Independent Weekly

Yep Roc announces 15th-birthday bash

Peter Blackstock — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:25:00 -0400

To celebrate its 15th birthday this fall, local label Yep Roc Records is gathering the tribes in mid-October for a three-night blowout at Cat's Cradle with Nick Lowe, Robyn Hitchcock, Dave Alvin, Fountains of Wayne, Chuck Prophet, Jon Doe, the Minus 5 and many other artists who have released records on the label in the past decade and a half.

The shows, set for Oct. 11-13, also will feature Liam Finn, The Sadies, Sloan, Cheyenne Marie Mize, Jim White, Eleni Mandell and others to be announced.…

Dwarr lives!

Bryan C. Reed — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:15:00 -0400

[Editor's note: Dwarr was set to play The Pinhook in Durham tonight, Wednesday, March 16. His entire tour has been canceled.]

ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT, Durham bar The Pinhook will host the fourth and final gig of South Carolina outsider-metal outfit Dwarr’s first-ever tour.…

"The Super Bowl of Bluegrass Music" — and "the Hopscotch"

Bob Geary — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:00:00 -0400

Denny Edwards dubbed it "the Super Bowl of Bluegrass Music." Well, it (the World of Bluegrass) is coming to Raleigh in the fall of 2013, 2014 and 2015 — after which, maybe it'll be permanent?…

Womble bill would compensate eugenics victims

Lisa Sorg — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:59:16 -0400

State Rep. Larry Womble, D-Forsyth, a long-time advocate for North Carolinians who were involuntarily sterilized under the state's eugenics program, introduced legislation today that would set up a $10 million fund to compensate those victims.

The Governor's Eugenics Task Force recommended that the victims receive a lump-sum, tax-free amount of $50,000 each.…

New report highlights sexual abuse targeting farmworkers, including in North Carolina

Victoria Bouloubasis — Wed, 16 May 2012 11:15:56 -0400

This morning, Human Rights Watch released Cultivating Fear: The Vulnerability of Immigrant Farmworkers in the U.S. to Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment. The 95-page report includes 160 farmworker interviews in its research, with more than 20 of them from the fields of North Carolina.…

Matsui 0-for-4 in debut as Bulls drop opener to PawSox

Mike Potter — Wed, 16 May 2012 08:37:00 -0400

DURHAM BULLS ATHLETIC PARK There’s plenty of excitement around the Durham Bulls as they return home from a decent road trip and will now be starring a celebrity guest of sorts.

Joining the Bulls on a minor-league contract with the Tampa Bay Rays and batting cleanup is Hideki Matsui, trying to make his way back to the big leagues after failing to get a contract following a .251-12-72 season with Oakland in 2011.…

Red Collar's Welcome Home

Bryan C. Reed — Wed, 16 May 2012 04:00:00 -0400

Red Collar's situation has changed drastically in the last several years. The impulse to bet on their success has not. (Tiny Engines) by Bryan C. Reed When Red Collar released its full-length debut, 2009's Pilgrim, the Durham favorites seemed like a safe bet for an emerging national profile. That album's title track—a story of an unbeatable racehorse longing for more than running in circles—seemed to be an apt parable as the band's members left jobs to hit the road hard.…

Re: Amendment 1

Wed, 16 May 2012 04:00:00 -0400

I want to take my hat off to the Indy for providing a forum for Amendment 1 issues. I appreciate and admire all of the folks from the LGBT community who have shared their stories in recent weeks. The amendment vote was disappointing, but understanding takes time. These stories of struggle and love are helpful in getting the word out that sexual orientation is as genetic as the color of our skin and that we all deserve equal rights. Thanks to all who have participated in the hope for change. …

The Awkward Years

V.C. Rogers — Wed, 16 May 2012 04:00:00 -0400

by V.C. Rogers

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Public policy and indifference punish the very poor

Kirk Ross — Wed, 16 May 2012 04:00:00 -0400

No one knows how many North Carolinians live in extreme poverty, but it's estimated to be between 700,000 and 1 million. What we do know is that although the number is increasing, the poor remain almost invisible to many of us. by Kirk Ross No one knows how many North Carolinians live in extreme poverty, but it's estimated to be between 700,000 and 1 million. What we do know is that although the number is increasing, the poor remain almost invisible to many of us.…

Theater of the American South's A Streetcar Named Desire

Byron Woods — Wed, 16 May 2012 04:00:00 -0400

Blanche DuBois looks like a million bucks in this muscular production of A Streetcar Named Desire. by Byron Woods Let's face it: Blanche DuBois looks like a million bucks. In this muscular Theater of the American South production of A Streetcar Named Desire, Jordan Jaked's smart, sophisticated costumes and the parabolic platinum waves of Rebecca Larkin's hair designs transform actor Betsy Henderson into a walking vision from the silver screen.…

Free Electric State's Monumental Life

Corbie Hill — Wed, 16 May 2012 04:00:00 -0400

Dark, engaging and built on infectious rhythms, Monumental Life finally sounds like Free Electric State. (Custom Made Music) by Corbie Hill Bassist and vocalist Shirlé Hale and guitarist David Koslowski may have recently left North Carolina to return to Baltimore, but their band, Free Electric State, remains alive and well. Indeed, if their second LP, Monumental Life, serves as any indication, the Durham-born rock quartet may be doing better than ever before, even if its halves are now separated by a five-hour drive.…

Karen refugees rebuild their lives in the Triangle

D.L. Anderson — Wed, 16 May 2012 04:00:00 -0400

14 Karen families at Transplanting Traditions Community Farm; by D.L. Anderson and Victoria Bouloubasis Jones Ferry Road swoops through Carrboro and curves toward the country, where it isn't unusual to happen upon farmland tucked among the trees. On a two-and-a-half acre farm, workers wearing straw hats tend the plush rows of produce.…

Metal aficionados regard Raleigh's Confessor as one of the most important heavy bands ever; maybe now you can hear of them

Karen A. Mann — Wed, 16 May 2012 04:00:00 -0400

Though barely heard, Confessor is a very influential heavy metal band. by Karen A. Mann In the winter of 2005, Tina Shoaf, the wife of Confessor guitarist Brian Shoaf, was reading Revolver, the heavy metal and hard rock magazine. She thumbed to an article titled "31 Wickedly Obscure and Important Bands."…

Theater of the American South's Backstage With Louis Armstrong

Byron Woods — Wed, 16 May 2012 04:00:00 -0400

Danny Mullen has clearly done the necessary research for this solo biographical show on the famed mid-century jazz trumpeter, vocalist and international ambassador of goodwill. by Byron Woods As much as I'd like to say the same for Backstage With Louis Armstrong, this otherwise likable production needs some serious musical direction before it can truly be called ready for prime time. Danny Mullen has clearly done the necessary research for this solo biographical show on the famed mid-century jazz trumpeter, vocalist and international ambassador of goodwill.…

Thee Tom Hardy's Guerrilla Broadcast

Eric Tullis — Wed, 16 May 2012 04:00:00 -0400

On Guerrilla Broadcast, Hardy's first post-Jamla release, we get ungoverned, redemptive requitals that address his personal and professional anxieties. (self-released) by Eric Tullis The allure of recording under a Grammy-winning producer like 9th Wonder on his Jamla Records label is obvious enough; former Jamla emcee Thee Tom Hardy knows this better than most anyone. His three-year relationship with 9th included the release of two expertly assembled mixtapes, Curse of Thee Green Faceded and Secret of Thee Green Magic.…

The guide to the week's concerts

Wed, 16 May 2012 04:00:00 -0400

Dwarr, Black Bananas, Caravan Of Thieves, Lilac Shadows, Jenny Besetzt, Savage Weekend, Pierced Arrows, Don’t, Class Actress, Penguin Prison, White Life, Cassis Orange, William Tyler, Hiss Golden Messenger, Damien Jurado, St. Vincent, Shearwater, more This week's guide contains: YES, PLEASE: Dwarr, Black Bananas, Caravan Of Thieves, Lilac Shadows, Jenny Besetzt, Savage Weekend, Pierced Arrows, Don’t, Class Actress, Penguin Prison, White Life, Cassis Orange, William Tyler, Hiss Golden Messenger, Damien Jurado, St. Vincent, Shearwater…

The film Foodie pokes fun at a trend while exploring the concept of cannibalism

Victoria Bouloubasis — Wed, 16 May 2012 04:00:00 -0400

Foodie, a new short film written by Durham resident Eryk Pruitt, is a 29-minute dark comedy-horror flick which explores an obsessive, underground sect of foodies who dine on humans in the most gourmet and trendy of manners. by Victoria Bouloubasis Let's be real. Many of us have thought about that hypothetical moment of tragedy where, one day, after a freak accident—being caught in an avalanche or getting lost at sea—we find ourselves in a disgusting predicament: Do I eat the dead guy next to me to survive?…

After Amendment 1, local governments weigh health insurance options

Billy Ball — Wed, 16 May 2012 04:00:00 -0400

In the Triangle, where more than 60 percent of voters filled in the oval "against" the amendment, a number of progressive local governments offer domestic partner benefits, a practice that presumably will be illegal under the state constitution on Jan. 1, 2013.

So what's next?

by Billy Ball Wait and see. That's the muted message this week from local government leaders after the lopsided Amendment 1 vote in North Carolina last week—a vote that propelled the state's gay marriage sentiment into the national discourse.…

An Algerian immigrant teaches Canadian children in Monsieur Lazhar

David Fellerath — Wed, 16 May 2012 04:00:00 -0400

The film is a tale of healing—for the children, who despite their material comfort are suffering from emotional neglect, and for Lazhar, who is applying for political asylum after suffering a terrible trauma in Algeria. by David Fellerath Monsieur Lazhar opens with a Michael Haneke-like tableau: a wide shot of a Montreal schoolyard with children playing at recess. Everything seems normal, but something is terribly amiss.…

Come out to show them

J. Amy Dillard — Wed, 16 May 2012 04:00:00 -0400

To the 61 percent of North Carolina voters who voted to amend their constitution to make sure that my partner and our son are not protected equally under the laws of your state, we will see you next week. Come out from behind your voting booth curtains to see us. Amendment 1 did not make us go away. by J. Amy Dillard Had the fish that first slithered up onto dry land to take a deep breath with its transitional lungs been a Southerner, it would have almost certainly looked back with longing at the sea. As I read reactions to North Carolina's vote on Amendment 1, which declares that Tar Heels shall embrace a draconian intolerance for marital privileges for any unmarried heterosexual couple, I find myself thinking about the sea. …

Frank Deford's memoir of the sportswriting high life

Adam Sobsey — Wed, 16 May 2012 04:00:00 -0400

Frank Deford is one of America's greatest sportswriters, and although his new memoir, Over Time, probably isn't the place to discover why, it's an engaging, raffish ramble through his 50 years in the peculiar business of writing about sports. by Adam Sobsey Frank Deford is one of America's greatest sportswriters, and although his new memoir, Over Time, probably isn't the place to discover why, it's an engaging, raffish ramble through his 50 years in the peculiar business of writing about sports. Deford has always stood out from his peers with an outsize and charismatic personality.…

The Royal Treatment

D.L. Anderson — Wed, 16 May 2012 04:00:00 -0400

by D.L. Anderson

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Sacha Baron Cohen spoofs post-9/11 U.S. in The Dictator

Grayson Currin — Wed, 16 May 2012 04:00:00 -0400

The most immediate criticism of The Dictator is also its biggest strength: It is extremely offensive. by Grayson Currin The most immediate criticism of The Dictator is also its biggest strength: It is extremely offensive. From the Saudis to the Afghanis, from rednecks to vegans, from lesbians to cads, from New York City tourists to New York City cops, from Jews to Asians, from the ruling class to the working class, from Katy Perry to Edward Norton, no demographic is too sacred or too distant for the latest iteration of stereotype exploitation by actor and writer Sacha Baron Cohen.…

Bumbling Democrats, diabolical Republicans

Bob Geary — Wed, 16 May 2012 04:00:00 -0400

Let's face it. If you're a Republican in North Carolina right now, you may not want to gloat, but could your prospects be any sweeter? by Bob Geary Let's face it. If you're a Republican in North Carolina right now, you may not want to gloat, but could your prospects be any sweeter?…