“”: We’re sad to say that Hopscotch has wound its way to a close, and man, are we worn out. All indicators point to a hugely successful event — great sales, plenty of crowds and most importantly, an awesome roster. Check out the hefty slideshow, with photos of Dive’s entire Saturday itinerary.
Friday night down and Dive is still living large at Hopscotch. After a loud and raucous trip to the Troika day party, where Bellafea and The Beast rocked and rapped (respectively), we headed to City Plaza to check out Broken Social Scene and Panda Bear. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it in time for the Rosebuds, but the other two headliners proved buzzworthy. Broken Social Scene’s full arrangements and multiple vocalists were especially dextrous live. Sure, there are lots of textures on the band’s records, but seeing these dimensions live was even more incredible.
You know the obnoxious person who says “You had to be there, man”? Well, Dive hates to be trite, but really – you had to be there, man. Day one of Hopscotch has already lived up to the plethora of hype the festival’s been receiving since its announcement several months ago. With a line-up that’s consolidated some of the best local and national bands in existence, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by an overcrowded schedule, and Dive wasn’t any exception to this phenomenon.
You know Reader, I recently remembered something about you: You’re probably a hipster. Considering that this blog runs on Diversions, devoted in large part to the local and indie music scenes (which I know are not mutually exclusive) and probably the most “ironic” thing to read in the Daily Tar Heel, there’s a good chance that you’re listening to something like Belle and Sebastian right now (not the tracks from Juno, of course.) Even as I write this, I notice that our blog covers a Pitchfork-lauded folk septet of soughing strings players, not one of them without a lazy beard or a mosaic blouse. Now, it’s very possible that you’re not a hipster, but, to indulge in my McCarthyistic tendencies, I must add that it’s very likely that you are indeed a hipster and, as such, refuse to admit to the label that society has carved out for you.
Just when you thought the roster couldn’t get any better… Hopscotch and the Independent Weekly recently announced the free Edward McKay Artist and Author series, which will be comprised of three late-afternoon sessions on each day of the festival. The panel discussions are free and open to the public. Topics are “North Carolina’s Musical Heritage: Past, Present and Future,” “Black Mountain College: Legacy and Inspiration” and “Hip Hop Planet: Music and Its Work in the World.”
Check out these new Lost in the Trees videos via La Blogotheque. Below, “Time Taunts Me” and a previously unreleased track, “Icy River.” Both were filmed in Montreal, Canada during the band’s tour earlier this year:
For Kooley High, time zones are irrelevant. After all, “the sun never goes down when (they) rhyme.” Released in the prime of summer’s sizzling heat, Eastern Standard Time, the group’s first album, is full of wicked word play and tunes perfect for blaring with the windows rolled down.
With a new full-length out on August 7 and a CD release show at Durham’s Broad Street Café this Saturday, it’s a good time to be one of the four members of Rat Jackson.
What if I told you that you could be a movie producer? It’s a (extremely) short film from a no-name animator, and the credits will run for about an hour after the film ends. There’s no pay involved, but celebrities like Kiefer Sutherland, Stephen Colbert, Jonah Hill, and Spike Jonze will share producer credit with you. No past experience necessary. All you need is a buck.
After the release of the trailer for his decidedly kid-friendly “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole,” Zack Snyder apparently felt compelled to assure the world that he’s still the most masculine director in the business. That’s really the only explanation I have for the trailer for his latest film “Sucker Punch,” which seems to come from the mind of an ADD-stricken teenager. It’s got everything that could possibly appeal to the 16-24 age demographic, including hot girls in leather, gunplay, Nazi blimps, and uh…dragons? Apparently the film takes place within the minds of several girls in a mental facility. At any rate, check it out yourself below.
1. As if Halloween wasn’t fun enough in Chapel Hill, Asheville will be hosting Moogfest...
If you ask any local musician, critic or music fan about the most exciting thing on the Triangle scene’s horizon, the vast majority of them will have an emphatic answer — Hopscotch Music Festival.
Best Coast’s Crazy for You might give you a contact high. Drenched in the mellow, sunny tone of Bethany Cosentino’s vocals and a hefty dose West Coast debauchery, it’s the sonic equivalent of THC.
October may be months away, but as we trudge inevitably towards it, one thing is always certain: there will be a new “Saw” film. The series will supposedly wrap up with “Saw 3D,” and the teaser trailer is pretty much what we’ve all come to expect from the franchise. A jigsaw voiceover, dark images, screaming, deadly traps, etc. Just more of the same from a series that stopped being interesting after the second entry. Although it may be the end of the “Saw” era, I wouldn’t rule out a spinoff movie or a direct-to-DVD release to milk a few more dollars out of Jigsaw’s corpse.
Yep, that’s right folks. Trekky act Embarrassing Fruits will release its sophomore release, Frontier Justice, September 21.
Bursting with energy and an inviting stage presence, the experimental pop outfit Lake Inferior has consistently embraced kooky acrobatics, layered electronics, and classic party mentality. As a storm rolled over Chapel Hill Tuesday night, inside Local 506, the band used the fun and spontaneity to create some summer thunder of its own.
There’s beauty in going back to the basics, and Midtown Dickens understands this concept. Or at least the concept of putting out some cool, bright blue vinyl. In the wake of the recent re-release of “Oh Yell!,” the Durham duo’s 2007 album, Diversions Editor Linnie Greene sat down with the pair to chat — and joke — about the band’s goals and expectations.
On Wavves’ second full-length, King of the Beach, Nathan Williams fancies himself czar of all things smoked, surfed and shredded. It’s not so far-fetched — for the man who flaunts his drug use, DIY aesthetics, former fear of the ocean and his California identity like a flag, Wavves’ latest is an apt distillation of all the band has come to embody.
It’s a well-known secret of sorts that many musicians feel the need to sign themselves to nonexistent labels. Usually, it’s in the form of an emblem on album packaging or an insignia on a press release.