This week's cool shows: Annuals, Screaming Females and more!

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.

"I Do" by Screaming Females

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!

WKNC to debut new music by Annuals and Gray Young

From the WKNC press release:

On Thursday, January 28th, WKNC 88.1 FM will debut the new Annuals' single, "Loxtep" from their up-coming EP, Sweet Sister, coming out March 30th on Banter Records. Also, WKNC will be debuting Gray Young's up-coming single, "Meridian". Tune into Local Lunch at 12pm with Tommyboy on WKNC 88.1 or stream online at wknc.org/listen next Thursday to hear these exclusive tracks. Annuals and Gray Young are releasing these songs to drum up support for a concert on February 19th at The Pour House Music Hall featuring both bands, along with Bright Young Things. Additionally, WKNC will be giving away two pairs of tickets to the show during the broadcast. We are excited to have the opportunity to debut these tracks exclusively to WKNC's listeners during next Thursday's Local Lunch.

New Annuals out March 30

Annuals will release a new EP March 30. It's called "Sweet Sister," and it will be out on Banter Records. They'll be touring too, but the dates haven't been released. Here's the track listing:

01  Loxtep

02  Turncloaking

03  Sweet Sister

04  Holler and Howl

05  Flesh and Blood

Annuals gear stolen!

It's been a bad month for bands getting their stuff stolen. First Double Negative, and now Annuals, according to music.mync.com. That's especially unlucky given that the band is headlining the huge First Night show tomorrow night. In better news, the band plans to release its next full-length in March, and music.mync.com has an .mp3 of "The Giving Tree" for you.

Listen to Annuals, go see some art

Sneak Attack, the company that's helping promote Annuals on their current tour, is running a pretty cool contest on their Web site. Basically you log in and enter to win a pair of tickets to see the band, and a pair of tickets to a local art museum. You could enter for tickets to the band's show this Saturday at Cat's Cradle, and get tickets to the Ackland Art Museum. Or, if you wanted, you could enter for tickets to shows in several other cities.
CORRECTION: You will win a GIFT from the Ackland, since admission is already free!

Annuals to perform on the Web today

Annuals will perform live today at 4:30 p.m. for NBC17’s Sessions at Studio B. The performance will be broadcast at http://music.mync.com at 4:30 p.m. Listeners will also be able to type questions for the band in the chat room.

Annuals release new track

Check out "Confessor," the first song off Annuals upcoming CD "Such Fun." They also released their upcoming tour dates, which include a stop at Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh on Oct. 29.

Learn more!

New Annuals video!

Check out the video for "Sore."

Windows; Mac

Here's some more info from their PR folks: Annuals unveil the video for their gorgeous song "Sore," the first track off the recently released Wet Zoo EP. The video was done by Teqtonik who did Mogwai’s “Hunted By A Freak” video, Arcade Fire’s video for “Power Out” and videos for The Shins, BRMC, Nada Surf, and more.

A whole bunch of Annuals news!

Tour, new tracks and a video! This is almost too much to digest. Take note that the Annuals will be at Cat's Cradle on Oct. 27. Here's what the press release says: After a summer of touring around the world playing festivals such as Glastonbury, Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, as well as getting voted in for the UK's ATP vs. the Fans, ambitious Raleigh, NC six-piece Annuals are excited to announce their new signing to Canvasback/Ace Fu, starting with a 20-date fall tour co-headlining with labelmates and friends Manchester Orchestra. This homecoming tour will be a particularly special one for both bands, as Annuals and Manchester Orchestra have recorded a one-of-a-kind split 7-inch, covering the others' songs (mp3s below), to be sold exclusively at their shows. Annuals cover Manchester Orchestra's "Where Have You Been," and Manchester Orchestra cover Annuals "Brother." As a special added bonus, the artwork for the 7-inch split features each band reinterpreting the others' album cover. The band is also preparing for the release of their digital-only EP entitled Frelen Mas (Be He Me B-Sides), which contains b-sides from the Be He Me sessions and also includes their cover of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." Details to follow. After a final stop at Iceland Airwaves the band will return to the states to kick off their fall tour in Atlanta Oct. 26th (dates below). Annuals/Manchester Orchestra Tour Dates: October 26 - Drunken Unicorn - Atlanta, GA October 27 - Cat's Cradle - Carrboro, NC October 28 - Rock and Roll Hotel - Washington DC October 30 - Northstar - Philadelphia, PA October 31 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY November 1- Great Scott - Boston, MA November 2 - Le Gymnase - Montreal, QUE November 3 - Mod Club - Toronto, ONT November 5 - Shelter - Detroit, MI November 6 - Subterranean - Chicago, IL November 7 - Varsity - Minneapolis, MN November 10 - Crocodile Café - Seattle, WA November 11 - Plaza Club - Vancouver, BC November 12 - Doug Fir Lounge - Portland, OR November 14 - Bottom of the Hill - San Francisco, CA November 15 - Troubadour - Los Angeles, CA November 16 - Epicentre - San Diego, CA November 17 - The Clubhouse - Tempe, AZ November 19 - HI-Dive - Denver, CO November 20 - The Bottleneck - Lawrence, KS Frelen Mas EP Tracklisting: 1. Nah Keseyi 2. River Run 3. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot 4. Misty Coy 5. Sewn to Kites 6. Such a Mess 7. Ease My Mind 8. Frelen Mas Check out the video for "Carry Around"! (Takes a while to load.) Can someone tell me where they're playing croquet? I want to go there!