July is the Month of Merge, as the label continues its yearlong windup in celebration of its 25th anniversary and a festival the end of the month. The latest of their promotions comes from Google Play which has a short documentary about Merge in addition to several tracks by label bands that Google Play users […]
Allison Hussey
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Alice Gerrard turns 80, celebrates with a new LP
There are plenty of aging musicians who probably should’ve pumped the brakes on their music career decades ago, but Alice Gerrard isn’t one of them. The Durham resident turns 80 today and has a new record, Follow the Music, due on the acoustic-centric powerhouse Tompkins Square September 30. Gerrard rose to prominence in the folk […]
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Video: Boys benefit Girls Rock at the Haw River Ballroom
Let’s hear it for the boys: On Friday night, a handful of local male musicians came together for a concert benefitting local nonprofit Girls Rock NC. The dudes delivered a solid night of music that, for the most part, paid tribute to the female musicians and other women in their lives who inspired them. The […]
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Sam Beam’s Iron & Wine moves to Durham, another stop along his Southern journey
Iron & Wine with Angel Olsen Saturday, June 28, 8 p.m., $13.50–$35 North Carolina Museum of Art This weekend, Sam Beamthe singer at the center of the tangled roots act Iron & Winewill play his new hometown for the first time. Well, almost: A year ago, Beam relocated his family to Durham after spending much […]
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Video: Poor Rich Boy collaborates with Plume Giant at Motorco
Wednesday night’s major storms weren’t enough to stop Poor Rich Boy and Plume Giant from taking the stage in Durham. The bands were supposed to play at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens for Duke Performances’ annual Music in the Gardens series, but the weather forced the show inside to Motorco Music Hall. Poor Rich Boy, […]
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Video premiere: See Gulls’ “You Can’t See Me”
There are lots of firsts for new bands: first show, first record, first music video. Durham outfit See Gulls just checked off the last one, premiering the video for “You Can’t See Me.” Sarah Fuller fronts the punchy rock foursome, with Maria Albani on drums. The band recently shifted its lineup around after guitarist Jacki […]
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Hiss Golden Messenger’s fifth LP, Lateness of Dancers, due September 9 on Merge Records
Back at the beginning of April, Hiss Golden Messenger frontman and Durham transplant Michael Taylor announced that he’d signed with fellow Durham heavyhitters Merge Records to release his next album. Today, Taylor announced today new details about the record: it’s titled Lateness of Dancers, and is set to hit shelves on September 9. The album […]
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Pop-Up Chorus pops up Sylvan Esso’s “Coffee”
Buzz has been growing steadily regarding the Pop-Up Chorus, a Durham-based project that gathers community members to get together and sing. Songs are put together in just a single session, with tunes ranging from M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” to Lost in the Trees’ “Daunting Friend,” from Guns ‘n’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’Mine” to Outkast’s “Hey Ya.” […]
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Bull Durham Blues Festival expands for September
The annual basketball Battle of the Blues stirs a lot of rambunctiousness in the Triangle, but there’s no reason to fight about the blues taking over Durham in September, is there? The Bull Durham Blues Festival, founded in 1987, returns this year Sept. 5–6 at the Hayti Heritage Center and the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. […]
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A State Department program affords a Pakistani rock band an international opportunity
Poor Rich Boy & Plume Giant Wednesday, June 11, 7 p.m., $10–$13 Sarah P. Duke Gardens dukeperformances.duke.edu It’s hard sometimes not to think that the Beatitudes were written about life in a rock ‘n’ roll van. From books that detail near-Odyssean conquests to documentaries that capture both the esprit and ennui of time spent on […]