Dead Kings and KIFF at Volume 11

Dave Ellefson (Megadeth) was supposed to play Volume 11 last night with his new band, but the show was rescheduled for sometime in June. that was good for me because the cover charge was dropped to $7! I hadn't heard of Dead Kings, but they had me amused with their Elvis outfits. Check out their video.

Dead Kings from Mann's World on Vimeo.

KIFF (Knowledge is for Fools) were the obvious crowd favorites with their zombie antics and classic punk covers. Guitarist Slayer Dug had the best outfit of the night.

KIFF from Mann's World on Vimeo.

Regina Hexaphone and Gerald Duncan

Last night I checked out Regina Hexaphone at Sadlack's and was very pleasantly surprised to find Gerald Duncan (of Accelerators fame) opening. Gerald is easily one of the most underrated singer-songwriters in this area, and he doesn't perform very often. His lovely wife, Laura, told me that the full band will be performing at Hideaway on June 23 with Hank Sinatra. I also found out that The Trousers will be opening for The Loners at Slim's on June 29. Check out the video of Gerald, then below, Regina Hexaphone, who also put on a fabulous show.

Gerald Duncan of the Accelerators from Mann's World on Vimeo.

Regina Hexaphone from Mann's World on Vimeo.

Holly Raleigh Christmas 2007

Jeff Carroll, veteran of several early-'90s Greensboro bands (Big Kids) is seeking Raleigh bands to contribute to a Christmas CD. If you If you want to be involved, or have questions about the project, please contact Jeff at the addresses, numbers below.

Jeff Carroll, Mastering Engineer
Bluefield Mastering Inc. - Raleigh, NC USA
919.859.0102
877.847.2583 (toll-free)
www.bluefieldmastering.com

vote for me!

I submitted my Black Skies photo to JPG magazine. Vote for it in the "Are You Ready to Rock" category. I think it rocks.

Scott Miller video from Alex

Taken at Scott's show last Saturday, May 19, 2007, at The Hideaway. Thanks Alex.

Quick and dirty

Not much time to write this past weekend. Family obligations kept me from blogging and hitting up RebusFest on Saturday. My spies tell me it was a good show. I did manage to catch Chris Smith and Marc Smith, two members of Patty Hurst Shifter, performing an acoustic set at Sadlack's on Wednesday. Chris is the main singer/songwriter of the band, and this show allowed him to get back to the quieter, more introspective songs he was known for before joining PHS. I've been impressed with Sadlack's reincarnation, but I sure would like to see the bands back out on the patio. I know the management would too, so maybe it'll happen before long. Check out the movie.

Marc and Chris Smith of Patty Hurst Shifter from Mann's World on Vimeo.

Friday was The Cartridge Family, Bleeding Hearts and Vibekillers at The Pour House. I decided against Thunderlip, mainly because I wanted to get pics and movies of Vibekillers and the Cartridge Family (I've done Bleeding Hearts before). Unfortunately I walked into the show right as Cartridge Family were walking off stage. "I run a tight ship around here," barked soundman Jac Cain when I started whining about missing the band. "If the show says it's going to start at 10 p.m., it's going to start at 10 p.m.!" Folks, keep that in mind the next time you go to a show at The Pour House.Bleeding Hearts (pictured above) and Vibekillers definitely made up for it. And I can honestly say that Sam Madison's wearing a Nantucket T-shirt made my night. Here are the videos -- one from Bleeding Hearts, and one from Vibekillers -- who, just to bring this full circle, also feature Marc Smith.

The Bleeding Hearts from Mann's World on Vimeo.

(Bleeding Hearts)

The Vibe Killers from Mann's World on Vimeo.

(Vibe Killers)

Among the cool stuff you should do this week:

WEDNESDAY: Chris Smith and Marc Smith (a.k.a. 1/2 of Patty Hurst Shifter) at Sadlack's (and it's free!) ___________________________________________ FRIDAY: A serious toss-up on this one. I doubt I can make it to both, but either one will be worth your time. 1. Thunderlip at Volume 11 Tavern 2. The Vibe Killers, the Bleeding Hearts and The Cartridge Family at The Pour House ___________________________________________ SATURDAY: Afternoon: RebusFest (details below -- also free!) a free outdoor arts celebration Saturday, May 19, 1-6pm art + music + food Rebus Works is excited to announce the first RebusFest, Saturday May 19, from 1-6pm. Featuring music by local bands, and art by Raleigh residents, RebusFest is a free community arts celebration. Bands playing include the Loners, the Trousers, Goner, Mommie, and the Heavy Pets. Artists who will be exhibiting and selling their work outside include Carrie Knowles, Lauren Turner, Kathy King, Amanda Humphries, the Handmaidens, Joey Howard & Emily Soldin-Howard, and more. A family-friendly event, all ages are welcome. Refreshments will be available. ALSO SATURDAY: Artsplosure downtown, and Son Volt at Lincoln Theatre. I have to say, I'll be skipping Son Volt. The last time I saw them I found them extremely underwhelming. They just can't hold a candle to the Uncle Tupelo show I was fortunate enough to see way back in 1994. However, post-Son Volt Hank Sinatra will be playing for free at the Lincoln. And if you're over in Chapel Hill: Rockabilly fest with Hickry Hawkins at He's Not Here. Hickry Hawkins, who, I've been told, is also a massive Judas Priest fan.

Odds and ends

Michael writes to tell me about his indie label Fractured Discs, and about the following shows:

*SONS will be playing at the 506 on the 18th as part of the north elementary cd release party (Note from Karen -- N.E.'s new CD "Berandals" is excellent) and work clothes will be playing at the cat's cradle on the 26th with portastatic, des ark and the strugglers- this show is a darfur benefit.

According to the label's Myspace, they feature the following bands/releases: Hundred Air (Sept '07) / *SONS / Work Clothes / Robert Deeble / The Winter Blanket / Alina Simone / V/A We Could Live in Hope – A Tribute to Low (Mark Kozelek, HNIA, Jessica Bailiff, more) / V/A Preserve, Volume One (M. Ward, Shearwater, the Decemberists, more). Definitely check it out.


ALSO: Thanks to Alex for posting this. If you've ever sold CDs at Schoolkids for beer money, that source of income may soon be in danger -- and already is in Utah and Florida.

NOW LISTENING TO: Midtown Dickens, "Oh Yell"

Wow. I can honestly say I haven't been totally blown away by a local CD in a long time. Kym Register and Catherine Edgerton create the sweetest, most heart-rending anti-folk, using guitars, their winsome harmonies, and a slew of unusual and found instruments, from banjos to bottlecaps. I can't listen to this CD without stopping and repeating "Airplane" about five or six times. For what it's worth, Edgerton's father is novelist/bluegrass musician Clyde. I can honestly say I've never liked his books, but I think his daughter's music is awesome. DO NOT FORGET to check out the Midtown Dickens Get Down Showdown this Saturday at 305 South in Durham

My latest youtube addiction

I'll admit, I don't know a damn thing about this band, but this series on Gaahl, from the black metal band Gorgoroth, had me riveted. Wait till they get to the part where he makes the American film crew climb the mountain with him

Annuals free show Wednesday at Urban Outfitter

There's no guarantee you'll get in, but you absolutely WON'T get in unless you have a ticket, which you can print out here. This is somehow going to benefit WKNC, so I'm guessing they'll take up a collection. Otherwise, how are they really going to benefit from a free show?

Get up, get on down

This week's show of the week is undoubtedly the Midtown Dickens "Get down showdown" this Saturday at 305 South. The day-long event features a slew of local talent, from The Ex-Members to Cantwell, Gomez & Jordan, plus not-local folkie Kimya Dawson (formerly of Moldy Peaches), who will also perform a kid-friendly set earlier in the day. the whole thing starts at 2 p.m., admission is $5-$10 and I understand there will be food. If it's the same duo that served the vegan empanadas at the Ex-members show, you should go just to eat. Seriously. I'm not even a vegetarian, and that stuff rocked.

A small example of how much rock variety there is in the Triangle

Friday night was a perfect example of what's wonderful, and terrible about the music scene in the Triangle. Two great shows that I really wanted to see, but at the same time in different cities. Luckily the Burlytime Records showcase at 305 South in Durham was early, so I headed over there first, and caught Megafaun. I'm glad Grayson has started this label, because it's going to introduce me to a lot of stuff I'm not familiar with --like Megafaun. According to the description on the Megafaun CD, the band moved to North Carolina in 2005 and was originally called DeYarmond Edison (not familiar with them). Now they're a three-piece, formed to "bridge their disparate loves of Appalachian sounds with avant improvisation." That's a good description, though I would have simply called them acoustic noise. Basically, you have some acoustic guitars, banjo, drums, gorgeous harmonies, a computer, a bunch of effects and boundless enthusiasm. Check out the crowd sing-a-long about midway through this 10-minute video I shot.

Megafaun from Mann's World on Vimeo.

After Megafaun I headed back to Raleigh to check out one of my favorite local bands, The T's, at Slim's. BTW, Slim's has started charging now, though it was only $3 to get in. The doorman said they were going to start paying the bands, which is certainly worth $3 on my part.Anyway, I wasn't expecting Abe Quinn's new band, Man Will Destroy Himself, which is just the sort of brutal, throat-shredding metal I love. A great palate-cleanser before jumping into The T's. Check out this video.

Man Will Destroy Himself from Mann's World on Vimeo.

And, finally, there was The T's, whom I've said quite a bit about already. I understand the band was interviewed by The Village Idiot before the show, so check that out when it's released. Unfortunately the memory on my camera ran out before this song was over, but I still managed to get most of it.

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

Pontiak: Swamp blues from Baltimore

If you read my Tiny Mix Tapes top 25 of 2006, or got any of my myspace bulletins last week about Pontiak, you know I dig this band. And if you missed their show Thursday at Reservoir, well, you're just lucky I got video of one of their best songs. Pontiak is swampy blues-rock from Baltimore made by three brothers (at least I think they're brothers -- they all have the last name Carney). The Reservoir show was the first show of a summer tour in support of a new CD, which isn't out yet, but which singer/guitarist Van was kind enough to give me. It's called "Sun on Sun," and it's darker, more brooding and even better than last year's "Valley of Cats." Here's a video I got of the CD's first song, "Shell Skull." Reservoir's lighting isn't really great for video, but it sounds alright.

Pontiak from Mann's World on Vimeo.

NOW LISTENING TO: Cantwell, Gomez & Jordan, "We Are Not at the Opera." Thanks to Kim from 307 Knox Records for passing this along. CG&J's quirky prog-metal has the tendency to be really exciting one minute, and just too tiresomely quirky the next. I like them best when they just let go and rock. Luckily they do enough of that on this CD to get me through the slower parts. The CD includes a pretty cool video for "Shayna wuz here ... peeing like a cheetah."

Help out the Roosters

Repost from ARFTM

We have been selected as one of nine Round 3 finalists for the Zig-Zag Live Spring Band Competition. Voting begins on May 1, 2007, vote at http://www.zigzaglive.com (click on the "Vote for Bands" button on the home page). They accept one vote per person per day!