Brian Mcgee at The Cave Wednesday 4-27

Pennsylvania native Brian McGee combines folk, rock, country, punk, and soul to form his own brand of Americana rock.  Influenced heavily by a wide variety of musical genres, McGee artfully weaves the hard story telling ability of Johnny Cash with layered instrumentation not dissimilar to Wilco and Ryan Adams and the Cardinals.  His ten year stay in Western North Carolina has clearly made an impression on his style, be it musical or lyrical.  McGee will be joined by Black Mountain, NC singer / songwriter Mary Ellen Bush of Menage at The Cave in Chapel hill this Wednesday night.

PRETTY LIGHTS TUESDAY 4-19 at RALEIGH AMPHITHEATER

Electronic musician Derek Smith combines beat samples from hard thumping infectious songs found anywhere in the history of music with buzzes and modulated sound waves of his own creation to make Pretty Lights come alive.  The show presents a sensory overload to the audience...and that is exactly what the audience wants.  Pink Floydesque lights will cover the crowd as the ground shakes and bodies move to familiar sounds laced with frenzied techno.  Don't forget to bring your glow sticks to The Raleigh Amphitheater tomorrow night! 

Full Frame Film Festival April 14-17 Downtown Durham

Full Frame offers exposure for documentary film makers from all over the world through a 4 day event which includes screenings, panel discussions, symposiums, and performances.  Students find an open forum in which they can speak candidly with established filmmakers gaining the knowledge necessary to be come successful film makers.

Jazz bassist, professor, Grammy nominee, and band leader John Brown and his orchestra  are featured in a highly anticipated documentary titled "One Night in Kernersville", directed by Rodrigo Dorfman.   The film documents the creation of  Setting Standards, the latest project from The John Brown Jazz Orchestra.  Catch the world premiere at The Carolina Theater Saturday April 16th 10:10 pm.

Tonight at Lincoln Theater Band Together NC presents Lonnie Walker, House of Fools, Filthy bird and Chris Hendricks Band

Come down to the Lincoln Theater in Raleigh tonight for a great cause and some great music.  Band Together NC is an institution  which raises funds and awareness for certain charities across the state.   Local favorites Lonnie Walker will perform along with House of Fools, Filthy Bird, and the Chris Hendricks Band.   Ten dollars to see music like this and help those in need?  It's a no brainer.

Ari Hest to play the Pour House April 14

Singer songwriter Ari Hest is set to perform at The Pour House in Raleigh Thursday April 14 in support of his latest studio effort - Sunset over Hope Street on Downtown/Mercer Street Records.  The prolific folk-rocker has made a name for himself as a true soldier in the world of DIY music.  Since his days at NYU and beyond, Hess has almost constantly been recording and releasing music, either on his own or under the guidance of producers and record companies.  Sunset Over Hope Street illuminates Hess's masterful control of his story telling ability along with his gift as a composer utilizing an array of instruments 

Interpol coming to Disco Rodeo May 4th

Interpol came on the scene in 1997 as a dark symbol of New York's gritty indie rock scene  pulling inspiration from goth bands such as Joy Division, The Sisters of Mercy and Bauhaus - save the ghoulishness.  Their debut album, Turn on the Bright Lights, contained a razor sharp collection of songs and was well received by the indie music crowd and beyond.  Paul Banks' throaty vocals and Carlos Dengler's thudding bass licks gave birth to an ominous sound belonging to Interpol alone.  Raleigh is fortunate to have such an authentic group perform.  Try and get tickets to the May 4th show at Disco Rodeo in Raleigh.

PRINCE MARCH 23rd at RBC CENTER!

We know Prince for his lasting hits including "1999" , "Little Red Corvette", "Kiss." The amount of talent held by that little man is astonishing.  A master guitarist , singer,  pianist, and drummer, he usually plays every instrument on his studio albums.  His unparalleled style offers a feast of various musical genres including - funk, soul, rock, rhythm and blues in between.  His steamy lyrics can go from X rated to praising Jesus much as his compositions can go from Hendrix to Mozart.  

Attending a Prince show, from what I understand, is a life changing experience.  I guess can find out Wednesday night at The RBC Center.

Third Annual Benefit for The Tisch Brain Tumor Center This Friday at The Pour House

That's right, folks.   That time of the year has arrived in which we get together and get down for a great cause. For three years, members of Washington, DC based indie band, The Moderate , have worked hard with others to pull together another evening of live music, friends, and fund raising.   This year the benefit also welcomes local alternative ensemble Wembley , along with singer / songwriter David Titchner.  

Please do your best to make it to the Pour House this Friday evening.  All proceeds go directly to the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke, a facility dedicated to saving the lives of children dealt such a hard hand so early in life.

NEW CALENDAR UNDER CONSTRUCTION

New format will include a calendar of events PAGE on which most upcoming shows will be posted.   The home page will contain articles, write ups , etc.

Thank you for your patience.

The Hot at Nights @ Marsh Woodwinds Thursday night

The Hot at Nights Bio ( not written by yours truly / too good to not just cut and paste) :

Says one Carolina newbie to one Carolina native, "Dang! I knew it would be hot in the Summer down here, but I had no idea that it would get even hotter at night!!" Meteorologically speaking, there is a scientific explanation for this phenomenon. But as far as the Raleigh-based exploratory jazz trio called The Hot at Nights, there is no explanation for them. 8-string guitar virtuoso Chris Boerner leads the group, with Matt Douglas on sax/woodwinds and Nick Baglio on drums. The group melted together in Boerner's studio over the many sweltering evenings of Summer, 2010. Though largely improvisational, the group's compositions pull from contemporary songwriters, classic funk, pop, rock, and of course the electric avant garde stylings that have spanned the last 30 years of contemporary jazz. Complex rhythms can quickly transform into head-bobbing groove fare. Simple melodies coaxed by all three players can explode into cacophonous meteor showers at the drop of a dime. Their limits go as high as the stratosphere and deep into the Earth's mantle. Both of which keep them sweating... even after the sun goes down.


If you would like to listen:

Demo Download: www.chrisboernermusic.com/Hot_At_Nights_Demo.zip

or stream at: www.chrisboernermusic.com