Thursday, September 18, 2008

Some Ben Folds tix available

So you don't have to sell your soul after all, but you do have to act
quick. From Frank at the Cradle:


Here's An Important Late Breaking Bulletin for fans of Ben Folds and
Chapel Hill Music:

A number of tickets have just been released for tonight's historic Ben
Folds Five concert at Memorial Hall in Chapel Hill. A handful of the
tickets are available now via Etix.com, with the remainder available
for purchase in person at the Memorial Hall Box Office, on Cameron
Avenue.


To purchase on-line via Etix.com( for will-call) -- follow the link below:

http://event.etix.com/ticket/online/frontDoor.jsp?performance_id=840559&cobrand=white

This weekend

Sorry folks, haven't been posting like I should for various reasons,
but there's a bunch of good stuff going on at SparkCon this weekend,
including The Trousers at Tir na Nog, and Shake It Like a Caveman and
the Sugar at Slim's both tonight. Saturday night also marks John
Snead's debut with Here Lies at Berkeley Cafe, and, if you're willing
to make the trek, The Sword and Graveyard at Jester's Pub in
Fayetteville.

See you out and about.

Update on Cat's Cradle

David Menconi has it on his blog:
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/beat/cats-cradle-update

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Witchcraft and Graveyard at Local 506

(Graveyard) I'm really kind of perplexed why The Indy made this one of their "Eh, Whatever" shows. If Carcass hadn't totally blown me away a few nights earlier, I would say this Swedish stoner rock extravaganza was the best show I've seen in a while. I will say this, though: Witchcraft may have been the headliner, and they may be better known, but Graveyard had, by far, the better set. I also want to say to the tall, curly haired dork in the Clutch T-shirt who kept whistling incessantly throughout the show to just stop. That ear-piercing whistle just irritates everyone -- the band, and your friends -- included. Someone (maybe the same guy?) was doing the same thing at the Lou Reed show and eventually the crowd started yelling for him to stop. Showing your appreciation for the band is great, but doing so in a way that actually drowns out the music and gets on everyone's nerves just makes you look li

Graveyard -- "Years Pass By" from Mann's World on Vimeo.

Check out the video for Graveyard's "As Years Pass By" See more photos.

Friday, September 12, 2008

An evening with Carcass

A few days ago, my friend Angela, who was totally unfamiliar with grindcore, asked me to describe Carcass to her. I told her they were the Led Zeppelin of grindcore/death metal, and their current tour is inspiring the same emotions in long time fans as Zep's recent reunion. I know that to be personally true. Seriously, I don't know anyone who went to their show last night at Volume 11 who didn't come away absolutely ecstatic at having seen them. So, for those of you who didn't want to spend the $30 to see the show, well, I'm sorry to say, that was a really bad move on your part. I've seen a lot of bands, and some amazing concerts, and I will say last night's show was easily in the 10 ten shows (maybe even the top 5 -- still working that out in my head) I've ever seen in my life. If they come around again, redeem yourself and spend whatever you need to spend to see them.

The evening began auspiciously when we found a parking space RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE CLUB! Seriously, it was as if the Metal Gods were smiling down, holding that space just for us. Anyway, once again I got to the show a little late, which was really OK with me because I actually didn't want to wait through four other bands to see Carcass. Unfortunately one of the bands I missed was Black Metallers 1349, whom I'd heard great things about from Wolf. Wolf was indeed there and chided me for missing them. Cy Rawls was also there (actually about 99 percent of all the metal heads I know were there), and it was great to see him out enjoying a show. Suffocation came on right after we arrived, and were about three songs into their set when suddenly the singer stopped everything and said something was smoking on stage. The words "Great White" immediately popped into my mind and I immediately looked around to find the emergency exit (luckily I was standing right in front of it). As it turned out, some sort of fan had broken and started smoking (not sure if this was an actual air fan or some sort of motorized part). After everything was cleared up, they continued with their show. After what seemed like four years worth of guitar tuning and mic checking, Carcass hit the stage and opened with "Impropagation." I was pretty far in the back (no way I was going to brave that pit), and had to record the video with my arms straight above my head. Try doing that for six minutes straight. It's not fun. I also had a mild panic attack when some girl jumped on her boyfriend's shoulders right infront of me, thus blocking my view, but luckily she didn't stay up there very long. I was going to cut it off as soon as the song ended, but they immediately went into my second favorite song, "Buried Dreams," so I recorded that one as well. My absolute favorite Carcass song, "Corporeal Jigsore Quandary," was next, but my arms were literally tingling at that point, so I decided to just enjoy the moment. I've uploaded high-res versions of both videos, and linked to them both below the embed versions. They're significantly better than the embedded versions, but take about 30 minutes each to download. I was personally very happy with the set, which also included personal favorites "Incarnated Solvent Abuse," "Exhume to Consume" and "Heartwork." There was no encore, but they did do a little tribute to original drummer Ken Owen, who was left unable to play following a brain hemmorage in 1999, but is obviously still a major part of the band. Jeff Walker name-checked former tour-mates and Raleigh legends Confessor. He also, thankfully, asked to turn up the AC, which was great because it was seriously about 110 degrees in the club. Even the moshers eventually seemed to wilt. See more photos.

Vinyl record yard sale this weekend

DJ and guitarist Mark Weddington is moving and selling off some of his valuable vinyl. Collectors take note!

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

This week's cool shows: Carcass, The Bronzed Chorus and more!




THIS WEEK'S SHOWS


Thursday, Sept. 11: The Bronzed Chorus, Tir na Nog

I can truthfully say this band was one of the most surprising bands I've seen all year. I still don't know what to make of them except to say that they're amazing and that you need to go see them. See the video from the show in April.

SHOW OF THE WEEK!

Thursday, Sept. 11: Carcass, Volume 11

Grindcore innovators reform (sort of -- drummer Ken Owen is still unable to play drums following a brain hemmorrage several years ago) and go on tour. This is where yours truly will be tomorrow night (will try to catch The Bronzed Chorus if they're still playing afterward). Wolf tells me that openers 1349 are spectacular Black Metal.




Friday, Sept. 12: The Old Ceremony, the Pour House

"Pop-noir" (I didn't come up with that, and don't really know who did, but it fits) in the vein of Leonard Cohen and Nick Cave. Actually they're probably a little less noir than that. Maybe pop-gris?



Sunday, Sept. 14: Witchcraft and Graveyard, Local 506

Pentagram-inspired stoner rock from Sweden



Sunday, Sept. 14: The Ex-Monkeys with Polynya, the Pour House

The Ex-Monkeys are an off-shoot of old favorites Friend Side Monkey; Polynya have beautiful pop melodies.



Monday, Sept. 15: Black Skies, Reservoir

They totally rocked last weekend at Slim's (check the video for proof). If you missed it you owe it to yourself to go to this show.



Sunday, Sept. 14: The Ex-Monkeys with Polynya, the Pour House

The Ex-Monkeys are a splinter of old favorites Friend Side Monkey. Polynya makes beautiful pop.


NEXT WEEK'S SHOWS



Sept. 18: Ben Folds 5, Memorial Auditorium, Chapel Hill

As much as I'm not a fan of Ben Folds, I wouldn't have minded seeing this show because they're going to be performing "The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner" -- an awesome and underrated album -- in its entirety. If you don't have a ticket you're out of luck because it's sold out.



Sept. 18-21: Sparkcon, venues throughout downtown.

I missed the last two Sparkcons because I was in Germany each year. This September I'll be in Raleigh, and I look forward to checking it out. I'm already looking forward to Shake It Like A Caveman and The Infamous Sugar at Slim's on Thursday night.



UPCOMING IN GENERAL



Sept. 26: Patty Hurst Shifter, Slim's




Sept. 27: Bombadil, Cat's Cradle

Paste calls them "international folk and mountain blues" and I can't really think of any better way to describe them. Catch them while they're still in the clubs.


Nov. 1: Bowerbirds, Slim's

Raleigh acoustic folkies return to Slim's after an extended European tour.

Monday, September 08, 2008

Catching up

(Colossus) I know, I've been totally slack for the past couple of weeks, so now I'm forced to do a round-up of what I've seen. Thursday, Sept. 4: The T's at Tir na Nog The T's sounded great as always, but the sound on my video sucks. Evidently I was too close to Andy Kerr's amp. Anyway, here's video of "Mr. Rebel."

The T's from Mann's World on Vimeo.

Friday, Sept. 5, 2008: Suburban Sweethearts at Slim's I didn't get video of this show, but I can tell you they sounded great. This was the band's last show with guitarist Joe Yerry. Andy Kerr is joining the band, and according to singer/guitarist Erik Sugg, they will likely change their name. I'm looking forward to hearing the new incarnation. BTW, I didn't catch much of the downtown live stuff, but did manage to hear part of the Annuals, who played to a small-but-dedicated crowd in front of Raleigh Times.Saturday, Sept. 6: Black Skies and Colossus at Slim's The best show I saw all week. Black Skies were heavy and powerful. I've been listening to their new CD non-stop. Colossus had the potential to be great, but were way too sloppy. There's a difference between having a great time without worrying about the details, and just plain being out of tune. These guys are too good to let themselves sound like this. But they did have a lot of energy, and they were obviously enjoying themselves. Earlier in the evening I tried to catch Sir Arthur & the Royal Knights and the Loners at Sadlack's, but someone in the dorm next door kept calling the cops to shut down the music. I hope that doesn't become a regular occurrance.

Black Skies from Mann's World on Vimeo.

(Black Skies) Looking way back, here's some video of Dirty Johnny & the Makebelieves that I didn't post. They were at Slim's on Aug. 29.

Dirty Johnn & the Make-Believes from Mann's World on Vimeo.

Friday, September 05, 2008

Correction to Sir Arthur

It's TOMORROW night, with The Loners:

get over that tropi​cal deppr​essio​n and get a mo freak​in'​ doubl​e
shot o' rock in the ass with ya homie​s the loner​s and sir arthu​r
and his royal​ knigh​ts ya hear!​@​sadla​cks ,​7ish tomor​row sat.
sept.​ 6,​it'​ll be bitch​in'​ as all shit out,​know what i'm sayin​'
so show up,​throw​ up,​buck up,​and fuck up or shut up! or throw​ down
like a clown​ in a night​ gown out on the town afta some ralei​gh wide
ass open shit boyee​eeeee​eeeee​eeeee​eeeee​ees and girls​.

Suburban Sweethearts last show with Joe tonight!

This is assuming that there's electricity at Slim's. I've also been told that Sir Arthur is playing tonight at Sadlack's.

From the post on myspace:

Mr. Joe Yerry will now be devoting all of his time to the Bleeding Hearts, in addition to continuing to make Slim's Downtown Distillery Raleigh's own little rock and roll heaven...
http://www. myspace. com/thebleedinghearts
http://www. myspace. com/slimsdowntownraleigh

In Joe's place, we are honored to welcome local hot shredder and all-around righteous cat, Mr. Andy Kerr, who of course you all know from the amazing local group, the T's...
http://www. myspace. com/thettttt

For now, all you need to know is that band's favorite choice rockers will remain, but the band name will change, (as well as a new MySpace page). And fear not gossipers, everyone is still friends, and everyone is happy... ;) We love Joe and all that he does...



C'mon out on Friday, 9/5 to celebrate this current line-up's final blow-out, and also help support the cause... This show will be a benefit for the American Cancer Society. I'm sure everyone has someone they love who has been stricken with the disease, so show some love with us... We'll be giving out all the leftover Suburban Sweethearts T-shirts to whoever wants them. All we ask in return is that you donate something at the door, all of which goes to the ACS. No donation is too small. Give what you can to help the cause, and you get a shirt.

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

No update this week

Miss K needs a break to stay home and look over some paperwork. If you know what I do, and follow the news, you know what I'm talking about. Besides, we're going to get hit by a hurricane this weekend, so you should keep your butt home anyway.

But if you must go out, go see The T's tomorrow night at Tir na Nog.

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Early COC footage needed

I know some of you out there can help them out:


COC is currently talking with Metal Blade Records about a re-release of the band's hardcore-era recordings: Eye for an Eye, Animosity, Technocracy and Six Songs With Mike Singing.



Preliminary plans are for a package with two CDs (including previously unreleased tracks); a DVD with interviews and concert footage; and a booklet with more interviews, stories, art, and photographs.



The band already has some awesome archival material from its own and friends' collections. But to make this package as kick-ass as possible, COC needs the help of hardcore fans everywhere.



Do you have hardcore-era COC stuff you can share with the band?

COC is interested in just about anything and everything from the 1980s: live recordings or videos, concert posters, photos, zines, artwork, etc. It's also looking for photographs of fans' spiked-skull tattoos for a related art project.



If you have something you'd like to share, please e-mail cocarchive@gmail.com with details, and we'll figure out how to proceed from there.



Please help us spread the word! Thank you!