durham be easy: upright lions, originally uploaded by minervacat.

We pulled a doubleheader last night, starting with Durham Be Easy where we caught some absolutely killer hip hop and a John Darnielle solo set (“Hi! We’re the Mountain Goats.”) and strengthened our resolve to hang out in Durham more, continuing through a rage-inducing construction-related traffic jam on I-40 between RDU and Raleigh at 11pm on a Friday, and finishing with a late American Aquarium set in Raleigh at the Pour House.

I knew the Triangle was hiding a hip-hop scene somewhere, I just didn’t know where to even start looking. Both groups we caught last night — Language Arts and UpRight Lions — were out of this world talented. I struggle to shoot hip hop groups because the stage aesthetic is totally unlike what I’m used to in live music, and I don’t have very many chances to improve, so any are welcome especially when the music’s fantastic on top of it. And, you know, we saw a free Mountain Goats set ten miles from the Alpha Site and had a sing-along to “This Year” with about 100 other people in the Durham Armory at the end of it. Which is only one way in which the NC is better than wherever you live.

Except for the fucking hipsters. John Darnielle is a funny motherfucker, you assholes, laugh when he tells jokes. (This was not the only problem with the hipsters last night, but it’s the only one I can verbalize without stroking out from rage.) It’s like when you refused to dance to the Hold Steady last summer. What are you, pod people? Who fails to dance to Craig Finn losing his shit on stage? Relatedly, all the undergrads are back. For about ten minutes three weeks ago I was looking forward to this, because town seemed sort of empty, but I have changed my mind. I would like to return all of them, please. All thousands and thousands of them.