RTP-area local music and culture

[grady <grady AT ibiblio.org>]

Friday, June 29
Awesome Color    (http://awesomecolor.net)
Radio Birdman    (http://www.radio-birdman.com/)
The Ettes    (http://www.myspace.com/theettes)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro



Friday, June 29
The Breaks
Killer Filler    (http://www.myspace.com/killerfiller)
The Cave, Chapel Hill

The Breaks are a casual rock-n-roll band that grew out of the 
retired-rockers enclave that's grown up in downtown Pittsboro. Steve 
Carr and Brunson Hoole were in the Emperors of Ice Cream back in the 
late 80s/early 90s, and have played/recorded with that other Pittsboro 
pop band Stratocruiser. John Ensslin was in Teasing the Korean/What 
Peggy Wants, and more recently Marat.



Friday, June 29
The Loners    (http://www.demonbeachrecords.com/loners.html)
The Trousers
Slim's Downtown, Raleigh

The Loners are the great reunited garage-rock duo of Eddie Taylor and 
Chris Jones. In an effort to use the appropriate idiom, I gotta say they 
rip.

The Trousers are a sort of acid-rock band; I saw them play in Raleigh a 
couple of weeks ago but I can't remember much in the way of details.



Saturday, June 30
Polynya    (http://www.myspace.com/polynyapolynya)
What's Her Face
The Curtains of Night
Bull City Headquarters, Durham

This is an afternoon (3:00) benefit for the Rock'n'Roll Camp for Girls, 
which is exactly what it sounds like: awesome.



Saturday, June 30
Schooner    (http://www.schoonermusic.com)
Bowerbirds    (http://www.bowerbirds.org)
Bull City    (http://www.bullcitytheband.com/)
Wes Phillips    (http://www.myspace.com/wesleydongeroga)
Blend, Chapel Hill

A reunion of sorts: Wes Phillips used to be in Ticonderoga with Phil 
Moore & Mark Paulson of Bowerbirds. They expired well before their time.

Bull City recently released one of the better albums of the year thus 
far, "Guns & Butter." Schooner are about to do much the same, though 
their leap to 54-40 or Fight records has made them subject to that 
label's release schedule, so we have to wait a bit.



Saturday, June 30
Le Weekend    (http://www.myspace.com/leweekendleband)
Mahasamatman    (http://www.cirrusoxide.com/journal/?p=48)
Minchia    (http://www.myspace.com/minchianc)
Bull City Headquarters, Durham

This is a regular-evening show. Le Weekend are Matt Kalb's (Audubon 
Park, ex-Hotel Motel) band wherein he indulges his 
pop-meets-prog-meets-Steely Dan tendencies, aided & abetted by a cast of 
locals including members of The Nein, Erie Choir, Audubon Park & 
Piedmont Charisma.

Mahasamatman is Shannon Morrow, Chuck Johnson, and Chris Eubank, making 
them collectively 2/3rds of 2 of the greatest NC bands of all time, 
Spatula and the Bicentennial Quarters.



Saturday, June 30
Fin Fang Foom    (http://www.lovitt.com/artists/finfangfoom.html)
Ben Davis + The Jetts    (http://www.lovitt.com/artists/bendavis.html)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

Ben Davis's solo albums have been collaborative affairs, and so too the 
bands he's assembled to play his music live. The current iteration is my 
favorite of the bunch, I think; they've got the longhair rock power of 
Eric Wallen, while still preserving the delicate finesse of Ben's melodies.



Saturday, June 30
The Hem of His Garment    (http://www.myspace.com/thehemofhisgarment)
BY    (http://www.myspace.com/beelzebubyouth)
Tree Creature    (http://www.myspace.com/treecreature)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

The Hem of His Garment are a large, ever-morphing ensemble of local 
musicians dedicated to interstellar communications via massive drone.



Saturday, June 30
ANTiSEEN    (http://www.antiseen.com)
Concrete Bombers    (http://www.myspace.com/concretebombers)
Slim's Downtown, Raleigh

ANTiSEEN have been cranking out the gnarly southern scumpunk for the 
past 20+ years, and there's still nothing quite like 'em. If you haven't 
seen Jeff Clayton grind a broken bottle into his forehead, then you 
really don't know a thing about punkrock in the south.



Sunday, July 1
The Whole World Laughing    (http://www.myspace.com/twwl)
WXDU 88.7 FM, Durham

The Whole World Laughing are Dave Cantwell (Cantwell Gomez & Jordan, 
ex-Razzle, ex-Analogue) on basstar, and Scotty Irving (Clang Quartet, 
ex-Geezer Lake) on drums. They're kinda like if Razzle & Analogue were 
compressed together & then stripped down to a bare-bones two-piece: 
repetitive, mostly-instrumental space-rock with a metallic edge.

5:00 p.m. 88.7 FM or wxdu.org.



Sunday, July 1
Two Cow Garage    (http://www.twocowgarage.com/)
Hideaway BBQ, Raleigh



Monday, July 2
Opening Flower Happy Bird    (http://www.myspace.com/openingflowerhappybird)
Antique Curtains    (http://www.myspace.com/antiquecurtains)
The Cave, Chapel Hill

Opening Flower Happy Bird are apparently shortly going to trade in their 
split-existence (half Carrboro, half Richmond) for some sort of all-NC 
setup, which is good news. Their 2-man gtr/drums/ laptop/keys /drums 
setup has been getting increasingly sophisticated-sounding on CD, but 
live they still seem forever on the verge of collapse, in a good way.



Monday, July 2
Palomar    (http://www.palomarnyc.com/)
Americans in France
Missy Thangs
Milo Jones
Local 506, Chapel Hill



Tuesday, July 3
Tres Chicas    (http://www.treschicas.org/)
Stoll Vaughan
Hideaway BBQ, Raleigh



Tuesday, July 3
Pretty Boy Thorson    (http://www.myspace.com/prettyboythorson)
Eberhardt    (http://www.myspace.com/eberhardtnc)
God Damn Doo Wop Band
Bull City Headquarters, Durham

Eberhardt are Yet Another Gtr/Drums Duo, but they mix it up in true 
Durham fashion with a little trombone, some banjo, that sorta thing.



Tuesday, July 3
Snatches of Pink    (http://www.snatchesofpink.com/)
Chris Smith
The Ts
Pour House, Raleigh



Tuesday, July 3
Man Will Destroy Himself
Rabia
Animale
Slim's Downtown, Raleigh

The only connection between this Man Will Destroy Himself and the 
Raleigh punk/metal band from a few years back is the bass player and 
perhaps a couple of the songs.



Wednesday, July 4
Evil Wiener    (http://www.evilwienerworld.com/)
The Cave, Chapel Hill

It wouldn't be July 4th without the annual Evil Wiener Roast; you've 
never heard The Stars and Stripes Forever until you've heard it on 
theremin. More generally, few things make me prouder to be an American 
than seeing Billy Sugarfix, Groves Willer & Chuck Garrison paying 
tribute to our great nation, hopefully while wearing big powdered wigs.



Wednesday, July 4
Craig Hilton
Crowmeat Bob
In the Year of the Pig    (http://www.southernloveprod.com/ityotp.htm)
Inspector 22 & The Bramble Ramblers
Black History Moth    (http://www.myspace.com/blackhistorymoth)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

Speaking of being proud to be an American, there may be other countries 
where this kind of semi-sane noisy foolishness might be permitted, but 
there are precious few where you'd get to see *this much* noisy 
foolishness smack in the middle of the Sacred National Anniversary Holiday.



Thursday, July 5
Promute    (http://www.promute.com/)
Tone Ghosting    (http://www.toneghosting.com/)
Matt Weston    (http://www.mattweston.com)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill



Friday, July 6
Big Fat Gap    (http://www.bigfatgap.com/)
Sweet By and By    (http://www.myspace.com/sweetbyby )
Hideaway BBQ, Raleigh



Friday, July 6
The Fiery Furnaces    (http://thefieryfurnaces.com/)
Dios
Lincoln Theater, Raleigh

Someone will have to explain to me how the Fiery Furnaces, who put on 
one of the stranger Cradle shows I've seen, have somehow managed to 
outgrow the Cradle & make the move to Raleigh's home of the Tribute 
Bands, the Lincoln Theatre.



Friday, July 6
Patty Hurst Shifter    (http://www.pattyhurstshifter.com)
Left Outlet    (http://www.myspace.com/leftoutlet)
Pour House, Raleigh



Friday, July 6
Erie Choir    (http://www.eriechoir.com)
The Never    (http://www.trekkyrecords.com/never.html)
Transit Union    (http://www.myspace.com/transitunion)
Broad Street Cafe, Durham

The Never are a buncha boys making multi-part-harmony artpop. Erie Choir 
is fronted by Eric Roehrig, who writes brilliant melancholy songs & gets 
his talented friends from other local bands to play them. I hate this 
kinda shorthand, but it's hard to avoid an Elliott Smith comparison, in 
the most complimentary way possible.



Friday, July 6
Dexter Romweber    (http://www.dexterromweber.com)
Andy Mabe    (http://www.andymabe.com/)
The Love Language    (http://www.myspace.com/thelovelanguage)
The Werehouse, Winston-Salem



Friday, July 6
Malt Swagger
Polynya    (http://www.myspace.com/polynyapolynya)
Fontana    (http://www.myspace.com/fontana1)
The Cave, Chapel Hill

Three reclusive Durham bands, who rarely even play out in their own 
hometown (due in part to being grownups with kids & jobs & stuff), make 
the trek to Chapel Hill. Malt Swagger make pulsating instrumental 
soundscapes, with vibraphone & guitar taking the lead. Fontana had a 
great, overlong song about Durham on the Rockin' The Blocks compilation. 
Polynya used to be a sorta 80s brit/mope-pop-influenced band, but it's 
been so long since I last saw them that I couldn't really say.



Saturday, July 7
Ian McLagen & the Bump Band    (http://www.ianmclagan.com)
The Way-Goners
Hideaway BBQ, Raleigh



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