Future Shows of Note

Monday 10/12 - The Pomegranates & Motor Skillz - Local 506 (Indie/Electronica)
Thursday 10/21 - Mount Moriah - Tir na Nog (Americana/Folk)

Music Picks for remainder of week & Week of October 4

Hey all! Got some great shows on tap over the next 10 days.... Check out the list below and check back for more details on the bands including links and info.
Now get out there and Support the Raleigh Music Scene!

Thurs Sept 30:
Craig Thompson - Hibernian Raleigh (Folk/Country)
Schooner / Luego - Tir na Nog (Indie)
**Papadosio - Pourhouse (Eletronica/Jam)
Stella Lively - Slims (Folk)

Friday Oct 1:
Doco/Zegg - Pourhouse (Funk/Reggae)
Way Down Town - Seaboard Station (Bluegrass)

Saturday Oct2:
Mad Tea Party / Straight 8's / Stella Lively - Pourhouse (Folk/Rockabilly)
**Ethnographers - The Brewery (Indie)

Sunday Oct 3:
Kim Richey - Berkeley Cafe (Folk/Roots)

Monday Oct 4:
Revolution! - Lincoln Theatre (Hi Energy Circus & Electronica/Dance)
**The National - Memorial Auditorium (Indie)

Wednesday Oct 6:
Peter Lamb & The Wolves - Humble Pie (Jazz)

Thursday Oct 7:
Bumble feat DJ Thien - Busy Bee (Electronica)

Friday Oct 8:
Yo Mama's Big Phat Booty Band & Wax Planet - Pourhouse (Jam/Funk)
The Annuals & Ryan Gustafson - Kings (Indie)
**New King Rippers - Sadlacks (Dixieland Jazz)

Saturday Oct 9:
Bowerbirds - Kings (Indie)
**New King Rippers - 42nd Street (Dixieland Jazz)
Vandaveer - Cats Cradle (Indie)

Sunday Oct 10:
Assylum Street Spankers - Berkeley Cafe (Jam/Jazz/Funk)
Madeline Shaw - House Party, Parker St (Folk/Country)

I'm Baaack!!!!

Hey All!!!

I've had some crazy crazy crazy stuff going on the last couple of weeks so I appologize in being remiss with my postings. I promise I'm gettin back in the saddle - it's beeen crazy stuff trying to almost single handedly organize the music for a festival with 2 main and 1 intermediate stages - 20+ bands and performance slots - plus an afterparty and such.... Crazy stuff compacted into a week - on top of that, I'm starting a new job - so all the crap that goes with that.... Crazy is most definitely putting it lightly....

I'll be posting here shortly - stay tuned for this weekend's music picks!

Hopscotch - Day 2 - Music Picks

Ok, Here it is, - make sure you pick your shows and get to the venues EARLY! - The crowds are packing it out - esp the smaller venues: Berkeley, The Hive, Deep South and to a lesser extent, Pour House and Kings...

The Rosebuds (Indie) - City Plaza 8-10
The Monologue Bombs (Alt Indie) - Deep South 9-10
Jon Mueller (Electronica) - Kings 9:30-10:30
Veelee (Alt Indie) - Busy Bee 10:30-11:30
Erin McKeown - Deep South 11-12
Caitlyn Cary's Small Ponds and Tres Chicas - Deep South 12-1
Atlas Sound - Kings - 12:30-1:30

Hopscotch - Day One - Best of

All I have to say is if day one is any indication, Hopscotch is going to be a smashing success!
All the venues were PACKED. It is simply crazy - make sure you know where you are going because it is really hard to get into and out of the venues.....

Stars of Day 1:

All Tiny Creatures - Amazing... Simply amazing - great material. Crisp, clear, easy to follow and a masterful electronica light... I was very impressed.

Future Islands - Again - Really Really good and they whipped the crowd into a frenzy in no short order... Easily the craziest set of the night....

Collections of Colonies of Bees - Nice light electronica - was not expecting this Electro/New Wave - but great great stuff!

Grand Prize Award Winner: JAVELIN!
These guys ROCKED!!! Talk about a two man army - holy crap! My clothes are still shaking.... It was a sweat drenched, block rockin beat session - havent had one of those in a while!

Hopscotch Listening Guide - Day 1

All,

Today is a great lineup for the 1st day of Hopscotch. I'll be covering the Eletronic sets at PourHouse and Berkeley but here are some great picks for the 1st day:

All Tiny Creatures - Pourhouse (Experimental Light Electronica/Indie) 9:30-10:30
Midtown Dickens - Deep South (Folk/Indie) 10-11
Amercian Aquarium - Lincoln Theatre (Folk/Roots) 11-12
Javelin - Berkeley Cafe - (Electronica) 11:30-12:30
Future Islands - Berkeley Cafe (Electronica) 12:30-2am

All further info can be at:
www.hopscotchmusicfest.com

Music Picks for Week of 6 September

All,

The word of the Week is HOPSCOTCH!! Rest up and get ready because EVERYTHING will be here on Thursday..... Be Sure to catch the free day shows at several venues around the city - most notably Kings on all days.... This is Raleigh's first crack at a legitimate Full-Blown music festival... Come out and support it!

I will likely write up a little (music lovers) guide tomorrow so that you all have the ease of navigating the plethora of music over the 4 days...

Thanks and enjoy while I am here stuck in the rail of Tropical Strom Hermine!

-joe

Music Picks for Thursday - Sept 2

*HOT*HOT* Delta Rae & Bird and Arrows - Berkeley Cafe (Folk/Indie)
One of my personal faves - Delta Rae is performing with another very good band - Birds and Arrows.. This is going to be great night at the Berk!
Birds and Arrows is a Chapel Hill based trio that has folk indie sound drenched in the amazing soulful vocals of Andrea Connolly. This is a great relaxing sound that makes for some easy listening - and you can focus on the musicianship (the cello is a very nice touch as well). The music and the vocals seem to complement each other - and Andrea's talented voice reminds you of shades of Indigo Girls or Tift Merritt... This is a great opener for Delta Rae - heck, I would reccomend you seeing them if they we playing solo - they are that good
www.myspace.com/bidsandarrows
Delta Rae is a Durham based quartet (by way of California) - the Holjes kids (two brothers and a sister) along with family friend Elizabeth Hopkins, have created a dynamite sound and are truly a vocal powerhouse. Brittany and Elizabeth's vocals are really world-class and their chemistry and talents have you thinking of other close-knit bands like Fleetwood Mac or Mamas & The Papas... This is a HOT band that will be on the big stage one day - its a matter of when - not if....
www.myspace.com/deltaraemusic
Check out Bottom of the River on You Tube - it will give you chills when Brittany hits the high notes....

Soft Company & Houston Bros - Tir Na Nog (Indie/Experimental)
As part of the Local Beer Local Band series, the fine folks at Tir Na Nog have brought us two bands from the Charlotte area.
Houston Bros is of particular interest as they are in the new wave, electronic, indie experimental scene and their brand of music is particularly interested and played with great enthusiasm and skill. It is most certainly an interesting sound and I highly reccomend checking it out if the above show does not grab your interest....
Soft Company is more in the mold of the idie/new age genre - and comes off as bit like an unpolished Bjork - very good - very interesting with crisp, clear sounds.. This style works for this genre and it's quite good... The band has done an excellent job melding the vocals and varios guitar and keayboard music to create a pretty solid - downbeat sound that is easy to listen to - yet complex if you really want to pay attention and concentrate.. Either way its going to be a great show and I'm just disappointed that I cant be in two places at the same time...
www.houstonmusic.com
www.myspace.com/softcompany

Review - Stonehoney and Craig Thompson Plus Peter Lamb & The Wolves

Last night I caught two great shows. Craig Thompson of "Old Habits" did a solo act prior to Austin based Stonehoney... Craig was absolutely amazing on guitar and vocals. He has a stage presence with the talent to back it up. A great quick set for him that was truly amazing.... It was my first time seeing Stonehoney and so I was wondering what I was in for... After a slow start, the band round it's groove and treated us to a powerful set of originals and old Texas hits. These 5 guys - 4 guitarists and a drumer can belt it out in a variety of levels as each one of the guitarists will take over lead vocals depending on song... Their Alt Country Roots Rock sound has a twang of pop dashed in for good effect and you know what? It works.... Very very impressive set and I look forward to having these guys back in Raleigh soon....

The 2nd concert of the night was Peter Lamb & The Wolves... What more can I say about these guys - they are the standard bearer of the Raleigh Traditional Jazz scene... I also must say that Peter is very creative with getting different local musicians involved to come and sit in with the band - giving them a different feel each time... Brilliant and a great bi-monthly gig for them, us the regulars and Raleigh...