“Think this’ll work?” asks the shirtless blond behind the drum kit. We’re in The Cherry Valence’s practice space and the cowbell is nowhere to be seen. Drummer and sometimes frontman Nick Whitley has decided to thwack his mic stand with his stick–a surprisingly good substitute that cuts through three cranked (or “crunked,” in band lingo) […]
Angie Carlson
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Chin Music
It was just last year that Carrboro’s Mammoth Records–the nationally recognized record label that launched the career of the likes of Juliana Hatfield, Joe Henry and our own Squirrel Nut Zippers–closed its local offices. While Disney, which Mammoth had sold out to in 1997, decided to keep the Mammoth name alive with a new president […]
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Ben Davis
Ben Davis has cut a wide swath through the area’s music scene, first as bassist for Harrison, Va.’s Sleepytime Trio, then “tri-founding” Chapel Hill’s angst-y, emo-influenced Milemarker, now releasing his first solo project, The Hushed Pattern of Relief. On discovering that he was going to become a father, Davis decided to forgo touring for family […]
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Texas Crude
Over the years, the role of South by Southwest–the much-copied, much-publicized music industry convention in Austin, Texas–has gone from being a proving ground for young bands looking for a recording contract to a full-on industry schmooze-fest. SXSW, now in its 15th year, has weathered the post-grunge slump, Napster and industry downscaling. Even with the festival […]
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Le Tigre, Le Tigre: From the Desk of Mr. Lady
If you missed their first album, Le Tigre is Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hannah, Pixel-videomaker Sadie Benning and ‘zine writer Johanna Fateman. The feminist trio wrap up their rhetoric in a bouncy, danceable package, using early-’80s drum machines and keyboards, with Hannah occasionally strapping on a guitar for some primitive fuzz chords. Not as ingenuously clever […]
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Love Hangover?
Riddle: What do you call a guy in a band without a girlfriend? Answer: Homeless The joke is old as Granny’s panties, but guys in bands–not the mega-stars who date equally wealthy models and actresses, but moderately successful types–have parlayed the sensitive bad boy schtick into an art. Inexplicably, the ruse works. The average rocker […]
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Matthew Sweet’s Pet Sounds
In the choppy musical seas–where teen pop and hip hop rule the (air) waves–Matthew Sweet’s elaborately produced homage to ’60s pop, In Reverse, scarcely made a ripple last year. But it’s a gem, an album of rich textures and gorgeous sounds steeped in the studio techniques of Phil Spector and George Martin. While Sweet has […]
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Spank That Bongo!
After last year’s eponymous trad-jazz release, the Countdown Quartet set out to capture their live energy on their new disc–a house-shakin’, groove-filled collection of horn-heavy R&B. Adept at musical styles ranging from classic Dixieland to funkified, blues-based rock and soul, Party With!, the band’s sophomore release, is a gris-gris bag full of dance tunes. Brother, […]
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The Bar is Open
Is everyone going to get hammered down there?” It’s 10 a.m. in Dayton, Ohio, and Robert Pollard is not only up but chipper as hell–we’re on the phone discussing Guided by Voices’ upcoming New Year’s Eve show at the Cat’s Cradle. Turns out he’s an early riser–years of being a father, as well as a […]
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An Exiled Noël
An Exiled NoëlFor those of you who celebrate Christmas, the holiday probably involves a gathering with loved ones or relatives you feel obligated to visit, along with the usual barrage of office parties, sweets, Secret Santas and seasonal carols. The day itself finds you surrounded by unwrapped gifts as you mull over which to keep, […]