It's not wise to talk back to cops, and I'd been speeding, and we both knew it. Dude just couldn't resist, though. Having noticed the crimson ghost sticker leering from my back windshield, the highway patrolman whose name I purposely forgot gave me a sidelong glance when he asked, "Why do you like The Misfits?" I didn't like his tone.

"Why don't you?" I shot back.

So much for getting off with a warning.

But seriously, why wouldn't you like The Misfits? Glenn Danzig (born Glenn Anzalone) and bassist Jerry Only (born Jerry Caiafa) formed The Misfits in Lodi, N.J., in 1977, and the band quickly became one of the more enduring and iconoclastic bands to emerge from the American punk underground. With a succession of drummers and guitarists, The Misfits — mainly Danzig — conjured a sound that conjoined the pop melodicism of '60s teen idols with the buzzing punk of The Ramones or The Dead Boys, even an occasional shade of Suicide's droning minimalism. Matched with their obsession with B-movie schlock and striking visual presentation (greaser hairstyles remodeled into menacing "Devillocks" and plenty of skull-related decor), The Misfits were one of a kind. Three decades on, Danzig's deep croon is still one of punk rock's greatest voices, able to meet hardcore's gruff urgency with infectious, addictive melodies. Songs about murder, aliens, zombies and all other sorts of horror-flick ghouls stick in the ear like razor blades in candy apples.

Covering The Misfits is a rite of passage for most punk bands. Even the indie-rock icons in Superchunk have dipped into the band's potent well for choice live covers and a Record Store Day 7-inch. But for the elegant chamber-pop outfit Lost In The Trees, it's a surprise move, to say the least. After busting out a rendition of the ghastly sing-along "Skulls" in 2010, LITT frontman Ari Picker has now assembled a local supergroup dubbed Lost Skulls to fly the 'Fits flag at TRKfest on Saturday.

(Bonus: Lost Skulls landed a late headlining slot, so I won't have to drive too fast to see it!)

I caught up with Picker to find out what inspired him to pay tribute to The Misfits of all bands, and how Lost Skulls — which also features members of The Love Language, Some Army, The Toddlers and Gross Ghost — might bring the cult legends' most hellish hits to life.

Roscoe Holcomb and John Cohen—two names so entwined into the history of folk music that it's tough to overstate their importance. Hailing from Daisy, Ken., Holcomb was a coal miner who also sang with the accompaniment of banjo, harmonica and guitar, unleashing a piercing falsetto that is seen as a definitive example of the "the high lonesome sound" of Appalachia. John Cohen is a producer and filmmaker who has become famous for discovering many hidden gems of traditional American music, including Holcomb, who he introduced to the world in his 1963 documentary The High Lonesome Sound.

Tonight in Durham, attendees will have a chance to get closer to both legends. Duke University's Center for Documentary Studies will host a screening of Cohen's Roscoe Holcomb from Daisy, Kentucky. The film incorporates extra footage that Cohen had of Holcomb, who died in 1981. For those with even the most passing interest in folk music's foundations, this should prove an informative and entertaining treat.

The 7 p.m. screening will also feature pre- and post-screening refreshments. More info at cdsporch.org

Carrie Martin was a mother of two, a tattoo artist and a lover of local heavy music. She worked at Raleigh’s No Shame Tattoo and “didn't have insurance,” says DIVEbar Raleigh booking agent Robby Rodwell. “So there's a lot of bills that need to be taken care of.” And, though she died in March, Raleigh’s heavy music scene shows that it has not forgotten one of its own.

Tonight’s memorial show at that bar may serve the essential function of allowing the late Martin’s friends a chance to honor and keep her memory. But there’s also a practical side. Both Caltrop and MAKE are donating their guarantees for the evening; the bar itself is giving 15% of the evening sales. The hat will be passed, too, all to benefit Martin’s two daughters.

Rodwell was a friend. He remembers seeing shows with Martin and her fiancé, David Askew. And he remembers how thrilled she was to see local metal. “Carrie, David and I had just gone to see the Ragnarok Fest,” Rodwell recalls, referring to an August weekend of heavy music at Carrboro’s recently closed Reservoir Bar. Caltrop and MAKE were among the dozen bands that played. “I remember her saying on the ride home that show was one she would never forget.” So when Askew saw the two acts were booked May 13, which would have been Martin’s 26th birthday, he approached them with the memorial show idea. They agreed without hesitation, says Rodwell.

The past six months haven’t been easy on the local heavy music community. The Reservoir, arguably driven out by climbing rents, can be replaced. But the losses of Martin, as well as Reservoir co-owner Wes Lowder in a November car crash, have left a lot of people reeling.

The show starts at 10pm. Anyone unable to attend who still wishes to help Martin’s children can make a donation at any branch BB&T to Nola & Bella Martin, care of Margaret Morgan Holland.

• Jeremy M. Lange
• Colossus plays one of the last shows at the Reservoir tonight

In response to escalating rent, the owners of the Reservoir have decided to look for another space. They have nothing lined up and will spend the summer finding a suitable location for the move, hoping to open back up later this year. Their absence will be sorely noticed, and not just by those hankering for a $1.50 tallboy on a Monday night. The Reservoir has come to mix things that aren't commonly combined by bars, not just in Chapel Hill or Carrboro, but throughout the Triangle.

HOPSCOTCH MUSIC FESTIVAL BRINGS 120 BANDS TO DOWNTOWN RALEIGH SEPT. 9-11, 2010
Public Enemy, Panda Bear, Broken Social Scene to headline

The Independent Weekly proudly announces the Hopscotch Music Festival, the Triangle’s biggest music festival yet and a strong addition to the country’s festival circuit. Scheduled for Sept. 9-11, 2010, in downtown Raleigh, with 120 bands in 10 venues over three days, Hopscotch offers fans high-quality local, national and international options in just about every genre you can imagine—rock, hip-hop, alt-country, heavy metal, dance, punk, classical, noise, drone, folk and more. Tickets go on sale Thursday, April 1, at www.etix.com and www.hopscotchmusicfest.com.

The festival will be headlined by two nights in Raleigh City Plaza, downtown’s crown jewel, which opened last fall. Indie rock giants PANDA BEAR and BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE will headline Friday, Sept. 10, with support from Triangle favorites THE ROSEBUDS. Hip-hop’s most legendary group, PUBLIC ENEMY, will headline with a rare full-band set on Saturday, Sept. 11. Los Angeles trio NO AGE and Raleigh’s THE LOVE LANGUAGE will open. More than 110 bands will be spread between nine clubs throughout the festival’s three days. A sample of those bands includes: Washed Out, Tortoise, Lucero, 9th Wonder, Akron/Family, Marissa Nadler, Harvey Milk, Fucked Up, Javelin, Richard Buckner, Megafaun, Kylesa, Atlas Sound, Harlem and Bear in Heaven.