RTP-area local music and culture

[BSC <junk AT hitezone.com>]

Don't forget about the Robert Cray concert ticket giveaway this Sunday
(your last chance to win)!  See details below.

Wednesday July 15
=95 7:30P Open Mic Night
Open Mic is arranged to enable anyone to perform, so all you have to
do is turn up early and get your name down to perform. Originals and
cover music of every style and genre are welcome! Open mic is a great
way to practice your art and can also can be a proving ground for new
talent and material. The audience consists of singers, poets,
songwriters and music lovers so the atmosphere should be warm and
encouraging for everybody.

Thursday July 16
7P Eric Sommers (guitar/harmonica/vocals)
In the 80's Eric Sommer broke out of the Boston folk music scene with
a mixture of roots-pure fingerstyle acoustic guitar and new wave pop,
a blurred combination of Nick Lowe, The Cars and Spider John Koerner
influences. This unique alchemy created a driving, guitar-based sound
backed by a tight, infectious beat and laced with Byrds-style jingle
jangle guitar work; this sound landed him and his band The Atomics
into Cantones, the hardcore, working-class punk bar in downtown
Boston, just off an area called The Combat Zone, as the house band.

First writing power pop rock songs, Eric slowly blended his acoustic
feel, open-tunings and slide guitar into a more personal writing
approach, producing a wide rang of very personal songs, songs based on
years of road work, travel and observations as well as autobio
material. Eric was regularly called on by legendary promoter Don Law
to fill in at the new Paradise Theatre, where he shared the stage and
a number of tours with many national acts such as David Bromberg, Leon
Redbone, John Mayall, Dr. John, John Hammond, Little Feat, The Byrds
(McGuinn Clark and Hillman) and new wave British acts like Nick Lowe's
Wreckless Eric, Brahm Tschikovsky and Gang of Four.

Sommer, who paid his guitar dues on the streets of Boston during high
school, left the US for Europe and played in Amsterdam and Hamburg,
before settling in Aarhus, Denmark where he toured with Danish bands
and held steady gigs at Den Hoyle and De Gavverit, very popular clubs
for American ex-pats in Europe, and then moved to Amsterdam and lived
on a houseboat while playing the Netherlands music clubs and German
concert circuit. Back in Boston, Eric took a few guitar tips from
David Landau, brother of Springsteen manager Jon landau, at Berklee
from Mick Goodrick of the Gary Burton Quartet and Steve Howe of YES,
all while listening to every Joe Pass and Charlie Christian recording
he could find.

The Atomics continued to hold down the house band spot at Cantones and
after shows and tours with a number of new wave and punk acts like The
Dead Kennedys, The Atomics evolved into one of the best local pop
bands in Boston. The trio disbanded in the mid 80's and Eric moved to
New York, then Atlanta and finally the Mid Atlantic area, settling in
Adams Morgan, a hip east-village like area of Washington DC. Eric
mixed his music and visual interests together and launched the
Georgetown Film Festival in 2001 which combined indie films with a
music festival. This combination led Eric into =93motion music=94 and he
has created film scores and soundscapes for a number of short films,
features, animations and docs.

But touring and road work is Eric's passion, and he is a regular
performer in many national venues, and has built a solid musical and
performance reputation across the country. Eric's goals are rooted in
what John Lee Hooker once said to him at a J.Geils show at The
Catacombs in Boston : =93If you ain't playin', then you payin'=94.

Since 1995 Eric has been touring and playing all over the US and
currently plays an average of 200 - 270 shows a year. He has been a
regular performer at The Bayfront Blues Festival in Duluth, MN, The
Carrboro Music Festival in Carrboro, NC and the Eno River Festival in
Raleigh, NC. His recent shows have included bills with Mates of State,
OLD 97's and Jerry Douglas of Union Station. Jim Reed of Savannah
Connect said =93Anyone who's been in need of a fix of spectacular,
percussive and virtuosic guitar work can rest easily. Eric Sommer's
coming to town. One of the finest American guitarists on the road
today...=94

=95 8:30P Jim Seem (folk rock/tropical/alternative)

Friday July 17
=95 8P Red Creek Cider (bluegrass)
=95 10P Big Daddy Love (americana/bluegrass/folk rock) - $5 cover
No one knew at the time, but Big Daddy Love was formed in the summer
of =9299 when Daniel J. Smith, Dustin Transou, and Derek Reece met on
the job. They became fast friends both at work and during informal jam
sessions, which continued for years to come.
  Finally in early 2006, they decided to make a band of it and
performed their first show as a three-piece rock band at the Wisteria
Festival in Castle Hayne, NC. They played nearly 50 shows their first
year. During this time, their shared love of acoustic roots music
began to influence their shows and set lists.
   In 2007, substantial changes were made when a drummer and banjo
player were added to the trio. With Steve Nalley holding down the
groove and Benjamin Kallam bringing his own banjo style, strong
vocals, and some original material, Big Daddy Love evolved.
   With this new musical landscape, principal songwriters Daniel J.
Smith and Dustin Transou hit their stride and in April 2008, BDL
released their debut album, =93Circle Around the Sun.=94 While the album
is acoustic and roots driven at its core, it is the fusion of
Bluegrass, Blues, Alt-Country, Rock, and Funk that is BDL=92s signature.
   Ultimately, it is BDL=92s authenticity and the startling power of
their live shows that resonate with their audience. Genuine and
intensely personal lyrics captivate and connect.

Saturday July 18
=95 8P 2nd Stage (Traditional, Country, Bluegrass, Folk/Rock)
Audiences love the band=92s varied repertoire, tight vocal harmonies and
great instrumentation. From rowdy numbers like =93Tear my Stillhouse
Down=94 and =93Folsom Prison Blues=94 to classic ballads including =93I Sti=
ll
Miss Someone=94 and =93Ripple=94, 2nd Stage plays crowd-pleasing musicfrom
both traditional and modern sources.
=95 10P Not Dead Yet (indie)
4 talented musicians with over 100 accumulated years of playing music
and wasting time-playing a wide variety of hand made tunes about giant
Tv's, fat kids saving the world, growing old without dignity, lazing
in a river, three legged mules- and the occasional odd tune.
Influences ranging from Randy Newman to John Hiatt to Taj Mahal ,
Jorma Kaukonen, Grateful Dead, Red Clay Ramblers, Lyle Lovett and Old
Forrester to just name a few -but the music is their own and hard to
categorize- I guess you'll just need to hear it- and you should
because i don't think there's anything quite like it out there- a
focus on energy, rhythm, harmonies and just having fun. And a great
way to avoid chores on the weekend (for you and us)- come check us
out.

Sunday July 19
=95 7P Aaron Mills Project - Sunday Night Jazz
Starting at 7, Open Jam at 9
If you are in any way a fan of jazz, this is not to be missed !!!
Aaron Mills, best known as the audacious bassist of classic funk act
Cameo,  has inspired a generation of groovy musicians, but his long
time love affair with jazz has inspired The Aaron Mills Project.
Aaron has been playing at the Cafe for a few months now, along with
Wayne Kee, Bobby Hinton, Warren Fraizer and others. Aaron has brought
Sunday night jazz back to the Cafe in a format that includes a cast of
regulars as well as featured guest musicians every week. Towards the
end of the evening, the night becomes an open jam, so, if anyone wants
to come blow their horn....

Robert Cray Concert Ticket Giveaway Announcement
The Broad Street Cafe will be giving away three pairs of tickets for
the Thursday, July 23rd Robert Cray Band concert at Cary's Koko Booth
Ampitheater!

Yes, I said "giving them away"...this is not a raffle.

Concert Info:
Robert Cray Band w/ special guests Shemekia Copeland and Mel Melton &
The Wicked Mojos
Thursday, July 23rd at Cary's Koko Booth Ampitheater
http://www.boothamphitheatre.com/concerts.htm

How do you enter to win?

You need to show up to the Sunday night jazz jam which starts at 7pm
and put your name into the drawing for tonight's tickets.  At the
first set break, we will draw for the three pairs to be given away.
YOU MUST BE PRESENT TO WIN.
____________________________________________________

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Thanks!

--
The Broad Street Cafe ...Food, Music, Spirits
1116 Broad Street
Durham, NC 27705
(919)416-9707
http://www.thebroadstreetcafe.com
Booking?  Email   ca AT thebroadstreetcafe.com
Questions?  Email    info AT thebroadstreetcafe.com