It's a fairly light week music-wise, but still some good shows to check out. Show of the week goes to Americans in France and Whatever Brains, who will be at Nightlight on Friday with Invisible Hand and Naked Gods. (Photo of Americans in France, above, taken by Jordan Lawrence).
Also this week, at least two cool shows on Thursday, including Small Ponds, the new project with Caitlin Cary, at Tir na Nog, and The Lonely H at Slim's. I haven't seen The Small Ponds, but I've been told they're indie folk with great harmonies and hooks (thanks Alex). I have seen Washington state's Lonely H quite a few times, and basically they're a group of young guys perfectly recreating '70s anthemic rock. The Lonely H will also be at The Cave on Wednesday.
I just wasn't up to hanging out very long at the Pour House on Friday. Just in a moody funk and ended up leaving during Gray Young's set. I did, however, finally get to see Bright Young Things live, and really liked them. Check out the video below.
I'm sure Annuals put on a great show, and I'm kicking myself for missing them in a club setting, which is getting more rare these days. Hope to catch them again soon.
LOTS going on this week, including Annuals, who will be at the Pour House on Friday in support of their upcoming "Sweet Sister" EP, which will be out in late March on Banter Records. Will we hear some new stuff at the show? Probably, but you can also hear some new stuff right now by going to Stereogum and checking out "Loxstep." Gray Young and Bright Young Things are opening this show, so don't miss it! Also, that lovely photo above is by Autum de Wilde.
Also on my personal radar is Screaming Females, who aren't local, but rock like you wouldn't believe! I love a girl who can wail on the guitar and sing her ass off. Check out "I do" and I think you'll agree. They'll be at Duke Coffeehouse on Saturday.
Also that same night, Dirty Little Heaters -- fronted by another woman who can wail on the guitar and sing her ass off -- will have their CD-release party at Local 506 with Red Collar and Pink Flag!
... because even though their recorded output is good, it pales in comparison to their live show. On record they're restrained, and tend to let their alt-country influences take over. Live they're a raw, bluesy garage rock tornado, whooping and hollerin' and rolling on the ground. If you like The Loners or The Trousers (and I love both), you will totally dig Spider Bags.
Here's video from last night's Double Barrel benefit at the Pour House. And check out my other photos from the show here.
If you follow me on Twitter, you know that last night I tweeted that "Max Indian makes me feel like I've just discovered music." That wasn't the PBR talking. Max Indian is my new favorite band, and I believe the best band in the Triangle, because they make me feel the way I felt at about age 11 when music became something more than something I heard on the radio in the car with my mom. It became something something comforting and energizing. Something to analyze and obsess over. Something to inspire me to read the liner notes of my brother's and uncle's records, to learn the connections between bands, and read magazines like Creem and Rolling Stone.
For me that happened around 1977, which is why I still unappollogetically love Kansas, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Jackson Browne, Hall & Oates and Boston. If Max Indian had been around during that time, my brother and my uncle (may they both rest in peace) would have worn out more than one copy of the band's 8-track while cruising the Circle in Atlantic Beach. And I, wanting to be just like them, would have thought they were the greatest band in the world. Which is why they're my favorite band now.
My old college buddy Jac Cain, soundman at the Pour House, apparently like Max Indian a lot too - or at least he really likes this song, which is what the banter at the beginning of the video is all about.
At last night's Double Barrel Benefit for WKNC, I also got to experience two other bands I hadn't seen before, Bellafea, who I liked, and Light Pines, who I absolutely loved. That's not surprising considering that Light Pines is made up of three members of Max Indian and three members of The Love Language, whose debut CD was my top release of the year. Looking forward to checking these guys out again.
I meant to post this last week, but things have been unusually busy for me lately, so, well, here it is today. Tonight is Organos' (Maria from Schooner, Pleasant, Un Deux Trois, Tennis and the Mennonites) CD-release party at the Pinhook in Durham. Grayson has a great article on her here.
Last night I finally saw two bands that I should have seen a long time ago. That's especially true in the case of Chatham County Line, who are now so big that it's difficult to hear their acoustic bluegrass music because their significant crowd drowns them out. Check out the video. You can mostly hear it, but you can also hear a lot of talking and singing by their fans.
Filthybird, whom I've been raving about for a couple of years now, was next, but because they had so much to set up on stage, CCL just went out into the audience and played a short set while we waited.
Unfortunately for the band, and for us, they couldn't find the AC cord for Renee Mendoza's keyboard, so they just played three songs -- I guess the three where she only plays guitar. Anyway, it was a serious let down. Liked the little I heard, and would love to see them again.
Another bit of weirdness from the night that has nothing to do with the bands or the music: I just started using Foursquare. Honestly, I wasn't that excited about it, but since part of my actual job involves social media, I thought I'd familiarize myself with it. Despite the fact that I blog and tweet, and do kind of put myself out there, I like to maintain a little bit of privacy for my personal life. Imagine my surprise when my friend, with whom I walked into the Pour House, and who is also on Foursquare, looked at his phone and said, "Foursquare just reported that we checked in here together." Now, I know that Foursquare is basically a GPS tracker, but that really weirded me out. Not sure I'll be using it that much anymore.
No doubt by now you've heard about the Double Barrel Benefit for WKNC at the Pour House this weekend. Both nights will be great, but I'm most excited about seeing Roman Candle again, and checking out Spider Bags for the first time. If you want to know more about the bands, check out WKNC's blog.
Also at the Pour House on Thursday is a Haiti relief benefit with a stellar line-up: Chatham County Line,
A Rooster For The Masses, Filthybird, The Hotwires, Roger Gupton, The Debonzo Brothers and Andy Bilinski. Do not miss Filthybird. Seriously! The suggested donation is $12, and all proceeds go to the American Red Cross. Also, this is an early show with Andy Bilinski starting things off at 6:45, and Roosters wrapping it up at midnight.
Finally, from Triangle Music comes word of another interesting Haiti benefit on Saturday, this one at Local 506. Apparently a group of local bands are covering Tom Petty and Bob Dylan songs, so check it out.
