Shows of the week: xxMerge, and Merge-related events

It shouldn't be any surprise that xxMerge, which begins tonight over in Chapel Hill, is this week's go-to event. Unfortunately, unless you already have tickets, you're not likely to actually go-to it, because it's sold out and (judging from a quick Craigslist perusal) there aren't many re-sale tickets out there. There will be a "limited number" of tickets available each night at the door, but I get the feeling that people will be lined up all day for each of these, so keep that in mind. There are a few free official and un-official xxMerge-related events out there, plus the big She & Him/American Music Club(duo)/Wye Oak show at Memorial Hall. Here are some events I know about so far. Please feel free to e-mail me about others, and I'll update this entry: Thursday, 5 p.m.: Free Electric State & Embarrassing Fruits, free pre-show, ArtsCenter parking lot Friday, 3 p.m.: Afternoon house party in Durham with Charles Gansa (Guv'ner, Merge Recs.) + Reid Johnson (Schooner) + Sam Grindstaff (Titans of Filth) + Special Guests Saturday, 1 p.m.: Free outdoor show at OCSC with Radar Bros., Tenement Halls, Matt Suggs, Portastatic and The Music Tapes More info including Merge-related films and films with scores by Merge artists, and a kickball game/BBQ here.