Photos From KISS @ WALNUT CREEK July 22

The one and only photograpger extraordinaire Jack Morton shot some amazing  pics of Kiss in action at Walnut Creek July 22.  The 63 year old rockers did what they do best: rock out for their hoards of devoted fans known as The Kiss Army!  

NEW CRYSTAL CASTLES TRACK FROM FORTHCOMING ALBUM

"PLAGUE" ,  an early release from Great Britain's elctro-emotional duo whose sound was once described as "ferocious, asphyxiating sheets of warped two-dimensional Gameboy glitches and bruising drum bombast that pierces your skull with their sheer shrill force, burrowing deep into the brain like a fever" by Jack Shankly, a writer for Brit website Drowned in Sound.   An acquired taste for many, but top of the menu for young fans of the overwhelming presence of electronic music with a message.  Get a sneak peek at their upcoming 3rd record to be released later this year

  

This Weekend at WHITE COLLAR CRIME

FRIDAY Raleigh's favorite talented and tasteful jam rockers, Strange Lady, hits the stage at White Collar to perform a variety of kick ass songs from Phish, Ween, Grateful Dead and more.  Webb Bostic and the boys put on what some describe as a "miniaturized version of seeing your favorite band live".  When Strange Lady comes to play, they blow the place apart.  Get down to White Collar Crime FRIDAY NIGHT and dance your ass off.

Saturday evening Charleston's own Gaslight Street will take the stage.  Campbell Brown leads his southern funk and rock band through every song with  precision and authentic bluesmanship.  Get ready for The Allman Brothers with a horn section.   This performance is something for all you guys and girls who stay at home on Saturday night for no good reason.  The fun of funk and jam bands is something I put away years ago and I don't know why.  Gaslight Street reminds me of my younger days when whatever music got my head boppin' was the music for me.

Be at White Collar Crime Saturday night for this special performance.   



Singer / songwriter of the highest ilk, MAC LEAPHART opens.

CHUCK PROPHET AT THE BERKELY CAFE TUESDAY 7-17

The one and only Chuck Prophet is gracing Raleigh with his presence Tuesday night.  His roaring guitar play is something  that can only be compared to  the brilliantly gritty  words he uses to express his take on  love, war, friendship and the human condition in general.  Often likened to Bruce Springsteen, Prophet has his finger on the pulse of blue -collar middle Americans and sings righteously to the their state of mind. Be it the downtrodden desperation of " You and Me Baby (Holding  On)" or the upbeat reminiscent joy of "Summertime Thing", Prophet sinks into your soul and sticks like glue.  He possesses that uncanny ability to take listeners on a journey into the careless  wonder of childhood, through the the trials and tribulations ( both bad and good) of adolescence, on to the stark reality of being a cynical  grown up and back again.  Live, we get to see just how great of a guitar man, story teller and band leader Chuck Prophet is.

See CHUCK PROPHET at THE BERKLEY CAFE TUESDAY NIGHT. 

ROGER WATERS: THE WALL- MONDAY NIGHT! HOLY SHIT!

Founding member of Pink Floyd, Roger Waters, has successfully held on to his dream of sharing his  masterpiece with the world, again .  The Wall is a double album and feature length film born from the creative mind of Waters with assistance from guitarist David Gilmore and the rest of Pink Floyd band in the late 1970's.    The film and it's songs follow a story line which parallels one man's struggle through stardom, insanity and being a demigod with the slow construction of a mental wall which separates himself from the normal, functioning world. Horrific flashbacks, some in cartoon form, from his troubled childhood are woven  throughout the picture which are now household symbols to anyone who's ever heard of Pink Floyd or The Wall.   The child grows up to rock star and full on  Hitleresque  leader who spews racist and fascist propaganda  to his adoring fans and followers.  The music is spectacular and the film stands today as an enigmatic projection of musical and cinematic brilliance.


    

Roger Waters left the band with The Wall in his pocket, shopping it all over the world with whatever financing he could scrape together while Pink Floyd continued on selling out stadiums.  It was stated on a recent episode of 60 Minutes regarding Waters' new tour that, at one point, he was performing The Wall (among other solo efforts) to audiences of less than 2,000 while Pink Floyd was selling out Giants Stadium.  Admittedly, a healthy dose of Schadenfreude fills me here as Waters was and is a raging egomaniac who essentially dismantled one of the greatest bands to ever exist. However, in 1990 he put together a truly spectacular event at which The Wall was presented most majestically and timed perfectly  in accord with the world climate.  It was 1989 and the Berlin Wall had fallen, freeing East Germany and everyone else suffering behind the soul crushing oppression of the Iron Curtain.  Waters was approached by rock merchandising persona, Mick Worwood about performing The Wall to benefit the  Memorial Fund for Disaster Relief.  Hesitantly, he agreed under the condition that this performance was in no way associated with Pink Floyd.  And so The Wall: Live in Berlin was on track to come alive in 1990 at Potzdamer Platz , a no mans land on the East side of the crumbled Berlin Wall.   The show was pure magic.




The likes of Van Morrison, Cyndi Lauper, Marianne Faithful, Brian Adams, members of The Band ( and among others) offered their voices. Several actors including Albert Finney and Tim Curry took on the characters, perfectly filling the empty spaces where the original Pink Floyd once played and the  film actors appeared.  The stage production for The Wall: Live in Berlin was like nothing ever seen before, bursting with animation, pyrotechnics and props. History was made with more than 200,000 people in attendance.

Something along those lines is going down at The PNC Center Monday night. I'm not expecting Van the man to be there or anything.

HEADS ON STICKS SATURDAY JUNE 30 @ WHITE COLLAR CRIME

Get down to White Collar Crime this Saturday for a major music event featuring Raleigh's own HEADS ON STICKS!  

Also performing:  GROHG plus CHAMP DUMP !

JEANNE JOLLY @ THE BERKLEY CAFE FRIDAY JUNE 29th

I tend to describe Jeanne Jolly, her voice and her countenance as "incomparable" for good reason.  Her days performing with Grammy Award winning trumpeter Chris Botti,  followed by her transformation into a bona fied "country" singer  was something I had the  distinct pleasure of  absorbing.  Her music as well as her glowing and giving personality always had a profound affect on me.   One of the first reviews I had the honor of publishing was about her first EP, Falling in Carolina..  Her singing inspired me to take a bolder step toward writing about music and for that I am eternally indebted to her and her gift as a singer / songwriter.  Since Falling in Carolina, Jolly has successfully continued to hone her craft and establish herself as a vocalist of the highest order.  




It would be remiss of me not to take this opportunity to plug her latest effort: A home run rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Halleluiah", made all her own by the power she possesses vocally in union with her desire to raise awareness for a cause near and dear to her heart.   Please take a moment to visit Jeanne Jolly's website , download the track and give it your full attention.  All proceeds go to The  Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.

SEE JEANNE  JOLLY with CHRIS BOERNER, ALLYN LOVE, E. SCOTT WARREN and NICK BAGLIO at THE BERKLEY CAFE this FRIDAY JUNE 29. 


 

THE WEEKS THURSDAY JUNE 21 @ THE CASBAH

Casbah in Durham continues to impress as more and more  top shelf artists fill their calendar, and The Weeks are, by no means, an exception.  Before reading their bio and listening to  2  songs, I was smashed in the face by  their raw intensity as southern rockers who must have grown up  terribly hard and incredibly fast. Well,  they are indeed Southerners to the core- Mississippians, in fact.  As teenagers, The Weeks began their formation with the release of Cadillac Comeback in 2008 and have since gelled into a 4 piece powerhouse, firing out gritty, bloody rock on all cylinders.   Now on a new label, Serpents and Snakes, the boys are set to release, Gutter Gaunt Gangster September 21st.

 

The 7 song EP is a trip into the mind of lyricist and vocalist Cyle  Barnes brought to life by twin brother Cain, Sam Williams and Damien Bone.  Cyle clearly has mountains of pent up angst and blood soaked memories to share, and The Weeks pull it off majestically through their  music.   Opening track, "Stigmata", sets the stage with  Cyle Barnes' screams of  vengeance to those who murdered his family, both literally and symbolically, as well as the rapist of his childhood.  And blaming the devil is no easier than thanking Jesus , who never answered his prayers.  "Slave to the South" is a declaration of his roots through mixed reminiscence  of the good, the bad and the ugly aspects of growing up in Mississippi.  The flow of The Weeks as a band is also declared in this and the following track, "I've Broken All you're Windows"  while guitarist, Sam Williams, raucously keeps a distortion heavy grip on the eerily fascinating path of Cyle's lyrics and vocals. Brother, Cain,  crashes and bangs the drum kit making one hell of a noise but  always keeping time with  skill and precision.  His percussive prowess is  made all the more powerful by the thunderous booms of bassist  Damien Bone. That being said, melodies and grooves  exist within the work of each band member, especially guitarist and musical arranger Williams. 

This description sounds like that of a death metal band from the South.  But, in reality TheWeeks are a fine tuned foursome who, together, produce something so raw and painfully true both lyrically and musically, it seems almost as if they could be creating the birth of a new genre.   

Stream GutterGaunt Gangster  go and see them for yourself at  Casbah this Thursday Night!  

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GOVERNMENT MULE WITH DR. JOHN @ RALEIGH DOWNTOWN AMPHITHEATER

Allman Brothers Band first spin off southern jam rock band, Government Mule is set to perform this evening with Dr. John ( Malcolm John "Mac" Rebennack), one of the greatest,most prolific and authentic musicians from the mysterious, foggy mists of  Voodoo country: New Orleans, LA.

Warren Haynes ( aka the hardest working man in rock) serves as the center piece of Government Mule's t
 as the guitar shredder and soulful singer while the rest of the group follows suit with extended jams of their own, a few Allman Bros. tunes and usually a few covers by classic hippie bands like the Grateful Dead.   Haynes'  lyrics tend to be  somewhat ridiculous when he goes on  about souring on eagles wings and whatnot.  But, as a band, Government Mule puts on decent show and Warren Haynes completely destroys the guitar.



Doctor John carries himself as a true New Orleans spirit who could quite possibly sacrifice a chicken and roll the bones before each show for good luck.  But, who knows?   In his early days, John's live shows usually included a Voodoo ceremony of some sort between his sets of Jazz, Zydeco and  funky rock and roll.  Dr. John's piano work was highly influenced by his mentor; New Orleans icon Professor Longhair whose larger than life musical spirit remains omnipresent in the Crescent City.   He earned his moniker as "The Nite Tripper in the 1970's at which point he was ingesting large quantities of LSD  among other substances which may or may not had something to do with his foray into the dark world of Voodoo.  I believe he is a blinding symbol of all things New Orleans.  The music, the culture, the danger and even the food. and it's anagogic reputation.    One thing  for certain is  that the sound of his voice is like no other just as his piano playing and fascinating eccentric persona can never be replicated.



Catch both acts at The Raleigh Downtown Amphitheater Wed. June 16!   

Upcoming Shows

Friday June 8 - THE MR. BALLOON HANDS ACOUSTIC EXPERIENCE  @ WHITE COLLAR CRIME  





White Collar Crime in Raleigh welcomes  acoustic trio  Mr. Balloon Hands to the stage .  Hailing from the Queen City, Clint Dowell (guitar/ backing vocals), Matt Cameron (guitar / vocals) and David Krusch (drums) are highly influenced by the  improvisational exploration of bands like Phish, The Grateful Dead, Widespread Panic and the like.  The acoustic aspect ads a  welcome challenge to the trio and a new experience for listeners used to the allure of effect heavy instrumentation.  A cover band they may be, but the covers are strong.  Warren Zevon's Lawyers Guns and Money can easily be followed by Billy Joel's Movin' Out with precision and grace.  Also, have you heard an acoustic version of Rage Against the Machine's raw and rowdy "In the Name of"?  Well,  The Mr. Balloon Hands boys deliver that one on a silver platter.    All songs are danceable and in many cases noodle friendly. Plus, expect surprises left and right as they change the set list on the fly.  



Saturday June 9th  THE FRITZ with OUTSIDE SOUL  @ SOUTHLAND BALLROOM       



Asheville, NC based The Fritz is making a quite a name for themselves around the southeast for their jazz infused, funky brand of rock and roll.  Doses of electronica propel their sound powerfully  through the sizzling riffs of guitarist Jamie Hendrickson and raucous beats of  drummer Michael Tillis while   percussionist Mike Evans provides an exotic blend of infectious rhythms.  Now working on their second studio album, The Fritz tours extensively and will soon be playing bigger rooms. So, catch them while you can at an intimate venue like Southland Ballroom.

Horn heavy soul funksters  Outside Soul opens.