For those of you who’ve never had the pleasure of spending an extended amount of time in Asheville, NC – lemme set the scene for you. Imagine every person that fits a musical image you’ve ever known, congregated in one place. We’re talking every pot one could be categorized in – hippie chicks, alt-country washtub … Read more
Day Two: Friday Hacienda Still amazed at how unattended the Friday day shows are at Hopscotch, I entered a half-full Slim’s around 1:30 to catch San Antonio’s Hacienda — immediately falling in love with everything that surrounded me. The music was energetic, tight, and had just a smidge of TX skin over a full indie-rock … Read more
It’s early, but come this time next year, you’ll have heard all about Night Beds, which is the project from Nashville led by songwriter Winston Yellen. On “Even If We Try,” we get a small glimpse of the magic ahead: a hushed, windy dream that flies in and out of consciousness. Quiet and soaring at … Read more
Two things to tell you today. One: this cat is dressed like an astronaut. Two: I got hooked on this song at right about the 2:30 mark. Nashville’s Andrew Osenga, who is sort of like a happier William Fitzsimmons, will release Leonard, the Lonely Astronaut on September 18. Here’s our favorite track, “Ever and Always.”
For five minutes, forget the Kickstarter campaign. Forget the Kickstarter campaign controversy. Forget the way Amanda Palmer has masterfully utilized social media from its inception to organize her fans, forget her husband (Neil Gaiman, if you’ve been living under a rock), forget all of that. Forget it, and just listen to “Do It With A … Read more
All photo by Agatha Donkar Every time I think that the Triangle has pulled out all the stops on unusual concert venues, they find a way to top it. Last night, the Cat’s Cradle partnered with the Town of Carrboro to present a free show on the Carrboro Town Commons, giving out 5,000 ticket vouchers … Read more
UPDATE: Download the show here. What you once were isn’t what you want to be anymore Things change, people change. There was a rather long period in my life where all I listened to was Neil Young and, to a lesser extent, Bob Dylan. And while Young is still my all-time favorite artist (just listen … Read more
I hit the bottle so hard in fact That this morning It hit me back We last heard from Michael McDermott in 2009, and it was memorable: “So Am I,” “The Year It All Went Wrong,” “Hard To Break,” and “Carry My Cross” from Hey La Hey are some of the best songs he has … Read more
Louisiana’s Royal Teeth haven’t been playing music together long, but listening to their EP “Act Naturally,” you get the feeling that they’ve been horsing around since birth. On “My Donna,” the sextet’s chemistry is undeniable, the harmonies effortless. In fact, it reminds me of the tea parties I would host in the backyard as a … Read more
Dear friend, as you know Your flowers are withering Your mother’s gone insane Your leaves have drifted away But the clouds are clearing up And I’ve come reveling Burning incandescently Like a bastard on the burning sea I first heard “Sleepyhead” in the beginning of a budding romance, and maybe that’s why I fell in … Read more
The Roots : Photo by Aggie Donkar Jane Jane Pollock Going to a bar you frequent, usually after 10:00 pm, in the middle of the day is always a weird feeling. But walking in to a sun-drenched Kings Barcade at around two in the afternoon proved to feel just like home. Especially given Jane Jane … Read more
Scott Hutchison of Frightened Rabbit is already the master of dropping F-bombs in songs (he even does it on the new “State Hospital” and “Boxing Night“), so what’s next on the list? Well, how about creating a Scottish version of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”? ‘Cause that’s just what he’s done on “Wedding Gloves,” which features Aidan … Read more
Gross Ghost : Photo by Aggie Donkar Day One: Thursday Brief Setup: Raleigh’s Hopscotch Music Festival is curated by Pitchfork contributor, and hometown artsy-newspaper editor Grayson Currin. It’s the only festival of it’s kind – featuring tons of the best local acts, wedged between a plethora of up-and-coming bands that will soon be indie-household names. The … Read more
Photo by Katie Guymon You and I, we’re the same Live and die, we’re the same These days, there are a few songs by The Avett Brothers that are hard for me to listen to, only because they hit too close to home. “I and Love and You” is one of those, and their new … Read more
I have a crippling fear A crippling fear of seeing you again And really, that’s all Matthew Mayfield needs to say. When he does sing those lines, you feel the paranoia, like in the moment you look over your shoulder before you say something secretive to your friend in a public place. Perhaps that’s why … Read more
Shai Halperin is the man behind Sweet Lights. What is it about discovering new musical polymaths like him that makes me smile like I did as a kid on Christmas morning? His is a multi-dimensional and complex sound made by just two hands and feet, ten fingers and toes. It’s walking into a dark living … Read more
Don’t hang your head in sorrowDon’t give up just before you win Don’t wait around for tomorrow Open up your arms and let it in December of 2009 marked the last time Glen Hansard appeared at The Pageant, and he didn’t let us down: his performance with Markéta Irglová and the Swell Season will forever … Read more
Races singer Wade Ryff has his priorities in order, godammit. See, he had a choice. He could have been another singer-songwriter kicking around the L.A. area – or he could form a band with friends, and create some serious pop tunes. Luckily for him, and us, he chose the latter. Our Jam of the Day, “Lies,” … Read more
Photo by Brantley Gutierrez So, seeing Metric at Lollapalooza has convinced me of this: Emily Haines is a star and a total bad ass. Her band from Toronto is out on the road promoting its latest release, Synthetica, and songs like “Artificial Nocturne,” “Breathing Underwater,” and “Youth Without Youth” explode in a live setting. A … Read more
It’s time to begin, isn’t it? I had a soccer coach tell me once, “To do it right means you have already done it wrong. Begin now.” And today, after so many years, I woke up with that thought running through my head. Sometimes, we just need songs to lift us up, to make us … Read more
Stars | Photo by Aggie Donkar A big ‘ole indie rock & roll show moseyed into the Triangle area of NC Wednesday night, anchored by Canadian indie-pioneers of sorts, Stars, and two white-hot up-and-coming bands — Diamond Rings and California Wives. We sent our resident shutterbug Aggie Donkar out to the Cat’s Cradle to snap … Read more
Photo courtesy of the band Chicago’s California Wives are currently opening for Stars, and Wednesday night they blew me away with their catchy electro-pop songs in just a half hour set. “Light Year” is four minutes of shimmering guitars and driving drums, and if you can hear it without wanting to dance in your chair, … Read more
Photo courtesy of the artist Consider it your lucky day because Generationals have a new song out, the synthy “Lucky Numbers.” It’s off the forthcoming EP of the same name. While Grant Widmer and Ted Joyner tell us that this new collection of songs is imbued with the places and spaces of their hometown, “Lucky … Read more
Photo courtesy of the band The Old Ceremony, a five-piece Triangle band fronted by hyper-literate songwriter Django Haskins, are one of the mainstays in the North Carolina music scene; they can be depended on to produce excellent pop-noir records every couple of years, and their 5th studio record, Fairytales and Other Forms Of Suicide, is no … Read more
Girl In a Coma, a fiery three-piece punk outfit from San Antonio, is built entirely around the startling range and enormous power of frontwoman Nina Diaz’s voice, backed by her sister Phanie on relentless drums and Jenn Alva on thumping, grooving bass. All three are showcased here, in Girl In a Coma’s cover of Martha … Read more
All photos by Agatha Donkar The Gaslight Anthem stuck with their roots last Thursday, playing to a sold-out crowd at small capacity Cat’s Cradle in a final club tour before their latest release, the upcoming Handwritten, propels them to the bigger venues that the band is clearly ready to play. They stuck with their roots … Read more
All photos by Agatha Donkar Girl In A Coma brought their high-energy pop-punk to a small but enthusiastic crowd at Local 506 last week; the San Antonio trio continues to tour behind their excellent LP Exits & All The Rest, but they dropped a new song or two into the set in Chapel Hill, perhaps … Read more
This one’s for the several gals to my right last night at The Pageant who danced as if they were holding giant teddy bears. If you do not know what this looks like (and I sure didn’t before last night), then you need to get out to a Beach House show. Preferably one where smoke … Read more
Photo by Jason Frank Rothenberg Hello, party people! Summer is in full swing, and we’ve got some more concert tickets to give away, this time to a double dose of fun: Dirty Projectors + Wye Oak at The Pageant on Tuesday, July 17th. Dirty Projectors recently released Swing Lo Magellan, the Brooklyn band’s sixth studio … Read more
Tonight in Saint Louis, Hannah Miller brings her gorgeous songs to Cicero’s with co-headliner and fellow Nashvillian Jessica Campbell. Doors are at 8 PM, and tickets are just 8 bucks. Miller, who played one of our living room shows just last year, recently released a six-song EP called Doubters and Dreamers, and it includes her … Read more