RTP-area local music and culture

[grady <grady AT ibiblio.org>]

Saturday, May 24
Pulsoptional    (http://www.pulsoptional.org/)
Rhymes With Opera    (http://www.rhymeswithopera.org)
Bull City Headquarters, Durham

I got an email a couple of days ago from the Pulsoptional folks, who are 
a Durham-based contemporary/avant-garde composers' collective. It said:

"pulsoptional will be joining a new and exciting "alternative" opera 
company, Rhymes WIth Opera for a show at Bull City Headquarters this 
Saturday, May 24th at 9pm.

Rhymes With Opera was co-founded by our friend, composer/violinist 
George Lam and composer, Ruby Fulton. They are titling this show 
ONE-TRACK MIND.

Featuring Bonnie Lander (soprano) and Robert Maril (baritone), the show 
includes two new operas: "Heartbreak Express" is about a fan obsessed 
with Dolly Parton, and "Closer to Mona" is a dissection of the real and 
ideal in the Mona Lisa. Our own Thom Limbert will be joining RWO on 
drums for "Closer to Mona.""



Saturday, May 24
Audubon Park    (http://audubonpark.blogspot.com)
Le Weekend    (http://www.myspace.com/leweekendleband)
The Cave, Chapel Hill

Since Audubon Park frontman David Nahm is currently living in East 
Bumfuck, Virginia, yr chances to see Audubon Park have been seriously 
constrained. So don't snooze on this one; they're still about the best 
amalgam of brilliant pop and impenetrable melodic confusion around.



Saturday, May 24
Fin Fang Foom    (http://www.lovitt.com/artists/finfangfoom.html)
Kerbloki    (http://www.kerbloki.com/)
Monsonia    (http://www.monsonia.com)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

Two bands specializing in postpunk rumble; the third (Kerbloki) grafts 
the rhythm section from uber-heavy local metallers Caltrop onto a 
Beasties-influenced party-hip-hop band, with predictably mystifying results.



Saturday, May 24
Ruscha    (http://www.myspace.com/ruscha)
Fighting Poseidon    (http://www.myspace.com/fightingposeidon)
Nightstick    (http://www.myspace.com/nightstickband)
Hell, Chapel Hill

Poseidon won.



Saturday, May 24
The Needles    (http://www.moonrockneedles.com/)
Dropsonic    (http://www.myspace.com/dropsonic)
Luxury Pushers
Slim's Downtown, Raleigh



Sunday, May 25
The Sammies    (http://www.myspace.com/thesammies)
The Houstons
Huguenots    (http://www.myspace.com/thehuguenotsmusic)
Local 506, Chapel Hill



Sunday, May 25
Jule Brown    (http://www.julebrown.org)
Will West    (http://www.myspace.com/willsmusic)
The Cave, Chapel Hill



Sunday, May 25
The Ts    (http://www.myspace.com/thettttt)
The Sugar
Slim's Downtown, Raleigh



Tuesday, May 27
Detroit Cobras    (http://www.motorcityrocks.com/cobras.htm)
X    (http://www.xtheband.com)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro

Ever since Mission of Burma reunited and kicked everybody's asses up & 
down the east coast, I've found it difficult to cling to my old 
resolution to always resist reunion tours. I never saw X (opportunities 
to see the attenuated, compromised post-Billy Zoom version of the band 
never really interested me), but those first three albums are still near 
the top of my punkrock canon. So I'm taking a chance on this 
original-members reunion tour, and hoping that, if nothing else, I get 
to see Billy Zoom standing there with his feet about 7 feet apart, 
shit-eating grin on his face, nothing moving but his hands as he flings 
one classic riff after another out into the room.



Tuesday, May 27
The Karloffs
3 Christs    (http://www.myspace.com/the3christs)
Virgo 9    (http://www.myspace.com/thevirgonine)
The Cave, Chapel Hill



Tuesday, May 27
Double Negative    (http://www.myspace.com/thedoublenegative)
Logic Problem
Chronic Seizure
Double Down, Raleigh

The Raleigh rock scene moves in mysterious ways, and thus this little 
dive bar on the fringes of the Glenwood South yuppie zone has become the 
new home of the Raleigh hardcore scene.



Wednesday, May 28
North Mississippi All-Stars    (http://www.nmsallstars.com/)
Amy LaVere    (http://www.amylavere.com)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro



Wednesday, May 28
Seepeoples    (http://www.seepeoples.com/)
Local 506, Chapel Hill



Thursday, May 29
Inspector 22
Citified    (http://www.citifiedband.org/)
The Tiny Meteors    (http://www.myspace.com/thetinymeteors)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro

This is part of the Cradle's ongoing "The Club is Open" free local-music 
series. Citified and Tiny Meteors are both from the Triad. Citified are 
a shoegazey/dreampoppy sort of band, and all I can remember about Tiny 
Meteors is that their former drummer emailed me to tell me he wasn't in 
the band anymore. Well OK.

Inspector 22 is Todd Emmert, also of Mowing Lawns. Last time I saw him 
play, a couple of years ago at Schoolkids, he took a nap onstage for 20 
minutes while a tape played. It was awesome.



Thursday, May 29
Proof    (http://www.prooftheband.org)
The Trousers
Tir Na Nog, Raleigh

This is the latest installment in Tir Na nOg's weekly Local Bands, Local 
Beers night.



Thursday, May 29
Remora    (http://www.silbermedia.com/remora/)
Hotel Hotel    (http://www.myspace.com/hotelhotel)
Sons of Roswell
Nightlight, Chapel Hill



Thursday, May 29
Helio Sequence    (http://www.theheliosequence.com/)
The Republic Tigers    (http://www.myspace.com/therepublictigers)
Local 506, Chapel Hill



Friday, May 30
Hammer No More the Fingers    (http://www.hnmtf.com)
Caverns    (http://www.myspace.com/caverns)
Squaaks
Nightlight, Chapel Hill



Friday, May 30
Kenny Roby's Mercy Filter    (http://www.kennyroby.com)
The Cave, Chapel Hill

I think Kenny is a great songwriter, but then I grew up with him, so 
maybe I'm biased. Luckily you don't have to take my word for it; 
recently Brian Walsby printed an interview and appreciation in his blog: 
http://introvertedloudmouth.blogspot.com/2008/05/kenny-roby-interview.html



Friday, May 30
Un Deux Trois    (http://www.undeuxtroisband.com/)
The Dead Betties    (http://www.myspace.com/thedeadbetties)
MKNG FRNDZ    (http://www.myspace.com/makingfriendz)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

MKNG FRNDZ is the crazy electroclash (can I still use that word?) outfit 
of former local teen lesbian Cobain-folk superstar Tami Hart. They're on 
tour from Brooklyn with their homiez the Dead Betties.

Un Deux Trois are where the pretty pop songs went after Bellafea went in 
a more angry/abrasive direction. Their Lovers EP was one of my faves of 
2007.



Friday, May 30
The Heavy Pets    (http://www.myspace.com/theheavypetsraleighnc)
Revival Times
Slim's Downtown, Raleigh



Saturday, May 31
The Never    (http://www.trekkyrecords.com/never.html)
Future Kings of Nowhere    (http://www.thefuturekings.net/)
Bowerbirds    (http://www.bowerbirds.org)
Embarrassing Fruits    (http://www.myspace.com/embarrassingfruitsband)
Megafaun    (http://www.myspace.com/megafaun)
Piedmont Biofuels, Pittsboro

It's called TRKfest, and it's an all-day (2pm - midnight or so) festival 
put on by the folks at Chapel Hill's Trekky Records. Here's the complete 
lineup:

The Never
Bowerbirds
Endless Mic
Megafaun
Embarrassing Fruits
Hammer No More the Fingers
Butterflies
Barghest
The Future Kings of Nowhere
Wil Donegan and the Americans
Vibrant Green
Sweet By & By



Saturday, May 31
Patty Hurst Shifter    (http://www.pattyhurstshifter.com)
Sadlack's Heroes, Raleigh



Saturday, May 31
Red Collar    (http://www.myspace.com/redcollarmusic)
Dirty Little Heaters    (http://www.thedirtylittleheaters.com)
Dry Heathens    (http://www.myspace.com/dryheathens)
James Joyce, Durham

This is a CD release party for the new Dry Heathens CD. They're 
somewhere between a punkrock band and a plain old dirty bar-rock band. 
Not quite as old & crotchety as Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments, but 
the attitude is similar.

I think the email I got about this show said it would be outdoors, which 
is good, because the James Joyce is far too small to contain Red Collar.



Saturday, May 31
Joe Romeo & the Orange County Volunteers 
(http://www.myspace.com/joeromeomusic)
The Cave, Chapel Hill



Saturday, May 31
Salt to Bitters    (http://www.myspace.com/salttobitters)
Western Civ.    (http://westerncivrock.com)
Mass Solo Revolt    (http://www.myspace.com/masssolorevolt)
Hell, Chapel Hill



Sunday, June 1
The Dead Betties    (http://www.myspace.com/thedeadbetties)
MKNG FRNDZ    (http://www.myspace.com/makingfriendz)
Bull City Headquarters, Durham

Second Triangle stop for this tour featuring MKNG FRNDZ, the new 
Brooklyn-based electroclash duo with former Durham queer acousticore 
superstar Tami Hart.



Sunday, June 1
Robo Sapien    (http://www.gorobosapien.com/)
Americans in France    (http://www.myspace.com/americansinfrance)
The Cave, Chapel Hill



Monday, June 2
Flowers Forever    (http://www.myspace.com/flowersforever)
Local 506, Chapel Hill



Tuesday, June 3
The Wading Girl    (http://www.thewadinggirl.com)
Jokes & Jokes & Jokes    (http://www.myspace.com/jokesjokesjokes)
Reservoir, Carrboro



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