Out of the Jungle and into the Fire - The Killers, Costa Rica, Gray Young, New World Highrise, Toon & The Real Laww, and Vienna Teng!

...Longest Blog post title ever? Well hold on to your hold-on-ables, as this is actually going to be a mostly pic-heavy post, to boot!

I felt a sense of obligation to explain to my faithfuls why there has been a huge black hole in my blog for the past few months, where Hopscotch should have been. Well, we all know I go through fits of depression and straight up laziness, which makes for inconsistent content. Alas, here i sit with time and energy and a steady internet connection, so here we go!

The Killers - August 12, Redhat Amphitheater

There are bands that on the neo-hipster scale that I absolutely adore that I'm sure most of my friends would agree are perhaps sellouts or too big for their britches, (U2 and Coldplay to name a couple obvious ) and I'm sure The Killers are in the non-in crowd as far as Indie cred goes... honestly, I couldn't give two shits. I LOVE them, always have, and used a small part of my well-deserved severance money (Oh, didn't you hear? I got laid off!) and bought the best tickets you could get for their show in Raleigh! My former bandmate and one of my all-time best friends, Jayseph, came along for the ride!

friends are friends forever!

It was well timed and staged perfection, and sounded SO GOOD as expected for a quasi-arena show for a megaband. I heard all my favorite songs, made friends with all the gay kids half my age in the pit and got generally overly emotional, as expected. 

Why so emotional? Well, good tunes with which I have unnaturally deep connections with, obviously ...(um, All These Things That I've Done?? Hello?) but also there was the whole "I gave away everything I owned and moved into the Jungle of Costa Rica to work on an Ecofarm, isolate myself and finish my Novel" thing.. which I did. Without going into too much public detail, (as it was a totally personally intense situation,) I didn't stay quite as long as I thought I would, but in the end, I didn't need to. Unfortunately all this self-reflection and Tao reading just happened to take place while Hopscotch rolled around, so I missed it. And the bluegrass festival...

Cut my hair off, stopped wearing a bra, and ran around in the jungle with a Machete for a few months... the only excuse I have for missing Herpskerch.

BUT! I came home just in time for:

The Last Gray Young show - Slim's - Oct 3

They say all great things must come to an end. But in this case, I am virtually inconsolable, as the VERY BEST THING has come to an end... for now, anyway... Gray Young has decided to take a little break. I am trying my best to come to grips with this now. Pre-show and about halfway through, I believe I was in a bit of denial... But as the entire Kitten Army was in attendance and once Dana and I hit the Bloody Mary's, it became all too clear that the end was neigh --- therefore the setlist was compromised and edited by your truly, I may have stagecrashed a little, and also forcibly broke the nearly 3 year vow of silence and all but attacked Chas on stage to thank him, basically for saving my life. I can't be completely sure, as the gods of convenient blackout drunkdom seems to have blocked out specific details, but its entirely possible i cried. like, a lot. It's what I do, man.

holy crap, i love you guys.

can't decide if this is my proudest ever moment or if should be mortified?

It was, for all intents and purposes, believe it or not, probably my favorite GY show I've seen, and I promise you, I've seen lots. Probably has something to do with the fact that do many of my favorite people were in attendance, that the last half of the show became a ridiculous dance party, and mostly because I was riding high on the surreal wave of my triumphant return from Costa Rica. 

I think I'm still in denial. They'll be back.

kinda hard to see, but I was handed a pen and was told to edit the set list, which I did.

The following sunday, after work, I found myself racing downtown once again to catch:

New World Highrise - Oct 6 - Slim's

The band that Jay was working so hard to make happen when we were tinkering around with the Clink - a mix of Jay's songs and the songs of others... a poprocks/80s indie postpunk - all good things - IT feels funny talking about them, because I feel like I'm bragging, as Jay called me up onstage to sing, as well. I had missed that, for sure!

I had actual face-pain from smiling so broadly with so much pride!

Toon & The Real Laww - King's - Oct 11

This show was a real "Should I or shouldn't I?" conundrum - I have seen these guys several times, but this was an EP release party, so I knew it would be a good one... I literally was indecisive until about 5 minutes before an awkward Landmark patio situation drove me into the arms of killer hip-hop!

I was glad I went. The crowd, every time I see them, knows more and more songs, gets denser and more excited... It's awesome seeing groups grow in the scene! Local music Pride!!!

photo taken specifically to taunt Sir Austin Parker

Professor Toon is a fan of House of Swank! YES!

I may have also incited a stagecrash at this show, as well. Which then erupted into one of the best post-show dance parties I have EVER seen!!!

I grabbed Laww and told him "IT'S TIME TO GET SOME SEXY LADIES ON STAGE!" and of course invited myself along!

And on that day, shit got cray.

Vienna Teng - Carolina Theatre, Durm - Oct 12

I found Vienna on a quirky internet channel I listened to for about 6 years straight before i discovered Spotify called "Radioparadise" - honestly one of the greatest radio stations ever - 90% of the songs are ones I love and the other 10% are songs I fall in love with; ergo Vienna... Blue Caravan was the first song I remember hearing and being all like .... "ohhhh mygah... what IS THIS? i love!" and then devouring everything i could fit in my earholes after. I was incredibly lucky to see her and Alex Wong a few years back at the Broad Street Cafe with an intimate crowd, that put me right up front. This time she played an actual (and quite beautiful) concert hall. The sound was pristine and the songs were totally emotional and my companion for the show was charming and my friend Amy is the best.

(haven't uploaded the only little video i took from the show, but here is a video from the last time i saw her at Broad Street, back in 2010 xoxo)

I've learned it best not to promise publicly or even personally, that I'll be anywhere at any time. I have learned that I am not fickle or flaky, I have learned to trust my instincts and my body and sometimes my instincts just lead me to bed early... Therefore, I can't promise you any reviews of any specific shows, but I can instead give you a pretty good idea of where I might be :)

Next monday I was tipped off that I would be a fool to miss Wild Belle at King's

Next thursday at London Bridge is a benefit for Cause for Paws, (a local charity I support wholeheartedly) called Pints for Paw - Try and come out!

Oh, the glory of no longer living downtown - an empty events calendar! But hey, I'm not saying don't invite me, or anything... If you hear about a I shouldn't miss or would like to use me to promote your shows, as always - I'm down, y'all. I'm always down...!

xoxo

Quickie Show announcements - NIN, basically.

Nine Inch Nails! Omg! ....Word came down the intertubes last night, post midnight that Trent and Crew are embarking on a "massive tour" to support the new album, Hesitation Marks due September 3. Support acts for part of the tour is Explosions in the Sky (aw!!!!) and the other is Godspeed! You Black Emperor (nice!) So when NIN hits Raleigh at the PNC Arena October 21, we get Godspeed! (this is only good news as logistics and funding options for attending the Mountain Oasis in Asheville for me, were looking grim.)


You can listen to the new single "Came Back Haunted" now on Soundcloud... It's nice and bleepy-bloopy and sounds like nine inch nails...

High School Dreams Come True!

here is the video for "Perfect Drug" which is like, not only probably my favorite NIN song, but also, I pretty much want to live inside this video because it is gorgeous and macabre and perfect. and also Reznor's look is basically the ideal hair to facial hair ratio I am most attracted to. (I have been told he has a Guy Fawkes beard. So be it. I have a huge crush on Guy Fawkes. If i didn't know that Trent Reznor is basically a midget, I would probably be madly in love with him because of this video/song)

sooooo hot. want to touch the hiney.

Another quickie; the Dodos are on tour again - you may have gotten to see them at Hopscotch 2011 open for Drive By Truckers, but in case you missed them, they'll be back at King's on October 2.

News - Schmews ... Mountain Oasis Electro Music Summit Lineup announced

NOW THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!

I honestly don't know which artist I am more excited about here... NIN has my inner high school senior squealing, I was literally lamenting to myself in silence the other day that I've not gotten the chance to see animal collective live before. I haven't seen Tricky since lollapalooza in the 90s and i literally swooned when i saw Godspeed! 

I will have so much more to say on this later.

in other hopscotch news, I am in the process of creating an intricate and overly complicated and detailed database of all the acts for this year's hopscotch and plan on a weekly batch of "5 to hit, 5 to quit" shows; and hopefully will be snagging some interviews with some of our favorite acts on the roster!

also, seen gray young twice in the past couple weeks so i have oh so many pictures to post.

Hopscotch 2013 Lineup announced!

My knee-jerk Thoughts/Reactions:
-LOW! OMG! YAY!
-Wow! Matmos Live?? That's insanity. I literally checked the Thrill Jockey tour page yesterday, but didn't see (and still don't see) them listed - I ain't complainin'! that's pretty awesome. no idea what a live set from them is gonna look like, but i can't wait to see!
- Local Natives - not too shabby!
- I am still facepalming over the Breeders of it all.
- Love to see Future Islands up at the top! Maybe a mainstage opener spot this year? how cool would that be??
- the rosebuds with the sade and i don't know what that's all about.
- speaking of which, what is up with the "Band playing This Album" theme?
- Will Andre 3000 make a special appearance during big boi's set? if not, I'm sure we it will all TWERK OUT IN THE END.


- THIS. BOOM!!!:

*misty eyes*

Your thoughts/Reactions???

Just Announced shows and such.... HOPSCOTCH ROAD SHOWS!!!

wow... what an extremely cool idea this is! Hi-five greg & grayson!

From the Hopscotch site:

"This spring, Hopscotch is taking it on the road! To celebrate our Hopscotch lineup announcement on Wednesday, April 24, we're bringing shows to fans in six nearby cities. Check the following dates and bills, and join us for an early Hopscotch fix. Each show is $5 at the door, and all the money goes directly to the performers."

I am *REALLY* digging the "all money goes to the performers" part, that is incredibly altruistic and makes me really proud of my scene. awesome you guys, totally awesome!

Today is, conveniently, my last day at my job (due to layoffs), so my April looks clear: ROAD TRIP!

Thursday, April 25th – Chapel Hill
Nightlight [early show]                     
The Snails                               
The Art Department                    
The Cave [late show]
Last Year's Men
The Dynamite Brothers
Friday, April 26th – Winston-Salem – Krankies Coffee
Burglar Fucker
The Snails
The Art Department
Dark Profit Tongueless Monk
Saturday, April 27th – Wilmington – The Soapbox
Zack Mexico
Birds of Avalon
Airstrip
Mountain Thrower
Thursday, May 2nd – Asheville – Emerald Lounge
Naked Gods
The Critters
Oulipo
Friday, May 3rd – Charlotte – Snug Harbor
Bo White y Su Orquesta
Joint D≠
Blossoms
Saturday, May 4th – Richmond – Strange Matter
White Laces
Invisible Hand
Whatever Brains

REMINDER:
Tickets to Hopscotch Music Festival 2013, Sept. 5-7, are on sale now: http://hopscotchmusicfest.com/tickets/

ADDITIONAL REMINDER:
Don't miss it, you'll regret it.Year Four, baby!!

Weekly wrapup and looking ahead - week of Feb 22, 2013

Apologies for the late update, I'm getting over a sinus infection - good times...

First of all... Not at all local news, but relevant to me, therefore forcibly relevant to you:

Moz had to cancel and postpone some more of his tour dates because of bleeding ulcers...
1) I know way too much about this as I have been hospitalized infinity times in the past 3 years for the same thing
2) I feel so much closer to the man now, because we both truly *do* hurt the same...(she said, fainting on a chaise)
3) He released an apology statement via True-to-you, that was brilliant and hilarious and perfect and he had a line that i wanted to quote to you, because it is so tragically pertinent to my life at the moment:

"If you bump into me this week at a heavy rock show, please understand that I'm lowering myself into the cut and thrust after weeks on ice - horizontal, with sockets empty of eyes."

Oh, I love him, so!

That being said: Show wrap up:

The Love Hangover at King's, Friday 02/15/13

So.... Love Hangover, on a personal level, didn't start out so well. my relationship hit a rocky spot and I was in a bad mental space. It made enjoying the evening kinda difficult. I tried, but wasn't able to stick it out through the whole show. Also, I forgot my camera, so I had to use my cell, which is a bummer.

Reid Johnson and Maria Albani

I promised a lot of barfing on stage because I wouldn't be able to handle all the "love"! what I did, instead, was hang up front with miss Ashley Carter of Stella Lively and Scott Phillips of Goner and do a lot so swayin' and swinging and grinning :)

here is a video, which blogger will not let me embed - precious!

love so skrong i can smell it. Like Gruyère

Caroline Mamoulides and J. Chris Smith -
Caroline - the reason we have the Hangover, this was an absolutely precious and flawless performance, of course!

Rose Higgins and Erik Sugg -
My highlight of the evening - after seeing Rose as Janis Joplin for the Great Coverup (with Erik, actually) I was dying to see her live again. and I was not disappointed. so very amazing! I loved her props! the on-stage banter was almost as good as the performance itself - Priceless!

 

Caspian with Junius at Local 506, Saturday, 02/16/13

I got there just in time to catch Junius; whom i had never heard before. The facebook invite had some review that described them as "Neurosis meets The Smiths" aka, apparently this reviewer had never listened to the Deftones before? I dunno. Either way, Junius was pretty kick ass. AND this was like, the hottest beardy-dude band on the planet. and they were all moody and dark, so bonus!(I promise this fact. Google image search confirms. daaaamn!)

These are the notes I took for myself in my iPhone for Junius:

• Lead Vocalist keeps making sex faces, usually drummers make the "O" face - I am objectifying the shit out of this band. This must be how guys think.
• Lead Guitarist has ultimate rock stances
• The drummer looks so much like my friend Bronson, it is distracting
• Why is the bass player hiding behind the speaker tower? kinda precious
• Some dude behind me is a superfan he has air-guitared for their whole set - heeeeelarious!

Then Caspian:
Oh my, I have waited what seems like forever to see them live. Whatever expectation I had for this set were far exceeded. I don't know if I have *ever* heard anything like that live before - it was absolute perfection. If I hadn't been watching it happen right in front of my face, I would have sworn it was pre-recorded. No note or time or moment or step out of sync. Moments/songs like "Halls of the Summer" were absolutely ethereal for me; flawless.

 

Note: LV/LG Philip Jamieson looks JUST like Roo's Bf, Patrick. Which Luc & I incessantly pointed out to each other.

Added bonus, as it was Chapel Hill crowd, and therefore notoriously unresponsive and zombie-esque (in my opinion) I was one of like, 4 people, in the whole crowd that "WOOO!"-ed and clapped and head-banged/danced. After the fourth or fifth song, a girl to my left touched my arm and said "Thank you for showing some enthusiasm, I am so excited to see these guys and I would feel so goofy if I was the only one yelling [sic]..." and I said something like "HELL YEAH CHAPEL HILL SUCKS CASPIAN RULES!" (aka I was drinking, obvs) so long story short, come to find out - this was DJ Sarahnade, who does the Post-Rock Block on WKNC! NO WAY! We are now facebook friends now and have become post-rock-sisters-in-arms 4-lyf. 

Luc (the unicorn) was running behind and I texted him during the first 5 minutes of their set that if he didn't get there asap I would kick his ass. No, that is a lie; I think I just texted: "GET. HERE. NOW" - and he did. and he was just as impressed as I was. I think, literally, after ever song we turned and made eye contact and said something to each other, like "Duuuuuuuuude...."

xoxox

This is the best thing: As you know, I am a set-list junky and scoured the stage for any kind of paperwork. none to be seen. the bass player, Chris(?, I'm pretty sure - seen behind me and Luc in the above pic) literally picked up one of Junius's left over sets and WROTE THE WHOLE THING OUT FOR ME....INFINITY COOL POINTS!!!

May be one of my most prized (CUSTOM!) set lists to date - Fan for life, guys!

Final word on Caspian: I want to see them again, infinity times.... that was freakin' amazing!

-----------------------------------------------------

Here are a few shows on my immediate radar:

• Thursday, Feb 21 - The Invisible Hand at LBLB, Tir na Nog - with Naked Gods and Spooky Woods, but I'm mostly super-psyched for TIH, as long-time readers know.
•  I'm going to be out of town Friday and Saturday, but if you're here you should check out Savage Knights at King's on Friday and Corvette Summer at Sadlack's or Toon & The Real Laww at Pourhouse on Saturday. 
• I'm not going, but you might care: WOOL Tour kick-off party at Slims, next Tuesday 02/26/13 -  with The Love Language (acoustic with string accompaniment) and Ryan Gustafson (solo).

Some newer stuff that has popped up:

• Tyler the Creator at Cat's Cradle was announced, 03/16/13, and sold out almost immediately. well, dang.
• Friday Night Metal w/ IRATA (et.al.) at Casbah - 04/05/13
•  Rusted Root at Southland Ballroom 05/14/13 - re-live your hippie days. I think this is going to be like that time I saw "YES" in high school; everyone mingled and ignored them until they played "Owner of a Lonely Heart", everyone went ballistic, then everyone left. I bet you infinity dollars if you go to this show, "Send Me On My Way" is an encore and it turns into an extended jam that goes on for 15+ minutes with 12 different bongo drum solos. 
• !!! at Motorco - 05/19/13
• BACK STABBATH - Pour House - 05/31/13 are you kidding me?? look at this! You could not keep me away!!! 
• John Cale has been announced as the first official performer for Hopscotch 2013. cool. 

On the lookout:

• Grandchildren are coming back to King's - 03/09/13
• Got your ticket for Javelin at King's, 03/27/13, yet? get on it. 
• Still eyeballin' Ebsen and the Witch - (Motorco - 04/14/13) just waiting for someone else to maybe poke me and say YOU SHOULD GO and then I'll be all like... MAN, I SHOULD GO! and then I will buy a ticket. 
• Flosstradamus at Lincoln? Tempting, but true clusterfuck potential. - 05/20/13  - also $20+ to watch a dj? ...come on. 
• James Blake - Cat's Cradle - 05/13/13 - not bought a ticket yet, but yeah, most likely going.

I now have a facebook page for the blog. be sure to "like" me! Once I get to 100+ likes, I'll probably start having giveaways and such things! ....You guys Rock!

Weekly wrapup and looking ahead - week of Feb 15, 2013

Closing in on the last couple weeks of my day job and my show calendar is filling up nicely. I'm still not 100% what the future holds for me professionally, but I am working behind the scenes to try and step up the blogging and show review content... to be continued!

Local Beer, Local Band: Katharine Whelan and A Mad Affair - Tir Na Nog - 02/07/13

Not a densely attended show, once again, I will blame the weather... It was raining and cold and overall shitty out... but I finally got to see Ms. Whelan do her solo thing:

 

Seeing live music with musicians is always a completely different experience than seeing a band with buddies who just like music... I spent the majority of her set absorbing comments from Jay and Brian re: "What kind of guitar is that, that she's playing?" (a tenor guitar) and the pointing out of the U2-esque VOX amp, as you can kinda see to her left. the boys practically tripped over themselves to get up front first after her set to get the scoop.

I enjoyed the set, it was a lot more down-tempo than most, right up until the last song that kicked a little swing. I knew to expect subdued, as the only thing I've really heard from her post-SNZ's is the work she did with Stephin Merritt for the 6ths albums (ps, if you've not investigated these albums, I highly recommend "Hyacinths and Thistles"...) I'd be interested to hear recorded work, but google seaches leave me empty handed... anyone?

My Friend Valerie's band was next - A Mad Affair

A Mad Affair is basically everything that is still a little bit pure and chaste in local indie-folk music; the perfect formula of acoustic guitar, upright bass and ukelele... Valerie has always had one of the most stunning voices I have ever heard and it seems to have been created specifically for the bright, cheery, quirky Americana folk sound that these three have found together. I wish I had seen this show on a warm April Sunday afternoon outside on a porch with a Sangria and paper fan, rather than stuck in the dark dreary rainy almost midnight Irish pub... But hey, maybe that's the point, the sweetness of it all makes you a little bit warmer on the inside. Favorite moment: the cover of "Tonight You Belong to Me" from the Jerk. I was soooo waiting for that trumpet solo!!! (it didn't happen). A Mad Affair is one of those bands where, if I ever can find myself in a situation where I want to marry someone and I get that dream wedding by the lake with paper lanterns and a pig pickin', I'd love them to play.


Saturday: Gray Young in-store performance at Schoolkid's - 02/09/13

I forgot to take this after the show, I will never forgive myself.

Are you tired of hearing about Gray Young in my blog? HAHA TOO BAD. Okay seriously, if I had consistent access to U2 or Morrissey shows, the way I do to Gray Young, then you would only be seeing U2 posts. But I do not, so you see Gray Young posts...

the boys played for about 30-40 minutes worth of material from the new Album, Bonfire, which was released like... sometime... recently... I don't know... I should know. February... sometime. (I did the kickstarter thing and the guys know I am the superfan, so I've been hearing a lot of these songs for a while. and I got my vinyl copy in the mail a while back... but I did buy myself a CD version after the performance, just to cover all bases.) We also got a random Staysail song, which, I think we can all agree, is perfectly acceptable aka WONDERFUL.

Chas takes a random stroll around to browse the diverse selection of vinyl, mid-song... I AM KIDDING. he is just being awesome, as per yooshe.

I took 8,000 pictures, as is par for the course, but I feel this is the moral imperative as the self-appointed fanclub president. that being said, I REALLY LIKE THIS ONE, but it is quasi-Dopko deficient :/

I  haven't really gotten the chance to review Bonfire on the blog, but I am worried that I will come across as too gushy and biased (I am). I have thought about it since I first heard it a few weeks back, as to what I would say about it, but I keep coming to the conclusion that any attempt would be akin to a mother writing an essay about why her kid is the smartest and cutest kid in the world. 

DON'T FORGET: (Like I would let you): The CD Release Party with Wesley Wolfe and Bronzed Chorus has been rescheduled for March 29 at King's!!!

Here is how happy I am after a Gray Young show:

note: U2 shirt peeking out - unplanned but excellent!

Brian wanted me to close out my weekly review by giving the random guy playing acoustic Paul Simon cover songs, etc., in the front room at O'Malley's Pub last night. We had a brief discussion about being "that guy playing music at the front of the bar no one is looking at"... I've never been "that guy" - I am too ragingly ego-maniacal. I would break down and cause a scene, probably.

Other local music news 

(btw, anyone have any opinion or interest in the arbitrary "Just Announced shows" posts? They are fun for me to write and scoop other blogs, but I'm not sure if sticking with just the bi-weekly wrapups is the key or not. I'd be interested in your thoughts!)

• Just announced: The Black Keys and Flaming Lips at Walnut Creek, July 11. tickets on sale 02/15, or Black Keys fanclub presales go up Thursday, 02/14/13. That'd be a nice Valentines' gift, eh? I'd like to go to this and the prices seem reasonable ($30-$60) but I don't know, I was so spoiled by Hopscotch...
• WKNC has a thorough article up on their blog re: Art Lord and the Self-Portraits, who are playing their 10th anniversary show at King's Thursday night.They are playing with Lonnie Walker.  (Lonnie Walker opening for Future Islands??? WHOEVER HEARD OF SUCH A THING! - said no one ever.) Also Sam Herring (Future Islands) is playing a FREE show tonight in the front room of 506 tonight with Rapdragons and 83 Cutlass at 9pm - RANDOM!
• Brian John Mitchell aka Remora aka my boyfriend has launched a new Kickstarter campaign called "Droneuary" - "A month recording thirty hours of songs & drones of source material for Remora's new album." I couldn't be more proud. Also, it would appear that several local and not so local artists may appear on the recordings (including yours truly!)
•  This week: 
• Art Lord (aka Future Islands) at King's, Thursday (Valentine's Day) 02/14/13
• The Love Hangover at King's, Friday 02/15/13
• Caspian at Local 506, Saturday, 02/16/13

• Just Announced:
• WAVVES at King's, April 14th
• DUCKTAILS at King's, March 7th 
• FOALS in Charlotte at the Neighborhood Theater, May 1. With Surfer Blood. I gotta make this happen. I've tried to see Foals twice now. love them.They are also playing the Orange Peel in Asheville on June 12. Maybe I do both, eh???

Just announced shows and such... TWIN SHADOW

Just announced: Twin Shadow is making their (or, his - aka George Lewis Jr.'s) way back to the Triangle by way of the Cat's Cradle on Sunday, June 16. Tickets go on sale to the public 02/12/13, but there is a pre-sale via Topspin when you buy the digital album (I cannot confirm this, because i did not - anyone?) and you can buy tickets as of today.

He is splitting the bill with Elliphant - who i don't know so well, but what I'm hearing so far, i'm digging.

The tour is still in support of the last album, confess, but according to Pitchfork it has a theme: "Like his previous tours surrounding the record, this trip will have a theme: 'True Story.' On each date, either Lewis himself or his father will tell the audience a story. 'A gem from the depths of my father's life and a stone from the recent corners of mine,' Lewis wrote in a statement, 'tales retold from lovers and friends.'"

Friends of Hopscotch may recall seeing Twin Shadow in Hopscotch 2011 when he blew it up at Lincoln Theater on Friday night... I got a moment after the raging dance-party-crowd-surf extravaganza and before The Foreign Exchange took the stage to actually get a pic and setlist signed from Mr. Lewis. Opinion: Very cool guy, very excellent show. I'm looking forward to this one and hope Chapel Hill can live up to my expectations!

Here is a clip from the Hopscotch show at Lincoln, 2011:

Here is a picture of me with the man after the show:

stop looking so thrilled, twin shadow.

at this point, many friends who were not so into the hip-hop disappeared so I was running solo the rest of this night and got down and dirty w/ foreign exchange & about 200 people I did not know until it was afterparty time... this was one of my favorite Hopscotch nights ever, btw.


And here is my final recommendation: come have a dance party with me & twin shadow. holler.

Karla Anne‘s Raleigh(ish) Live Music Resource Guide for Performers and Voyeurs

This is something I was recently urged to publish by some local musicians/bands/fans... How does my music calendar stay so flush? How do I know when and where to be? How do I know the folks I know to contact when trying to get myself or other bands booked? This is a pretty basic resource guide to the resources I use to stay active in the “scene,” man.

SO YOU WANT TO PLAY A SHOW, EH?

Just you, your acoustic, and a suitcase full of dreams, right? Well, pony up, Tracey Chapman: here’s where to start. These are your bare-ass-basic Open Mic Night venues and “Hey, you got anything open on a Tuesday at 6pm?” venues. And by “venue” I mean, there is probably a mic stand somewhere in this bar. But hey, Everybody’s gotta start somewhere… if you’re in the DTR, this is where you take the big leap. Or, if you’re bored, there’s nothing going on at any of the regular hotspots, and you want to pretend you’re a music scout, go to these places... Find a cool new band before all your friends do.

Note: these are literally in no order what-so-ever... Just listed as I thought of them... Professional!

• Trali Irish Pub – Way up on Brier Creek, but they have live music on Friday and Saturday nights

• Spy – Mostly a dance club, but sometimes live mix Djs – this is mostly for the house music scene kids

• London Bridge – Same as Spy, but I have a strong booking contact here for summer concert series/hopscotch day shows or DJ sets.

• Architect – stay away on the weekends, unless for sure you know who is DJ’ing or if there is a Hip Hop Act you are looking to see. This place is bizarre. I’ve only really wound up there on a lark with the Graffiti kids to see hip hop shit. They have a secret VIP area... What?

• Royal James – So far, I’ve wandered in on two shows here. They have a pretty cute/decent setup here, excellent patio, and best art in town, but they just need a consistent scene. I don’t think it could be too hard to get a show here as they are pretty new and eager for a crowd.

• Woody’s City Market – Live music Friday nights... Email to book. I don’t know these guys, really. Sometimes there are DJs on Saturdays.

• Overtime Sports Pub – way up on New Bern almost to 540, but Acoustic Open Mic night on Thursdays and their site says “LIVE BANDS FRIDAYS” but I have never seen a band play here. Someone go play there, that would be interesting and I’m always up for decent cheese fries.

• Zydeco – (across from Woody’s in City Market) – no idea when or who plays here, but there are shows always listed on their site and I hear music coming from there all the time. A couple times this past summer they set up a live stage out in the parking lot… kinda cool.

• Napper Tandy’s – of all the Irish Pubs that swarmed DTR in the mid 2000’s, Napper’s is still my favorite. Best food, best staff, best Trivia night, and overall best. They have live music on Saturday nights and isn’t hard to get on the calendar, you just have to get in line. Also, trivia is Tuesday nights and it is the best because they have a “name that tune” round – aww yisss.

• Irregardless Café – a lot more live music is played here than you would think or than you probably remember. Check out their Google calendar, like, every day there is something. I would assume you would need to be acoustic/low key to play here, so like… Colossus, you dudes stay home… or just come for the delightful brunch.

• 42^nd Street Oyster Bar– on the Lounge side on Fridays and Saturdays. Also added bonus of freshest/best seafood in town… And now I crave crab legs.

• Loafers Beach Club – on Creekside by Longbranch. Obviously this is a Shag/Beach music club, but they do have live music. It’s just pretty freakin specific.

• Champions Mission Valley – I’m not going to post every Karaoke night in town, but this is where I go for my Karaoke (Monday nights). Tuesday nights is an open mic blues jam. Random Saturdays they have live music. Also, there is always a drum kit on stage there. It is like, a house drum kit? That is a mystery to me.

• Champions Plaza West – Over by the Harris Teeter near Warlock’s – Live music Friday nights. Sometimes.

• Brewmaster’s – (if that’s still what it’s called)Was Cherrybomb at some point, used to be Joe’s Place. They have a music calendar, sorta.

• Pickled Onion – up on Falls of the Neuse - acoustic open mic on Tuesdays, live music (sometimes) on Saturdays

• Fat Daddy’s – they have live music down in the pool hall sometimes. Not sure about open mic nights or whatnot. Check their facebook? 

• Schoolkids Records – they have an events page that is never updated, but if you like them on facebook, they have random in store shows all the time.

• Katmandu – This used to be The Comet, which used to be attached to the Brewery. Somehow, and I’m not even sure, this new little like, emo/screamo-straightedge-baby punk scene has taken it over. I wouldn’t know this except I hang out at Cup a Joe on Hillsborough street pretty much always and these kids overflow into Cup, because they don’t drink, or maybe are too young to drink. And there are always flyers on the windows of Cup now for bands, scrawled with drippy blood fonts, and named “My Uncle is trying to Kill Me” or “Wherever You Want To Eat Tonight Is Fine With Me Just Not Red Lobster Again”. I don’t understand this scene. It makes me feel old. But I keep thinking I’m going to wander over there and see what the hell is going on, I just can’t get the Care enough to do it. This bar had cornhole tournaments, Jägerbomb specials, is right across the street from East Village and was frat-central until like, a minute ago… like I said, I am clueless on this one. If anyone can clarify WTF is going on over there or can find a link to a show calendar, please comment.

• Hope Café – Part of a church, but they have live bluegrass on Thursdays and live music on Saturdays, but assume it is... Wholesome? This is south of Raleigh off Tryon, kinda near Larry’s Soul food Buffet.

• Brooklyn Heights – not been here yet, as its GloSo (Glenwood south) and I tend to avoid that shit like the plague, but they have live music often, or so their website would imply. Looks cute; I’d go.

• Mandolin – Five points-ish – over where no restaurant could ever last on the corner of Oberlin and Fairview. So far this place is getting rave food reviews, so they added a live music night on Tuesdays in their bar. I’ve not hit it up yet, but one of you guys go play, so I can check it out.

• The Oxford – I’ve never gone to a “show” here because the atmosphere, not unlike Isaac Hunters or Big Easy, is so tribal tattooish, ex-Marine, and meatheadly that I can’t handle it. And yes, I know I come off like a smarmy hipster bitch here, but I promise. I have tried to like these places; I’ve just been burned repeatedly… ANYWAY… Oxford has a live music calendar on their site. Someone is apparently booking these shows for people. You check it out. If I like you enough, I’ll go. I mean, let’s be honest, is The Oxford really gonna book like, Goner or something? No. they are not cool enough for Goner. But honestly... who is?

• Busy Bee – I dunno. Or the Hive. I’ve only really seen Hopscotch day shows here. But there is a ton of shit on their calendar all the time. Just like… not anything I care about.

• Sadlack's –Anybody can play Sadlack’s. If you don’t mind playing a show at 4pm on a Tuesday, then this is your place. but also, Sadlack’s is an institution and I will be loyal until the end. But hey - I’ve seen tons of “bigger” shows here as well. Some of my best Hopscotch day shows have been at Sad’s.  Also they have amazing food. Also Michael is the most blazingly hot bartender on earth and I am quasi-smitten with him (sorry, his wife – I kid!)

• Black Flower – I have had no luck with this place. Not seen any decent shows here, but I refuse to give up on its validity, especially now that Dive Bar has bitten dust. Their event page confuses me and I have never had a real reason to go, but I keep thinking one day I might.  

SO YOU’RE BORED BUT YOU DON’T WANT TO RISK IT AT SLIM’S WITH THE GUTTERPUNKS / HIPSTERS

Some or most of these places are actually Museums or Galleries… These places don’t always have shows, but sometimes they do. Follow them on facebook or check their sites. Or if you’re looking to book with these venues, contact them via facebook or their website. I mostly don’t have any sort of contact with these venues, but some of their events I have attended. I’ve mostly only seen live stuff at these sites for Hopscotch or Summer Concert Series.

• 18 Seaboard – mostly summer concert series in conjunction with J Betski’s, etc.

• NC Museum of Art – Blue Ridge Rd – the best are the concert/movie combos they do in the summer.  (I met Kate Pierson of the B-52s because of one of these shows – AWESOME.) I check their calendar often.

• Contemporary Art Museum (CAM) – still getting its footing, but gaining momentum. A big hit on First Fridays. Music shows there are totally arbitrary. Definitely a Hopscotch Day Show venue, though.

• Amplified Art – I’m assuming this place is still open, although I haven’t seen any shows there in like a year. Mostly a gallery, but like, a really cool Pop Art Gallery, lots of show flyers, etc.

• NCSU Stuff – Check this main, big-ass calendar for events on campus. Anything from lectures, art shows, movies, or music.

THE REGULAR SPOTS, IN ABSOLUTELY NO ORDER

I will link direct to the events pages for show-attendees

• The Nightlight (Chapel Hill) – remember this used to be the Skylight Exchange? I loved Skylight so much. Now, I don’t know. looks like someone’s basement. But folks play here. Somehow.

• The Cave (Chapel Hill) – co-owned by Slims’ folks in Raleigh. Mostly local acts, but sometimes curveballs show up.

• Chapel Hill Underground - Once upon a time this place used to be called "Hell" - don't know much about what's going here, but I am going to a show here Sunday night, so I will let you know. 

• Pinhook (Durham) – mostly local, mostly trivia night and/or the bartenders amusing themselves with random shit, but again, curveballs… I saw Shonen Knife here about a year ago… SHONEN KNIFE! Random…

• Motorco (Durham) –despite the “drama” associated with this site, I still have loyalties to it, as I helped dig it out of the ground. This venue seems to go through ups and downs, busy local acts, then nada (NFL games are the only thing on the roster?) then suddenly – WHOA! I AM GOING TO SEE MENOMENA THERE IN FEB! YAY! Random…

• Casbah (Durham) – I’ve really only gone to see friends’ bands there. When I think about Casbah, I miss Troika.

• Broad Street Café (Durham) –  I’ve seen some of the best shows of my life here. (aka Vienna Teng!) Always worth a look to see who is showing up here.  They also have an Open Mic night, but I’ve never been.

• Fullsteam Brewery (Durham) – their calendar is mostly food trucks, but I swear I’ve seen live music here before.

• Duke Coffeehouse (Durham) – not a huge venue and not often truly “booked” but some really cool stuff comes through here sometimes.

• Haw River Ballroom (Saxapahaw) – For the right act, it’s worth the drive.

• Local 506 (Chapel Hill) – 50/50 amazing shows and total doo-doo. Most of my worst AND best drunk stories about shows are somehow always centered around 506. Might have something to do with those massive PBRs they sell. (PS - dear 506, thank you for finally getting a real website calendar - love it!)

• Cat’s Cradle (Carrboro) – there is always something going here - insider info, go to the Station after the show, that's where the bands hang out, man! Sometimes they get on the "stage" (seen it happen a couple times. fun.)

Raleigh only:

• Deep South – These guys will take care of you, good people, good venue. They have Open Mics on ...Tuesdays I believe? This is one of my favorites and a good “foot in the door” to the Raleigh scene open mic night for beginners. Unless you suck, then can’t nobody save you.

• Slim’s – the launching pad for everyone, if we ever lose Slim’s, we will lose the scene. I stand firm by this belief.

• King’s Barcade – Viva Kings! If you are a carryover from the olden McDowell Street days, you know how vital King’s is to the Raleigh music scene. If you are new to the scene, then you know how vital King’s is to Raleigh music. King’s is Raleigh’s answer to Cat’s Cradle… there is always something worth seeing. I have been known many, many times to just… go, even when I have no idea who is playing. The dream is to get shows to skip Chapel Hill and come to King’s. I fight on. I will tell you guys trying to book – you will need music up online for Paul to hear first and then assume a 2-3 month lead time to confirm.

• The PourHouse – scenesters would probably refer to this as “the hippie bar”, but they have a pretty diverse schedule. Back in the day, sure, it was all Pink Floyd and Phish cover bands, but I think Hopscotch raised PH’s cred a notch or two.  As far as I know, they still have open mic on Mondays.

• Berkeley – Used to be like, a blues bar. Then Berkeley was the hub of the drum n bass/jungle/house music scene in Raleigh, and then all of a sudden (pre-Dive Bar) it was like, all hardcore shows. Now I have no idea. Like I said, I just really miss their blues open mic night. I don’t think I’ve gone to a show here specifically outside of Hopscotch … like… ever. No real reason, just no shows have drawn me here.

• Longbranch – Hey man, you never know. a few years ago I saw Jerry Lee Lewis here. and he played the piano with his ASS, therefore I will always give LB a peek.  Apparently Longbranch is drawing in this wild house/club scene. I couldn’t say for sure, as I am thoroughly not interested in a house music scene that would bloom from a country and western bar.

• Lincoln Theater – Oh, let me tirade about Lincoln for a minute… I could go on forever, but I will summarize. I think Lincoln Theater is *the* best venue in Raleigh, but I cannot figure out what the fucking problem is here? Why can they not bring in shows? The sound/board/staff/parking/everything about Lincoln blows the Cradle out of the water, but I cannot figure out why they can’t book shows? Like, someone amazing comes in about every other month and the rest of the time it serves as a glorified cover band palace. I really want to talk to their booking agent and figure out how to fix this. it makes me crazy. I love Lincoln, I want to see the better/bigger bands omit the Cradle and come to Lincoln. Let’s make this happen, people.

• Tir Na Nog – When it’s not random-ass Irish bands, this is pretty much the place we are all at on Thursday nights for Local Beer, Local Band… God Bless Tamplin.

• White Collar Crime – Crank Arm Brewing Co - Not sure if this will have show space yet or not. to open Spring 2013. Go hit their Kickstarter NOW if you haven't already :)

• Southland Ballroom – I have yet to step foot in this place, but they have the most eclectic and bizarre show calendar ever, I always check it just for the amusement factor. Maybe one day someone incredible will pop up on there – who knows???

ARE YOU FAMOUS? YOU WILL PROBABLY PLAY HERE & I DON’T KNOW WHY YOU ARE READING THIS BLOG – CALL YOUR AGENT

I have zero contacts to these places, because I am not famous. But I always check these sites for cool shows that might pop through, because you never know.

• Red Hat Amphitheater – call it whatever you want, DTR-er’s will still just keep calling it The Walt.

• Koka Booth Amphitheater – in Cary, worth the drive. Usually.

• Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts – this site lists all three of the auditoriums (Meymandi, Fletcher, Memorial) and their upcoming shows/performances

• DPAC – sometimes music, sometimes lectures/stand-up, sometimes theater, always worth a look.

• The Ritz – (was disco rodeo, was the Ritz, now the Ritz again) – they don’t have their own site, as far as I can tell. I think mostly it is like, “Cat’s Cradle Presents At...” but I’ve found ticketmaster typically lists the current bookings with tickets for sale

• Carolina Performing Arts Center – mostly classical and all snooty; but I have a weakness for “world music” and there will forever be some Ozomatli or Fela Kuti popping through on here.

• PNC Arena – I dunno. Taylor Swift. Or Hockey Games. You never know. You may just be better off trolling Ticketmaster for this venue.

• Raleigh Convention Center – check this calendar, it’s weird; sometimes there is music on it.

CATCH-ALL

This is an invaluable calendar to have bookmarked. Anything you may have missed on your radar; music, arts, theater, oddball shenanigans, festivals, etc… it’ll show up here.

Truth: I check this site every day.

• Downtown Raleigh Alliance Events Calendar

And as always, you can hit my Google Calendar to see when and where I’ll be if you’d like to stalk me or simply trust my excellent music judgment skills and tag along. 

I'm planning on this being a "living document" and I am open to suggestions, corrections or additions.