RTP-area local music and culture

[grady <grady AT ibiblio.org>]

Friday, March 2
Red Collar    (http://www.myspace.com/redcollarmusic)
Beloved Binge    (http://www.myspace.com/belovedbinge)
305 South, Durham

This is a CD-release party for the new Red Collar EP. Cassandra Project 
used to be on the bill, but they're feeling poorly, so Durham allstars 
Beloved Binge are stepping in.



Friday, March 2
Sparklehorse    (http://www.sparklehorse.com)
Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter    (http://www.jessesykes.com)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro



Friday, March 2
Kingsbury Manx    (http://www.thekingsburymanx.com/)
Heads on Sticks    (http://www.thisisstrange.org/)
Hundred Air    (http://www.myspace.com/hundredair)
Kings, Raleigh

Kingsbury Manx we all know, of course; they are the Triangle's finest 
purveyors of slow-n-pastoral psych-pop. Hundred Air are the new band of 
Adam Price (ex-Mayflies USA). Heads on Sticks is the solo side-project 
of Strange's Dave Mueller.



Friday, March 2
Red Sparowes    (http://www.redsparowes.com)
William Elliott Whitmore    (http://www.southern.net/southern/band/WILEW)
US Christmas    (http://www.uschristmas.net)
Local 506, Chapel Hill



Friday, March 2
Electric Sunshine
Slim's Downtown, Raleigh



Saturday, March 3
Clang Quartet    (http://www.myspace.com/clangquartet)
Veronique Diabolique    (http://www.veroniquediabolique.com/)
Bombadil    (http://www.bombadilmusic.com/)
Beloved Binge    (http://www.myspace.com/belovedbinge)
The Gates of Beauty    (http://www.myspace.com/gatesofbeauty)
Broad Street Cafe, Durham

This is Dorkfest Two. A Durham band called Salt To Bitters is also on 
the bill. It's up to you to determine what the word "dork" means to you, 
and to act appropriately. I know what it means to me, and it's probably 
in this photo somewhere: 
http://www.veroniquediabolique.com/photos/dorkfest2.jpg

Veronique Diabolique, when they aren't dressed like dorks, dress like 
French Goths, and act accordingly. Beloved Binge are dorky in that cute 
"self-deprecating jokes about themselves" kinda way. Clang Quartet is 
kind of ultimately dorky, in the sense that Scotty travels all over the 
southeast performing an intense noise/percussion show about Jesus.

Gates of Beauty bill themselves as "three women . . . three instruments 
. . . three time signatures"



Saturday, March 3
The Fake Accents    (http://thefakeaccents.com)
The Binary Marketing Show    (http://www.myspace.com/thebinarymarketingshow)
Josh Abbott    (http://www.myspace.com/joshuadavidabbott)
The Sheave Room, Carrboro

The Sheave Room is a collective practice/art/showspace on the 2nd floor 
of the Main St Carrboro building that houses Nested. Old-timers will 
remember when Merge Records used to be up there, as well as some of the 
Mammoth folks (I think the first time I met Lane Wurster, in 1992, it 
was up there).

The Binary Marketing Show is a Problem of Alarming Dimensions side-project.



Saturday, March 3
AOK    (http://www.myspace.com/aoknc)
Hammer No More the Fingers    (http://www.hnmtf.com)
305 South, Durham



Saturday, March 3
Dirty on Purpose    (http://www.dirtyonpurpose.com/)
Grizzly Bear    (http://www.grizzly-bear.net/)
Papercuts    (http://www.myspace.com/papercutsmusic)
Local 506, Chapel Hill



Sunday, March 4
Earl Greyhound    (http://www.myspace.com/earlgreyhound)
Apollo Sunshine    (http://www.apollosunshine.com)
Moros Eros    (http://www.myspace.com/moroseros)
Local 506, Chapel Hill



Monday, March 5
Of Montreal    (http://www.angelfire.com/ga/ofmontreal/)
Grand Buffet    (http://www.grandbuffet.com/)
Mixel Pixel    (http://www.mixelpixel.com/)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro



Tuesday, March 6
Elvis Perkins    (http://www.elvisperkins.net/)
Patrick Watson    (http://www.patrickwatson.net)
Local 506, Chapel Hill



Tuesday, March 6
Across the Elementary    (http://www.myspace.com/acrosstheelementary)
Butterflies    (http://www.myspace.com/butterfliesnc)
These United States    (http://www.theseunitedstates.net)
Revival    (http://myspace.com/revivalx)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill



Wednesday, March 7
Frank Gratkowski    (http://www.gratkowski.com/)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

German reedman Frank Gratkowski has been making regular stops in the 
Triangle for most of the past decade, thanks to the efforts of the 
original AIM cabal, as well as Micro-East Collective mastermind/Umbrella 
Recordings impresario/obsessive improvising percussionist Ian Davis.

Frank has in the past stopped over in the Triangle for a period of a few 
days to a couple of weeks, playing with different groups of local 
improvisers, doing workshops, etc. One such stopover from 2004 was 
chronicled on this CD, which features a mix of "out" skronks-and-creaks, 
and slightly more "in" but still-challenging melodic work.

For this show he'll be playing with a local pick-up group called, at 
present, the Triangular Quartet.



Wednesday, March 7
The Rosebuds    (http://www.therosebuds.com/)
Monotonix    (http://www.monotonix.com/)
Un Deux Trois    (http://www.undeuxtroisband.com/)
Kings, Raleigh

I've only heard a couple of songs from the new/upcoming Rosebuds CD, and 
they were much more spacey & beat-oriented than any previous Rosebuds 
stuff. Is this an organic new direction, or just a reflection of their 
long history of drummer troubles? And how will it translate live?

I got a copy of the upcoming Un Deux Trois EP in the mail the other day, 
and it sounds like, well, Bellafea, which is singer/guitarist Heather 
McEntire's other band. Not sure how she divvys up the song ideas (or if 
Bellafea is even still a going concern), but regardless, in terms of 
songwriting & performance, it's the best Heather McEntire music yet.



Wednesday, March 7
That One Guy    (http://www.that1guy.com/)
Local 506, Chapel Hill



Thursday, March 8
Cities    (http://www.citiesmusic.com)
Pattern is Movement    (http://www.patternismovement.com/)
The Nothing Noise    (http://www.myspace.com/thenothingnoise)
Blend, Chapel Hill

Blend is the new name of the bar formerly known as Wetlands; they've 
turned the backside of the wraparound bar into a cafe, apparently, and 
they've formalized their schedule such that certain nights are for 
dancing, certain nights are for chilling, and only one or two nights a 
week are for live music.

Pattern is Movement are from Philly, and they make crazy proggy mathy 
indie-rock that manages to push me right on through the annoyance caused 
by the weird vocal stylings of their singer, into a kind of perverse 
appreciation of just how obtuse they manage to be. Plus the guy's kind 
of amusing to talk to.

Cities are almost certainly not the same well-dressed & cute young band 
who released their postpunk-dancey debut album on Yep Roc last year. Are 
they another year wiser, or just older?



Thursday, March 8
The Big Sleep    (http://thebigsleep.net/)
The Thermals    (http://www.myspace.com/thethermals)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

The Thermals' "Here's Your Future" made the Pitchfork top-100 singles of 
2006 list, and I suppose there's always a first time for everything, so 
here's (as far as I can recall) my first-ever Pitchfork quote:

"Picture Jesus Christ Superstar soundtracked by the Ramones, and you're 
pretty close to "Here's Your Future", which spins a dystopian fascist 
nightmare of the future with Christian folklore, while remaining vague 
and spiteful enough for anyone to rock out to."



Thursday, March 8
Eberhardt    (http://www.myspace.com/eberhardtnc)
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea 
(http://www.myspace.com/devilandthesea)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill



Thursday, March 8
Deep Sea Diving    (http://www.myspace.com/deepseadiving)
Hammer No More the Fingers    (http://www.hnmtf.com)
Fuse, Chapel Hill



Friday, March 9
The Drowsies    (http://www.drowsies.com/)
Witches With Dicks    (http://www.witcheswithdicks.com)
Legion of Supervillains    (http://www.myspace.com/thelegionofsupervillains)
Chaz's Bull City Records, Durham

This is the last show at Chaz's; not because he's closing (he's not!), 
or because the floor caved in (it hasn't, yet), but because Bull City HQ 
opens tomorrow! Whoo-hoo!

So to celebrate, Chaz is [perhaps unwisely] giving the punkrockers one 
more chance to destroy his floor.



Friday, March 9
Castanets    (http://www.asthmatickitty.com/musicians.php?artistID=2)
The Physics of Meaning    (http://www.thephysicsofmeaning.com/)
Auxiliary House    (http://www.trekkyrecords.com/auxhouse.html)
Shapes and Sizes    (http://www.shapesandsizes.ca)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

It's getting close to SXSW time, so we're getting our annual influx of 
smaller touring bands on their way to Texas. I dunno anything about any 
of them; I just know that this is one of those periods when it's a pain 
in the ass to maintain this website.

Physics of Meaning & Auxiliary House I do know about; Physics are one of 
the bands of Bu Hanan, and they're fronted by violinist Daniel Hart. 
Auxiliary House is the large house band of Chapel Hill's Trekky Records; 
last time I saw them at Nightlight there were like 12 people on the 
Nightlight stage, which is actually physically impossible, so I dunno 
how that worked, but work it did. That was one of the better shows I've 
seen in the past 6 months, actually; every inch of the room that wasn't 
full of band was full of audience.



Friday, March 9
The Sammies    (http://www.myspace.com/thesammies)
The Whigs    (http://www.thewhigs.com)
Wax Fang    (http://www.myspace.com/waxfang)
Local 506, Chapel Hill



Saturday, March 10
Dead Elephant Bicycle    (http://www.myspace.com/deadelephantbicycle)
Future Kings of Nowhere    (http://www.thefuturekings.net/)
Beloved Binge    (http://www.myspace.com/belovedbinge)
Eberhardt    (http://www.myspace.com/eberhardtnc)
Mandarin Dynasty    (http://www.mandarindynasty.net)
Bull City Headquarters, Durham

This is the Grand Opening of Bull City HQ, a new art/music/whatever 
co-op space on Mangum Street in Durham, opened by a buncha folks (like 
Chaz, and the Midtown Dickens, and a lot of other peeps). Go by, hang 
out, ask questions, get involved, or just see some music. (I think it 
gets rolling early-style, like 7:00) Here's Chaz's rundown of the bands:

Dead Elephant Bicycle - moody, amazing, drunk poetness. Durham/Winston.
Mandarin Dynasty - folky, psychedelic, pretty, awesome. outta San Diego.
Eberhardt - swampy, barroom blues swing outta Durham.
Beloved Binge - quirky all-over-the-board, strange indie duo. Durham.
Future Kings of Nowhere - smiley, acoustic pop punk all doped up on They 
Might Be Giants and Elvis Costello.



Saturday, March 10
Bibis Ellison    (http://www.myspace.com/bibisellison)
Alina Simone    (http://www.girlwithguitar.net/)
Tigersaw    (http://www.tigersaw.com)
Broad Street Cafe, Durham



Saturday, March 10
Bowerbirds    (http://www.bowerbirds.org)
Un Deux Trois    (http://www.undeuxtroisband.com/)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

This is an EP-release show for Un Deux Trois, who've just released a 
4-song EP on their own Holidays for Quince label. It's good stuff; if 
you're familiar with singer Heather McEntire's other band, Bellafea, 
then this stuff may sound familiar.

Bowerbirds are one of my favorite bands, and as great as their "Danger 
at Sea" EP was last year (top-3 of the year for me, easily), their live 
show is even better.



Saturday, March 10
Boner Machine    (http://www.unc.edu/~smith99/bm)
Lexie Mountain Boys    (http://www.myspace.com/mountainlex)
WZT Hearts    (http://www.wzthearts.com)
Ecstatic Sunshine    (http://www.ecstaticsunshine.com)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill



Saturday, March 10
Spider Bags    (http://www.myspace.com/spiderbags)
The Coydogs    (http://www.myspace.com/thecoydogs)
The Cave, Chapel Hill



--------> http://www.trianglerock.com <--------