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(09/10/09 2:32am)
They say that you never forget how to ride a bike once you’ve learned. But what if you haven’t ridden one in a while? You’d probably be unsteady when you went down a steep hill or a bumpy path.It makes sense then that the first record in 12 years from Chapel Hill’s Polvo is the mostly great, kind-of-frustrating record that it is. While Polvo is still the same texturally impressive, melody-savvy band, it shows rust when trying to reach its old lofty heights.In Prism succeeds when Polvo just lets loose and rocks. Since reuniting last year, the band has brought the noise live, shredding its instruments with more electrifying bravado than most 20-year-olds. This translates well here.“Beggar’s Bowl” tangles twisting guitars with a steady bass line to power its vicious attack on nostalgia. It’s a powerful blast that manages to keep its rhythm chugging forward even as disparate melodic strains struggle for attention.But when the band slows down the results sometimes fall limp.“City Birds” is a soup of elements that just don’t add up. As singer Ash Bowe sings weakly and incoherently about floating over highways and melting innocence, his band struggles with sluggish riffs that barely register a pulse. But for every miss, Polvo has a hit. “Lucia” weaves tender love into an 8-minute soundscape that goes from tenderly picked guitar lines to waves of crushing noise before morphing into an off-kilter bridge built of tribal drumming, strings and keys. It’s great stuff, brimming with feeling and blissful sound.So while Polvo doesn’t have its art back down to a science, there are enough thrills here to make for a good ride. And now that the band has taken the bike out of the basement for that first wobbly trip, it stands to reason that its next time out should go a little smoother.Contact the Diversions Editor at dive@unc.edu.
(09/03/09 3:22am)
People go to the mall for a lot of things. Whether it’s a pair of jeans, a new gadget from the electronics store or just a cinnamon bun from the food court, malls are a one-stop shop for many of the semi-necessary trappings of modern life.But patrons at Chapel Hill’s University Mall can get something more: a night at the theater.Located in a seemingly ordinary, regularly sized store space in the mall is Deep Dish Theater, a small, non-profit theater for the dramatic arts that began its ninth season last weekend.“I wanted to encourage the thinking of the theater as an everyday thing, that it matters in your life,” said Paul Frellick, artistic director and founder of the theater, explaining why he likes being in the mall. “It isn’t something you just go to on your birthday. Being here, it’s just like popping into the Radioshack when you need your batteries. It takes some of the veneer off of the idea a bit. It demystifies it.”Deep Dish, which is currently housing a production of Tennessee Williams’ “Summer and Smoke,” was a brain child of Frellick that he wanted to make a reality when he moved here from Chicago.“The biggest problem was just a lack of theater space,” he said of his early efforts. “It became a sort of parlor game for me to walk through different places and go, ‘I wonder what it would be like to do a play there.’”It was this willingness to look into unusual places that caused him to try to put together a performance in one of the spaces in the mall, which had several empty storefronts at the time.“We came in and pitched the idea of doing a show in an empty space,” he said. “In what I thought was going to be a very preliminary meeting, we ended up walking around, picking a space and settling on dates.”Frellick and his company produced the first season by going back to the mall each time and asking to do another play. For the second season they guaranteed him the space, and by the time the third season rolled around, Deep Dish was moved into its own permanent spot where it has remained for seven and a half years.And it’s been a good fit for the theater as Frellick says that the mall’s sense of community has been a major asset in garnering the success necessary to keep the enterprise going for nine seasons.“An actor on a break in rehearsal has a place to get something to drink,” he said. “We do a book discussion for each show down in Tyndall Galleries. We are borrowing everything from vacuum cleaners to props from other merchants in the mall.”In addition to the communal aspect, Frellick said that the intimacy of the small space, which only contains 74 seats, is one of the theater’s biggest strengths.“It’s a very intimate setup; for a lot of people that’s a revelation,” he said. “A lot of theater going is a special event sort of thing. You go and you see the touring ‘Phantom (of the Opera)’ from the 87th row.“Here you’re in the same room, breathing the same air with the characters. It makes for a much more direct, more visceral experience.”And while Frellick will admit that being in the mall makes his theater more accessible, he is keen to point out that his productions are about more than entertainment.“I think that a lot of times people sell the theater short now,” he said.” People say to me, ‘I have enough trouble in my life, I just want to go to the theater to make me laugh.’ I understand that entirely, and I love doing that as well. But the theater does so many other things well too.”And according to resident director Tony Lea, who is orchestrating the current production, the theater is able to bring in the high-quality talent necessary for these moving and meaningful performances.“I’m not a set designer and I’m not a lighting designer,” he said. “I have to rely on experts in those fields. Paul brings those people in there somehow.”And though Frellick is satisfied with the run he’s made so far, he says there are still some interesting challenges in running a theater in a shopping mall.“An awful lot of people are surprised that the theater actually is here,” he said. “They think that this is just a ticket selling agency. “There’s a moment where they go down a hallway and then suddenly the stage opens up for them. That’s the moment where they truly leave the mall behind, and it’s fun to watch.”Contact the Diversions Editor at dive@unc.edu.
(08/27/09 2:35am)
Hear Here: The Triangle
(08/27/09 2:30am)
Sitting with Durham’s Midtown Dickens in the living room of original member Catherine Edgerton, it’s hard not to see the duo-turned-five-piece as a happy family.
(08/27/09 2:23am)
There are few things that Chapel Hill’s Rat Jackson likes better than drinking. If you’ve had any interaction with the lovable quartet of boozy bar-rockers or heard one of its raunchy late-night anthems, you’ll know this already.So it makes good sense that the band would turn its first tour into a rock ‘n’ roll journey through all of North Carolina’s microbreweries. And that’s exactly what the band did, taking nine days in the summer of 2008 to visit all of the 27 facilities the state had at the time and filming the exploits along the way.“Beer Y’all,” the resulting documentary, will see its first Chapel Hill screening at Local 506 tonight. Diversions Editor Jordan Lawrence caught up with the band’s Rusty Sutton and Steve Oliva to talk about the art of brewing, drunken drive-in visits and the band’s lager-laden adventure across the state.Diversions: Where did the idea come from?Rusty Sutton: It’s a longtime tradition of Rat Jackson band to come up with ridiculous ideas that we all just assume are completely impossible and end up happening. Curt (Arledge, guitarist) and Will (Arledge, drummer) came to us. They had been brewing on it on their own. It steamrolled over a couple of months until it was like, “We’re doing this. Nothing else going on, so why not?”Dive: How did your liver feel after?RS: You’ll have to see the movie to really enjoy how it degraded. It was an undertaking. We tried to pace ourselves. Brewing culture is as much about flavor and brewing talent as it is about the drunkenness. That takes a backseat when you’re talking about these quality beers. We tried to make sure that came across really well.Steve Oliva: Bad. I felt so horrible. I didn’t recover for like four days after we got back. We got back to Asheville. I fell asleep almost immediately. I came back here a couple of days later. I think I skipped like three more days of work afterwords.It was not a healthy experience.Dive: You were talking about how it felt like it was an unreal idea. When did it become real to you?RS: We had talked about it and talked about it. At the time I was working at the Cradle and I had the freedom and space to take the time off. Then Curt and Will and Steve were all like, “We’re doing this.” That’s when it became really real to me.Right before the trip we realized there were actually 27 functioning at the time. Since then I want to say there’s been at least eight or nine open in the 13 months since we finished this.It’s an amazing culture that’s really taking off right now. We definitely weren’t at the beginning of it, but we definitely caught it as it was really starting to blow up, which I think is really clear in the movie and it’s really cool to have that encapsulated. It’s really cool to have this kind of documentation of it.Dive: What about the culture of brewing drew you in?RS: We’re all into the local music scene, and it feels similar. It’s like a family. Everybody across the whole state is really into what each other is doing. SO: Looking at it now. That’s exactly it. I wanted to do it because I wanted to drink. I’m not going to lie. I wanted to drink a lot of beer. It was my vacation. Dive: What was your favorite brewery?SO: You know this is going to sound like total glad-handing. Triangle (Brewing Company in Durham).RS: I would agree. There were a lot of really amazing breweries with a lot of really amazing people, but as far as personality and the type of beers that they brew for my own personal taste, I fall in line with those guys more than anyone else.Dive: There’s a lot of local music on the soundtrack. How important was that to you?SO: That part meant more to me personally than the beer part. That’s more a part of my life. The rock ‘n’ roll part of it and the N.C. rock ‘n’ roll part of it is really the crux of the whole project for me.RS: It was a really easy and really cool way for us to involve our friends. It was real easy to go, “Do you guys want to be involved? We would love for you to donate some music or record some music or do something to add to it.” From beginning to end, the whole soundtrack is music we’re all big fans of and friends with. I think that aspect of it really shines through in a really big way.Dive: I heard that the screening at Triangle Brewery was quite the show. Comment? SO: If what you’re referring to is our behavior, I will not comment on it. I got so drunk that my girlfriend drove my car home. I was sitting in the passenger seat of my own car and asked her at least twice, “How am I going to get my car back in the morning?”We went to Cook Out of course. And we’re just sitting in the drive-in thing, and I say to her, “S--t, I don’t have my keys. Where are my keys?” They were in the ignition of my car, which I was also in.Dive: What did you take away from making the movie?RS: I knew that I liked Carolina Brewery, and I knew that I liked Big Boss. I didn’t know how many breweries there were in North Carolina. I didn’t know about the amazing quality they were putting out. There’s a really cool scene of this really amazing industry going on here right now that frankly not every state has. This is a craft. This is an art just like music, just like the visual arts, just like cooking. What their canvases are made of and what they come out with, it’s really interesting.Contact the Diversions Editor at dive@unc.edu
(07/15/09 4:00am)
I'll be honest with you. The first time I heard about this Club Is Open Festival idea I didn't think it was that great.A string of local shows across a week in July? What's so special about that? I mean it's better than a normal week but on paper it just didn't look like these shows were going to be any different than the ones I see around here all the time.I was wrong.What makes these shows stand apart from your average week is that everyone without exception tries their hardest. No one wants this thing to fail. And for this reason the bands play their guts out leaving everything on the stage. All the local music lovers come out. Most every venue in town opens its doors.It's a bunch of people getting together and giving it their all for five nights because they all believe in the same two things.The first is that local music is something special. In this town we are sitting smack dab in the center of one of the best music scenes in the country.I'll be the first to admit that this fact gets celebrated a lot. Along with June's TRKfest in Pittsboro November's Troika Festival in Durham and August's Carroboro Music Festival there are four legitimate local music festivals that happen within a 30-minute drive of Chapel Hill every year.And I will be at every single one of them.There are so many great bands in this town that it's pretty much impossible to get them all to play at one although Troika comes close. And for the ones that play multiple times they're usually the ones I want to see a lot anyway.But I guess I'm willing to go out to all of these festivals because I believe in that second thing.I believe in having a ridiculously good time for no better reason than the fact that the tools are available.And in having that fantastic time you can do amazing things.You can open up Chapel Hill for a week and fill every room in town with an argument for the nonbelievers as to how good the music is around here.You can reopen Players with the first show it's seen in 19 years. The last band to play there before last Wednesday was Hootie and the Blowfish. And you can make a crowd made up of local music hipsters regular old townies and the typical sorority/fraternity set all dance together to Miley Cyrus a sight I would have never thought possible if I hadn't seen it happen with my own eyes at Players.Now don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to say that this year's Club Is Open was perfect. It wasn't. The first and last nights felt lackluster next to blissful ease with which the middle three were pulled off.But in the light of the togetherness I saw at Players and at every other show over the five nights these complaints don't feel necessary at all. That's a success in my book.Contact Jordan Lawrence at lzjordan@email.unc.edu.
(07/15/09 4:00am)
4.5 of 5 starsThere is a profound difference between a kids movie and a movie about kids and the Harry Potter films have been tip-toeing this line for a while now.In the first two annoyingly candy-coated entries in the series" the story was thrown clearly into the realm of light-weight children's fantasy. All of the darkness inherent in the story was blanched out. Not even the first appearance from series villain Lord Voldemort attached to the back of someone's head registered much of a scare.But starting with 2004's ""Prisoner of Azkaban"" the series started a slow descent into real human drama and disturbing darkness. That journey has been completed, and the results are fantastic.Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"" is a slow-burning dynamo that blends teenage drama and adult character exploration with spectacular visuals and action to create a piece of true movie magic.It's hard to decide who to congratulate most for this breakthrough" but let's start with director David Yates. Riding the fantastic cinematography of Bruno Delbonnel Yates creeps around Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizadry transforming the bright homey structure of the early films into a gloomy catacomb full of gut-wrenching conflict.This conflict is carried to fruition by the actors. As the kiddies bubble with back-stabbing sexual tension Harry arch-enemy Draco Malfoy and the adults deal with moral dilemmas in a gathering storm of war to come.Daniel Radcliffe is supremely versatile as Harry equally good at dealing with pent-up heartbreak as he struggles to find the key to stop Voldemort as he is in a hilarious feel-good ride on a good luck potion.It's also invigorating to watch Tom Felton's Malfoy struggle with the moral implications of the assassination Voldemort has burdened him with. In every scene his eyes are alive with painful confusion.But the big names still bring down the house here. Helena Bonham Carter grows the exquisitely insane Belatrix LeStrange into a creepy sexual killer that's as entrancing as she is terrifying. And Alan Rickman whose Severus Snape wrestles with committing an unspeakable treason shifts between the Shakespearean menace of his previous teaching persona and the lighter tones of a man wracked with guilt.Combined with visuals that are grand but never overwhelming" ""Half-Blood Prince"" becomes a character exploration on a large scale. It uses impeccable action only to set the stage for the problems these characters must face.It's far from kid stuff. It hits hard and then burns with real emotion. The tight rope act is over. Ladies and gentlemen" Harry Potter has grown up.Contact the Diversions Editor at dive@unc.edu.
(06/24/09 4:00am)
3 of 5 starsThere are certain records that despite their flaws are difficult not to like. The result of charm good hooks or some other unbeatable quality these albums bore their way into the mind without a listener's taste having much to say in the matter.Uncanny Valley the second full-length from Raleigh rockers Birds of Avalon is one such album.After finishing up a session for what was planned to be the band's second album in January the group found they had more creative energy. Feeding off this high they borrowed producer Mitch Easter's 3M tape machine a version of which was used at Abbey Road Studios in the '60s and proceeded to record.Caught up in the excitement of making a record the way their heroes did the Birds throw all the psychedelic tricks of their forefathers at the tape.The result is a record that is thrilling in its ever-shifting sonic textures but that is also lacking in lyrical substance.For instance" ""Your Downtime Is Up"" sounds fantastic" as varied and enthralling as psychedelic rock ever gets. A hypnotic bass line gives way to grinding riffs and explosions of colorful feedback as echoing voices dance over the top. But those echoing voices do little more than repeat phrases over and over and while the effect is great for the first couple of listens it's hard not to start wishing that the song actually had something to say.The majority of the songs on Uncanny Valley follow this pattern either ignoring words altogether or including a few trite or meaningless lyrics usually garbled by effects.Despite this flaw the arrangements are invigorating and charming enough that you want to make it work. You can really tell that the Birds toiled over every single sound here" and that kind of dedicated craftsmanship is hard to ignore.The other thing that keeps this from becoming a throw-away experiment is the excellence of the few fully fleshed-out songs.""Eyesore"" sports a Middle East-inspired riff that's so viscerally propulsive it feels like it's jumping right through the headphones. It's also the only song that really utilizes Craig Tilley's rock god voice"" as the singer uses his fiery howl to hurl insults such as ""I can't wait till you finally go away/So I won't be distracted while I watch the buildings burn.""Songs like this and the roaring mock-protest of ""Student Teaching"" are sure to keep listeners coming back for more.So all told" this album isn't as good as the Birds' previous work. And it's certainly got points that are frustratingly hollow. But this band has the musical chops to make this experiment pan out and that's about as big a testament to their talent as any.Contact the Diversions Editor at dive@unc.edu.
(06/10/09 4:00am)
If you showed up to the new location of Trekky Records in a secluded house right on the Chapel Hill side of I-40 you'd find a perfectly ramshackle encapsulation of the mission for its second annual TRKfest.The quaintly overgrown house strewn with mastertapes and miscellaneous furniture as the label moves in has been a local music house since the '90s. Long-installed Chapel Hill band Sorry About Dresden once called the house home and Erie Choir the solo vehicle of the band's Eric Roehrig still practices there.And as the label settles into a location to live and record that weaves them into the historical fabric of Triangle music they will also attempt to create a living tapestry of its own musical community.This year's TRKfest will take 12 local bands back to Pittsboro's Piedmont Biofuels on Saturday for an all-day" all-night party.""These are our people" these are the people we hang out with" Trekky cofounder Martin Anderson said, presenting it as an opportunity to have fun with friends, make new ones and use local music to give people a genuine festival experience. These are people that would react to that environment well"" like playing out a diesel compound with hippies in this like human rubber band thing.""With ruckus-rousing acts such as Durham's lively folk band Megafaun and cathartic rockers Hammer No More The Fingers on tap" it should certainly be a party.And in the light of last year's attendance of about 300" this year Trekky seeks to turn its fundraising bit of fun into an even richer experience than before.""We're not Bonnaroo" and we know that" fellow Trekky cofounder Will Hackney said. But we're giving people the festival experience for real cheap and also with bands that they can really connect with from around here.""Along with activities such as the Pants-Off-Dance-Off" which last year featured Megafaun's Brad Cook and Independent Weekly music writer Grayson Currin stripped to their underwear" this year's TRKfest promises plenty of surprising thrills.""It was so much fun"" said Duncan Webster of HNMTF, who also played last year. Just hanging out all day"" playing volleyball and eating vegan food and hearing a lot of bands.""And though its organizers know people will have an idea of what to expect this time"" they promise this year will be just as spontaneous.""We've intentionally tried to put some mysteries and some question marks into what we're going to do" Hackney said. I'm doing a Cool-Kids yoga session with the whole festival" and I have no idea what I'm going to do. And I'm not going to think about it until I get on stage.""Contact the Diversions Editor at dive@unc.edu.
(05/27/09 4:00am)
Grizzly BearVeckatimestPsychedelic4.5 of 5 starsAs it has been since its inception the goal of psychedelic music is the trip — a total immersion in sound that transports the listener to another world full of blissful or sometimes scary wonder.Filled with colorful melodies entrancing sounds and a plethora of invigorating and ever-shifting ideas Veckatimest the third album from Brooklyn's Grizzly Bear takes its listener on a lush engrossing musical journey that in every way lives up to this ideal.Pulling from a large range of styles including jazz and rock" the group expands its pallet far beyond the psychedelic folk brand it has often stuck with. By so doing it creates an album that captivates by consistently delivering that additional melodic thread or shocking sound that turns its good songs into superlative compositions.Opener ""Southern Point"" is a perfect example. Built from a jazzy intro that sways about lazily and seductively on acoustic guitar" the song is soon caught up in caterwauling percussive elements that vary from drums to piano and gaudily gorgeous overdubbed harmonies.Purely based on sonics it's a juggernaut that surrounds the listener with so much attention-grabbing sound he is hopeless to escape. But like most everything here it has words and they're pretty great too.After issuing an ethereal siren call about a vacation spot on the title locale Daniel Rossen sings out" ""I never found any other I could ever"" with incredible conviction over strings and piano that stampede toward heaven. It's a place so dear to him that he can't even finish a thought about losing it"" and the music is so propulsive you can't help but be dragged right into sympathizing.The immediate standouts share this larger-than-life feel. Lead single ""Two Weeks"" builds from a hopelessly catchy bounce of piano and harmony into a spaced-out acid trip filled with distorted keys and harmonies that arch over it all. Like its fellow big" jaunty numbers it can sometimes overshadow the subtler and weirder material in the listener's mind once the album is over.But it's the softer weirder songs that serve as the mortar for this castle" cementing it as a self-contained whole.Opening harmonies that imitate the chiming of a bell and bold slashes of acoustic and electric guitar allow ""Fine for Now"" to balance incredible beauty and foreboding menace. But the precarious balance doesn't last as the song gives in to a roaring guitar solo that aches with every bit of Rossen's well-sung fear in the face of time's continual passing.And though only a few of the songs have received mention here" while you're in the middle of it each song feels like the best and that's why this record is so successful. Each moment is as luscious and invigorating as the last making Veckatimest one endlessly enjoyable trip—and one you want to keep taking again and again.Contact the Diversions Editor at dive@unc.edu.
(05/27/09 4:00am)
3 of 5 starsSalvation is right.Twelve years after the first two remarkably good entries in the Terminator series"" 2003's ""Rise of the Machines"" proved the shtick of having Arnold Schwarzenegger don the leather and fight another adversary from the post-apocalyptic future had become as outdated as his killing-machine-meets-biker mystique.It was a parade of ridiculously hokey fight scenes that was simply unbelievable" and it left the granddaddy of all sci-fi action franchises in serious need of saving.With his fourth installment new director McG rights the ship by placing the audience in the middle of the war between man and machines in 2018. After Skynet — a central defense computer designed by the military — destroys most of humanity in a nuclear holocaust John Connor (Christian Bale) and the rest of a somewhat organized resistance struggle to survive against a slew of robotic killers.When a signal is discovered that shuts down the machines like hitting a switch the resistance decides to mount an offensive and try to win the war for good.McG's greatest success is selecting Bale to play Connor. Pushing the near psychotic fury that has always been his trademark to perhaps its highest level yet" Bale vividly channels the pain of an orphan who is fighting against the unstoppable force that tore his family apart.""You killed my father. You killed my mother. But you won't kill me"" Bale's Connor says at one point, with eyes full of an anger that reveals that he actually cares more about killing his enemy than saving himself.Riding this turn and a similarly great performance from Australian newcomer Sam Worthington, who aches with guilt as an executed murderer who has been transformed into a machine, McG succeeds through most of the movie as he uses the world after its end as the backdrop for a terrifying thrill ride.When Marcus Wright (Worthington) and his traveling companions are attacked by an enormous robot that tears apart a gas station with the mindless ease with which a toddler throws around its play things, the grittily realistic special effects and McG's knack for capturing the kinetic intensity of his action make the scene reverberate with awe-inspiring terror.Unfortunately both the riveting suspense and the crispness of the computer images leave Salvation"" during its finale. Thanks to a shockingly poor" completely unnecessary computer-rendering of Schwarzenegger's original Terminator and a failed attempt to remove all of Wright's delicious ambiguity and replace it with a preachy moral about the goodness of the human heart the end turns what was a forcefully shocking roller-coaster ride into a convoluted mess.But taken as a whole" ""Salvation"" is a mostly entertaining blockbuster that delivers thrills that should rejuvenate the franchise and give McG another chance to truly realize the considerable promise he both proudly displays and nearly squanders with his first attempt.Contact the Diversions Editor at dive@unc.edu.
(05/13/09 4:00am)
Ah it's summer once again. Or in my case it's summer for the last time. As next year will be my senior year here in Chapel Hill this will be my last chance to bask in the lovely place for summer that I've called home now for two straight May-to-August breaks.I'm sure that some of you are shaking your heads right now. Whether you're plagued by your newly started classes getting ready to head into new working weeks at an internship or summer job or simply don't see the charm in walking down Franklin Street with the brutal heat radiating off the asphalt you may find it hard to believe how much I love it here.Well I can tell you that it's none of those things that make me particularly excited to call the high seat of baby blue my residence this season. The thing that keeps me happy is all that local music.Now I know those of you who have read any of my columns in the past have gotten a similar version of this lecture before but I have a hunch that there aren't many. So to you few who actually do follow my writing I promise I'll try to mix it up this time. And to all the newbies listen up 'cause I'm going to let you in on an almost endless source of enjoyment to keep you from getting bored on all those balmy nights to come.I will start by admitting the fact that I'm an addict. After three years in this town two of them writing for Diversions I've become as hopelessly needy for local music action as a junky is for his fix.If I go more than a few days without taking in a concert I get jittery and unsure of what to do with myself. If I am left without a brand spanking new CD from the great state of North Carolina I begin to feel empty inside.Admitting this aside I think it's fairly obvious that if I fell pray to the appeals of the local scene it must be good on some level.And I think the appeal is at no time on better display than when the weather warms up outside.Because it's during this time that local musicians stretch out withdraw from hibernating in the cavernous back rooms of the Local 506 and Nightlight and come outside to deliver their product in the brilliant light of summer days.Per usual there will be lawn shows at Weaver Street Market. Why not go out on a warm summer afternoon grab yourself a beer or two (or an Izze if you're not of age) and enjoy some great tunes by great people who just happen to live in your own backyard?Hell Chapel Hill even takes care of you on the festival front. The city's Holidays For Quince Records is sponsoring a three-day block party at Nightlight this weekend. It might not be outside but you can still enjoy a cool brew on a warm night as you enjoy one of a bevy of sets by what I assure you are almost all great bands.And on June 13 Trekky Records heads out to Pittsboro for TRKfest an all-day outside real-deal music festival with 11 fantastic local artists including Durham's Megafaun and Chapel Hill's Lost In The Trees.Why pack up the tent and head out to a huge festival that will cost you hundreds of dollars when you've got a great event in your own county that is free other than a suggested $10 donation?So come on get out there and give this local music thing a try. You've got little to lose except that time you'd be sitting around thinking about how boring Chapel Hill is in the summer time.And while you might not end up hopelessly addicted like I am I'd say your chances of having a great time are extremely high.And if you don't know where to start have no fear. I'll be here all summer both in print and on the Dive blog to show you the way.Contact Jordan Lawrence at lzjordan@email.unc.edu
(04/22/09 4:00am)
It's hard to think of anything more Southern than sitting on the front porch strumming a guitar. The idea of a warm summer afternoon spent on wide boards of wood rocking in a chair and picking away at steel strings is quintessential in the land of Dixie.It's appropriate then that UNC's Center for the Study of the American South would choose the porch setting to delve into the process of four area musicians.On Friday Chapel Hill musicians Heather McEntire Eric Roehrig Adam Price and Lee Waters on the porch of the Love House and Hutchins Forum the Franklin Street home of CSAS. The event is the second installment of Music on the Porch" which is put together by the center's Reid Johnson.""People had mentioned that since I was a musician I should get some of my friends to play"" said Johnson, who is also the lead singer of Chapel Hill pop band Schooner. They were like"" ‘You could play outside on the porch or something.'""Johnson" who was one of the four musicians that played the first show in September" said he avoided the idea for a while because he didn't want to do something that could come off as self-promotional.He gave in when he realized the potential benefits of such an event.""What would make it make sense to have it at UNC besides it just being a concert?"" Johnson said"" explaining that this was the question he had when he started planning.""I thought it would be cool to hear from the musicians because you don't get to do it a lot" and if you do get to do it" it's getting to hear artists lecture in a formal setting.""At Music on the Porch" the four musicians play sets and in between" moderator Katherine Doss asks them about their process and allows the audience to interact as well.""She's a folklorist"" Johnson said of Doss, who also works at the center. She's really good at engaging somebody at whatever she wants you to talk about.""Roehrig" who plays in the Chapel Hill bands Eerie Choir and Sorry About Dresden" said he's interested to see what happens when he has to respond to questions.""I haven't had to do that too much"" he said. Maybe I'll have a lot to say or maybe I won't.""Johnson" who plans to repeat the event more frequently next year" had mixed feelings on what having the concert on the porch means.""One thing that I get self-conscious about is that that front porch" it can evoke different reactions from people he said. On that front porch it looks a little" slightly plantation-esque.""In the end though"" Johnson said he thought the dichotomy between the symbolism of the porch and the viewpoint of the musicians shows how far the South has come.""I like the concept of putting a lot of my friends which are more progressive and buck the idea of the old South that bring up those negative images" he said.When you can recognize your more shameful past as well as who you are culturally what you've contributed in a positive way" there's a more reality based understanding of who you are. You kind of own it.""Contact the Diversions Editor at dive@unc.edu.
(04/01/09 4:00am)
Two nights. Two venues. Nine bands. A Viking theme fully fleshed out with costumes a theme song a light show and props that will turn the Duke Coffeehouse stage into a Norse ship complete with an unfurled sail.That's the recipe for Viking Storm" the most ridiculously outsized and ambitious CD release celebration that has likely ever been slated to hit Durham. And it's that fact that makes it a perfect match for the city's Hammer No More The Fingers.""If we could sustain like this" every show would be a huge fun rockin' time" said Joe Hall, guitarist for the trio, clearly disappointed that the band can't make every show a warrior-themed spectacle. It's just something you have to prepare for for four months.""Looking around at the three men with nervously adventurous eyes and huge smiles sitting on the screened-in porch of drummer Jeff Stickley's rural Durham home" it's hard not to believe they would have it that way if they could.But in the real world the event will only happen once as the Triangle Brewing Company sponsors the two-show mini-festival Friday and Saturday at Durham's Pinhook and Duke Coffeehouse respectively. The shows will celebrate the release of Hammer's first LP Looking For Bruce.Hammer will headline the Saturday show while the first night will be held down by Durham metal colossus Tooth.The idea for a Viking festival first struck the band in December as they hung out in Stickley's backyard" which is essentially the middle of the woods.""We were like the great explorers going out"" Hall said, explaining how Vikings first came up. We were talking about going back and clearing out some trees"" setting up a stage and just having a festival in Jeff's backyard.""And in keeping with this theme" the festivities will be full of the trappings of Viking-dom. In addition to the decorations the second night will feature free Viking Storm Ale brewed by Triangle Brewing Company and costumes are encouraged both nights with awards being given Saturday for the best. If you're worried that you won't be able to come up with a costume" have no fear. There will be a costume-making party at Durham's Scrap Exchange at 4 p.m. Saturday to get you dressed up. But drummer Jeff Stickley said dressing up like a Viking is not so hard.""Basically fur" just some fur" he said. And some horns. And some bones. And some metal. Maybe some leather.""But throwing Durham's best-ever costume party wasn't Hammer's real intention in having the two-night blowout. What the band really wanted was to show off the bands it loves and that have helped them most.""We want people who have been the hardest-working bands in Durham and been doing the most. We want them to be part of the show"" Stickley said, explaining why the event is two nights long. There are just too many.""In addition to bands from Durham" Hammer has invited three bands from one of its favorite cities to visit and play: Washington" D.C.""We want to do what those bands have done for us in their town" Stickley said. I feel like people deserve to like their music around here" hear it at least.And the love here is certainly not one-sided. Durham bands Tooth and the Future Kings of Nowhere wanted to play Hammer's release festival so badly they each made special arrangements to do so. The show will be Tooth's last before a summer-long hiatus and the Future Kings will return from a long break to play their first show since December on Saturday. ""We adore Hammer as guys and as a band"" said Shayne O'Neill, singer and guitarist for the Future Kings. Their music is some of the best in North Carolina" if not the East Coast" if not the U.S. It's going to be a real treat to be there at their celebration party and party on with them.""But when the two nights are over"" Hammer said that it really just wants Viking Storm to have been one huge party where everyone is able to let loose and indulge in some barbaric fun.""We've become so comfortable with our society" with our light beers and s--t Stickley said. We need to take it back to pillaging of North America and Canada. Just go back put chunks in the beer" you know.""Contact the Diversions Editor at dive@unc.edu
(04/01/09 4:00am)
SuperchunkLeaves in the Gutter4 of 5 starsRockIt may be surprising or even offensive to some but Superchunk is not the uncouth pack of snot-nosed kids they once were. Having started Merge Records the group's Mac McCaughan and Laura Ballance have put out highly polished and highly successful records by the likes of Arcade Fire and Spoon.It's no shock then that the big budget polish has worn off on this EP. And that's not a bad thing.The excellent clarity of this very professional release only highlights Superchunk's more advanced but still rough and rowdy parts.The tumultuous waves of bass" drums and squealing distorted guitar of ""Learned to Surf"" hit with more furious impact because of the clean sound" which is good as it's the group's best song from this decade.Riding a metaphor for life as a rough sea McCaughan delivers the declaration" ""I can't hold my breath anymore"/I stopped swimming and learned to surf with as much youthful angst as he's ever had.But how does Superchunk stay this edgy and vital even as they age? The answer is that they resent the hell out of getting old.In the scaldingly bitter Misfits and Mistakes" retrieved from a 7-inch from last year, McCouughan taunts Say you will gather like leaves in the gutter"" as he upbraids his peers for giving in to their age.Superchunk still has the same resentment it had for the establishment forced on the world by older people that it did back in the '90s.The only difference now that the members themselves have reached that age is that the band now lashes out at its peers. This makes Leaves in the Gutter a fascinating study in how punk angst changes with age.And luckily for its fans, in the case of Superchunk, this process has removed none of the band's trademark sarcastic rage.This fact is on full display in Screw It Up."" After verses filled with jangling" sunshine filled acoustic guitar in which McCaughan gleefully dismantles the complacency of mid-life mediocrity the band's traditional distorted crunch roars back in as he spits out the retort" ""Why work hard at any dream when you're happy with less than a quarter.""It's a scathing declaration of grievance made all the more powerful by the band's willingness to ironically change its sound.After three songs' worth of this unbridled bitterness it's a relief to take a dip in the cool waters of the acoustic demo of ""Learned to Surf"" that ends the EP. The soft strumming and tenderly cracking vocals find the touching hope that is all but covered up in the final version.So while Superchunk has added more studio polish on this record"" they still attack with as much fervor as they once did against one ""Slack Motherf---er"" of a boss.And when you've got aggression like that" all the production in the world couldn't cover it up.Contact the Diversions Editor at dive@unc.edu
(03/18/09 4:00am)
Music ReviewEmbarrassing FruitsCommunity/ExploitationRock4 of 5 starsAfter listening to the debut full-length from Chapel Hill's Embarrassing Fruits it's hard to imagine the trio ever making it while hailing from the band's birthplace of Greensboro.With prickly distorted guitars and insistent bass lines reminiscent of Pavement and Archers of Loaf the beautifully rendered teenage angst that the band creates comes off as the 10-years-distilled product of having grown up with the indie rock that put Chapel Hill on the map in the '90s.That's not to say that it comes off as a rehash. Listening to Community/Exploitation vividly embodies the experience of having gone through the trials and tribulations of growing up with all that great music as the soundtrack.In this way the record is a gritty" but still bright and summery reminiscence of the days when life contained less responsibility and more tumultuous emotion.The bouncy guitar and bass combo of ""On the Corner"" is representative of the sunnier side of this feeling. Between ridiculous" and really cute references to talking about coffee and watching clouds singer Joe Norkus delivers the oh-so nostalgic declaration" ""We made so much progress/On the corner.""When you come down to it"" it's amazing really how much of forming who you are came from just standing around chewing the fat with your friends.""I Thought I Was Bleeding …"" proves that the Fruits are equally adept at expressing and deservedly making fun of the more painful aspects of teenage drama. As the guitar riffs crunch with tension" Norkus delivers zingers such as" ""Take the painting off the wall"" smash it on your face/Put your make-up on and go to school.""No matter how hard you try to cover up your past and present appearance" you're not going to be able to hide who you are. But as Norkus accurately portrays it not many of us got that in high school.But despite the occasional mocking the bright haze of the band's comforting reassembly of last decade's indie rock comes off as a touching tribute to the times and music that the Fruits as well as many of the rest of us cherish. And though homage is an integral aspect of the band's sound" this record still manages to come off as relevant and modern because it readily accepts and relishes its debt to the past.The feeling this allows the band to create is best shown off in ""Details."" ""Hanging out with kids in soccer socks/Weren't we the sh-t in high school lots?"" Norkus sings in a voice that's half mockery" half sincerity.When thinking about those days while listening to the well-orchestrated nostalgia of Embarrassing Fruits it's hard not to agree.Contact the Diversions Editor at dive@unc.edu.
(03/04/09 5:00am)
Nathan OliverCloud Animals(4 out of 5 stars)It's hard to think of an artist in the Triangle that has more fun being depressed than Nathan White. First on the 2007 self-titled debut of his band Nathan Oliver and now on its new LP Cloud Animals he has utilized his piercing bleat to deliver declarations of resignation and despair with an air of near giddiness at being able to nail his emotions so well.But with the latest release White has hardened his attack mixing irony with true" bare-bones emotionality as his band continues to pump out its jaunty mix of post-grunge rock and traditional elements of indie pop all while maintaining a constant sense of the macabre.The end result is an album just as entertaining as its predecessor but with a powerful resonance that the earlier record never achieved.On ""Alone in a Fog"" as a heady, distorted riff and drums cascade around him, White sternly delivers the line, I know you want to be on your own/To salt your own wounds."" Such unrestrained bitterness coming from the often ironically happy singer makes the song hit with even more force than it would have had already.But don't think for a second that White has forgotten how to have fun with his troubles""Playground Lies"" puts the immaturity of failing relationships back in the schoolyard with a bouncy" chugging acoustic guitar and bass combination as White half laughs after each declaration of betrayal" ""Oh"" you lied.""It's a moment where you want to laugh though you know the performer might have been crying when he wrote it.It's this improved ability to mix real pain with exuberant pleasure that makes Cloud Animals a greater success than the band's first record. And furthermore" it's a rare instance of a record that can be grabbed up off the shelf during both moments of absolute sadness and complete happiness and be enjoyed immensely either way.Contact the Diversions Editor at dive@unc.edu.
(03/04/09 5:00am)
Red CollarPilgrimRock
(02/25/09 5:00am)
Terms have a funny way of taking on a life of their own. Especially in music. Once a word has been invented to describe a certain kind of music that term often becomes a crutch for critics writers and plain old music fans to describe music that would be more difficult to put into words otherwise.This week Dive explores one such term: Southern metal. Is there such a thing as a distinct style of heavy music from the land of Dixie? This was the question we posed to musicians from the region hoping to pin down exactly what the term means.Some things take a while to catch on. This is a painful and often debilitating reality when you're in a band that plays a style that just hasn't quite caught on yet. Athens" Ga.'s Harvey Milk was one such band.""I never thought of being from the South as being a particularly good thing as far as being in a band over the time because you have a lot of problems to overcome going to see shows"" said Kyle Spence, drummer of the recently reunited metal outfit. If I was from Philadelphia"" you can play very large cities and they're only a couple hours from each other.""Perhaps this was a contributing factor in the band's 1998 breakup" which has been said to have centered on lack of interest in the band specifically poor sales of the band's first three records.But now with good sales on re-releases of its material and two recent albums including 2008's acclaimed Life ... The Best Game in Town Harvey Milk finds itself at the forefront of an oft talked about new movement in music Southern metal. But for Spence" it's a style that's hard to get his head around.""What you get if you're from the South is a lot more isolation" so we could do our own thing" he said, talking about how Harvey Milk's style evolved and explaining why he thinks there really isn't a stylistic unifier among heavy bands in this area. Chances are you're going to be left to your own devices down South and come up with something more unique.""So perhaps the only thing unifying these bands is that the South is a source of inspiration to them. Nora Rogers of Chapel Hill heavy duo Curtains of Night advocated this kind of outlook" citing her parents who moved to the area to play in Southern string bands" as an important influence on her own music.""The tunings" the drone that happens with the banjo or the old time music it's a very driving kind of music" she said, talking about how the style is similar to the monolithic pillars of distorted rage her band creates.Music" so much is the people that you're surrounded by" she continued, explaining how unique experiences in this area affect all of its heavy bands. To me"" it's like those connections are local and we're in the South.""John Crouch" drummer of fellow Chapel Hill heavy band Caltrop" also saw a connection between his band's sound and its Southern locale but was hesitant to draw a complete connection between the two.""I'm trying to avoid ‘we're Southern and we're laid back"' but there's definitely that kind of feel to it he said. It's a hard thing to pin down" I don't even think that Caltrop is a Southern metal band. Location is not the only factor.""Maybe not"" but Van Carney of Virginia's Pontiak found it difficult not to think that the realities of Southern life don't have an effect on its musical output.""The South has a tortured history"" he said, referring to the pains of the Civil War, Reconstruction and the civil rights movement. Things are a little heavier in the South. Just the humidity alone"" I think it kind of lends itself to being that way.""And while bands like Pontiak" Caltrop and Curtains do take pride in the South as a part of their identity" it's important to remember that some don't.""The guy who's been putting out our vinyl" he's not from the South" said Kevin Clark, lead singer of Chapel Hill metal band Black Skies. He's totally" just completely all about this Southern metal scene. I myself think personally" our band would sound like what we sound like if we lived in Antarctica.""Clearly" the degree to which being from the South is waved as a banner by its heavy bands varies greatly. But the members of Chapel Hill's In The Year Of The Pig found it hard not to think there's something about the region that does spur people on to make heavier music" considering the large number of such bands that come from this area. The reason drummer David Cantwell arrived at was socioeconomic.""In the South rent's cheaper"" he said. It's easier to buy a house in the woods where you can play really f--king loud.""Contact the Diversions Editor at dive@unc.edu.
(01/21/09 5:00am)
David Karsten Daniels is a restless guy.In his life he has found it difficult to remain in one place for too long. In his music he constantly bounces from genre to genre and theme to theme. And during an interview with him" it was nearly impossible to keep him nailed down to one topic.""I think that I have a little bit of a itch to scratch" he said. That can show itself in terms of wanting to move around a lot" or it can show itself in terms of wanting to take different kinds of music styles and put them in a pot together. ""Both kind of come from the same inability to sit still.""It's an itch that leads Daniels" whose nomadic travels recently led him through a stint in Chapel Hill working in Davis Library to use his talents not just for the singer-songwriter pop of his records.Daniels also takes part in such diverse projects as film scoring and a recent collaboration with Fight the Big Bull a jazz collective from Richmond.And though Daniels' recent marriage has taken him away from Chapel Hill and on to a short stay in Seattle before finally settling in Ashland Ore." he will return Saturday for a performance at Local 506.""I like the Pacific Northwest a lot in general"" he said. It's really pretty. Not that North Carolina isn't. I like the trees.""But a move and a marriage haven't been enough to slow Daniels' creativity. In addition to his other projects"" Daniels is also writing songs for another album despite having released two records in the past two years.""I just started work on a new album that's going to be about rabbits"" explaining that he just got one as a bet. It's my first pet since a dog when I was a kid that didn't work out really well.""The theme of caring for another creature should prove a great fit for the bruised"" orchestral folk that Daniels has already wound around phenomenal break-up songs with 2006's Sharp Teeth and the dread of death on 2007's Fear of Flying.""I've had the most success with writing about something that's very close by or close to myself" he said. I don't think that I've ever been a particularly nurturing person" and I think having to care for something little and defenseless like that necessitates some sort of tweaking of one's outlook with regards to other living things.""And though things are going smoothly for him in his new home"" Daniels said that he's still excited to come back to town.""I've played a lot more shows in the Triangle than anywhere else" but I haven't played any of the songs from the new record" he said, adding that he has a non-musical reason for his enthusiasm.I'm excited to get some ceviche at Carrburritos. I've been missing that.""Contact the Diversions Editor at dive@unc.edu.