Thursday, October 29, 2009
On Monday, UNC's Carolina Union Activities Board made the last-minute announcement that hip-hop artist Fabolous will headline its Homecoming 2009 concert Sunday, Nov. 1, at Memorial Hall. Now, just days later, two members of Student Congress are questioning the decision to bring Fabolous. Last year Gym Class Heroes and The Avett Brothers co-headlined the homecoming concert on separate dates, but this year, after a failed attempt to get Kid Cudi and Girl Talk to co-headline the concert, the CUAB had to "settle" with Fabolous as the only headliner. The night before he performs at UNC, Fabolous will also be in Greensboro, N.C. on Halloween night, performing alongside Gucci Mane, OJ Da Juiceman and Nicki Minaj for NC A&T's Homecoming Concert. Convenient, huh?
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
"As my children get older, I started thinking about what I was going to leave behind or pass on to them—how they're going to remember me," says Tofer Moran, graphic designer, father of two and singer/guitarist of Durham's Proud Valletta. "I hoped to leave behind a sort of anthology of music for or inspired by my sons as a kind of patrimony," Moran continues. "Music is something that can live on, hopefully, long after I'm gone, and it's my hope that they'll be able to have some of my music to mark the days we have together."
With his wife Vye Moran on percussion and vocals, childhood friend Paul Boccaccio on accordion and pals Brentley Cobb and Andrew "Shoe" Shoemaker adding a host of stringed and percussive sounds, Tofer Moran began crafting uncomplicated indie folk with simple melodies and shanty qualities suggested by the rickety foundations behind the nautically inspired tales. Borne out of Dapper Dandy and The Good Day Sirs!, a project involving the Morans and Boccaccio that recorded a "folk-opera retelling of the Pied Piper story" as Reckoning, its sole release, the new outfit borrowed songs from the old and began busking outside the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
[Editor's Note: Chapel Hill band Lost in the Trees headed north last week for a short tour that took them to the annual college music festival, CMJ, in New York and to a backyard photo studio in Freehold, N.J. While on the road, the band chronicled its adventures and misadventures for this five-part tour journey. Lost in the Trees plays tonight at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill's Gerrard Hall at 8 p.m. The $5 show is free for UNC students.]
Lost in the Trees No. 4: New York to Boston
We usually all sleep in the same place, but New York is always the place where we separate and scatter: No one has space for 11 people to sleep in New York, and everyone has different friends there that they’d like to see. So we re-assembled at The Living Room, the venue we played the night before. Compared to the bustling carnival of the previous night (Pianos and Cake Shop, two other CMJ venues, are right next door), Ludlow St. was dead quiet—really nice, but also eerie, since our introduction to the place was so chaotic and loud. We shared stories of how our nights went: Martin and Drew had a long, rainy journey to Brooklyn at 3 in the morning; Will, Ari and Gini all stayed in a tiny dormitory at The New School.
[Editor's Note: Chapel Hill band Lost in the Trees headed north last week for a short tour that took them to the annual college music festival, CMJ, in New York and to a backyard photo studio in Freehold, N.J. While on the road, the band chronicled its adventures and misadventures for this five-part tour journey. Lost in the Trees plays tonight at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill's Gerrard Hall at 8 p.m. The $5 show is free for UNC students.]
Lost in the Trees No. 1: North Carolina to Charlottesville, Va.
We assembled (as we do every tour) at Trekky House for our pre-tour meeting, led by our dear Tour Manager, Martin Anderson. As usual, everyone was about an hour late. Will had to race to Raleigh to get his cornet mouthpiece unstuck at Marsh Woodwinds. Drew had to get a last minute repair to the tuning peg on his cello. Everyone else was throwing everything that we might need on our trip into one of two vans.
Even though we have toured with a ton of musicians for a while, we always forget just how much stuff goes with a crew of 11 people—instruments, bags, pillows, jackets, food, cameras, skateboards, merch, books...
Friday, October 23, 2009
The Red Clay Ramblers got their start in 1972 and, over the years, have evolved with many personnel changes. Once a string band, the group now offers smatterings of American roots music from New Orleans to Tin Pan Alley. The Ramblers have a history of spreading their music through theater productions as well as music performances.
Pianist Bland Simpson has been involved with the band almost since its inception. At band mate Chris Frank's house, Simpson helped mail out discs of the Red Clay Rambler's newest album, Old North State earlier this week. Before calling an end to the afternoon and heading home to grill dinner, Simpson spoke with The Independent over the phone about the history of the group, its broadening sound, and performing roots music in alternative venues.
The Red Clay Ramblers play Chatham Mills in Pittsboro at 8 p.m. on Friday, October 23. On Saturday, October 24, they move over to Chapel Hill's ArtsCenter at 8:30 p.m. $15-17.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
After playing the Cherry Bounce Music Festival finale in front of Raleigh Times Bar Saturday night, Chicago mash-up duo The Hood Internet will head to AhPeele, the design and screenprinting studio of Adam Peele, to play into the late night. Yes! Sputnik will begin the party at midnight, and The Hood Internet will take over around 1 a.m. and go until people ask them to stop. I'll stick around until they sample Sunn O))), for sure.
In what we're told is unrelated news, The Hood Internet will now play after the more popular Man Man Saturday, pushing their set time until 9: 30 p.m. They'll also join Galactic at Cat's Cradle Sunday, Oct. 25.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Raleigh six-piece Annuals will headline the, well, annual First Night Raleigh celebration on Dec. 31. The band will join a roster that, so far, includes Crucial Fiya, Justin David, Barbara Bailey Hutchinson, Bob Margolin, Lenny Marcus Trio, Wayne Henderson and Jeff Little and El Gleno Grande. If Annuals aren't your co-ed indie rock big band of choice (or of the day), The Love Language plays Local 506 on New Year's Eve, too.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
And They Say Alliteration Is Dead: Big Bang Boom at Broad Street
Having kids can inspire you to do crazy, amazing things. In the case of power-popping dads Chuck Folds, Steve Williard and Eddie Walker—musicians with over 50 combined years of North Carolina music scene experience—it inspired the parent-friendly kids music (vice versa also accepted) trio Big Bang Boom.
First, Chuck reveals the key to making kids music:
No secret, just make good music. Kids aren’t as dumb as I think most kid’s music musicians think they are. You can make the production and arrangement of the song (instrumentation, sounds, etc.) fit for contemporary pop radio. You can make the melody worthy of adult radio (as long as not too harsh of a melody). And just keep the words appealing to parents and kids. No problem. My inspiration for that is Bugs Bunny cartoons. We all know now as adults that clearly they are geared toward grown-ups but can appeal to kids with just enough of the slapstick.
And then, eerie parallels between kids music shows and adult music shows:
I accidentally bumped a little girl with the headstock of my bass—wasn’t bad, but she was a little upset—at a Big Bang Boom show. I intentionally hit a drunk frat kid with the headstock of my bass at a frat party a couple years ago. He wasn’t upset. Actually, he didn’t know it happened.Playing for kids is very similar to playing for adults at a party: You have to make sure cables are out of the way, tell them what is going to happen, and make sure nothing gets too out of hand.
Big Bang Boom will play a 4:30 p.m. show at Durham’s Broad Street Café this Sunday, October 18. It’s a free show, but you can show your appreciation when the tip jar gets passed. Helmets optional.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
When it comes to music festivals, I’m a dabbler. Barring a few must-see acts, I tend to wander from stage to stage to try to catch bits of as many bands as possible, hoping to stumble across a surprise or two. At many festivals, that approach can be exhausting, making it easy to spend more time rushing off to see the next band than being able to get a true feel for the performers.
But thanks to generous set lengths and the close proximity of stages and tents, Shakori Hills is a sampler’s paradise. During my 13 hours at the festival, I was able to catch parts of 22 acts with enough time to actually relax and enjoy the music. I even managed a couple of cat naps. Hit the jump for minute-by-minute impressions.
I'd heard about this little festival off in the fields of Pittsboro with veggie-thing tortillas, men dancing in chicken suits, how-to instructions on biodegradable products and music under the moonlight. Last weekend was my first Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance: The festival has become something of a local staple, with eight spring and seven fall events already completed. It's got the quirky art and handmade wares, the classic festival food, yoga, nature walks and music from folksy to country to reggae to indie. It's a one-size-fits-all pill for good, muddy fun.
I journeyed Thursday, mainly drawn by Roman Candle, a band that got its start in Chapel Hill and that's since taken its mix of alt-country and pop-rock to Nashville to flourish. They returned to the Piedmont on the heels of their second album, Oh Tall Tree in the Ear, but the show was more about reclaiming roots than pushing CDs.
Lead singer Skip Matheny said the band had never played the event, but they had attended as fans. "It's nice to be back in familiar ZIP codes," he said between songs that came mostly from the acclaimed 2006 album, The Wee Hours Revue.
I'm a physicist (just like Dr. Hansen) and this article is overloaded with misinformation and biases. It is an advertisement …
by John Droz on Duke professor Orrin Pilkey takes on the deniers in Global Climate Change: A Primer (Reading)
thanks for the article i heard boundaries on an nyu radio station in new jersey and i loved it man! …
by Peter Talarico on My Dad is Dead bids a redemptive farewell (Music Feature)