Schooner with Ben Davis and The Jets at Kings on June 24.

Schooner with Ben Davis and The Jets at Kings on June 24.

(Kathryn Johnson playing keys and xylophone for Schooner)

Last night I saw Schooner (Myspace) with Ben Davis and The Jets (Myspace) (Lovitt Records) at Kings. I was also able to do a podcast with them, successfully using for the first time my new iTalk. I spoke with them outside Poole's Diner in downtown Raleigh. Check out the podcast, which includes music from the band, part of the interview, and music from drummer Billy Alphin's old band, Ashley Stove.

Podcast: http://www.rockthetriangle.com/podcasts/20060624_podcast.mp3


Full interview with the band, including us trying to tell some lost woman how to get to "South Sanders Street": http://www.rockthetriangle.com/podcasts/20060624_interview.mp3

I also got two partial videos from Schooner, and a video from Ben Davis (see below). Also check out my photos on Flickr.


(Megan Culton and Reid Johnson)

(Videos removed)

My first podcast! OK, so I've yet to actually make the feed and put it on itunes, but if you want to download the mp3 and listen to it, it's here: http://www.rockthetriangle.com/podcasts/20060618_podcast.mp3 

I hope to do this about once a week. I plan to talk about, and play music from local bands and artists who are playing in the area or releasing albums or otherwise doing something noteworthy. I also plan to include interviews with local bands. Finally, each week I want to play some forgotten gems from my collection of North Carolina music. The first podcast is on Bicycle Face. After I wrote my blog post on them, I got several e-mails from folks who wanted to get more music by them. This week's blast from the past is the song "Master of the Game" by Silica Gel, which includes a distorted newscast, recorded over the TV in Charlotte, appealing for information on a pedestrian who had ben killed while trying to cross I-285.

Olympic Ass-Kicking Team and Hearts and Daggers at The Pour House


Thursday night was the first time I'd seen Olympic Ass-Kicking Team (Myspace) in a while, and I'd forgotten how much I like them. The group features a bunch of North Carolina legends, including Terry Anderson, who might be best-know for penning Dan Baird's 1992 hit "I Love You Period," which is one of those songs I really hate to love.

This band's songs have a similar rootsy feel with clever sing-along lyrics. Two absolute stand-outs are "Thunderbird," which, like "I Love You Period," will have you singing it whether you want to or not, and "Sunday Dress," which probably would be a national hit if these guys didn't have the word "Ass" in their name (sad, but true). That song is sung by Anderson's old Woods/Fabulous Knobs bandmate Jack Cornell, who plays bass.




Other members of the Team include Cartridge Family keyboard player/vocalist Greg Rice on keys (pictured) and guitar player Dave Bartholomew who has played with too many bands to list. See video from the show, below.

Olympic Ass-Kicking Team from Mann's World on Vimeo.

Hearts and Daggers (Myspace) (pictured above) is outlaw country at its finest, a band whose songs always tell a good, but usually tragic, story. Check out their video below.

Hearts & Daggers from Mann's World on Vimeo.

See more pictures from the show.