This week's cool shows: Whatever Brains and more!

It's kind of a quiet week around here, but there are still some good shows to check out. On Thursday in Raleigh, Whatever Brains (above) will be at Kings, and in Durham Deleted Scenes and Lonnie Walker will be at Pinhook. On Wednesday, Kolyma and Whoarfrost will be at Nightlight. On Saturday Phantom Glue and Man Will Destroy Himself will be at Dive Bar, and on Sunday Phantom Glue will be at Casbah with Hog. Also on Saturday, Small Ponds will be at Motorco with Birds and Arrows.

This week's cool shows: Pink Flag and more!

This week's Show of the Week is the CD-release party for awesome all-female trio Pink Flag, happening this Saturday, June 18, at Motorco. Check out the title track from the CD, "King of Scene."

Also happening that same night Annuals with Luego, Saturday, June 18, at Kings; and the split-7 inch release party with Jennyanykind, The Moaners and Pinche Gringo at Cat's Cradle. AND, if you're still confused after Pussy Mountain added all your friends on Facebook, you can find out who they are on Saturday at The Cave.

This week's cool shows: COC, Orange Goblin and more!

If you haven't seen the "Animosity"-era trio version of COC, you'd better head to Cat's Cradle this Thursday, May 26. That show will be the kick off for the band's U.S./European tour, which means you won't see them around here any time soon. In the past year I've seen this lineup twice -- at the Pour House reunion show and the punk rock house party -- and both of those shows were among the best I had seen all year. 

And speaking of that Pour House show, I just took a look at some of my video stats for the year, and that video of "Animosity/Loss for Words" had 11, 210 plays! Thanks to Blabbermouth for making that video go viral. Scream and Devour open up for the band on Thursday. 

Also this week, Rebuilding Raleigh, a benefit for the Red Cross, takes place Wednesday and Thursday, May 25 and 26, at the Pour House. Night one features BJ Barham, Kenny Roby, The Small Ponds, Debonzo Brothers and Jack the Radio. Night two features Stella Lively, Once and Future Kings, Bitter Resolve, Appetite for Destruction and The Last Tallboy. Proceeds go to help the Red Cross in the wake of last month's tornados.

Friday night (May 27) at Kings, there's a great show with at least four of my current favorite bands: Caltrop, Black Skies, Royal Thunder and USX -- who will be doing a stripped-down, partially acoustic show.

Finally, if you're up for a drive, classic English doom band Orange Goblin, and Indianapolis' Gates of Slumber will be at the Casbah at Tremont Music Hall in Charlotte next Tuesday night. This show will definitely be worth the drive.

This week's cool shows: Agalloch, The Trousers, Saint Vitus and more!

This week, there are at least four contenders for Show of the Week, but I'm going to have to give the nod to Portland atmospheric black metal band Agalloch (above), who will be at Kings this Sunday, March 20 with Worm Ouroboro and Aerial Ruin. But before we get to Sunday, there's the Big Boss party at Horniblow's on St. Patrick's Day, with The Trousers, Skullbuckle and The Hammertons. Get there early because it starts at 7 p.m. 

If you're up for a drive, one of the best metal tours to come round here in a while will be in Greensboro on Tuesday, March 22. The Metalliance Tour includes some of the best bands I've seen in the past year (Kylesa, Howl, The Atlas Moth), and one classic band I've never seen (Saint Vitus). 

The following night , once again, there will be two great shows at opposite ends of the Triangle. I have tickets for Prince, who only announced last week that he's coming through the area. If you aren't going to see Prince, or if you really think you can do both in one night, there will be an amazing show (Batillus, Hull and Caltrop) at Reservoir. 

Other cool shows this week: 
Thursday, March 17: Paddy's Irish Cover Band party featuring "Thin Lizzy", "Stiff Little Fingers" and "The Pogues" at Casbah
Friday, March 18: Chatham County Line at Casbah (two-night stand)
Saturday, March 19: Polvo at Kings; Kerblocki reunion at Local 506, Holy Ghost Tent Revival with House of Fools at Cat's Cradle and Chatham County Line at Casbah.
Monday, March 21: Minor Stars at Casbah

This week's cool shows: Buzzov*en, Cough and more!

This week's show of the week is undoubtedly Buzzov*en with Cough (whose "Ritual Abuse" was one of my favorite albums of 2010), Lurch and K-Lloyd, Wednesday at Casbah. Nate from USX has an interview with Kirk Fisher from Buzzov*en on his blog. K-Lloyd is Kirk's solo project, so make sure to get to the show early to catch it.

Also this week:

Thank You will be at Nightlight on Thursday and the Berkeley on Friday. Check out their song "1-2-3- Bad" here.

I Was Totally Destroying It, The Bakers, J Kutchma, Jack The Radio will be at Deep South, and Gwar will be at Lincoln Theatre on Thursday. Schooner, Floating Action and The Tomahawks will be at Kings on Friday, and Weedeater, ASG and Hog will be at the Casbah on Sunday.

Also, looking ahead, Motorhead, Clutch and Valient Thorr will be at the Fillmore in Charlotte in March 5, but apparently every motel room in Charlotte is booked for that night. Just FYI.

This week's cool shows: Moving Island, the Save Our Arts Benefit and more!

This weekend's theme is big concerts to assist worthy educational causes. First up is the two-day Buoyancy Benefit for Moving Island, a new Raleigh-based educational facility. The above poster doesn't say so, but Mac McCaughan and Phil Cook and His Feat will be Saturday's mystery artist. This is going to be a great weekend of music, plus the proceeds will help a good cause, so check it out. Adam Crane of Moving Island also answered five questions for me.

1. The press release states that Moving Island "is a Raleigh-based performance and education facility focused on emerging arts, empowering technology, and the business of living." That's a wide-ranging set of ideals. How do they all fit together in one space?

It's more of a methodology, or a state of mind, than a set of ideals. All the people involved in Moving Island value the DIY mentality. Technology is integrated into every part of our lives now -- work, play, art -- and being able to understand and master it puts one in control of that technology, instead of the other way around. By the same token, sustainable living practices and being able to improve your quality of life with your own hands, whether it's learning to cook for yourself or install a solar panel, are equally vital to our vision. We believe the three spheres of art, tech, and daily life all benefit from empowering the "end user" with the skills and courage to improve their own lives and those around them.

On a practical level, we will be offering classes and workshops led by a wide swath of local talent. The diversity of subject material reflects the distinct mixture of interests that converge in Raleigh and the Triangle. Backyard horticulture, home recording/sequencing/mastering and introductory robotics are just a few examples of tentative classes in our future schedule. You won't learn to play guitar at Moving Island, but you may learn how to make your own effects pedal.

2. How did the idea for Moving Island come about, and how long has this been in the process?

I like to think that a place like Moving Island is something that we've always wanted to have available to us, but in the past we were content waiting around for it to materialize on its own. When Chris Riddle and I found the building that is now Moving Island, we were instantly struck by its potential. The two of us are at a unique point in our lives where we have the opportunity to take on a project like this one, so we jumped on it with as much momentum and enthusiasm as possible. That was about three months ago.

3. What is the audience for this space? Will it be kids, adults, professionals, beginners -- or a mixture of all of the above?

Moving Island would like to be as inclusive as possible. Several of our initial instructors have expressed interest in working with children specifically, but I would say most of our events and courses are "age-agnostic." Our courses will be designed with their specific difficulty levels in mind, on a graduated scale from beginner to advanced. Since there are more beginners out there, the scale will be tilted in that direction. On the other hand, one of our priorities is bridging the gap between professionals and amateurs. The workshops target that aspect of the project by collecting people from around the community with a certain interest and presenting a specific goal to bring them together.

4. What will have to happen for you to feel like Moving Island is a success?

As with any new non-profit, survival is our key metric of success. Motivating the community to participate in and support the project will be an ongoing process. Right now we are measuring our expectations in terms of the first year. By this time next year we would like to become a regular location for events like First Friday along with our neighbors at the Ruby Red. Providing a home for regular meetings of some local groups that currently bounce around the Triangle is also tied in to that goal. Having a solid portfolio of feedback from our classes and workshops that we can compile into a publication for next year's Benefit will probably be my favorite accomplishment.

5. You've already told us that Mac is your mystery guest. Any other surprises??

Yes. Phil Cook of Megafaun will be performing as Phil Cook & His Feat on Saturday. We also hope to have some interesting installations around the stage made by some Moving Island members. Keep an eye out!



Also this weekend, the 3rd Annual Save Our Arts Benefit for Central Park School for Children will take place Friday at Motorco. This show will feature performances by student bands from CPSFC, The Wigg Report, The Beast, Midtown Dickens, Sacrificial Poets, The Old Ceremony and a closing performance from some special guests Megafaun. So if you missed Megafaun last weekend at Kings, here are two chances to see either the band or a related band, and support an educational entity in the process.

Finally, the best non-benefit-related show is definitely Best Coast, who put on an amazing, packed and sweaty show at Tir na Nog during Hopscotch. They're at Cat's Cradle on Saturday.

This week's cool shows: Manchild book release and more!

Local drummer/artist/punk historian Brian Walsby celebrates the release of his latest book, Manchild 5, with a party this Saturday, Jan. 8, at Kings. Righteous Fool, Church or Zahn (includes Benny from Valient Thorr and The Kick Ass) and The Kick Ass are scheduled to play. Despite previous reports, Double Negative is not playing this show.

A copy of the book comes with admission, and there will be food from The Remedy, Capital Club 16 and Vic's. Jed at New Raleigh had a great write-up and review of the book, complete with a few excerpts. This is going to be a great show, and a fun celebration, so definitely do not miss it.

Other shows you need to know about:

* The Hell No is playing an art party this First Friday at Atomic Salon. It's early and free, and the Facebook page promises free booze and food.

* Organos with Josh Carpenter and Soft Company at Kings on Friday, Jan. 7

* Hungry Heart of Gold: Neil Young vs. Bruce Springsteen, also on Friday at Local 506. Featured performers include Django Haskins and The Tomahawks, and proceeds benefit the Family Violence Prevention Center.

* Cleave-Fest: A going away for Charles Cleaver (Max Indian/Tomahawks keyboard player), with Stella Lively, Cazadores, Luego and more. This one's Sunday, Jan. 9, at Local 506.


Some shows you need to go ahead and buy tickets for: 

* Kylesa with Zoroaster and Fight Amp, Wednesday, Jan. 19 at Kings

* Megafaun, Friday and Saturday, Jan. 21 and 22 at Kings

* Bull City Metal Fest, Friday and Saturday, Feb. 4 and 5 at the Casbah

* WKNC Double Barrel Benefit, Friday and Saturday, Feb. 4 and 5 at Kings

* Buzzoven with Cough, Wednesday, Feb. 16 at the Casbah

* Future Islands, Friday and Saturday, March 4 and 5 at Kings

This week's cool shows: You tell me!

Folks, I had a blogging snafu earlier this week and ended up losing all the entries in my calendar! I created a sub-calendar of my main personal Google calendar, and am in the midst of repopulating it now. So if you see "Doctor's appt. 10:30" or "Mr. C to vet, 9 a.m." in the middle of the music listing, you'll know what it's about.

That said, I generally don't think of New Year's Eve as a good night to go out and see a band. Usually I'm in the mood to either hang out with a select group of friends, or cook dinner and have a champagne toast at midnight with a  certain someone. That certain someone and I have not quite decided whether we'll be going out on Friday or not, but if we do, the most likely candidates are Yarn at Berkeley Cafe or the Chip Robinson/OakTeam show at Slim's. My mom always told me that whatever you do on New Year's Day you'll do every day for the rest of the year, so I can tell you I will most likely be at Dive Bar on New Year's Day to see Black Skies. I guess that means I'll be listening to some seriously heavy music all year.

This week's cool shows: The Cover-Up returns to Kings!

You would really have to be completely out of the loop to not realize that this weekend is the return of the Cover Up, a three-day event that used to be the biggest end-of-the-year party, to Kings. I expect this weekend's festivities to have a joyous homecoming feel rivaled only by that of the opening night Bandway show. The strange thing this year is that I've heard almost nothing about who is playing. Usually by this point I have a good idea about some of the better covers being planned. If you have some info you'd like to share, feel free to post it here, but I ask that you only reveal who is playing, not who is being covered. I personally like to know in advance, but a whole lot of folks out there really do prefer to be surprised.

Other great shows this week:

Thursday: Double Negative and Nine Fingered Thug at Tir na Nog (free)

Friday: Pipe, Caltrop and Double Negative at Nightlight (DN had to cancel); Righteous Fool and Black Thai at Dive Bar; and Tom Maxwell, Bustello and The Breaks at Local 506

Saturday: The Carolina Chocolate Drops at Lincoln Theatre

Monday: Justin Townes Earl at Cat's Cradle

This week's cool shows: Annuals, Great Band Swap, Isaac Hunter's anniversary and more!

The after-Thanksgiving show line-up in the Triangle looks to be a good one, starting with three fine shows on Tuesday of all nights. If you're into metal, you do not want to miss Crowbar, Black Tusk (one of my current favorite bands) and Chapel Hill's MAKE. If you're into New Wavish singer-songwriters, you do not want to miss Amy Rigsby and Wreckless Eric at Motorco.

But yours truly will be spending Tuesday at one of my favorite, and I believe most underrated downtown watering holes: Isaac Hunter's Tavern. I love this place for their N.C. beer selection, and the fact that they have a Wii, and I can play Wii Tennis when I'm having a Shotgun Betty. The bar will celebrate its one-year anniversary tomorrow with The Loners and Revolutionary Sweethearts.

On Wednesday, there will be a celebration of long-time local music favorites The Connells at Kings. Apparently the entire Connells catalog is now available digitally. That means you can go download "Boylan Heights" before coming out to the show and hearing other local bands do their renditions of Connells songs.  Tonk will definitely be there, which should be interesting.

On Thursday The Loners will be at Motorco, so if you don't see them at Isaac Hunter's, you should check them out then. But the show of the week is that very same night at Tir na Nog with Annuals and Light Pines. Raleigh Denim is sponsoring the show and will apparently give away a free pair of their jeans. If you've seen the price tag on these jeans, you know that's a big deal.

Also that night in Durham, The Great Band Swap will take place at Pinhook. The concept is that every band must perform at least one song by each of the other bands on the bill. This will happen Thursday-Saturday, and will include a widely diverse bill, so it should be pretty amazing. I can only imagine what Hog covering Embarrassing Fruits will sound like.

Friday's big concert is undoubtedly Lost in the Trees at Motorco. But also that night (and on Saturday) Reservoir is celebrating its anniversary with Monsonia, jokes&jokes&jokes and Blag'ard. I'm most likely going to check out J. Roddy Walston & the Business at Local 506.

Saturday the Reservoir celebration continues with Colossus, Backwoods Payback and Caltrop. Finally, that same night, American Aquarium and House of Fools will be at the Pour House.

This week's cool shows: Nachmystium, Zoroaster, Whatever Brains, MAKE and more!

If you're friends with me on Facebook, then you've had to endure me talking up this show for the last month or so. Kings even mentioned my excitement over the show on their Web site. But the truth of the matter is this: With the exception of the COC reunion, this is probably the biggest and best metal show to happen in this area all year. Seriously, if you love heavy music, you do not want to miss Friday night's show at Kings. It's going to be that good. 

Chicago's Nachtmystium is the headliner, and I'm certainly looking forward to seeing them, but the band I'm most excited about is Atlanta's Zoroaster (above), who I saw a year ago this week at Planet Caravan in Asheville. They put on an amazing early evening show of deep, spacey, psychedelic sludge-rock, and I've been dying to see them again ever since. Their early summer release, "Matador," might be my favorite release of the year (though USX's "Run Thick in the Night" could knock it out of the running). Zoroaster also has a song on an AWESOME new Adult Swim metal comp, which can be downloaded here. 

Also on this bill are The Atlas Moth (from Chicago), who released another of my favorite records of the past year, "A Glorified Piece of the Blue Sky." If you like Pink Floyd, I think you'll like The Atlas Moth too. Dark Castle, a duo from St. Augustine, Fla., is opening. I honestly don't know that much about them, but I've been checking them out since finding out about this tour, and I like what I hear. Get there early: Doors are at 7 and the show starts at 8. 

And if that's not enough for you, Kings has ANOTHER great show happening on Saturday night: Whatever Brains, who were amazing during Hopscotch (above, with their eagle friend) and Light Pines. Kind of an unexpected, but really exciting, line up. 

Other great shows this week include MAKE, who were amazing at my Hopscotch day party. They'll be with Gollum and Man Will Destroy Himself at Reservoir on Saturday. MWDH will also be at Slim's on Thursday with The Infamous Sugar (who is said to have some really nasty new stuff) and Torpor (Sean B and Flash's new band). And on Saturday Shit Horse, whose "They Shit Horses, Don't They?" certainly wins for album title of the year, will be tearing it up at the Cave. I did not have the stamina to see them during the all-night Ruby Red party, but I understand it was a magical experience. 

And finally, for the under-the-radar shows of the week,  Kowloon Walled City and Battilus will play two shows in the area next week: Tuesday at Dive Bar and Wednesday at The Cave. I'm not really down with the Tuesday night shows anymore, but I just might have to endure being exhausted at work the next day to see this one. 

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 The Beast! plus this week's cool shows

Deftly mixing hip hop and jazz, The Beast is one of the most musically adventurous and intelligent bands in the Triangle right now. They also have a deep need to give back to their community, having taught jazz education seminars at local high schools with the N.C. Jazz Repertory Orchestra. And it must be noted that MC Pierce Freelon is the son of local jazz great Nnenna Freelon, who will collaborate with the band once again on a "jazz an hip hop mix tape" to be released this fall. 

In the meantime you can check out the band during this Thursday's "Hip Hop vs. Rock" event with The Beast, Mosadi, Swaso and Freebase 808 at Broad Street Cafe. As you can see from the band's answers below, the event's not a contest as much as it is a musical discussion. "Who will win?" the band asks. You will if you go to this show. 

1. What's up with the Hip Hop vs. Rock show? It looks like all the bands have a little bit of both (and more!) in their sound, so is this really a "vs." situation?

You hit the nail on the head. All of the bands on our "Hip-Hop vs. Rock" bill have a healthy amount of hip-hop and soulful poetry in their music and an equal amount of adrenaline pumped, progressive indie/rock n’ roll as well. So the "vs." could be a reference to the duality that exists within each individual band. We each transcend traditional genre boundaries in some way. This show is aboutembracing Hip-Hop and Rock - as well as Soul, Jazz, Funk, Blues and all of the other "genres" that inspire us. 

The "vs." brand was really more of a marketing tool than anything else. It's likeAvatar. It's nice to have a big hollywood movie about environmentalism and respecting the rights of indigenous people, but it's much more marketable to play up "The Battle for Pandora". We're pandering to people's penchant for Darwinian-style battle royal competition between these mega-genres called Hip-Hop and Rock. Who will win? Pay $5 and find out on Thursday.

2. Where's the best place in the Triangle to watch the World Cup?

Steve Coffman our drummer says: “Tobacco Road in downtown Durham!  This is a new bar in those weird office buildings overlooking left field of the Durham Bulls stadium.  Although I am not usually a sports bar kind of guy, this spot had so much energy for the USA/England I watched on Saturday.  It was almost like a final four basketball crowd vibe.  There were numerous "USA!" chants, which I have to admit, usually make me feel uncomfortable, however the whole bar was so into it, I was screaming like a little girl.  Also, they have great beers and above-average pub fare. Go U S and A!”

3. The Beast has given music education seminars at local schools. Tell us about that, and why it's important to do so. 

Exposing young people to music, art, culture and extracurricular activities is important because it enriches their lives. Unfortunately, our school systems here in North Carolina are struggling with very little money and scrambling to make ends meet - so it's up to us, the people in the community, to fill that void. That's why we partner with dope organizations like SEEDs and Seesaw Studios and work with progressive schools like Durham Central Park School and Durham School of the Arts to bring jazz, hip-hop, music education and African American studies into the lives of the young people who make this city cool. Enriching these kids also enriches our collective lives as Durhamites and North Carolinians. If we nurture young, progressive, revolutionaries, they will carry the torch and keep our city alive, cutting edge, and vibrant. It's also our obligation, as privileged members of the community who got to go to college, to bring that knowledge back home to share it with our people. Lastly, it's about self-determination. When we were in high school, we would have loved to have taken a course on Hip-Hop, but didn’t get the opportunity. Now that we are in a position to create opportunities for others, we can't pass that up. We are writing, performing, creating and teaching what we love, and that passion compels us to find a way to share that joy with others. 

4. What's the best unknown, or little known, music act in the Triangle right now?

Keith Ganz and Kate McGarry are a husband and wife, guitar and vocal duo.  They just relocated to the Bull City (right around the corner from Steve) from New York to live the good ol' southern life.  They are world-class jazz musicians who have played with all of the big names in the jazz world and are settling down here to focus on their original music.   Looks like they have a show this Wednesday Duke Performances’ Music in the Garden series.  Everyone should check them out! 

5. Any chance you guys will perform on a Nnenna Freelon record?

There are a couple opportunities to catch a Nnenna Freelon/Beast collaboration. The first would be on our first EP, Belly, where Nnenna scats at the end of our sentimental ode to mothers, "Come Closer." The second would be on her recently-released album, Homefree which features a verse from Pierce on the re-arrangement of James Weldon Johnson's Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”  Actually, Steve’s drumkit was rented to the studio for Nnenna’s rhythm section to track on.  Does that make this song count as a Beast collaboration?  The third and most spectacular Beast/Nnenna collaboration is an upcoming project called Freedom Suite.  It's a jazz and Hip-Hop mixtape produced by The Beast and Nnenna hosted by 9th Wonder, which is coming out this fall.

OTHER COOL SHOWS THIS WEEK!

Wow, this weekend there is just no shortage of great shows to see. In addition to the Hip Hop vs. Rock show on Thursday, there's also a Benefit to fight Multiple Sclerosis with a fabulous line up at Cat's Cradle. Mount Moriah and The Sundowners are among the bands scheduled on this bill. At Local 506, Static Minds and Richard Bacchus & the Luckiest Girls open for Dead Meadow. In Raleigh there's metal with Colossus at Tir na Nog, and the genre-bending (though mostly alt-country) Holy Ghost Tent Revival at Pour House.

For those who like it early and free, start off Friday evening at Sadlack's with The Spring Collection and Richard Bacchus & the Luckiest Girls. From there head down to Deep South for IWTDI, River City Ransom and Charlotte's Marco Pollo (about whom I know nothing about). 

Finally, looking forward a little bit, Bowerbirds will be at Duke Gardens next Wednesday.

This week's cool shows: Raleigh Amphitheatre opens!

Sorry, but I am not going to call that thing the Bud Light Amphitheatre, just like I've never called Walnut Creek anything but that. I do admit to using RBC Center. Not sure why that one doesn't offend me. Anyway, we can all rejoice that the Backstreet Boys will NOT go down in history as the first band to headline the new downtown venue, which opens this Friday with a big, gala concert. That honor will go to Raleigh's own Connells (above), who, as true local legends, probably deserve this honor more than anyone. Small Ponds and I Was Totally Destroying It are also among the bands listed for this show. Get the full line-up at New Raleigh, and read Grayson's article about why the Triangle still doesn't have a decent amphitheatre.

Since this show is happening on a First Friday, I can guarantee that downtown Raleigh will be a madhouse. If you are up for braving the crowds afterward, be sure to catch Red Collar and the Loners at Tir na Nog. Blag'ard and The Last Tallboy are at Slim's. If you prefer metal, Here Lies ... is right around the block at the Berkeley Cafe, and for bluegrass there's Swift Creek Revival and Old Habits at The Pour House. Seriously, you've really got no excuse not to see some great live music in Raleigh this Friday night.

Also this week: The Misbehaved Fest with Beloved Binge, Scientific Superstar and more is at Pinhook on Saturday; the Michael Gardner Benefit for Parkinson's Disease with Nantucket, PKM and Sidewinder at at the Lincoln on Sunday; and Lonnie Walker and Mount Moriah play an early show (6:30 p.m.) at Duke Gardens next Wednesday, June 9.

Five Questions with Ryan Gustafson

This week marks my return to the weekly Five Questions interview. I did this when I was writing for New Raleigh last year, but took a break from it when I decided to concentrate on my own blog. But I actually really liked doing the interviews (though they sometimes took up a surprising amount of my time) so I've decided to resurrect the feature here.

And who better to start with than Ryan Gustafson? Seriously, the buzz surrounding the whole Drughorse Collective (Max Indian, Love Language, Light Pines and more) is just growing and growing.  And Gustafson is right in the center, with a fabulous voice and a slightly twangy sound.
Gustafson is opening for Superchunk this Friday, May 21, at Cat's Cradle.

1. You are in at least three bands (Max Indian, Light Pines and your own) with Carter Gaj and James Wallace. How does your musical interaction with them change in each band?

it has made us very tight, as well as influenced by eachothers strengths. we push eachother further creatively i think. we can read eachother really well. carter and i have been playing so much guitar togather sometimes we wont even realize that we're bouncing parts off of eachother. i'll leave space for him to play, and right when i come in he'll leave space for me to play with out ever having gone over it before. we've learned to read the very small things about eachother like little eye, or body movents. aswell as just listening to eachother. 

2. The Drughorse Collective's "Drughorse One" was released in March. Can we infer by the title that there will be follow ups? 

 

yes. not sure when though. 

 

3. Are you a good cook? If so, what's your specialty?

 

i think im a good cook. but i dont use recipes so sometimes the food is pretty strange. lately ive been making big breakfasts. sauteed veggies (in olive oil not butter), with tofo and herbs, 2 poached eggs on toast with pepper and some avacdo. thats about as far as i go. i havent been as broke as i usually am latly so ive been able to make nicer food. 

 

4. You've said before that your parents played music, and that was a great influence on you. Did they ever have a band together?

 

no, they never played in bands. my dad did sing in a traveling chior though. my mom was never serious about music but she did have a guitar around. my great grand parents generation had a full family band with about 12 members in sweden i think. 

5. Where would you rather be: In a city, on a mountain or on a deserted beach?

hmmmm. thats a hard one for me. inbetween a mountain and a city. ive been thinking about this one for a long time. ive always been atracted to the idea of "of the grid" living that can be easier to get in the mountains, but im also one of the people that love the energy of a big city. probably a little bit of both. 

(Photo of Ryan Gustafson, above, by Nicole Coyle)


OTHER COOL SHOWS THIS WEEK!

Friday really does seem to be the best day for rock in the Triangle. In addition to the Superchunk/Ryan Gustafson show, there's Small Ponds and Luego at the Pour House, Gray Young at the Pinhook, Greg Humphries at the Six String Cafe, and of course the mighty doom rock legends Pentagram at Volume 11 Tavern.

Thursday you should not miss Mount Moriah, who will be opening the Local Band Local Beer show at Tir na Nog. Also on Thursday, The Bronzed Chorus will be at the Pinhook with Hog, and Black Skies and Music Hates You will be at Local 506.

On Saturday, Caltrop and Minor Stars are at Dive Bar and Actual Persons Living or Dead are at Pinhook.

If you are in Raleigh on Saturday, please come to the Bee Ball! It's an annual event sponsored by The Beehive, of which I am a member. It's a good excuse to get really dolled up and dance your butt off. Plus you get to cast your vote for such local luminaries as Trent Bowles, Geoff Gann and Abby Nardo. Last year's kick off event was totally fun, and I expect this years to be so as well. 


And I must apologize to APLOD, Dave Cantwell in particular, because I told them I would include an .mp3 from their new CD here to promote their show, but in the last week my old HP computer, which was just barely hanging on, up and died on me altogether.  That's in addition to the refrigerator, which died yesterday. Yours truly went TODAY and bought a brand new Mac Book, so, yes, I finally made the switch from a PC to a Mac, and I think I'm going to be a lot happier with it. That's a long way of saying I don't have the ftp/iLife thing figured out, so I don't have an .mp3 to give you just yet. That will come soon.

This week's cool shows: Insplosure and more

This weekend's best show isn't a show at all. If you find yourself wandering around at Artsplosure (whose musical line up isn't doing much for me this year), definitely pop into the Pour House to take a look at what some amazing local artists are doing. This year's stable of artists includes Greg Clayton, Leigh Griffin Harris, Chris Williams (Plastic Flame), Troy Jeffries, Kirk Adam, Julia Hoffman and many, many more.Plus it's a good spot to stop and get a cocktail before heading back out into the sun. 


Musically, this week's cool shows include Citified and Fan-Tan at Local 506 on Friday, Pontiak with Arboretum and Caltrop at Nightlight on Saturday, and Richard Bacchus and the Luckiest Girls with Rat Jackson at Slim's, also on Saturday. 

Cool shows this week: Shakori Hills and more!

Just from anecdotal evidence it seems like most people are headed out to Shakori Hills this weekend. You'll have plenty to see if you go: Bela Fleck, Bowerbirds, The Beast, Hammer No More the Fingers and a solo Des Ark are all on the schedule, so this is really going to be a full weekend of great music and family-friendly fun.

In Raleigh, the big news is the opening of the new N.C. Museum of Art. The Beast and Orquesta GarDel will be there Saturday. 

If you're not headed out to Shakori, you still have quite a few in-town options, including my new favorite band, Light Pines, at Tir na Nog on Thursday. On Friday, Gray Young, Mount Moriah, and Jews and Catholics will be at Duke Coffeehouse while Rocket Cottage, Torpor and The Infamous Sugar will be at Slim's on the same night.  Saturday's shows include Chip Robinson at Slim's, Black Skies at Dive Bar, Red Collar, Lonnie Walker, Bellafea at Duke Coffeehouse, and Whatever Brains, Invisible Hand, The Alphabet, Gross Ghost at the Berkeley. 

This week's cool shows: St. Patrick's Day and more!

I have always loved St. Patrick's Day, so much so that I am willing to brave the green-hat-wearing drunken fools  that will infest several of my favorite watering holes just so I can get a pint of Guinness and see some awesome rock. The Trousers (above - photo by Jenn Love) start things off at Big Boss Brewery for a reported 6:30 p.m. show. Guitarist/singer Jim Pendergast said himself on that Facebook page that the show will be an early one. 

After the Trousers you have at least three good options for live music downtown: Old Habits at 42nd Street, Unknown Hinson at the Berkeley Cafe, or IWTDU2 at Tir na Nog -- where you'll see me fork over my bet money to IWTDI's John, who apparently really and truly is going to style his hair like Bono circa 1983 just for this show. This is definitely the show to see if you want to get into the St. Patrick's Day spirit. 

On Friday, there's another early show for your enjoyment: Caitlyn Cary's wonderful new band The Small Ponds with Rob Watson opening at Six String Cafe in Cary. My understanding is that Rob will go on at 8, and Small Ponds no later than 9:30. 

Finally, on Saturday The Rosebuds and Mount Weather will be at Cat's Cradle. Over here in Raleigh, The T's, along with new drummer Trey McLamb (formerly of Viva La Venus) will be at the Pour House with Weezer tribute band Destroy All Sweaters. 

UPDATES AND CORRECTIONS: Trey is still in Viva La Venus as well as The T's. The Rosebuds show is cancelled. 

This week's cool shows: Americans in France and more!

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.