Chapel Hill Underground

No matter how much napkin you shove in your ear, the P.A. system at Chapel Hill Underground on Rosemary Street is still going to hurt. MAR 14

Chapel Hill Comics presents: Adventure Time with Finn and Jake

In a dusty enclave at the end of the month, surrounded by stacks of comic book-filled cardboard boxes, Andrew Neal was sifting through forms and ticking boxes, readying the next order for Chapel Hill Comics on Franklin Street. FEB 20

The beat and beyond: UNC students learn how to create and produce their own beats in a new class

On the third floor of Kenan Music Building, next to classrooms filled with rows of digital pianos, students in Introduction to Music Technology meet with their laptops and headphones to compose a new type of music with a different type of piano. NOV 17

The history of homemade beer in NC will be up for tasting Saturday

Call them beer snobs and they’ll likely agree — craft beer and homebrew enthusiasts are known for their discriminating palettes and particular distaste for corporate brews. NOV 10

Q&A with Damian Hess aka MC Frontalot

Damian Hess’ qualifications in nerdom make him the stuff of Internet legends: He designed gorey.ttf, a typeface based on the handwriting of artist and writer Edward Gorey. He has asthma and was a web designer before he launched his full-time music career. But his crowning achievement comes as the pioneer of nerdcore, a slightly less serious subgenre of hip-hop that is perhaps the antithesis to big personas and overproduced egos. NOV 8

Q&A with Stephen Murray

Stephen Murray, banjo player, guitarist and vocalist for Holy Ghost Tent Revival is playing with a few bandmates to support Mike Quinn at this weekend’s Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival of Music & Dance. He recently talked to Diversions Editor Joseph Chapman about the group’s recent shake-up in its lineup, and its plans for the festival. OCT 6

Column: Signalfest can improve after six years running

Last Thursday night, for the first time in my college career, I ventured to East Franklin Street to climb the stairs of Players and catch the opening night of the Southeastern Electronic Music Festival known simply as Signalfest. OCT 6

Artists step up to school electronic music fans

If you’ve always dreamt of making your own dubstep drop, don’t miss the tutorials going on Thursday and Saturday as a part of Signal Fest. SEP 30

Bill Dillon releases an album chronicling his wrongful conviction next Tuesday in Durham.

Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Four Walls of Raiford” tells the story of an innocent man charged with armed robbery escaping from the miserable Florida State Prison. SEP 27

Rocking with Megafaun

Megafaun’s eponymous release represents a departure from what was expected of the once fully bearded trio. SEP 22

Ackland Art Museum one of many arts institutions hit hard by budget cuts

When it comes to university budgets in a struggling economy, the arts are among the first to go. And the Ackland Art Museum is no exception. Since 2008, the University’s financial support for the museum has decreased by about $250,000, making it one of the hardest-hit institutions at UNC. SEP 15

Hopscotch returns for second year

For the second year, the Hopscotch Music Festival is back in Raleigh. This year’s lineup is a smorgasbord of talent, with everything from hip-hop to chillwave on the schedule. The three-day event is the area’s biggest music festival, drawing audiences from far beyond the state for national and local acts alike. SEP 13

Hopscotch readies for round two

Last year’s Hopscotch Music Festival was a success by almost any metric. Wristbands sold out, venues were packed and fans were tweeting their support. MAY 18

Mount Moriah makes wistful modern folk

Jenks Miller and Heather McEntire of Mount Moriah are careful when clarifying the religious connotations of their band’s moniker. MAY 10

Hammer’s Black Shark marks uncharted waters

It’s taken over a year for local indie rockers Hammer No More the Fingers to find a home for its third album, Black Shark. Frontman Duncan Webster had hopes for landing a national label.
“Hometapes, Dead Oceans, Jagjaguwar,” Webster said. “Merge.” APR 7

WCPE brings classical music to new ears

Getting a younger audience to appreciate classical music doesn’t seem so outlandish with the advent of orchestral pop bands like Arcade Fire. But getting a younger audience to actually attend classical music events? Now that’s a completely different story. MAR 30

‘The Others’ brings diversity to Durham

Since the days of Superchunk and Archers of Loaf, indie rock has been the dominant sound coming out of the Triangle. MAR 16

Bull City Records celebrates 5th year anniversary

By the time Chaz Martenstein, owner of Durham’s Bull City Records, arrives at work, he has braced himself for the inevitable. FEB 28

Jim Avett maps out success

I was late. On the way to interview Jim Avett over a plate of Lexington’s famous vinegar-based barbecue, I had veered right when I should have veered left. It was so plainly illustrated on the napkin set before me: The first thing Avett did when we finally sat down was pull out a pen and show us where I had gone astray. MAR 3

Afterschool, Triangle Girls Rock NC

Chances are, if you’re a Triangle musician, you’ve got an abundance of scraggly, untrimmed facial hair. Just look at the gatefold to Gayngs’ Relayted, an indie supergroup with a handful of N.C. FEB 23

Troika: Day One

Clearly, festival season is in full swing (at least in NC). As soon as we recuperated from a busy weekend at Moogfest, Dive headed to the festival that gives us a reason to say, “We’re proud to be from the Triangle!” Namely, Troika — and if you were foolish enough to stay home last night, let these photos be a lesson to you.

Birds & Arrows and Mosadi Music kept the crowd’s spirits up as the festival got off to a chilly, rainy start. Pete and Andrea Connolly’s tender, soaring vocals were an ideal antidote to a dreary evening, and plenty of attendees complemented the band’s gorgeous harmonies with a bratwurst from the sausage truck.

Other highlights from last night were Veelee’s Pinhook set — pretty dark, so no images — and Dex Romweber’s powerful, one-man performance at 618 Foster St. His vocals have the same old-school snarl as Johnny Cash and as much instrumental innovation as John Lennon, but lyrically, Romweber’s got an amazing sense of modernity and relevance. Call Dive crazy, but if Dex sang about shooting a man in Reno, we’d probably believe him.

Tonight’s roster is looking equally delicious — head out and see Wesley Wolfe, North Elementary, The Small Ponds, Minor Stars, The Jackets, Los Naturales… Do we really need to type out the whole schedule?

Moogfest: Day 3

The weekend after Moogfest and Dive is still trying to mentally digest all the incredible shows. As expected, the Halloween freaks and phantoms came out in all their glory on Sunday night, and Dive was on hand to capture all the festive craziness.

There were several mind-blowing shows (although none were as unexpected as Jonsi’s Saturday night set) — Sleigh Bells killed it at Thomas Wolfe auditorium, blaring six Marshall amps loud enough to make the cavernous facility feel like a well-suited dive bar. It was one of the few acts to really gets folks out of their seats, and we caught plenty of arms flailing and heads banging. Few frontpeople have the same charisma as Alexis Krauss; it was impossible to get photos with the cave-dark lighting and the strobes the band seems to have a penchant for using, but take our word for it.

It’s not really a surprise, but Pretty Lights certainly lived up to its name — as one of the bigger Civic Center shows of the night, the DJ spun amidst images of gerbera daisies, flashing symbols and wild, colorful lighting. The music itself wasn’t as pioneering as many of the other acts we caught, but there was plenty of entertainment value. The crowd (whether they were squashed together on the floor level or grooving in the mezzanine) was really engaged, and for a late Sunday night, it was a testament to Pretty Lights’ popularity among the electronic music lovers’ set.

For a glimpse at how quickly Moogfest went (or at least how it felt), check out Assistant Diversions Editor Joe Chapman’s time-lapse of Saturday night shows in the Civic Center, as well as several photos from various sets.

Moogfest: Day 2

Moogfest Day 2 was equally as wacky as its predecessor. We’re talking Halloween costumes and electronic antics galore. Dive guesses tonight will be the zaniest one yet (considering it’s actually Halloween), and we’re really looking forward to Sleigh Bells, Neon Indian, Hot Chip and El-P.

Moogfest: Day 1

Dive survived Day 1 of Moogfest, and boy are we psyched to see what happens tonight. Some highlights from yesterday: Big Boi and his crew of male hip-hop dancers, Dan Deacon’s impromptu group yoga in the Civic Center and GirlTalk (no specifics — just your typical crowd gone nuts). The only real disappointment was MGMT’s languid, low-energy set, but Dan Deacon’s performance the next hour got the crowd going crazy again.

Moogfest: Day 1 (the pre-game)

Alright, so it’s Moogfest Day 1, but things have yet to get popping in this mountain town. So before the festival begins, we’re mapping out our schedules. Call this a gameplan, but knowing how many artists and venues there are, things are certainly subject to change.

Coping at Cradle

Citizen Cope - Cat's Cradle - Feb 2

Cool and collected, Citizen Cope took to the stage Tuesday night to a packed Cat’s Cradle. Frenzied teenage girls filled the sold-out show – their presence second only to their boyfriends. I definitely knocked a few elbows and scored a dirty look or two on the battle to the front for shooting photos. But the melee for the edge of the stage was undeniably justified. Greenwood’s performance captivated the crowd and built up to a four song encore. The too-cool-to-care attitude was occasionally abandoned for genuine moments of rocking, fueled by the reggae bass lines and driving percussion. Once, I think Mr. Cope may have even cracked the idiosyncratic stoic exterior for a smile. But I’ve been wrong before.

FEB 3

Moogfest 2011, Day One

Lucian Crockett: Moby took the stage for the third show of the night at the Asheville Civic Center Arena. Despite his subdued lifestyle and vegan diet, the guy is a rock star, and he commanded the attention of the crowd throughout the show. It was also refreshing to see an electronic artist that doesn’t sit behind his computer for their entire show. Moby is an amazing musician, which he showcased by jumping between the bongos, the electric guitar and the keys as he ran through a set of his biggest hits. He closed the show with a song he hadn’t played in the U.S. in 20 years, which he celebrated by taking his shirt off and standing on a box.


Check out photos from last night and see what we have to say about Moby, TV On The Radio, Holy Fuck, Flying Lotus, Chromeo and Zomby at Moogfest 2011.

Make sure you follow us @DTHDiversions. Check out #Moogfest for the latest updates. OCT 29

Hopscotch 2011: Day two

We’re back from today’s day parties for a few photos and assistant Diversions editor Allison Hussey’s update on Friday night. Check out what’s going on at #Hopscotch11. SEP 12

Hopscotch 2011: Day one

Allison Hussey: As soon as Hopscotch ended last year, I I had high expectations for this year’s festival. Night one definitely delivered. Trying to sleep on Wednesday night made me feel like a small child waiting for Christmas to come, and I couldn’t get to Raleigh fast enough after class on Thursday.

Make sure to follow us at @DTHDiversions for Hopscotch updates. Check out what’s going on at #Hopscotch11. SEP 12

See The Old Ceremony break in the new Cradle

If you managed to catch any of Archers of Loaf’s recent two-night residency at the Cradle, you were probably asking yourself, ‘where the heck did the risers go?!’ Renovations have been underway since early July, but with the cooperation of safety officials and the occasional last-minute cleanup effort, the venue has stayed open.

This week, we ask Frank Heath, owner of the Cradle, about the changes being made to the venue and how attendees can expect their experience to change.

DIVERSIONS: What exactly are the changes being made to the venue? SEP 1

Pictures: Chancellor Thorp jams with Mipso Trio in front of Wilson library

MAY 5

DIVE PARTY X: Watch Embarrassing Fruits perform "2 Birds"

APR 20

Hopscotch 2011 Lineup announced, tickets on sale now

APR 20

Watch and download Mipso Trio playing a George Michael cover in a parking garage

APR 6

CD release preview: Hammer No More the Fingers' "Black Shark"

Head on over to our Multimedia section to catch Hammer No More the Fingers playing “Steam” off of its new album, Black Shark.

The Durham band will play its CD release show with Lila and Midtown Dickens this Friday at Motorco Music Hall. Doors open at 9 p.m. and tickets are $9. More information here. MAR 31

Mipso Trio performs "He'll"

MAR 24