Hopscotch is about discovery. And while big-ticket Hopscotch bookings like TV on the Radio need no introduction, there are always dozens of fantastic smaller acts bound to fall through the cracks. Here are five worth reconsidering. DEEJAY EARL: In the last several years, the Chicago collective Teklife has pushed Chicago’s fantastic footwork scene to national […]
David Ford Smith
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Hopscotch 2015: Make another move (bands to maybe miss this time)
One of the best parts of Hopscotch is the ability to jump from club to club, seeing bits of many sets. But opportunity requires making painful sacrifices. To optimize your Hopscotch experience, consider passing on these five altogether. BULLY: Tennessee guitar heroine Bully issued an excellent first album on Columbia earlier this year, and her […]
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20 bands that might have replaced Deerhunter at Hopscotch
Earlier this week, Raleigh’s Hopscotch announced that one of 2015’s scheduled headliners, the Atlanta psych-rock band Deerhunter, had canceled their upcoming dates for “personal reasons.” This included their Hopscotch appearance. Yesterday, the festival revealed that Montreal post-punk band Ought would fill the slot. Ought are a good band, and I won’t disparage them here. But […]
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Live: Hum’s unlikely cult of distortion
Hum Kings, Raleigh Monday, August 10, 2015 Hum occupy an intriguing space in the ’90s rock canon. The cerebral Illinois alt-rock band played to a packed house at Kings Monday night—surprising for an act best known to most for one 1995 radio hit, “Stars.” The crowd encompassed a variety of types of fans, the more […]
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Live: Smashing Pumpkins and Marilyn Manson shake down 1999
Smashing Pumpkins, Marilyn Manson Red Hat Amphitheater, Raleigh Sunday, July 26, 2015 Sunday night at Raleigh’s Red Hat Amphitheater, Billy Corgan seemed at peace. Out on a run of summer dates with former rival Marilyn Manson, the notoriously cranky Smashing Pumpkins frontman gazed thoughtfully between songs at the sizable crowd, even though he offered few […]
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Live: Dick Diver reanimate ’80s indiepop bliss
Dick Diver, Spider Bags Nightlight, Chapel Hill Thursday, July 9, 2015 Australian and New Zealand guitar pop has a long, storied history. Groups like The Go-Betweens and The Chills cast a long shadow over worldwide bands that attempt to coin their own take on Australian indie or the so-called “Dunedin Sound”: jangly guitars cementing coy […]