently) bassist Maria Albani of Pleasant.



Friday, January 12
Megafaun    (http://www.myspace.com/megafaun)
Homemade Knives    (http://www.myspace.com/homemadeknivesrva)
David Shultz    (http://www.purevolume.com/davidshultz)
Chaz's Bull City Records, Durham

Rare show at Chaz's; couplea folks from Richmond, plus Raleigh's 
Megafaun, featuring many of the ex-members of DeYarmond Edison.



Friday, January 12
The Showteens    (http://www.myspace.com/theshowteens)
Kingsbury Manx    (http://www.thekingsburymanx.com/)
The Cave, Chapel Hill

This is the late (10:00) show at the Cave. Showteens would appear to 
contain a member or two of the defunct Grasshopper Highway. Kingsbury 
Manx have always moved at their own pastoral pace, which may explain why 
they're still here & still lovely.



Friday, January 12
The Strugglers    (http://www.thestrugglers.org/)
Lost in the Trees    (http://www.lostinthetrees.com)
Auxiliary House    (http://www.trekkyrecords.com/auxhouse.html)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

The Strugglers are the top of the heap among local country/folk/rock 
bands; Randy Bickford's hushed warble gets better & more distinctive 
every time I see him, and when he's got a band behind him, he can go 
from heartbreak & near-silence to full-blown soul swing.

Lost in the Trees is a side-project of The Never's Ari Picker, I think. 
Auxiliary House is the Trekky Records house band. When I saw them last 
year, they had like 12 people onstage, and they used 'em all.



Friday, January 12
The Physics of Meaning    (http://www.thephysicsofmeaning.com/)
Adah    (http://www.adahmusic.com)
Kings, Raleigh

The Physics of Meaning are members of the Bu Hanan collective; they make 
ornate pop/rock that's simultaneously highly articulate & highly emotiona.



Friday, January 12
Killick    (http://www.myspace.com/iamkillick)
sqrt(ur mother)    (http://www.brokenfadercartel.com)
Feral Pony
Nightlight, Chapel Hill



Friday, January 12
Goner    (http://www.gonertheband.com/)
Fighting Poseidon    (http://www.myspace.com/fightingposeidon)
Slim's Downtown, Raleigh

Goner are the original Raleigh keyb-bass-drums "emo" rockband; they're 
not "emo" like the bands on MTV2; they're "emo" like they've got 
something to say & they're not afraid to say it.

Fighting Poseidon is a new indie/punk band with ex-members of Kudzu Wish 
& I forget who else.



Saturday, January 13
Michael Zerang    (http://www.michaelzerang.com)
Broad Street Cafe, Durham

Because it just wouldn't be a night at the Broad St. Cafe without at 
least 2-3 shows booked sequentially, here's something to start your 
evening off, at 8:00 pm sharp. Our friend Shannon "Scene of the Crime 
Rovers" Morrow says: "Bad-ass Chicago improvisor/percussionist Michael 
Zerang of Peter Brotmann Chicago Tentet fame will be doing a solo 
percussion performance."

Shannon recently moved back here from Chicago herself, so I'm assuming 
she has firsthand experience with Michael's bad-assedness. And since 
she's pretty damn badass herself, I'd say she knows what she's talking 
about.



Saturday, January 13
Beloved Binge    (http://www.myspace.com/belovedbinge)
Midtown Dickens    (http://www.myspace.com/midtowndickens)
Eberhardt    (http://www.myspace.com/eberhardtnc)
Broad Street Cafe, Durham

Battle of the Durham duos. Eberhardt are gtr/drums/trombone; Midtown 
Dickens are banjo/accordion/trumpet (plus whatever else is lying 
around); Beloved Binge are gtr/drums/vegan White Russians.



Saturday, January 13
Ahleuchatistas    (http://www.ahleuchatistas.com/go.php)
Bickett Gallery, Raleigh

Ahleuchatistas are from Asheville; they make crazy spazzy insanely tight 
instrumental gtr-bass-drums taut-rock and/or avant-jazz.



Saturday, January 13
The Old Ceremony    (http://www.theoldceremony.com/)
Prabir and the Substitutes    (http://www.prabirandthesubstitutes.com/)
Local 506, Chapel Hill



Sunday, January 14
Cities    (http://www.citiesmusic.com)
The Shrink    (http://www.myspace.com/theshrinkband)
Esque    (http://www.myspace.com/esqueband)
Kings, Raleigh



Tuesday, January 16
The Tourist    (http://www.myspace.com/thetouristnc)
The Sibling Project    (http://www.thesiblingproject.com/)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

The Sibling Project are from Raleigh; they give the appearance of being 
actual siblings. Kinda keyboardy emo-pop with the boy/girl off-kilter 
vox that the kids adore. The Tourist is a guy from Cary (yes, apparently 
some people *are* "from" Cary).



Wednesday, January 17
Benjy Ferree    (http://www.benjyferree.com/)
Erie Choir    (http://www.eriechoir.com)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

Erie Choir released a brilliant album late last year; if you haven't 
heard it, you're gonna have to stop & rearrange your 10-best list to 
make room. RIYL sorrow, longing, self-deprecation and, um, George Harrison.



Thursday, January 18
3 Christs    (http://www.myspace.com/the3christs)
Kings of Prussia    (http://www.myspace.com/kingsofprussia)
Marvell Building, Durham

The Marvell is on Main St. in Durham. The 3 Christs are self-described 
"skunk punk;" Kings of Prussia are from Asheville, though apparently 
Miami immediately prior to that.



Thursday, January 18
Gil Mantera's Party Dream    (http://www.partydream.com/)
Opening Flower Happy Bird    (http://www.myspace.com/openingflowerhappybird)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

Gil Mantera's Party Dream make ultra-silly keyboard dance-pop of the 
"two dudes in spandex with bad facial hair & a shitload of carefully 
thrift-shopped accessories, singing as faux-soulfully as possible" 
variety. Funny, or not, I dunno. Funnier on the computer at work in 
earshot of yr coworkers than at midnight at a rockclub, maybe.

Opening Flower Happy Bird are also two guys with synths (as well as a 
guitar and some real drums), but last time I saw them they were dressed 
like everybody else in the room, and their songs seemed fairly sincere, 
in a good way.



Thursday, January 18
Red Collar    (http://www.myspace.com/redcollarmusic)
Spider Bags    (http://www.myspace.com/spiderbags)
Dry Heathens    (http://www.myspace.com/dryheathens)
Reservoir, Carrboro

How did the earnest pale-blue-collar post-fugazi craft-rockers of Red 
Collar get mixed up with a bunch of hate-filled hyper-sarcastic 
ne'er-do-wells like [indie-rockers] the Dry Heathens and [drunk country 
motherfuckers] the Spider Bags?



Friday, January 19
Chatham County Line    (http://www.chathamcountyline.com/)
The Mad Tea Party    (http://www.themadteaparty.com/)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro



Friday, January 19
Fin Fang Foom    (http://www.lovitt.com/artists/finfangfoom.html)
Kerbloki    (http://www.kerbloki.com/)
Bellafea    (http://www.bellafea.com/)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

This is a 10th-anniversary and CD-release party for Fin Fang Foom, and 
it has been a long time coming. Joining them to celebrate are the goofy 
party-rappers Kerbloki, and gtr/drums duo Bellafea, who cranked things 
up about 18 notches with their breathtaking performance at last year's 
Trekky Christmas show at the Cradle. Ones to watch.



Friday, January 19
Dead Elephant Bicycle    (http://www.myspace.com/deadelephantbicycle)
Function    (http://www.functionensemble.com/ )
Apothecary Hymns    (http://www.apothecaryhymns.net/)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

Function are from Australia, apparently. Dead Elephant Bicycle are from 
a little closer to home -- Winston-Salem.



Friday, January 19
Magic Babies    (http://www.myspace.com/themagicbabies)
Eyes to Space    (http://www.eyestospace.net/)
Slim's Downtown, Raleigh

Eyes to Space are nerdy space-rock from Chapel Hill. The Magic Babies 
are a couple of guys (Galen--lead gtr, and Charles--bass) from The 
Weather, plus some other dudes (one of whom I used to live with, long 
long ago). Given that pedigree, I'd assume they'd be blissfully 
Badfingery, or something.



Saturday, January 20
Camera Obscura    (http://www.camera-obscura.net/)
The Essex Green    (http://www.essexgreen.com/)
Georgie James    (http://www.myspace.com/georgiejames)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro



Saturday, January 20
The Breaks
Sodajerk    (http://www.sodajerkcountry.com)
The Cave, Chapel Hill



Saturday, January 20
Shannon O'Connor    (http://shannonoconnor.com/)
Robo Sapien    (http://www.gorobosapien.com/)
The Ex-Members    (http://www.myspace.com/theexmembers)
Wetlands, Chapel Hill

This is a benefit for Planned Parenthood. Shannon O'Connor is some kinda 
country/folk diva; Robo Sapien bring the stoopid-phat laptop beats and 
queer (as in weird *and* as in queer) rhymes. The Ex-Members are all 
ex-Gerty & they're still rocking the 80s-inspired synth/gtr-dance-pop.



Saturday, January 20
Death of the Sun    (http://www.myspace.com/deathofthesun)
Violet Vector and the Lovely Lovelies 
(http://www.myspace.com/violetvectorandthelovelylovelies)
The Gondoliers    (http://www.myspace.com/comeseethegondoliers)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

Yet another crop of Bright New Chapel Hill bands, though both Gondoliers 
and Death of the Sun are actually recombinations/supergroups, featuring 
ex-members of the Spinns & Young Idea (Gondoliers) and Fashion Design & 
My Dear Ella (DotS). Best thing about living around here: how quickly 
folks get back on the bicycle.



Saturday, January 20
Kenny Roby    (http://www.kennyroby.com)
Charles Latham    (http://www.myspace.com/sircharleslatham)
Bickett Gallery, Raleigh

Kenny Roby is a longtime Raleigh country-soul singer; he used to front a 
downright amazing band called Six String Drag, back in the 90s. Charles 
Latham is a scrawny young man with an acoustic guitar, a big mouth, and 
a seemingly endless supply of witty material that's personal without 
getting soppy, and political without [mostly] getting too preachy.



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