What is it about “The Walking Dead” that has everyone obsessed? Is it our culture’s new obsession with post-apocalyptic survival?
The Ty Segall show at Kings Barcade at the end of January was easily one of the most buzzed-about in the preceding weeks.
Fried apples, local cheddar cheese, and an egg on a pretzel roll — that’s all I have to say for this lede. Fridays are the home stretch — that last gasp of work and stress before the oncoming weekend, and it’s only fit to start them with a bang.
Hold on to your Social Security numbers, check your credit scores and remember to double check your providers. If not, your entire life will shatter to pieces as Sandy Patterson experiences in “Identity Thief.” Dive Verdict: ?????
In what he is calling his final film, Steven Soderbergh (“Contagion”) is able to once again diagnose an irrational fear surrounding the medical industry, this time circling in on the mental health debate in “Side Effects.” The film is nothing like what you see in the previews and will have you questioning the true depths of insanity. Dive Verdict: ?????
Where do we go from here? For the past 22 years, this question has plagued My Bloody Valentine. Dive Verdict: ????½
Modern artists are always itching to be the first ones to take the next creative step forward, but Frontier Ruckus finds innovation by taking a step back and focusing on the serene past in its third album, Eternity of Dimming. Dive Verdict: ???½
Amor de Dias, formed in 2009 by Alasdair MacLean (The Clientele) and Lupe Nunez-Fernandez (Pipas), pairs a mix of English and Spanish lyrics with a dreamy, peaceful sound. The band’s second album, The House at Sea, is soothing and often whisper-like: perfect for listening to on a lazy and contemplative rainy day. Dive verdict: ?????
For local music fans, Valentine’s Day may involve rekindling an old flame for a band of days’ past. Kings Barcade in downtown Raleigh will host Art Lord & The Self-Portraits’ 10th anniversary show tonight. The group formed in 2003, entrancing audiences before calling it quits in 2005. Since then, three of its members have formed Future Islands.
Rapper The Real Laww, a.k.a. Jay Lawrence, is a multi-talented man who can spit a rhyme, thrill a crowd, organize a concert and raise money for his fellow Marines — all in a single event.
“Warm Bodies” is not your average zombie thriller. Think Romeo and Juliet, plus some zombies, with more romantic comedy than romantic tragedy. It’s your good ol’ upbeat, post-apocalyptic fairy tale. Director Jonathan Levine (“50/50”) did justice to the novel by Isaac Marion, on which the movie was based, appropriately inserting humor and creativity into the theme, which questions life and what’s worth living for.
John Harrison is a multi-talented recording artist in the Chapel Hill area. He is known for his role as singer and guitarist in the band North Elementary, but Harrison also shows his acoustic side with his solo project, Jphono1.
On a cold Saturday morning, in the Glasshalfull lot in Carrboro, there is a pink food truck adorned with the sign Parlez-Vous Crepe. Next to it is a small wooden table surrounded by four wooden chairs. People sit with their dollar coffees in hand, bundled up in heavy coats and gloves — and waiting for their crepes.
Even on a somber, world-weary cut like “Torture,” Charlie Smarts’ flow is razor sharp. Smarts, of the Raleigh rap group Kooley High, released that song’s video today, diving enthusiastically into the tedium that its mood suggests: viewers are treated to his depressed visage lurking in a hotel room, ignoring visitors and staring reflectively at an austere cityscape.
Maybe it’s because he grew up in the mountains. But the Triangle’s own Ryan Gustafson makes music that mimics the pleasantly light feel of morning dew on the face — only in the ears. His parents think so too. When the Gustafsons moved here from western Massachusetts with his college-aged sister, there were no grumbles, groans or disappointments upon discovering he wouldn’t follow in her footsteps.
Walken. Pacino. Arkin. “Stand Up Guys” is the product of three classic actors who decided to take nothing for granted in a film classified by humor, violence and a touch of sentimentality. “Stand Up Guys” is the story of the relationship between two former con artists. Dive Verdict: ???
Tegan and Sara What was once a beautiful and one-off indie-rock duo, Tegan and Sara has journeyed into a dangerous territory of overly electronic disco-like pop. Dive Verdict: ??1/2
The Dead Tongues Desert Rock Way back in 2009, Ryan Gustafson released the glorious and highly-praised country rock Donkey LP that had listeners (at least this one) begging for a follow-up. Dive Verdict: ????1/2
Radar Brothers Eight Pop rock Radar Brothers’ eighth album, appropriately titled Eight, throws every twisted jigsaw piece out on the table for the listeners to piece together. Dive Verdict: ??1/2
Ducktails The Flower Lane Pop/Rock Ducktails, the solo project of Real Estate guitarist Matthew Mondanile, is known for its sprawling pop arrangements. Dive Verdict: ???