RTP-area local music and culture

[grady <grady AT ibiblio.org>]

Tuesday, October 27
The Ex-Monkeys    (http://www.myspace.com/theexmonkeys)
James Husband    (http://www.myspace.com/jameshusband)
Sugar and Gold    (http://www.myspace.com/sugarandgold)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

The Ex-Monkeys are a live-electronic duo who mix trip-hop beats and 
turntablism with heavy distorted guitar & bass. They used to be 2/3rds 
of Friend Side Monkey, and guitarist Ian Shannon was also in 90s 
Wifflefist bands such as BeatlesS.



Tuesday, October 27
Pretty Boy Thorson    (http://www.myspace.com/prettyboythorson)
The Copyrights    (http://www.myspace.com/thecopyrights)
Last Year's Men    (http://www.myspace.com/lastyearsmenband)
The Pinhook, Durham

There's an annual indie/punk festival in Gainesville called The Fest, 
and much like with SXSW and CMJ, our position alongside two major 
interstate highways (and not too far from a third) means we get the 
benefit of visits from any number of bands who're en route to the thing, 
such as one of Chaz's favorite bands, Pretty Boy Thorson.



Wednesday, October 28
Lost Hands Found Fingers    (http://www.myspace.com/losthandsfoundfingers)
The Dopamines    (http://www.myspace.com/thedopaminesohio)
Laura Stevenson    (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Stevenson)
The Pinhook, Durham

More en-route overflow from The Fest in Gainesville, which happens later 
this week/end:

11:00 - Lost Hands Found Fingers
10:00 - The Dopamines
9:00 - Laura Stevenson



Wednesday, October 28
The Postmarks
Huguenots    (http://www.myspace.com/thehuguenotsmusic)
Tir Na Nog, Raleigh



Wednesday, October 28
A Rooster for the Masses    (http://www.myspace.com/aroosterforthemasses)
Future of the Left    (http://www.myspace.com/futureoftheleft)
Local 506, Chapel Hill



Wednesday, October 28
Colossus    (http://www.myspace.com/thecolossuswillcrushyou)
Constrictor    (http://www.myspace.com/constrictorva)
HOG
Holy Dirt
Reservoir, Carrboro



Thursday, October 29
Eccentrik Festival    (http://www.eccentrikfestival.com)
Mansion 462, Chapel Hill

The Eccentrik Festival is a longish-running (this is year VI) 
DIY/underground festival that seems to be pretty heavily 
Steampunk-identified, at least judging from the lineup of bands: The 
Extraordinary Contraptions, Lemming Malloy, The Two Man Gentlemen Band, 
Unwoman, Vernian Process, and Veronique Diabolique

The one thing I can't quite suss out is which bands are playing on what 
night, but I suppose that if you're in the target audience, you'll be 
hitting all 3 nights regardless.



Thursday, October 29
Filthybird    (http://www.myspace.com/filthybird)
Mount Moriah    (http://www.myspace.com/mountmoriah)
Calico Haunts    (http://www.myspace.com/calicohaunts)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

Calico Haunts' recently-released second album, "After All," stands a 
pretty good chance of making my 2009 top-10 list; it's an excellent slab 
of echoey southern-gothic rock, that in places sounds like Leonard Cohen 
sitting in with Crazy Horse.

Mount Moriah and Filthybird are both woman-fronted rockbands who put new 
twists on their respective idioms (country-rock and piano-driven artrock).

Taken all together, I'm pretty sure this is the show of the week.



Thursday, October 29
Wigg Report    (http://www.synchronizedswim.org)
Fontana    (http://www.myspace.com/fontana1)
The Pinhook, Durham

Wigg Report are good-natured and wicked and kind and funny and 
quiet-loud and disheveled and sexy and brilliant.



Thursday, October 29
I Was Totally Destroying It 
(http://www.reverbnation.com/iwastotallydestroyingit)
Left Outlet    (http://www.myspace.com/leftoutlet)
The Story Changes
Tir Na Nog, Raleigh

I Was Totally Destroying It make a triumphant return to Raleigh after 
nearly totally destroying the Midwest, or at least parts of it. 
Actually, judging from his tour diary 
(http://chainsoftheskyway.blogspot.com/), the only things totally 
destroyed were one of the windows of their rental van, and drummer James 
Hepler's beard, but it's a safe bet that even the kids at the church 
carnival were fully rocked.



Friday, October 30
Spacelab
Shipwrecker    (http://www.myspace.com/shipwreckermuzak)
Missy Thangs
The Pinhook, Durham

This is a CD-release for Shipwrecker, and a pseudo-album-release (i.e. 
the physical items may or may not exist) for Spacelab. Missy Thangs 
recently released an amazing 7" EP of her band, Soft Company, and 
hopefully she'll have some on hand to flog as well.

12:00 - Shipwrecker
11:00 - Spacelab
10:00 - Missy Thangs



Friday, October 30
S.C.O.T.S.    (http://www.scots.com/)
John Howie, Jr. & The Rosewood Bluff 
(http://www.myspace.com/rosewoodbluff)
Berkeley Cafe, Raleigh

Southern Culture on the Skids should require no introduction. The only 
introduction needed to John Howie Jr. is that he fronted the amazing 
country band the $2 Pistols for many many years, and the Rosewood Bluff 
are his new band.



Friday, October 30
Pipe    (http://www.mrg2000.com/merge/bio.html?id=pipe)
Tin Star    (http://www.myspace.com/tinstarnc)
The Cave, Chapel Hill

I've seen the reunited Pipe twice: once at XXMerge, where they were 
largely sober & clearly a little freaked out at playing their first show 
in a half-dozen years in front of a sold-out crowd. It was tight, fast & 
ferocious.

And then once at Broad Street Cafe, where they went on a little later, 
were a good bit drunker, and just generally delivered a show that was 
much closer in spirit to the majority of Pipe shows I saw back when they 
were a full-time entity. Either way is just fine with me.



Friday, October 30
House of Fools    (http://www.purevolume.com/houseoffools)
The Alcazar Hotel    (http://www.myspace.com/thealcazarhotel)
Holy Ghost Tent Revival    (http://www.myspace.com/hgtr)
Local 506, Chapel Hill



Friday, October 30
Polynya    (http://www.myspace.com/polynyapolynya)
Actual Persons (Living or Dead) 
(http://www.myspace.com/actualpersonslivingordead)
Veelee    (http://www.myspace.com/seeveelee)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill





Friday, October 30
The Ghost of Saturday Nite 
(http://www.myspace.com/theghostofsaturdaynite)
Richard Bacchus & the Luckiest Girls 
(http://www.myspace.com/richardbacchus)
Slim's Downtown, Raleigh





Saturday, October 31
Pinche Gringo    (http://www.myspace.com/pinchegringoband)
Huguenots    (http://www.myspace.com/thehuguenotsmusic)
Floating Action    (http://www.myspace.com/floatingaction)
2702 Lawndale, Durham

2702 Lawndale is Craig's house in Old West Durham. I don't normally list 
house shows, but he's been having so many of them, and has made such a 
concerted effort to promote them outside of just his circle of friends, 
that it would be a shame to keep the details a secret.

Particularly since one of the bands is the awesome Asheville-based 
rickety-soul band Floating Action, who sound kinda like a woozy 
transistor radio on the gulf coast, picking up first-wave ska from 
across the water in 1965. As interpreted through a white guy from the 
mountains making 4-track recordings in his bedroom.



Saturday, October 31
Amps Do Furnish a Room    (http://www.myspace.com/ampsdofurnisharoom)
Heart of Glass
The Ramonas
The Pinhook, Durham

Over in Chapel Hill they get the Rolling Stones, Cheap Trick, and 60s 
Psych. Here in Durham, we get Blondie, Television, and the all-girls 
Ramones.

12:00 - The Ramonas
11:00 - Heart of Glass
10:00 - Amps Do Furnish a Room



Saturday, October 31
Goodbye, Titan    (http://www.myspace.com/loudestsilenceever)
Once and Future Kings    (http://www.myspace.com/onceandfuturekings)
Broad Street Cafe, Durham



Saturday, October 31
Some Girls    (http://some-girls.tumblr.com)
The Julies
Southern Girls
Local 506, Chapel Hill

The trend lately, especially in the years following the demise of Kings 
& its Cover-Up, is for intinerant local musicians to assemble 
cover/tribute bands for any/all occasions. Here's the breakdown from the 
506 website:

SOME GIRLS (Rolling Stones covers band)
THE JULIES (60 Psyche cover band)
SOUTHERN GIRLS (Cheap Trick cover band)



Saturday, October 31
Hand of Doom
Reservoir, Carrboro



Sunday, November 1
Tin Star    (http://www.myspace.com/tinstarnc)
WXDU 88.7 FM, Durham

We tried this a couple of weeks ago, but Tin Star singer Jamie Miyares 
was in the clutches of a lousy head-cold that made it nearly impossible 
for her to hit the already-difficult high notes that are one of her 
trademarks. Tin Star make arty pop-rock that's driven by the tension 
between Miyares's voice, her piano, and the edgy guitar of Louis Botta. 
Tune in at 4:00 p.m: 88.7 FM or wxdu.org.



Sunday, November 1
Islands    (http://www.myspace.com/islandsareforever)
Toro Y Moi    (http://www.myspace.com/toroymoi)
Jemina Pearl    (http://www.myspace.com/jeminapearl)
Duke Coffeehouse, Durham



Sunday, November 1
Bad Checks    (http://demonbeach.com/checks.htm)
Leadfoot    (http://www.leadfoot.net/)
The Bleeding Hearts    (http://www.thebleedinghearts.net/home.html)
Richard Bacchus & the Luckiest Girls 
(http://www.myspace.com/richardbacchus)
Pour House, Raleigh

Three decades of Raleigh Rock: the absolutely essential 80s 
punk/psychobilly of the Bad Checks; the rocket-fueled 90s southern 
boogie/metal of Leadfood; and the 00s jean-jacketed rock-n-roll of the 
Bleeding Hearts & Richard Bacchus.



Sunday, November 1
Herman Dune    (http://www.myspace.com/therealhermandune)
Julie Doiron    (http://www.myspace.com/juliedoiron)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

I never paid a lick of attention to Julie Doiron's old band, Eric's 
Trip, but I will admit that lately I find her song "Consolation Prize" 
stuck in my head for long stretches. At times irritatingly long stretches.



Monday, November 2
Birds & Arrows    (http://www.myspace.com/birdsandarrows)
Joshua James    (http://www.myspace.com/joshuajamesmusic)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

Birds and Arrows have just released their debut full-length, 
"Starmaker," which nicely augments their gtr/drums duo arrangements with 
piano & cello, while still retaining the inherent sparseness.



Tuesday, November 3
des_ark    (http://www.des-ark.org)
Old Growth    (http://www.myspace.com/oldgrowthmusicpdx)
12XU    (http://weare12xu.blogspot.com/)
Pygmy Lush    (http://www.myspace.com/pygmylush)
Ghastly City Sleep    (http://www.myspace.com/ghastlycitysleep)
Fuse, Chapel Hill

des_ark are nearly done mixing an album which has a title - "Don't Rock 
the Boat, Sink the Fucker," but no clear release date. Why am I not 
surprised? This is the last date of their tour with labelmates Pygmy 
Lush, at which point Aimee may or may not decamp to rural VA with Pygmy 
Lush, or to Philadelphia, or to some hitherto-unknown other destination. 
Which is to say: this may be yr last chance to see them for a while.



Tuesday, November 3
The King Khan & BBQ Show    (http://marksultan.com/kingkhanandbbqshow.html)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

With his other band The Shrines, King Khan released one of the great 
albums of the year (or last year, or the year before, depending on what 
country you live in) with What Is!?

The King Khan & BBQ Show is Khan plus his old Spaceshits bandmate Mark 
Sultan, and with just the two of them onstage, there's more room to 
flail around uncontrollably & fall down.



--------> http://www.trianglerock.com <--------