Bitch, Please plays Southland Ballroom Thursday, Nov. 29, at 10 p.m. Tickets are $5–$8. If Charles F. Moreland III had decided to become a partner in a law firm, his given name would have surely sufficed; it’s ready-made for a business card. But when the Atlanta-based producer opted to pursue a career as a musician, […]
David Raposa
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Posted inMusic
Bowerbirds’ The Clearing
Bowerbirds play Cat’s Cradle Saturday, March 17, at 9:30 p.m. Mandolin Orange opens the $12–$14 show. As far as pairings of bands and their album titles go, The Clearing by the Bowerbirds feels like a foregone conclusion. Pittsboro’s Phil Moore and Beth Tacular have already released two sets that suggest a restful spell in a […]
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Lips like sugar: In defense of nice music
Tennis and Hospitality play Local 506 Friday, March 9, at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $9–$11. Of all the unintentionally backhanded compliments one could offer regarding someone’s endeavors, the one that’s the most pleasant might actually sting the most: “It’s … nice.” Part pat on the back, part nonchalant shrug, that sentence is the kind of […]
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On Tramp, Sharon Van Etten’s sound finally outstrips the story of a bad boyfriend
Sharon Van Etten plays Cat’s Cradle with Shearwater Sunday, Feb. 12, at 9 p.m. Tickets are $13–$15. Being a competent musician and solid songwriter is nice, sure, but it’s also not uncommon. Oftentimes, notoriety requires a lot moresome luck, that haircut, a costume, a controversy, anything to make one’s self stand out from the rest […]
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Phil Cook’s gospel feat
If there’s one thing that connects most interpretations of hymns like “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms,” from your local church’s dutiful recitation to this rapturous show-stopping turn by the Blind Boys of Mississippi, it’s a sense of wonder and awe. In this light, Phil Cook’s take on this hymn from a digital “seven-inch split” might […]
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Cass McCombs’ decade of determining a sound
Cass McCombs plays Haw River Ballroom in Saxapahaw Friday, Jan. 20, at 8 p.m. Frank Fairfield opens. Tickets are $15. The trick that Cass McCombs turns on “County Line,” the first track from his 2011 album Wit’s End, is the sort of sleight-of-hand that most songwriters spend careers seeking: writing a song that sounds familiar […]
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Part Chimp and Torche share ideas, not audiences
Part Chimp and Torche play Motorco Saturday, Nov. 5, at 10 p.m. Tickets are $10-$12, and Lurch opens. All considered, London’s Part Chimp had a pretty good run. Over the group’s 10-year existence, they released three full-lengths on Mogwai’s Rock Action label and a handful of EPs and singles, toured both sides of the Atlantic […]
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The supergroup Wild Flag gets dynamic, not didactic
Wild Flag plays Cat’s Cradle Friday, Oct. 21, with Eleanor Friedberger. The 9:30 p.m. show costs $15–$17. Most talk about Wild Flag begins with the acknowledgement that the new band is a supergroup of familiar faces: singer and guitarist Carrie Brownstein, singer and guitarist Mary Timony, organist Rebecca Cole and drummer Janet Weiss. An inevitable […]
Posted inFestivals
In your face: Three of music’s most aggressive bandleaders talk about their approaches
Oxbow plays Berkeley Cafe Thursday. The Body plays Kings Friday. Future Islands plays Lincoln Theatre Saturday. It’s more commonly known as “breaking the fourth wall,” but playwright Bertolt Brecht called it the “alienation effect.” It’s when attention is drawn to the artifice of a performance or production, as when a player breaks character to summarize […]
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Fucked Up is this era’s great hardcore integrator
Fucked Up plays Kings with Double Negative and JEFF the Brotherhood Tuesday, June 28, at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $12–$14. The Toronto band Fucked Up plays hardcore punk rock, at least judging by its reputation and alliances. But in the past several years, they’ve also played 12-hour concerts, trashed MTV studios, launched a series of […]