I really missed it

Unfortunately I had to work on Dec. 16, so I missed the SCOTS, Dexter Romweber show at Cat's Cradle. Thank goodness my Carrboro correspondent got some great footage of Dexter and his sister, Sara Romweber. Looks like he was true to form.

(video removed)

Ear Farm sponsored show Wednesday at Bickett

Repost from the guy who blogs at Ear Farm. He's an N.C. native now living in New York.



Hello Raleigh-area friends of Ear Farm -

'Tis the season for holiday festivities and what better way to spend
the down time between Christmas (or Hanukkah) and New Year's than to
do it with drinks and good friends and live music and art? I'll tell
you what - there IS no better way and so I've decided to set up an
EAR FARM sponsored holiday show in my hometown over the holiday
break. The show is going to be an intimate one with three great
bands surrounded by the original art @ Bickett Gallery. Details
below - I hope to see everyone there and I hope all of you have an
excellent holiday season.

EAR FARM Presents... @ Bickett Gallery (http://
www.bickettgallery.com/) in Raleigh (209 Bickett Blvd. in Five Points)
Wednesday December 27th 2006

8pm - Erie Choir (http://www.eriechoir.com/)
9pm - Schooner (http://www.schoonermusic.com/)
10pm - Monologue Bombs (http://www.myspace.com/themonologuebombs)

Best,
Matt


*be sure to ask me for an Ear Farm magnet at the show.



--
EAR FARM
http://earfarm.com/

Raleigh and Durham club news

I just received an e-mail about this: Apparently Broad Street Cafe in Durham has a new owner who, at least according to the person who e-mailed me, is dedicated to putting on local shows.

Unfortunately, the owner of Volume 11 Studios in Raleigh is still having trouble getting the proper permit to open his club on Maywood Ave (it's also a recording studio). He's been operating alcohol-free for the past year, which is death to a club, and from what I understand, was recently told to stop having shows until all permits are straightened out. I'm hoping to get the details on this and will report back soon.

Scumfeast zine returns

Those of you who were around in the early '90s may remember the Scumfeast that used to take place at The Caboose in Garner. Organizer Wolf also put out a zine of the same name, which he has now resurrected on Myspace. My more liberal friends will probably get their hackles up over Wolf's political commentary, but stay with him and give him a chance. He knows his stuff about local punk and metal, and his reviews -- particularly the restaurant reviews -- are pretty funny.

The Indy disagreed with me

... but I still say acoustic just doesn't work that well at the cover-up.

Read the article.

My Tiny Mix Tapes 25 best of the year

25. Lady Sovereign - Public Warning
24. Valient Thorr - Legend of the world
23. Portastatic - Be Still Please
22. The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
21. Thom Yorke - The Eraser
20. Brightblack Morning Light - Brightblack Morning Light
19. Regina Spektor - Begin to Hope
18. Drunk Horse -- In Tongues
17. The Rosebuds - Birds Make Good Neighbors
16. The Annuals - Be He Me
15. Junior Boys - So This Is Goodbye
14. Pontiak - Valley of Cats
13. The Sword - Age of Winters
12. The Whigs - Give 'em All a Big Fat Lip
11. TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain
10. Roman Candle - The Wee Hours Revue
09. Vetiver - To Find Me Gone
08. Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
07. Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
06. Priestess - Hello Master
05. The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls in America
04. The Gossip - Standing in the Way of Control
03. CSS - Cansei de Ser Sexy
02. Oakley Hall - Gypsum Strings
01. The Futureheads - News and Tributes

The Urban Sophisticates at Cat's Cradle

I missed the third night of the Cover-Up because I was at Cat's Cradle taping a band for a project we're doing at work. The opening band, though, was the one that really blew me away, so I went ahead and got a short video of them. It's amazing to see what I can get with a good camera, but strangely the sound is more distorted than I usually get from my little Nikon. Regardless, I'm thinking it might be time to upgrade to a mini-DV recorder soon.

(Video removed)

Anyway, the band is The Urban Sophisticates, and they're a hip-hop/funk/soul band from Greensboro. Check them out.

This is why I like Myspace

It helps me find bands like Midnight Movies

Lessons learned fromNightTwo of The Cover Up

Kevin Collins from Double Negative performing Minor Threat (Videos removed) 1. Get there early. I should have known this considering my scheduling snafu with Thunderlip earlier in the week, but last night I lollygagged about the house until about 10:30, thereby missing "Weezer" (a.k.a. Goner). I understand they did a fabulous job. At least I did get to see Chris, who made my night by giving me a copy of Riot's "Fire Down Under." Yes, Chris, you're right. It's better than "Restless Breed." 2. No matter how dead-on an act is, acoustic generally doesn't work for The Cover Up. Let's be honest: The Cover Up is about seeing friends and having a rowdy time. The guy who did Nick Drake sure did a great job, but it kind of put a temporary damper on the mood. 3. Even if a band has been done before, they can be done again as long as you pick a different era. One of my Priest-loving friends disagreed with me, but I loved the early era JP, complete with a be-wigged, goofy-outfitted Rob Halford. Tyrant and The Ripper are two of my favorite Judas Priest songs, and that guy nailed them both. 4. I need a larger memory card for my camera. I recorded so much stuff that I ran our of memory when "Gary Numan" came on. In my haste to to back and delete some old photos I knew I wouldn't need, I accidentally deleted the video I'd shot of Double Negative doing Minor Threat. That's a shame because Scott Williams' crazy-looking wig was one of the funniest things I saw all night. 5. If you don't really look like anyone in the band you're covering, make papier mache heads so people will know who you are. The big-head Gallagher Brothers from "Oasis" were hilarious and disturbing. 6. Everyone loves Steve Miller. Just check out the videos, with Ben Barwick as Steve, for proof. 7. Sparks will sneak up on you, quick. The less said about that the better. Check out my other Flickr photos. Check out Liz Winfrey's awesome set of photos from the Cover Up. I should mention that I was also at Night One of the Cover Up, but was working shooting video of "Fleetwood Mac" for The News & Observer. Please check it out and let me know what you think. I'm still learning the ropes of "official" video making, but it's something I'd like to do more of. Here's the story. You may have to register to see it.

Local punk rock marching band

My former bandmate Amy Wilkinson alerted me to this. The Scene of the Crime Rovers

The way metal ought to be

Loud, sludgy and brutal. That about sums up The Sword (Myspace), who played Kings last night with Savannah, Ga., band Kylesa and Wilmington's own Thunderlip. Actually, their Myspace describes them as sounding like "a bunch of bison being pushed over a cliff," which is pretty damn accurate. (Video removed) Unfortunately I missed Thunerlip, who, for some reason, played at 9:30. Kings needs to either start all their shows early, or start them all late. I can't handle this back-and-forth. It seems like every time I go there I either miss one of the bands I want to see, or the band I want to see isn't going to start for another two hours. Kylesa (Myspace) was cool -- a good deal more brutal than The Sword, but with the type of throat-shredding vocals I don't normally go for. But I was really excited to see that they had a female guitarist/vocalist who was totally awesome. Here's their video: (Video removed) See more pics here.

Laid Out Level at Slim's

Last night I caught a couple of songs from this Raleigh power-pop band at Slim's. They sounded good, and had a talented guitar player -- though I'll admit the one I taped wasn't one of my favorites. They gave a way copies of their CD, which is now out on Radical 9 Records. Here's the video. And more photos.

Laid Out Level from Mann's World on Vimeo.