Thursday, April 30, 2009

Bonnie Raitt announces October dates, plays Cary

Bonnie Raitt is hitting the road this year and will make her way through the south in October. The tour will include a stop at Cary's Booth Amphitheatre on October 18. Tickets will go onsale on Friday, May 15 at 10 am here. Reserved seats will be $69.50 and lawn seats will be $39.50. The Randall Bramblett Band will open the show.

Raitt's most recent release is a live CD and DVD titled Bonnie Raitt and Friends released in 2006.

Bonnie Raitt dates:
10.11.09 - Columbia, SC - Kroger Center for the Arts
10.13.09 - Asheville, NC - Thomas Wolfe Auditorium [Tickets]
10.14.09 - Knoxville, TN - Tennessee Theatre
10.16.09 - Savannah, GA - Jonny Mercer Theatre
10.17.09 - North Myrtle Beach, SC - House of Blues [Tickets]
10.18.09 - Cary, NC - Koka Booth Amphitheatre [Tickets]
10.20.09 - Pensacola, FL - Saenger Theatre [Tickets]
10.22.09 - Clearwater, FL - Ruth Eckerd Hall [Tickets]
10.23.09 - Pompano Beach, FL - Pompano Beach Ampthitheatre
10.24.09 - St. Augustine, FL - St. Augustine Amphitheatre [Tickets]


Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Merge announces 'mostly complete' list of XX Merge performers

Merge Records has just announced what they call a "mostly complete" list of bands that will be playing at the XX Merge Festival in July. Check out the full list below with some mp3s. The line-up for the Sunday, July 26 show at Memorial Hall in Chapel Hill will include She & Him, American Music Club and Wye Oak. Other than that, Merge will not be announcing the line-ups for each show at the Cat's Cradle on July 22-25. You're just going to have to trust them.

What surprises do Merge have in store if this is a "mostly" complete list?

Individual tickets for each night at the Cradle will go on sale on May 13 at 10 am for $32 a night via etix.com. Tickets for the final night at Memorial Hall will go on sale on May 13 at 10am via etix.com too, but will also be available at CD Alley in Chapel Hill, Schoolkids Records in Raleigh and at the Memorial Hall box office.

July can't get here quick enough.

[UPDATE: Added two new bands to the line-up, 3Ds and Pure.]

XX Merge performers:
3Ds
Lou Barlow
The Broken West ("Auctioneer")
Richard Buckner ("Gauzy Dress in the Sun")
The Clientele
Destroyer ("Dark Leaves Form a Thread")
Erectus Monotone
The Essex Green ("Cannibal Sea")
Guv'ner
Imperial Teen
The Ladybug Transistor
Lambchop ("Slipped Dissolved and Loosed")
The Magnetic Fields
The Music Tapes ("Majesty")
Oakley Hall
Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band ("Nikorette")
Pipe
Polvo
Portastatic ("Trajectory")
Pure
Radar Bros. ("Warm Rising Sun")
The Rosebuds ("Life Like")
Spent
Spoon
Matt Suggs
Superchunk ("Hyper Enough")
Tenement Halls
Telekinesis ("Coast of Carolina")
Versus
M. Ward ("Rave On")

Sunday, July 26 @ Memorial Hall:
She & Him ("Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?")
American Music Club ("All The Lost Souls Welcome You To San Francisco")
Wye Oak ("Take It In")

Kings of Leon enforce strict rules at Booth Amphitheatre

We weren't at the Kings of Leon show last night (as you might be able to guess from our review of the Cat's Cradle's show), but after reading this recently submitted comment about the show, I'm really curious about how it went.
"The Kings of Leon must have some egos. The rules at the Booth Amphitheatre made the [show] an afterthought. No chairs, no water bottles, no blankets bigger than a towel, all beer poured in cups, etc. They really had no idea where they were playing - they eliminated the whole point of Booth Amphitheatre." [Click here for full remarks.]
Teresa Franzen, the venue's publicist, confirms that the rule changes — no chairs, beer bottles, water bottles (basically nothing you can throw at the band), or large blankets (for fear fans might set them on fire—seriously) — are true and were all requested by the group. In fact, she said the band changed its mind about allowing blankets around 4 p.m. yesterday, deciding that only beach towels were permissible.

The Kills, The Horrors and The Magic Wands at the Cradle

It was a night of low end heavy mixes and backlighting at the Cradle last night. UK group The Kills brought a sizable and very young crowd to Carrboro. Besides the crowd, The Kills also brought fellow Brits The Horrors with them as well as US group The Magic Wands.

All in all, it was an odd night. Of the three groups, only one had a drummer. Both The Kills and The Magic Wands are two guitar duos who make use of a lot of samples.

In the case of the first band of the night, The Magic Wands, it made sense. The group played some danceable tunes that got the early arrivers moving. There was nothing particularly unique about the group, but the songs were fun and they didn't overstay their welcome, only playing for about 25 minutes.

The Horrors were next up. They came out the victors of the three band bill sharing their dark, gothy tunes with the crowd. They were also the only real band to play all night. Lead singer Faris Badwan started the set by spinning in place for a bit before grabbing the mic to sing. It seemed a bit odd, but not as odd as when he later put the band's guitar tech in a headlock as he was trying to walk across the stage to tend to a problem.

Anyway, on to the music. The band played a very bass and synth-driven set which was scattered with the sonic elements of Joy Division. The music was okay, but Faris' spasms were far more entertaining. They were actually reminiscent of on Ian Curtis' spastic stage presence.

At last and actually least, The Kills came on. The lack of a full band here made the set very awkward (though in the interest of full disclosure, I left before it was over). While lead singer Alison Mosshart's stage presence helped fill the void of musicians, it just wasn't enough. The band's latest album Midnight Boom has a much more organic feel, so hearing a band in a box doesn't do the trick.

All in all, it was a fairly mediocre night at the Cradle. I'd imagine the folks at the Kings of Leon show had a much better time.


[all photos by Kevin Norris]

The Kills


The Horrors



The Magic Wands




Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Superchunk's new EP featured on ABC's website

Superchunk's brand new Leaves in the Gutter EP was the subject of a video review on ABC's website. The review is actually done by a Pitchfork writer as a part of their recent partnership though the intro an outro is by ABC News' Charles Gibson. I have to agree with what Mac wrote on his blog though that it is weird yet really awesome hearing Gibson saying the band's name.

Check out the video review here as well as a great interview with Mac on ABC News' Amplified site.

New Love Language live session videos

The Love Language have really been getting around lately. It seems that they've been recording sessions for anyone who'll have them and that's something we like. Below you'll see videos from sessions for HearYa, KEXP and Gogoyoko. The HearYa session even comes with high quality mp3s of the entire 5-song session. Download those tracks here which includes the excellent non-album song "Blue Angel."

Don't forget, The Love Language have a bunch of local shows coming up in the next month including the big free show at Local 506 this Friday, May 1 with The Huguenots and Americans in France. Check out the dates below the videos.

[photo by Michael Triplett]

"Blue Angel" (HearYa Live Session)


"Manteo" (HearYa Live Session)


"Lalita" (Live at Bell House in Brooklyn, NY for Gogoyoko)


"Nocture" (KEXP Session @ SXSW)


"Lalita" (KEXP Session @ SXSW)


The Love Language dates:
05.01.09 - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506
05.02.09 - Wilmington, NC - Soapbox
05.08.09 - Winston-Salem, NC - Krankies Coffee/The Werehouse
05.09.09 - Raleigh, NC - The Pour House
05.23.09 - Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle * [Tickets]

* w/ The Old Ceremony

New music from Ben Folds - "Effington" (a cappella)

For today only you can download the song "Effington" from Ben Folds newly released (as of today) collection of a cappella tunes titled Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella!. I say that like we haven't mention it a million times. The song which is one of two that Folds sings rather than a college group can be downloaded on the MySpace Music homepage (just look for the box on the right side).

New Green Day video - "Know Your Enemy"

Green Day have released the first video from their upcoming album 21st Century Breakdown. The video is for the catchy little tune "Know Your Enemy" which is essentially a straight-forward performance video partially seen through the eyes of security cameras. I think Green Day are trying to warn you that Big Brother is watching.

Check out the video below as well as the band's North American tour dates which unfortunately do not come anywhere near the Triangle unless you consider DC or Atlanta close-by. 21st Century Breakdown will be released on Friday, May 15.



Green Day North American dates:
05.19.09 - New York, NY - Webster Hall [Tickets]
07.03.09 - Seattle, WA - Key Arena [Tickets]
07.04.09 - Vancouver, BC - GM Place [Tickets]
07.06.09 - Edmonton, AB - Rexall Place [Tickets]
07.07.09 - Saskatoon, SK - Credit Union Centre [Tickets]
07.09.09 - Winnipeg, MB - MTS Centre [Tickets]
07.10.09 - Fargo, ND - Fargo Dome [Tickets]
07.11.09 - Minneapolis, MN - Target Center [Tickets]
07.13.09 - Chicago, IL - United Center [Tickets]
07.14.09 - Detroit, MI - Palace of Auburn Hills [Tickets]
07.16.09 - Hamilton, ON - Copps Coliseum [Tickets]
07.17.09 - Ottawa, ON - Scotiabank Place
07.18.09 - Montreal, QC - Bell Centre
07.20.09 - Boston, MA - TD Bank Garden [Tickets]
07.21.09 - Philadelphia, PA - Wachovia Spectrum
07.22.09 - Pittsburgh, PA - Mellon Arena [Tickets]
07.24.09 - Hartford, CT - XL Center [Tickets]
07.25.09 - Albany, NY - Times Union Center
07.27.09 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden [Tickets]
07.29.09 - Washington, DC - Verizon Center [Tickets]
07.31.09 - Nashville, TN - Somet Center [Tickets]
08.01.09 - Atlanta, GA - Gwinnett Center [Tickets]
08.03.09 - Tampa, FL - St. Pete Times Forum [Tickets]
08.04.09 - Miami, FL - American Airlines Arena [Tickets]
08.05.09 - Orlando, FL - Amway Arena [Tickets]
08.07.09 - New Orleans, LA - New Orleans Arena [Tickets]
08.08.09 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center
08.09.09 - San Antonio, TX - AT&T Center [Tickets]
08.11.09 - St. Louis, MO - Scottrade Center [Tickets]
08.12.09 - Kansas City, MO - Sprint Center [Tickets]
08.13.09 - Omaha, NE - Quest Center [Tickets]
08.15.09 - Denver, CO - Pepsi Center [Tickets]
08.16.09 - Salt Lake City, UT - Energy Sol Arena [Tickets]
08.18.09 - San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion [Tickets]
08.20.09 - San Diego, CA - Cox Arena [Tickets]
08.21.09 - Las Vegas, NV - Mandalay Bay Events Center [Tickets]
08.22.09 - Phoenix, AZ - US Air Arena [Tickets]
08.24.09 - Sacramento, CA - Arco Arena [Tickets]
08.25.09 - Los Angeles, CA - Forum

Monday, April 27, 2009

Love Language, Huguenots, Americans in France - free this Friday

The Daily Tar Heel's Diversions will be throwing another big party at Local 506 this Friday, May 1 with some excellent bands. For the low, low price of nothing, you can see The Love Language, The Huguenots and Americans in France. The show starts at 10 pm and the 506 will likely fill up fast. Download a few mp3s of the bands below.

The Love Language - "Lalita" (mp3)
Americans in France - "Nose Job" (mp3)

Check out some photos of Violet Vector and the Lovely Lovelies at the Diversions party last October here.

John Legend announces green summer dates, plays Cary

Soul man John Legend is gearing up for a big summer tour that will keep him busy from late June to September. He will return to the Triangle on July 12 playing Cary's Booth Amphitheatre. Ticket info is not available yet, but we'll add it once it is.The fanclub pre-sale will start on May 10 at 10am and the general on sale starts on Friday, May 15 at noon here. Tickets will range from $41 to $66.

Legend was named Billboard's #1 green artist for his environmental and political activism and for his green touring practices last month. His upcoming tour will make use of environmental organization REVERB to neutralize carbon use and coordinate with venues to ensure green practices. Eco-friendly merchandise will be available at the gigs and an online carpooling site will be launched soon in hopes to reduce vehicle emissions. It's all pretty cool.

The tour is in support of his latest album Evolver which was released in October. It's certainly not winter anymore, but check out Legend's performance of the hilariously suggestive song "Nutmeg" from Stephen Colbert's Christmas special below. You'll find the tour dates down there too.



John Legend dates:
06.27.09 - Muskegon, MI - Heritage Landing
06.30.09 - St. Louis, MO - The Fox Theatre
07.02.09 - Tunica, MS - Harrah's Casino Tunica Event Center [Tickets]
07.03.09 - New Orleans, LA - Essence Music Festival
07.05.09 - Atlanta, GA - Chastain Park Amphitheatre [Tickets]
07.08.09 -Fort Meyers, FL - TBA
07.09.09 - Hollywood, FL - Hard Rock Live [Tickets]
07.11.09 - North Charleston, SC - North Charleston PAC [Tickets]
07.12.09 - Cary, NC - Koka Booth Amphitheatre [Tickets]
07.14.09 - Portsmouth, VA - nTelos Wireless Pavilion [Tickets]
07.15.09 - Charlottesville, VA - Charlottesville Pavilion
07.17.09 - Columbia, MD - Merriweather Post Pavilion [Tickets]
07.18.09 - Albany, NY - Palace Theatre [Tickets]
07.20.09 - Toledo, OH - Toledo Zoo Amphitheatre [Tickets]
07.21.09 - Highland Park, IL - Ravinia Festival
07.22.09 - Prior Lake, MN - TBA
07.24.09 - Elizabeth, IN - Horseshoe Casino Southern Indiana [Tickets]
07.25.09 - Windsor, ON - Caesars Windsor [Tickets]
07.28.09 - Indianapolis, IN - TBA
07.29.09 - Charleston, WV - TBA
07.31.09 - Cincinnati, OH - Paul Brown Stadium
08.03.09 - Pittsburgh, PA - Riverplex Amphitheatre at Sandcastle [Tickets]
08.05.09 - Philadelphia, PA - The Mann Center for the Performing Arts [Tickets]
08.07.09 - Boston, MA - Bank of America Pavilion
08.08.09 - Mashantucket, CT - The MGM Grand at Foxwoods [Tickets]
08.10.09 - Canandaigua, NY - Constellation Brands PAC [Tickets]
08.12.09 - Red Bank, New Jersey - Count Basie Theatre
08.13.09 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden [Tickets]
08.15.09 - Gilford, NH - Meadowbrook U.S. Cellular Pavilion
08.17.09 - Montreal, QC - Metropolis
08.18.09 - Orilla, ON - TBA
08.21.09 - Omaha, NE - TBA
08.22.09 - Kansas City, MO - TBA
08.24.09 - Tulsa, OK - TBA
08.28.09 - Woodinville, WA - Chateau Ste Michelle Winery [Tickets]
08.29.09 - Goldendale, WA - Maryhill Winery & Amphitheater [Tickets]
09.01.09 - Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre [Tickets]
09.04.09 - Sacramento - Raley Field [Tickets]
09.05.09 - Santa Barbara, CA - TBA
09.06.09 - Berkeley, CA - Greek Theatre @ U.C. Berkeley [Tickets]
10.02-04.09 - Austin, TX - Austin City Limits Festival

Saturday, April 25, 2009

The Avett Brothers announce a big hometown show

The Avett Brothers announced last night that they will be having a big album release party on their home turf. They will play the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte on August 8, three days before their new album I and Love and You is released. Fans at the show will have a chance to buy the album at the show before the rest of the country.

Here's the kicker for you die-hard Avett fans. Pre-sale tickets for the show go on sale today, April 25 at 10 am via the band's ticketing site. 10% of the tickets will be available via the pre-sale and the band says that they're the "best seats in the house."

[UPDATE: The first round of pre-sale tickets are gone, but the general on sale date will start at 10 am May 1 here. Also, there will be another pre-sale starting on April 30 at 10 am here. Tickets are $25 or $30.]

Can The Avetts hold their own in an 11,000 seat venue? It's hard to believe these guys were playing the Lincon Theatre just a few years ago.

The band are going to announce more August dates on Monday and we'll bring you those along with general on sale info for the Charlotte show.

Check out more info on the new album as well as other tour dates here.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Stream 'Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella!'

We've got more on Ben Folds for you. We've told you about his new album of a cappella versions of his songs performed by college groups titled Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella!. Now you can stream the entire record before it is released next Tuesday, April 28. Go to Ben Folds' iLike.com page to stream the album.

Be sure to check out track two on the album which is the UNC group the Loreleis performing "Jesusland." You can still download "Not the Same" by the UNCG Spartones here.

Check out our review and photos of Folds' performance for Duke's Last Day of Classes party here.

Bob Dylan announces summer dates with Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp

Legendary songwriter Bob Dylan has announced that he will embark on another tour of minor league baseball parks this summer. This year, he will bring Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp along for the ride which is set to stop at the Durham Bull Stadium in Durham on July 28. Pre-sale tickets for the show go on sale on May 4 at 10 am. while the general public on sale date is May 9 at 10 am. All tickets will cost $67.75 and be general admission allowing ticketholders to choose seats or spot on the field.

Dylan will release his new album Together Through Life this Tuesady, April 28. Check out all of the rest of Dylan's US dates below.

Bob Dylan w/ John Mellencamp dates:
07.01.09 - Milwaukee, WI - Summerfest @ Marcus Amphitheater * [Tickets]
07.02.09 - Sauget, IL - GCS Ballpark [Tickets]
07.04.09 - South Bend, IN - Coveleski Stadium [Tickets]
07.05.09 - Rothbury, MI - Rothbury Festival *
07.08.09 - Louisville, KY - Louisville Slugger Field [Tickets]
07.10.09 - Dayton, OH - Fifth Third Field [Tickets]
07.11.09 - Eastlake, OH - Classic Park [Tickets]
07.13.09 - Washington, PA - Consol Energy Park [Tickets]
07.14.09 - Allentown, PA - Coca-Cola Park [Tickets]
07.15.09 - New Britain, CT - New Britain Stadium [Tickets]
07.18.09 - Bethel Woods, NY - Bethel Woods Center For the Arts [Tickets]
07.19.09 - Syracuse, NY - Alliance Bank Stadium
07.21.09 - Pawtucket, RI - McCoy Stadium
07.23.09 - Lakewood, NJ - FirstEnergy Park [Tickets]
07.24.09 - Aberdeen, MD - Ripken Stadium [Tickets]
07.25.09 - Norfolk, VA - Harbor Park [Tickets]
07.28.09 - Durham, NC - Durham Bulls Athletic Park
07.29.09 - Sevierville, TN - Smokies Park
08.04.09 - Round Rock, TX - The Dell Diamond
08.05.09 - Corpus Christi, TX - Whataburger Field
08.07.09 - Grand Prairie, TX - QuikTrip Park
08.11.09 - Glendale, AZ - Camelback Ranch
08.12.09 - Las Vegas, NV - Cashman Field
08.14.09 - Fresno, CA - Chukchansi Park
08.15.09 - Stockton, CA - Banner Island Ballpark

* w/o John Mellencamp

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Ben Folds plays for a large, inebriated crowd at Duke

The bi-annual concerts in the quad on Duke's campus are always an adventure. It really seems that the laws on campus are suspended when the campus throws a party and things can be a pretty crazy with a whole lot of obnoxious thrown in. But Ben Folds' performance for the Last Day of Classes party was worth the hassle.

Folds and his band, which has now expanded to four players for a lot of the set, put on a great show of songs new and old. The set wasn't too heavy on Folds' latest album Way To Normal with only five songs making their way to the set. It did however include some of the "fake" leaked versions of the album's songs including "Lovesick Diagnostician" and "Bitch Went Nutz."

While the hits of the set for the lively crowd were "Rockin' the Suburbs," "Bitches Ain't Shit" and "Kate," one excellent inclusion that seemed to go unappreciated by much of the crowd was the old Five song "Missing the War." The album Whatever and Ever Amen had so many great songs tucked between the more popular singles.

By the end of the night, the campus was wrecked and everyone wandered home and hopefully stayed out of trouble. Check out Ben Folds complete set list as well as more photos below.

[all photos by Kevin Norris]

Ben Folds set list:
Lovesick Diagnostician
Dr. Yang
Hiroshima (B-B-B-Benny Hit His Head)
Bastard
Annie Waits
Still Fighting It
Sentimental Guy
Bitch Went Nutz
Free Coffee
Landed
Zak and Sara
Fair
Brick
Effington
Rockin' the Suburbs
Army
Not the Same
You Don't Know Me
Kate
Bitches Ain't Shit





Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Steve Earle announces summer dates, plays Carrboro

Rebel troubadour Steve Earle is set to release a new album of Townes Van Zandt songs titled Townes on May 12 and has announced a summer tour to support the release. The tour will kick-off next month and will see Earle stop at a shockingly small venue in the Triangle. He will play the ArtsCenter in Carrboro on June 10. Tickets for the show are on sale now for $39 via etix.com. Get yours before they're gone.

Check out all the dates and listen to "Pancho & Lefty" from the new album below.

"Pancho and Lefty"


Steve Earle dates:
05.28.09 - Portsmouth, NH - The Music Hall
05.29.09 - Boston, MA - Berklee Performance Center [Tickets]
05.30.09 - Albany, NY - Swyer Theatre/The Egg
06.02.09 - Orange, NJ - SOPAC
06.04.09 - Princeton, NJ McCarter Theatre
06.05.09 - Vienna, VA - Wolf Trap Filene Center *
06.06.09 - Charlottesville, VA - Paramount Theater
06.07.09 - Princeton, VA - Chuck Mathena Center for the Performing Arts
06.09.09 - Richmond, VA - The National [Tickets]
06.10.09 - Carrboro, NC - The ArtsCenter [Tickets]
06.12.09 - Atlanta, GA - Atlanta Botanical Garden [Tickets]
06.13.09 - Savannah, GA - Fine Arts Auditorium @ Armstrong Atlantic State University
06.14.09 - Jacksonville, FL - Florida Theatre [Tickets]
07.08.09 - Burlington, VT - Burlington International Waterfront Festival
07.10.09 - Ottawa, ON - Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest
07.17.09 - South Park, PA - South Park Amphitheater
07.19.09 - London, ON - Blues Fest International
07.22.09 - Bayfield, WI - Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua
07.25.09 - Lyons, CO - RockyGrass
08.01.09 - Canandaigua, NY - Constellation Performing Arts Center # [Tickets]
08.02.09 - Camden, NJ - Susquehanna Bank Center #
09.06.09 - Westhampton, NY - Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center

* w/ John Prine
# w/ Jackson Browne

Duke's 'Music in the Gardens' series returns with killer shows

Last year's summer concert series at Duke University's Duke Gardens was one of the best parts of the summer. It featured shows by Portastatic, Bowerbirds and Les Savy Fav among others. This year, organizer Aaron Greenwald has stepped things up for the "Music in the Gardens" series booking a slew of great performers including The Rosebuds, Thad Cockrell, The Love Language, Eric Bachmann, Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey, Alina Simone, Megafaun and others. Check out the list of performers and dates below.

Tickets for each show will be $10 for the public $5 for Duke employees and free for Duke students and children under 12. Each show is scheduled to start at 7 pm.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Bowerbirds to release 'Upper Air' in July

Superb local group Bowerbirds are preparing to release the follow-up to their highly acclaimed debut album Hymns For a Dark Horse. Dead Oceans Records will release the new album titled Upper Air on July 7. The album will feature 10 songs and you can check out the track list below. Oh, and that's the album art to the right there.

Bowerbirds have some dates coming up at the end of April and early May including a show at Local 506 on May 8 with La Strada. Tickets are just $8 and are available via etix.com. Check out all the dates below.

Upper Air track list:
1. House of Diamonds
2. Teeth
3. Silver Clouds
4. Beneath Your Tree
5. Ghost Life
6. Northern Lights
7. Chimes
8. Bright Future
9. Crooked Lust
10. This Day

Bowerbirds dates:
04.25.09 - Washington, DC - Rock & Roll Hotel
04.26.09 - Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Chapel [Tickets]
04.27.09 - New York, NY - Mercury Lounge [Tickets]
04.28.09 - Brooklyn, NY - Monkeytown
04.30.09 - Cambridge, MA - TT The Bear’s Place [Tickets]
05.01.09 - Montreal, QC - Il Motore
05.02.09 - Toronto, ON - The Drake Hotel [Tickets]
05.04.09 - Chicago, IL - Schubas
05.05.09 - Bloomington, IN - Bear’s Place
05.06.09 - Newort, KY - The Southgate House [Tickets]
05.07.09 - Asheville, NC - The Rocket Club
05.08.09 - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506 [Tickets]

The English Beat announce dates, play Carrboro

The British grooves of The Beat (known in the US as The English Beat) will be spreading across the country starting next. The band will be playing small clubs across the country and be doing multiple nights in bigger cities. The tour will bring The Beat to the Cat's Cradle on June 5. Tickets for the show will be $17 and go on sale this Friday, April 24 via etix.com.

It would seem that lead singer Dave Wakeling might be the only original member of the band touring the US. Members Roger Ranking and Everett Morton have their own incarnation of the band in the UK. It's a bit bizzare, but the US dates should still produce a good show.

Check out the upcoming dates below as well as the classic video for "Save it For Later." It's such a fun song.



The English Beat dates:
05.02.09 - San Luis Obispo, CA - Downtown Brewing Company [Tickets]
05.08.09 - Temecula, CA - Wiens Family Cellars
05.09.09 - Santa Ana, CA - Galaxy Concert Theatre [Tickets]
05.13.09 - Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell's [Tickets]
05.14.09 - Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell's [Tickets]
05.15.09 - Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell's [Tickets]
05.16.09 - Amagansett, NY - The Stephen Talkhouse
05.17.09 - Annapolis, MD - Rams Head On Stage
05.18.09 - Annapolis, MD - Rams Head On Stage
05.20.09 - Sellersville, PA - Sellersville Theater 1894
05.21.09 - Sellersville, PA - Sellersville Theater 1894
05.22.09 - Fairfield, CT - StageOne
05.23.09 - Londonderry, NH - Tupelo Music Hall
05.24.09 - Londonderry, NH - Tupelo Music Hall
06.05.09 - Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle [Tickets]
06.12.09 - Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up Tavern
06.13.09 - Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up Tavern
06.19.09 - Inglewood, CA - Hollywood Park
06.20.09 - Agoura Hills, CA - The Canyon [Tickets]
08.21.09 - Stateline, NV - Montbleu Resort Casino & Spa
08.22.09 - Truckee, CA - Truckee River Park Amphitheater
08.28.09 - Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre

New Love Language video - "Sparxxx"

The Love Language buzz just keeps on building. The group's self-titled debut was released last month and now they've made a music video. Check out the video for the track "Sparxxx" below (it's currently a Spin.com exclusive, but we'll add a higher quality video once it's available). The low budget nature of the video works well and features the band playing a crazy house party with a bunch of friends.

The band are currently on a US tour which will wrap up this week. They guys have a few hometown shows coming up including a show at Local 506 on May 1 with The Huguenots and Americans in France as well as a show at the Pour House in Raleigh on May 9 with Whatever Brains. The Love Language will also open for The Old Ceremony at the Cat's Cradle on May 23. Check out more upcoming dates below.

Monday, April 20, 2009

New Avett Brothers album due out in August

The Avett Brothers highly anticipated new album produced by Rick Rubin now has a release date. It is titled I and Love and You and will be released on August 11 Columbia/American Records. That's all of the confirmed details we have right now, but I'm sure all you Avett fans will want to mark you calendar.

Also, check out a video below of The Avett Brothers playing "Paranoia in Bb Major" at Grimey's Record Store in Nashville for Record Store Day on Saturday. It looks like they pulled a huge crowd.

The band have added some new tour dates which you can see below. Also, not that we haven't mentioned it enough, the Avetts will open for Dave Matthews Band this Wednesday, April 22 at Walnut Creek.



[UPDATE: Added a bunch of new dates.]

The Avett Brothers dates:
04.22.09 - Raleigh, NC - TWC Music Pavilion #
04.24.09 - Charlotte, NC - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre #
04.25.09 - Birmingham, AL - Sloss Furnaces [Tickets]
04.26.09 - New Orleans, LA - New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
04.28.09 - Alpharetta, GA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre # [Tickets]
04.29.09 - Alpharetta, GA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre # [Tickets]
05.01.09 - The Woodlands, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion # [Tickets]
05.02.09 - Dallas, TX - Superpages.com Center # [Tickets]
05.05.09 - Albuquerque, NM - Journal Pavilion #
05.06.09 - Phoenix, AZ - Cricket Wireless Pavilion #
05.07.09 - Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre
05.09.09 - Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theatre [Tickets]
05.10.09 - Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up Tavern
05.12.09 - Hanford, CA - Hanford Fox Theatre
05.14.09 - Santa Cruz, CA - Rio Theatre [Tickets]
05.15.09 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
05.16.09 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
05.17.09 - Nicasio, CA - Rancho Nicasio
05.20.09 - Eugene, OR - McDonald Theatre
05.22.09 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom [Tickets]
05.23.09 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom [Tickets]
05.24.09 - George, WA - Sasquatch! Music Festival
05.30.09 - Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero Theatre [Tickets]
06.11.09 - Washington, DC - Lisner Auditorium [Tickets]
06.12.09 - New York, NY - Filmore @ Irving Plaza
06.13.09 - New York, NY - Filmore @ Irving Plaza
06.14.09 - Rochester, NY - Walter Street Music Hall [Tickets]
06.16.09 - Pittsburgh, PA - Carnegie Music Hall of Homestead [Tickets]
06.18.09 - Grand Rapids, MI - Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
06.19.09 - Akron, OH - Akron Civic Center [Tickets]
06.20.09 - Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall [Tickets]
06.21.09 - Covington, KY - The Madison Theater
06.23.09 - Lexington, KY - Kentucky Theatre
06.25.09 - St. Louis, MO - The Pageant [Tickets]
06.26.09 - Des Moines, IA - Hoyt Sherman Theatre [Tickets]
06.27.09 - Minneapolis, MN - Minnesota Zoo Amphitheatre
06.28.09 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues [Tickets]
07.02.09 - Detroit, MI - Comerica Cityfest
07.09.09 - Norfolk, VA - Norfolk Opera House [Tickets]
07.10.09 - Richmond, VA - The National [Tickets]
07.11.09 - Roanoke, VA - Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre
07.12.09 - Louisville, KY - Forecastle Festival * [Tickets]
07.16.09 - St. Augustine, FL - St. Augustine Amphitheater [Tickets]
07.17.09 - Lake Buena Vista, FL - House of Blues [Tickets]
07.18.09 - Tampa, FL - The Cuban Club
07.19.09 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - The Parker Playhouse [Tickets]
07.24.09 - North Myrtle Beach, SC - House of Blues [Tickets]
07.25.09 - North Myrtle Beach, SC - House of Blues [Tickets]
07.31.09 - Syracuse, NY - Westcott Theatre
08.01.09 - Newport, RI - Folk Festival 50
08.02.09 - Northhampton, MA - Calvin Theater
08.04.09 - Dewey Beach, DE - Bottle & Cork [Tickets]
08.08.09 - Charlotte, NC - Bojangles Coliseum [Tickets]
08.14.09 - Ozark, AR - Mulberry Mountain Festival
08.15.09 - Kansas City, MO - Crossroads
08.16.09 - Omaha, NE - Sokol Auditorium
08.19.09 - Telluride, CO - Sunset Concert Series
08.20.09 - Steamboat Springs, CO - Streamboat Springs Free Summer
08.21.09 - Boulder, CO - Boulder Theater
08.22.09 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theater [Tickets]
08.25.09 - Salt Lake City, UT - Red Butte Garden
08.26.09 - Boise, ID - Knitting Factory
08.29.09 - Jacksonville, OR - Britt Festival
09.04.09 - Camp Mather, CA - Strawberry Music Festival

* w/ Widespread Panic
# w/ Dave Matthews Band

Violet Vector and the Lovely Lovelies rock Planet Earth Celebration

Saturday afternoon was a beautiful day in the Triangle. Not only did we have some great weather but those in downtown Raleigh for the Planet Earth Celebration were treated to a great set by Violet Vector and the Lovely Lovelies.

The band played a killer set full of new and old songs that sounded phenomenal. Every time I've seen the band they just get better and better. And if the new songs are an indicator, the group's second EP due out this year on Color Wheel Records should knock your socks off. The new songs included "What's Going on in Your World?" which you can hear a rough mix of on MySpace.

Friday, April 17, 2009

New music from Bombadil - "Honeymoon"

Bombadil's new album Tarpits and Canyonlands isn't due out until July 7, but you can check out a track from the album now. Download the third song from the album titled "Honeymoon" below. The song has a sparse sounding, yet epic arrangement with great piano and string lines accenting the highs and lows. Enjoy.

Check out Bombadil's upcoming dates below.

Bombadil - "Honeymoon" (mp3)

Bombadil dates:
04.23.09 - Pittsburgh, PA - Thunderbird Cafe [Tickets]
04.24.09 - Cleveland, OH - Wilbert's
04.25.09 - Columbus, OH - Rumba Cafe
05.08.09 - Beaufort, NC - Beaufort Music & Performing Arts Festival
05.15.09 - Orlando, FL - Will’s Pub
05.22.09 - Charlotte, NC - Visulite Theater (Ramseur Records Night!)
05.23.09 - Boone, NC - Dragonfly Theatre
09.19.09 - Bristol, TN - Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion

U2 @ Carter-Finley public on sale starts today

Tickets for U2's show at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh on October 3 go on sale today at 10 am. You can buy your tickets here and this time there's no passwords or any other BS. So good luck getting the seats you want and we'll hopefully be seeing you at the show.

Check out the full schedule for the 360 Tour here.

And for those of you sick of seeing the play-by-play updates, this should be our last post about the U2 show for a while.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Downtown Live starts announcing support acts

The Downtown Live folks have started announcing the support acts for their summer series and one surprising thing is that the Joan Jett show just got way cooler. Violet Vector and the Lovely Lovelies, Schooner and The T's will play before Jett at the July 11 show. If you're surprised at the quality bookings there, so are we.

Going the other direction, Marcy Playground will play the August 8 show with Tonic. Yeah, the "Sex and Candy" guys. I had no idea these guys were still around.

Downtown Live schedule:
05.30.09 - Candlebox, Parmalee, Old Habits, Big Rick & the Bombers
06.13.09 - Filter, Bill West, Bright Young Things, Ethan Hanson
06.27.09 - The Tubes, The Loners, Ascella Vega, Zydecopious
07.11.09 - Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, The T's, Violet Vector and the Lovely Lovelies, Schooner
07.25.09 - Charlie Daniels Band, American Aquarium, Brent Jordan, Lonnie Walker
08.08.09 - Tonic, Marcy Playground, Green River Ordinance, River City Ransom, Kevin Wing, Colourside
08.22.09 - headliner TBA, Airiel Down, Adam Pitts, The Urban Sophisticates

[photo by David Winton]

The Rosebuds, Lost in the Trees to play arts council benefit

Next weekend, on April 24 to be exact, the first concert will be held at Golden Belt in Durham. Golden Belt is an old textile mill that has been turned into an urban arts campus. The inaugural show will be a benefit show for the Durham Arts Council featuring The Rosebuds, Lost in the Trees and Midtown Dickens.

Tickets for the show are available at goldenbeltarts.com for $12. There will even be burgers and fries available from the Only Burger truck available at the show. Sounds like a killer night of good music and good food. Golden Belt is at 807 E. Main St.

Check out info on The Rosebuds other benefit show in Raleigh here.

New music from Wye Oak - "Take It In"

Merge Records has just announced that they will release Wye Oak's new album The Knot on July 21. This will be the duos second album with following last year's release If Children. Download the song "Take It In" from the new album below. It's a beautifully melacholy song with some great bluesy slide guitar work.

The band will be on tour through May which includes a stop at Local 506 on May 10. Pomegranates will open the show. Tickets are on sale now for $8 via etix.com. Check out the band's upcoming dates below.

Wye Oak - "Take It In" (mp3)

Wye Oak
04.16.09 - Newport, KY - Southgate House
04.17.09 - Chicago, IL - The Hideout [Tickets]
04.18.09 - Northfield, MN - The Cave @ Carleton College
04.19.09 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th St. Entry
04.20.09 - Iowa City, IA - PS1
04.21.09 - Omaha, NE - The Waiting Room
04.22.09 - Denver, CO - Lion's Lair
04.23.09 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
04.24.09 - Boise, ID - Neurolux
04.25.09 - Kennewick, WA - The Red Room
04.26.09 - Seattle, WA - Sunset Tavern [Tickets]
04.27.09 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
04.29.09 - San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw Stop
04.30.09 - Los Angeles, CA - Silverlake Lounge
05.01.09 - Phoenix, AZ - Stinkweeds Record Store
05.04.09 - Norman, OK - Opolis
05.05.09 - Ft. Worth, TX - Lola's Stockyards
05.06.09 - Austin, TX - The Mohawk
05.09.09 - Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn
05.10.09 - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506 [Tickets]
05.11.09 - Washington, - Black Cat Backstage [Tickets]
05.12.09 - Philadelphia, PA - Kung Fu Necktie [Tickets]
05.13.09 - New York, NY - Mercury Lounge [Tickets]
05.14.09 - Cambridge, MA - TT the Bear's [Tickets]
05.15.09 - New Haven, CT - Cafe Nine
05.16.09 - Baltimore, - MD Metro Gallery
06.06.09 - Baltimore, MD - Rufustival @ Metro Gallery

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

New M. Ward video, mp3 - "Rave On"

Merge has released a new video from M. Ward's latest album Hold Time. It's a fun little animated video for the track "Rave On" which features Zooey Deschanel on backing vocals. You can also download the song below.

M. Ward has tour dates scattered throughout the next few months that will include an appearance at the XX Merge Festival in July. Check out more information on the festival here. Check out Ward's upcoming dates below.

M. Ward - "Rave On" (mp3)



M. Ward North American dates:
04.17.09 - Indio, CA - Coachella Festival
04.18.09 - Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre
04.19.09 - Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre
04.20.09 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theater [Tickets]
04.22.09 - Tulsa, OK - Cain’s Ballroom
04.23.09 - Omaha, NE - Slowdown
04.24.09 - Milwaukee, WIK - Pabst Theater
04.25.09 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue [Tickets]
04.26.09 - Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre [Tickets]
04.27.09 - Toronto, ON - The Phoenix Theatre [Tickets]
04.28.09 - Montreal, QC - Le National
05.15.09 - Visalia, CA - Fox Theatre
05.16.09 - Oakland, CA - Fox Theatre [Tickets]
05.22.09 - Eugene, OR - McDonald Theater
05.23.09 - George, WA - Sasquatch Music Festival
07.23.09 - Salt Lake City, UT - Twilight Concert Series
07.27.09 - Athens, GA - 40 Watt
07.28.09 - Nashville, TN - Cannery Ballroom
07.30.09 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
08.01.09 - New York, NY - Summerstage