5 Questions with Chris Tamplin, plus this week's cool shows!

With all the excitement over Kings reopening this week, it's worth a hat tip to one of folks who made sure Raleigh kept rocking during that venerable club's absence. Chris Tamplin is the man behind the Local Band Local Beer series at Tir na Nog, which introduced Raleigh to a lot of new local bands, and became the de facto to do event  on Thursday nights. I interviewed Chris earlier this year for New Raleigh. Now, with the last Local Band Local Beer coming up, and with the opening of Chris' new venture, Motorco Music Hall, I thought it was time to interview him again.

1. Give us the scoop on Motorco: When will it open, who do you have booked so far, and why did the name change from The Geer?

Motorco will be open Sept. 24th with a CD release party for North Elementary w/ Schooner and The Tomahawks. As far as the name goes we just felt there was a need to change it especially after the post office changed our address from Geer St to Rigsbee Ave. Wouldn't have made much sense to call it The Geer after that.



2. Who is taking over booking of Local Band Local Beer, and what advice do you have for him?

Local Band-Local Beer is going to be taken over by Mikey Perros. He was my representative at WKNC for a while then moved on to Ground Control Touring, so he knows the how to set up a show and also knows the local scene. As far as advice, don't ignore the little bands. If I would have done that bands like Red Collar, Hammer No More The Fingers, and too many to mention here might no have been heard. I'm pretty sure Mikey will do just fine though.

3. What will you miss most about working in an Irish pub, and what won't you miss?

What will I miss most about working at the pub? The Money? Ha ha, in all honesty it will be the people I have met. In a pub you get such a diverse group of people that you might not meet anywhere else. I have made so great friends at Tir na nOg that I would have never made without working there. As far as things I will not miss, would say the cover bands and all the panhandlers and shady bastards that hang around the bus station late at night.

4. How is living and going out in Durham different than living and going out in Raleigh?

The difference that I have really noticed in Durham maybe the neighborhood feel the each bar district has. Durham is a lot more eclectic or diverse in the type of bars and who hangs out in them. There doesn't seem to be a "this type bar is for this type person" feel. You'll see college kids, hipsters and yuppies all in the same bar on any given night. I hope that make sense. I guess I can answer that question a lot better once I get settled in Durham.

5. What was the best show you saw at Tir na Nog during your time there?

As far as the best show at Tir na nOg? There were a lot of them so hope nobody gets offended if I leave them out. Ones that come to mind are both Raleigh Undercovers because of the performances and also the fact that so many people came to support the event after all the controversy. Valient Thorr as Funkadelic is still one of the most bad ass things ever! My birthday show in 2008 with Red Collar, The Loners, & Goner is another because we did an Obama rally/ voter registration that night and well the bands rocked. The Rosebuds playing Local Band was another one as well. There really are too many to mention because most of the shows were really great.


Chris has two remaining shows at Tir na Nog: This Thursday with Soft. Co., The Houston Brothers and Darien, and the New Raleigh Local Band Local Beer Day Party on Sept. 10. Go by and wish him well, then say hello when you go to a show at Motorco.

Other cool shows this week:


The Carolina Rollergirls will present a Benifit for Interfaith Food Shuttle with Man Will Destroy Himself, The Infamous Sugar, RBT, and DJ Pangean Saturday at the Pour House. The Pneurotics will be at Slim's and Sea Cow will be at Sadlack's, both on Sunday.

5 questions with The Butchies! Plus more shows you need to see

After a five-year break, Durham's legendary Queercore innovators The Butchies are reuniting this Wednesday at Cat's Cradle. The occasion? Front woman Kaia Wilson (above right; bass player Alison Martlew is left and drummer Melissa York is center) has become a ping pong goddess, and has been selected to represent the U.S. in ping pong in the upcoming Gay Games in Germany! In fact, Kaia will demonstrate her ping pong prowess at the show. Pink Flag and Tami Hart will open, and The Cuntry Kings will make an appearance too.

Alison, Melissa and Kaia all answered five questions for Mann's World.



1. Does Kaia have any ping pong moves like THIS?

Melissa: It's possible but maybe more Forrest Gump? She will tell you all about her moves or can show you if you get to the show at doors and challenge her to a game of ping pong. There will be a table at Cat's Cradle.

Alison:I don't know yet, but I am excited to find out.  It is pretty amazing to know someone who is a great musician, and on top of that becomes competitive in a sport!

Kaia: well i most certainly do....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36h8vAjeirw  (action begins around 2 min. in!)
AND for more videos like these and to read about my table tennis adventures: www.spinslayer.com


2. What's it like playing together again after five years? Is this a one-time deal or are you reuniting for good?


Melissa: Personally... I am so excited! It's gonna be fun. We are going to practice at my house like old times. I'm sure a lot of silly memories will come flooding back. It was initially a one time deal (or 2 times) but who knows. After announcing that we were doing the show at Cat's Cradle (7/21) a lot of people have started to say that they want to book us here or there. It feels super good and people have been so super sweet about the reunion. Can't wait.

Alison: I think that we will do more shows.  As far as reuniting, I don't think it will be like it was before, but it will be super fun!  I am looking forward to playing with those crazy ladies!

Kaia: It's been INCREDIBLE, well, except we haven't played together yet, i do pretend that Al and Mel are in my room when i'm practicing, but the reality is i'm still in portland - until next week! but i expect that when we do play together soon, we'll be at each others throats! it'll be madness and chaos and pure musical melodrama!

Definitely more shows for the Butchies in the future!!!! more re-unions!!! i'm sure of it!

3. Wikipedia quotes a 2003 Toronto Now story that calls you "queercore crusaders". How are you still crusading? And are there any young bands/artists that are taking up the crusade?

Melissa: Well... firstly it's so awesome that that was said about us. That that's how we are seen... as 'crusaders'. I'm just living my life with the good old gay motto 'Silence = Death' so if that makes me a queercore crusader then... cool. It's really that simple. The Butchies were never about silencing ourselves or any other queer voice. Life is too short to not love the person you are... queer or otherwise. So we embraced that and we still live that way everyday either working a 9-5 or playing in the Butchies.

Alison: That is an awesome quote!  I think that being out and living your life in a transparent way is being a queer crusader, and there are a lot of people coming out and making a difference in their communities.

Kaia: well...as for me and my "queercore crusading" it's sort of a little more like "queerpong crusader" these days, I am dreadfully dedicated to table tennis!! I'm still writing songs about girls and cats, which is essentially the definition of "queercore" in my book!

yes there are people carrying the torch, in so many ways, and they are everywhere! we are everywhere!  Like Meredith Baxter!! even though she's not a musician, she's a queercore crusader to me!! where would we be baby without us!!

4. What do you think of Lindsay Lohan's 90-day sentence? Was it fair?

Melissa: Tough question and I have no idea. From what the media tells/shows us... she's a mess. I feel for her. She's got a lot of things stacked against her. Lousy parents, grew up way too quickly and within that is completely stunted. Then on the other side she could be seen as a privileged lil brat and if she wasn't famous she could be in jail for a lot longer than 90 days. But again I have no idea! All I know is that when I see a train wreck I feel for sad for said train wreck.

Alison: I have no idea whether her sentence was fair or not, but it does seem as though she has been a real mess for a while. Maybe it will give her a chance to think about what she is doing. That or she will come out crazy like Britney is now!


Kaia: Because i am a partial ludite, i actually don't know anything about this, sorry!!! i found out that Spain won the World Cup though! so i'm not "totally out of the loop"!

5. Will Mr. Lady start releasing records again?

Melissa: Kaia ran that label with her ex-partner, Tammy Rae Carland. I don't think so but never say never. But she can answer that better.

Alison: No idea. Kaia would be the one to answer that!

Kaia: maybe!!! I might try to bring the label back in a very small scale manner, not full functioning record label but maybe more digital/interweb, since i'm a ludite i should be GREAT at that!!!

Also happening this week: Max Indian at Duke Gardens, also on Wednesday. This is an early show, so you can catch it, then head over to the Cradle to see The Butchies. On Thursday, Midtown Dickens and Kid Future are at Tir na Nog, while  Tom Maxwell is next door at The Pour House. On Friday, author Dan Epstein reads from his book, Big Hair and Plastic Grass, at Slim's; The Infamous Sugar, The Oscar Gambles and The Royal Nites will be on hand for a post-reading celebration. Finally, Bats & Mice, Monsonia, Mr. Free and the Satellite Freakout will be at Local 506 on Sunday.

Five questions with Clang Quartet!

The description on Clang Quartet's Myspace pretty much says it all: "13 years of NOISE for Jesus!!!" If you  know Scotty Irving, the Greensboro drummer who is the sole member of Clang Quartet, you know it sums him up too. Scotty loves some extreme music, almost as much as he loves Jesus Christ. Clang Quartet is his vehicle for expressing both. Clang Quartet will open for Lightning Bolt and In the Year of the Pig this Friday at Local 506.

1. How has Clang Quartet changed over the years?

When I started the show in 1997, I was still working out details on the show. I had a station wagon full of instruments and props and now I have just enough to fill a trunk of a normal car. The show is much more focused than it was. Imagine a slab of marble that is being chiseled away at in the act of making a sculpture. Each stroke makes it more like the object it is going to be. I feel the biggest change in the show occured in 2000-2001 when I truly began to trust that God was in charge and let God do the sculpting instead of trying to do it, myself. I'll watch some videos of the first few years of this show and I see a man trying to give it to God but failing to do so!

2. You once told me that born again Christians were often a more difficult audience than just your average rock club audience. Is that still the case, or are Christians starting to understand what you're doing?

I play shows for churches once in a while and sometimes Christians will come to other shows that I am performing. Overall, I still find that type of audience to be the most difficult to deal with, but it IS easier than it was! Because the show is largely based on starting my life without Christ, the stumbling blocks that I have fought to get around, and then my life WITH Christ and the much better results I feel I have gotten, many Christians can relate to what the message of the show is. Some are put off by the free-form drumming and the Noise aspects. But that can be the case with non-Christian audiences, as well. I guess it comes down to whether or not the person in question is familiar with sounds outside of their normal listening habits. Christians that come to my shows sometimes have an idea of me being a part of the Christian contemporary scene, which is not exactly what I am, eh? That said, I get e-mails, snail mail, and phone calls from people who call themselves Christians who feel that Clang Quartet has given them something to relate to as far as Christian music/sound/whatever is concerned.

3. What's your favorite underrated horror flick?

I don't think most of the ones I like are considered underrated. Some horror fans would probably feel that I am not really a horror movie fan because I have not seen some of the lesser known ones out there. That said, I am more into giant monster/dinosaur films.

4. What WOULD Jesus do?

I think the Bible says that better than me! I will add that putting Jesus first means that I look in the mirror and point fingers at myself more than I allow myself to point fingers at others for what I feel is wrong with the world. Clean up your own back yard before you start to yell about your neighbors yard! I try to allow Jesus to be an image that people see as something positive in me instead of the negative image that too many people have of him. I have met some people who told me that if they had met me early on they might have felt better about Jesus than they do now. I heard a quote from a movie that I think fits this question and I will add my own wording for the reading audience: God is perfect, religion is flawed. Why? Because MANKIND is flawed. People outside the Christian community sometimes try to blame God for the shortcomings of the followers. Christians are people. We will do things incorrectly as will all people. Like I said, clean up your yard before yelling at your neighbor about theirs! HA!

5. Any chance for a Geezer Lake reunion?

Outside of North Carolina I never get asked about Geezer Lake. Playing with Geezer Lake made me a better musician and more creative as a performer but it also became something of an albatross around my neck in the early days of Clang Quartet. Certain people acted (and still do) as if Scotty Irving now is nothing but a bad version of Scotty Irving then and I simply will not accept that. Although I could never have started the Clang Quartet show if I had never been a member of Geezer Lake, I have moved on to levels that Geezer Lake could never have taken me to. I am aware that some people will read this scornfully. Some of my former bandmates in Geezer Lake could be among them, although they probably would not admit it. As for a reunion, we did one in 2000 that I am happy to have been a part of, but I will have to admit that within five minutes of getting all of us together I remembered why I wanted out to begin with. It is amazing we managed to last eight years considering how much we could sometimes get on each others nerves. I am not the easiest person to be in a band with, so I will take responibility for my own actions as this time. I think I have said enough about this! Sorry if this answer is a let down for anyone.