HEARTLESS BASTARDS this Thursday March 1 at Cat's Cradle

Around 2003, Cincinnati Ohio's Heartless Bastards formed and took the indie rock scene by storm ( hey, that rhymed.)  Led by Erika Wennerstrom  who's vocals can best be described as "buzz saw like", the quartet produces a sound unlike any other. An intoxicating  blend of soaring lap steel and guitar with catchy chord progressions and Wennertstom's gargled concrete voice hits hard and leaves listeners dumfounded  After the release of  All This Time in 2005 (a great year for music), Heartless Bastards were flying high, surpassing the White Stripes among other huge acts on many "best of " lists around the country.

The first time I heard "The Mountain", one of their more popular songs, I had no doubt in my mind that the person singing (Erika Wennerstrom) was a dude.   After seeing them a few times over the years, I can personally verify that they put on one hell of a show.  See them at Cat's Cradle this Thursday night.

THIS WEEKEND February 24th and 25th

This Friday evening at White Collar Crime , Raleigh guitarist Mike Herrigan and his band The Ramblers will take the stage for their second performance the rapidly expanding rock club downtown.  Herrigan hones in his musical talent from influences including Phish, Widespread Panic, The Allman Brothers, and many more among the Jam Band genre.  If anything, this show will indeed have everyone moving and shaking.  Local musician from Raleigh bands such as Burgeon and Waylandsphere will join the Ramblers on Bass and vocals.  

At Kings Barcade catch The Infamous Sugar, Torpor, Noncanon and Lazy Janes:  Friday 2-24 at 9:30

At The Local 506 in Chapel Hill check out Other Lives and WIM: Friday 2-24 at 9:00 

THE OATMEAL CONSPIRACY at WHITE COLLAR CRIME FRIDAY 2-17

Get down to White Collar Crime this Friday evening for a performance from Raleigh's finest funk, rock and soul outfit THE OATMEAL CONSPIRACY!

Led by saxophonist Mitchell Morton, TOC has created a major buzz for themselves playing relentlessly  around the triangle for the better part of decade.  With a sound all their own, meshing pop, jazz, rock and funk with great song writing, the quartet always has the audience on their feet. The latest addition to the group, bassist Matt Levine,  has fortified this with his slap heavy thumps and clever play on the fret board.

The Oatmeal Conspiracy is out supporting their new EP, I Just Have Did, available on I-tunes.

JAZZ AT KINGS THIS THURSDAY 2-16

AL STRONG AND THE ART OF COOL PROJECT PRESENTS:  LOCAL JAZZ SHOWCASE FEATURING MAVIS "SWAN" POOLE, JEREMY "BEAN" CLEMONS, SOUL UNDERSTATED AND DJ SPCLGST. 

Trumpeter Al Strong leads this all star team of jazz musicians, many of  whom are part of the incredible jazz tradition of UNC Central.  Strong is a highly revered musician and has worked with artists and musicians of the highest ilk. 

This performance presents a rare opportunity to experience Jazz at it's finest in a club setting in Raleigh.  KINGS BARCADE; THURSDAY FEB. 16

SECOND CITY AT CAROLINA THEATER THIS SAT 12-11

Originally founded in  Chicago with an expansion to Toronto nearly 50 years ago, The Second City was an original breeding ground for improvisational comedy.  The Careers of John Candy, Rick Moranis, Dan Akroyd, Chris Farley and many more comedy heavyweights began at the Second City. Still fully functioning in over 5 cities, the company is training and molding young comedians and actors into the next big stars of comedy, be it on television, stage or the big screen.

The Second City tour is performing at The Carolina Theater this Saturday evening.  Who knows, you may see the next Will Ferrell or Chevy Chase live. 

THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS ARE COMING !

 Fond memories of singing They Might Be Giants songs like "Istanbul is Constantinople",  "Birdhouse in your Soul" and "Don't Let's Start" warm my heart.  They were something new and different to me like the Butthole Surfers or Ween.  Nerds armed with accordions teaching geography lessons?  Yes please.

Since their inception in the early 1980's, the two Johns ( Linnell and Flansburgh)  have, in many ways, paved the way for nerdy alternative rockers.  Combining razor sharp wit with off the wall humor and peculiarly authentic musicianship, TMBG had their moment in the limelight in the early days of MTV. 

They remain today as low key legends of true pioneering in the world of alternative music.

Yet they've had immense success releasing two albums of children's music. One garnered a Grammy award and   a second Grammy was awarded to the duo in 2002 for "You're not the Boss of Me", the theme song  of  TV show Malcolm in the Middle.  

Catch THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS at The Lincoln Theater Wednesday February 15th.

BURNING BRIGHT AT WHITE COLLAR CRIME TONIGHT 1-27

Happy New Year! TRIBUTE BANDS!

Tis the season for a serious lack of attendance-worthy original music in the area, hence the tribute bands such as Led Zeppelin copycats, Zoso -  performing January 13 and 14 atThe Lincoln Theater in Raleigh - and  Abbey Road (take a wild guess who they parrot)  are simultaneously performing at Cat's Cradle in Carrboro.   So, basically you can tell yourself The Beatles and Led Zeppelin are playing the same two nights in your town. And deciding which one to go see will be a decision made based solely on the deepest and most serious meditation.  Beatles or Zep?  Beatles or Zep?  Maybe I could make it to the Beatles and Led Zeppelin in the same night! Why not?

I had the pleasure of catching ZOSO several years ago at a private party and noted the Robert Plant playing front man behaved as if he were actually the man himself; demanding drink, drugs and women to be delivered to him at once!  As if he and Jimmy, Bonzo, and the boys had just skidded down the runway in their private 747.  Sorry pal,  there might be some left over Cheeto Dust in the van next to the Bush Lite and sleeping bags.  

It's not that I don't appreciate the value of a band thriving on the creativity and art of others artists.  Music is something of a shared endeavor anyway. And, if these tribute or cover bands make people jump for joy in nostalgic ecstasy, more power to them.  I just feel that the characters being played should simply be left on stage with the memories. 

Humorist, music journalist and Author Chuck Klosterman does a bang up job describing tribute bands in an essay included in Chuck Klosterman IV: A Decade of Curious People and Dangerous Ideas.  I highly recommed reading this essay, if not all of his work

ORGANOS with BOYKILLER and THE BIG PICTURE Friday 12-16 at WHITE COLLAR CRIME

All together, the music of Carboro's Organos creates a sparse landscape with each note of each instrument and vocal separate  from each other.  Singer Maria Albani's deadpan delivery blends well with the minimal selection of accompanying sounds and tastefully puts her "ha's"  and "huff's" in the right spot.  It all comes together as a tightly woven blanket of low key, high impact alternative rock.  Catch them with Boykiller and THE BIG PICTURE this Friday night at White Collar Crime on East Davie Street.

WOODS with MMOSS and PHIL COOK and his FEAT @ KINGS BARCADE 12-15

Brooklyn based lo-fi folk rock band, Woods will make their Raleigh debut at Kings Barcade tomorrow night.  Out supporting their fifth record, Sun and Shade, Woods is a band which brings it all to the table.  Melodically enticing in all their offerings, the back drop to some of their frenzied foreground is reminiscent of The Brain Jonestown Massacre but stands on it's own with tough originality.

MMOSS and PHIL COOK and his FEAT will open.