RTP-area local music and culture

[grady <grady AT ibiblio.org>]

Saturday, February 7
Cowboy Junkies    (http://www.cowboyjunkies.com/)
Lincoln Theater, Raleigh



Saturday, February 7
Polvo    (http://www.southern.com/southern/band/POLVO/index.html)
Birds of Avalon    (http://www.myspace.com/birdsofavalon)
Violet Vector and the Lovely Lovelies 
(http://www.myspace.com/violetvectorandthelovelylovelies)
I Was Totally Destroying It 
(http://www.reverbnation.com/iwastotallydestroyingit)
Pour House, Raleigh

Night two of the WKNC Double Barrel Benefit. Polvo hopefully require no 
introduction, beyond perhaps quick verification that they're firing on 
all cylinders & should be un-missable, if yr smart.

Birds of Avalon are a massive rock machine; they oughta be packing the 
RBC Center but the world sucks, so you're in luck, they're playing the 
Pour House.

Violet Vector and the Lovely Lovelies are kinda inexplicable, but it 
involves dayglo minidresses and the Wall of Sound. Bells. Lots of bells.



Saturday, February 7
The Houstons
Mark Holland's Rhythm Force    (http://www.myspace.com/mhollandsrhythmforce)
The Cave, Chapel Hill

Mark Holland's former band Jule Brown burst into flames last month & was 
completely destroyed; the Rhythm Force is the phoenix.



Saturday, February 7
Monsonia    (http://www.monsonia.com)
In the Year of the Pig    (http://www.southernloveprod.com/ityotp.htm)
Grappling Hook    (http://www.myspace.com/torchmaraudersgrapplinghook)
The Pinhook, Durham

Grappling Hook: extended space-prog bass/drums/organ jamz with Dave 
Bjorkback/Torch Marauder's crazed scifi/fantasy vocals slathered overtop 
it all.

In the Year of the Pig: multi-bass, multi-drum deep/heavy groove mayhem.

Monsonia: Shellac-style crankiness.



Saturday, February 7
Bull City    (http://www.bullcitytheband.com/)
Rat Jackson    (http://www.myspace.com/ratjacksonmusic)
Pneurotics    (http://www.myspace.com/pneurotics)
Jack Sprat Cafe, Chapel Hill



Saturday, February 7
Bellafea    (http://www.bellafea.com/)
The Curtains of Night    (http://myspace.com/thecurtainsofnight)
The Andalusians    (http://www.myspace.com/theandalusians)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

Like standing in the path of a tornado that just flattened an icepick 
factory.



Saturday, February 7
The Morning Benders    (http://www.myspace.com/themorningbenders)
The Submarines    (http://www.myspace.com/thesubmarinesmusic)
Kyle Andrews    (http://www.myspace.com/kyleandrews)
Local 506, Chapel Hill



Monday, February 9
Jew(s) & Catholic(s)    (http://www.myspace.com/jewsandcatholics)
The Boxing Lesson    (http://www.myspace.com/theboxinglesson)
Local 506, Chapel Hill



Monday, February 9
Phon
Human Adult Band    (http://www.myspace.com/humanadultband)
Dead Man    (http://www.myspace.com/deadmansweden)
Radio Moscow    (http://www.myspace.com/radiomoscow)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

Dead Man: hippie jamz (folk to boogie to something heavier) from Sweden 
(really!)

Radio Moscow: ditto, but from Iowa



Tuesday, February 10
Bull City    (http://www.bullcitytheband.com/)
The Parlor Mob    (http://www.myspace.com/theparlormob)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro



Tuesday, February 10
Panda Force    (http://www.myspace.com/pandaforceband)
Precore    (http://precoreband.com)
The Calamity Jane    (http://myspace.com/thecalamityjane)
Marvell Building, Durham



Tuesday, February 10
Cool Ethan    (http://www.myspace.com/coolethanrock)
Farewell Flight    (http://www.myspace.com/farewellflight)
Local 506, Chapel Hill



Tuesday, February 10
Americans in France    (http://www.myspace.com/americansinfrance)
Rooftop Vigilantes    (http://www.myspace.com/rooftopvigilantes)
Wild Wild Geese
Reservoir, Carrboro



Wednesday, February 11
Shawn Deena    (http://www.myspace.com/shawndeena)
Veronica Blood    (http://www.myspace.com/veronicablood)
Mr. Reddy    (http://www.myspace.com/reddysauls)
Marvell Building, Durham



Wednesday, February 11
Mark Olson    (http://www.victoriawilliams.com/)
Gary Louris    (http://www.myspace.com/garylouris)
ArtsCenter, Carrboro



Wednesday, February 11
Boyzone    (http://www.myspace.com/boyszone)
The Hem of His Garment    (http://www.myspace.com/thehemofhisgarment)
Diagram A
Shallow Waters    (http://www.myspace.com/shallowwatersprov)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

Somewhat rare[r] appearance by massive local noise/drone supergroup The 
Hem of His Garment; they had a run early on of what seemed like weekly 
shows, but lately they've been largely absent from local stages, 
presumably due to intense woodshedding in preparation for altering the 
orbit of the moon around the earth via pure tones.



Thursday, February 12
Chatham County Line    (http://www.chathamcountyline.com/)
Jonas Fjeld    (http://theband.hiof.no/articles/JonasFjeldBandBite8.html)
Berkeley Cafe, Raleigh

Jonas Fjeld is some kind of Norwegian roots-rock superstar, who has 
toured & recorded with both Rick Danko and Garth Hudson (yes, as with so 
many others, it appears The Band are bigger stars in Norway than here). 
In 2005 he invited NC bluegrass hotshots Chatham County Line to come to 
Norway to play some shows with him; the subsequent live album, 
Amerikabesøk, went the Norwegian equivalent of gold. Thus began a 
collaboration that continues with these US shows in preparation for 
another CCL trip to Norway.



Thursday, February 12
Blag'ard    (http://www.blagard.com/)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill



Thursday, February 12
The Houstons
The Catch Fire
Tir Na Nog, Raleigh



Thursday, February 12
Goodbye, Titan    (http://www.myspace.com/loudestsilenceever)
Gunslinger    (http://www.myspace.com/deathofthegunslinger)
Jenny Wood    (http://www.myspace.com/jennywoodnashville)
FURrrrr    (http://www.myspace.com/furrrrrtheband)
Reservoir, Carrboro



Friday, February 13
Virgo 9    (http://www.myspace.com/thevirgonine)
Fujiyama Roll    (http://www.myspace.com/fujiyamaroll)
Pistil    (http://myspace.com/pistilband)
Armadillo Grill @ the Bryan Center, Duke W. Campus, Durham

This is another in the free Campus Concert Series, which means it starts 
at 5:30 and features, in addition to the rock, free chips & salsa.



Friday, February 13
Double Negative    (http://www.myspace.com/thedoublenegative)
Violet Vector and the Lovely Lovelies 
(http://www.myspace.com/violetvectorandthelovelylovelies)
Hammer No More the Fingers    (http://www.hnmtf.com)
Lonnie Walker    (http://www.myspace.com/lonniewalker)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

This is a showcase for four of the eight artists featured in this year's 
News & Observer Great 8, which is an annual feature spotlighting eight 
local bands to watch in the coming year. It's always a mix of poppier 
bands whom the average N&O music-section reader might dig, and a few 
wild-cards (here, blistering hardcore band Double Negative) who've 
achieved a level of prominence big enough to qualify as news. (In the 
case of Double Negative, being invited to play the UK All Tomorrow's 
Parties curated by the Melvins certainly counts.)

If one still believed that daily papers had any real power or authority, 
one could spend a bit too much time analyzing the selection, and/or 
griping about all the bands who got left out. But it's 2009, and given 
the modern landscape of daily print journalism, it's pretty amazing that 
the paper's editors were willing to devote the column-inches at all, let 
alone provide the resources to put together such a snazzy multimedia 
package.

It has clearly crossed over from "journalistic obligation" to "crazy 
labor of love," and that just proves what I've already known for the 17 
years that I've lived in the Triangle: the N&O's David Menconi is a 
kindred spirit.



Friday, February 13
Hearts and Daggers    (http://www.heartsanddaggers.com/ )
Whistlestop    (http://www.myspace.com/whistlestop)
Tir Na Nog, Raleigh



Friday, February 13
Strange Faces    (http://www.myspace.com/strangefacestheband)
Aloud
Slim's Downtown, Raleigh



Saturday, February 14
Roman Candle    (http://www.romancandlemusic.com/)
The Old Ceremony    (http://www.theoldceremony.com/)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro

This is a CD-release party for the damnfine new Old Ceremony CD "Walk on 
Thin Air." There's a emotional directness to the new material that 
wasn't as present on their earlier CDs; it was perhaps masked by 
Django's former insistence on making every song a perfectly-formed 
narrative, including unreliable narrator. These songs are a little more 
direct, a little more heartfelt, and that, in combination with the 
obvious joy of the musicians in playing together, makes this their best 
album yet, by far.



Saturday, February 14
Straight 8s    (http://www.straight8s.com)
The Antagonizers    (http://www.antagonizers.com/)
The Tremors    (http://www.tremorsrockabilly.com/)
The Shotdowns    (http://www.myspace.com/theshotdowns)
Shoot First
Volume 11 Tavern, Raleigh



Saturday, February 14
The Dex Romweber Duo 
(http://www.bloodshotrecords.com/artist/dex-romweber-duo)
Killer Filler    (http://www.myspace.com/killerfiller)
Michael Rank    (http://www.sleazegrinder.com/teensleazehanoi.htm)
Marc E. Smith
Local 506, Chapel Hill

This is a CD-release party for the new Dex Romweber Duo CD, "Ruins of 
Berlin," their first for Bloodshot Records. One perk of recording for 
Bloodshot is that yr CD gets to feature guest appearances from Bloodshot 
labelmates like Neko Case, Kelly Hogan and Exene Cervenk[ov]a, not to 
mention [non-labelmate but] longtime fan Chan Marshall.

None of whom, presumably, will be in attendance tonight, which is all 
right, because when it comes to Dexter Romweber, 2 people onstage is all 
you need, especially when the 2nd is Dex's sister Sara (Let's Active, 
Snatches of Pink) on drums.



Saturday, February 14
The Nothing Noise    (http://www.myspace.com/thenothingnoise)
Battle Rockets    (http://www.myspace.com/battlerockets)
King Tut
Jack Sprat Cafe, Chapel Hill



Saturday, February 14
Chip Robinson & the Heavy Beat Outfit
Slim's Downtown, Raleigh



Sunday, February 15
Love Hangover
Pour House, Raleigh

This is the 10th annual Love Hangover, in which various local singers 
assemble into male/female duos & sing duets about anything but love (or 
at least about its thorny backside).



Monday, February 16
Mahjongg    (http://www.arc6ery.org/)
Duke Coffeehouse, Durham



Monday, February 16
Pink Flag    (http://www.myspace.com/pinkflagnc)
Let Me Crazy    (http://www.myspace.com/lessthancrazy)
Reservoir, Carrboro



Tuesday, February 17
Born Empty    (http://bornempty.com)
Marvell Building, Durham



Tuesday, February 17
The Belleville Outfit    (http://www.bellevilleoutfit.com)
Berkeley Cafe, Raleigh



Tuesday, February 17
A Rooster for the Masses    (http://www.myspace.com/aroosterforthemasses)
Zelazowa    (http://www.myspace.com/zelazowa)
The Cave, Chapel Hill



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