RTP-area local music and culture

[grady <grady AT ibiblio.org>]

Thursday, April 5
Pigeon John    (http://www.pigeonjohn.com/)
Peeping Tom    (http://www.myspace.com/peepingtomispatton)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro



Thursday, April 5
Maple Stave    (http://www.maplestave.com)
The Men
The Longshoremen    (http://www.myspace.com/thelongshoremen)
Alias Smith & Jones    (http://www.myspace.com/aliassmithandjonesband)
Kings, Raleigh

The Maple Stave make sinewy mostly-instrumental 3-piece indie mathrock 
from Durham. Alias Smith & Jones is a new band with Greg Eades, who 
played bass for the late late great Vanilla Trainwreck, and Danny Kurtz, 
who was in the late late great Backsliders.



Thursday, April 5
Beloved Binge    (http://www.myspace.com/belovedbinge)
The Gates of Beauty    (http://www.myspace.com/gatesofbeauty)
The Cave, Chapel Hill

The Gates of Beauty are Anne Gomez (Cantwell Gomez Jordan) & Wendy 
Spitzer (Eyes to Space) on bass, and Shannon Morrow (Scene of the Crime 
Rovers) on drums. They make spacey rubberbandy 2-bass-n-drums rock.

Beloved Binge are from Durham: Rob plays guitar & drums; Eleni plays 
drums & guitar. They both sing. Not all their songs are about 
misanthropy, but enough are that I really love 'em.



Thursday, April 5
Phon
Kolyma    (http://www.myspace.com/kolyma)
The Hem of His Garment    (http://www.myspace.com/thehemofhisgarment)
Volume 11 Tavern, Raleigh

Volume 11 is the new club on the block in Raleigh. Up til now it has 
largely been booking metal/hardrock shows, but with the impending demise 
of Kings, will it be willing/able to stomach the thought of booking a 
wider variety?

This show could be considered a test of sorts, therefore. Kolyma are 
pretty freaking heavy, in an acid-damaged roll-on-the-floor freak-rock 
kind of way. But Phon and The Hem of His Garment are both drone central, 
albeit at wildly varying volumes, with Phon holding down the more 
ambient end of the spectrum, and The Hem threatening to render your ears 
obsolete.



Thursday, April 5
Remora    (http://www.silbermedia.com/remora/)
Hotel Hotel    (http://www.myspace.com/hotelhotel)
Revenge of Shinobi    (http://www.myspace.com/revengeofshinobi)
Clod and Pebble    (http://www.myspace.com/clodandpebble)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill



Friday, April 6
Pulsoptional    (http://www.pulsoptional.org/)
The Hem of His Garment    (http://www.myspace.com/thehemofhisgarment)
Bivins, Davis, and Ghaphery 
(http://www.umbrellarecordings.com/release.php?id=12)
Broad Street Cafe, Durham

This is a CD-release party for the new CD from the Durham-based 
21st-century composers' collective Pulsoptional. Also on the bill, local 
improvisers Bivins, Davis & Ghaphery, and Brown Sound questers The Hem 
of His Garment, who're wrapping up their whirlwind 3-night tour of the 
Triangle this evening.



Friday, April 6
Brown Mountain Lights    (http://www.brownmountainlights.net/)
Phil Lee    (http://www.phillee1.com)
Hege V    (http://www.vivanashvegas.com/home.htm)
Hideaway BBQ, Raleigh

Hege V is the country-rock-ish band of George Hamilton V, son of country 
legend George Hamilton IV. They put out a great twangy proto-alt-country 
album back in the 80s, and then broke up when George headed to Nashville.

Joining Hege is another Raleigh->Nashville expat, Phil Lee, as well as 
the not-yet-moved-to-Nashville Brown Mountain Lights.



Friday, April 6
TV Knife    (http://www.myspace.com/tvknife)
Hard Lessons    (http://www.thehardlessons.com/)
Double Negative    (http://www.myspace.com/thedoublenegative)
Magic Babies    (http://www.myspace.com/themagicbabies)
The Vicious
Kings, Raleigh

The final weekend at Kings commences with this mixed bag of kickass 
oldschool hardcore (Double Negative), uncategorizable Raleigh weirdness 
(TV Knife) and post-The Weather Badfingeryness (Magic Babies).



Friday, April 6
Chest Pains    (http://www.myspace.com/thechestpains)
Blag'ard    (http://www.blagard.com/)
The Cave, Chapel Hill

The Chest Pains are punk in that cool old-man way, kinda like how Mike 
Watt is punk. Except Mike Watt is playing bass for the Stooges right 
now, and even though they're old and kinda suck, that's still pretty 
fuckin' punk, so don't expect the Chest Pains to live up to that standard.

Also on the bill: Blag'ard, whose guitarist Joe Taylor swears, in 20+ 
years of playing guitar, that he never even attached a whammy bar to his 
guitar until he started Blag'ard last year. Now he's writing whole songs 
using little else but the thing. Like if Steve Vai had taken Eric 
Johnson's place in the Archers.



Friday, April 6
Nola    (http://www.myspace.com/nolaband)
The New Familiars    (http://www.myspace.com/fedorandguthrie)
Gambling the Muse    (http://www.myspace.com/gamblingthemuse)
Bickett Gallery, Raleigh

Nola had a CD-release party just the other day, but it was also 
apparently their last show. That's pretty much a classic Triangle move, 
right there, so more power to 'em.

Not sure whether frontwoman Christy Smith will be making this gig as a 
solo artist, or if it's even still going on, since Bickett too has 
lately announced that it's calling it a day.



Saturday, April 7
The Loners    (http://www.demonbeachrecords.com/loners.html)
The Dynamite Brothers    (http://www.dynamitebrothers.com/)
The Greatest Hits    (http://www.thegreatesthits.org/)
Black Taj    (http://www.amishrecords.com/ami021.html)
Birds of Avalon    (http://www.myspace.com/birdsofavalon)
Kings, Raleigh

This is the final rockshow at Kings (well, there's actually also an 
afternoon kiddie show on Sunday, but unless you're an afternoon kiddie, 
this is it). I've seen a lot of clubs come & go, but in terms of impact 
on Raleigh music, this is as major as losing the Fallout. Probably 
moreso than that, even, though the loss of the Fallout sure *felt* 
awful. Kings is one of those clubs where everything just feels right; 
they found their rhythm early on, and the friendliness of the owners & 
staff made it a place where anything could happen, from straight-up 
Raleigh Rock to some serious high weirdness.

Something will appear to fill the void, whether another Kings, or 
something else, but yet the void will remain.

p.s. just got an email that Noncanon have been added to this show, at 
the front end, so arrive early.



Saturday, April 7
Fin Fang Foom    (http://www.lovitt.com/artists/finfangfoom.html)
Caltrop    (http://www.myspace.com/caltropband)
Red Collar    (http://www.myspace.com/redcollarmusic)
Bull City Headquarters, Durham

This is a benefit for Callum Robbins, son of Jawbox's J. Robbins. Cal is 
a little over a year old, and has Spinal Muscular Atrophy.

These three bands bring the rockpower, from the ultra-low sludgemetal of 
Caltrop, to the moody atmospheric postpunk of Fin Fang Foom, and the 
anthemic working-class east-coast bar-rock of Red Collar.



Saturday, April 7
Evil Wiener    (http://www.evilwienerworld.com/)
Joe Romeo    (http://www.myspace.com/joeromeomusic)
The Cave, Chapel Hill

This is Joe Romeo plus the current lineup of his Orange County 
Volunteers: smart countryish pop with a literate streak, and a weird one 
at that.

Got an email from Billy Sugarfix about this show: "Chuck, Groves and I 
will be opening the late show at the Cave this Saturday. Mister Joe 
Romeo and his Orange County Volunteers will be following. Although this 
was supposed to be our one non-holiday show of the year, the proximity 
to Easter will not be ignored entirely. We shall parallel the 
resurrection of Christ by resurrecting some old songs that we haven't 
played in a very long time. I know it isn't exactly a mural of Peter 
Cottontail eating peeps on the side of a hard boiled egg, but it should 
rock."



Saturday, April 7
Charles Latham    (http://www.myspace.com/sircharleslatham)
The Tourist    (http://www.myspace.com/thetouristnc)
Bickett Gallery, Raleigh

This is a CD-release party for Cary mope-folker The Tourist. Smartalecky 
young antifolker Charles Latham opens. I think Charles needs to spend 
less time skewering consumerism and religion, and more time skewering 
smartalecky antifolkers, but I like him nevertheless.



Sunday, April 8
Mommie
Kings, Raleigh

The actual last show at Kings is this matinee:

MOMMIE...LIVE! April 8, EASTER SUNDAY, 4pm THE LAST EVER SHOW AT KINGS 
(REALLY)! BRING THE FAMILY!

The players:
Doug MacMillan - singer
Bo Taylor - guitar
Shepard Lane - pedal steel
Mike Ayers - guitar
Ben Barwick - bass guitar
Ray Duffy - drums
The material: BULLDOZER, MAMA'S PAJAMAS, DUMPTRUCK, AIRPLANE, CHERRY 
PICKER, ROLLER MAN, TOW TRUCK, SHADOW, BUBBLE, AND MORE!

4PM...KIDS KIDS KIDS! (and the bar will be open)



Monday, April 9
Twilighter    (http://twilighter.net/)
Bang! Bang!    (http://www.bangbangband.com/)
Dry Heathens    (http://www.myspace.com/dryheathens)
Reservoir, Carrboro



Tuesday, April 10
Sweater Weather    (http://www.sweater-weather.com)
Carter Gaj    (http://www.myspace.com/cartergaj)
Josh Nowlan    (http://www.citiesmusic.com/)
Black Swamp Bootleggers    (http://www.blackswampbootleggers.net)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

This is a benefit for C.A.A.R.E. Inc. Josh Nowlan usually fronts Cities. 
Black Swamp Bootleggers are a UNC-attending bluegrass band who've had a 
regular gig at Milltown recently.

Sweater Weather are a large-ish emo-chamber-pop band with keening 
vocals, orchestral arrangements, and tousled hair.



Wednesday, April 11
Veronique Diabolique    (http://www.veroniquediabolique.com/)
HUMANWINE    (http://www.myspace.com/humanwine)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

HUMANWINE are really picky about the typography of their name. They also 
have a "street team." Not sure how they'd ever be able to come back from 
a deficit that big, but the melodramatic/cabaret music on their MySpace 
was actually kind of pleasant, in an overly-arty kind of way. I suppose 
it'd be less so if I thought they took it completely seriously, which I 
suspect they actually do.

Veronique Diabolique try to keep a straight face, but it's hard to do 
that while wearing fishnets & vinyl trousers & putting that much chorus 
on the guitar.



Thursday, April 12
Double Negative    (http://www.myspace.com/thedoublenegative)
Cross Laws    (http://www.myspace.com/crosslaws)
Out With a Bang    (http://www.myspace.com/owab)
Brutal Knights    (http://www.myspace.com/brutalknights)
Bull City Headquarters, Durham

It's a transcontinental hardcore duel-to-the-death, featuring Italy's 
Out With a Bang & Canada's Brutal Knights vs. Carrboro's Cross Laws & 
Raleigh's Double Negative. I was gonna say "what, no Durham hardcore," 
but then I thought oh, the Durham HC must be over at Marvell tonight . . 
. but then I checked & only one of the three bands playing *there*, 
Doop, is from Durham, and they're not really hardcore, more like 
fake/funny anti-emo-core. Hmm.



Thursday, April 12
Doop    (http://www.myspace.com/shutupanddoopit)
Hazerai    (http://www.myspace.com/hazerai)
Sleepwalker    (http://www.myspace.com/wearesleepwalker)
Marvell Building, Durham



Thursday, April 12
Trans Am    (http://www.transband.com)
The Psychic Paramount    (http://www.thepsychicparamount.com/)
Zombi    (http://www.zombi.us/)
Local 506, Chapel Hill



Friday, April 13
Honored Guests    (http://www.thehonoredguests.com/)
Nathan Asher & the Infantry    (http://www.nathanasher.com/)
Nathan Oliver    (http://www.nathan-oliver.com)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

Wait, is there somebody named Nathan in the Honored Guests? I can't 
remember. Anyway. This is a free show/party being thrown by the good 
people at Diversions, the weekly [Thursday] arts-and-entertainment 
pullout section of the Daily Tar Heel. The current crop of Diversions 
staffers has really gone all-out to make the section relevant, 
particularly local-music-wise. Plus they have a *really nice* camera and 
they're way too committed to taking it to multiple shows a week & 
posting the photos on their blog.

Music-wise, you've got the uber-heartfelt over-the-top Springsteeny 
anthem-rock of Nathan Asher, the somewhat more-attenuated post-graduate 
indie-rock of the Honored Guests, and the amusingly frantic (didn't 
think you could get frantic with a viola in the band, didja?) indie-pop 
of Nathan Oliver.



Friday, April 13
Red Collar    (http://www.myspace.com/redcollarmusic)
Future Kings of Nowhere    (http://www.thefuturekings.net/)
Hammer No More the Fingers    (http://www.hnmtf.com)
Broad Street Cafe, Durham

Future Kings of Nowhere are a pop-punk band, but with acoustic guitar. 
It works pretty well, actually; you realize fairly quickly that the most 
annoying thing about pop-punk nowadays is the tedious 
overdriven-but-pristine electric guitar. Take that away, and you're left 
with catchy nerdy songs about love & hate & murder & stuff.

Hammer No More the Fingers are a new-ish band made up of members of some 
former Durham highschool bands; their song "Concrete" gets stuck in my 
head every time I hear it.

Red Collar are the kind of band who inspire people to call up when they 
hear them on the radio, just to say "this is Red Collar! They're so great!"



Friday, April 13
Tyler Hipnosis
AOK    (http://www.myspace.com/aoknc)
Crash    (http://www.myspace.com/crashkills)
Places to Live    (http://ihatemencia.googlepages.com)
Duke Coffeehouse, Durham



Friday, April 13
Dan Bryk    (http://www.bryk.com/)
Snuzz    (http://www.snuzz.com/)
Bickett Gallery, Raleigh

Thus begins the countdown to the end of Bickett Gallery, at least in its 
Bickett Blvd incarnation. I live close to an hour away from the thing, 
so I've only been there maybe a dozen times since it opened ~5 years 
ago. What's your excuse?

It's arch/witty pop night tonight, with longtime/oldschool Greensboro 
smartass popster Snuzz, and Toronto-via-Raleigh smarty-pants Dan Bryk, 
who puts that famous Canadian self-deprecation to work in the service of 
some really classically great screwy popsongs.



Friday, April 13
Kylesa    (http://www.kylesa.com/)
Buildings To Dust    (http://www.myspace.com/buildingstodust)
Tooth
Volume 11 Tavern, Raleigh



Friday, April 13
The Tourist    (http://www.myspace.com/thetouristnc)
Wes Phillips    (http://www.myspace.com/wesleydongeroga)
Andy Abelow    (http://www.myspace.com/andyabelow)
The Love Language    (http://www.myspace.com/thelovelanguage)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

This time around, the Friday-the-13th bad luck comes in the form of Too 
Many Shows to choose from.



Friday, April 13
The Bleeding Hearts    (http://www.thebleedinghearts.net/home.html)
Slim's Downtown, Raleigh



Saturday, April 14
The Whole World Laughing    (http://www.myspace.com/twwl)
Opening Flower Happy Bird    (http://www.myspace.com/openingflowerhappybird)
Midtown Dickens    (http://www.myspace.com/midtowndickens)
Apis Bull    (http://www.apisbull.com/)
Beloved Binge    (http://www.myspace.com/belovedbinge)
Bull City Headquarters, Durham

Duo-Fest! This is an all-day (OK, well, all afternoon-and-evening) 
event, featuring the following bands, all DUOs:

Robo Sapien
A New Dawn Fades
Beloved Binge
Midtown Dickens
Phon
Jew(s) & Catholic(s)
The Whole World Laughing
Oh My God I Just Had the Most Amazing Year
Eberhardt
Sequoya
Opening Flower Happy Bird
Apis Bull
It's Reigning Men
Emotional Joystick
Salt

Dinner will be served somewhere in the middle of all that, so bring a 
covered dish if you want, I guess, and a few bucks, and maybe a lawn 
chair. No Jarts; the floor is concrete.



Saturday, April 14
Dave Fox Group    (http://www.davefoxgroup.com)
Bruce Eisenbeil    (http://www.eisenbeil.com)
The Punks    (http://www.myspace.com/thepunks)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

Jazz, of the longhaired thinking-man's variety. Seriously, I'll betcha 
notorious longhair Walt Davis would be advising you to attend this show, 
if he were still around, but he up & moved his ass to New Zealand back 
in '04 after Bush got re-elected.



Saturday, April 14
The Never    (http://www.trekkyrecords.com/never.html)
Emperor X    (http://www.emperorx.net/ )
Embarrassing Fruits    (http://www.myspace.com/embarrassingfruits)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

Jesus H. Christ, those kids over at WUAG [UNC-Greensboro's college radio 
station] seem to be deadset on putting out a CD a year, all featuring 
music recorded at the station or in the greater Greensboro area. This is 
a CD-release party for the latest one. It's like they own a plastic mine 
or something.



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