RTP-area local music and culture

[grady <grady AT ibiblio.org>]

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
Can Joann    (http://www.canjoann.com/)
Red Collar    (http://www.myspace.com/redcollarmusic)
Saunter    (http://www.sauntermusic.com/)
Broad Street Cafe, Durham

This is a benefit for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. It's $8 and 
starts at 8:00; there are 5 bands on the bill in total (the other two 
being Jeff Crawford, and The Relatively Calm).

Red Collar's new EP is a huge step up for them; the disparate elements 
that have been floating around in their music for the past 18 months 
have coalesced into a taut postpunk that's working-class, not "punk;" 
honestly emotive, not "emo;" world-weary, but anything but nihilistic.



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



Sunday, March 11
Can Joann    (http://www.canjoann.com/)
Mancino    (http://www.mancinomusic.com)
Your Black Star    (http://www.yourblackstar.com)
Reservoir, Carrboro

I'm kinda half-eagerly awaiting new music from Can Joann, to see whether 
they abandon the phoned-in vocal effect that was so prominent on their 
last album. There's just no avoiding the Strokes comparison whenever 
that's used nowadays (and actually, there's something in the thin 
melodicism of Can Joann that's kinda Strokesy, as well), and I'd rather 
be able to evaluate them on their own merits.



Sunday, March 11
Clang Quartet    (http://www.myspace.com/clangquartet)
Magik Markers    (http://magikmarkers.netfirms.com/)
Quivering Chariots
The Spikula Twins
Nightlight, Chapel Hill



Sunday, March 11
Winterpills    (http://www.winterpills.com)
The Cave, Chapel Hill



Sunday, March 11
Demander    (http://www.demandernyc.com/)
Slim's Downtown, Raleigh



Monday, March 12
Erie Choir    (http://www.eriechoir.com)
The Capitol Years    (http://www.capitolyears.com/)
Maria Taylor    (http://www.saddle-creek.com/bands/mariataylor/)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

Erie Choir's 2006 album "Slighter Awake" (which finally gets reviewed in 
the Indy this week) was one of my top-3 of 2006. It's a gorgeous mature 
album, kinda depressing in spots, but so articulate and graceful that 
even its sadness fills me with joy.



Wednesday, March 14
Divided Like a Saint's    (http://www.dividedlikeasaints.com/)
The Cave, Chapel Hill



Thursday, March 15
Twilighter    (http://twilighter.net/)
Fuse, Chapel Hill

Some of these cats have been around awhile -- singer Sonar Strange was 
in Foreign Bodies & Safehouse back when some of y'all were still 
watching Muppet Babies NON-ironically. How exciting, then, to get the 
2nd Twilighter album, put it on, and discover that it's really fukkin 
*weird*. Demented, in a post-Velvets, post-Feelies, 
organic-but-really-uneasy kind of whine-pop way.

The story of the 90s around here was marked by a whole lot of old-timers 
making a whole lot of snarky remarks about bands like Superchunk, Polvo 
& the Archers, so it's a minor thrill to come across a band that'd 
clearly call all those false distinctions for the bullshit they always were.



Friday, March 16
Tom Maxwell    (http://www.tommaxwell.com)
The Cave, Chapel Hill

This is the early (7:30-8:00ish) show.



Friday, March 16
Bowerbirds    (http://www.bowerbirds.org)
Bull City Headquarters, Durham

Oh, there are so few words adequate to describe the incredible wide-eyed 
marvelous sweetness of the Bowerbirds.



Friday, March 16
Sorry About Dresden    (http://www.sorryaboutdresden.com)
The Nein    (http://www.thenein.com/)
Maple Stave    (http://www.maplestave.com)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

This is a free show, sponsored by the Triangle Zope & Python User's 
Group, as the sort of grand finale of a weeklong programmer-nerd 
conference they're throwing at UNC (they're also having a pig-pickin at 
a sadly undisclosed location). A certain Mr. 3 wanted to give the 
programmers a taste of what Chapel Hill is known for, so in addition to 
any basketball-related rioting that might occur, you've got three of the 
Triangle's finest indie-rock bands.



Friday, March 16
Antelope    (http://www.ant3lop3.com)
Powers
Kings, Raleigh



Saturday, March 17
Kenny Roby    (http://www.kennyroby.com)
The Cave, Chapel Hill

This is the early (7:30-8:00ish) show. Kenny Roby used to front a band 
called Six String Drag, who were, at their best, the finest of the 
mid-90s crop of Raleigh alt-country bands. Kenny's a singer/songwriter 
who holds Ralph Stanley, Elvis Costello, Doug Sahm and Bruce Springsteen 
in equally high esteem.



Saturday, March 17
Don Dixon    (http://www.myspace.com/dondixonsmusic)
Mitch Easter    (http://www.mitcheaster.com/)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro

Mitch is celebrating the release of a new album, "Dynamico."