HOPSCOTCH MUSIC FESTIVAL 2011 IS HERE!

That's right folks, the second annual Hopscotch Music Festival cranks up tomorrow with around 50 musical acts from all over the country performing in clubs and venues strewn across the downtown Raleigh area. This event is monumental in that Raleigh's history will be forever changed because such an eclectic celebration of music is  happening and will continue to grow right here.  This festival is certainly easy to describe as an "indie" music festival, but I see it as much more.  It is, in fact, a declaration that Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel hill is a fertile breeding ground for the past , present, and future of music. Bands and fans should not only recognize that fact, but also flock to our great city to take part in such an occasion.

I look forward to absorbing as much new music as humanly possible which should be no problem, as I've hardly heard 1/3 of them, save a a single off of a blog or on 88.1. 

Chapel Hill's Spider Bags are set to play the Lincoln Theater as well as  Raleigh's the Love Language-two bands who have made waves in the triangle and beyond.  Atlanta's  Black Lips are "headlining" if you chose to use that word, but I'm guessing the theatrical punk rockers from Georgia are stoked to share the stage with their triangle brethren.

Over at Fletcher Opera Hall , singer songwriter Steve Gunn, composer and avaunt guard musician Rhys Chatham, Australian cult band The Necks  and Dinosaur Juinor's Jay Mascis are on the bill. This lineup exemplifies the fact that this music festival is not pigeonholed by one single genre.

The Pour House welcomes  Prurient, Oneohtrix Point Never, Weekend, and Cold Cave.  these bands fall under the experimental and synth pop genres, so If you're into chilled out techo brushed beats and the like, I suggest camping out at The Pour House.

Scheduled to perform at The Berkley Cafe on Martin Street Man Will Destroy Himself, Durham's Hog, Brooklyn's minimalist rockers Slasher Risk, and San Francisco  noise rock outfit  Oxbow.


Also performing Thursday evening:

VENUE
Tir Na Nog Irish Pub

Twelve Thousand Armies, Tender Fruit, Cheyenne Marie Mize, and Fan Modine.

VENUE
The Hive at Busy Bee

Jack the Radio, Dustin Wong, Reading Rainbow, and electronic duo Ford and Lopatin.

VENUE
Slim's

Super Vacations, PC Worship, XRay Eyeballs, and JEFF the Brotherhood. 

VENUE
Five Star:

Yair Yona, Black Twig Pickers, Frank Fairfield, and William Tyler.

VENUE
Kings Barcade

Dinosaur Feathers, Lower Dens,  Grandchildren , Woodsmen, and Lonnie Walker.

VENUE
Deep South

Bustello, Invisible Hand, Apache Dropout, and Empress Hotel.


VENUE
 White Collar Crime

Oulip, Le Weekend, Xiu Xiu, Dan Melchior Und Das Menace.

VENUE
The Union

Cassis Orange, Yardwork, Filthy Bird, Mandolin Orange.