RTP-area local music and culture

[grady <grady AT ibiblio.org>]

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.

Transit Union is 3/4ths of that amazing Durham high school band Strunken 
White, who wrote dizzying two-guitar mini-symphonies & released a couple 
of CDs before breaking up to go to college. They're joined by Will 
Hackney of Trekky Records (they were gonna make a band with Aimee Argote 
of des_ark, but every time they practiced the results were SO GOOD that 
they couldn't risk slaying people with their brilliance, so they swore 
never to appear in public together).



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



Saturday, July 7
The Whole World Laughing    (http://www.myspace.com/twwl)
The Curtains of Night
Boy/Girl    (http://www.pleasehate.us/)
The Gay Blades    (http://www.myspace.com/gayblades)
Ringside, Durham

This is a CD-release party for the NY-based Boy/Girl, who've hooked up 
with Durham's 307 Knox Records. The Whole World Laughing, is, of course, 
the basstar/drums duo of Dave Cantwell & Scotty Irving.



Saturday, July 7
DJs Mothersbrothers
Pulsoptional    (http://www.pulsoptional.org/)
Pykrete    (http://www.bullfightparty.org/cirox/pykrete)
The Trapper Keepers    (http://www.myspace.com/thetrapperkeepers)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

Chuck Johnson, AKA Pykrete, will be heading to the Bay Area pretty soon 
for grad school, so grab one of your last near-term chances to see him.

Pulsoptional are a Durham-based composers' collective; their recent 
self-titled CD is already on my top-10 for 2007. It's "New Music" in a 
post-minimalist vein, but between the collectivism (they all play each 
other's pieces) and the rock backgrounds of some of them, there's 
nothing remotely stuffy about it. It's exuberant; it's great.



Sunday, July 8
Minchia    (http://www.myspace.com/minchianc)
Hands and Knees    (http://myspace.com/handsandknees)
Impossible Hair    (http://www.myspace.com/impossiblehair)
The Cave, Chapel Hill



Thursday, July 12
Hammer No More the Fingers    (http://www.hnmtf.com)
Pela    (http://www.myspace.com/pela)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

HNMTF is a young-ish local indie-rock band whose blend of melodicism and 
screwy guitar-work harkens back to the 90s heyday of that kinda stuff.



Friday, July 13
Saunter    (http://www.sauntermusic.com/)
Bull City    (http://www.bullcitytheband.com/)
Dead to Society    (http://www.myspace.com/deadtosociety101)
Broad Street Cafe, Durham



Friday, July 13
Big Lazy    (http://www.biglazymusic.com/)
The Moaners    (http://www.themoaners.com/)
The Cave, Chapel Hill



Friday, July 13
St. Vincent    (http://www.ilovestvincent.com)
Scout Niblett    (http://www.myspace.com/scoutniblett)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

If I recall correctly, St. Vincent is an old Texas/Polyphonic Spree 
friend of Daniel Hart's, named Annie, and in fact Daniel's going to be 
spending a chunk of the summer on the road with her. So here's your 
chance to wish him bon voyage.



Friday, July 13
Beloved Binge    (http://www.myspace.com/belovedbinge)
The Gates of Beauty    (http://www.myspace.com/gatesofbeauty)
Melancholy Babes    (http://www.myspace.com/melancholybabes)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

It's your unlucky day. Melancholy Babes is an improv-ish duo of Dave 
Cantwell (Cantwell Gomez Jordan, The Whole World Laughing) & Amy 
Wilkinson (ex-Bringerer, ex-Chew Toy). Beloved Binge you know all about: 
Eleni & Rob signify the tipping point whereupon it became impossible to 
argue against moving to Durham for any reason.

The Gates of Beauty are a bass-bass-drums supergroup of Anne Gomez (CGJ, 
America's Next Top Models, ex-Hotel Motel, ex-HMS Cervix, ex-etc), Wendy 
Spitzer (Eyes to Space) and Shannon Morrow (Mahasamatman, Scene of the 
Crime Rovers, ex-Bicentennial Quarters, ex-HMS Cervix). Too much.



Saturday, July 14
*SONS    (http://www.myspace.com/sonsofthesun)
Whitebird    (http://www.myspace.com/whitebirdrockandroll)
Charlene    (http://www.myspace.com/charleneband)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

*SONS are a space-psych-rock band who love Syd Barrett enough to cover 
him on their debut CD, "Viracochas."



Saturday, July 14
Joe Romeo    (http://www.myspace.com/joeromeomusic)
Hundred Air    (http://www.myspace.com/hundredair)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

Joe Romeo & his Orange County Volunteers make a sort of easygoing 
country-rock that'll slip right by you if you're not listening for Joe's 
witty, well-crafted lyrics. Hundred Air is the new-ish band of Adam 
Price, who was once in Mayflies USA.



Saturday, July 14
Can Joann    (http://www.canjoann.com/)
The Dali Drama    (http://www.myspace.com/thedalidrama)
The Cave, Chapel Hill



Sunday, July 15
The Gourds    (http://www.thegourds.com)
Hideaway BBQ, Raleigh



Sunday, July 15
Richard Buckner    (http://www.richardbuckner.com/)
Six Parts Seven    (http://www.6parts7.com)
David Karsten Daniels    (http://www.davidkarstendaniels.com/)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro



Sunday, July 15
Cantwell, Gomez, Jordan    (http://www.cantwellgomezandjordan.com)
Parts and Labor    (http://www.partsandlabor.net/)
Calabi Yau    (http://www.calabiyau.org)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

Cantwell Gomez & Jordan play music for music's sake, for the sake of 
fun, for the sake of confounding each other (and their audiences). It's 
a purity of purpose that translates, perhaps surprisingly, into music 
that's remarkably fun & light on its feet.

Calabi Yau are from Charlotte; I'm tempted to say that they're the only 
great thing about that otherwise misbegotten city. They make fucked-up 
scribble-scrobble noise/spazz, like Les Claypool after a 15-year 'shroom 
bender.



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