Sylvan Esso, Flock of Dimes, Ivan Howard Carrboro Town Commons, Carrboro Friday, April 3, 2015 Upon first breaching Carrboro Town Commons for last Friday night’s sold-out and outdoor Sylvan Esso show, one was forced to make an instant decision as to which line to join. I didn’t need food, and I didn’t need a porta-john, […]
David Klein
Bio: David Klein lives in Chapel Hill with his wife and two sons. His first book, If 6 Was 9 and Other Assorted Number Songs, is available at his website.Link: http://www.if6was9thebook.com/Twitter: http://twitter.com/DKleinandFall
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In the final years of her life, a Chapel Hill teacher-turned-lawyer uses lessons learned from R.E.M. to leave an impact
R.E.M. by MTV & The PopUp Chorus Friday, April 10, 7 p.m., $15 Cat’s Cradle, 300 E. Main St., Carrboro 919-967-9053, www.catscradle.com Vivian Connell sits in a motorized wheelchair beside a sun-warmed picnic table. She does most of the talking, barely pausing between sentences as she pivots between recent class-action lawsuits against a manufacturer of […]
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A skeptical “secret singer” attends PopUp Chorus, the local vocal sensation
PopUp Chorus Monday, March 9, 7 p.m. $7 for adults, $5 for students Motorco 723 Rigsbee Ave., Durham 919-901-0875 motorcomusic.com Beneath the gunmetal skies of a chilly Monday evening in February, more than 50 people wait for the doors of the Durham rock club Motorco to open. But it’s early still, not yet 7 p.m., […]
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Some Kind of Magic: Talking to Burt Bacharach
A consummate songwriter, Burt Bacharach penned his first hit in 1957 for Marty Robbins. He crashed the Top 40 sixty-five more times. In what was scheduled to be a ten-minute chat, he opened up to the INDY about a host of subjects: his perfectionism, his big break, what’s on his workout playlist and why, at […]
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Hear the first cut from Lilac Shadows’ new LP, Brutalism
Durham psych rockers Lilac Shadows turned heads last year with No Dark/No Light, an ambitious song cycle that took listeners spaceward in a storm of melody and texture. On Feb. 28, they host a special release event at The Pinhook in anticipation of the actual March 3 arrival of their new LP, Brutalism, through Raleigh’s […]
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Live: In Carrboro, the Drive-By Truckers get generous
Drive-By Truckers Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro Saturday, Jan. 31, 2015 A few songs into the Drive-By Truckers’ sold-out show at Cat’s Cradle Saturday, a fan exhorted the band to “Bring the heat!” Though well intentioned, it wasn’t necessary: From the moment they hit the stage, it was clear that the Truckers were bringing plenty of energy. […]
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Talking with The Wusses about the best and the wimpiest soft rock
From all indications, The Wusses are nine area musicians with an abiding love for the wimpiest, wussiest wing of 1970s AM radio. Bizarrely, the Wusses insist they play nothing but originals; they’ve just been the victims of extremely bad management and record company chicanery. I went along with this seeming ruse to get a closer […]
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Live: The Black Keys and St. Vincent converge for guitars
The Black Keys & St. Vincent PNC Arena, Raleigh Friday, Dec. 5, 2014 A bill that pairs the stylized, experimental approach of St. Vincent with the crowd-pleasing retro rock of the Black Keys seems an odd one indeed, kind of like David Bowie opening up for Humble Pie. If there’s a point of agreement between […]
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Listening to Christmas songs with Nnenna Freelon and John Brown
Nnenna Freelon & John Brown Big Band Sunday, Dec. 7, 7 p.m. $20-$61.50 Carolina Theatre 309 W. Morgan St., Durham 919-560-3030 carolinatheatre.org John Brown’s office nestles within the underground level of Duke University’s Biddle Music Building, where he leads the jazz department and teaches courses like Introduction to Jazz. After a recent move to this […]
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Live: Hitting the end of the road with The New Pornographers
The New Pornographers Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro Sunday, Nov. 23 Lately I’ve been addicted to Canadian power pop. Brill Bruisers, the acclaimed September release by The New Pornographers, and Sloan’s Commonwealth have been in near constant rotation, and in the past week, both of these acts played the Cradle. Last week in the Back Room, I […]