www.doginasweater.com Live Show Review Archive

Kumail Nanjiani at Local 506 12/23/2011

2012-01-02T19:43:00.000-08:00

Kumail Nanjiani
Local 506
12/23/2011

I love comedy shows. And even better than comedy shows are comedyshows in rock clubs. The tickets are usually much more affordable, no silly drink minimums and a very low-keyatmosphere. As long as the jokes are funny, a faux brick wall and cocktail waitresses aren't really a necessary part of melaughing.

Sadly we don't get many good comedy shows around here, so I was stokedwhen I saw Kumail Nanjiani announced at the Local 506 just before Christmas. I thought it odd that aPakistani born, LA based comedian would be performing in a rock club in a college town over Christmas break just before theholiday, until he started talking about his wife who was raised in Winston-Salem. I was a little worried attendancemight be low, with all the kids back home, but the room was full and happy to be hearing the funny.

I'm not entirely sure how to review a live comedy show, but the endresult was Kumail is funny as shit - we laughed our asses off. And I knew this going in, having seen him on a coupleof specials (not to mention the terrible-but-awesome "Franklin & Bash", where he plays a neurotic assistant), but nomatter how much you see of someone on TV, nothing beats laughing in person. Kumail's comedy is very story/anecdotebased, seemingly taken from his actual life but probably/certainly embellished for maximum laffs. Hopefully hemakes his way back here again - it would appear that forced holiday visits to the in-laws pays off for comedy fans in theseparts.

(Photo found online)

Beirut at Cat's Cradle 12/8/2011

2012-01-02T19:41:00.000-08:00

Beirut
Cat's Cradle
12/8/2011

It's getting harder and harder to get myself to go to shows in ChapelHill...my laziness has grown to epic levels (this laziness also seemed to rear up right around the same time Kingsre-opened and good shows started happening again in Raleigh). Unless I've purchased a ticket I just can'tget motivated to drive out there, and there are even times when that isn't enough. I really REALLY wasn't feeling likedriving out there this evening, but the ticket wasn't cheap and the newest Beirut album "The Rip Tide" isone of my very favorite releases of the year. So like WillieNelson, I was on the road again.

The apprehension is always withthe getting up and going, and never with the actually show. Theshow was, predictably, fantastic. I saw Beirut once many years ago, early in theircareer, and it was fine - but night and day with how polished they sound now. There were times when the horn sectionsounded so good I was transported back to 1975 when I saw Chicago for the first time. Then I remember I wasn't bornyet in 1975, and this was all some crazy hallucination, probably stemming from eating that out-of-date ham. And then Iwished I really was watching Chicago, but I wasn't. Beirut makes a pretty good consolation prize though. The band hadstrung up some large red & white carnival lights all around the stage, giving the club a festive atmosphere, helped by apretty active crowd that was maybe only 75% douchebags. It was a great set, with a number of older songsinterspersed with nearly all of the new record, and it was clear I wasn't the only one gaga for the latest release. Thehighlight was the live rendition of "Santa Fe", probably one of my top three favorite songs of the year. Bottom line - I'mreally glad I left the house.

Future Islands / Ed Schrader's Music Beat at Cat's Cradle 11/27/2011

2012-01-02T19:39:00.000-08:00

Future Islands
with Ed Schrader's Music Beat
Cat's Cradle
11/27/2011

I spent the entire Thanksgiving break in Washington DC looking atmuseums and such, so the prospect of driving out to Carrboro for a show wasn't very appealing...but the ticket wasbought and having seen this line-up a few times now, I knew it would be a good time, tiredness aside.

I could hear Ed Schrader's Music Beathammering out their primitive rock from where I parked behindCarrburritos - one of the benefits of the (usually open) side door at theCradle. Luckily I was able to see most of their set, as they are one of my favorite live bands going these days. I've tried andfailed to describe their music in the past - the best way I can put it is the songs and sound are simple but not simplistic, ifyou catch my drift. Drums, bass and barked vocals, all done in a very straight-forward manner...the sorts of tracks mostpeople could probably play, but couldn't ever think of. It's like the musical equivalent of a lot of modern art orsomething...you might think "my kid can paint that", but they didn't. Give it a shot on your own, I bet it doesn't carry thepower an emotion of Ed Schrader's Music Beat.

I was at the back of the crowd atthe end of the Future Islands set, buying an EdSchrader t-shirt when I overheard a couple of super young sorority-looking girls say "Oh. My. God. I justdanced on stage with my future husband!!!" It's weird seeing a demographic I would assume otherwise were Justin Bieberfans wig out over this band. This certainly wasn't the case when I was their age (or even a year ago at actualFuture Islands shows). Maybe the next generation isn't doomed after all. Then again, (a different) one of theseyoung, hot, vapid girls (that all look like they are cloned from an iPhone commercial) asked me if I was "the band's photographer",so maybe they aren't doomed, but they sure seem to be stupid.

All that silliness aside, Future Islands put on a tremendous show, asper usual. I don't think they know any other way to be. Their live act is as it always is, regardless of the size ofthe stage - Sam paces around like a caged wolverine performing a one man play, and the rest of the band holds down thebackbone in a very stone faced manner. I'm pretty sure they played all of "In Evening Air", most of the new record "OnThe Water", and plenty of old songs to boot. It was a nice, long gig, the band feeding strongly off of the nearly sold outcrowd at their first headlining Cradle show - not only were the kids dancing, but they were screaming and yelling like itwas...a Justin Bieber concert. And then there was that one older woman who kept stroking Sam's leg, which hit firmly inthe category of "creepy but funny". I love weirdos. And Future Islands. I'm so glad they play here as often as theydo.

The Sea & Cake at the Local 506 11/11/2011

2011-12-11T21:50:00.001-08:00

The Sea & Cake
Local 506
11/11/2011

I celebrated the meaningless adulation of the date 11/11/11 by going tosee The Sea & Cake in ChapelHill. I saw them for the the first time in this same town (no big surprise there),only at the Cat's Cradle with Trans Am and Tractor Hips opening on May 4th, 1997. No, I'm not some sort of datesavant, I've still got a poster I bought at the show on my wall (a poster by Casey Burns, no less). I've seen them maybe oneor two other times since then, and a couple of Sam Prekop solo shows, but you just don't get that many opportunities tosee the great band live.

Given the age and style of thisband, is it sexist to mention how surprised I was that there were somany young attractive women at the gig? Probably. But I was expecting a bunch ofmiddle aged men with beards to dominate the audience, and certainly there were plenty of "us" there, but the ratio wasactually decent. Of course, you really only notice this kind of crap between bands, and once the Sea & Cake started playing it'salmost like I'm transported into a world where they are playing a private concert just for me. Some bands arelike this - they always have been. And of course, they put on a stellar performance as you would expect from this group ofseasoned professionals, playing a lot of their newer material with a few classics sprinkled in. I'm terrible with songnames with this band, but I know they played some of my favorites like "The Argument" off of "The Fawn" and "Leeora" plussomething else off "The Biz" and thankfully about halfway through they played "Jacking the Ball" from their self-titledalbum so that asshole who screamed out for between every single song finally shut the fuck up. Have I mentioned howmuch I hate these sorts of people? If I were in a band I'd refuse to play whatever song was being yelled out purely out ofspite.

Anyways, good show. Hopefully they don't wait so many years tocome back again. The word needs more bands like this.

M83 / Active Child at Kings 10/29/11

2011-12-11T21:44:00.001-08:00

M83
with Active Child
Kings
10/29/11

The only show I've anticipated more than this one all year was the"secret" Archers of Loaf show way back in January. When they announced M83 was going to be playing Moogfest up inAsheville, I would have definitely gone whatever day they played despite not giving a shit about much of the other musicand the tickets being damn expensive. Then when they announced a stop at Kings, that not only I'd get to see themin town but in a very small venue...well, musical nirvana washed over me.

ActiveChild opened the show. I'd seen them play for free afew months ago at Deja Mi Fest in front of the Lincoln Theatre, and was really neither here nor there on them - someinteresting moments but overall not really my style of music. I felt only slightly better about them this goaround. It certainly helped that the sound in Kings was muchbetter than that outdoor show, as this group has a certain subtlety to theirmusic. I think the big draw of the group is part of what keeps me away - Pat Grossi's voice. While undeniablyremarkable, his operatic style of singing doesn't exactly ruffle my feathers. I did like the music for the most partthough...maybe not the harp so much, which makes them sound like Antony & the Johnsons crossed with Joanna Newsom. But the rest of the time, probably two-thirds of the set, had a nice Hot Chip feel to it. Certainly, they were afitting opener for M83, and the crowd seemed to dig it, or at least dig it as much as they could given how amped up everyone was forthe headliner.

M83brought an arena rock show to a 250 person venue, complete withextravagant light show and sizable crew of surly roadies who yelled at me because there were some empty beer canson the edge of the stage. Beer cans that weren't mine, for the record, not that that kept them from beingassholes. But none of that mattered once the intro started, which led into the first single "Midnight City" from their newalbum "Hurry Up, We're Dreaming" and it was on from there. Anthony Gonzalez might be a (mostly) one manoperation in the studio, but live he leads a four piece band...a band with more pedals than a Guitar Center, multiple keyboardstations, and even an awesome modular synthesizer. Oh an lasers. And light boards. And a smoke machine. They played a nice, long set, made up mostly of the new record but with just enough older tracks (Teen Angst, Kim & Jessie,Guitar & a Heart, etc) thrown in to keep us longtime fans happy. Of course I was beyond happy from the first notefrom all the way to the last note. Easily one of the best shows of the year...I'll be talking about this one for awhile.

Spider Bags / Wesley Wolfe / TOW3RS at Tir Na Nog 10/20/2011

2011-12-11T21:28:00.001-08:00

Spider Bags
with Wesley Wolfe and TOW3RS
Tir Na Nog
10/20/2011

This was a pretty exciting versionof "Local Beers, Local Bands" - two great groups in Spider Bags and mynew crush TOW3RS, plus Wesley Wolfe who I've been meaning to see for quite sometime now. I was there early and excited, staking out a good spot so I could snap some of my mediocrephotos...only to discover that the old lady had removed the memory card from my camera and not returned it. So not onlywas I not able to take photos, I now had this heavy albatross hanging around my neck, as useless as a tuxedo on casualFriday. But once the music started, things got better.

TOW3RSopened the night. I'd just seen them for the first time a fewweeks prior, and instantly became smitten with their larger-than-life shambolic pop. I keep comparing them toearly pre-disco Of Montreal, but there is a ton more going on, from the weird cultiness of Danielson Famile to the chamberpop of Polyphonic Spree to the...well, I feel like I should make some more "current" comparisons but I'm old and out oftouch. And truly, none of those comparisons really sum up their sound, but are rather just a touchstone to give youa general idea of what you are getting into - a shambolic, BIG pop sound, instantly catchy, with band members that aretoo cute, like woodland creatures morphed into humans that formed a band. And something tells me of all thecrap I wrote here, being compared to woodland creatures is the one they would most agree with. Oh and they arereally, really fun. Did I forget to mention that? Obviously, that is the most important, and best part of TOW3RS.

WesleyWolfe - I honestly didn't know what to expect. One ofmy friends mentioned they were good, but our conversation got side-tracked and I never got around to asking what theysound like. And I'm not sure what the short pigeonholing phrase would be to somewhat sum up their sound, but you rememberin the mid-to-late nineties when there were a bunch of catchy bands that were almost "emo" like Get Up Kids orPromise Ring but a lot poppier, more akin to Knapsack or Hey Mercedes? That's what the bulk of their songsreminded me of. The rest reminded me of Superchunk or maybe Jawbreaker circa their "Dear You" album after BlakeSchwarzenbach had his throat surgery (an unfairly maligned album, and an all-time favorite of mine). So,you know, it was fun, catchy music with a rock edge, tunes you could bounce to but not really mosh. I definitely needto hear this band's recorded output, as my interest was piqued. And as a side note, apparently Wolfe makes his own vinylrecords? I don't mean records the songs and pays for the vinyl himself, but actually creates the albums? Prettycool. That's gotta be an expensive hobby though.

The final band of the night wasthe always mesmerizing and dumbfounding Spider Bags. Like WhateverBrains, they are nominally a "punk rock" group, but they are so much more than thatin ways that are tough to express. Really, they're probably closer to early, drunken Replacements...and I'm notsaying "drunker than" the Replacements, as that is probably not humanly possible based on the stories I've read, but inthe ballpark. You could probably throw some Velvet Underground comparisons in there as well, based mostly aroundthe singer's Lou Reed-like sing-speak style, but that might be a stretch. What I do know is they arecompletely mesmerizing to watch live. Not only do they take advantage of every inch of the stage, they are almost definitely goingto end up in the middle of the crowd at some point, and quite possibly on the floor. I've seen bands do thisfor years, so it's nothing new, yet every time it delights me to no end. Simple pleasures for simple minds I suppose, andI'm okay with that. Viva la Spider Bags.

OCSC 10th Anniversary Party at the Cat's Cradle 10/15/2011

2011-12-11T21:21:00.001-08:00

OCSC 10th Anniversary Party
with Crooked Fingers, Kerbloki, and Seven Brides for the Meatwagon
Cat's Cradle
10/15/2011

Just because I've never actually been to the OCSC, doesn't mean I don'twant to celebrate their success. Especially when it involves a bunch of great bands.

Due to some family in town and a late dinner stuffing myself silly withMexican food, I got to the Cradle just after Crooked Fingers had startedtheir set. I've seen them a thousand times so it wasn't end ofthe world that I was late, but there is also a reason I've seen them so many times - Eric Bachmannalways delivers a fantastic show, time and time again. His sound might slightly morph between differentstyles, but that booming deep voice of his always ties the music together, much like The Dude's rug really tied the roomtogether. And like most Crooked Fingers shows, the band was almost completely different from every other time I've seenthem, working as a standard four piece this go around. The material was mostly from their great new album"Breaks in the Armor", but there were a few oldies thrown in there for us long-time fans like "Broken Man", "New Drink for theOld Drunk", and "You Can Never Leave". There was quite a bit of singing along to "New Drink", and I'm not justtalking about myself. I'd would say I hope they come back around soon, but we all know they will...and I'll be there, and itwill be a great show, as always.

Despite having known JB forever, I'd never seen his band Kerbloki perform livebefore. I know at one point they were just a fairly straight-forward hip hop group featuring middle agedwhite men, but at some point they added the rhythm section of Caltrop and it really gives them that extra...ummph. Anytime you've got multiple ridiculous outfit changes from multiple band members, you're probably dealing with a good time. The songs are only mildly funny, with titles like "No Drinks on the Dance Floor", and live you can barely understand what isbeing said anyways, but the group really brings them to life and jumps around on the stage like kids half their agewish they could. The crowd was bumping and dancing and laughing the whole set - sure, JB and the rest of the bandmembers probably knew at least three-quarters of the attendees, but who cares...a good time is a good time.

I'm not sure it's possible to adequately describe the final band of thenight, Seven Brides for the Meatwagon. I first became aware of these guys years and years ago when they would play theMammoth Records christmas parties in the late nineties. Basically, it's a cover band featuring localmusicians (most noteworthy Jim Wilbur and John Wurster of Superchunk), playing sloppy covers of a wide range of songs. One minute you'll be getting a Pavement or Dinosaur Jr or Archers of Loaf track, and then that will be followed bySmashmouth or Barenaked Ladies or Ke$ha. It's a delightful, fun mess that written down or even told as an anecdote to friendsdoesn't sound nearly as enjoyable as it actually is. But there is something about a bunch of middle aged white guys playinga drunken, disheveled version of Ceelo's "Fuck You" that really pleases me to no end. And it wouldn't workif they played all the time of course, but seeing them every 5 or 10 years? The joke never gets a chance to getold.

The War on Drugs at Kings 10/11/2011

2011-11-03T21:26:00.000-07:00

The War on Drugs
Kings
10/11/2011

Despite my snarkiness with some friends that the new Waron Drugs record "Slave Ambient" is the best album Tom Petty has released in years, I was pretty pumped to see them playagain. Cause even if it does sound a whole lot like Petty, it's still a great fuckin' record - and has gotten a ton ofspins since I got my sticky little fingers on it. Kings wasn't packed but it was fairly full, and despite being a partial anti-socialshut-in I knew a ton of people there. No doubt if you polled my local group of friends, this record would come the closest togetting the "record of the year" nod, and across a fairly wide swath of music fans.

Clearly, the love goes both ways, as the War on Drugs declared theirlove for the town multiple times...I'm sure it helps that they seem to have friends here, and I'm sure constantly gettingsmoke blown up your ass is never a bad thing. Early on they noted they were going to play about 90% of their songs,and they might have even gone over that number. They played over an hour and a half, definitely playing my two favoritesongs "Arms Like Boulders" and "Baby Missles" and pretty much anything else I might possibly want top hear. Atsome point about halfway through their set, front man Adam Granduciel asked for a volunteer from the crowd to help with someguitar on one of their songs, and local rocker Andy Holmes (of Old Bricks) joined them not onlyfor the next track but for a few more throughout the night. Therewas no encore, just a solid block of rock from one of the best new TomPetty cover bands out there today.

Pipe at Motorco Music Hall 10/7/2011

2011-11-03T21:24:00.000-07:00

Pipe
Motorco Music Hall
10/7/2011

Pipe. PIPE! PIPEPIPE PIPE PIPE PIPE!!!!! Can you tell I was excited to see theseguys again? I couldn't even tell you how many times it's been, but seeing punk rock's version of Guidedby Voices never gets old. The crowd wasn't very large but they were enthusiastic, peppering singer Ron Libertiwith beer cans for the duration of the show. The set list was a typical Pipe set list, including "Ashtray" and "You'reSoaking in It" and all the usual suspects - but the real surprise is they played a *new* untitled song. When the hell wasthe last time Pipe had a new song?!? I was both bewildered and excited, fondly daydreaming that there might even be a newseven inch or album in the future...well, maybe a seven inch. A new album seems about as likely as this bandgetting the due they've deserved for almost 20 years now.

Tonk at Kings 10/1/2011

2011-11-03T21:22:00.000-07:00

Tonk
Kings
10/1/2011

Local classic country purveyors Tonkdecided to make an appearance at Kings, and who was I to stay at homeand miss that? After a night of watching football and eatingcheeseburgers with friends, it was the best way to end the night. As per usual they played a wide swath of classic country songs, someknown and others not. A couple of the highlights were "Be Real" by Sir Douglas Quintet and Nick Lowe's "Lately I've LetThings Slide". Yeah the Nick Lowe song isn't country but it is awesome so who cares. I know there was a GaryStewart song played too but my mind fails me on what it was. There were also a couple of original tracks, withthe comically titled "She Likes To Love Me Early and Often" standing out in my hazy brain. There were quite a fewaudience members dancing, and i don't mean rock show bobbing-your-head dancing like I've perfected - real dancing, couplesdancing. I don't do that kind of dancing, but appreciate their enthusiasm. In the event it wasn't alreadyobvious - Tonk were awesome. If you have any love at all for classic country, you'd be a fool not to go see them live.

TOW3RS / Naked Gods / Cellar Seas / The Toddlers at Kings & Tir Na Nog 9/29/2011

2011-11-03T21:20:00.000-07:00

TOW3RS with Naked Gods & Cellar Seas with The Toddlers
Kings & Tir Na Nog
9/29/2011

This was a night of two free shows - one at Kings, the other at Tir NaNog. The only thing better than a free show is two of them withing short walking distance of each other.

First up was Naked Gods at Kings. I'dheard of these kids for a while, but this was my first time seeingthem. Boone hasn't exactly produced a ton of great bands, and growing up near thereyou automatically assume most anything leaving that town is going to have a strong hippie stink to it. Luckily, that was not the case here - to put it in simplest terms, the group reminded me of a southern rock version of the great Britishband Doves. The singer had a nice voice, reminding me at different times of David Bazan and Jim James of MyMorning Jacket. I didn't love every single song they played, but I liked enough of their songs to recommend them toothers and try to see them again myself.

I made my way down to Tir Na Nog after that, hoping to catch CellarSeas, but things seemed to be running behind here and The Toddlers were probably inthe middle of their set. I'd never even heard of this band, butfrom what I could gather they are a fairly new act out of Chapel Hill. The singerhad a really deep, interesting voice, a voice that colors their songs more than most voices do. When they played slowersongs they had a resemblance to the Doors. When they played more upbeat songs, they had a Joy Division feel tothem. Now I'm no Doors hater, but I'll let you guess which tracks I found more appealing.

Cellar Seas closed out LocalBands Local Beers at the Nog. Now I can try and pretend to writeabout these guys (and gal) from an objective point of view, but let's be honest - I'm friendswith three-quarters of the band and this is being written for my shitty website so I don't see any reason to fakeit. They play a catchy, pleasant brand of country-tinged roots rock, and I like it. I don't just "friend rock" like iteither - songs like "Nightshade" and "Carousel" would be damn fine songs even if I didn't know most of the band (and woulda know allof the band if D-Mike hadn't up and moved to Austin). Also, they just released a free EP for download that hasthe two songs mentioned above and a couple of other gems. Grab it here.

I made my way back up the hill to catch most of TOW3RSset. I'd been hearing about them a little bit, and I'm always game to check out the newest local buzz bands. Smart decision onmy part - this is a young, powerful band. The songs are catchy, the music is big, the band members are cute and if therewere a betting pool I'd put my ten cents on these cats being the next local break out artist. The best way I coulddescribe their sound is early, pre-disco Of Montreal, a little bit of Lonnie Walker's jangle and a dash of Danielson Famile'squirkiness. To top it all of the gig was being entirely lit by a showing of the film "Independence Day"...nothing like a littleindie pop while Will Smith is being projected on the side of the band. I will be sing this band again very soon, andvery often, hopefully.

Deja Mi Fest at Motorco Music Hall & Fullsteam Brewery 9/1/2011

2011-10-05T14:25:00.000-07:00

Deja Mi Fest - Durham
with American Aquarium,Stuart McLamb, and Gray Young
Motorco Music Hall & Fullsteam Brewery
9/1/2011

I could get used to to Deja Mi throwing all these free gigs. Thefirst one in Raleigh was a larger, multi-day affair featuring a bunch of touring bands, but this Durham outing was more focused on ourgreat local acts. And as an added bonus, there were a bunch of food trucks there so that I was able to stuff myselfsilly while rocking out.

The first act was Gray Young and they playedinside of Full Steam. I mean, not inside of the giant beer vat oranything, though that might have been kind of awesome. I've been meaning tosee them for quite some time, so it was great to finally be able to check that off my list. They were quite good,very much like their album...post-rock/post-emo or some such ridiculous descriptor. What I'm saying is they reminded me alot of Appleseed Cast, and maybe some older bands like Sunny Day Real Estate and Christie Front Drive. Since thoseare three bands I've loved for years and still to this day, being reminded of them is very much a good thing. And now I'llhave to work on crossing them off of my list of "bands I need to see again".

Stuart McLamb from the Love Language was up next,playing a solo set in the garage of Motorco. He played a mix of electric and acoustic songs, mostly Love Language tracks from theirfirst two albums but a few covers as well - I remember "Jealous Guy" was in there, and a Frank Black song that escapes menow. I remember Stu sounding particularly great on "Lalita" and "Blue Angel", but that's probably because thoseare two of my favorite Love Language songs. At one point he took his acoustic, sat down on the edge of the stage, anda played a few songs sans amplifications. Hell, if I had a booming voice like his, I'd perform in this fashion all thetime - it's powerful stuff.

I missed the next band shooting the shit with friends and eating fromthe many food trucks always parked at these venues, but eventually I staggered back into Motorco, to the main stage thistime, where American Aquarium were closingout the night. They play very straight-forward rockin' alt-country, amix of classic mid-nineties local output like Whiskeytown, and singer BJ's obvious hero Bruce Springsteen. Catchy songs fullof pedal steel and organ and vocals with a strong drawl, it's like they read my mind on what makes a good alt-countrysong. Well, to be fair, that's pretty much what everyone thinks a good alt-country song ought to sound like. Exceptmaybe Howe Gelb, who thinks they should sound like a combination of long winded "King of the Road" covers and beatpoetry. But that is another story entirely. These Raleigh kids play constantly, so if you've never seen them before don't worry,they'll be playing again very soon. And probably again soon after that. This is a good problem to have.

Deja Mi Fest at the Lincoln Theatre 7/23/2011

2011-10-05T14:20:00.000-07:00

Deja Mi Fest
With Free Energy, Wye Oak,and Active Child
Lincoln Theatre (or rather out in front of it)
7/23/2011

The Deja Mi app put on a free two day festival all around Raleigh, andthis was the big headliner gig. They set up a stage in front of the Lincoln Theatre, invited some food trucks andpaid for some buzz-worthy out-of-town indie bands to come peddle their sounds to the masses. they also apparentlyinvited a thunderstorm which greatly delayed things, but nonetheless, free is free and my grumpy ass can only bitch somuch.

This thing was going on all day but between the rain delay and mygeneral laziness I got there in time to see Philadelphia's Free Energy. I love theirsong "Dream City" but didn't know much else about them. Turns outthat song was fairly representative - they have a big corporate pop sound, with Weezer/OK Gostyle songs that sound like they should be on top 40 radio, but still easily loved by the non-top 40 crowd too. Yeah, some of it's a bit cheesy, and they have a stage presence that is probably more appealing to 14 year old girls than me,but they were still enjoyable. And even live "Dream City" is a great song.

WyeOak was the real motivating factor for me coming out, andthey were up next. This coed duo from Baltimore were rumored to be ferocious live, and that rumor proved to be wellfounded. I'd listened to their record a while back and was really neither here nor there on it, but after seeing the band live Ineed to go back and revisit it ASAP. It was instantly obvious where the band's reputation comes from and why Merge signedthem - singer and guitarist Jenn Wasner. I don't mean to sell her band mate Andy Stack short, who does a greatjob, but she is completely captivating. And I'm not just talking about being captivating to my base animal tastes,physically ogling her (she reminds me a bit of Patricia Arquette from the mid to late nineties) - no, she shreads a guitar, hasa great voice, and really owns the stage. You can't stop looking at her. You don't want to stop looking ather. I wish I was looking at her right now. You couldprobably compare them to a more rock version of the Spinanes, and I loved theSpinanes. Maybe a hair of early Liz Phair before she started sucking. I want to see this band again andagain.

I watched a little bit of Active Child before headingout. I'd heard their name before and that's about it - turns outthey are eletronica harp rock! Yes, harp rock! On top of that,the singer has this crazy voice...I guess what I'm saying is this group is the male version of Joanna Newsom. Only less attractiveand much less irritating. I didn't mind it actually, in the small dose I saw, but not sure I could sign on for a full show orbuying an album or anything. But as far as electronic harp rock goes...you could do worse.

Hopscotch 2011 - Day 3 Photos - 9/10/2011

2011-09-22T12:01:00.000-07:00

The Men - Slims

Bass Drum of Death - Slims

Brain F≠ - Lump Gallery

Cheveu - Lump Gallery

KORT - Kings

Hopscotch 2011, Day 3 all around downtown Raleigh 9/10/2011

2011-09-22T11:22:00.000-07:00

Hopscotch 2011 - Day 3
With Superchunk, The Flaming Lips, Shit Horse, The Men, Bass Drum of Death, Brain F≠, Cheveu, and KORT
Downtown Raleigh
9/10/2011

It was the third and final night of Hopscotch, and while my body might be wearing down, my spirit and excitement in hearing more live music had not waned at all. Superchunk was on stage in the City Plaza as I was parking my car...and let me say how amazing it is hearing "Slack Motherfucker" blaring all over downtown Raleigh, able to be heard blocks away. I have of course seen this band dozens of times, and will hopefully see them dozens more, so I didn't feel the need to be there for the whole thing in such a large impersonal setting. But the Chunk did what they always do, churn out catchy song after catchy song, bouncing all around the stage like kids half their age. I only caught a few songs but it was a few of their best songs - "Cast Iron" and "Hyper Enough" amongst them. And even on a giant stage in front of a huge crowd, I'm pretty positive that Laura Ballance is on that stage performing her ass off just for me.

The Flaming Lips were obviously the biggest band playing the festival, and the sold out City Plaza crowd really piled on top of one another in anticipation of Wayne Coyne & company delivering an exciting set. And they did - sorta. It was certainly entertaining to look at, with a giant lighted stage, Wayne firing confetti into the crowd, rolling around in his giant zorb ball, a gaggle of hot girls on both sides of the stage in tight sexy Dorothy outfits, and balloons...balloons everywhere. But underneath all that window dressing, the music takes a slight backseat in my opinion. Or maybe I just feel that way because they didn't play anything from "The Soft Bulletin", only played a weird sing-a-long version of the title track from "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots", and decided to cover not one but two Pink Floyd songs. Now I love Pink Floyd, and I usually love cover songs, but when you have a catalog as huge as the Lips do, I'd rather just hear more of their tracks. Still, griping aside, I had fun, and would certainly go again if they came back to town. They're never going to top the time I saw them when they toured for "The Soft Bulletin" anyways, so it's all for second place anyways.

From there I made my way up to Slims expecting to see The Men, but due to some sort of technical Difficulties delaying the show I got to see the last portion of the set by Shit Horse. And all I can say is holy shit, how has this band not existed in my life until now? It was like some dirty delta blues ala T-Model Ford or RL Burnside coupled with even dirtier garage rock. Simple, fun party music, the sort of band you'd force any fun loving friends to see in person. And if the music isn't enough, there was a topless girl (with pasties over the nips) wearing a horse head and holding a fake assault rifle marching up and down through the crowd. It was only fitting that their merch offerings consisted of cassette tapes and candy cigarettes.

The Men were one of my most anticipated club shows of the whole festival - their album had sort of a kraut-punk vibe to it, kinda cold and wound up at the same time. And you could just tell this band was going to be a good live act. My instincts did not disappoint - they swayed and stomped around on the tiny Slim's stage while the crowd went nuts, pushing and shoving that didn't seem to be moshing as much as it was drunken jostling. Their set was short and furious and, well, drunken. And the music sounded a lot closer to hardcore than punk live, not that I was complaining.

Up next were a band somewhat in the same vibe, Bass Drum of Death. Noisy punk-garage-whatever out of Mississippi on Fat Possum, touted as a two piece but coming in hot as a trio with an extra guitarist. This band is young and sloppy, but like most kids this age what they lack in talent they more than make up for with exuberance. I've been hearing about them for a little while and made a point of making them a 1-2 punch of awesomeness at Slims, which was a smart move on my part. Hell, the club was so packed I'm not sure I could have gotten out anyways. I'm pretty sure everyone got the joke when it turned out the pedal on the bass drum was broken when they started their set. So while they waited on someone to bring a new pedal, they played a floor tom heavy version of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man". I would praise their ability to pull this off, but again they're from Mississippi - being able to play Skynyrd is probably required before you're allowed to book your first show. Eventually they got the problem sorted out and blazed a set very similar to The Men in it's ferocity, crowd participation, and shortness.

Because Slims was running so behind I wasn't going to be able to see any of Future Islands, and honestly that was fine because they play here multiple times a year. Instead I made my way to the party at Lump Gallery. When I got there Brain F≠ (pronounced Brain Flannel) was finishing up their set and I caught a few songs. It struck me as young, crusty punk wit ha cute female lead singer, not something you see too often. And when I say "crusty" I mean in sound, not style. These kids looked recently bathed, no one was wearing those weird ass flaps, and I wasn't asked for change once. I liked it, and the kids seemed hyped on the group. First time I've ever seen crowd surfing in an art gallery.

I was there specifically to see the French group Cheveu, who played next. I've listened to their music just enough to not really know what to expect, as their sound is all over the map. They are a trio, with one guitarist two guys manipulating a metric ton of synths, keyboards, pedals, and god knows what other electronics. And since all the gear had European plugs, this stuff came over with them...I'm guessing they had to check a few bags. As a live act they come across as some Frankenstein combination of off-kilter rap like Why?, cold synth rock like A-Frames, and all-out weirdness like Frank Zappa maybe. The rap mention might seem a little...odd, but the singer has this talk-sing style, and couple with it being in French or completely unintelligible, it really made me think of Why?, who if you've ever listened to are only tangentially part of the hip hop world. I quite liked Cheveu, but they were very different from anything I've seen in quite some time.

I figured this would be the end of my night, but I texted a friend who was at KORT to find out if they were still playing, and luckily they were, so I hot -assed it up the hill to Kings to see this Kurt Wagner (of Lambchop) side project. Got there just in time to catch their last couple of songs and the encore, and it only cemented in me the fact that I need to figure out how to clone myself - I'm sure the whole set was gold, because what I saw was. Kurt and Courtney Tidwell burned up the stage in front of a full band, playing throwback country that would have felt right at home on the Grand Ole Opry in 1970. Their album is all obscure covers as I'm sure their set was as well, and I'm not nearly well versed enough in classic country to identify any of them. All I know is they were really, really, REALLY good. Strong performers, all of them, and Kurt and Courtney both have mean pipes on them. Apparently before I got there they even played a Superchunk cover, which would have been awesome to see. This band was a great final act to a fantastic festival, a festival that hopefully continues for years to come.

Hopscotch 2011 - Day 2 Photos - 9/9/2011

2011-09-14T20:57:00.000-07:00

Guided by Voices - City Plaza

Generationals - White Collar Crime

Bandway - Deep South Bar

Hospitality - The Union

Hopscotch 2011, Day 2 all around downtown Raleigh 9/9/2011

2011-09-13T12:38:00.000-07:00

Hopscotch 2011 - Day 2
With Guided by Voices, Generationals, Bandway, and Hospitality
Downtown Raleigh
9/9/2011

The second day of Hopscotch did not start out according to plan. Apparently there were photo restrictions to get into the big City Plaza shows, and here I was with my fancy camera and no photo pass. Luckily, after about fifteen or twenty minutes standing around the entrance feeling sorry for myself, listening to Guided by Voices play but not able to see them, the king of the festival, Grayson Currin, came riding by on his trusty steed and managed to get me past security and into the show. Many props to Grayson for saving my ass and letting me watch one of my favorite bands of all time play their "last" show. Yes, they were claiming this was the last GBV show, but I doubt anyone believes it is true.

Regardless as to the finality of GBV as a band or just this lineup or just until Robert Pollard gets a wild hair in a couple of months and decides to reform the band again, they put on one fuck of a show. I don't think they played a single song older than the "Alien Lanes" record, and I'd guess they played pretty much every song from that album and "Bee Thousand". It was just classic hit after classic hit after classic hit, the crowd getting more and more excited with each passing song, singing along and pumping their fists in the air vigorously (as I was trying to take photos, I could have probably done with out all the air fist pumping). If this was really the finale, it was one they could be proud of and I was glad to see them live one final time.

After a brief respite at the new restaurant Chuck's to eat one of the best burgers I've ever had, I trekked over to White Collar Crime to check out Generationals. I'd never been to this club before, but the name sounds like it would be the name of a skronky post-punk band that would have opened for Wire in 1979...so there's that. And I have no idea what the hell I'm talking about. Anyways, this band is from New Orleans, but you'd never guess it from their sound. They play a very breezy, upbeat brand of pop, and I'm guessing they probably get some comparisons to Vampire Weekend, more so in feel than in actual sound. Honestly, they had a couple of songs that brought Katrina & the Waves to mind...and I'm not sure why that band would ever come to mind, but there it is.

It took in about 25 minutes of sunny pop before hoofing it around the corner to Deep South Bar to see Bandway. BANDWAY!!!!!!!!! Is it wrong I was more excited for these guys than anyone else in the entire festival? I say no. And clearly I wasn't only one looking forward to it, as the room was damn near full. Lots of local rock stars were there as well, as they should be - off the top of my head I definitely saw Ron Liberti of Pipe, Mac McCaughan of Superchunk and Steve Popson of Polvo near the front of the crowd where I was posted up. I think this officially makes Bandway a "band's band". They played a really random assortment of songs, skipping a lot of their "hits" like "King Kong" and "Balls Out" and "Millennium" in lieu of some newer songs and more obscure tracks. But let's get real, they could fart into the microphone for an hour and I'd proclaim it the greatest show ever. They did end up closing out the evening with "Champagne" and "Four Day Weekend" and at some point Brooks was playing air guitar on a vacuum cleaner while throwing official Bandway wallets onto the crowd. Yes, it was as awesome as it sounds. Shit, they brought so much rock they blew out the club's sub woofer. Not bad for a pair of drunks with a guitar and a tape deck. And before making my way to the next venue, I spoke the band a bit and word on the street is they will have a new album coming out soon. Specifically, a new cassette, which is really the best way to be listening to Bandway anyways. Hopefully that means there will be a release party of some sort to accompany this, and I won't have to wait forever to see them again.

In my Bandway afterglow, I decided to cruise back around the corner just past White Collar Crime to another new club for me - The Union. Brooklyn band Hospitality, newly signed to Merge, were already into their night-ending set of twee jazz pop. Imagine Tracyanne Campbell of Camera Obscura fronting the Sea & Cake, and you'll get the general idea with this group. As I love both of those bands dearly, it was a no brainer I'd like Hospitality (even if my mind was still in drunk cock rock mode). It was all very cute and sweet and they used the bass like a lead guitar, which was kinda neat. I guess it was a nice unwind and final band for the evening, and a band I'll gladly see again...but let's be honest I would have traded it for another set by Bandway.

Hopscotch 2011 - Day 1 Photos - 9/8/2011

2011-09-11T14:36:00.000-07:00

Last Years Men - Lincoln Theatre

Lower Dens - Kings

Grandchildren - Kings

X-Ray Eyeballs - Slims

JEFF the Brotherhood - Slims

Hopscotch 2011, Day 1 all around downtown Raleigh 9/8/2011

2011-09-09T12:00:00.000-07:00

Hopscotch 2011 - Day 1
With JEFF the Brotherhood, X-Ray Eyeballs, Grandchildren, Lower Dens, and Last Year's Men
Downtown Raleigh
9/8/2011

Ah yes, another year has passed and Hopscotch is back again! Oh glory be to...well, whatever you want to send glory to.

After a stop at Shopscotch to get some cheap t-shirts and a couple of discounted records, I made my way to the Sheraton to pick up my wristband...er, excuse me, my VIP wristband, cause that's how I roll. And then it was down to the Lincoln Theatre to see my first show of the festival, Last Year's Men. I'd sort of made a pact with myself to only see touring bands since I can see the local bands all the time, but these young lads play such infectiously catchy garage pop that I just couldn't stay away. I'm guessing this is the biggest venue these kids have ever played (and they are very much kids, not that I'm jealous or anything...wait, I am totally jealous), but you'd never know it from the show they put on. Outside of some brief technical difficulties at the start of their set, they blistered the stage for nearly thirty minutes, ending with a litany of broken strings and a band member dog pile. There were already quite a few folks in the Lincoln, and I'd be highly surprised if they didn't make a bunch of new fans this night.

From there I strolled up the street to see Baltimore's Lower Dens at Kings, and already this VIP pass was going to pay off. There was a line halfway down the block, but with my fancy red wristband I was able to get in right away. Christ on a corndog stick was it ever hot in there. But then I was able to make my way to the front of the house and by some miraculous measure there was an air conditioned vent right above me...is it wrong I was as excited over this cool air as I was for the music? And that is meant as no slight to Lower Dens. I hadn't seen them play since they opened for Future Islands at Berkeley Cafe back in 2010, and it was good to get another taste. It's kinda like they are two bands - a mellow shoegaze pop band ala fellow Baltimorians Beach House, or a poppy krautrock act. I like the former fine, but it's the latter that has me coming back for more. I just wish more of their songs fit that dancy, drum-driven mold. This is not a phrase I say very often, but Lower Dens pulls off the sound perfectly.

I decided to stay with Kings and check out the next act Grandchildren for a few songs. My friend Layne had seen them before and spoke highly, so being lazy and staying put worked perfectly for me. From Philly, this six-piece act bucked tradition by setting up both drummers at the front of the stage and had a guitarist and bassist behind them. This sounds kinda neat, and certainly the (sitting) drummer was a bad ass and mesmerizing to watch, but it really screws up trying to take a photo. Kings is already more poorly lit than a country road, and now there were two drum kits obscuring most of the stage. So I got some blurry shots of the drummer's head and not much else. Poor photography aside, the band puts on a good show. I guess the obvious comparison is Animal Collective, but a more drum-based Animal Collective probably. The way everything was layered together and the vocals harmonized was very reminiscent of their more recent "pop" output though. I got through a handful of their songs before I needed to get to the next venue, but they're definitely an act I'm going to try and see again.

And that next venue was Slims, where I'd be spending the rest of my night. JEFF the Brotherhood was closing the evening there, and I was so eager to have a great spot for them that I got there a band early and watched X-Ray Eyeballs, who I'm told are from Brooklyn and I see no reason why anyone would lie about that. the four piece was one dude and three ladies, and my dude side must note all of the ladies were quite fetching. Especially the bassist/vocalist, who looked a shitload like Aubrey Plaza from "Parks and Recreation", and ain't a damn thing wrong with looking like her. The group played pretty simple garage pop, with the male and female vocals playing nicely off of each other. They weren't the most exciting band to watch, but as with all things in life if you're attractive no one really cares. After a few songs I started getting really antsy for the evening's closer.

Finally they were on - JEFF the Brotherhood. I would finally get to see more than a couple of songs by them as was the case when they opened for Fucked Up. Their weird, unique mix of riff-heavy sludge metal and catchy pop absolutely killed me from start to finish. Since they were the last band they played a nice, long set, the crowd egging them on for one more song and another and another...the encore portion of their set might have lasted longer than the original set. People were moshing and swaying and crowd surfing and throwing beers and there was even a girl wearing two pairs of sunglasses, which delighted me to no end. And then there was the girl who showed up next to me half-way through their set, and I'd swear she was feeling herself up so much she might have orgasmed. And we won't even talk about the bumping and grinding she put on my leg, I had to come home and give my knee a rape shower. And in case you're wondering, having some strange insane woman writhing next to you - quite detrimental to taking photos. Luckily, JEFF the Brotherhood are very photogenic and I managed to get a few snaps off before that girl showed up to get herself off.

It was a great evening, and was going to be a tough one to top. Bummed I missed J Mascis and Apache Dropout, but thems the breaks with festivals like this. I bought a chocolate milk from the corner store and went home. Two more nights to go.

The Charming Youngsters / Goodbye, Titan at Tir Na Nog 8/18/2011

2011-09-06T20:40:00.000-07:00

The Charming Youngsters
with Goodbye, Titan
Tir Na Nog
8/18/2011

There were a bunch of good things happening this night, so I took it upon myself to go to the free one. The was another installment of Local Beers, Local Bands, a Thursday night mainstay that gets me off the couch more often than not.

I was going to the show specifically to finally see the Charming Youngsters, but I got there in time to see the second band as well. I didn't know dick about them, or even their name until they stated it later in their set. They were a local instrumental outfit called Goodbye, Titan. I guess the local is implied right? The band walked a fine line between the indie and metal versions of heavy post rock. The comparison touchstones are obvious - Mogwai, Explosions in the Sky, Mono, Pelican, etc. Look, there is only so far you can go in this genre, so really it comes down to quality, not originality - and these guys absolutely destroyed it. Whatever it is. I was floored with how talented they were, and was mesmerized by the group from the start of their set until the last note.

After many failed attempts, I would finally see the Charming Youngsters. It seemed like they were always playing on a night I had a ticket for another show or I was on the other end of the country or god knows what reason, but now it would finally happen, barring some manner of natural disaster. I already knew this from hearing their online recordings, but they play a whimsical sort of pop, the sort of pop made popular over the last decade and a half by Elephant 6 collective and their like-minded ilk. The really reminded me a ton of some San Francisco bands I used to see all the time when I lived there, Shimmer Kids Underpop Association (which became Society of Rockets) and Cubby Creatures. The five-piece hybrid Greenville/Raleigh band knows their way around a pop hook, and we're all better off for it. They also have a nice male/female vocal interplay that reminds me a bit of Papas Fritas, and goddamn do I love that first self-titled Papas Fritas album. And for the record I'm guessing this entire band was in elementary school when that record came out. Everyone should go buy that record, and the Charming Youngsters cassette, and hell if you happen across some Shimmer Kids that would suit you nice too. Whimsical pop!

Death Cab For Cutie at Koka Booth Amphitheatre 8/8/2011

2011-09-06T20:37:00.000-07:00

Death Cab For Cutie
Koka Booth Amphitheatre
8/8/2011

I don't go to giant concerts often, but when I do I like to make sure it's on a super hot night when I can sweat myself silly like a wrestler trying to cut weight. The wife wanted to go see Death Cab For Cutie, and I like them well enough so why not? I mean, other than the price and the temperature and pretty much everything about seeing shows in a venue this size. Let's start with parking - we got there right when the show started and had to park in this far satellite lot. I timed the walk from there to the venue, and it took almost twenty minutes at a brisk pace to get there. Not that I mind walking as a general rule, but that is just silly. Then you plop down in the chairs you carried in, a good 150 to 200 yards from the stage, and then squint at the band trying to make out what is going on. On the plus side, I got to eat a frozen lemonade and some popcorn while listening to live music, not something that happens at regular shows.

With all that snarkiness aside, Death Cab sounded pretty good. I'm kinda impressed that even though they've graduated to such large stages, they've remained the same four-piece they've always been. They weren't a particularly exciting live band when I saw them over a decade ago, and they still aren't. But I don't think most folks are going to see Death Can and expecting a Lady Gaga type of performance. They played songs from their entire catalog, even playing a few older tracks like "President of What?" from their first album and "Title Track" and "Company Calls" from the second record, easily my two favorite releases of theirs, as well as a lot of songs from their next couple of releases. I suppose that is one big difference (usually) between the arena shows and smaller club shows...when a band is touring clubs after releasing a new album, they usually play a ton of songs off of it, often barely giving the back catalog it's due. But when you hit this level of stardom, you give the fans what they want, and that means playing lots of older songs. so for any negative nancyin' i do about this giant gigs, that is definitely a plus.

Also, I would quickly note that Scotland's Frightened Rabbit opened the show and what I saw of them, only two or three songs, sounded great. They clearly fit in well with their countrymen like The Twilight Sad and Camera Obscura and the like. Really need to make a point of seeing them if they roll through the Cradle on a headlining gig.

(Photo found online...I wish there were some bumper car tracks around here to take photos at!)

Ed Schrader's Music Beat / Fossil Eyes / Gross Ghost at Kings 7/29/2011

2011-09-06T20:34:00.000-07:00

Ed Schrader's Music Beat
with Fossil Eyes and Gross Ghost
Kings
7/29/2011

this shindig was the official "after party" of the big Bon Iver & Rosebuds show happening down the street at the amphitheater. Now I'm not sure what an after party really is or what sort of elaborate bidding process is involved in becoming the official one, but it basically boiled down to a free show with some good bands and a bunch of random people hanging out hoping there might be an appearance by Bon Iver (there wasn't).

I specifically left the house on this hot-as-shit night to see Baltimore's own Ed Schrader's Music Beat. I saw this duo open for Future Islands a few months back, and they completely blew me away. Who knows how to describe them - protopunk noise rock maybe. Ed plays a floor tom and sings while Devlin plays bass and sings a little back-up. Their songs are simple and to-the-point and damn catchy, songs like "I Can't Stop Eating Sugar" and "Rats" and "Gas Station Attendant", all super short bursts of manic rock that leave me mesmerized. They are very much a "love them or hate them" band, and I couldn't be any more firmly entrenched in the "love them" camp. Hell, I'm ready to start a fan club devoted to them.

That was the meat of the evening, but let us talk briefly about the two pieces of bread holding that in. I got into Kings about halfway through Fossil Eyes set, another act from Bodymore, Murderland. When I first walked in they had sort of a jangly psychedelic lo-fi pop thing going on, which was fine but nothing spectacular. But then for their last couple of songs they really cranked up the guitar in a very Velvet Underground/Sonic Youth way, and I was really feeling the shit out of that material. Will be curious to see which direction the band heads in, but there are definitely the building blocks of something good here.

The other side of the bun were the evening's closers, local lads Gross Ghost. I'd actually never seen them before - I feel like they've been on a number of bills I've attended, but for reasons that are beyond me I never actually saw the band perform. Singer Mike Dillon is no stranger to hooks, and the Gross Ghost material has plenty of that. It's no secret I absolutely love his other band Motor Skills, and I'm dying for them to put out a record, but these guys ain't a bad appetizer to tide me over. I'm kinda hard pressed to think of what exactly they remind me of - upbeat poppy punk songs with a lot more emphasis on the pop, and the occasional garage rock moments. Hell, they even had one song where it was just Dillon and a dude on violin. I was definitely glad to finally see the group play, but I'd be lying if I didn't admit it just made me wish Motor skills were also performing that night.

Moonface / Flow Child at Kings 7/22/2011

2011-09-06T20:31:00.000-07:00

Moonface
with Flow Child
Kings
7/22/2011

Because of all the Deja Mi fest nonsense that was going on this weekend, this show got pushed up in the night and ended up being one of the rare early gigs that I've grown to love so much. Go see some great live music and get home by 11? Yes please!

Flow Child opened the show. I had no idea who this was. Turns out it was a young, blond haired lad with a wispy mustache and a t-shirt at least three sizes too big for him. He was set up in the front of the stage with a heap of synths and keyboards and pedals and god knows what else all piled on top of one another. When he started out it was sort of an abstract/ambient/electro-noise thing, the sort of thing I tend to tune out on...not terrible, just not for me. But then the songs would eventually form into what most would recognize as a typical tune structure, and he would sing over them with a very Animal Collective-like vocal style. The end result was actually quite interesting and enjoyable and I totally would have bought his CD if I hadn't earmarked every cent of cash I had for the new Moonface record. I look forward to hearing his recorded output though.

I love pretty much everything Spencer Krug touches, but I didn't even know who or what Moonface was until a couple of weeks before this show. Apparently when the dude was holed up in his house suffering through a Canuck winter he decided to make a record full of synths and organs and marimbas and electronic drums and, well, nothing organic other than his voice. And it's that easily identifiable voice that makes you feel right at home - the music might be slightly different but this is still Spencer Krug, so folks who dig Wolf Parade or Sunset Rubdown already have a leg up on this. Live, Krug was posted up behind a bank of keyboards and effects and had some dude there helping out on drum pads and other stuff that I couldn't identify. They turned out all the lights, turned on a desk light shaped like a globe, and projected on the back wall some weird looking dude making with the weird dancing. And it fucking rocked...or at least rocked as much as anything can really rock when it's being entirely played on organ and electro-drums. It was a very sparse crowd, but I gotta think everyone there was digging it as much as I was - I really couldn't have been any more impressed. And not just with the songs, but with Krug's musicianship as well...I'm not one to typically dwell on such things, but he was absolutely shredding multiple keyboards at once while singing. I was mesmerized by all aspects of this outing, and hopefully the low numbers don't keep him from coming back again.

Fucked Up / JEFF the Brotherhood at Kings 6/28/2011

2011-09-06T20:29:00.000-07:00

Fucked Up
with JEFF the Brotherhood
Kings
6/28/2011

Fucked Up singer Pink Eyes is a pretty fat dude. Not huge, not what I'd call obese, but he's definitely big. And goddammit, he fuckin' owns it. As a large lad myself, it does me proud seeing him flaunt and strut and put on a hell of a show with his shirt off and the crowd adoring him. "Hell of a show" doesn't even do it justice...he's like a caged panther, pacing and staring and then attacking the crowd with great ferocity. I don't typically get overly excited over Fucked Up's brand of melodic hardcore, but when you can pair it with a great stage show and extremely enthusiastic fans, well, the whole scene is a real joy for my eyes. I perched myself over to the side so I could enjoy the melee without being in the middle of it, and so I could take some mediocre photos without getting my costly camera covered in sweat and beer, but Kings is so small and intimate that you still feel like you are a part of things. Even not really knowing their music I had a great time, and will definitely see them next time they come around.

To be perfectly honest my main motivation for going to this show were openers JEFF the Brotherhood, and then I went and drag-assed my way getting to the club and missed a chunk of their set. Big time bummer, but at least they'll be around again for Hopscotch this fall. I've listened to their fuzzed-out garage-punk on record for a little bit now, but it wasn't until seeing them live that I saw the Mudhoney connection in their sound. Maybe more like Mudhoney's feisty, rebellious teenage sons, but still. I really, really dug what I got to see of them - maybe not as exciting to watch perform as Fucked Up, but playing music I am way more into.

The Reigning Sound at the Grey Eagle 6/24/2011

2011-09-06T20:27:00.000-07:00

The Reigning Sound
The Grey Eagle
6/24/2011

Weird Asheville hippies. Not the sort of thing you expect to see at a Reigning Sound show, but when the gig is a benefit for some sort of feed-the-poor or save-the-orphans sort of endeavor (I forget exactly what the cause was), then all of the sudden the patchouli crowd is out in droves. Maybe not the best setting to see one of my favorite bands (and moreover to introduce some of my friends to their music), but fuck it, they put on a great show no matter how much weird spinny dancing was going on. They played a nice, long set, with highlights including "Stormy Weather", "Stop & Think It Over", "West Texas Sound", "Reptile Style", and "Drowning". There were some actual Reigning Sound fans there, piled up in front of the stage, but we were definitely outnumbered. Lesson learned: be careful going to benefit shows in Asheville, or you might become ensconced in hippies. Not that that would have deterred me with this band, but with someone I'm not quite as excited about...

Bowerbirds / Mount Moriah at Motorco Music Hall 6/5/2011

2011-09-06T20:24:00.000-07:00

Bowerbirds
with Mount Moriah
Motorco Music Hall
6/5/2011

The Bowerbirds got the lucky break of being selected to open for the Arcade Fire up in Charlottesville, which resulted in us local folks getting a great Sunday night show in Durham at the Motorco.

Mount Moriah opened the gig, and to be honest, them getting added to the bill is what put it over the top that I'd drive to Durham on a Sunday night (Sunday night is by far my laziest point durning the entire week). It's gotten to the point that I make every effort to see every show this band plays. Their set consisted of all the typical songs they usually play, that being most of their album. as well as one new song which seemed to be called "Connecticut to Carolina" and really reminded me a lot of Jackson Browne. The band seemed a little "looser" than usual, subtly messing with the tempos and delivery of the lyrics. I have no idea if anyone else noticed this, but I've listened to their album so much and have seen them so many times that it stuck in my ear. Worth noting is this show continues my trend of seeing them with a different drummer every single time - for this gig, it was Megafaun brother and member of nearly every local band in the land including the Bowerbirds, Dan Westerlund. How he can remember all the parts to all the songs of all the bands he is in is completely beyond me.

Despite having listened to the Bowerbirds for years, and even knowing them a little bit, I'd never seen a proper concert by them. I saw a stripped down/acoustic version of the band a few years back at some sort of political fundraiser that started (for reasons I never understood) fairly early on a Saturday morning...I think it was 2008. Billy Bragg was there. So now I was finally seeing them up on a stage with a full band and no Billy Bragg standing off to the side distracting me. And I'm kinda kicking myself for having waited this long - they're a great live act, very lively for such a folky group, total pro performers and musicians as well. Sure, there were plenty of legitimate reasons for missing their shows over the years, other plans or out of town, but I'm sure there were at least a couple of times I couldn't pry myself off of the couch. Such is life, so be it, and all of that shit. They played a lot of songs off of their first record (which I've listened to a ton), a lot off of their second record (which I've only listened to a little bit), and even some new tracks - all of it sounded great, not a dud in the bunch. And the crowd ate it up like a fat man with a complimentary buffet coupon at Golden Corral.

It was a great evening of music at Motorco. Incidentally, this was my first trip there, and it's a great club to see a show in. Add on top of that there always seems to be food trucks parked just outside of the club, and that makes me one happy man.

Dinosaur Jr / Mac McCaughan at the Cat's Cradle 6/27/2011

2011-08-06T22:31:00.000-07:00

Dinosaur Jr
with Mac McCaughan
Cat's Cradle
6/27/2011

A somewhat early show at the Cradle where I want to see the opener only means one thing - Carrburritos before hand. And man did I stuff myself silly. So much so that in rolling my fat frame back towards the club I missed the first few songs by Mac McCaughan. I'm assuming it was just a few, but it's a total guess on my part. Let's just say I missed somewhere between one and one hundred songs by him. But what I did see was great...maybe a Portastatic song or two, a few Superchunk songs ("Driveway to Driveway" and "Digging for Something" and "Martinis on the Roof"), and there was even a Misfits cover - "Children in Heat". With their record store day release and the previous couple of Superchunk shows, it's obvious that Mac is completely absorbed with the Misfits lately. And who can blame him? It was kinda odd seeing him play these songs by himself, just his guitar and high-pitched voice, no Jim Wilbur making snarky comments, no Jon Wurster making funny faces, no Laura Ballance for me to stare at lustfully. But I loved it, like I do all things Superchunk related.

Two noteworthy things about this Dinosaur Jr tour - First, they were playing their album "Bug" in it's entirety, in the track order of the album. Second, they brought Henry Rollins along to perform an interview with the band before they played their set. The interview was somewhat interesting, but much of the info I already knew from reading the Michael Azerrad book "Our Band Could Be Your Life", and after a few minutes I was just wanting them to get to the music.

And eventually they did. They started the show with "Forget the Swan" and "In a Jar" before moving on to all of "Bug". Hearing these songs with the original line-up...I never saw Dino the first time around as this version of the band had already broken up by the time I got wise to them, but this performance transported me back to my high school years when I heard these songs for the first time. And while there was no shortage of old folks my age and older at the gig, I was impressed with how many young folks were there, many of whom were born after "Bug" was released. But age be damned, we all enjoyed ourselves this evening, especially the three guys on stage. Well, I'm assuming J Mascis did - you could never tell what he is feeling from that stone face of his. They closed out with an encore of "Tarpit" and "Just Like Heaven", which had pretty much the whole crowd as giddy as school girls. I might have even let out a high-pitched squeal myself.

Lovers at The Pinhook 5/26/2011

2011-08-06T22:30:00.000-07:00

Lovers
The Pinhook
5/26/2011

I was so excited for this show that I planned my vacation around it...I can't say I would do that for very many bands. But Portland's Lovers released my favorite album of last year (or at least top three) called "Dark Light", and I was eager to see how it would come across live. The answer: fuckin' brilliant. The songs sounded SO good being performed right in front of me that it took all my power and strength not to sing along loudly like I do in the car. The Hook had a nice healthy crowd for this show, which I was glad to see since every person I've ever mentioned them to stared at me like I was speaking in tongues. They played nearly all of "Dark Light" over the course of the night, with maybe one or two other tracks that were either new or from their older releases I'm not super familiar with yet. For the life of me I don't get why this band isn't more popular, but I suppose the end result of that is I get to see them play in places the size of the Pinhook.

Archers of Loaf at The Grey Eagle 5/21/2011

2011-08-06T22:28:00.000-07:00

Archers of Loaf
The Grey Eagle
5/21/2011

So that "secret" Archers of Loaf show earlier in the year has turned into a full blown reunion, as Merge is re-releasing remastered versions of their records with bonus tracks and all that jazz. And in support of these releases, they're playing shows again, non-secret shows. Announced shows that are selling out and full of aggro drunk thirty-something white males who spill their beer everywhere and stomp on my feet and sing along a little too exuberantly and...fuck it, who cares, the Archers are playing, all this other shit doesn't matter.

Unlike the first reunion show, they expanded their set list past their first two record and the "Greatest of All Time" EP, but still obviously managed to hit pretty heavily on those albums too. Along with all the songs you'd expect to hear - "Wrong", "Harnessed in Slums", "Web in Front", the entire EP (aka the hits) - they also pulled out "Dead Red Eyes", "Scenic Pastures", "Fabricoh", and "Plumb Line". More importantly, they played two of my very favorite songs "Form and File" and finished the evening with "Bacteria", a song they didn't even play all that often back in the day. I got so excited that they were playing "Bacteria" that I might have peed myself just a little bit. And the glorious part is I'm going to get to see them play again in a few months at the Cradle.

Cola Freaks / Fossils / Double Negative at Tir Na Nog 5/19/2011

2011-08-06T22:25:00.000-07:00

Cola Freaks
with Fossils and Double Negative
Tir Na Nog
5/19/2011

I was really surprised to see that this particular rendition of "Local Bands, Local Beers" was only a little local and not at all like the typical indie rock of these affairs. To go with the erstwhile Double Negative were a couple of touring Danish bands, Fossils and Cola Freaks. But then again, Denmark is kinda local, I've eaten many a cheese danish in these parts.

Double Negative opened the show to a sparse crowd, but given the line-up that wasn't all that surprising. This area ain't exactly known for it's predilection towards punk music. But fuck it, crowd or no crowd they put on a great show anyways. Is it wrong that they remind me of Rollins-era Black Flag? I know some might take that as an insult, as they might consider the Rollins years a travesty, but damn it I like most of that music, and Hank brought a ton of energy and charisma to the performance...not unlike the singer of Double Negative, Kevin Collins. They couldn't have played more than 15 or 20 minutes, but it was a hard hitting 15 or 20 minutes, and damn enjoyable.

I didn't know the first Danish band, Fossils, from Adam. Never heard the music, never even heard the name. Turns out they are an instrumental bass-and-drums two-piece, a couple of bad ass musicians producing a Big Business-type of math-metal-hard rock. Not as heavy as Big Business though, as they were just playing through a regular number of amps, not entire wall of them. There was a bit of sameness to many of their songs, but it was a pretty good sameness.

The greatest punk song of all time out of Denmark was "Cola Freaks" by Lost Kids, and now the best punk band out of Denmark is named Cola Freaks. And I'm sure we can all agree this is a complete coincidence. I knew little about them but they have a record out on Douchemaster and that label rarely wrongs me. This is straight forward, punch you in the face dirty punk rock...I've read them compared to the Oblivians and it would be hard to argue with that. They have a slight new wave nervous energy feel to them, compounded by the fact that the singer slinks around and got right in people's faces in a very confrontational manner. And I mean RIGHT IN their faces, close enough to make out, were you want to suck face with a Danish punk rocker. Great energy, great performance, and it was nice to see some quality punk rock here in the Oak City.

Love Language / Whatever Brains at Slims 5/4/2011

2011-08-06T22:23:00.000-07:00

Love Language
with Whatever Brains
Slims
5/4/2011

The Love Language decided that instead of playing one big show at the Cradle or somewhere similar, why not play four small shows at the tiny Slims? Certainly I prefer it, as I'm guessing most fans do (not that I don't love the Cradle). Then again, it's easy to say that when you get to Slims early enough to get a great spot, as I did for this show. It's not really like me to get to a gig early, but for this show Whatever Brains were opening and those guys get a rousing "fuck yes". I give up on trying to describe this band - art-party-post-punk that gives a hearty "fuck you" to any possible comparisons you could ever try and come up with. Their music is more attitude than sound, best summed up by one of their song intros that night - "This song is about people who read books...fuck'em."
The Love Language were spending each of their four nights playing different material - on this second evening of the residency, it would be their entire sophomore album "Libraries". As you might have guessed, the first night they played the entire debut album; and it turns out on the third night they played all of Velvet Underground's "White Light White Heat" if I'm not mistaken. I'm not sure what they did on the fourth and final night, so until I'm told otherwise I'm going to assume it was TV game show theme songs of the seventies. So, I got to hear all of "Libraries", which was great because I've really grown to love that record. Luckily that wasn't all they played though, as that album is barely over a half hour long...they came back with a second set of older songs and I'm pretty sure there was at least one cover involved, though my brain is completely failing me as to the details. It definitely wasn't any TV game show theme songs, sadly.

The Rosebuds at the Brooklyn Arts Center & Kings 6/10/2011 & 6/11/2011

2011-07-04T20:00:00.000-07:00

The Rosebuds
Brooklyn Arts Center & Kings
6/10/2011 & 6/11/2011

This weekend's pair of Rosebuds shows made me think of the crude adage "some women are for one night stands, and some women are for wifing up". Only in this case, I'm talking about music venues, not the ladies. For the first gig I drove down to Wilmington to see some friends and watch the band perform in the "new" venue the Brooklyn Arts Center. I put new in quotation marks, because while having bands play here might be a recent concept, the building itself is a church over a century old. It sat in a state of disrepair for decades, only to have a group renovate it and start booking shows there. And as you might imagine with a renovated old church, it looks great both inside and out, but that's kinda where the "great" stops. It was probably a combination of the cavernous ceilings and a sound man not up to snuff, but for the duration of the Rosebuds show the sound just wasn't great. All highs and lows, and muddy throughout. The band powered through and the crowd seemed to enjoy themselves anyways, but I've definitely heard them sound better. Since the Brooklyn Arts Center is new to this game, hopefully they sort everything out...my eyes damn sure liked looking and being in the place, but my ears didn't feel as strongly about it.

And then there was the following night, at Kings in Raleigh. If someone could marry a club, I'd marry Kings. Hell, I've spent so much time there, in some states it might actually qualify as common-law marriage. Seeing the Rosebuds in this venue, with a crowd probably 70% their friends...well there was just no way it wasn't going to be a great time. Where they had a pretty business-like approach in Wilmington, here it was a very casual affair, with stories and dedications between every song they played. And perhaps it was this casual setting that led to it also being a show full of chatty goofs, sometimes to the detriment of the band. But the band powered through, the crowd had fun, and the sound was much, much better than the previous night.

A brief note on the set lists for the two nights...they played mostly the same songs at both shows, and of that group of songs at least three-quarters were from their newest album "Loud Planes Fly Low". I was thinking that the set list probably had a hand itself in the chatty/restless crowds, in that it focused so much on new material. This isn't really anyones fault - the band wants to play their new songs that they are proud of, but the crowd doesn't really know them yet. And they're hoping to hear whatever their favorite song is off of the group's first four records. This isn't an unusual stand-off between bands and their audience, but given the new Rosebud's record was just released the Tuesday before these shows, it seemed to be amplified. Still, the new record and the songs therein are great, and six months from now those will be the songs the crowd is eager to hear.

Handsome Furs at Kings 04/17/2011

2011-07-04T19:55:00.001-07:00

Handsome Furs
Kings
04/17/2011

I love the Handsome Furs, and I'm not just saying that because one half of the band. Alexei Perry, is one of the sexiest women alive. Heck, even the other half of the group, Dan Boeckner (best known as the singer of Wolf Parade) ain't bad looking for a dude, in a Mick Jones of the Clash sort of way. And Mick Jones is fitting to bring up, as this band reminds me a bit of Big Audio Dynamite - not for any particular reason, they don't sound like B.A.D., but something about the vibe has me stuck on that comparison. They actually sound like Bruce Springsteen gone catchy-as-hell electro-pop aka a dancy, more straight-forward version of Wolf Parade.

The duo spent the entire set playing their new record, and didn't even hit any older songs until the short encore (where they of course played their "hit" "Radio Kalinngrad"). Now this would normally drive me crazy, but their new record "Sound Kapital" is so fuckin' good that I didn't mind even for one second. I hadn't even listened to the record yet, but the songs are so immediately catchy that they sucked you in instantly. Kings was only about half full but the folks who were there were really into the show from start to finish, such that the Furs seemed genuinely surprised by the support and commented on it frequently. Of course no one was into the show as much as the creepy guy who was standing dead center who kept taking photos of Alexei's bare feet. I have a feeling he might have enjoyed this show again and again back in his bedroom.

J Mascis / Kurt Vile & the Violators at the Cat's Cradle 4/10/2011

2011-07-04T19:52:00.001-07:00

J Mascis
with Kurt Vile & the Violators
Cat's Cradle
4/10/2011

I've been to a lot of shows, and I've seen a lot of drummers, but this was the first time I'd ever seen a drummer play a drum kit with his hand. Add to that one of the guitarists playing his guitar like a bass, and Kurt Vile & the Violators had a whole lot of strange going on. Not in the music though, that wasn't strange at all...just good. I saw him a year or two back and the set was a pretty straight-forward set of folk rock, sometimes acoustic and sometimes amplified. It felt sorta like Kurt Vile was a solo musician and just had a couple of guys playing with him to fill out the stage. But this time, they sounds like a real, full band. It was still his own skewed brand of electrified folk, only fuller, richer than that last show. Between Kurt Vile and The War on Drugs, the music scene looks might bright in Philadelphia.

I've seen J Mascis solo a couple of times, but it's been a few years, back in my San Francisco days. Those shows would be packed to the gills, but on this Sunday night the Cradle was only a little over half full by the time he took the stage. A shame really, because be it with Dinosaur Jr or by himself, Mascis always destroys live. One thing I noticed while he was setting up is that instead of using the house monitors, he set up an amp in front of him to use for a monitor. I'm not sure this piece of information is all that useful or intriguing, but I'd never seen that before.

It kinda goes without saying that he was fantastic right? J Mascis is about as dependable as the tides or my dog trying to steal my dinner every night. Goddamn bratty dog. His set list consisted of most of his new completely awesome solo record "Several Shades of Why" paired with some Dinosaur Jr classics - off the top of my head I can remember him playing (and me singing along to ) "Repulsion", "Thumb", "Get Me", and "Not You Again", my all-time favorite song by the man in any form. He also surprisingly played an Edie Brickell cover, a song called "Circle of Friends" that sounded like it could have been straight from his back catalog. Mascis even had Kurt Vile join him as an additional guitar and back-up vocals on a couple of his new songs, and while it wasn't a particularly necessary addition to the songs it must have been a real treat to Vile and who could begrudge him that. All in all, a fantastic outing, not that that was in any way surprising.

U.S. Christmas / Black Skies / Royal Thunder at Kings 5/27/2011

2011-06-16T21:33:00.000-07:00

U.S. Christmas with Black Skies and Royal Thunder
Kings
5/27/2011

To paraphrase Dante from “Clerks”, I wasn't even supposed to be here! By the time U.S. Christmas (or USX as the kids call them) took the stage to open the night, I should have been getting ready to arrive in San Juan, Puerto Rico. But thanks to a freak thunderstorm that nearly washed Chapel Hill away, my flights got screwed up and the trip got pushed to the next day. The downside was my (already short) vacation was now less a day but I still had to pay for a hotel room I'd booked. The upside...well, at least there's rock.

The live version of USX has been in a state of flux lately – you never know how many or what members you're going to get from show to show. Justin playing some very subdued drums. It was a very mellow show by their standards, with the violin playing a large role in their sound and Nate even playing acoustic guitar on a couple of songs. This wasn't “MTV Unplugged” metal, but then again USX ain't a typical metal band. Their songs actually lend rather well to the hushed treatment, coming off like hushed mountain ballads performed by Neil Young collaborating with Dirty Three. The crowd seemed to really dig it, and a decent size crowd it was considering they started their set before it was even 10 PM on a Friday night.

The second band was Black Skies, a local three-piece outfit featuring “that dude that works at the Cat's Cradle” on guitar and vox. They had a real heavy, straight-forward metal sound – chugga-chugga metal heavy, but not cheesy at all. The Cradle guy and the gal bassist both sang, but it didn't matter because you could barely hear them. And I usually don't like the vocals in metal anyways so...I ain't heartbroken. But the music sounds good...real heavy, loud and brutal.

I stuck around for a few songs of Royal Thunder before heading home – had to catch a somewhat early flight to get this vacation back on track. Nate from USX had played me a few songs of theirs just the weekend before (I actually talked him into going to the Archers of Loaf show with me, probably his first non-metal show in...forever), and I liked what I heard. The live show matched my first impression from hearing them previously – the sort of music you'd get if early Jefferson Airplane went metal. The music was heavy but not fast, and the singer's vocals had a bluesy Grace Slick flavor to them. Couple great music with them having their own light show and a giant gong, and I'm pretty sure you've got a winner with this one. Hopefully they come back through in the near future when I can take in their whole set.

Mount Moriah / Organos at Kings 5/14/2011

2011-06-16T21:30:00.000-07:00

Mount Moriah
with Organos
Kings
5/14/2011

Mount Moriah released their debut full-length album a few weeks ago, and I've been jonesin' to pick it up. I was going to go to Schoolkids and grab it on a few different occasions, but then this show got announced and I decided to wait and hand the money straight the band itself.

But first, a quick mention of openers Organos, an eclectic six piece pop band featuring Reid from Schooner and someone who recently became a dentist. I have no knowledge of the other bands and/or medical degrees that the other band members might have been involved with. They had enough toy and gimmick instruments on stage to arm two or three elementary school music classes. They sounded like a mix of Elephant 6 eclecticism, almost the entire mid-nineties Teenbeat roster, and the lead singer's voice had an uncanny resemblance to Kim Deal. I would not have been surprised to see these guys open for Unrest at the Cradle in 1993. I would have liked them then, and I liked them now.

This was the Wake County edition of the the CD release party for Mount Moriah. I'd been wanting to pick it up since it was released, but when they announced this show I figured I would just wait and buy it from the band itself, cut out the middleman. No vinyl sadly, but at this point I'd take any avenue to get their tunes into my ears.

It dawned on me that outside of Heather McEntire and Jenks Miller, every time I see this band the rest of the group is entirely different. Which makes it all the more impressive that they always sound so tight and together. They played the bulk of the new record along with at least one new song, all of which sounded great. Kings wasn't sold out but there was a very healthy crowd there, always great to see for the up-and-coming local acts, none more deserving than Mount Moriah. McEntire's voice was resplendent as always, and I had a comparison brought up for it that I had never considered before - Dolly Parton. McEntire's voice is a little deeper, but you could definitely argue they have a similar delivery (especially on the album). Whoever it reminds you of, it's delightful, and I can't get enough of it. If you've put off seeing Mount Moriah for any reason, stop being an idiot. Go to their shows. Buy the record. Make your life better.

Destroyer / The War on Drugs at Cat's Cradle 4/7/2011

2011-06-16T21:26:00.000-07:00

Destroyer
with The War on Drugs
Cat's Cradle
4/7/2011

The War on Drugs played Hopscotch last year, and despite all my friends being gaga over them, I had somewhere else to be during their show. So it was good to finally see what the fuss was about - and the verdict is they are very, very fussable. Even though I haven't listened to them very much, their songs were instantly likeable, making you feel as if you were well versed in their entire catalog. Not an easy feat to pull off. I heard a lot of (electrified) Neil Young and "New Morning" era Bob Dylan in their sound, and my friend Brian was claiming Tom Petty and Dire Straits (though I think the Dire Straits comparison was just for one particular song). Either way, they were highly entertaining, had a "classic rock" sound, and every one of their songs sounded like an old friend from first listen.

Destroyer completely kicked ass tonight, one of the best shows of the year, and they didn't play a single one of my favorite songs. Imagine how I'd feel if they had! Their set was pretty much the entire new(ish) record "Kaputt", plus a couple of older songs - I remember a slightly disco-ized version of "It's Gonna Take an Airplane", and I know "Painter in Your Pocket" got played as well. It was by far the largest version of Destroyer I'd ever seen, with eight band members including a couple of horners (I'm pretty sure that is what you call multiple hornists). It was also my first time seeing the "troubadour" version of Dan Bejar - no guitar, just the man and his microphone and the occasional tambourine shake. He didn't own the stage in a Morrissey-type way, but rather seemed reluctant to be the center of attention. A number of times, when the band was in a non-vocal portion of the song, he would stoop down behind the monitors and have a drink, waiting for his next part of the song. But Destroyer doesn't need flamboyance does it? The songs speak for themselves. Even with a subdued stage show, hearing the music live is such a grand experience, one I wish happened more often in my life.

Warpaint / PVT at Kings 4/3/2011

2011-05-11T08:32:00.000-07:00

Warpaint
with PVT
Kings
4/3/2011

I bitched out on hitting the town Friday night to see Kurt Heasley, cause I wanted to watch my Oakland A's season opener. Then I didn't make it out Saturday cause Veelee had to cancel their show at Slims. So with Sunday rolling around, I was getting that itch that I needed to get out and see some live music, even if I wasn't overly excited about it. Turns out my lack of excitement matched the feelings I left with after the show. Now is that a ringing endorsement or what?

I got there part of the way through the set by PVT. I knew absolutely nothing of them going in, and still don't know any more than the three songs I saw them play, so factor that in as part of my half-assed uninformed review. When I walked in the room they were in the middle of a Ratatat-meets-Trans Am sounding track and I was thinking this band had some real promise. And then they followed that up with clubby dance pop that would have probably gone over well with the fist pumping crowd. These songs were not my bag at all, but it did make me curious what their recordings sound like - were they more like the first rock-oriented song, or the later dance numbers? I'm sure I'll come across them at some point.

I went into this show knowing that I really loved one Warpaint song, and was pretty indifferent about them otherwise. I did not leave the show feeling any different. To give them credit, they are very talented - the drummer and bassist especially, as solid a rhythm section as I've seen in a while. And I'm not even saying that they are "good for girls" as you often see in reviews - they are just good. And they seem to be the rare all girl group around these days that don't have an inkling of throwback to the original pop girl groups from the sixties. No, these ladies are looking instead to the nineties, somewhat occasionally heavy in a grunge sort of way but still have a pop sheen to them, and prone to slow dirges. Honestly, I'm not really sure how to describe their sound. I know the crowd was eating it up like Napoleon devouring a Ziggy Piggy, complete with a young man standing dead center with his arms raised the entire time squealing like a, well, girl.

But for me, I don't know...it didn't get me excited. It wasn't bad, and I liked a couple of the songs a lot - one of them being "Undertow", the only song of theirs I knew coming in. And I liked most of their mellow shoegazey songs for the most part. But the upbeat dance-rock songs, I really could have done without all of those. One of the songs even sounded a little like the Slits/bad white reggae, and there ain't much I like less than bad white reggae. I'm well aware that my less-than-glowing review of these gals is not the norm, but I just wasn't feeling it.

(Image found randomly online...looks like a press promo so I guess it's being used as is expected, assuming this counts as press. Also, there were no dudes in the band when I saw them, unless he was dressed as a girl.)

Moon Duo / Arbor Myst at Kings 3/23/2011

2011-05-11T08:30:00.000-07:00

Moon Duo with Arbor Myst
Kings
3/23/2011

Arbor Myst started their set with the phrase "We have tapes and bamboo flutes for sale", so automatically my interest was piqued. They were a tag team approach on atmospheric electronic music, sounding a little bit like a modern score for a Werner Herzog film about riding in a boat on the Amazon. Maybe a sequel to "Fitzcarraldo" or something. I'd like to imagine this sequel would involve a crazy Brazilian trying to bring the jungle to a European opera house. I would very much like to watch this movie, someone contact Herzog. Anyways, the music was enjoyable enough, not too exciting live but at least they had some sort of Kon-Tiki/South Pacific sailing film showing during the set so you had something to watch.

Honestly, I didn't know dick about Moon Duo, But I do love Wooden Shjips and Erik Johnson is in both bands so why not get out of the house and hear a little music? Unlike the Shjips, Moon Duo isn't a full rock band, but is instead - wait for it - a duo. It's just Johnson and a woman known as Sanae Yamada according to the internets - with a bank of keyboards and synths and what have you in front of them, plus Johnson doing work on the guitar and adding some vocals. Most reviews of the band seem to compare them to Suicide and kraut rock like Neu!, and the reason everyone says this is because it's exactly what they sound like - both on record and live. It was almost trance inducing - I'm pretty sure you could use this music to hypnotize people. In fact, I wonder if something happened at that show that I don't remember, because I always cluck like a chicken anytime someone says "oranges" in front of me.

(Photo found online. I did not hang out with Moon Duo in a graveyard.)

Polvo / Wild Wild Geese at Kings 3/19/2011

2011-05-11T08:28:00.000-07:00

Polvo
with Wild Wild Geese
Kings
3/19/2011

Ever since Kings re-opened in the late summer last year, I've been waiting on a Polvo show...their bassist Steve Popson is one of the club's owners, after all. Well glory be to the flying spaghetti monster or whatever your deity of choice is, the time is nigh.

But first, let us talk briefly about Wild Wild Geese. I'd never even heard of these kids, but it was pretty good music. The best comparison I could come up with is mid-era Sonic Youth crossed with a little early Pavement plus a healthy dose of the Chapel Hill indie jangle sound. They sounded like a band that could have opened for Polvo on this night or in 1995, they just had that timeless local sound that can be hard to define but you know it when you hear it. The singer wore sunglasses while he sang, which struck me as a bit odd. Then again I'd probably do that too, gives you a barrier to hide behind, makes performing up in front of the gawking masses a little easier to handle. The more I think about them in hindsight the more I'm looking forward to seeing Wild Wild Geese again.

It would be damn near impossible for me to write a negative Polvo review, or even a mediocre one. And I mean mediocre in terms of their performance, not the quality of writing. Mediocre writing is as good as it gets around these parts. So with that said...Polvo was really, really fucking awesome. Color yourself surprised - I know I was! Who would have thought one of my all-time favorite bands would put on a great show! It was a great set - some older songs, some songs from the most recent record, and a couple of brand new tracks, one of which had almost a disco-like beginning until it explodes in your face and ears and eye holes.

The highlight of the evening was them playing "Fast Canoe" one of my all-time favorite songs of theirs. They really rocked it out - so much so that the drummer broke his kick drum. And if them playing a great version of one of my favorite songs isn't enough, while they were switching out the drums Dave filled the time by playing a little bit of the Who's "Behind Blue Eyes", which then morphed into a made-up song about the super moon that was happening that night (apparently the moon was super close to the earth and people were calling a super moon, which seems kinda dumb because it wasn't even wearing a cape or anything - disappointing). Maybe along with the disco rock there will be a super moon song on their new album...assuming there is a new album. Please let there be a new album.

(Photo found online. I have a much nicer boat sitting behind my cinderblock building.)

Superchunk / Veelee at the Cat's Cradle 3/4/2011

2011-05-11T08:20:00.000-07:00

Superchunk
with Veelee
Cat's Cradle
3/4/2011

Fuck I've seen Superchunk play a lot of times. You might think it would get old after a certain point, but I'm excited to see them each and every time they announce another show. I've been listening to them for close to 20 years and seeing them play live for over 15, and yet I still get as excited as I did at 18 to see Mac bounce around, stare at Laura like a stalker, hear Jon play the fuck out of some drums and laugh at one of Jim's many smart ass comments.

So there I was, towards the front-center but just off to the right, ready to hear them play the songs I love for the gazillionth time. And they did. And I danced, at least so far as what I do would be called dancing. And I sang along with the crowd in that tone-deaf way that crowds do. It was a grand old time, just like every other time I've seen them. I know that statement sounds a little dismissive, that this band is still the same as they were decades ago, but I mean it as the highest compliment. It's what you want out of a Superchunk show. At some point I was looking around and realized how young the crowd was...I'd been listening to this band longer than a bunch of these folks had been alive. That's a bit of a mind fuck, and god knows it makes me feel old, but hopeful at the same time that the Chunk appear to still be resonating with the youth.

The set list for the night was great - most of the new record "Majesty Shredding" was played, and it's a great record so you'll get no complaints from me. But the rest of the songs were almost as if they put a worm in my brain and read my mind - "Detroit Has a Skyline", "Breadman", "The Question Is How Fast", "Driveway to Driveway" and "The First Part" were all a part of the main set. And then in the two encores they hit "Like a Fool", "Hyper Enough", "Punch Me Harder", "Precision Auto", "Cast Iron" and "Throwing Things". And maybe the most important song of the whole set - a cover of the Misfit's "Where Eagles Dare"! The crowd went nuts on that one. I went nuts on that one. I'm surprised I had a voice the next day.

Let me briefly mention Veelee, who opened the show. I've seen them a bunch of times now and always really enjoy their sets. Let's put all the band references in one long run-on sentence and get them out of the way - Stereolab Sonic Youth Moggs Young People. The crowd seemed to dig them, and they had a few friends there good naturedly heckling them between songs. I'm not sure if this was the biggest show they've ever done, but they handled it well, sounded great as always, and really set the stage nicely for the Superchunk set. I'd highly recommend picking up their record if you get a chance.

Future Islands / Ed Schrader's Music Beat at Kings 3/3/2011

2011-04-13T22:03:00.000-07:00

Future Islands
with Ed Schrader's Music Beat
Kings
3/3/2011

Around here, a Future Island's show is like a community college class - you get a new one every three months. And praise be to that we are so lucky. I was so excited for this show that I bought myself a ticket a month before the show, completely forgot about it, and then bought myself another ticket about a week before. But the gig was totally worth the price of two tickets.

Let us first address the openers Ed Schrader's Music Beat - before I had even rounded the corner, I heard someone say "Do you see what is happening on stage?". Obviously, this statement could be interpreted as a good or bad thing, but I'm here to report everything I saw was great, a real out-of-nowhere treat. It was just two fellas, one of them presumably named Ed Schrader; one played bass and the other sang while playing a single lonely floor tom with a light shining up from it. It had a real vintage no wave sound to it, not exactly sounding like Lizzie Mercier Descloux and Liquid Liquid, but would fit nicely between the two on a mix. As you might imagine, with such limited instrumentation the songs would have a sameness to them, but it was an enjoyable, exciting sameness. They had two speeds - a slow, baroque almost pop sound, and upbeat industrial-punk numbers that had the crowd dancing a little bit, I suppose to get their joints warmed up for Future Islands. Hopefully their warm response will send them back down here soon, because I want more.

So it was a Future Islands show without glowsticks, a first for me. Maybe they were being saved for their next show (this was the first night of a two night stand at Kings). It didn't really matter or anything, as the band still absolutely killed as always, but not having to keep from catching a tube of neon chemicals in the eye made things, well, a touch less lively. They tried out a lot of new songs, and they were all great...hopefully a new album is not too far out? Though who knows when they'd have time to record it, as they seem to tour non-stop. Other than that, it was hit after hit after hit from their last couple records, a sweaty tangle of kids dancing in front of them, and smiles all the way to the back windows of Kings. This band has reached sing-a-long status here locally, where many of their songs, like "Tin Man", get a ton of crowd participation. I certainly joined in, cause god knows I love a good group sing at a rock show.

As long as Future Islands keep coming back and playing their second home here in the Triangle, I'll keep going. It's a nice, symbiotic relationship, one I don't intend to fuck up.

Monotonix / Pujol / Federation X at Kings 2/3/11

2011-04-13T21:54:00.000-07:00

Monotonix
with Pujol and Federation X
Kings
2/3/11

Monotonix, while obviously not from around here, are somewhat local legends it seems. They seem to play here on every tour and always get a huge turnout, yet I had managed to never see them. When I found out they were going to call it quits after this tour, I figured it was time to get off the pot and to one of their shows.

But first, Federation X. Honestly, I was at the show for them as much if not more than Monotonix. I'd had friends rave about them for years, picked up their 2005 release "Rally Day", and then became best friends with it. They're a tough band to describe, assuming you wanted to expand past "awesome". They're not an instrumental band, but the non-vocal portions of their songs are way longer than the vocal portions. They're fairly heavy but they're not metal, and they like the occasional unique time signature but it's not prog or math rock. Probably the best comparison would be to fellow Washingtonians Karp, though a little less abrasive. Anyways, this was my first time seeing them live and they did not disappoint. They played a number of "Rally X" songs and I was happy about that. The show was sold out and the club was filling up as they played, and while there were definitely a handful of Federation X fans clearly there early to see them, most of the crowd appeared to be new to their sound. And I'm pretty sure they were really diggin' it. It was good to finally see them, especially given they barely play out anymore.

Pujol was supposed to open the show but for whatever reason they were late getting to the club, and only had time to play a short 15 minute middle set before Monotonix came on. I had absolutely no idea who they were - turns out they are a catchy, throwback garage pop band out of Tennessee. Five young dudes and tons of hooks, I'd guess they churned out five songs in just a little over ten minutes. They were a complete surprise to me and I was really impressed given the short set...or maybe the short set helped, less time to play crappy songs if you have them. Either way, I'd like to see more out of them and hopefully they come back to the area.

As I told a friend of mine, you go see Monotonix for the show, not the music. I am only vaguely familiar with their recordings, but it doesn't really matter because what they play live barely resembles anything they've ever recorded. they started the show set up on the ground in front of the stage, but before the show was over they would also perform in the middle of the crowd, the back of the crowd, on top of the bar, and then they finally played one song at the end on the actual stage. The music was very near a sonic disaster, just sort of a roar of drums and guitar and vocals that really made no sense. But when you have a singer like Ami Shalev you don't care...it's like feeding a monkey a bag full of pixie stix and then letting him run loose in a crowd of people. I could write for a long time all of his antics, but by far the highlight was when he got inside the garbage can and then the crowd passed him around in the can while he was still singing. It was all goddamn ridiculous and hilarious and fascinating, and it's a real loss to the world of live music that they're not going to tour anymore.

The Reigning Sound at the Local 506 1/16/2011

2011-04-13T21:50:00.000-07:00

The Reigning SoundLocal 506
1/16/2011

Sort of a last minute show, and I'm so incredibly glad it happened because it had been ages since I last saw the Reigning Sound. They were original scheduled to play some outrageously expensive garage rock weekend at the Pour House in Raleigh, with tickets over a hundred bucks if I remember correctly...and as much as I love Greg Cartwright and company, fuck that pricey nonsense. But then those shows fell through (I'm going to guess because of lack of ticket sales maybe, but I have no idea), and this gig was scheduled for the 506 with a couple of weeks to spare. This time, a ticket was purchased at max speed, and I was counting the days.

This was my first time seeing the band in years - kinda odd I saw them more often when I lived in California than I have since moving to Greg Cartwright's adopted home state. They've played up in Asheville a few times, but this might be the first time they've made their way down to the Triangle since I moved back three years ago. The crowd was amped to see them play, a motley collection of mods, garage rockers, rockabilly-looking types, old folks, and regular dudes like me. LOTS of dudes.

The band ripped through a blistering set that covered pretty much all of their records, though my shitty memory keeps me from remembering most of the titles other than their cover of "Stormy Weather". In recorded form their music blends rockabilly/alt-country twang with garage rock sensibilities, but live it comes out as high-quality, straight-forward catchy rock-n-roll. The band is completely non nonsense in their delivery - very little banter, just song after song of crowd pleasing audio nuggets. For a Sunday night on short notice, not only was it a packed house, but a lively one at that. Please, PLEASE don't let them wait so long to come back to the Triangle.

As a side note, I got there too late to really see local upstarts Last Year's Men, catching only their final song. But I saw them perform with Gentleman Jesse a few months back and knew how great they were, so I bought their record anyways because I forgot to do it the last time I saw them, sidetracked with some manner of conversation or god knows what. And it's a fantastic record, best local release of the year (so far).

(Actually took that picture with my phone, so while it might be crappy, it's not that crappy considering the source.)

Yo La Tengo at the Cat's Cradle 1/23/2011

2011-03-01T09:43:00.000-08:00

Yo La Tengo
Cat's Cradle
1/23/2011

What are the odds you'd find yourself standing next to an overweight middle-aged man with poor hygiene at a Yo La Tengo concert? I know I know, it's hard to imagine, but there he was right next to me - stinking up the immediate area with a smell best described as "three day programming binge". As per usual the show was very schlongtacular as a whole, cause for some reason YLT attracts as many dude nerds as Rush, even though it isn't masculine music at all.

This whole tour the band was playing two sets, with the first set decided from a random audience member spinning their "wheel of fortune", which featured a number of different themed sets the band might play. Some of the options included "Sounds of Science", "Condo Fucks", "Dump", "S Songs", and a few others. I was hoping for "Condo Fucks" but we got "S Songs", which was totally fine cause it meant they played two of my very favorite tracks - "Sugarcube" and "Stockholm Syndrome" from their best record "I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One".

After about 45 minutes of "S Songs", the band took a short break and then came back out and played a random assortment of their other songs. I specifically remember "Tom Courtenay" and "Decora" and a couple of newer songs. Here's the thing about "Decora" - I thought the version they were playing sounded "off", but then realized I'd listened to the Spoon cover so often that it was clouding my memory of the original. Both versions are stellar, for the record.

This show was on a Sunday night and like an idiot I took off after the second set, skipping the encore, cause getting up early and work and all that stupid adult shit. And then I read online they not only played their cover of Daniel Johnston's "Speeding Motorcycle", but another of my all-time favorite songs "Autumn Sweater" as well. Sometimes it just doesn't pay to leave shows early out of laziness and/or dumb adult reasons. A few extra minutes of New Jersey rock wouldn't have killed me the next day.

Archers of Loaf / Love Language / Cellar Seas at The Cat's Cradle 1/15/2011

2011-03-01T09:39:00.000-08:00

Archers of Loaf
with Love Language & Cellar Seas
The Cat's Cradle
1/15/2011

It happened, it really fucking happened...Archers of Loaf reunited, and I was there. My good man Brian, who is sometimes in the know, contacted me in mid-December saying that there was a strong rumor that the Archers would be part of the Love Language bill coming up at the Cradle, so he got tickets and made plans to come up to the Triangle for a bit of rocking out and dicking around. The gig was never confirmed though, leaving me plenty anxious. At some point a week or so before the show a "and special guests" line was added to the Cat's Cradle website on the date, but unless you knew someone who knew someone, you probably didn't know they were playing. Sometimes it's good to know people who know people who hear rumors of things happening.

When I got there my man Roy's band Cellar Seas was playing. Great gig for them, though a rough crowd...it was about 50-50 surly old dudes like me waiting for the Archers and 19 year old girls wound up for the Love Language and wondering why all these old people were at their show. That didn't stop Cellar Seas from powering through a nice slight twangy Americana set, and I did my best to enjoy it while knowing that a few minutes from now my favorite band of all time was going to be taking the stage for the first time in a decade.

And then it was officially official the Archers were playing - Matt, Mark, and both Erics were setting up their gear on the stage. Between my head and the band there was some hair missing from the last time this happened (which according to the poster on my wall was Saturday, December 5th...1998 I'm pretty sure), but with no less enthusiasm. They came on like a badger in a chicken farm, wailing through a 45 minute set that was exclusively from their first three releases ("Icky Mettle", "Vs. the Greatest of All Time" EP, and "Vee Vee"), and sounding like they played their last show last week not a decade ago. Just like the previous three dozen times I saw them, I found myself watching Matt lurch around the stage most of the time...pitching back and forth like a ship in a strong storm, and then earnestly thanking the crowd after almost every song. It was good to hear Bachmann pull out the full-on rock voice after many (great) years of mellow Crooked Fingers folk and Neil Diamond impressions according to most folks I know. Not that there is a goddamn thing wrong with a Neil Diamond impression.

I'm not usually a "list the track list" sort of dude, but this was a monumental occasion and even if it's only for my own reference, this is what they played:
Audiowhore
Harnessed in Slums
Revenge
Nostalgia
Lowest Part Is Free
Freezing Point
Greatest of All Time
You and Me
Might
Web in Front
Wrong
Slow Worm

The crowd during this performance was a trip unto itself. You had the older folks like myself who clearly knew who the Archers were and were singing along, dancing and basically going nuts for the return of one of our favorite bands. And then you had the kids who were there for the Love Language, mostly (but not exclusively) very young girls in the 18 to 21 year old range, who had the most confused looks on their faces - the sort of confusion they probably last felt when the release date of one of those Twilight books got pushed back. They spent most of their time tweeting and texting, and would occasionally look up frustratedly, waiting for the old men the age of their dads to get off the stage. It was all pretty entertaining to me to be quite honest.

The Love Language were obviously the headliners, and they sounded great, but I just couldn't concentrate on them after seeing the Archers. They certainly know their way around some pop hooks and had a great polished sound...I especially love the giant drummer, who is not only a bad ass but is so big it looks like he is playing a toy kit. I hung out with some friends and listened to a few songs, but my brain was swimming and eventually I just went to the back and sat down. The Love Language deserve more attention than I was able to give them this night, but they got it in droves from the rest of the house.

Obits at Kings 1/12/11

2011-02-02T21:16:00.000-08:00

Obits
Kings
1/12/11

My first show of the new year, and it was a keeper. It would have been a super-duper keeper if the opening band Gentleman Jesse & His Men hadn't been snowed & and iced in back in their hometown of Atlanta, but Obits is entree enough for any rock meal. I got there right at the end of Whatever Brains opening set, and it sounded good as always - I always hear the Fall in them, but this time I picked up on a tinge of "TV Party" era Black Flag party punk in there too. One thing of note though - I like them live and I like the recordings I've heard, but the two seem to never sound alike to me. Maybe my ears are broken, but it's like two different bands. I probably prefer the live version best, if pushed to pick.

Kings was probably half to three-quarters full by the time Obits took the stage. How this show isn't sold out but Girl Talk sells out Disco Rodeo, I'll never understand. Insert grumpy old man rant about kids these days. Anyways, Obits were fucking fantastic. I was a HUGE Hot Snakes fan and got to see them a few times living out in California (no idea how much they played the east coast, they didn't seem to like to tour much), but this was my first time seeing this new Rick Froberg production. Obviously their sound is going to be compared to the Hot Snakes, and understandably so. But Obits aren't nearly as aggressive as the Snakes, and seem to harbor a strong undercurrent of surf rock in their sound. I suppose calling themselves Shadowy Snake Men on a Shadowy Hot Planet was shot down in the preliminary stages of band name choosing. The set seemed to be mostly new songs and only a few from their only full-length "I Blame You". This would obviously point towards them having a new record out in the near future, which is clearly a good thing. They seemed to really enjoy Kings, so hopefully there will be more stops in the City of Oaks for us fans.

Light Pines at Tir Na Nog 12/2/2010

2011-02-02T21:12:00.000-08:00

Light Pines
Tir Na Nog
12/2/2010

I've beat around the bush but my final thought on the matter - Light Pines really remind me of Doves. This show crystallized this thought into my brain, and I don't see it shaking any time soon. I consider this a good thing, for the record - those first two Doves records are quite good and listenable even to this day, and I saw them live a few times - always a great show.

It was kind of a crappy night out but there was still a big crowd at Tir Na Nog for this free gig - was it because of Light Pines, or was it because local pants kings Raleigh Denim were giving away a couple pairs of their really nice (and pricey) pants? It was probably both, cause last I checked everyone loves both awesome music and free pants, or at least everyone with any goddamn sense. And let it be stated that I did not win any pants, but I'm not going to hold that against Raleigh Denim, I hold it against all those other people that showed up for the show. Plus they were all wearing pants, so I'm not sure what they needed them for (I was, of course, bottomless - as I always am at local shows, so the pants would have been really handy).

Wasn't this supposed to be a show review? Did I mention Light Pines were awesome, like they always are? I really really REALLY wish they'd put out a damn record. I want to listen to them all the time, not just at shows. Put out a record Light Pines, your pantsless fans need something to keep them warm on these lonely winter nights.

Future Islands / Lonnie Walker at Kings 11/19/2010

2011-02-02T21:09:00.000-08:00

Future Islands
with Lonnie Walker
Kings
11/19/2010

It had probably been a few months since I'd last seen Lonnie Walker. And going a few months without seeing them is a real feat. A nice problem to have, an awesome local band that plays a lot locally. But I guess they had recently partaken in a tour of some sort (supporting the night's headliners, Future Islands, or at least I think that's the case), and good lord were they tight and together and really kicking ass on stage. I constantly fluctuate on what/who these guys remind me of, but I seem to come back to Modest Mouse more than anyone. But the thing is, I only think this when I'm watching them...when I sit around and write a review, the idea of comparing them to Modest Mouse doesn't really make much sense. Certainly Brian Corum doesn't sound anything vocally like Isaac Brock, but something in their style of singing their delivery...I dunno, it's just a comparison I can't shake.

I'd gone on and on and on to the old lady about how great Future Islands are live, had convinced her to go with me next time they were in town, and then she went and got sick and sent me out alone. But any displeasure in electro-rocking out solo is easily washed away with the presence of glow sticks...and there were glow sticks everywhere. I thought there were a lot of glow sticks last time, but it felt like they had multiplied like rabbits. They were being thrown to and fro, at the band, at the audience, folks making necklace and bracelets out of them. I tucked a few in my hat like a feather, cause that's how I roll.

The show sold out in advance, and packed to the gills with happy kids (and a few old folks like myself) there to dance and really enjoy themselves on this pleasantly cool fall night. Like the last time I saw Future Islands, the attendants were really living it up and having themselves a grand ol' time to the music. As expected the band played pretty much both all of their last two records, along with a couple of new tracks one would hope will find their onto a recording in the near future (hopefully very near future). Two things came to me during their set...first, this is performance art as much as it is live music. Band front man Sam stalks the stage like a caged tiger forced to dance for his dinner, and I mean that in the best way possible. He looks like he might pounce on an audience member at any moment, and who knows what will happen from there - a lick on the cheek or a bite to the neck, either seems possible. Second, it finally dawned on me what they sound like - Ian Curtis fronting New Order if he hadn't killed himself (obviously we're assuming Joy Division would have broken up anyways, and New Order formed as they did). And I still say he sounds a little like the singer from U.S. Maple, a comparison a fellow U.S. Maple fan agreed with.

But none of that nerdy pointless comparisons and hogwash really matters - Future Islands put on one of best live shows in the business. And we're lucky in that they perform here all the time. So don't be stupid, go see them play. Assuming you like to have fun.

Moogfest 2010 with Big Boi, MGMT, Van Dyke Parks, Panda Bear and Girl Talk at the Asheville Civic Center & Thomas Wolfe Auditorium 10/29/2010

2011-01-03T09:02:00.000-08:00

Moogfest 2010 with Big Boi, MGMT, Van Dyke Parks, Panda Bear and Girl Talk
Asheville Civic Center & Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
10/29/2010

So months ago my friend Brian and I jumped on tickets to the opening night of Moogfest because one of very favorite bands, Devo, were slotted to play the festival. Getting these tickets was no small feat in my book - I don't go to big shows or festivals because they're too expensive and I generally don't enjoy them. But this was Devo, and all rules go out the window when it comes to them. Fast-forward to the week before the concert, and Devo gets in a wreck causing the band to miss the gig. We were devastated. But as we were already in the hole 75 bucks, might as well go anyway and make the best of it...

Despite the loss of Devo, the festival offered a pretty good consolation prize - Big Boi. Originally I was bummed as he was scheduled to play on a different stage the same time as Devo, but obviously now that wasn't an issue. So we got into the Civic Center just as he started up, and immediately blew the doors off the place. This wasn't the typical cruddy DJ/MC/hype men live hip hop gig that we're all used to, this was a complete band experience. I dubbed it "Parliment Hiphopidelic" and then was all proud of myself for being so clever (even if it isn't really clever). It was quite simply one of the best show I've seen in ages. Big Boi just released a solo record and as you might expect played a few songs off of that - "Shine Blockas", "General Patton" and "You Ain't No DJ" come to mind. But the bulk of the set was pretty much Outkast's greatest Hits - they played all or at least the Big Boi portions of every fan favorite song by the legendary hip hop duo..."So Fresh, So Clean", "Mrs. Jackson", "B.O.B.", "Ghetto Musick", "The Way You Move", and many more. The crowd was electric, singing along, bouncing on every word and beat like a bunch of half-drunk teenagers (to be fair, a lot of the crowd were half-drunk teenagers). Not only was there a full band (including horns and back-up singers), there were dancers! A group of four young men all dressed in matching outfits, stepping to the beats like it was a black fraternity pledge party. I'm not sure I'd go as far as to say Big Boi made up for us missing Devo, but he came as close as I think about anyone could.

After that gig I was counting anything good that happened the rest of the night as gravy. I've never really been particularly enthusiastic about MGMT, but Brian really likes them and they made the stage after Big Boi. They seemed like two bands - part psychedelic pop band ala The Zombies or mid-period Kinks, and then part popular dance pop band, kind of like Hot Chip but with less Prince covers. I liked both parts, but it was clear the crowd preferred their upbeat dance numbers, especially the super-catchy "Time to Pretend"...you know, that one MGMT song everyone knows that has been used in commercials, most likely to sell computers or phones or some such shit. I enjoyed the gig, and it prompted me to revisit their albums after we got back home.

Honestly, there wasn't much left that either of us was overly excited about. We ended up watching Van Dyke Parks, who most folks know from his work with Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys in their later days. The man was a great storyteller and an unbelievably talented piano player, but for the most part I was pretty indifferent about the baroque pop music. He did end it on a bang though, bringing Clare from Clare & the Reasons out to help him sing the Beach Boys tune "Heroes & Villains" that he co-wrote with Brian Wilson.

The only note I took from the set by Panda Bear: "meh". Pretty fitting actually. One man standing still in front of a bank of electronics and a guitar, with a lot of back lighting and the sound cranked up WAY too loud does not make for a great show in my book. When he first started I couldn't believe how loud it was...my ears were literally hurting. I've never had that happen. We stood strong for a few songs but nothing ever took our fancy, and we strolled back towards the Civic Center.

The Civic Center had one big act in it that night - Girl Talk. And by "act", I mean one guy with a couple of laptops and a couple of his friends blowing toilet paper rolls into the crowd using leaf blowers. I enjoy Girl Talk's sugar crack mash-up songs as much as the next guy, but seeing him live wasn't really much to speak of. After a few minutes the stage flooded with kids dancing and having a good time, and no doubt the fairly full Civic Center were really enjoying themselves, but I've never felt so old and out-of-touch in all my life. I suppose I'm too visually fixated, because it basically boiled down to watching a guy look at his computer screen. But I fully admit I'm probably not the target audience for this one, so we peaced out and called it a night.

Mount Moriah at Tir Na Nog 10/21/2010

2011-01-03T08:54:00.000-08:00

Mount Moriah
Tir Na Nog
10/21/2010

There's something I've always found very impressive when a band has a rotating cast of members, especially when all those members are in a bunch of other bands. I'm not entirely sure how they can remember all those songs, but then again I maxed out my memory years ago by memorizing all of the GI Joe character names and members of hair metal bands. Mount Moriah is very much one of those bands, with Heather, the beautiful driving voice behind the act, seemingly the only mainstay. This version of the band featured both of the Cook brothers, best known as two-thirds of Megafaun. I'm pretty sure at least Brad Cook has played with the band before ( I feel like I saw a photo of this somewhere), but this was my first time with either of them performing in the band. Not that it changed anything - they were just as fantastic as they always are, playing one incredibly catchy song after another, songs that would be hits if there was any justice in the world. They really REALLY need to release an album so I can listen to it over and over and over.

Todd Barry at Kings 10/28/2010

2010-12-07T21:03:00.000-08:00

Todd BarryKings
10/28/2010

I've never done a comedy review before - I'm shitty enough at music reviews, and I'm not sure what to say other than he was funny. So that's the review: the comedian Todd Barry was funny. Really, really funny. The old lady and I used to go see a lot of stand-up when we lived in California, but very few good comedians perform around here. I'd never seen Todd Barry, but he always gets named dropped as a favorite from comics I love (Patton Oswalt I know has mentioned him numerous times), so it was worth checking out. Mark it down as money and time well spent. About two-thirds of his material was typical prepared stand-up fare, and the rest of the time he spent riffing on the leftover band set list from the night before and making jokes about the fact that RDU has a direct flight to London. That might not sound good on paper, but it worked.

And let it be known that seeing comedy in a rock club is superior to comedy clubs it can't even be quantified. I've seen a number of comedy acts in rock clubs, and it's always so much more fun and laid back. No drink minimums, no cocktail waitresses, no horse shit. I know Paul (one of the main King's dudes) told me he's going to try and get more comedy, and hopefully he pulls it off, because I like laughing. Except that my face always hurts afterwords, but I guess it's worth it.

(Photo found online, not from me creeping on Todd in a convenience store)

Gentleman Jesse & His Men / The Barreracudas / Last Year's Men at Kings 10/27/2010

2010-12-07T20:59:00.000-08:00

Gentleman Jesse & His Menwith The Barreracudas & Last Year's MenKings
10/27/2010

Sometimes I just don't know what the fuck is wrong with people...someone awesome like Gentleman Jesse comes to town for the first time (not the first time in the Triangle, just the first time in Raleigh), and hardly anyone shows up to see it. Not that that deterred him or any of the other bands from putting on fantastic shows.

I got there just as Last Year's Men started their set. Folks (or at least Grayson from the Independent) have been opining how fantastic their new record is, so I was glad to finally check them out. Sadly, we don't really have any sort of power pop scene locally (which might partially explain the turnout), but these Chapel Hillians did their best to fit in. They play a more prototypical "jangle pop" style as has been popular in the area for as long as I can remember, and combine it with the pop-punk catchiness of Superchunk and smidge of the Replacements more "together" moments (think "Alex Chilton" and "Can't Hardly Wait" Replacements, not "Takin' a Ride" or "Hootenanny" era stuff). These guys would have been huge in 1995, but it remains to be seen if the kids these days will take to their sound. Certainly it pleases me, but I'm old and not exactly the target demographic.

The Barreracudas had the middle slot, a power-pop group made up of all the "Men" that otherwise make up Gentleman Jesse's band. It was definitely decent music, typical of the Atlanta pop scene, but nothing groundbreaking. I honestly don't have a lot to say about them other than I'd like to hear their record, and maybe knowing their songs would up the excitement level for me. Still, a run-of-the-mill power-pop band is better than most any other type of band.

I've reviewed Gentleman Jesse & His Men a couple of times on here, but words just never do this band justice. They've written and recorded some of the best pop hooks of the last decade, and while the attendance shows it's fallen mostly on deaf ears I'm listening and watching hard enough for ten men. All of the power pop touchstones are there that have been mentioned a thousand times - The Nerves, The Records, Shoes, The Real Kids, etc. I was chatting with Paul (one of the dude's who runs Kings) and he threw out a comparison that had never occurred to me but is definitely fitting - Nervous Eaters. No matter the comparisons, they rocked my ass off like they always do, and the sparse crowd really seemed to enjoy it. I even got a chance to chat with Jesse after the show, not something I typically do - he's a super nice guy. I asked if there was a second full-length in the works, but it sounds like instead they have a ton of seven inches and tracks on compilations coming out over the next year, which will hopefully all get complied into one release at the end of the deluge. No matter how it's released, more amazing pop songs make the world a better place.

Built to Spill at The Cat's Cradle 10/10/2010

2010-12-07T20:55:00.000-08:00

Built to Spill
Cat's Cradle
10/10/2010

At this point in my life, a Built to Spill show is like your favorite well worn t-shirt - it might not be new or shiny, but it feels so good, so comfortable, so enjoyable. I've seen them perform live dozens of times, and while some outings are better than others, not a single one of those times have been anything less than really damn good.

The set list was pretty typical of BtS, spanning their catalog nicely but never hanging out to long on any one album...though if they wanted to play "Perfect from Now On" in it's entirety it would hurt my feelings - as it was, they only played "Untrustable" from that release. They really hit "There's Nothing Wrong with Love" pretty heavy though - "In the Morning", "Twin Falls", "Car", heck probably half of that record made the list. Of course it's not a Built to Spill show without some cover songs, and this time it was the Grateful Dead's "Ripple" that got the treatment.

One part of the show that stood out from the typical Built to Spill live experience was the first encore - it was just Doug and his guitar, and he played a couple of the bluesy acoustic songs from his solo album "Now You Know" - "Dream" and "Offer". I saw him play solo live once before, when he toured alone just after this record came out. It was a real treat to see him play these songs again, and made me hope another solo album was in the works because that record is fantastic. After these couple of songs the rest of the band came back onstage and they wrapped up the show, with the ender being a drawn out sixteen minute version of "Broken Chairs". Many a guitargasm was had.

Also of note: the crowd was annoying and stupid as they always are, continuing my consecutive streak of every Built to Spill show being populated with complete boobs. And not the good kind of boobs either. Well, maybe a couple of the good kind of boobs, but not enough of those and too many of the other.

(Photo found online)

Gayngs at The Cat's Cradle 10/6/2010

2010-12-07T20:50:00.000-08:00

Gayngs
The Cat's Cradle
10/6/2010

It seemed like a nice night for a little dance music, so it was off to see the hipster superstar band, Gayngs. They weren't originally scheduled to play Chapel Hill, but they moved their Virginia show down here to give the locals a little taste of their semi-homegrown talent. Sure, the band is technically from Wisconsin or Minnesota or one of those Midwestern cheese-making states, but a bunch of our local kids also participate in this orgy of musical mayhem - including Ivan from the Rosebuds, the bulk of Megafaun, and a chunk of Bon Iver (who once took up residence here). So really, it only made sense that they would make a show happen here. Who gives a holy hell about Virginia anyways...well, except lovers obviously. Virginia is for lovers, after all.

Pointless gibberish aside, it was a great show. There were a bazillion people on stage with a few folks coming and going, but never less than ten members and a high of twelve or so. They seemed to play pretty much the entire "Relayted" album - standout tracks included "The Walker", "The Last Prom on Earth" and "Faded High", where they incorporated Cameron Mesirow of the opening act Glasser to perform the female vocal portions of the song. They also played "Cry", the 10cc cover from the record, as well as a couple of other covers of two of my all-time favorite songs - "By Your Side", Originally by Sade and also performed by the band at Daytrotter (download the Daytrotter session here); and also "Eye in the Sky" by Alan Parsons Project, which can be heard done acoustically by the band in this video. As a side note, I'll spare you the long winded story of how much the cover of the Alan Parsons Project album "Pyramid" freaked me out as a kid, and this is noteworthy because my parents played it ALL THE TIME so it was always sitting out next to the record player creeping my out just as bad as those clown cartoons from the picture dictionary I also had around the same time. I couldn't even sleep in the same room as that picture dictionary.

Anyways, it was a good fun show, and I even got the wife to go with me so I wasn't that creepy guy standing by myself for a change. It probably also helped that I wasn't furiously masturbating and crying like I usually do at these sort of events.

(Photo found online...clearly that ain't the Cradle. Or if you aren't familiar with the Cradle, maybe not so clearly.)

Bandway at Kings 8/28/2010

2010-11-09T13:24:00.000-08:00

Bandway
Kings
8/28/2010

All hail the return of Kings, the greatest music venue that Raleigh has ever known! All hail the return of Bandway, the greatest party rock band to exist on this Earth! Obviously it was no coincidence that both the re-opening of one of the greatest rock clubs Raleigh has ever known and the return of musical saviors Bandway would happen at the same time, as it foretold from the heavens that one cannot happen without the other. And thus, a miracle was granted to us lowly local denizens.

I love Bandway so much I've considered getting a tattoo of the band's logo, only I'm afraid I'm not worthy of such an honor. Instead, almost every email address I've ever created was an homage to the band, which is kinda like an internet nerd tattoo when you think about it...it's always there for everyone to see. Paul (one of the dude's behind Kings) told me quite a while back that he was working on having Bandway play their opening weekend, and I spread the word far and wide to my old college friends and fellow Bandway aficionados that a new day was soon upon us. Oh how they talked a big game about coming to the show from all ends of the state, but of course when push came to shove the collective lot of them pussed out. Sure they'll claim to have been sick or had a sick child at home, but we all know if this was really important you'd wrap that kid in a nyquil soaked blanket, lock him in his room, and get your ass to the "rockening".

So it was just the wife and I, she needing to witness the band I'd been prattling on about for the entire decade she has known me. Kings was packed, sold out in fact - and the entire crowd was eating it up. While there were a lot of old folks there like myself, I was surprised at how many kids were there, kids who surely weren't going to Bandway shows their first time around. But whatever, a love of the rock knows no age limit. I think it had been seven or eight years since they had last performed, but you'd never know it - they were just as drunken, sloppy and awesome as ever. They played pretty much every song you'd want to hear - "Four Day Weekend", "Balls Out", "Millennium", "King Kong", "I'm a Winner", "Turn to the Bong"...goddamn, they have a lot of awesome songs. Would have been nice to hear "Fayettenam/Futuristic Fuckup" and, well, honestly every single one of their songs, but it was a nice set. On top of that, they played some new songs which bodes well for future performances/recordings; I didn't catch the song names but one was about recycling and it was fantastic.

I'm going to go ahead and pick this as rock show of the year, because it's just not fair to any of the other bands to try and live up to the brilliance of Bandway. Everyone else is trying for second best.

The Mountain Goats / Mount Moriah at the Pinhook 7/31/2010

2010-11-09T13:22:00.000-08:00

The Mountain Goats
with Mount Moriah
The Pinhook
7/31/2010

So after the metal business I rolled over to the Pinhook in Durham to see some lighter fare. It was the release party for Mount Moriah's 12" EP, and they had the good fortune to get local folk superstar John Darnielle aka The Mountain Goats to headline the show for them.

But I'm getting ahead of myself, as when I got there Mount Moriah were just taking the stage. I've made no bones about my love of this band and especially Heather's voice, and as always they did not disappoint. And while they seem to be quite well received everywhere I've seen them in the Triangle, Durham is very much their home crowd and the combination of fans and friends were as loud and vigorous as college lovemaking. And I'm not talking about the sex where you're having to keep quiet cause your roommate is pretending to be asleep in the top bunk either. Anyways, they played pretty much the same songs they always do, songs I've grown to love from seeing them live a number of times, but now I finally had something to buy off the band and take home with me. And obviously, the record is fantastic.

There are two kinds of Mountain Goats shows - the ones where he has a backing band, and the (superior) ones where it's just John Darnielle, his guitar, and his witty between song banter. The latter is what we had this evening, and whoo-boy was it goddamn awesome. He played almost entirely old songs, in fact I think the newest track played was probably "No Children" from "Tallahassee", an obvious crowd favorite...and I was damn glad he played it, not just for my enjoyment but also so the annoying girls standing next to me would stop screaming for it between every song. I've loved the Goats for years now, but I'm definitely not a super fan...and there were a bunch of them there. There was one guy in particular that delighted me to no end, standing front and center, clapping with the power of ten men right after each song, screaming and arms raised in the air like it was Beatlemania, and then when he finished he would pull his pocket notebook out and scribble in it for a few seconds, god knows what he was writing. As per usual I'm terrible at remembering song titles, but I know he played my two very favorite songs, the first opening tracks from the perfect album "All Hail West Texas" - "The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton" and " The Fall of the Star High School Running Back". The crowd sang along vigorously to both titles, myself joining in despite my general reluctance for such participatory nonsense. It was a grand show, if only he would play his hometown more often...

U.S. Christmas / Black Tusk at the Pour House 7/31/2010

2010-11-09T13:19:00.000-08:00

U.S. Christmas
with Black Tusk
The Pour House
7/31/2010

It was a double trouble kind of night, with the first gig being the opening acts of the Corrosion of Conformity show at the Pour House. The first act was my man Nate's group U.S. Christmas, a band I'm in no way impartial about due to friendship, and I really don't give a shit. Look, if you like heavy music that isn't necessarily fast music, if you like bands the reference Sam Peckinpah films and Cormac McCarthy novels, if you like the craziest of Neil Young's Crazy Horse moments and especially his soundtrack to the movie "Dead Man"...well, this is the band for you. They played a good set featuring a lot of tracks from their newest album "Run Thick in the Night", a release that will most likely make my top ten of 2010. The sound was fantastic, as it usually is at the Pour House...sadly not enough bands that I want to see take advantage of that. I think this might have been USX's first gig in Raleigh, and the folks that were there seemed to quite enjoy them, as they should.

I needed to hoof it over to Durham, but I had enough to time to stick around and catch about half of the set by Black Tusk. I read that they refer to their type of metal as "swamp metal", which I guess is a fitting moniker for their style of upbeat southern stoner metal. They're kind of a Georgia version of North Carolina's Weedeater, only there is no one in their band as insane as Dixie. It's aggressive, hard pounding, straight forward metal, like a punch in the face from a drunk friend. I quite enjoyed what I saw of their set and had Nate pick up their record "Taste the Sin" for me - a good record with some great art, definitely worth checking out.

Pipe / Tonk at The Cave 8/27/2010

2010-11-09T13:15:00.000-08:00

Pipe
with Tonk
The Cave
8/27/2010

This was the beginning of my "relive the nineties" weekend, with this Pipe gig and then Bandway the following day. And speaking of Bandway, this was my first time seeing Tonk, a classic country band featuring Bo Taylor of Bandway on drums. They played a mix of covers and originals, or maybe those originals were just obscure covers cause I'm not a super nerd when it comes to classic country. Of note they performed "Let the Sad Times Roll On" by Buck, "Mendocino" by the Sir Douglas Quintet, and the one and only "Satin Sheets" by Jeanne Pruett. The last song was particularly noteworthy because the band was cracking up the entire time they played it while the crowd sang along. Seeing Tonk play live is like traveling back in time 50 years and watching the house band from Buck Owen's Crystal Palace in Bakersfield, California. Of particular note was their pedal steel player, who was absolutely killing it all night long. Granted, if you can play that convoluted instrument at all that counts as "killing it" in my book, but he was doing a nice job for the whole gig.

To paraphrase Silky Johnson, what can I say about Pipe that hasn't been said before? They are quite simply the greatest party rock band of my generation. Sure, they're seldom known outside of the Triangle, but as the kids say: "fuck that shit". Off and on for the last 15 years they take the stage and rock the balls off of everyone within earshot...certainly my balls were no longer attached when they finished their set. I'm not entirely sure what that means for the two girls standing front and center going batshit crazy for the entire show, as I'm pretty sure they don't have balls...but perhaps a similar ailment hits their ovaries? I'm not scientist, so who knows. I'm sure some medical professionals can do a study. But anyways, they were awesome like always, with Ron snarling and absorbing abuse while the rest of the group chugs through their catalog raucous material.It's likely been more than a decade since they wrote a new song, but not a single one of us fans care. I can listen to them play "You're Soaking In It" a thousand times in a row and never get tired of it. In fact, I hope they play a show like that at some point...I wouldn't put it past them.

Hopscotch Day Three (Night) - Motor Skills / U.S. Christmas / Weedeater in downtown Raleigh (Multiple Venues) 9/11/2010

2010-10-06T13:32:00.000-07:00

Hopscotch Music Festival - Day Three
with Motor Skills, U.S. Christmas and Weedeater
Downtown Raleigh (Multiple Venues)
9/11/2010

The final night of Hopscotch was here, and for me it was a night of mixed feelings...I was kinda happy it was over because my old ass was worn out, but sad that such a great three days of music and merriment was ending.

My first stop of the night was Tir Na Nog for Motor Skills. This was my second time seeing them as a four piece, and they cemented my opinion that this is one of the best new (or at least newish) local bands playing these days. I had previously noted a comparison to the Notwist, a comparison that still holds for me; but there is some thing else there, something a little more lighthearted and poppy...and that something is a little bit of Erasure in their sound. Some may find a comparison to Erasure to be an insult, but it's certainly not meant to be - those dudes knew their way around a catchy hook from time to time, a trait I wish more bands had. As Motor Skills were the first band, I wasn't expecting much of a crowd, but the Nog really filled up! Not sure if it was friends or randoms checking out the first band of the night, but I'm guessing they ended the set with a some new fans.

My next planned show wasn't for a little while, so I slowly meandered my way there and stopped at a couple of places. Caught a couple of songs by the Dynamite Brothers at the Pour House and it confirmed that they are just not the band for me. I've seen them before, and while the musicianship of all the members is amongst the best I've ever seen, the songs just don't grab me. But they are one of the tightest damn bands I've ever seen. Made another stop at the newly opened Capital Club 16 to talk to my friend Layne who manages the place. Chatted with him for a while - looks like a nice place, will have to check it out some day.

Eventually I made it to the Berkeley Cafe, where I would spend the bulk of my evening. I was immediately greeted by Nate of U.S. Christmas as he ran up to me, delighted as a child in a candy store, because one of the drummers of the band playing at the time - In the Year of the Pig - looked Just like Newman from "Seinfeld". And he did look a whole shitload like him, but more importantly, he played drums like a deranged octopus (aka Damon Che from Don Caballero). It was a sight to behold, not just him but the whole band, flailing away like muppets on some jams that registered right in the middle between metal and free-form jazz. I only got to see them for ten minutes or so, but it was definitely interesting music and something I'm going to seek out in the future.

U.S. Christmas was up next. I know I've reviewed or talked about these guys a lot lately, but it's because they're a damn god band. Also, they finally started playing down here in the Triangle, something that always helps in seeing a band live. They seem to get tighter and tighter each time I watch them perform, their "William Faulkner" metal really ringing true in my ears. There was a pretty hefty crowd there to see them, and they were seemingly into it. I didn't poll the folks there or anything, but there was cheering and all that sort of business. You know, crowd shit. Worth mentioning is the sound man did a really nice job with the mix - Meg's violin can often get lost in the sea of noise this band makes, but tonight she stood out nicely and really added to the overall feel.

I had other designs on what to do with the rest of the night, but a knowledge of how hard it would be to get into Dungen plus Nate's badgering led me to sticking around for my first viewing of the entity known as Weedeater. He has told me for ages what a trip they are live and you never know what the front man Dixie might do, and he was not lying. From what I gathered it was a fairly subdued show for them, but he was still a very animated singer - constantly gesticulating toward the crowd, staggering around the stage, drinking enough liquor for ten people, and generally entertaining the shit out of me. It was drunken stoner metal at it's finest, and I was glad I stuck around.

I was going to end the night popping into the Lincoln Theatre to see a little bit of Tortoise, but the place was already full and I had no designs on waiting in line. So it was off to my car and back home for me, though en route I came across a group of young kids holed up in a parking garage stairwell playing sloppy punk rock for a few of their friends. It wasn't good, but it was fun, and a reminder of why live music is such an awesome experience and a great thing to have in your life.

Hopscotch Day Three (Day) - Flute Flies / NAPS outside of Raleigh Times 9/11/2010

2010-10-06T13:23:00.000-07:00

Hopscotch Music Festival - Day Three (Day Parties)
with Flute Flies and NAPS
(Outside of) Raleigh Times
9/11/2010

I barely made it to this...having the Flute Flies play at 11 AM the day after late night shenanigans is no recipe for guaranteed attendance. I felt like crap and I don't even drink, so I can only imagine how everyone else there felt. Things might have looked grim, but the Flies were putting on a hell of a show on the stage set up in the middle of the blocked off Hargett Street in front of Raleigh Times. For those not aware, this local "all star" band is made up of Ivan from the Rosebuds, Reid from Schooner, Zeno of the Sames, and what appears to be a revolving cast of support players. The driving force behind this band was to create some original music for CyTunes to help raise money for brain cancer. I saw them their first time playing live and while quite sloppy, it was fun and there were enough catchy hooks there to draw in fans of the member's main bands. But this time out they sound like a real band, not just a group of friends playing music on a lark. There were a number of really good songs, each lead member taking turns singing lead. Yeah, when Ivan sings it still sounds mostly like a Rosebuds song or when Reid sings it sounds mostly like a Schooner song, but I don't see any problem with that. The barely there, half comatose hangover victims, random parade of dogs and dancing children seemed to dig it, and to me that counts as a success.

I decided I'd stick around for one more band before I went home and napped on my couch, mostly because that one more band was NAPS. What I find funny, and it's probably only funny to me, is I've played basketball with Dan (aka D-Mike) for a while now but the first time I saw NAPS play I didn't even recognize him because I'd only ever seen him in basketball clothes. My nonsensical rambling aside, I liked them the first time I saw them and this time was no different, though it was weird seeing them in the middle of the day in daylight. But I was drinking a fresh squeezed lemonade while doing it, not something you can always say during a show. They still remind me a little of early Silver Jews and something else I can't place my finger on, and maybe I can figure out that something else if I can ever get my hands on their cassette (yes, cassette, it's what all the cool kids are apparently doing these days). I tried to pick one up after the show but they were out, and Dan keeps saying he'll bring one to our weekly basketball games but it hasn't happened yet. On a side note, we really need a boombox for our basketball games.

I contemplated sticking around for some more good music, and did see a couple of songs by the Loners who are always entertaining, but the knowledge that I would be out all night rocking sent these old man bones back home and to the couch for a little rest and relaxation before the final night of Hopscotch.

Hopscotch Day Two - Harlem / The Golden Boys / Kingsbury Manx / Americans in France in Downtown Raleigh (Multiple Venues) 9/10/2010

2010-10-06T13:16:00.000-07:00

Hopscotch Music Festival - Day Two
with Harlem, The Golden Boys, Kingsbury Manx and Americans in France
Downtown Raleigh (Multiple Venues)
9/10/2010

Not feeling the day parties, what with having to work my job and all, I rolled into downtown for this second night of Hopscotch festivities in time to buy some cheap shirts at the Kung Fu pop-up store and then made my way to the Busy Bee to check out Americans in France. I'd heard good things about these guys (and gal) and had been meaning to see them play live, so why not now? At their best they reminded me of a combo of The Fall and Pavement circa "Westing (By Musket and Sextant)", two great things of which to remind me, or anyone for that matter. As I've never seen Americans in France before I can't speak to the frequency of the act, but they had an older black dude (who I'm pretty sure I've seen a bunch of times hanging around Slims) play some extra drums on a couple of their songs. He could play a little bit so it wasn't a complete goof, but it was a bit odd. Sometimes a little odd makes the night better, and this was a great start.

It was just down the hill from there and into Tir Na Nog for some Kingsbury Manx, who'd just started their set. I hadn't seen the Manx play in years, probably not since Kenneth left the band, though I had continued to listen to their recorded output. They were just as great as I remembered, still very mid-era Pink Floyd crossed with Yo La Tengo and just a dash of Kiwi popness. The crowd was light when I first got there but by the end of their set the Nog was mostly full...not the kind of sardine can full it was the night before for Best Coast, but pretty well filled in. Their set was mostly a cross section of their last couple of records, but the band delighted me to no end when they pulled out my very favorite song of theirs, "Pageant Square" towards the end of the set. If I had to zero in on what my single favorite moment of the entire festival was, this might have been it...certainly top three, I love that song that much.

I went back up the hill to Slims to get in and find a decent spot for Harlem...I was quite a bit early, but Slims is tiny and I didn't want to miss out on seeing them. It was already insanely packed and swelteringly hot when I got there, and though I didn't have to wait to get in I'm pretty sure there was a wait soon after I entered. Harlem's record "Hippies" is one of my top five favorite records of the year, perfect from start to finish.

But I'm getting ahead of myself, as the band before them, The Golden Boys, hadn't even started their set when I got there. Luckily, they kicked nearly as much ass as Harlem. They had a real nice classic party garage sound, like a modern version of the Sonics, with just a hint of soulful R&B mixed in to their sound. Let it be said that the keyboard player had a ridiculous mustache, something I felt like folks should know. These Austin kids really brought a lot of life and energy to the gig, and I feel certain that there would have been a tons of dancing from the crowd if they weren't packed together like sardines. As it was, vigorous head nodding is about all that was possible. That, and flash backs to dry humping in high school cause it was nuts to butts in there.

I didn't think it could get any more packed for Harlem, but apparently it did. I literally could not move - I was pinned against the wall and contorted into a half turn because of some weird box or footstool on the floor. I talked to one of the bartenders and he said that even though it was easily the most people they had ever had in there, they didn't sell much alcohol because no one could get to the bar. None of that really mattered though once Harlem started playing incredibly catchy tunes. They might get lumped in with the garage rock genre, but this pure pop music through and through, only the guitars are a little fuzzier than usual. The crowd went as nuts as they could, bouncing up and down and making the floor shake with every note, whooping and hollering and if they were like me, singing along and trying to keep the blood running to their feet because they were standing so awkwardly. The last time Harlem came through town I was actually visiting their hometown of Austin; many thanks to the Hopscotch overlords for bringing this amazing band back to the area at a time when I wasn't wandering the country.

Hopscotch Day One - Lucero / Best Coast / Cults / Old Bricks / No Tomorrow in downtown Raleigh (Multiple Venues) 9/9/2010

2010-10-06T13:11:00.000-07:00

Hopscotch Music Festival - Day One
with Lucero, Best Coast, Cults, Old Bricks and No Tomorrow
Downtown Raleigh (Multiple Venues)
9/9/2010

The First night of the new, highly anticipated music festival known as Hopscotch. I got out in the streets nice and early to get my wristband (which I put on too tight and drove me nearly insane) and promptly went on the hunt for some music. My first destination was the Busy Bee to see Old Bricks, but en route I heard some music coming out of Slims so I went in to see what was happening. Turns out it was a band called No Tomorrow, an outfit hailing from Wilmington that sounded like The Cro-Mags or NYC hardcore crossed with metal. It was fun enough for a few songs, a decent unplanned diversion en route to other endeavors.

And that other endeavor was literally right next door at the Busy Bee. One of the best parts of this festival is how walkable the whole thing is. Old Bricks were still setting up when I walked in, so I entertained myself watching Mr. Retirement, Brett Farve, play some football on the bar TV. I'm pretty sure he retired and unretired three times in the five minutes I was watching. Then the band played, and they were very entertaining as always. It was the newish four man version of the band which I've seen once before but forgot or got too lazy to write about. Interestingly enough (or at least interesting to me), doubling the number of members in the band included adding the singer from Motor Skills, another band that somewhat recently doubled in size. They've still got a sort of Animal Collective/Dodos vibe, lots of reverb and up to three members drumming at once, though if you added up all the drums on stage it would probably equal one kit. I dig their sound and their songs and performance is getting stronger and stronger each time I see them. Outside of the vapid blondes standing next to me talking about "fucking some bitch up", it was very enjoyable.

I staggered down the hill and lined up to get into Tir Na Nog...it wasn't much of a line mind you, and I was in the club after about five minutes. It was packed. Even the far side of the bar away from the stage was full of people. Cults had just started their set...I found a spot in the back of the crowd and watched the band churn out their pop ditties while throngs of kids waved their glow stick-clad arms in the air. The singer for Cults was delightfully cute, and had a voice that matched her looks. I'm usually not one for cutesy pop music, but I've certainly heard worse than these guys. There is something very Euro about their sound, which can obviously be good or bad...and honestly I'm not sure which end of the spectrum Cults falls in. It's going to take further listening to get to the bottom of this one.

Between bands I managed to weasel my way up into the middle of the crowd. Best Coast got their gear set up pretty quickly, but due to festival rules had to wait a while before they could play. So I just stood there, eavesdropped on inane conversations, and sweated. A lot. Did I mention it was packed? These guys were one of the top buzz bands of the festival, and once they started playing it was obvious why...so catchy, so infectious. I've been loving this band and their songs for a few months now, and was worried seeing the band live they wouldn't live up to the high standard I had set in my convoluted brain - but they were just as adorable and enjoyable on this evening as any recorded output. I'd guess they played nearly all of their songs, including "When I'm With You" and all the other ones I wanted to hear whose names escape me. One of the best shows of the festival.

I'd planned on ending my evening at the Berkeley Cafe with a Future Islands dance party, but the line to get in stretched around the block prompting me to utter "fuck that" and take my ass over to the Lincoln Theatre to see a little Lucero. Of course, Lucero tops my "love the band, hate the fans" list - generally a loud, rude group of inebriated boobs who take the band's drunken lovability and go way over the top, usually irritating the shit out of me. But for whatever reason, the crowd was mostly subdued this evening, which meant you could actually watch and hear the band perform their heartland country rock stylings. It was my first time seeing them with a horn section, which seemed really out of place but after getting used to it I decided I liked what it added to the live sound. They mixed up their set list with a lot of songs from their most recent record "1372 Overton Park" (which I honestly haven't listened to very much) and older material (which I knew well and clearly delighted the crowd). I watched a large portion of their set before my old man tiredness set in and I called it a night. A great start to Hopscotch to be sure, and I was looking forward to the next couple of days of rockin' out.

Motor Skills at Tir Na Nog 7/3/2010

2010-10-06T13:06:00.000-07:00

Motor Skills
Tir Na Nog
7/3/2010

Made it out to the rare show at Tir Na Nog where I actually had to pay to get in, but that was OK since the bands were good. And despite my cheapness, sometimes that's just fine.

Of particular note was the show opener Motor Skills - I'd seen these guys before as a two piece with electronic pop act with a portion of their set dedicated to comedy rap songs. But now they're basically a whole new band, expanded to four members, with an impressively strong set of songs. The best (and most boring) comparison I would make would be to the Notwist, only less German. There were no funny hip hop songs this time either, though it's unclear if they are completely removed from their set or just weren't there on this night. I liked the previous version of this group - I love the current edition.

Lonnie Walker also played and I'm feeling too lazy to review them for 684th time, but worth mentioning is this was the first show back for their organ player after being out sick for an extended period of time. He really rounds their sound out and it was a pleasure to hear him playing with the band again.

Of Montreal at The Cat's Cradle 6/2/2010

2010-09-10T09:50:00.000-07:00

Of Montreal
The Cat's Cradle
6/2/2010

So after some Camera Obscura and burrito eating, we waddled over to the Cradle to take in the dance pop band known as Of Montreal. I saw these guys a ton of times back in the late nineties and early aughts, pre-Outback jingle explosion, but haven't followed them a ton over their last couple of records. But Brian wanted to go, he got us some tickets, and there we were.

I often joke about being the old man at shows, but never has that been more obvious than at this gig. So many young kids, all dressed up in ridiculous clothes like it was some catalog shoot for Urban Outfitters and American Apparel at the same time. Some folks were even in costumes - of note I saw a lot of people dressed as "indians" (a look the band employs on occasion), marching band members, and even one dude dressed as The Riddler (there was no Batman to be found).

The show was good, but like night and day from their older gigs. They used to be a quirky pop band, lots of short songs, and the closest they came to a stage show was a psychedelic-style light projector. But now it's all dance pop with multiple projectors and a team of community theater actors and actresses doing god-knows-what all over the stage. I don't think they played a single song from before their "Sunlandic Twins" record, which was pretty much where I stopped listening to them. But no matter - the band performed their "new" disco songs quite well, the strange actors carried on onstage in a confusing but entertaining manner, and the kids all danced around like it was a 1995 rave minus the glow sticks (actually there might have been a couple of glow sticks). It was all very entertaining, though I felt a bit like an observer than one caught up in the moment.

(Photo ganked from somewhere online. There were no horses in the Cradle.)

Camera Obscura at the Duke Gardens 6/2/2010

2010-09-10T09:47:00.000-07:00

Camera Obscura
Duke Gardens
6/2/2010

My good man Brian got permission from the wife to come up to the Triangle and see a little live music. And when a man escaping two kids comes to town, you damn well make the most of it and pack as much fun as you can into that evening...aka go to two shows and eat burritos between them.

We met up with our broham Ivan inside of Duke Gardens just before the show started. It had looked a little stormy early, and seeing as how this gig is outside that is a concern, but it was merely an idle threat and the dark puffys floated away to torment someone else's outdoor plans.

It occurred to me that the last time I saw Camera Obscura play was with this same duo of dudes, which is odd as I tend to go to shows solo. That bit of trivia has little standing with the review of the band, but is merely a piece of information for those scoring at home.

The band was great, but no big surprise there. They breezed through a nice set of their mellow cute pop much to the delight of all the young hipsters and not-quite-as-young families with their dancing children...and let's not forget my group, the grizzled old creepy dudes that everyone makes fun of at shows. They managed to squeeze in nearly every song I wanted to hear - "French Navy", "My Maudlin Career", "If Looks Could Kill", "Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken" and "Razzle Dazzle Rose". I've never seen a bad Camera Obscura show, but the outdoor setting, the sun low in the sky...it was simply magnificent.

And then Brian and I headed to Chubby's to stuff ourselves silly with burritos in preparation of the dance party that would be happening at Of Montreal soon thereafter...

9th Annual Lebowski Fest - The Felice Brothers / The Seedy Seeds at the Executive Spare & Strike Lawn 7/16/10 & 7/17/10

2010-07-30T13:40:00.000-07:00

9th Annual Lebowski Fest
Featuring The Felice Brothers and The Seedy Seeds
Executive Spare & Strike Lawn
7/16/10 & 7/17/10

So me and a couple of my goofball friends loaded into the car and drove to Louisville for the 9th annual Lebowski Fest, celebrating all things "The Big Lebowski". It was bands, games, movie viewings, bowling, and what-have-you.For a slightly more detailed, photo-heavy review of this trip, just look at this here entry from the "Photo Journal" section of this magnificent website.

On the first night, after my partners-in-crime had preloaded for the event with so many White Russians that they each ingested a half-gallon of half and half (would that mean they each had a "quarter and quarter"?), we strolled over to the event and watched a little live music. I forget who the first band was because I was too busy looking at the merch table and marveling over the fact that there were actually good looking girls at the event, but they were some rootsy/folky affair that neither impressed or irritated me. There was probably a banjo involved, or at least there should have been.

But then the headliners of the Fest, The Felice Brothers, came out and entertained the masses with their American rock that is pretty damn reminiscent of when the Band and Bob Dylan joined forces. Their records are decidedly mellow affairs for the most part, but live they're a raucous group that sacrifice a little bit of musicality for the sake of an upbeat, engaging gig. If you held me to gun point I'd probably claim to like the records better, but it was still a damn fine performance. And without a doubt it easily topped any other show I've seen in the "number of times a washboard is used as an instrument" category. No jug blowing though, which is obviously disappointing. When the Felice Brothers finished playing they climbed on top of their RV parked near the stage and joined the crowd in watching "The Big Lebowski" in the open air. I don't have any proof but I'm betting that's one of the best possible endings to any live performance.

The following day's festivities were held in the afternoon under a glaring sun, and combined with the hangovers from too much liquored-up dairy the previous night...well, we didn't last long. There was some local fat rapper called the Kentucky Prophet doing his thing when we got there, and as much as I love a fat rapper ("Disorderlies" is one of my favorite films after all) he wasn't doing it for me. But the band after him, The Seedy Seeds, were pretty damn enjoyable. I didn't know dick about them, but apparently they were from nearby Cincinnati and had sort of a folk-electronica vibe. The three piece had pre-recorded beats accompanied by a really talented drummer playing along with them, and the other two playing some combination of guitar and banjo. I liked it - they had the boy/girl combo vocals kinda like Rainer Maria or Mates of State...but not shitty music like those bands. The group also got bonus points for dressing in costumes for the fest as "Strangers in the Alps", a reference to the sanitized version of the film where the phrase "This is what it's like to fuck a stranger in the ass" is changed to "This is what it's like to find a stranger in the Alps". Brilliant really, and a great weekend.

Superchunk / Ryan Gustaffson at the Cat's Cradle 5/21/2010

2010-07-30T13:35:00.000-07:00

Superchunk
with Ryan Gustaffson
Cat's Cradle
5/21/2010

SUPERCHUNK! Let the record show that this band was, is and continues to be one the awesomest awesomers of all time. These are indisputable facts, folks.

But first, there was an opener - Ryan Gustafson. I remember back in the day every Superchunk opener was another Merge artist, but now they're tapping the resources of the local hot-shit loose-knit gathering of musicians and bands known as the Drughorse Collective. Not to be confused the pretty awesome metal band from the Bay Area Drunk Horse. All I know is I wouldn't want to be around a drugged horse or a drunk horse, as those fuckers are scary enough sober. And I'm rambling, so this review is going as expected.

As for what Mr. Gustafson sounds like - well, not unlike many of the other Drughorse acts, they walk a fine line between power pop and folky alt-country croonings. The best of his upbeat songs reminded me a lot of Sloan, and the mellower tracks I couldn't place a comparison, but was quite good. I liked the pop songs the most, but with his fantastic voice he could "sing the phonebook" as they say and it would make for a good performance.

It was an interesting show for local kings of the scene, Superchunk...apparently the set list was made up almost entirely of requests (from the Merge staff I think, and maybe some other randoms), which resulted in a show that was heaven for super fans like me but much less exciting for the people I knew there who had never seen the Chunk before.

Requests from a band by long time fans usually means one thing - lots of old songs. They basically played the entire "On the Mouth" album - "I Guess I Remembered It Wrong", "Precision Auto", "For Tension", "From the Curve"...hell, they even played "On the Mouth" which was the b-side of the "Mower" single (and could also be found on "Incidental Music", the second of their singles comps). Some other noteworthy tracks that night were "Sidewalk", which the band claimed had only been played live once, and a couple of new songs, one ("Digging for Something") which features John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats on backing vocals, and luckily he was at the show to provide them in person. And also dance around the stage like a spazz, which delighted everyone in attendance to no end.

At the end of the set and during the encores they hit some of their highlights, "slack Motherfucker" and "Hyper Enough" and "Water Wings"...the sort of songs that get all us old folks pogoing around like we did back in the early nineties. And let it be known the crowd was quite ancient - these days I'm that creepy old dude that I used to make fun of in my early twenties, but I was feeling pretty young and spry with this group. But young, old, ugly or bold, I'll suffer any indignation or categorization to see the glory of Superchunk live.

Mount Moriah at Tir Na Nog 5/20/2010

2010-07-30T13:33:00.000-07:00

Mount Moriah
Tir Na Nog
5/20/2010

I was told I really needed to see Mount Moriah, so I got off my duff and made it happen. I'd heard Heather McEntyre sing with her other band Bellefea - good voice, interesting music, but I didn't get too overly excited about the act. But Mount Moriah is an altogether different beast - beautiful, country-tinged folk with amazing vocals, impressive musicianship and hooks for days. An instant contender for one of my new favorite local bands. Her voice reminds me quite a bit of Shannon Wright, but the songs are of a much higher quality. Quarterstick records should sign this band post haste, assuming they are still around, which I doubt is accurate and I'm too lazy to do the research myself. Hell, while I'm signing them to defunct labels let's but them on Jesus Christ and Teenbeat too. The bottom line is this band needs to be seen or heard or ideally, seen and heard.

The Rosebuds at the Beaufort Music Festival 5/8/2010

2010-07-01T09:23:00.000-07:00

The Rosebuds
Beaufort Music Festival
5/8/2010

So yeah, it wasn't long until I got to see The Rosebuds again...two days in fact. The old lady and I decided it might be fun to take a little road trip, see part of the coast we'd never been to before - Beaufort. I used to live in Wilmington and I've been to the Outer Banks a couple of times, but this middle portion of the state's seaside has always escaped me. We spent some time driving the back roads, hitting the depressing towns of Goldsboro and Kinston en route and grabbing lunch in the town known as the birthplace of Pepsi, New Bern. New Bern was mostly not depressing, for the record.

We got into Beaufort early and the festival was already going on, some reggae cover band playing...yup, Bob Marley! Least they could do is throw some Desmond Dekker or Skatalites in their mix. We wandered around town looking at all the old houses, and there are a shit ton of old houses. We're talking we-weren't-even-a-country-yet old. After a tasty dinner, we strolled back to the festival site just a few minutes before the Rosebuds were to take the stage.

Their set list was pretty typical of most of their shows, but the setting was obviously quite different from any other gig. Million dollar yachts and smaller sail boats surrounded the outdoor stage, and wide selection of humanity from small kids to the elder set, working class stiffs to the idle rich (hence the million dollar yachts). And let's not leave out the salty sea men, leathery and wobbly legged, most likely from a combination of cheap liquor and not being accustom to dry land.

The band did their best to connect with a crowd mostly not familiar with their sound, and for the most part they succeeded. There was a crowd of surly pre-teens standing near us that started out cracking wise and by the end of the show they were on stage dancing during "Bow to the Middle" and asking Kelly Rosebud for her autograph after the show ended. It was a great night that could only have been better if the band had dressed in "yacht rock" costumes.

(see more photos of the Rosebuds and this trip to Beaufort here)

The Rosebuds / Schooner at Tir Na Nog 5/6/10

2010-07-01T09:18:00.000-07:00

The Rosebuds
with Schooner
Tir Na Nog
5/6/10

It was a bit of a last minute show at Tir Na Nog as the local leaders of sing-a-long pop, The Rosebuds, decided to play a free gig. I suppose it was to serve as a warm-up for their impending appearance at the Beaufort Music Festival (which I attended, for the record...and I know you're keeping detailed notes so I want your record to be as accurate as possible).

But first: Schooner! Otherwise known as the opening band. They were their typical catchy and enjoyable selves, belting out their pleasant blend of timeless pop crossed with shoegaze. They have a new EP out on Cytunes, and a number of the songs they played this night was from that release. OK, I'm kinda making an assumption there cause I didn't recognize the new songs, and I haven't heard the new EP, so I put two and two together cause I got them kind of top notch deductive skills. I would imagine the bulk of local Rosebuds fans (most of the crowd) already are familiar with the song stylings of Schooner, but hopefully they won over some new fans cause they surely deserve to be more beloved.

The Rosebuds had been meaning to play one of these free local showcases for a while, and on this pleasant spring evening it finally went down. The band has an ever-changing line-up, but this was one that I've seen a number of times these last few years - Brad from Megafaun on bass, and Rob Lackey on drums. I love it when they have a bassist with the band, maybe it's because I (crappily) play bass myself, but music just doesn't sound complete without the low end...as I've always said, you might never notice the bassist is there, but you'll definitely notice when he isn't. I've said a lot of really stupid things about music too, so let's call it a wash.

Anyways, the band played a great set, performing all the crowd favorites both old and new. The nice thing about a local crowd is not only do they know all the songs, but they give the group a lot of love and feedback in the form of dancing, cheering and for the Rosebuds especially, singing along. I'm often irritated by crowd sing-a-longs, but it really works for these guys because they have very specific parts of their songs that beg for group participation.

A great night out, and here's to hoping I don't have to wait long until I get to see the Rosebuds perform again...

Future Islands / Lonnie Walker / Lower Dens / Whatever Brains at the Berkeley Cafe 5/4/10

2010-07-01T09:11:00.000-07:00

Future Islands
with Lonnie Walker, Lower Dens and Whatever Brains
Berkeley Cafe
5/4/10

I couldn't tell you the last time I lasted through a four band night...probably Mergefest. And like those nights, you withstood the discomfort of being fat, old and uncomfortable because the bands were so goddamn awesome.

Right when I walked in Whatever Brains started playing. I wasn't sure if they were going to be there, as they were listed on the bill, and then they were removed, but luckily that information was incorrect. As I've stated before, they remind me a lot of the Fall, if the Fall had a fairly normal singer and not crazy-ass Mark E. Smith. I was watching them with my man Ivan and he seems to think they have a Gang Green thing going on, but I don't really see it. But he's actually a musician so maybe you should take his word for it over mine. It was a short set, but good. They manage to sound tight and unhinged at the same time, a great trait in a band.

I was kinda freaked out the entire time Baltimore's Lower Dens played - the singer was the spitting image of the cute nerdy girl from "Real Genius" and I couldn't concentrate on the music as much as I should have. Val Kilmer was nowhere to be seen though, so at least we had that going for us. My best approximation of their sound is "what if Siouxsie & the Banshees became a krautrock band?" And then there was that one song that sounded exactly like Love & Rockets. They were definitely one of those bands that I was really neither here nor there about for the first few songs, but they really grew on me and I was loving it by the end of their set.

The non-organ version of Lonnie Walker was next on the slate. It was great as always, but I'm really missing how that organ softened out their sound in all the right places. The set was very Lonnie Walker-y, catchy and excitable and the crowd ate it up. I see them so often it would be really easy to take them for granted, but they are still one of the best bands going in the Triangle.

Finally, the headliners Future Islands came on. Have I mentioned that their newest record "In Evening Air" is easily the best record of 2010? Well, it is, and I love it so much I don't see that changing before the end of the year. It is brilliant from start to finish, and my only gripe is the run time is way too short. then again, you always want to leave them wanting more I guess.

Despite the fact that Future Islands play here all the time, I'd somehow never managed to see them perform...as great as their record is the live show is even better. Shut off the house lights, place a few spots on the ground shining up at the band, and let the party commence. It was easily the most dancing I've ever seen at a show, and the best time I've had the Berkeley Cafe since watching SCW wrestling there in the mid-nineties. People were throwing glow sticks all around the crowd, the band released some balloons, and it turned into a rave for the indie rock set. If Joy Division were reincarnated as a dance band, this would be it, only they sound like they got Al Johnson from U.S. Maple to do the singing and maybe have some inclinations to sound like Erasure from time to time. In other words, completely awesome through and through.

I left covered in sweat from dancing too much, ears ringing from a lack of earplugs, and a huge smile on my face that didn't leave for days. Upon exit saw a dude sprawled out on the sidewalk - not sure if he was attacked by another person or a gravity/booze combo. I'm going to pretend he was floored by the amazing show that just happened to his face, and his legs couldn't take any more.

(photo ganked online from somewhere other than my camera)

Light Pines / Kid Future at Tir Na Nog 4/22/10

2010-06-13T09:10:00.000-07:00

Light Pines
with Kid Future
Tir Na Nog
4/22/10

The first band this night was Kid Future. Now if I didn't know better and just saw the name listed, I'd assume Kid Future was a DJ playing some sort of electronica music. Do they even still call it electronica music, or is everything specified by it's specific subgenre? House, Downbeat, Jungly, Shitbizzle, Big Poppy, Horse Penis, whatever, I'm not good with those fancy genres. All I know is they didn't sound nothing like that - rather, it was catchy indie pop. The singer had a great, deep voice, which was a little surprising given he was such a small guy. I thought he looked familiar, and it turns out his brother is the singer for another great local band Mount Weather (also apparently I've played basketball with him, which means he probably scored over my shitty defense). And where I compared Mount Weather to the Psychedelic Furs, I'd compare the brother's band to another great group from the 80's, XTC. They're not a carbon copy or anything, but the keyboards and song structures reminded me of them somehow. And those keyboards are a huge part of the band's sound - at only three band members and no bass, the keys really have to do a lot of heavy lifting to keep the songs together. In this jackasses mind a bassist would really round their sound out, but what the hell do I know. I do know they are a very intriguing young band I hope to see more from in the future.

Is it possible that the best local band I've seen in months I only half-ass watched because I was busy trying to catch the fourth quarter of an NBA playoff game? Well that was the case with the Light Pines. I kept saying I was going focus my attention at the stage when the stupid game ended or was out of reach, but the damn thing was close until the end and actually lasted longer than Light Pine's set. So while I can't speak with much authority about their live show, they sounded absolutely fantastic. They didn't really sound like anyone in particular but sounded like a lot of things all at the same time. There were a few songs that reminded me of Doves, but not enough so that I'd compare the band to them as a whole. One thing that really stuck with me was what a heavy drum sound they had - not heavy as in heavy metal fast double-bass drumming, but just really forceful, domineering drums that really led the direction of the band. That probably doesn't make any sense and now it sounds like I'm describing some dirty hippie drum circle. Anyways, despite being distracted by Kevin Durant hanging a loss on the Los Angeles Kobes (sadly the Zombie Sonics eventually lost the series), this band really left an impression on me and I can't wait to see them again. Or see them for the first time, if you will.

Midlake / John Grant at The Cat's Cradle 4/3/10

2010-06-13T09:07:00.000-07:00

Midlake
with John Grant
The Cat's Cradle
4/3/10

I missed Midlake the last time they rolled through town, and nearly drove to Asheville to see them last time they were in the state but caught a case of the lazies. But this time, there would be no missing them - they were bringing John Grant on tour.

John Grant was the singer for the criminally underrated band the Czars. And when I say "criminally", I mean to say if you haven't listened to them you should be arrested for being an idiot. Their album "The Ugly People Vs. the Beautiful People" is easily one of my top ten favorite records of the previous decade, maybe even top five. Sadly, the Czars split up before I ever got a chance to see them play, but I did get to see Grant perform solo soon after the split and at least got to hear him sing a few of those songs live. And now I was going to get to see Grant again, making me as excited as a teenage boy in a adult film superstore.

My previous live experience just had Grant sitting in front of a piano crooning, but after the first song this time it was a full live band experience, including members of Midlake. He had just released his first solo record "Queen of Denmark", and the set list mirrored most of this record (along with a an unreleased song or two from the same era). Grant has the best (or at least my favorite) voice going today, and I'm here to tell you it's just as strong if not stronger live than it is on record. The weird thing about these solo songs are how strange/cynical/funny they are, not nearly as serious as you'd expect to hear from a voice like his. It's really my only complaint about Grant, that the lyrical content almost lessens the power of his voice, but who am I to second guess a man's song choices. It was still a damn fine show, and while I'm sure most of the crowd had no idea who he was hopefully he won over a few new fans. He surely deserves it.

Midlake was a clusterfuck of awesomeness. The band had seven members, and four of them were guitarists. Like any good band there was a full time flutist, but there were occasions when a couple of dudes were blowing the metal pipe (this description also works for gay robot porn). In fact, the greatest moment of the night was when two of the guitarists were playing leads in conjunction with two flute solos, it was almost as awesome as watching Jethro Tull play in front of a mirror.

Jokes aside, they played a great set. All those guitars might have been overkill, but it sounded magical to my ears. It was a pretty long set, at least an hour and a half, and I'd guess they played pretty much every song from their last two records "The Trial of Van Occupanther" and "The Courage of Others". Yes, everyone went nuts when they played "Roscoe", but for good reason as it's a fantastic song. Even the (what looked like) Marines on shore leave standing in front of me were loving the show, in between one of their two or three dozen trips to the bar and/or bathroom. Seriously, they probably drank fifteen beers each - they wanted to party with some slightly proggy art rock, and by god they did it to the fullest.

Lonnie Walker / Nuclear Power Pants at Tir Na Nog 4/1/10

2010-06-13T09:02:00.000-07:00

Lonnie Walker
with Nuclear Power Pants
Tir Na Nog
4/1/10

Even at my advanced age, I still occasionally get surprised by an opening band. Nuclear Power Pants showed up on free night at Tir Na Nog, the rare out-of-town entry (they're from Baltimore according to the stage banter) to an otherwise locals-only event. They were an eight-piece band, with five musicians (drums, bass, two keyboardists and a sax player, but no guitarists), two female back-up singers, and a lead singer wearing a poncho and looking like he could be the brother to Les Savy Fav's Tim Harrington. Everyone but the singers were dressed up in these weird pacman/trianglehead costumes covered in day-glo paint, and there were blacklights everywhere, so shit was glowing like crazy. It may take further listening to decide if the excitement was from their live performance, the crazy outfits, the music, or some sort of combination of those elements, but the crowd was absolutely loving it. The music was kind of a punk/new wave combo, maybe Devo meets Brainiac with a little Residents thrown in there (though that may just be the costumes forcing the final part of that comparison). Anyways, they did a really weird and great cover of Bruce Springsteen's best song "Highway Patrolman", the crowd danced a lot, I took some shitty photos and bobbed my head, and all was well in the world.

And guess who else played that night - Lonnie Walker! I think I've seen these guys play more often in the past year than I've seen my family (not that there's anything wrong with that). It was stripped down version of the band, just three members (the non-singing guitarist dude and the keyboard lad were off gallivanting in Europe or something). Somehow they lost two members but got more rockin'. It was a good show, but I did miss those soft organ lines trickling in and out of the songs. The set list was what you'd expect (this is code for me saying they played a lot of songs they always play that I've never bothered to learn the names to, mostly because my brain is at capacity due to memorizing crap like all of the G.I. Joe character names and the complete dialogue to "Blazing Saddles"), and Brian Corum was the typical zany frontman he always is. You're in a good place in life when one of your problems is seeing Lonnie Walker play too often.

Wilco at the DPAC 3/27/10

2010-04-30T09:37:00.000-07:00

Wilco
DPAC
3/27/10

Every once in a while you gotta get your giant concert on, and for me most of the time this ends up being a Wilco show. Despite my constant whining about their output since "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot", I still continue to go to their shows and enjoy myself while complaining to anyone who will listen about how they play too many new songs and Nels Cline needs to knock off all the ridiculous solos.

So the show report is this: they played too many new songs and Nels Cline played too many ridiculous pointless solos. And I still enjoyed myself. They actually played for damn close to three hours, and with that much time to fill they were bound to play some older material as well. A number of songs from their perfect record "Summerteeth" made the list, including "She's a Jar", "A Shot in the Arm", "Via Chicago", "When You Wake Up Feeling Old" and the title track "Summerteeth"; at least half of "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" including "War on War" and "Handshake Drugs" and "I'm the Man Who Loves You"; and the real classic gems "Forget the Flowers" and "Passenger Side". For the record, I consider any show where "Passenger Side" is played to automatically be a good show regardless of what else happens. These good songs happened just often enough that I didn't lose my mind when they played pretty much the entire "A Ghost Is Born" and "Sky Blue Sky" albums. One of the final songs they played was a tribute to the recently passed Alex Chilton, the Big Star classic "Thank You Friends".

Given what is to be expected these days at a Wilco show, I'd have to give a pretty big thumbs up. As a side note, this was my first time seeing the inside of the DPAC (Durham Performing Arts Center for those not comfortable with acronyms) - pretty swank place. Our seats were in the front of the top section but the seats were still great...the steepness of the joint seemed to discombobulate my friend Brian who attended with me, though that could have also been the giant burrito he ate at Chubby's Tacos before the show. I'd gladly go see more "big" bands here, assuming they ever book something to my liking again.

Whatever Brains / Naps / The Cellar Seas at Tir Na Nog 2/4/10

2010-04-30T09:32:00.000-07:00

Whatever Brains
with Naps and The Cellar Seas
Tir Na Nog
2/4/10

OK, so my idiot ass waited WAY too long to write this review, cause my memories are hazy at best. That's what you get for being lazy and forgetful I guess. I do remember it was an awesome night of music from start to finish, something I would have paid for but luckily it was one of those free local nights at Tir Na Nog. Why these things aren't always packed is beyond me...maybe folks just aren't as cheap as I am and don't value the power of "free".

The first band of the night was called The Cellar Seas, and it was their first gig ever! Seeing history with my own eyes! I play basketball multiple times a week with the singer/guitarist of the band, Roy Bourne, and I didn't even know he had a band...no time for chitchat when I'm raining my wet jump shots all over the court. Nonetheless, they sounded great, obviously well practiced, and churned out a set of very catchy, Americana-tinged rock songs. They reminded me a little bit of the band Richmond Fontaine, a comparison I dreamt up totally out of the blue and not because I had just been listening to them in my car. The Cellar-ites played the sort of songs you would sing along to riding in your car with the windows down on a warm summer day while writing run-on sentences. Of course I didn't sing along at the show, because I would have looked goofy doing it and also it was my first time ever hearing them. Anyways, great debut by these cats and I look forward to many more shows by them.

The middle bands was Naps and featured Brian Corum of Lonnie Walker as well as some other local rock star types. I have a vague recollection that Brian played the show in some manner of one piece long johns/pajama thing, but maybe I totally imagined that. As for the music, I quite enjoyed it - it sounded like vintage Chapel Hill indie rock from the early to mid-nineties with just a tinge of Silver Jews. If I would have seen these guys opening for Archers of Loaf in 1995, they would have fit in royally. And they probably would have had a seven inch out on Jesus Christ like all the cool bands did.

I've been meaning to see Whatever Brains ever since I moved back to the Triangle, but through a combination of epic laziness and other obligations, this was my first time actually making that happen. Damn shame it took so long, because just as I expected they were really fuckin' great. they sounded like the bastard child of Drive Like Jehu and The Fall, all jittery and anxious in the best post-punk way possible. Lots of spastic, off-beat dancing both on stage and in the crowd, just the way good shows are meant to be. It was pretty obvious why they are getting a reputation as one of the best local bands going right now, and I'll not be making the mistake of waiting so long before I see them play again.

U.S. Christmas / Caltrop at The Nightlight 1/22/10

2010-03-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

U.S. Christmas
with Caltrop
The Nightlight
1/22/10

Sometimes a band has to wander down out of the mist of the hills and perform for the fanciful folks of the city. Such was the case with U.S. Christmas, a band based out of Marion, a small town up near Asheville at the foot of the Blue Ridge mountains. I know this town well, as my mom lives there...the idea that any music of quality could come out of that hamlet of insular goofs should be a surprise to anyone who has ever been there. And I know the band well, or at least the singer/guitarist Nathan Hall - we grew up together and have remained fairly close since high school. I could now make some caveat about about being fair and balanced in my reporting on the band despite my personal connections, but fuck it...it's my stupid website and I can be as unbalanced as I'd like.

This was my first time seeing USX with their "new" line-up - the only holdovers from the old band is Nate and guitarist Matt. The group has now swollen to seven members, including two drummers and a violinist, and in my opinion they sound much, much better now. They were a good band before, but they seem so much tighter now, these new members much more accomplished musicians. And what the hell, I just love bands with two drummers.

There was a nice crowd on hand - not packed, but certainly full. Earlier in the week they received a big write-up in the Independent, which I'm sure helped the cause. It also didn't hurt that they were playing with local rock icons Caltrop. But the crowd gathered, Nate took off his shirt as per usual, and the rock began. There were songs from their full length on Neurot "Eat The Low Dogs", there were songs I didn't recognize...fast songs, slow songs, grind you up and spit on you songs. I've long struggled to describe this band, and the closest I've ever come Neil Young circa the "Dead Man Soundtrack" fronting Hawkwind and playing covers of early "Umma Gumma" era Pink Floyd songs. Yes, I know how preposterous that sounds, and I don't care. It was awesome, they were awesome, and if they ever decide to make it down to the Triangle again, go see them rock your cock out and subsequently off.

Between helping the lads load out their 18 metric tons of equipment, I caught the bulk of Caltrop's set. They had two drummers as well (for those keeping count at home, that is four drummers for two bands, drastically throwing off the drummer ratio), lending a very strong backline to some pretty stellar stoner/sludge metal. These local kids were much more "straight-forward" in their rocking than U.S. Christmas, but just as enjoyable in a slightly different way. This is music you can literally bang your head to, and then wake up the next morning wondering why your neck is so sore and then remembering that you're in your mid-thirties and too old to hesh out for an entire evening.

Veelee / Old Bricks at Slims 1/21/10

2010-03-21T19:41:00.000-07:00

Veelee
with Old Bricks
Slims
1/21/10

Decided to get out of the house on a rainy night and see some good newish local music at Slims. I'd never been to Slims before, at least not the Raleigh one...I've stared at those stupid poles at the Slims in SF about a thousand times though, so as long as there were no support beams directly in my line of sight of the band it would be an upgrade.

Old Bricks opened the night. They are two brosephs, a drum/guitar duo with the guitarist occasionally getting drummy himself. My first impression was that they reminded me of The Dodos, only a little less pop and a little more older Animal Collective weird. It was a short set, but pretty damn good...the drums playing off one another, weird loopy effects on the vocals and guitar, and a crowd full of cute girls having inane conversations and only occasionally paying attention to the music. I'm definitely going to make a point to see them play again in the near future.

This was my second time seeing Veelee, but the previous viewing was for only the last couple of songs of their set so I was glad to see a full offering. I believe my impression then was "Stereolab meets Sonic Youth", but upon seeing more of their show I'd add in a healthy dose of Blonde Redhead too. More than any one band though they reminded me of something that would have come out on K Records or Kill Rock Stars in the mid-nineties, and most likely been very popular. Not saying they won't be popular in these modern rogh-n-tumble days...I've recently come to realize I got no idea what the kids like anymore. I think this realization came when I found out a lot of young hipster bands are releasing limited edition cassettes. Yes, cassettes. But anyways, my second viewing confirmed that I definitely liked Veelee, and the crowd (whose average age was at least 10 years younger than me) seemed to be digging them too.

The Rosebuds / Megafaun / Lonnie Walker at The Pour House 1/8/10

2010-03-21T19:40:00.000-07:00

The Rosebuds
with Megafaun & Lonnie Walker
The Pour House
1/8/10

This was a good way to start off the new year, with some of my very favorite local bands and people. I even got the old lady to join me, something that doesn't happen all that often.

It seems like I've seen Lonnie Walker at least a half dozen times in the last year and they continue to blow me away. I still haven't bought their record but I feel like I know all their songs by heart (including the Future Islands song they always cover). I'm at a loss of what to say about them after multiple reviews - how about THIS BAND IS FUCKING AWESOME AND EVERYONE SHOULD GO SEE THEM PLAY. They get better every time I watch them perform, and they were outstanding the very first time I saw them. Reminder to self: buy their damn record next time I see them play, because then I can listen to them at home and not have to wait until the next time I see them live. Luckily, they play often and I usually don't have to wait too long.

Megafaun had the middle slot on the bill. Despite the stylistic differences, they often play with the Rosebuds since the bands are good friends, and we all know the old saying "bros before shows". Like a fine wine or a good stinky cheese, Megafaun has grown on me with age. Where I was once fairly lukewarm on their music and performances, I find myself enjoying them more and more with each successive listen. Yeah, there's a certain crunchy-jamband-hippy vibe to their music, but in the best possible way, like classic Grateful Dead crossed with the best Iron & Wine songs. What really stands out with the band is their vocal harmonizing...those boys really know how to sing together, it's as pretty as a butterfly and a faerie humping on a geranium. And I'm not going to top that comparison so let's just move on.

Local lad and lassie The Rosebuds closed out the evening, as they so often do around here. It's good to be the king, and they are clearly tops in the local market when it comes to catchy pop music. I've seen and reviewed this band countless times, and for good reason - they always deliver. They had one of the thoroughbreds from their stable of drummers, Matt McCaughan, on drums this evening, and it was good to see him as he seems to spend so much time on the road these days with Bon Iver.

The show was great, no surprise there...these kids always put on an energetic evening of damned catchy songs. Lots of crowd participation and sing-a-longs, even the chatty scenesters stopped talking long enough to have a good time. They seemed to draw a little more heavily from their third record "Night of the Furies" or "the dance record" as my brain remembers it, but they spread the love around all the records. Ivan even dedicated one of my favorite songs, "Border Guards", to me! I felt like the prettiest girl at the Winter Formal. The only bad thing - no "Blue Bird", despite my hounding Ivan constantly that they must play this song every show. Hell, if they played it five times per show I would be happy, that track never gets old. But minus that one minor transgression, a fine evening of amazing local music...to say we are spoiled in the Triangle would be an understatement.

Lonnie Walker / Schooner / Veelee at the Duke Coffee House (Troika Festival) 11/7/09

2010-03-21T19:30:00.000-07:00

Lonnie Walker
with Schooner & Veelee (Troika Festival)
Duke Coffee House
11/7/09

My second night of Troika festivities, and this time with a compatriot. My homeslice from Wilmington was in town for the UNC-Duke football game (he's a Duke fan, but otherwise a good guy), and we decided to meet up for some dinner and a little rockin' out.

After a stopover at the Green Room pool hall where I handed him his ass, we trucked over to the Duke Coffee House to see a band called Veelee on the stage. I had no idea who this band was, but the really wowed me in the couple of songs I saw them play. One track had a Stereolab vibe and the other was shades of Sonic Youth...no idea if this is indicative of their entire catalog, but I sure hope so. They also reminded me of Bay Area power duo Moggs - most likely because Veelee is also a cute boy/girl duo who like to rock out. They are definitely on my radar now and hopefully I'll see them again very soon. (Side note: download their free three song EP at the above link, it's well worth a listen.)

I've know Reid, the front man for Schooner for quite a while; I've seen him play with the Rosebuds and other bands, I've even seen him solo; but up until now, I'd never seen him perform with his proper band. I'd listened to their recordings and knew the songs were great, but it was good to hear them played live and verify what I already knew. Outside of the keyboard not being loud enough in the mix, the band put on a fantastic display of clean pop songs in the vein of Versus, Starflyer 59, and even local favorites The Rosebuds. Schooner doesn't seem to play out all that often, but they are well worth checking out on those odd occasions they actually take the stage.

Lonnie Walker were the headliners...I've reviewed them a couple of times at this point and I'm running out of things to say. They have easily crept into my "top 5 favorite local bands" list that I'm continually revising in my head, and they still sound like the Talking Heads crossed with the Band (with occasional Pavement overtones). It struck me while they were performing what it is that sets them apart from most local acts - too often bands come up with a sound, and then all of their songs sound pretty much exactly the same, with various changes in tempo and key. But Lonnie Walker manage to have a big, diverse sound full of very different songs that remain tied together by the spastic guitar work and unique vocals of frontman Brian Corum. It's this fact that sets them apart and may take them to another level of fame. They certainly deserve it.

Gentleman Jesse & His Men / Dex Romweber Duo at the Trotter Building (Troika Festival) 11/6/09

2010-03-21T19:24:00.000-07:00

Gentleman Jesse & His Men
with Dex Romweber Duo (Troika Festival)
Trotter Building
11/6/09

I was excited about the number of good shows being offered at this year's Troika Festival, but the down side of so many high quality entertainment options is you have to miss something. I had completely different plans scheduled this evening - Pipe at the Broad Street Cafe - until I noticed a late addition to the schedule, Atlanta's Gentleman Jesse & His Men. This band of pop savants recorded my favorite record of 2008; this combined with first-hand knowledge that they put on a fantastic performance and there was no way I was going to miss this gig.

Hammer No More the Fingers were finishing their set when I walked in - it was the typical scene for them, the room brimming with a bunch of kids going nuts over every note the band makes. They sound better every time I see them, but I'm not quite at that level of fanaticism. And no sooner than when Hammer finished their set, the entire place emptied outside of a couple dozen stragglers and two or three die-hard Gentleman Jesse fans (I'm including myself in these numbers). But they rocked it out regardless, not letting the lackluster attendance dampen their ability to deliver some of the catchiest pop music of the last few years. They performed the bulk of their Self-Titled album as well as a handful of new songs that I eagerly await being released in the (hopefully) near future. Be there five or five hundred fans, I'm always going to be front and center for a Gentleman Jesse show, and all those folks who left early really did themselves, especially their ears, a disservice.

Despite my drooping eyelids, I made myself stick around for part of the Dex Romweber Duo set. Of course I've known the man's work with Flat Duo Jets for about half of my life, though I never managed to see them live. Simple put, the man is a virtuoso, a real pleasure to watch perform. He has a strong voice and his sister does a fine job on the drums, but if you're like me you spend the entire time watching his hands move across that guitar. He was playing an old beat up Silvertone, making it sing like a bird; I point out the make of the guitar because I actually own a Silvertone and that thing goes out of tune if you just think about playing it. I'm not sure how or what he did to the thing, but Dex made the guitar sound like the finest instrument known to man in his hands. He's the kind of musician that even if you're not crazy about the way his songs sound, you'd still enjoy his live performance.

The King Khan & BBQ Show at the Local 506 11/3/09

2010-03-21T19:19:00.000-07:00

The King Khan & BBQ Show
Local 506
11/3/09

I've seen a lot of King Khan & BBQ Show performances over the years, and if you throw in their solo outings it probably doubles the number. They've never failed to entertain me, and this gig was no exception...only in a slightly different way than normal. Most of the times I've seen them, the music has been good but it has always taken a backseat to King Khan and his antics, be it as pedestrian as stripping naked on stage to dress like a woman, to more advanced topics like teabagging unsuspecting audience members. But tonight, they were all business. Sure, they still had on some relatively silly outfits - Khan in a fringy dress, BBQ in his trademark turban - but it was clear the music was taking center stage this evening...no goofing off, just song after song of catchy goodness.

As always, the doo wop-inspired songs like "Waddlin' Around" are my favorite songs by the band, and this show had plenty of them. BBQ's voice shined like a star this evening really belting out these tunes to a rapt audience. These songs were interspersed amongst the more upbeat garage tracks that general dominate their set lists, ass shaking music for the non-dancing set. It's probably indicative of my more recent listening tastes, but it had never occurred to me how much this band reminds me of Hasil Adkins. If only there had been a cover of "No More Hot Dogs", that would have really put things over the top. What they did play a cover of was the New York Doll's "You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory", a cover that King Khan played last time I saw them as a between song lark, but was a tad more fleshed out this go around.

In an unprecedented move (at least at the shows I've been to), the band added a third member for their last couple of songs, a fella named Chip who played the organ while wearing a tuxedo and top hat. It added a little extra dimension to their songs, really rounded out the sound. What wasn't unprecedented was that like most King Khan & BBQ shows, there were some assholes in the crowd. In this case, it was some jack off standing at the front of the stage who decided it would be a good idea to throw a beer bottle over his head and into the folks behind him, hitting someone and setting off a scuffle that had the cops show up to sort shit out. It's just not a good night out if your entertaining rock show doesn't end with sirens.

Built to Spill at The Cat's Cradle 10/18/09

2009-11-30T18:56:00.000-08:00

Built to Spill
The Cat's Cradle
10/18/09

I've really been firing on all cylinders lately when it comes to getting to the club right when the band I want to see starts playing. I walked in the door just as Built to Spill began their first song, and despite the packed house I was able to nook right in near the front by the side of the stage.

At this point in my life I've seen this band play probably close to twenty times (if not more), and I knew full well what this night had in store for me. As always, BtS played a fantastic mix of songs from across their entire catalog - off the top of my head I can recall "Virginia Reel Around the Fountain", "Carry the Zero", "Stop the Show", "Reasons", "You Were Right", and "The Weather". As always I would have killed to hear more songs from "Perfect from Now On", a statement I have made after every one of their shows...even the shows where they played a lot of those songs. Just can't get enough of that album, even 12 years later. Surprisingly, as Doug and company just released a new record called "There Is No Enemy", there were very few new songs, just fan favorite after fan favorite for the better part of two hours.

Sadly, another truism of any Built to Spill show also reared it's ugly head - the terrible, awful crowd. For reasons unclear to me for well over a decade, assholes and idiots love this band. This may be saying as much about me as it is about the rest of the crowd, but the personalities that infest any given Built to Spill show are the worst mix of drunks, frat boys and douchbags. And this isn't just a Chapel Hill thing - most of my live viewings of Built to Spill happened in San Francisco, and it was no different there. The constant yelling of inane things at the band. The bouncers having to break up a fight in what looked to be the strangest, most inappropriate "mosh pit" I've seen in ages. And then there was the gaggle of chatty women standing behind me, referring to themselves as "cougars" and sticking their garbage and beer bottles in the hood of my pullover. There really should be some sociological studies done on this strange gathering awkward, useless chaff, but I guess it says a lot about what a great live band Built to Spill is that anyone with any sense would suffer these fools.

Polvo at The Cat's Cradle 10/17/09

2009-11-30T18:51:00.000-08:00

Polvo
The Cat's Cradle
10/17/09

So I've seen this newly reformed Polvo a number of times now, and even in my super fanboy status, it's hard to deny they aren't getting more and more awesome with each and every gig. Yes, awesome, that is the technical word for their performance, I saw it in a technical handbook on show descriptions. They've certainly gotten a lot of tighter, what with the touring and the practicing and the recording a new album, tighter than they ever sounded pre-break-up.

Given that they did just record a new album, "In Prism", I was a little surprised that they didn't play more songs from it. It's got to be a tough balance for a band that has been around for a long time that has a large catalog to get the ratio of new songs and older fan favorites down on their set list. Obviously most of the crowd usually wants to hear their favorite song, while the band really wants to play these new tracks they are proud of. I'm almost always on the "play the old shit" side of the fence; but unlike most material that gets released by groups post-reunion, the new Polvo record is really damn good.

Anyways, yadda yadda yadda, the new record is great but they still played almost entirely old songs. Not that I'm complaining, but my faulty memory can only recall "Beggar's Bowl"; a couple more new ones would have been nice. What they did play was a super-extended version of "Bombs That Fall From Your Eyes" that sounded like Polvo crossed with "Umma Gumma" era Pink Floyd...it was one of the best things I've heard in months. Maybe through some magic of the internets someone out there reading this review bootlegged the show and can hook me up with a copy of that song, I would be forever grateful.

As a side note/complaint, I tried buying the vinyl of their new album on my way out of the club, and they were sold out! I had been putting off buying it for a while because I wanted to wait and get it when the money would be directly going to the band, but no such luck. And then a couple weeks later I stopped by Schoolkids in Raleigh to make the purchase...of course they were also sold out. It's almost comical that I've had such a tough time buying a record by a local band released on a local label, but on the bright side it means Polvo is moving units and that is definitely great for them. One of these days I'm going to finally find and buy that damn record...