This weekend has a lot of great things going on, especially at the area’s local venues. Some highlights:
Friday, Feb. 27
Harvey Milk with Black Skies & Pontiak at Local 506, 8 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 28
Xiu Xiu at the Coffeehouse, 9:30 p.m.
Appetite for Destruction at Cat’s Cradle
Sunday, March 1
Ben Kweller with the Watson Twins at Cat’s Cradle, 9 p.m.
Thriving Ivory, Barcelona and Company of Thieves at Local 506, 8 p.m.
Des_Ark and Yardwork at Nighlight, 10 p.m.
Here is the second part of our celebration of the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill music scene. Again, the list is not ranked. For part one, check here.
The Eye-Opener at BCHQ – August 2, 2008
A few of BCHQ’s board members work on a project to promote transgender awareness across the globe, specifically focusing on the Hijra communities in India. To help the cause locally, they put together a day-long festival in a sticky August day that included a bevvy of local artists (Mount Moriah, Des Ark, Megafaun, Embarrassing Fruits, etc.) and a vegan brunch. But the best moment of the day came at the end when the Mountain Goats’ John Darnielle gave the best endorsement ever of his current hometown. His numbers might be a little bit off, but someone in Durham needs to hire him to promote the city.
Two-thirds of Megafaun and all of Bowerbids sing with the Rosebuds' Kelly Crisp at NC Rocks for Change. Photo by Andrew Hibbard
The Triangle played host to plenty of great music events in 2008, drawing names like the Silver Jews, Wilco, Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes and Spoon. But there was also a rich local music scene. Unranked but in chronological order, here are some of 2008′s best moments in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area.
The Dodos & Megafaun at BCHQ – March 28, 2008
This San Francisco duo on Frenchkiss had a huge year in 2008, topping several year-end lists. But the fact that they stopped at BCHQ instead of 506 or the Cradle was a power move for the small venue. To boot, the Dodos followed Silje Nes and Megafaun was the last to play. The Durham trio might not have been headlining, but playing last makes it seem like they were. Regardless, it was still a great show.
Arcade Fire and Superchunk Rock for Obama – May 2, 2008
It’s no secret that Mac McCaughan is an Obama fan. So when 90s Chapel Hill rockers Superchunk joined up with the Arcade Fire to put on a free show right before the North Carolina primary, it was a huge deal. In part, because Arcade Fire only played a handful of shows in 2008. But also because Superchunk shows are a special treat whenever they come–and Superchunk’s awesome kids stole the show. (more…)
Pictured: Shearwater at The Parish in Austin, TX. Courtesy Dallas Observer.
Last Saturday marked the first event at the Duke Coffeehouse since it’s re-opening, offering a line up of mostly acoustic folk music (there were two banjos!). Headlining was former Okkervil River singer Jonathan Meiburg, now with his new band Shearwater. I arrived at the end of the first set, where I caught The Tourist forgetting the words to the last song he played. I still can’t figure out if this was on purpose.
The re-vamped space offered more seating than normal, three people could fit on one bean bag couch. The granite counter was also filled with people. Money well spent indeed. Next up was Aimee of Des Ark, deciding to play a stripped-down set at the coffeehouse while the rest of her band playing at Bull City Headquarters. She sat on a seat so close to the crowd that I could feel the ground quake every time she stomped her boots. After her first song, she announced that she was worried about her singing voice because she was watching 30 Rock for hours the day before and has the habit of picking up quirky accents of voices she hears a lot. She was the only person in the room concerned about her voice. Still, a part of me is sad she didn’t try and cover Muffin Top.
Regardless of whether or not you like Shearwater, listening to Jonathan Meiburg’s voice will make you quake and tremble as you feel the emotion coursing through his words. One moment his songs are frail and sad, the next they are seething with rage. His voice, featured in its full range on nearly every song, combines eerily soft tones with a piercing falsetto while managing to weave in a story. This is never more evident than on his track “Leviathan, Bound.” He mentioned afterwards that the words were inspired by the film Blue Water, White Death, documenting a whaling crew searching the oceans for the world’s largest predator. Listening to Meiburg’s set on Saturday, I don’t think there is a more appropriate visual.
.jpg)