A few weeks into the semester, the Duke Coffeehouse has released its schedule and it is excellent. Phosphorescent, Thao and the Get Down Stay Down and Durham’s own John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats will be making stops. Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu has also rescheduled his cancelled show from last semester. K Records is also sending Mahjongg Sound out and the hotly anticipated (at least for me) new Hammer No More the Fingers album will drop at the Coffeehouse.
Feb. 12 – K records recording artist Mahjongg Sound
Feb. 28 – Jamie Stewart (of Xiu Xiu)
March 19 – the Mountain Goats (solo), John Vanderslice (solo)
March 21 – Battle of the Bands
March 26 – Phosphorescent, Deertick
March 28 – Katastrophe, Athens Boy Choir, Midtown Dickens
April 4 – Hammer No More the Finger’s Viking Storm CD Release Party
April 10 & 11 – Inside Joke (Duke Sketch Comedy Group)
April 18 – Thao and the Get Down Stay Down
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.
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When I spoke with E. Duncan Webster for a Troika preview, bassist for Hammer No More the Fingers, my opinion of a band that I already loved soared to new heights. Completely unassuming, he epitomized “chill.” He, and I assume the rest of the band, possess an unadulterated, youthful exuberance about music.
In addition to listing the obvious band names constantly considered influencers of HNMTF-the Pixies, Archers of Loaf, Superchunk, Blankface and Polvo-Webster listed his contemporaries and friends-Red Collar, I Was Totally Destroying It, etc. But this wasn’t mindless name-dropping. It was earnest enthusiasm about the Triangle music scene. And it went beyond that. He told me Deerhoof is one of the band’s biggest influencers at present. Here’s his take on their Oct. 28 performance at the Cradle:
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