RTP-area local music and culture

[Ross Grady <grady AT ibiblio.org>]

Thursday, December 8
Beirut    (http://www.beirutband.com/)
Perfume Genius    (http://www.matadorrecords.com/perfume_genius/)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro



Thursday, December 8
The Great Cover-Up    (http://www.kingsbarcade.com)
Kings, Raleigh

Ahh, the Great Cover-Up, that annual fantasia where local bands (or one-off
pickup ensembles) get together to learn 4-5 song sets by one of their
favorite bands. Some folks get into it with costumes & wigs; others
concentrate on pulling off the music. A tiny few manage both. A grand time
is had by all.



Thursday, December 8
Hume    (http://www.myspace.com/humesongs)
Matt Northrup    (
http://www.fullspectrumrecords.com/artists/matt_northrup.html)
The Pinhook, Durham



Thursday, December 8
Trepak    (http://www.myspace.com/trepaktheband)
Lights Resolve
Motorco Music Hall, Durham



Friday, December 9
Holy Ghost Tent Revival    (http://www.myspace.com/hgtr)
Matrimony    (http://www.myspace.com/matrimony)
Mike Quinn    (http://mquinnmusic.com/)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro



Friday, December 9
Hindugrass    (http://www.hindugrass.net/)
Pavelid Castaneda    (http://www.dynamomuseproductions.com/Pavelid.html)
Naji Hilal    (http://www.arabiaband.com/middle-eastern-music.html)
Gabe Pelli & Dave Smith    (https://www.facebook.com/OnyxClubBoysNC)
The Casbah, Durham



Friday, December 9
Antibubbles    (http://www.myspace.com/antibubblesss)
Brick Mower
Victorian Halls    (http://www.facebook.com/VictorianHalls)
Motorco Music Hall, Durham



Friday, December 9
T0W3RS    (http://t0w3rs.bandcamp.com/)
The Cave, Chapel Hill

Best new band of 2011? Quite probably yes, at least if you like crazy
anthemic pop impulses married with a natural state of raggedy imperfection.



Friday, December 9
Spider Bags    (http://www.myspace.com/spiderbags)
Reese McHenry
Flesh Wounds
Boykiller    (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Boykiller/298192606861242)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

Reese McHenry has been woodshedding for a while now with the Spider Bags,
and she has stood up & sung a few songs at at least one recent show, but
this show marks the formal debut of their collaboration.

Flesh Wounds is the new garage-punk trio of Dan Kinney (Future Kings of
Nowhere), Laura King (The Moaners), and Montgomery Morris (Last Year's Men).

Boykiller is a terrifying phenomenon, as much phantasm as actual reality.
All we know for sure is that it involves Ginger Wagg (ex-Veelee) and
Theresa Stone, and I may have to watch from the safety of the street, or
the bar at the Cave.



Friday, December 9
des_ark    (http://www.des-ark.org)
Kathryn Calder    (http://kathryncalder.ca/)
Himalayan Bear    (http://www.myspace.com/himalayanbear)
The Pinhook, Durham

Oh, by the way, des_ark are a Triangle band again, or rather Aimée is
living here again. In the 2 years since she moved to Philly, 2nd guitarist
Noah Howard has moved to Kentucky, and she has gone through a handful of
drummers, so the fact that she's back doesn't mean you're going to get to
see the Big Rock Trio any more often than when she was away.

But it does hopefully mean more of her gorgeous shattering solo shows, plus
further honing of her standup comedy side project.



Friday, December 9
Widow
Kiff
The Bastages    (http://www.reverbnation.com/thebastages)
Volture
Safe Word    (http://www.reverbnation.com/safewordband)
Volume 11 Tavern, Raleigh

This is billed as a KIFFMas Party, which I guess means bring chestnuts or
marshmallows to roast when the guy from KIFF does his fire-breathing shtick.



Friday, December 9
Grieves    (http://www.myspace.com/grieves)
Budo    (http://budo.tumblr.com/)
K Flay    (http://www.kflay.com/)
Local 506, Chapel Hill



Friday, December 9
Rocket Cottage
Southern Hostility    (http://www.reverbnation.com/southernhostilitync)
Wasted Effort
Angry Youth
Slim's, Raleigh



Saturday, December 10
S.C.O.T.S.    (http://www.scots.com/)
Jennyanykind    (http://www.jennyanykind.com)
Cat's Cradle, Carrboro

Jennyanykind formed sometime in the late 80s / early 90s, but that kind of
longevity is still dwarfed by that of Southern Culture on the Skids, who
formed in the *early* 80s and have been going more-or-less nonstop ever
since.



Saturday, December 10
Amy Ray    (http://www.daemonrecords.com/beta/amy/amy.html)
The Shadowboxers    (http://www.theshadowboxers.com/)
Motorco Music Hall, Durham



Saturday, December 10
The Old Ceremony    (http://www.theoldceremony.com/)
Phil Cook and his Feat    (http://philcookandhisfeat.bandcamp.com/)
Local 506, Chapel Hill

The Old Ceremony are one of the Triangle's musical treasures, one of those
bands who by rights should be playing 800-seat theatres by now.



Saturday, December 10
Hiss Golden Messenger
William Tyler    (
http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2010/10/a-brief-history-of-william-tyler.html)
David Strader
Nightlight, Chapel Hill

This is the formal release party for the brilliant new Hiss Golden
Messenger LP, "Poor Moon," which will be somewhere in my top-5 for 2011
when I get around to weighing all the factors & putting things in order.

Though the album features full-band arrangements, it's rare to get that in
person, but tonight MC Taylor has called in all favors & will be playing a
full-band show with Scott Hirsch on bass, Terry Lonergan on drums, Nathan
Bowles (of the Black Twig Pickers) on banjo, and William Tyler (Lambchop,
etc) on guitar.

William will also be playing an opening solo set.



Saturday, December 10
Jeff Hart
The Cave, Chapel Hill

This is a CD-release show.



Saturday, December 10
Girlyman    (http://girlyman.com/)
Coyote Grace    (http://www.coyotegrace.com/)
The Casbah, Durham



Saturday, December 10
Lazarus
Kooley High    (http://www.myspace.com/kooleyhigh)
King Mez
Actual Proof
Pour House, Raleigh

CD-release for the new Kooley High album.



Saturday, December 10
Gringo
Slim's, Raleigh



Sunday, December 11
Rod Picott    (http://www.rodpicott.com/)
The Casbah, Durham

This is part of the Casbah's House Concert Series -- Intimate and
Unamplified (Seating limited to 50)



Tuesday, December 13
Dax Riggs    (http://daxriggs.myshopify.com/)
Local 506, Chapel Hill



Tuesday, December 13
JP Harris & The Tough Choices
Motorco Music Hall, Durham



Tuesday, December 13
Stripmall Ballads    (http://www.stripmallballads.com/)
Nightlight, Chapel Hill



Wednesday, December 14
Atlas Sound    (http://deerhuntertheband.blogspot.com)
Carnivores    (http://www.myspace.com/carnivoresatl)
Balkans    (http://www.balkansbalkans.com/)
Motorco Music Hall, Durham

Atlas Sound is the solo project of Bradford Cox from Deerhunter.



Wednesday, December 14
Chatham County Line    (http://www.chathamcountyline.com/)
Pour House, Raleigh

This is billed as the Chatham County Line Electric Holiday Show. I think.



Wednesday, December 14
Treeclimbr
Nightlight, Chapel Hill



Wednesday, December 14
River City Ransom    (http://www.myspace.com/rivercityransomband)
Tin Can Sailor
The Pinhook, Durham



Wednesday, December 14
Logic Problem
Whatever Brains    (http://whateverbrains.bandcamp.com/)
PC Worship
Mutilation
Slim's, Raleigh

In the leadup to this year's Hopscotch Music Festival, Whatever Brains
frontman made it very clear (to me & anyone else who would listen) that PC
Worship were far-and-away the band he was most excited about at the
festival.

And yeah, despite that enthusiasm, I still didn't make it over to see their
set. But Rich's opinion still carries a lot of weight with me.



Thursday, December 15
Birds & Arrows    (http://www.myspace.com/birdsandarrows)
The Small Ponds
The Casbah, Durham

This is a seated show, and it begins at 8:00 p.m. (doors at 7:00 p.m.)



Thursday, December 15
An Evening with the Trekky Records Collective    (http://trekkyrecords.com)
ArtsCenter, Carrboro

It's not quite clear to me whether this is to replace the long-running
Trekky Christmas at the Cradle (though I assume it is, since there's
nothing on the Cradle schedule). In any case, this is a chance for various
Trekky artists and their friends (including members of Butterflies,
Embarrassing Fruits, Hammer No More The Fingers, Lost in the Trees,
Megafaun, Midtown Dickens, Mount Moriah, Vibrant Green) to get together &
sit in with each other.



Thursday, December 15
Gospel Music    (http://gospelmusicfla.com/)
Motorco Music Hall, Durham

"Gospel Music" is the side project of the bassist from the Black Kids,
whose song "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You" was
unavoidable (and unavoidably awesome) for about 20 minutes a few years ago.

Of course, I don't even remember that song *having* a bassline, but
whatever.



Thursday, December 15
The Breaks    (http://www.reverbnation.com/thebreaksofpittsboro)
The Station, Carrboro



Thursday, December 15
Rachael Yamagata    (http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/rachaelyamagata)
Mike Viola    (http://www.mikeviola.com/)
Local 506, Chapel Hill



Thursday, December 15
Woods    (http://www.myspace.com/woodsfamilyband)
Mmoss
Kings, Raleigh



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