RTP-area local music and culture

[grady <grady AT ibiblio.org>]

Anytime I say "I'm told," or "were described to me," I'm referencing 
conversations with the tiny pixie that rides everywhere on my right 
shoulder.

See if you can spot the exciting reunion-show news buried somewhere in 
this email!


Friday, March 28
Kenny Roby    (http://www.kennyroby.com)
Sadlack's Heroes, Raleigh



Friday, March 28
Megafaun    (http://www.myspace.com/megafaun)
The Dodos    (http://www.myspace.com/mericlong)
Silje Nes    (http://www.myspace.com/siljenes)
Bull City Headquarters, Durham

The more excellent press Megafaun get, the more amazed and gratified I 
am to see that they're still able & willing to play little hometown 
holes-in-the-wall like Bull City HQ.



Friday, March 28
Dry Heathens    (http://www.myspace.com/dryheathens)
The Manics    (http://www.myspace.com/themanicsrock)
Dylan Gilbert
Brett Harris
Broad Street Cafe, Durham



Friday, March 28
Diplomat
Duke Coffeehouse, Durham



Friday, March 28
Tiger Bear Wolf    (http://www.tigerbearwolf.com)
Secret Boyfriend    (http://www.myspace.com/scrtboyfriend)
Caltrop    (http://www.myspace.com/caltropband)
DJ Family Vacation    (http://1200problems.org)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

It's Nightlight's 5th anniversary (really?! amazing!), and the party 
they're throwing is heavy on the heavy, with the twin olympian dead-lift 
barbells of Caltrop and Tiger Bear Wolf.



Friday, March 28
Delta Spirit    (http://www.deltaspirit.net)
Soft Company    (http://www.myspace.com/softcompany)
Port O'Brien    (http://www.myspace.com/portobrien)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

Soft Company feature a cast of 100s, all veterans of other local bands 
(Audubon Park, Piedmont Charisma, Razzle, Erie Choir), all united to 
present the chaotic pop stylings of Erin Ridings in as semi-coherent as 
form as possible. They remind me a bit of early Roxy Music in their 
simultaneous devotion to rock, suaveness, and utter chaos.



Friday, March 28
A Rooster for the Masses    (http://www.myspace.com/aroosterforthemasses)
Citified    (http://www.citifiedband.org/)
The Love Language    (http://www.myspace.com/thelovelanguage)
Pour House, Raleigh

Three faces of modern pop, two from Raleigh & one, Citified, from over 
Triad way.



Friday, March 28
Future Islands    (http://www.myspace.com/futureislands)
Lonnie Walker    (http://www.myspace.com/lonniewalker)
Slim's Downtown, Raleigh



Saturday, March 29
Joe Swank and the Zen Pirates 
(http://www.myspace.com/joeswankandthezenpirates)
Sadlack's Heroes, Raleigh



Saturday, March 29
Blag'ard    (http://www.blagard.com/)
Hate Prose    (http://www.myspace.com/hateprose)
Jack Sprat Cafe, Chapel Hill



Saturday, March 29
Un Deux Trois    (http://www.undeuxtroisband.com/)
Violet Vector and the Lovely Lovelies 
(http://www.myspace.com/violetvectorandthelovelylovelies)
The Curtains of Night    (http://myspace.com/thecurtainsofnight)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

This is a CD-release party for the brand-new Violet Vector & the Lovely 
Lovelies EP, which is pretty darn girl-group/wall-of-soundy.



Saturday, March 29
Ahleuchatistas    (http://www.ahleuchatistas.com/go.php)
Le Weekend    (http://www.myspace.com/leweekendleband)
High Rollers
Super Bowl Sunday
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

Ahleuchatistas are sorta like Asheville's answer to Cantwell, Gomez & 
Jordan, only with a lot less singing, and more rubberbandy spazzmo freakout.

Le Weekend are sorta like Steely Dan, only with a lot less cocaine.



Saturday, March 29
Bibis Ellison    (http://www.myspace.com/bibisellison)
Matt Nakoa Pryor    (http://www.myspace.com/mattnakoa)
Hell, Chapel Hill



Saturday, March 29
The Loners    (http://www.demonbeachrecords.com/loners.html)
The Sugar
Slim's Downtown, Raleigh



Sunday, March 30
Kimya Dawson    (http://www.kimyadawson.com/)
Midtown Dickens    (http://www.myspace.com/midtowndickens)
Future Kings of Nowhere    (http://www.thefuturekings.net/)
Paleface
Angelo Spencer    (http://www.myspace.com/angelospencer)
Central Park, Durham

This is a free show, it starts at 3:00 p.m., and I believe Chef Shirle' 
will be catering the vegan goodies as well. Here's the complete lineup:

Kimya Dawson
Angelo Spencer
Malcolm Rollick
Paleface
Eberhardt
Midtown Dickens
The Future Kings of Nowhere



Sunday, March 30
Violet Vector and the Lovely Lovelies 
(http://www.myspace.com/violetvectorandthelovelylovelies)
WXDU 88.7 FM, Durham

Violet Vector & the Lovely Lovelies have a new EP, "EP I," and it 
features five tracks of semi-pure '60s girl-group pop-psych. Lots of 
glockenspiel, which they've vowed to bring out in full force for the 
show today. 4:00 p.m. 88.7 FM or wxdu.org.



Tuesday, April 1
Caribou    (http://www.caribou.fm)
Fuck Buttons    (http://www.fuckbuttons.co.uk/)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro



Tuesday, April 1
Lonnie Walker    (http://www.myspace.com/lonniewalker)
Chow Nasty
Aunt Dracula
Nightlight, Chapel Hill



Tuesday, April 1
Savage Knights    (http://www.retroactivedynamics.com)
Mount Weather
Health    (http://www.myspace.com/healthmusic)
Downtown Event Center, Raleigh

Health (the semi-well-known one from California, not the criminally 
underappreciated one from Greensboro) were described to me as Krautrockish.

Savage Knights are a jazz/spazz/rock band from Raleigh with Crowmeat Bob 
switching off between guitar & sax. They're straight-up awesome.



Wednesday, April 2
I Was Totally Destroying It 
(http://www.reverbnation.com/iwastotallydestroyingit)
Pneurotics    (http://www.myspace.com/pneurotics)
Finn Riggins    (http://www.myspace.com/finnriggins)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill



Wednesday, April 2
Handsome Furs    (http://www.myspace.com/handsomefurs)
Violens    (http://www.myspace.com/violensmusic)
Local 506, Chapel Hill



Wednesday, April 2
Hazerai    (http://www.myspace.com/hazerai)
Antarctic    (http://www.myspace.com/antarcticsounds)
Our Name is Legion    (http://www.myspace.com/ournameisduval)
Hell, Chapel Hill



Thursday, April 3
Elf Power    (http://www.elfpower.com/)
Red Collar    (http://www.myspace.com/redcollarmusic)
Duke Coffeehouse, Durham

Red Collar have local audiences drooling & shouting over their 
ultra-high-energy rock exhortation . . . which kind of leads me to 
wonder what comes next for them. The Warped Tour? Their own reality TV 
show? What does a base-clearing home-run even look like anymore, for a 
scruffy bar-rock band from Durham?



Thursday, April 3
Gray Young    (http://www.myspace.com/grayyoung)
Juan Huevos    (http://www.myspace.com/juanhuevos)
Illbotz    (http://www.myspace.com/illbotz)
Doug Cheatwood & the Bastards of Fate
Broad Street Cafe, Durham



Thursday, April 3
The Dirtbombs    (http://www.thedirtbombs.net/)
Dirty Little Heaters    (http://www.thedirtylittleheaters.com)
Kelley Stoltz    (http://www.myspace.com/kelleystoltz)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

I saw the Dirtbombs a couple of years ago, and though I know it's 
sacrilege to admit, I didn't think the double-drummers thing worked. 
Felt like it actually reduced the total power coming off the stage.

Dirty Little Heaters only have one of everything, including Reese 
McHenry's powerful voice, but with eyes closed it sounds like so much more.



Thursday, April 3
Anton Sword
The Burned Out Stars    (http://www.myspace.com/theburnedoutstars)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill



Friday, April 4
Vetiver    (http://www.vetiverse.com)
Gary Louris    (http://www.myspace.com/garylouris)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro

I'm told everybody in the room cried like a baby last time Vetiver came 
through town, so maybe it's not even necessary to point out their local 
connection -- at least half of 'em are from Greensboro, including 
frontman Andy Cabic (ex-Raymond Brake) and guitarist Sanders Trippe 
(ex-Rebar).

Gary Louris was in the Jayhawks.



Friday, April 4
Polynya    (http://www.myspace.com/polynyapolynya)
Airspace    (http://www.myspace.com/airspacemusic)
Israel Darling    (http://www.myspace.com/israeldarling)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

Polynya merge the longtime Smiths/Cure obsessions of some of their 
members with a lighter, breezier synth-pop sound -- think little dashes 
of Stereolab or even Pizzicato Five.



Friday, April 4
The Busy World    (http://www.myspace.com/thebusyworld)
Shapiro    (http://www.shapiropeople.com)
The Chuttesville Speak
Jack Sprat Cafe, Chapel Hill

I'm told the Chuttesville Speak[s] involves members of Sweater Weather.



Friday, April 4
Stratocruiser    (http://www.stratocruisermusic.com/)
Howlin' Rain    (http://www.birdmanrecords.com/howlinrain/index.html)
Nightstick    (http://www.myspace.com/nightstickband)
Local 506, Chapel Hill



Friday, April 4
Dexter Romweber and the New Romans 
(http://www.myspace.com/dexterromweber)
The Cave, Chapel Hill

Dexter's New Romans are his big band, with brass section, keys, multiple 
guitars & percussion. At their best, they're how his music was always 
meant to be heard.



Friday, April 4
Sir Arthur and His Royal Knights 
(http://mannsworld.blogspot.com/2007/08/sir-arthur-his-royal-knights.html)
Rocket Cottage
Slim's Downtown, Raleigh



Saturday, April 5
Ben Davis + The Jetts    (http://www.lovitt.com/artists/bendavis.html)
The Sames    (http://www.thesames.com)
Schooner    (http://www.schoonermusic.com)
Hammer No More the Fingers    (http://www.hnmtf.com)
Wil Donegan and the Apologies
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro

This is a farewell party for Schoolkids Records, which has left East 
Franklin Street after 33 years. In addition to the bands listed above, 
you've got North Elementary, Michael Rank & Mark E. Smith of Snatches of 
Pink, ColaSC's Heist & the Accomplice, and (apparently) more. All the 
proceeds go to Orange County Elementary Music Program.

And yes, you read that correctly: The Sames are reuniting to play this 
show. Glory be!



Saturday, April 5
Cantwell, Gomez, Jordan    (http://www.cantwellgomezandjordan.com)
Beloved Binge    (http://www.myspace.com/belovedbinge)
Eberhardt    (http://www.myspace.com/eberhardtnc)
Duke Coffeehouse, Durham

This is a triple-CD release party for Eberhardt, Beloved Binge & 
Cantwell, Gomez & Jordan. I've heard the latter two bands' CDs, and I 
have to say that in both cases it's their best work yet. Beloved Binge 
are really perfecting their weird cadences and their "we both sing 
different things at the same time" thing, and fewer of the songs sound 
like two dissimilar songs chopped up & Frankensteined back together.

Cantwell Gomez & Jordan are so completely in control of their sound that 
there's never any doubt about who you're hearing, or about the 
intentionality of what they're playing, no matter how fucked-up it gets. 
Magisterial.



Saturday, April 5
Hearts and Daggers    (http://www.heartsanddaggers.com/ )
Boxbomb
Left Outlet    (http://www.myspace.com/leftoutlet)
Pour House, Raleigh

Hearts & Daggers are an honest-to-goodness cowpunk band, although they 
don't have the '80s-style matching-black-denim sartorial discipline of 
their forebears.



Saturday, April 5
Honored Guests    (http://www.thehonoredguests.com/)
Pico vs Island Trees    (http://www.picomusic.com/)
The Modern Skirts    (http://www.modernskirts.com/)
Local 506, Chapel Hill



Saturday, April 5
DJ Family Vacation    (http://1200problems.org)
Bass Invadurrz    (http://www.myspace.com/bassinvadurrz)
DJ Ron Morelli
$tinkworxx
Nightlight, Chapel Hill



Saturday, April 5
Lake Inferior    (http://www.myspace.com/lakeinferiormusic)
Our Velvet Revolution
Jack Sprat Cafe, Chapel Hill



Saturday, April 5
Monsonia    (http://www.monsonia.com)
The Curtains of Night    (http://myspace.com/thecurtainsofnight)
Slim's Downtown, Raleigh

Once again Slim's provides a dose of the dark murky Chapel Hill/Carrboro 
sound to the starving ears of Downtown Raleigh.



Sunday, April 6
David Dondero    (http://www.futurefarmer.com/davidd.html)
Dawn Chorus    (http://www.myspace.com/dawnchorus)
Wood Ear    (http://www.myspace.com/woodear)
Local 506, Chapel Hill



Monday, April 7
Auxes    (http://www.myspace.com/auxes)
Shag Athlete    (http://www.myspace.com/shagathlete)
Hell, Chapel Hill

It's Hell's 11th-anniversary week, and all week long they're showcasing 
bands that feature current & former Hell staffers.



Tuesday, April 8
Auxiliary House    (http://www.trekkyrecords.com/auxhouse.html)
The Nothing Noise    (http://www.myspace.com/thenothingnoise)
The Chuttesville Speak
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

This is a benefit for Advocates for Grassroots Development in Uganda.



Tuesday, April 8
Anaturale    (http://www.myspace.com/anaturale)
Athens Boys Choir    (http://www.myspace.com/athensboyschoir)
Scream Club
Local 506, Chapel Hill



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