Okkervil River was one of my last musical discoveries in Chicago — Lani and Linney and I saw them open for the Decemberists at the Metro, on the Picaresque tour, before Black Sheep Boy had even come out. I saw them four times in four months in 2005, four startlingly different venues — a sold-out…
Tag: lead singers
the biters & the booze @ local 506
Atlanta’s ’70s garage rockers the Biters and Stones-esque label mates the Booze have a couple of things in common, besides their home on Underrated Records; the first and foremost being that both bands do what they do — rock, hard, and unironically — in ways that a whole lot of people don’t these days. Sure,…
the love language @ haw river ballroom
The community out in Saxapahaw — an old cotton mill town on the Haw River, about 20 miles west of the Thrill — is doing some incredible things. Last night was the grand opening of the Haw River Ballroom, a massive live music venue in one of the old cotton mill buildings, all high ceilings…
the menzingers @ the brewery
Man, okay, I’ve lived here how many years now and never gone to the Brewery before this. Partially that’s because at this point, years removed from solo Ryan Adams shows immediately pre-Whiskeytown implosion, they mostly book four and five band punk and hardcore bills that, prior to yesterday, I had zero interest in. But since I…
dale earnhardt jr jr @ local 506
— If you put Pet Sounds and Portishead’s Dummy in a blender, Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr is the metaphorical salad dressing that would result, and I don’t just think that because they do a loopily lovely and genuine cover of “God Only Knows” as a staple of their set. — Sense memory, recent: Ash’s brother B….
dawes @ cat’s cradle
Another day, another headliner I’m completely ignorant about: this time it was Southern California indie rockers Dawes, who I had at least heard of, this time around. I had this nagging feeling I’d seen them before — opening for someone, maybe, but who? — but no photos to verify this feeling, and I certainly knew…
two cow garage @ kings
My beloved Two Cow Garage is touring as a three piece these days; subtract the keys, and their punk rock roots — and I wrapped myself up in Black Flag and I flew it as my own — start showing in a completely obvious way. They played for a scorching hour last night, Micah and…
onward, soliders @ local 506
Wilmington’s Onward, Soldiers are one of those superbly talented young bands that it quickly becomes a delight to watch grow up and blow up; they haven’t, yet, but they’ve played the Triangle relentlessly in 2011 after saturating their own coastal market, and they have the same edge to them, on stage, in their songwriting, in their…
sinful savage tigers @ johnny’s
As recently as last summer, I would groan and grouch and roll my eyes at shows in strange venues; the light is wonky, or the background is awful, or everyone is sitting down and I feel totally awkward standing on the side of the stage taking photos. Sometime in the last year that changed —…
bull city undercover
Bull City Undercover — three nights of locals doing cover sets by a single artist of their choosing — has its roots in the old scene at the old Kings, but I, for one, am thrilled that Tamplin brought it over to Motorco with him when he left Tir Na Nog; it was a funny,…
brand new kind of photography 