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  • From: grady <grady AT ibiblio.org>
  • To: RTP-area local music and culture <ch-scene AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: stuff to do, week of December 29, 2007 (plus! top local releases of 2007?)
  • Date: Fri, 28 Dec 2007 23:16:39 -0500

I'm going to be counting down the top-88.7 (OK, really around 85) local releases of 2007 at WXDU, starting at 5:00 p.m. this Sunday the 30th (88.7 FM). I'll probably get through the first 55 or so this week, and save the top-30 for next Sunday, January 6th. The sequence was determined by aggregate airplay by all XDU DJs, not just me, so some of my faves (and perhaps yours as well) are in the bottom half of the list.

Speaking of faves & the bottom half of the list, I think I'll go ahead & make up my top-20 local releases of 2007, and stick 'em at the bottom of this email. But first:


Saturday, December 29
Randy Whitt (http://www.randywhitt.com/)
The Cave, Chapel Hill

This is the early show.



Saturday, December 29
Dexter Romweber (http://www.dexterromweber.com)
Sadlack's Heroes, Raleigh

When Dexter plays solo, as he often does, the range of material is a bit broader than with the gtr/drums duo -- he'll still hit some rockabilly highlights, but he'll also mine his repertoire of Tin Pan Alley classics & weepy crooners.



Saturday, December 29
Ships
I Was Totally Destroying It (http://www.reverbnation.com/iwastotallydestroyingit)
Wil Donegan and the Apologies
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro

This is a benefit to help defray the medical expenses of Chapel Hill high school student Conrad Zaborowski, who had a high-speed wreck earlier this year on his way home from a Modest Mouse show, and suffered a brain injury as a result.



Saturday, December 29
des_ark (http://www.des-ark.org)
Mahasamatman (http://www.cirrusoxide.com/journal/?p=48)
Max Indian (http://www.myspace.com/maxindian)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

This is a benefit for Nightlight (they all-of-a-sudden had to take over full control of their space from their erstwhile partner the Skylight Exchange, so they're scrambling a bit). It's also a rare appearance by Mahasamatman, as 1/3rd of the band is Chuck Johnson, who's back in town for the holidays after his first semester at Mills College in Oakland, CA.



Saturday, December 29
Joe Swank and the Zen Pirates (http://www.myspace.com/joeswankandthezenpirates)
Eric Sommer (http://ericsommer.com)
The Cave, Chapel Hill

This is the late show.



Sunday, December 30
Relay for Death (http://www.flickr.com/photos/thisreallyhappenedok/476680815/in/set-72157600155578944/)
USA Baby
Sarah Johnson
Nightlight, Chapel Hill



Monday, December 31
Hobex (http://www.hobex.com)
Kerbloki (http://www.kerbloki.com/)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro

A farewell of sorts for blue-eyed soulsters Hobex, who're taking the "indefinite hiatus" route after most of a decade of hard touring 'round the southeast & beyond. Like so many other bands, they ran square up against the not-so-glass ceiling that separates the merely-hardworking from the glossed-and-anointed camera-ready Hot Bands of the Moment. Ain't nobody Making It via hard work & talent anymore.



Monday, December 31
S.C.O.T.S. (http://www.scots.com/)
Hickry Hawkins (http://www.myspace.com/hickryhawkins)
Hideaway BBQ, Raleigh

They're promising a late-night fried-chicken and waffles buffet, in addition to the always-entertaining Southern Culture on the Skids.



Monday, December 31
The Moaners (http://www.themoaners.com/)
Spider Bags (http://www.myspace.com/spiderbags)
The Gondoliers (http://www.myspace.com/comeseethegondoliers)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

The Moaners like to leave it in 2nd gear a lot of the time . . . they have this perverse love of the midtempo. Makes the occasional uptempo number all the more invigorating, I suppose.

Gondoliers spun off from The Spinns, and the addition of some classic Farfisa sounds to their spirit-of-'65 garage-rock made them the rock-n-rollers-to-beat in 2007 (and the first raw moments of '08 as well, I suppose).

Spider Bags would try to beat you up if they weren't too fucking drunk to stand up.



Monday, December 31
L in Japanese (http://www.myspace.com/linjapanesemusic)
The Remains (http://www.myspace.com/saintswilldo)
Reservoir, Carrboro

The Remains are locals Saints Will Do in their Ramones-tribute guise.



Thursday, January 3
Sweater Weather (http://www.sweater-weather.com)
Wil Donegan and the Apologies
Margot and the Ghost of Tarryton
Nightlight, Chapel Hill



Thursday, January 3
Children of the Horn (http://www.childrenofthehorn.com/)
Local 506, Chapel Hill



Friday, January 4
Double Negative (http://www.myspace.com/thedoublenegative)
Government Warning (http://www.myspace.com/governmentwarningrva)
Socialcide (http://www.myspace.com/socialcide)
Born Bad (http://www.myspace.com/bornxbad)
Devour
Bull City Headquarters, Durham

Hardcore. Double Negative's debut, "The Wonderful and Frightening World of Double Negative," was in my top-10 of 2007, and I'm not even one of those hardcore obsessives. They just freaking rule.



Friday, January 4
Dexter Romweber and the New Romans (http://www.myspace.com/dexterromweber)
Max Indian (http://www.myspace.com/maxindian)
Nightstick (http://www.myspace.com/nightstickband)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro

Dexter Romweber's New Romans are his large band (2 drummers, horns, guitars, keys, etc). Lately they're performing with bellydance troupe the Caligulettes.

Nightstick used to have a somewhat different lineup & were called On Three; they're fronted by Eric Haugen (ex-Fake Swedish).



Friday, January 4
Amps Do Furnish a Room (http://www.myspace.com/ampsdofurnisharoom)
Heart of Glass
Guitars in the Sky
Local 506, Chapel Hill

Amps Do Furnish a Room are a Durham project-band whose annual project is to learn an album straight-through and then play a couple of shows. This year's project was Marquee Moon.

Heart of Glass are a Blondie tribute featuring a buncha Durhamites, including some of the same folks who brought you last year's Smiths/Cure tributes.

Guitars in the Sky is Mitch Easter's Records tribute.



Friday, January 4
Hundred Air (http://www.myspace.com/hundredair)
Buddhacat
The Cave, Chapel Hill

Hundred Air are the countryish-rock pop band fronted by Adam Price, who used to be in the Mayflies USA as well as the first weird incarnation of The Comas. He's joined onstage lately by an all-star lineup including John Harrison (North Elementary), Jeff Clarke (Cub Country), Tony Stiglitz (Jett Rink) and Stephen Murtaugh (Transportation). They're freaking tight as a tick.



Friday, January 4
Fighting Poseidon (http://www.myspace.com/fightingposeidon)
Transit Union (http://www.myspace.com/transitunion)
Wheatie Mattiasich
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

Fighting Poseidon are a post-punk, post-Kudzu Wish two-guitar rockband. Transit Union are 3/4ths of that amazing Durham band of a few years back, Strunken White.



Friday, January 4
Joe Swank and the Zen Pirates (http://www.myspace.com/joeswankandthezenpirates)
Sadlack's Heroes, Raleigh



Saturday, January 5
The Cartridge Family (http://www.cartridge-family.com/)
Sadlack's Heroes, Raleigh

Cartridge Family released their 2nd album at the tail end of 2007, and I still haven't heard it (it's a long damn way from Raleigh to Chapel Hill, I guess), which peeves me, since their debut, "Here Come the Rock Stars," was one of my faves of 2006. Total Blonde on Blonde - meets New York Dolls - meets Exile on Main Street rocknroll.



Saturday, January 5
Pykrete (http://www.bullfightparty.org/cirox/pykrete)
The Sumpbucket Ticklers
Dom Flemons
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

It's FrequeNC Records night at Nightlight, and they're back with perhaps their most weirdly varied lineup to date:

9:00 - party starts - DJ NASTY BOOTS - blues/old-time
9:30 - THE SUMPBUCKET TICKLERS** - (Phil Blank and friends) - Old time music, Tri-ethnic Neolithic Ecstatic Technology and Forgotten Songs.
10:30 - DOM FLEMONS** - (of the amazing CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS) - solo set of blues/old-time/etc.
11:30 - DJ JASON PERLMUTTER - plays rare funk and soul 45s from the Carolinas and Beyond.
12:30 - PYKRETE (AND GUEST ROBERT BIGGERS???) experimental electronic music from Chuck Johnson after his first semester in the MFA program at Mills College.
1:00 - DJ NASTY BOOTS - deep disco !!!



Saturday, January 5
Sweet By and By (http://www.myspace.com/sweetbyby )
Peter Holsapple (http://www.thedbs.com/)
Peter Lang
Broad Street Cafe, Durham



Saturday, January 5
Gray Young (http://www.myspace.com/grayyoung)
Citified (http://www.citifiedband.org/)
Hammer No More the Fingers (http://www.hnmtf.com)
I Was Totally Destroying It (http://www.reverbnation.com/iwastotallydestroyingit)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

HNMTF, Gray Young & IWTDI are all three Class-of-2007 bands, so here's your chance to catch up before we're too far into 2008.



Sunday, January 6
Dan Deacon (http://www.dandeacon.com/)
Juan Huevos (http://www.myspace.com/juanhuevos)
Ultimate Reality
Local 506, Chapel Hill



Sunday, January 6
Electric Bird Noise (http://www.epitonic.com/artists/electricbirdnoise.html)
Remora (http://www.silbermedia.com/remora/)
Horseback (http://www.myspace.com/horsebacknoise)
P. D. Wilder (http://www.myspace.com/pdwilder)
Hell, Chapel Hill

Sweet drone coalescing slowly within the inevitable Hell-cloud of secondhand smoke.



Monday, January 7
Colossus (http://www.myspace.com/thecolossuswillcrushyou)
Tooth
Battlemaster
Ramming Speed
Volume 11 Tavern, Raleigh

Tooth's "Animality" was pretty much the only metal release I heard in 2007, so I can't necessarily compare it to its immediate contemporaries. But I'm pretty sure I've heard enough metal since '81 (ah, middle school) to be able to state with confidence that it's fucking awesome. Anybody who buries guitar solos that far down in the mix on a metal record deserves some kinda medal.






OK, I'm not going to put these in order (really!), but here are the 20 local releases from 2007 that I know I'm going to be pulling out again & again in 2008 & beyond:

Gondoliers: self-titled
Pulsoptional: self-titled
Midtown Dickens: Oh Yell!
Maple Stave: EP Two
Savage Knights: Solo Basura
Ben Davis/des_ark: Battle of the Beards
Tooth: Animality
Double Negative: Wonderful & Frightening World of . . .
Horseback: Impale Golden Horn
Various: Carolina Funk: Funk 45s from the Atlantic Coast
Schooner: Hold on Too Tight
Adam Thorn & the Top Buttons: Where's the Freedom?
Filthybird: Southern Skies
The Nein: Luxury
Un Deux Trois: Lovers EP
Hammer No More the Fingers: self-titled
David Karsten Daniels: Sharp Teeth
Twilighter: Fixed
Health: Where You From?
Megafaun: Bury the Square

Best musical moment of my 2007 was actually des_ark live on WXDU on December 9th, but you'll likely have to wait until 2008 to hear the fruits of that, unless you were tuned in that day. (OK, here's a sample: http://mp3.groovo.org/3pm/des_ark--bonnechanceasshole.mp3 )

--------> http://www.trianglerock.com <--------



  • stuff to do, week of December 29, 2007 (plus! top local releases of 2007?), grady, 12/28/2007

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