M83 at KINGS BARCADE SATURDAY NIGHT HALLOWEEN WEEKEND 2011

As much as I would like to dress up as Joan Cusack's character from sixteen candles, I don't think the seamstress in me could whip up a balarina sweater in time.   However, I may put on a leotard and go as the White Swan. Either way I will be a woman.



Entertainment of the musical variety this weekend is abundant, with one show really worth talking about.  M83, named after a galaxy or something, come from France and fall under the "Shoegaze" genre  which stems from bands who gaze at their shoes while playing. It also describes lightly sung lyrics over brash instrumentation.  These Frenchman have gained alarming success in the past five years or so in the US appealing to the younger indie rock crowd who now prefer a little techno in their rock.   As much as I despise the word "Indie", M83 can be described as such.   But, they put on one hell of a show, perfect for a Halloween weekend.

Also performing this weekend in downtown Raleigh is a truly original local outfit called Strange Lady.  Catch them at White Collar Crime Saturday night!

TURN IT UP FOR TEMPIE AT SOUTHLAND BALLROOM SAT. 10-22

An event in memory of Tempie Kitchin, a true ray of light who was taken from this world to early.  Acoustic performances from Indecision and Machine Funk last form 6-7:30 pm(for sponsors) and will be followed by a set from Machine Funk, a Widespread Panic tribute band. At 10:00 Charlottesville's   Indecision take the stage for a full set.   The musical acts and coming together of friends for Tempie is sure to be the right recipe for a marvelous night.   All proceeds go to Down East Animal Refuge ( DEAR) in Scotland Neck, NC.  Come down to the Soutland Ballroom this Saturday for an evening of friends, fun, and a great cause near and dear to the heart of the girl for whom we are celebrating.  

PSEUDO BLUE and THE MAJESTICS with DELTA 88 @ WHITE COLLAR CRIME FRIDAY 10-14

Get down to White Collar Crime in Raleigh tomorrow night for some funkdified jazz rock with Psuedo Blue and The Majestics.  Highly influenced by improvisational rock and jam bands such as Phish and The Grateful Dead, this young group of Raleigh rockers put on one hell of show.  Delta 88 opens.

ARCTIC MONKEYS @ DISCO RODEO TONIGHT

British indie rock outfit  Arctic Monkeys formed in 2002 and by 2006 were on a meteoric rise to fame.  The release of Whatever People Say I am I'm Not garnered record breaking sales in Great Britain and quickly thrust the band into the stratosphere somewhere between The Strokes and Cold Play.  An appearance on Saturday Night Live was their high water mark as the rest of the indie culture exploded with bands forming exponentially all over the US and Britain.  Not to say The Arctic Monkeys are any better or worse for the ware, but their popularity has evened out to a level manageable enough to have them on stage at The Disco Rodeo as apposed to say the RBC Center.

Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks at The Haw River Ballroom Saturday October 1 Reveiw

Stephen Malkmus, founder of the exalted and highly influential band Pavement - and an equally deified solo artist - came to visit our corner of the world last Saturday night for a show at The Haw River Ballroom in Saxapahaw, NC, just 10 minutes away from Chapel Hill.   Originally the dye house in historic Saxapahaw’s cotton mill, the venue is part of an elegant structure which also features a restaurant and coffee bar on other levels.  As far as sound and structure, the first floor was perfect for Stephen Malkmus, The Jicks, and almost any other act they choose to host down the line.

 

The always sarcastic and borderline smarmy Malkmus and his band The Jicks ran through a good deal of tracks from their latest record Mirror Traffic.  Displaying precision and the correct dose of improvisation, the talents of each band member were nicely drawn. But the hold on the audience was cast from the lofty heights of the man singing the songs.  He’s a brilliant person and a fine musician - and he knows it.   

Fans were exhilarated (myself included) for rousing renditions of older tunes such as “Real Emotional Trash”, from the album of the same name, the raucous “Baby C’mon’ and the upbeat adventurous groove of “The Hook”.  Trading sarcastic chatter with blonde bassist Johanna Bolme, and ripping solos with guitarist and keyboardist Mike Clark, the connectivity of The Jicks surrounded him like a suit of armor.  Stephen Malkmus can wax smart ass and dodge a bullet while playing a song.  And The Jicks could too.  Moments of improvisation, such as bits from “Deal” by The Grateful Dead and the Doors’ “Mojo Risin” popped in during Real Emotional Trash, dramatized the group’s ever-present solidarity in the face of Steve’s whimsy.   

All bands have that, I suppose, but to stay on point with Malkmus takes guts.  They encored with a cover of the 1970’s classic “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” by Looking Glass, which had the crowd going nuts, but then brought it down for a heart wrenching “Trojan Curfew”, an adored song from his first album sans Pavement. The show concluded with Jimmy Hendrix’s rock anthem “Wild Thing” retooled with lyrical changes from Malkmus and teases of Simon and Garfunkle’s “Feelin’ Groovy”-another homerun return from a Steven Malkmus curveball.