RTP-area local music and culture

[grady <grady AT ibiblio.org>]

Friday, June 15
Wolverines    (http://www.wolverinesrock.com/)
Steeples
Damezumari
Tarantuloco
Bull City Headquarters, Durham



Friday, June 15
Tennis and the Mennonites    (http://www.tennisandthemennonites.com)
Sleepsound    (http://www.sleepsound.org/)
The Cave, Chapel Hill



Friday, June 15
Jimmy & The Teasers    (http://www.geocities.com/booze1031/teasers.html)
Adult Film Makers    (http://www.myspace.com/adultfilmmakers)
The Moaners    (http://www.themoaners.com/)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

Three different takes on bluesy garage-swamp stomp. The Moaners recorded 
their 2nd album in Mississippi, and it's flooded with Deep South swamp 
stank. Adult Film Makers are a Bad Checks offshoot, with Checks drummer 
Rock Forbes stepping out front to sing.



Saturday, June 16
Megafaun    (http://www.myspace.com/megafaun)
Barghest    (http://www.myspace.com/jesseainslie)
Wil Donegan and the Apologies
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

Megafaun emerged from the ashes of DeYarmond Edison. They make 
trad/oldtime style music that's separated/fused via bursts of 
drone/ambient noise.

Will Hackney from Trekky Records sent this along:

Barghest is the work of Jesse Ainslie. Jesse used to be in a band with 
Josh Kimbrough (Butterflies) and Joe Norkus (Embarrassing Fruits) back 
in the day called Straight No Chaser. He moved to New York for a couple 
years and joined Castanets and toured the world. Now he's back and 
playing as Barghest. Its sort of psych-ambient barnfolk music. He's the 
newest official artist on Trekky Records (although he's not new, we've 
known him for 7 years). This will be sort of the release show for his EP 
"Thanateros" (if we can get enough assembled in time). Wil Donegan and 
the Apologies is led by Wil Donegan who's been a Schoolkids Chapel Hill 
clerk for a couple years and just starting writing these charming 
self-aware folk songs. The Apologies are me on bass and Jon Mackey and 
Casey Trela (Sweater Weather) on guitar and drums.



Saturday, June 16
Asylum Street Spankers    (http://www.asylumstreetspankers.com/)
The Mad Tea Party    (http://www.themadteaparty.com/)
Pour House, Raleigh



Saturday, June 16
Dexter Romweber    (http://www.dexterromweber.com)
The Cave, Chapel Hill



Sunday, June 17
Adam Thorn & the Top Buttons    (http://www.myspace.com/thetopbuttons)
WXDU 88.7 FM, Durham

Adam Thorn used to sing for the Greensboro postpunk band Kudzu Wish. His 
new band, The Top Buttons, is a mod-inspired 3-piece who set out aiming 
in the direction of the Who & the Jam, but get kinda sidetracked by 
their southern sloppy Greensboro rockness (bassist Tim LaFollette was in 
Kudzu Wish, and drummer Jonathan Moore is in Health & TigerBearWolf). 
It's fun and catchy and sloppy and kinda filthy (OK, well, not on the 
radio, but you can use yr imagination). 5:00 88.7FM or wxdu.org.



Sunday, June 17
The Butchies    (http://www.thebutchies.com/)
des_ark    (http://www.des-ark.org)
Midtown Dickens    (http://www.myspace.com/midtowndickens)
Bull City Headquarters, Durham

The listing says "Butchies Acoustic" but I think that maybe means "Kaia 
solo" or something along those lines. I dunno. Aimee will be doing the 
solo acoustic des_ark thing, as far as I know. Midtown Dickens is always 
more or less acoustic, but always duo (plus).



Monday, June 18
The Nothing Noise    (http://www.myspace.com/thenothingnoise)
The Winter Sounds    (http://www.thewintersounds.com)
The Cave, Chapel Hill



Monday, June 18
Thunderlip    (http://www.thunderlip.com/)
Colossus    (http://www.myspace.com/thecolossuswillcrushyou)
Tooth
Reservoir, Carrboro

Heavy! Thunderlip are from Wilmington & everything they take onstage 
goes to eleven, including their crazed frontman (OK, more like 111). 
Colossus and Tooth have excellent [heavy] reps, but I haven't seen 'em.



Tuesday, June 19
des_ark    (http://www.des-ark.org)
The Ex-Members    (http://www.myspace.com/theexmembers)
Team Dresch    (http://www.myspace.com/teamdresch)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro

Team Dresch were a brilliant and hugely influential queer punk/rockband 
from the Pacific Northwest, back in the 90s. When they broke up, 
singer/guitarist Kaia Wilson and (2nd) drummer Melissa York wound up in 
Durham, where they eventually formed the Butchies. Kaia moved back to 
the other corner a couple of years ago, and now, lo and behold, Team 
Dresch are back together. Not just for a couple of reunion shows, but as 
a fully-functioning touring/recording outfit. Such great good fortune.

Melissa York stayed around Durham after the Butchies split; she plays 
drums for the Ex-Members.



Tuesday, June 19
Eyes to Space    (http://www.eyestospace.net/)
Peelander-Z    (http://www.peelander-z.com/p-z_e/home_e.html)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

Peelander-Z are cartoon-costume-wearing rockers from Japan. Very 
primary-colors. Eyes to Space write songs--whole albums, in fact--about 
robots & outer space & the future and stuff like that.



Tuesday, June 19
Spider Bags    (http://www.myspace.com/spiderbags)
The Goodnight Loving    (http://www.myspace.com/thegoodnightloving)
Vancougar    (http://www.myspace.com/vancougar)
Reservoir, Carrboro



Wednesday, June 20
Stratocruiser    (http://www.stratocruisermusic.com/)
Lez Zeppelin    (http://www.lezzeppelin.com)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro

Why couldn't Lez Zeppelin, the all-woman Zep tribute band, have been 
around back when I maybe had the patience for this kind of stuff? Back 
in those days, all we had was Dread Zeppelin, and yeah, no wonder I lost 
interest.

Stratocruiser are a damnfine powerpop/rock band from the Greater 
Pittsboro Metro Area.



Wednesday, June 20
The Whole World Laughing    (http://www.myspace.com/twwl)
Relay for Death 
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/thisreallyhappenedok/476680815/in/set-72157600155578944/)
Fat Worm of Error    (http://yeay.suchfun.net/artists/fwoerawdata.html)
Rotten Milk    (http://www.diabolical.org/rm/rottenmilk.html)
Opposites Attack    (http://www.myspace.com/oppositesattackarcata)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

It's Scotty Irving's (Whole World Laughing, Clang Quartet) 40th Birthday!



Wednesday, June 20
Great Northern    (http://www.myspace.com/greatnorthern)
Local 506, Chapel Hill



Thursday, June 21
Fan-Tan    (http://www.myspace.com/fantanrock)
Go Motion    (http://www.myspace.com/gomotion)
Blend, Chapel Hill

Fan-Tan is a North Elementary offshoot/side project/whatever.



Thursday, June 21
Dr. Powerful    (http://drpowerful.googlepages.com)
Tooth
Gun Metal Black
Marvell Building, Durham

Dr. Powerful are a big overdriven outer-spacey indierock band from Sanford.



Thursday, June 21
snmnmnm    (http://www.snmnmnm.com/)
Sweater Weather    (http://www.sweater-weather.com)
Gertie Fox    (http://www.myspace.com/gertiefox)
The Cave, Chapel Hill

Sweater Weather are a big sweeping emotive band, so big that I'm trying 
to imagine them crammed into the Cave. Don't stand too close to the 
cellos, lest you get a bow (or an endpin! yow!) in yr privates.



Thursday, June 21
Haale    (http://www.myspace.com/haale)
Local 506, Chapel Hill



Thursday, June 21
Opening Flower Happy Bird    (http://www.myspace.com/openingflowerhappybird)
When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth    (http://www.myspace.com/lildinos)
Toxic Lobster    (http://www.myspace.com/toxiclobster)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

Opening Flower Happy Bird are a sweet weird two-man gtr/drums/ 
drums/laptop/ whatever wistful dance-pop band.



Friday, June 22
Double Negative    (http://www.myspace.com/thedoublenegative)
Cross Laws    (http://www.myspace.com/crosslaws)
Acid Reflux
Life Trap
Life Crisis
Bull City Headquarters, Durham

Double Negative's new LP, "The Wonderful and Frightening World of Double 
Negative," is the best hardcore album to come out of NC in years; some 
would say decades. Why did it take 4 40-year-old Raleighites to show all 
the snot-nosed punkers how it's done? Maybe because they lived through 
(and were in punk bands during) the Reagan Era; certainly Kevin 
Collins's voice seems loaded with a kind of weariness that might spring 
from seeing history repeat itself, only worse the second time. 
Absolutely crucial.



Friday, June 22
The Never    (http://www.trekkyrecords.com/never.html)
The Physics of Meaning    (http://www.thephysicsofmeaning.com/)
Cary Ann Hearst    (http://www.caryannhearst.com)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro



Friday, June 22
Steve Howell
Hideaway BBQ, Raleigh

Steve Howell wrote songs & played twangy Telecaster in the Backsliders. 
His new band contains a bunch of vets: Allyn Love on pedal steel, Pee 
Wee Watson on bass, ex-Six String Dragger Scott Miller on guitar and 
ex-Backslider JD Maness on drums.



Friday, June 22
Billy Sugarfix    (http://www.soundclick.com/bands/8/billysugarfix.htm)
Midtown Dickens    (http://www.myspace.com/midtowndickens)
Charles Latham    (http://www.myspace.com/sircharleslatham)
Bowerbirds    (http://www.bowerbirds.org)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

Charles Latham is releasing a new CD, and this is the party for it. Then 
he's moving to Philadelphia, to be closer to Terri Gross.

Bowerbirds are about to be huge celebrities, so see 'em now.

Midtown Dickens & Billy Sugarfix are both genius at capturing the tiny 
minutiae of daily life into songs that are anything but mundane.



Friday, June 22
Dan Melchior    (http://danmelchior.com/)
Sugar in the Dirt    (http://www.myspace.com/sugarinthedirt)
Early Morning Swim    (http://www.myspace.com/earlymorningswimm)
Broad Street Cafe, Durham



Friday, June 22
The Spinns    (http://www.thespinns.freeservers.com/)
Joe Swank and the Zen Pirates 
(http://www.myspace.com/joeswankandthezenpirates)
The Cave, Chapel Hill

The Spinns broke up last year; this is listed as a "reunion farewell." 
They are/were a great stompy spirit-of-'66 garage-rock band.



Saturday, June 23
Caltrop    (http://www.myspace.com/caltropband)
Black Skies    (http://www.myspace.com/losblackskies)
Hazerai    (http://www.myspace.com/hazerai)
Big Business    (http://www.bigbigbusiness.com)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro

Caltrop are ultra-heavy, ultra-sludgy, ultra-huge stoner-rockers. 
Hazerai are more in the neighborhood of post-Fugazi punkrock. Black 
Skies are fronted by Cat's Cradle doorman Kevin Clark, who was born to 
stick a microphone down his pants.



Saturday, June 23
Accelerators
Hank Sinatra    (http://www.hank-sinatra.com/)
Hideaway BBQ, Raleigh

Accelerators were a great sweet-sounding southern bar-rock band back in 
the 80s; they grabbed for the brass ring a half-dozen times, and are 
only the better for having never quite caught it.



Saturday, June 23
Midtown Dickens    (http://www.myspace.com/midtowndickens)
Future Kings of Nowhere    (http://www.thefuturekings.net/)
Eberhardt    (http://www.myspace.com/eberhardtnc)
Dan Melchior    (http://danmelchior.com/)
Titus Andronicus    (http://www.myspace.com/titusandronicus)
Ringside, Durham

This is a CD-release party for the long-awaited Future Kings of Nowhere 
CD. They're a big rawboned pop-punk band who just happen not to have any 
electric guitars. Singer Shayne O'Neill's loud, just-nasal-enough voice 
more than makes up for that, though.



Saturday, June 23
Kenny Roby    (http://www.kennyroby.com)
The Houstons
The Cave, Chapel Hill



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