RTP-area local music and culture

[grady <grady AT ibiblio.org>]

Saturday, February 28
In the Year of the Pig    (http://www.southernloveprod.com/ityotp.htm)
Jamie Stewart    (http://www.myspace.com/xiuxiuforlife)
Duke Coffeehouse, Durham

In the Year of the Pig = SO HUGE. Two drummers (and not just any 
drummers, but rather the mighty Dave Cantwell and brilliant 
multi-instrumentalist Jenks Miller), guitar, bass, and Aaron Smithers' 
two-string bass-derived fuzz machine. Massive grooves, like one of those 
drilling machines they used to build the Chunnel.



Saturday, February 28
Blue Dogs    (http://www.bluedogs.com/)
John Howie, Jr. & The Rosewood Bluff 
(http://www.myspace.com/twodollarpistols)
Berkeley Cafe, Raleigh

Former $2 Pistols John Howie Jr climbs back into the saddle with his new 
band, The Rosewood Bluff.



Saturday, February 28
Billy Sugarfix    (http://www.soundclick.com/bands/8/billysugarfix.htm)
Waumiss    (http://www.myspace.com/waumiss)
JaGhetto
Dave Walker
Nightlight, Chapel Hill



Saturday, February 28
Resist Not    (http://myspace.com/resistnot)
Run Dan Run    (http://www.myspace.com/rundanrun)
The Kodiak Farm Boys
The Pinhook, Durham



Saturday, February 28
North Elementary    (http://www.northelementary.com)
Whale Watchers    (http://www.myspace.com/thewhalewatchers)
Sir Arthur and His Royal Knights 
(http://mannsworld.blogspot.com/2007/08/sir-arthur-his-royal-knights.html)
The Popular Kids
Pour House, Raleigh

This is a CD-release party for the new North Elementary CD, Not For 
Everyone, Just For You, which is far-and-away their best album yet.



Saturday, February 28
Brett Harris
Oscar Begat    (http://www.reverbnation.com/oscarbegat)
Bright Young Things
Jack Sprat Cafe, Chapel Hill



Saturday, February 28
Lonnie Walker    (http://www.myspace.com/lonniewalker)
Motor Skills
Gospel Years
Slim's Downtown, Raleigh

Lonnie Walker were one of 8 bands feted in the 2009 News & Observer 
"Great 8" feature. They're a sorta-wordy, sorta-countryish rockband, who 
remind me [a little bit] of certain aspects of Pavement or Bob Dylan.



Sunday, March 1
Yardwork    (http://www.myspace.com/wetdigitalredstorm)
WXDU 88.7 FM, Durham

This one's an 85% certainty, because when you've gotta corral 7 or 8 
people and truck them over from Charlotte, nothing's ever 100%. (though 
they're playing at Nightlight later in the evening, so they'll have to 
come through town at some point).

Yardwork feature members of multiple Charlotte bands, including Calabi 
Yau and Control; they've got 7+ members, including multiple drummers, 
guitars, glockenspiel, banjo, jumping around & singing, etc. It's highly 
ecstatic but without all the creepy christofascism of bands like 
Polyphonic Spree. Much more anarchovegan ecstasy.

I have no earthly idea how we're going to fit them all in the station, 
let alone mic them up & get them on the air, but they're one of the best 
bands I've ever seen, so I'm just gonna close my eyes & go for it. 4:00 
p.m. 88.7 FM or wxdu.org



Sunday, March 1
The Watson Twins    (http://www.thewatsontwins.com/)
Ben Kweller    (http://www.kweller.net)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro



Sunday, March 1
des_ark    (http://www.des-ark.org)
Yardwork    (http://www.myspace.com/wetdigitalredstorm)
Register
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

Show of the month. des_ark you know about, although if you haven't seen 
them lately, you might *not* know that they're a monster three-piece, 
featuring Durham drummer Evan Rowe (Maple Stave, Grappling Hook) and 
Greensboro guitarist Noah Howard (Strunken White, TigerBearWolf) in 
addition to Aimee Argote.

Yardwork are from Charlotte; they're an 8-piece (or so) band of freaks 
who put out my favorite release of 2008. Multiple drummers, glorious 
chiming guitars, glockenspiel, banjo, anything else they can find lying 
around, and everyone in the band singing at the top of their lungs. 
Their show at BCHQ was phenomenal.



Monday, March 2
Tapes'N'Tapes    (http://www.tapesntapes.com/)
Wild Light    (http://www.myspace.com/wildlight)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro



Monday, March 2
Turbo Fruits    (http://www.myspace.com/turbofruits)
Bass Drum of Death    (http://www.myspace.com/johnbarrettmusic)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

Times are tough; the Bass Drum of Death is one guy, John Barret, who 
plays guitar, sings, and yes, stomps on a big ol' bass drum. He's on Fat 
Possum.



Monday, March 2
2 Drumkits, 4 Drummers
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

Rob K. put this together. The lowdown is, loosely:

John Crouch (Caltrop) Robert Biggers (Le Weekend) Dave Cantwell (In the 
Year of the Pig) Rob Koegler (_____)

If you (really) like drums:

Improvised beats (pretty informal...beats you don't need to wear a tie for).

John and Rob will start about 9:30, and then mix things up with Robert 
and Dave around 10 or so. You will want ear plugs (Nightlight sells them).

This is planned to be a regular monthly event at the Nightlight, but not 
always drum-oriented. Different groupings of musicians will be invited 
to come out, play together, and make up stuff in whatever genre feels 
appropriate. The goal is to inspire new sounds, approaches, bands, 
marriages, etc. Informal vibe. People are invited to come and listen. 
It's free.



Tuesday, March 3
Rosewood Thieves
The Whisky Smugglers
Jordan & the Sphinx    (http://www.myspace.com/servant4good)
Local 506, Chapel Hill



Wednesday, March 4
The Moaners    (http://www.themoaners.com/)
The Black Lips    (http://www.bomp.com/BlackLips.html)
Gentleman Jesse    (http://www.myspace.com/gentlemanjesse)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro



Wednesday, March 4
Death to the Details    (http://www.reverbnation.com/deathtothedetails)
Pistil    (http://myspace.com/pistilband)
The Cave, Chapel Hill



Wednesday, March 4
No Ground To Give    (http://myspace.com/nogroundtogivenc)
One Shot One Kill    (http://purevolume.com/osok2)
Scarred Remembrance    (http://myspace.com/scarredremembrance)
Marvell Building, Durham



Thursday, March 5
The Music Tapes    (http://www.orbitinghumancircus.org/)
Nana Grizol    (http://www.myspace.com/nanagrizol)
Supercluster    (http://www.myspace.com/supercluster1)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro



Thursday, March 5
Spider Bags    (http://www.myspace.com/spiderbags)
The Scott Waite Debacle    (http://myspace.com/scottwaiteisbenevolent)
Jail    (http://www.myspace.com/jailjailjailjail)
The Pinhook, Durham

12:00 - Spider Bags
11:00 - Jail
10:00 - The Scott Waite Debacle

Two boozy freaky locals, plus a band from Milwaukee called Jail, so you 
can kinda see where the evening's heading . . .



Thursday, March 5
Brett Harris
Strange Faces    (http://www.myspace.com/strangefacestheband)
Bright Young Things
Pour House, Raleigh



Thursday, March 5
The Houstons
Mark Holland's Rhythm Force    (http://www.myspace.com/mhollandsrhythmforce)
Evenfield    (http://www.myspace.com/evenfieldmusic)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

Mark Holland disbanded his long-running band Jule Brown, and assembled a 
new/refocused outfit he's calling the Rhythm Force. I'd expect even 
deeper weirder backwoods grooves.



Friday, March 6
Neil Diamond All-Stars
David Spencer Band
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro



Friday, March 6
Caitlin Cary
Thad Cockrell    (http://www.thadcockrell.com/)
Ivan Howard    (http://www.therosebuds.com)
Pour House, Raleigh

Thad Cockrell and Caitlin Cary put out an album of duets a few years 
ago, "Begonias," and to this day I think it's the best thing either of 
them have done (which is saying a lot, as they're some damn talented 
people). One can only assume that this evening will feature some duet 
action, either "Begonias" material or other stuff, so if you like 
gorgeous wistful male/female country duets . . .



Friday, March 6
Sleepsound    (http://www.sleepsound.org/)
Cinemasophia    (http://www.myspace.com/cinemasophia)
Clothing and Shoes    (http://www.myspace.com/clothingandshoesmusic)
The Pinhook, Durham

12:00 - Sleepsound
11:00 - Cinemasophia
10:00 - Clothing and Shoes



Friday, March 6
Goner    (http://www.gonertheband.com/)
Future Islands    (http://www.myspace.com/futureislands)
Berkeley Cafe, Raleigh

Future Islands moved to Baltimore last year, after stints in Greenville 
& the Triangle. They make crazy bleaty-synthy sweet dance-pop. Goner are 
a grizzled bitter old rockband; so bitter that they continue to 
steadfastly refuse to admit to being a grizzled bitter old rockband, and 
hold up as proof the fact that their lineup is synth/bass/drums.



Friday, March 6
Fin Fang Foom    (http://www.lovitt.com/artists/finfangfoom.html)
Maserati    (http://www.kindercore.com/maserati.html)
Monsonia    (http://www.monsonia.com)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

Atmospheric postpunk from two local masters & an outta-town peer.



Friday, March 6
Remora    (http://www.silbermedia.com/remora/)
Andrew Weathers
Beautiful Bells    (http://www.myspace.com/beautifulbellsmusic)
Caledonia    (http://www.myspace.com/caledoniatheband)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill



Saturday, March 7
Rhymes With Opera    (http://www.rhymeswithopera.org)
Broad Street Cafe, Durham

RHYMES WITH OPERA and the AM/PM SAXOPHONE QUARTET present an evening of 
new chamber music and opera, featuring music by Kathleen Bader, Mattias 
Sköld, and the premiere of two new works written for RWO.

THOMAS LIMBERT (RWO commission)
Numbers/Dates
(Anxiety Leading to Panic)

Skeleton
Libretto by THIMBLE WIT
Music by RUBY FULTON and GEORGE LAM

With Elisabeth Halliday, soprano, Bonnie Lander, soprano, Robert Maril, 
baritone, and the AM/PM Saxophone Quartet

Rhymes With Opera will be collaborating with the AM/PM saxophone quartet 
to present a concert of new works, including a premiere by pulsoptional 
composer Thom Limbert. The piece, Numbers/Dates (Anxiety Leading to 
Panic), a Rhymes With Opera commission, uses voice samples from 
University of Pennsylvania's research on "emotional prosody," creating 
and interweaving natural speech in different emotional states with 
singers and saxophones. In addition to the Limbert premiere, Rhymes With 
Opera will present Skeleton, a new opera by Thimble Wit, Ruby Fulton and 
George Lam, where three strangers meet by chance on a train and one of 
them begins to tell the story of a betrayed lover and his disturbing 
revenge.



Saturday, March 7
Filthybird    (http://www.myspace.com/filthybird)
Anathallo    (http://www.anathallo.com/)
Sam Amidon    (http://www.samamidon.com/)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro



Saturday, March 7
Wigg Report    (http://www.synchronizedswim.org)
Blood Red River    (http://www.myspace.com/bloodredriver)
Virgo 9    (http://www.myspace.com/thevirgonine)
The Pinhook, Durham

12:00 - Virgo 9
11:00 - The Wigg Report
10:00 - Blood Red River

Heavy screamy woman-fronted rock from the Virgo 9; punk-inflected surf 
from Blood Red River; classic New Soundz of Durham from the Wigg Report, 
whose "Like Blammo Fast" was one of my fave releases of 2008.



Saturday, March 7
Schooner    (http://www.schoonermusic.com)
Nathan Oliver    (http://www.nathan-oliver.com)
The Proclivities    (http://www.myspace.com/theproclivities)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

This is a CD-release party for the new Nathan Oliver CD, their first in 
a couple of years. Their debut was a mix of catchy indie-pop and 
Pixies-inflenced screech; I haven't seen them in ages, so I couldn't say 
whether they've veered more one direction or the other.



Saturday, March 7
Keegan DeWitt    (http://www.keegandewitt.com/)
The Tomahawks    (http://www.myspace.com/jeffcrawfordmusic)
Gabriel Kelley    (http://www.myspace.com/gabrielkelleymusic)
The Cave, Chapel Hill



Saturday, March 7
Thank You    (http://www.thrilljockey.com/artists/?id=11346)
Mi Ami    (http://www.myspace.com/miamiamiami)
bETAVEG
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

It must be SXSW time, because random hot outtatown bands of the moment 
are blitzing through. This night is still nominally FrequeNC Records 
night, but a chunk of the evening is given over to Thrill Jockey's Thank 
You, and Quarterstick's Mi Ami. The former are a 
fuzz-synth/drone/tribal-drumming trio from Baltimore. The latter, which 
contain some ex-members of Black Eyes, are from San Francisco, and they 
sound like alternate-universe dub where the drug of choice is PCP. Lots 
of echo bass, deep grooves, and high-pitched tweaker screeching/ranting 
over the top of it. It's kinda fun, and definitely fucked-up.



Saturday, March 7
Hank Sinatra    (http://www.hank-sinatra.com/)
Slim's Downtown, Raleigh



Saturday, March 7
Ruscha    (http://www.myspace.com/ruscha)
The Curtains of Night    (http://myspace.com/thecurtainsofnight)
Trophy Wife    (http://trophywifetheband.blogspot.com/)
Reservoir, Carrboro

It's a gtr/drums duofest of sorts, with locals Ruscha and Curtains of 
Night (both heavy as all-get-out) and DC's Trophy Wife.



Sunday, March 8
Future Islands    (http://www.myspace.com/futureislands)
Lonnie Walker    (http://www.myspace.com/lonniewalker)
Ed Schrader    (http://www.myspace.com/edwardhenryschraderiii)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

Greenville-to-Baltimore transplants Future Islands join their former 
Greenville homies Lonnie Walker, who were recently showcased in the News 
& Observer's Great 8 (bands to watch in 2009).



Sunday, March 8
The Homewreckers    (http://www.myspace.com/jackandjillhomewrecker)
Pink Flag    (http://www.myspace.com/pinkflagnc)
The Middlemen    (http://themiddlemenmusic.com)
The Cave, Chapel Hill



Sunday, March 8
The Hymns    (http://www.hymnsband.com)
The Bridges    (http://www.thebridgesmusic.net)
Death on Two Wheels
Slim's Downtown, Raleigh



Monday, March 9
William Elliott Whitmore    (http://www.southern.net/southern/band/WILEW)
Samantha Crain & the Morning Shivers 
(http://www.myspace.com/samanthacrain)
Ben Weaver    (http://www.myspace.com/benweavermusic)
Local 506, Chapel Hill



Monday, March 9
Chiaroscuro
Mouthbreather
Bridge and Tunnel
Nightlight, Chapel Hill



Monday, March 9
The Taylor Texas Corrugators    (http://www.myspace.com/txcorrugators)
Veelee    (http://www.myspace.com/seeveelee)
The Cave, Chapel Hill

As in "Greg Ginn and the Taylor Texas Corrugators," which is Greg's 
Texas-boogie/western swing band. Or something like that. The heckling 
opportunities are endless, obviously, but there are few men in the 
history of American rock who've been heckled more than Greg Ginn, so 
it's A-game or no game.



Tuesday, March 10
Lydia    (http://www.myspace.com/lydia)
Black Gold    (http://profile.myspace.com/blackgold)
All Get Out    (http://www.myspace.com/allgetout)
Local 506, Chapel Hill



Tuesday, March 10
Blag'ard    (http://www.blagard.com/)
Lost Hands Found Fingers    (http://www.myspace.com/losthandsfoundfingers)
Reservoir, Carrboro



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