The Daily Tar Heel
Printing news. Raising hell. Since 1893.
Tuesday, March 19, 2024 Newsletters Latest print issue

We keep you informed.

Help us keep going. Donate Today.
The Daily Tar Heel

Future Islands celebrates milestone

William Cashion of Future Islands performs at Raleigh City Plaza as part of the 2013 Hopscotch Music Festival.

William Cashion of Future Islands performs at Raleigh City Plaza as part of the 2013 Hopscotch Music Festival.

“We’ve kept a running list for years, and there were times over the years where we’d be backstage, and we were like, ‘What number show is this?’ and we’d pull up the list and count and be like, ‘Tonight’s No. 870; that’s crazy. One day we’ll hit our 1,000th show,’” bassist William Cashion said.

On Sunday, they will finally reach 1,000. After playing over 150 shows in North Carolina, their show — which will also feature Dan Deacon, Danny Brown, Ed Schrader’s Music Beat, Valient Thorr and Lonnie Walker — is a celebration of the band’s success and a homecoming of sorts.

“For them, they’ve probably played more shows in this area and in the Triangle combined, so for them it probably felt like the right place to celebrate what they want to call an anniversary — Future Islands’ 1,000th,” Cat’s Cradle owner Frank Heath said.

The show will be held at Carrboro Town Commons, a short distance from Cat’s Cradle, the venue producing the show as well as a formative influence for band members.

“The first time that I saw a band that I liked at a small club, it was Frank Black and the Catholics at the Cat’s Cradle; shortly thereafter, I saw the Flaming Lips there and then Blonde Redhead and Sleater-Kinney,” Cashion said.

“A lot of my musical upbringing or knowledge of live music in the Triangle — a lot of that happened in Cat’s Cradle.”

While Future Islands is now based in Baltimore, singer Sam Herring, keyboardist Gerrit Welmers and Cashion met while at Eastern Carolina University and formed the band in 2006.

Now they have been featured on “Late Show with David Letterman,” made Pitchfork’s 100 Best Tracks of 2014 and have released four albums.

“A band from this area that has made a big name for themselves both nationally and internationally — David Bowie comes to their shows and stuff,” Heath said.

“They’re pretty cool, and the fact that they’re wanting to share their success and their longevity and stuff with people in this area says a lot — not only for their loyalty but for the community of the club and musicgoers.”

The show was meant to be a simple celebration, Cashion said.

However, with the desire to bring in friends’ bands as well as the request for vendors involved in the rise of their success to be included in the event, the show grew to the mini-festival that it is now.

“We’ve been through thick and thin before anyone knew who either of us were,” Ed Schrader of Ed Schrader’s Music Beat said in an email.

“We had each other’s back for no other reason besides mutual love and respect for one another’s work, even if we were playing an Italian restaurant in Frederick, Md., for 15 people eating spaghetti and meatballs with their family.”

As for the UNC community, Future Islands is a way for students to celebrate along with a band they’ve come to love on their rise to success.

“I was going on a spontaneous midnight bike ride through Carrboro when I first listened to their new album,” senior Trevor Dougherty said.

“It’s a pretty romantic view to see them do their show live in that same place.”

arts@dailytarheel.com

To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.