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(08/28/06 4:00am)
CONCERTREVIEW
Roman Candle with The Whigs
Friday, Aug. 25
Cat's Cradle
Four stars
Area citizens felt the heat Friday night with an energetic and powerful performance at Cat's Cradle from local up-and-comer, Roman Candle.
Riding a wave of success from the June 22 release party of The Wee Hours Revue, Roman Candle is fast becoming the town's new "it" band, evoking comparisons to acts of Chapel Hill's indie heyday.
The band's buzz made for a packed house, and those who arrived early for the show were met with a knockout surprise from opening act, The Whigs.
The Athens, Ga., three-piece worked the crowd to a crescendo of excitement with a rock 'n' roll frenzy that shined through tracks such as "Technology" and "Violet Furs", setting a tone of wild intensity that would last throughout the night.
Roman Candle arrived on stage afterward to an eager and responsive crowd that brimmed with hometown love and offered up a string of its best songs to fill the audience's appetite.
The group's remarkable passion for music played through every drum beat and guitar slap on a set list that drew heavily from its new CD. "You Don't Belong to This World" was a crowd favorite that had nearly everyone moving and shaking.
However, one of the show's highlights came not from a recorded favorite, but from the live-only "Why Modern Radio Is A-OK."
"Modern Radio" has front man Skip Matheny hating on "high school emo band(s)" and reminiscing about the good old days when "a pop song used to be a powerful thing."
From Bob Dylan to Neil Young, the artists of Matheny's lyrics run like an exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
But Matheny does more than drop names and completes with ease what so many other artists fail immensely to do. He actually draws upon those acts of his past, with Dylan's lyrical artistry, John Lennon's charisma and Johnny Cash's bravado all to be found with him on stage.
As stunning as it might be to watch Matheny's power in front of an audience, the true pleasure of his performance is in the smile he flashes through every few notes.
With brother Logan on drums and wife Timshel on keys, Matheny was clearly at home on stage. His love for music and the even greater love of his band seem to be the very power that keeps him afloat.
And by no means is this Matheny's show. As apparent with the acoustic encore piece, "13 By Big Star", the dynamic that Roman Candle carries on stage is a pure joy to watch.
With Matheny on guitar and the rest of the group providing vocals by his side, it became clear that this band is a family, no matter the relation.
And after a night of watching Roman Candle's talent burn bright, you realize that a pop song still can hold just as much power as it used to.
Contact the Diversions Editor at dive@unc.edu.
(08/23/06 4:00am)
Borders customers might be surprised to learn that the bookseller's upcoming promotion of Songs For Sixty-Five Roses isn't for the latest Nicholas Sparks novel.
As part of the Borders Summer Concert Series, Caitlin Cary and Two Dollar Pistols will be performing at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Fordham Boulevard location in connection with Roses, a compilation album created to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Both acts contributed songs to the LP, which is composed of N.C. musicians covering songs from fellow Tar Heel songwriters.
Local record producer John Plymale, founder of the project, said the project will be a great way for fans to see an intimate, stripped-down show from their favorite artists, with each act performing 30-minute acoustic sets.
"Having a show of this kind helps to get a lot of people involved with the project in more ways than one," he said.
Other artists who provided songs to the project have been performing at Borders throughout the summer, making Thursday's show the third and final in a series of concerts to promote the CD.
"They've gone really well," Plymale said. "Each one is getting bigger than the last."
Cary, who became committed to the project when Plymale's daughter, Allie, was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, said her involvement with the project has proved rewarding.
"It's an honor to be included among all the great artists who are rallying behind this project," she said. "I'm so proud of him and his wife and his kids for taking what could be a crippling setback and turning it into what I and everyone involved dearly hope will serve as a force for change."
But Thursday's performance will be rewarding in more ways than one for the musician.
Cary, who covered Goner's "Battleground Park" for Roses, said she is excited to be performing alongside the band's singer, Scott Phillips, for the event.
"I think Scott is a true local treasure - his writing is vivid and cinematic, and his passion for what he does shines through on every recording and every gig," she said.
Plymale said he has plans to release a second volume of the series, hopefully within the next year, with nearly all the artists back on board for the cause.
"A record of this sort can have a long life if everyone behind it stays committed," Cary said. "It's really a cool compilation of a kind that doesn't happen as much as it should around here - everyone paying tribute to one another musically and at the same time bonding over a cause."
Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.
(04/20/06 4:00am)
Past a row of rusted dumpsters, cloaked in a distinct odor known to some as the "back of restaurant smell" and hidden at the top of a loading dock, there lies a place of secrecy.
Inside is brewing a practice that might one day become as synonymous with the Triangle as Tar Heel basketball and the indie music scene.
Located at the back of Carr Mill Mall in Carrboro, this buried treasure, better known as the Dirty South Improv Comedy Theater, is quickly becoming one of the nation's hot spots for improvisational comedy training.
(03/31/06 5:00am)
Take one concert venue, add 14 performers and multiply by 65 roses to create a community coming together.
After months of hard work, local musicians will present a benefit concert at Cat's Cradle to promote their recent compilation, Songs For Sixty Five Roses, in an effort to raise funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
The album, named for the way in which children with cystic fibrosis are taught to say the name of their disease, was released March 21.
(03/30/06 5:00am)
MUSICREVIEW
prince
3121
4 Stars
Consider 3121 to be the magic combination that has finally allowed the Purple One back into his tower of greatness.
This is the album that 2004's Musicology should have been. Whereas the latter lacked the musical fire and fury of yore, 3121 reeks of vintage Prince.
It's smart, sexy and has enough winners to remind listeners why they fell in love with this provocative and innovative artist in the first place.
(03/23/06 5:00am)
CONCERTREVIEW
Matt Pond PA
Cat's Cradle
Friday
3.5 Stars
Blame it on the booze, but the St. Patrick's Day concert from indie rock act Matt Pond PA was an experience far from anything expected.
Fresh off of its October release, Several Arrows Later, the band has built a name for itself as a rainy-day outfit, with enough subtle string work and introspective lyrical artistry to bring all the little emo kids to the yard.
(02/27/06 5:00am)
From dimples to donkeys, audience members provided dozens of the nation's premiere improvisational groups with countless off-the-wall performance suggestions this weekend at the sixth annual Dirty South Improv Festival.
The event featured 23 multi-set shows, making it the largest in the festival's history - third only to Chicago and New York in scale, organizers said.
"Having our own theater has made this the first year where we can have multiple venues available," said Zach Ward, DSI Theater executive producer. "If you miss the start of one show, all you have to do is drive a mile and go see another show that starts in 30 minutes."
Rene Duquesnoy, who performed at and hosted Friday's Gerrard Hall show as a member of the DSI Chicago group, The Beatbox, said the change of venue greatly improved this year's festival.
"The first time I was here three years ago it was in Hamilton (Hall) - two shows Friday and two shows Saturday," he said. "We were even performing in bars and ice cream parlors, stuff like that, and now we have our own home. It's incredible."
Duquesnoy said that despite its initial small scale, the unique atmosphere of the festival was the key factor in wanting to come back year after year.
"The cool thing about this festival is that it brings the college improv scene and the professional improv scene together," he said.
From the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre of New York City to Clemson University's Mock Turtle Soup, the six-day spectacle, featuring performances on- and off-campus, attracted 68 improv teams. Despite the fame of some groups, Ward said, no group tried to make an effort to headline the festival.
"What we are really dedicated to at DSI is the education of improv as an art form," he said. "Everyone at this festival is coming together to play and take workshops, not to compete."
Sophomore David Greenslade, director of CHiPs, UNC's student improv team, said the mingling of college and professional improv troupes proved rewarding.
"I like the fact that, in the workshops, the college and national scenes are brought together, but when it comes to performing it can be incredibly stressful."
Ward said he hopes that the festival will excite local improv lovers and draw them in to take workshops at the new DSI space in Carrboro.
Jaki Bradley, a new member in the CHiPs training program, said she enjoyed the festival workshops, which were capped at 15 people.
After attending several shows and workshops, Bradley said the festival was a bit overwhelming.
"Even though I'm done, I feel like I should be performing right now."
Contact the A&E Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.
(02/16/06 5:00am)
MUSICREVIEW
Shawn Mullins
9th Ward Pickin' Parlor
3 stars
A good ol' boy with a broken heart and a banjo might not be the stuff of legend, but in a world full of pre-made MTV hacks, it is tough to deny the talent of a man with genuine talent and musicianship.
Atlanta-based singer and songwriter Shawn Mullins returns strong with his latest release, 9th Ward Pickin' Parlor, an album that alternates between soft-spoken ballads and down-home anthems.
(01/26/06 5:00am)
MUSICREVIEW
Swearing at Motorists
Last Night Becomes This Morning
3 Stars
A band like Swearing at Motorists is expected to break all the rules.
But with its latest album, the indie duo takes a sharp turn to the left, running off the highway of musical tradition completely.
There isn't a chorus to be found, and the lyrics of any given song could probably fit on a Post-it note.
With no song passing the three-minute mark, it would take more time to watch an episode of "Everybody Loves Raymond" than listen to this LP.
(01/24/06 5:00am)
The Ackland Art Museum offered a free public lecture Monday night from one very artistic family.
Though not quite the Jacksons, Betye Saar and two of her three daughters, Lezley Saar and Alison Saar, have been recognized for their artistic achievement. The trio spoke at the Hanes Art Center as part of their ongoing exhibit, "Family Legacies."
Patrons packed the center for a chance to hear the women, whose first exhibit together has been on display at the Ackland since December.