El Día de los Muertos is upon us: Traditionally a time for families to remember the deceased, create ofrendas with photos of their loved ones and take to the cemetery to lay out feasts for their muertitos, festivals and shows have sprung up in the Triangle to keep people busy all day long. From charity […]
Amanda Black
Posted inMusic
Live: Ana Tijoux bridges language gaps with beats and attitude
Ana Tijoux Motorco Music Hall, Durham Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015 There was some mild cognitive dissonance when Ana Tijoux started her set Thursday night at a sold-out Motorco. Wearing her signature large hoop earrings, a chevron print dress and braided hair, the rapper launched into her first song, “Antipatriarca,” a rousing womanist anthem. Attendees who […]
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Live: In Durham, Mexico’s Elefante excite a full room
Elefante, Zakke Motorco Music Hall, Durham Saturday, September 19, 2015 On Saturday night, Parts&Labor buzzed with its regular dog-toting clientele, munching away on sliders and enjoying beer in (finally) less than 90-degree weather. But something was different: Small groups of Spanish speakers also lined the picnic tables, happily eating while waiting for their favorite band, […]
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Live: Camila bridges generations in Raleigh
Camila The Ritz, Raleigh Sunday, August 23, 2015 Camila is a very, very famous group in Latin America—so famous, in fact, that the night before the Ritz’s almost-sold-out Sunday night show, they played to a crowd of 4,000 at Greensboro Coliseum with singer Marco Antonio Solís. The tour, dubbed “La Experiencia,” aims to bring together […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Gallo Pelón, the Triangle’s first mezcalería, excels with ambitious fusion
Gallo Pelón MezcalerÍa 106 1/2 S. Wilmington St., Raleigh 919-835-3593 www.centroraleigh.com I received the news of a crowd-sourced mezcalería in downtown Raleigh—Gallo Pelón, the state’s (and possibly the Southeast’s) first—with skepticism and excitement. Often described as tequila’s smoky cousin, mezcal runs the gamut in both taste and quality, so I worried the range of options […]
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Live: At The Ritz, ego and a lack of safety combine for a Farruko failure
Farruko The Ritz, Raleigh Thursday, March 19, 2015 Last Thursday, a hopeful crowd of a couple hundred arrived at The Ritz for a show from up-and-coming reggaetón artist Farruko. Despite the awkward, multi-station, bracelet-donning process and overly expensive drinks, aptly described by INDY music editor Grayson Haver Currin, the mostly young crowd seemed to be […]
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Live: Capsula’s bilingual pursuit works in Raleigh
Capsula The Pour House, Raleigh Thursday, March 12, 2015 Last Thursday night, Argentine-Spanish rock trio Capsula took the stage at The Pour House, standing in front of an orange, black and white banner of a tiger being hunted in the woods. With Martín Guevara on guitar, Coni Duchess on bass and Iñaki Guantxe (a newer […]
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Live: A Spanish party in Raleigh with Jarabe de Palo
Jarabe de Palo, Carlos Salvo The Pour House, Raleigh Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014 The first thing to know about rock en español is that the term itself is completely insufficient; while describing everything, it describes nothing. Spanish rock group Jarabe de Palo’s trajectory is perhaps the most positive example of what proudly being a rockero […]