RTP-area local music and culture

[grady <grady AT ibiblio.org>]

Thursday, February 8
Squirrel Nut Zippers    (http://www.snzippers.com/)
The Old Ceremony    (http://www.theoldceremony.com/)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro

This is the half of the Squirrel Nut Zippers that includes Jimbo, 
Catherine, [I think] original drummer Chris Phillips, and some portion 
of some version of the horn section. Notably absent: Ken Mosher & Tom 
Maxwell. They still haven't quite patched up those bad feelings between 
the two camps.

I wonder if that means they won't be playing any of the Maxwell-penned 
numbers, such as "Hell." Hmm . . .



Thursday, February 8
Hi-Fi Sky    (http://www.hi-fisky.com)
Jeffrey Dean Foster    (http://www.jeffreydeanfoster.com/)
Lynn Blakey
Local 506, Chapel Hill

Jeffrey Dean Foster was in the almost-caught-the-ring Winston-Salem band 
The Right Profile. He keeps banging away at it, and [I believe] 
self-released his most recent album, so maybe the elusive ring isn't 
such a big deal anymore.

Lynn Blakey was in a great band called Glory Fountain, and is currently 
in another great band called Tres Chicas.



Thursday, February 8
Beloved Binge    (http://www.myspace.com/belovedbinge)
Eberhardt    (http://www.myspace.com/eberhardtnc)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

Two Durham duos. Beloved Binge have been at it longer; they released a 
CD in their former hometown of Seattle, and then moved here a year or 
two ago & released another one. They make gtr-drums indie-rock with a 
stripped-down K-style aesthetic, though maybe a little more distortion 
pedal.

Eberhardt are also a gtr-drums duo, though occasionally trombone & banjo 
make an appearance as well.



Friday, February 9
Charles Latham    (http://www.myspace.com/sircharleslatham)
Midtown Dickens    (http://www.myspace.com/midtowndickens)
Future Kings of Nowhere    (http://www.thefuturekings.net/)
Wigg Report    (http://www.synchronizedswim.org)
Billy Sugarfix    (http://www.soundclick.com/bands/8/billysugarfix.htm)
Duke Coffeehouse, Durham

This is being billed as the First Annual AntiFolk Southeast 
Extravaganza. What defines AntiFolk? I dunno, but I think it has 
something to do with writing wordy songs & playing acoustic guitar but 
not getting too hung up on sincerity.



Friday, February 9
Black Skies    (http://www.myspace.com/losblackskies)
The Needles    (http://www.moonrockneedles.com/)
Adult Film Makers    (http://www.myspace.com/adultfilmmakers)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

Black Skies are the heavy rockband of Cat's Cradle doorman Kevin Clark 
(ex-The Man, ex-Smearcase). The Needles are a kinda trashy rockband from 
Wilmington. Adult Film Makers are a rock-n-roll side-project wherein Bad 
Checks/Ghost of Rock/Victory Factory drummer Rock Forbes gets up & sings.



Friday, February 9
Double Negative    (http://www.myspace.com/thedoublenegative)
Caltrop    (http://www.myspace.com/caltropband)
Hex Machine    (http://www.myspace.com/hexmachine)
Kings, Raleigh

Double Negative are a Raleigh hardcore band made up of a bunch of 
veterans of the 80s NC hardcore scene; remarkably enough, they totally 
kick ass, without any of the overproficiency or metal-crossover issues 
that so many adult-HC bands seem to get tripped up by.

Caltrop are uber-heavy; they make songs like the earth cracking in two.



Saturday, February 10
Veronique Diabolique    (http://www.veroniquediabolique.com/)
The Cave, Chapel Hill

This is the early (7:30-ish) show. Veronique Diabolique are, of course, 
the French Goths of Durham. They're especially fond of Valentine's Day, 
so the proximity of the holiday should make for a particularly Gothic 
evening.



Saturday, February 10
Scott Biram    (http://www.scottbiram.com/)
Black Diamond Heavies    (http://www.blackdiamondheavies.com)
Hideaway BBQ, Raleigh



Saturday, February 10
Fake Swedish    (http://fakeswedish.4t.com/index.html)
Bringerer    (http://www.myspace.com/bringerer)
Hope, Star & Browning    (http://www.lowcityrecords.com/)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

Fake Swedish are reuniting, perhaps just for this show, perhaps for 
more, I'm not sure. You should assume it's just for this one show, and 
make damn sure you make it out to see them; they were truly one of the 
great local bands of the last five years. All snappily dressed and in 
love with 70s brit-rock, psych, and Scott Walker.

Bringerer are also making a rare appearance; I dunno if their 
disappearance counted as a breakup or just a hibernation, but either 
way, catch 'em while you can.



Saturday, February 10
Twilighter    (http://twilighter.net/)
Warm in the Wake    (http://www.warminthewake.com/)
The Cave, Chapel Hill

Twilighter are a far stranger band than they used to be, a couple of 
years ago. Or so their new record would suggest; it's sung primarily by 
a man whose voice falls somewhere in the neighborhood of Lou Reed or 
Gordon Gano, with music falling generally somewhere between country-rock 
and the later Velvet Underground. Sometimes he's joined on vox by Sonar 
Strange, who was in Foreign Bodies & Safehouse back in the 80s. There's 
a weird feeling about the whole thing that's not entirely unpleasant.



Saturday, February 10
Caltrop    (http://www.myspace.com/caltropband)
Hex Machine    (http://www.myspace.com/hexmachine)
Tiger Bear Wolf    (http://www.tigerbearwolf.com)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

Heavy & slow (Caltrop) meets slightly-less-heavy and faster (Tiger Bear 
Wolf). TBW are from Greensboro, and they fall somewhere between 
Motorhead and the Allman Brothers.



Sunday, February 11
The Cartridge Family    (http://www.cartridge-family.com/)
WXDU 88.7 FM, Durham

The Cartridge Family are a Raleigh rockband who come from somewhere near 
the intersection of Blonde on Blonde, Exile on Main Street, and the New 
York Dolls. 5:00 p.m. 88.7 FM or wxdu.org.



Sunday, February 11
The Dave Rawlings Machine 
(http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=106309538)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro

This is what I read elsewhere about how the Dave Rawlings (longtime 
Gillian Welch guitarist/partner-in-crime) Machine thing works:

"Dave Rawlings does whatever he wants at the shows. Clearly, it is a duo 
show with Gillian Welch adding her guitar touch and background vocals. 
Dave sings songs he's written and decides what covers they'll do. At the 
Asheville show, just like many other "Machine" shows, he lets Gillian 
sing lead on one song late in the second set. She did "White Rabbit" in 
Asheville. Expect the unexpected..."

I haven't seen this thing in action (well, I've seen Gillian 2-3 times, 
and I think Dave is probably the best guitarist I've ever seen--I 
haven't seen him lead the show, though), so don't go taking my word, or 
the word of the anonymous person I quoted, for anything. But here's the 
setlist from the Asheville show in December:

I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
Diamond Joe
I Hear Them All
Elvis Presley Blues
Stagger Lee
Country Girl
Knuckleball Catcher
Jack-A-Roe
Lonesome Hobo ->
Call Me The Breeze


Casey Jones
Untitled
I Pity The Poor Immigrant
To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High)
White Rabbit
The Sunny Side Of Life
Racing In The Street
Tired Eyes
Queen Jane Approximately

Tear It Down
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Jackson

p.s. he's also playing the Flying Anvil in Greensboro on Saturday the 
10th . . .



Sunday, February 11
Oxford Collapse    (http://www.oxfordcollapse.com/)
Thunderbirds Are Now!    (http://www.thunderbirdsarenow.com/)
Fan-Tan 
(http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=148121401)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

Fan-Tan is the new band with Kuki and Sandee (ex-Fashion Design), plus 
Ryan Dunlap, who I believe has done time in North Elementary. This is 
their first show.



Monday, February 12
Deerhoof    (http://deerhoof.killrockstars.com/)
Harlem Shakes    (http://www.myspace.com/harlemshakes)
Maple Stave    (http://www.maplestave.com)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro

I heard a song from the latest Deerhoof CD on the radio this morning, 
and by god, I think they've grown on me almost enough to say I like 'em.

This is a state that most of my friends have been in for some time now, 
of course, but between the flighty vox and the short-attention-spanness 
of the whole thing, I've just never really been down with the 'hoof (not 
that those things are necessarily good examples of why-not, inasmuch as 
they'd just as readily describe most of my favorite bands. No matter.) 
Seeing them on the last tour didn't really push me in either direction, 
either.

If I were going, which I ain't, I'd be certain to show up early enough 
to see Maple Stave.



Monday, February 12
Costes    (http://costes.org)
Mr. Natural
Clang Quartet    (http://www.myspace.com/clangquartet)
Jason Crumer    (http://www.dadadrumming.org/jasoncrumer/)
Buddy Ship
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

OK, so those of you who follow(ed) the life of Lisa Crystal Carver, 
former Rollerderby publisher/editrix, all-around badass 
self-chronicler/filthy degenerate/sweet New Hampshire girl . . . ummm . 
. . oh yeah, ya might remember Costes, Lisa's scabrous & scrawny French 
first husband. Get this: he's not just a character in a memoir, he 
actually exists, and he's going to bring his sex/poop-obsessed French 
noisemaking ass to Nightlight on a Monday night in February, just for you.

But surely you already knew that.

Local noise master Jason Crumer (Aluminum Noise, American Band, 
Facedowninshit, etc) will be collaborating with [apparent] Lightning 
Bolt side-project Buddy List. And Clang Quartet will be performing his 
latest interative advance in noise/percussion Jesus appreciation.



Monday, February 12
Chip Smoak    (http://asimpleband.net/)
Jen Richelson    (http://www.myspace.com/jenrichelson)
Fuse, Chapel Hill

Chip Smoak is the frontman for the band Simple; Jen Richelson writes and 
sings somewhat-Catpowery songs, and plays in The Rose Marie.



Tuesday, February 13
Jonathan Richman    (http://www.base.com/jonathan/jonathan.html)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro

Heh heh, you know, that guy from "There's Something About Mary"? I saw 
Jonathan Richman one time in the late 80s, which was always a perilous 
thing to do, as at that time he was really adamantly opposed to playing 
much/any of his older material. That wasn't really what did me in, 
though; it was the codeine cough syrup I was on, and the subsequent 12 
hours of unstoppable "Ice Cream Man" looping in my brain (and I don't 
even think he played it that night, so go figure).

I'm told he's less inclined against his earlier material nowadays, and 
I've never taken codeine since then, so maybe we're both OK.



Wednesday, February 14
Dexter Romweber    (http://www.dexterromweber.com)
The Cave, Chapel Hill

This is the early (7:30ish) show. Every song Dexter sings is a song of 
love, one way or another, and I can't think of a finer way to celebrate 
The Horrible Institution.



Wednesday, February 14
Scott Miller    (http://www.thescottmiller.com)
Gerald Duncan
Hideaway BBQ, Raleigh

Scott Miller used to be in the V-Roys; Gerald Duncan used to be in the 
seminal 80s SC->NC band the Accelerators.



Thursday, February 15
Love Hangover
Kings, Raleigh

This is the umpteenth annual Love Hangover, wherein various local duos 
get together on the 15th and sing songs of love lost, rejected, 
disdained, ignored or forgotten. This year's lineup:

Caitlin Cary & Scott Phillips (Tres Chicas/Goner)
Billie Karel & Roger Gupton (Memphisto/Hotel Lights)
Caroline Mamoulides & Brian Quast (The Bettys/Cherry Valence)
Lynn Blakey & Peter Holsapple (Tres Chicas/dBs)



Thursday, February 15
Greg Klaiber's Grabass Revue
Fighting Poseidon    (http://www.myspace.com/fightingposeidon)
Dr. Powerful    (http://drpowerful.googlepages.com)
Reservoir, Carrboro

Greg Klaiber's Grabass Revue features 2 members of Eyes to Space, along 
with guitarist Greg Klaiber, playing polka standards 
poppunk/metal-style. Fighting Poseidon is a buncha guys from other 
defunct bands, like Kudzu Wish & Alli with an I, making 
poppunk/indie-rock. Dr. Powerful are from Sanford, and they've got 
ex-Polvo drummer Eddie Watkins.



Friday, February 16
Killer Filler    (http://www.myspace.com/killerfiller)
The Cave, Chapel Hill

Killer Filler is the surfy/garagey/organy 60s-style instrumental combo 
of Crispy Bess, who played keyboards in Southern Culture on the Skids 
during their baroque period.



Friday, February 16
The People Under the Bridge 
(http://www.duckonbike.com/artistinfo.asp?artistid=378)
Mingus Young    (http://www.mingusyoung.com/)
Vibrant Green    (http://vibrantgreen.iuma.com)
Local 506, Chapel Hill



Friday, February 16
The Futurists    (http://www.myspace.com/thefuturists)
Electric Sunshine
Proof    (http://www.prooftheband.org)
Kings, Raleigh

Did I read somewhere that Electric Sunshine is the new band of Eddie 
Taylor (ex-Loners)? Proof are way overdue to release their second album; 
they're a Raleigh three-piece, heavy on the circular dynamics.



Friday, February 16
DMVB    (http://www.myspace.com/dmvb)
Embarrassing Fruits    (http://www.myspace.com/embarrassingfruits)
Ships
Remote Islands    (http://www.remoteislandsrockgroup.com)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill



Saturday, February 17
Spider Bags    (http://www.myspace.com/spiderbags)
Kingsbury Manx    (http://www.thekingsburymanx.com/)
Big Fat Gap    (http://www.bigfatgap.com/)
Michael Holland    (http://www.bigjohnsrecords.com)
Hearts and Daggers    (http://www.heartsanddaggers.com/ )
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro

This is a benefit show for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Kingsbury 
Manx are our own new-psych pastoralists; Spider Bags make filthy boozy 
country-rock--they are the Cocksucker Blues of Chapel Hill. Michael 
Holland's most recent album consisted of cut-and-pasted instrumental 
tracks provided by local bluegrass band Big Fat Gap, over which he laid 
vocals that meandered between old-time and ever-so-paranoiac.

Hearts and Daggers are from Raleigh, and they released an excellent 
little cowpunk EP last year, "A Home for my Lonely Tears."



Saturday, February 17
Cough    (http://www.myspace.com/cough666)
Descolada    (http://www.myspace.com/descolada)
Caltrop    (http://www.myspace.com/caltropband)
Black Skies    (http://www.myspace.com/losblackskies)
305 South, Durham

This show was booked by Chaz, I believe, but his website said it was set 
for 305 South, so that's what I'm listing. I can't get MySpace to behave 
today, so I'm unable to hear/grab you any music by Descolada, who are 
from Asheville. Caltrop & Black Skies I've probably rambled enough 
about; Caltrop are huge & mega-heavy--I always visualize big iron safes 
dropping out of the sky, one after another. Black Skies are the band 
that formed from the ashes of The Man, and they're fronted by Kevin 
Clark, who's often manning the door at Cat's Cradle.



Saturday, February 17
Birds of Avalon    (http://www.myspace.com/birdsofavalon)
Akron/Family    (http://www.younggodrecords.com/product.asp?P_ID=37)
Duke Coffeehouse, Durham



Saturday, February 17
James Dunn
Remote Islands    (http://www.remoteislandsrockgroup.com)
Viswas
Bickett Gallery, Raleigh



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