Rock ‘n’ roll isn’t brain surgery. It’s not even a wart removal procedure. Rock ‘n’ roll is a ruckus. It’s joyful noise, a yowl at the moon. It’s adrenaline bottled for the ears. It’s sex in the afternoon. It’s–how you say?–fun. Terry Anderson has wanted to be in the middle of that kind of fun […]
Rick Cornell
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“Where there’s No Depression”
Early 1996 in the Triangle, and life is good at the center of the universe. Granted, it’s a minor universe–that of so-called “alternative-country” music, a big tent destined for sprawl–but the center is still the center. Every weekend, or so it seems, you can hang in town to witness local heroes mixing Neil Young, Buck […]
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Vassar Clements, 77
That Vassar Clements was a musician who bridged gaps instead of burning bridges and an artist whose truly massive body of work is characterized by inclusion was instantly apparent when the remembrances started flowing on various country- and roots-related Internet music groups. Clements, who died on Aug. 16 at age 77 after a battle with […]
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Just can’t get enough
In the movie Stand By Me, the Wil Wheaton/Richard Dreyfus writer character memorably muses, “I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was 12.” On a similar note, my wife recently shared the thought that the music you listen to while in college becomes part of you like no […]
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Soundbite
Some records feel claustrophobic, determined to pack in more instruments, more words, more stuff. By the end, there’s not much air left in the room–for better or worse, I guess, depending on how you feel about light-headedness. On the other hand, there’s this second release from Chapel Hill’s Yasmine White, an album with plenty of […]
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Soundbite
When one encounters terms such as “home-recorded” and “personal” in regard to an album, you start bracing yourself for the possibility of rough roads ahead. Musically, there’s the danger of a one-note, one-mood experience or something that’s too precious by half. Writing-wise, you might get freshman-journal musings or revelations that enter the Too Much Information […]
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You should know the mighty king
It’d be worth the 12 bucks just to sit in the living room and listen to Phil Lee, roots rocker/long-haul trucker/new grandfather and the guy that Nashville writer Peter Cooper calls “the Don Rickles of disenfranchised nashtwang,” tell stories. He can explain his role in the Michael Schenker Group video for “Rock Will Never Die” […]
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In recurring music
Whether the tunes are originating from a front porch in Bynum, a back deck in Durham, a stage in Carrboro or various living rooms in Chapel Hill and Raleigh, there’s something wonderfully comforting and frequently enriching about a music series and the way in which it can combine music with familiar faces and settings. The […]
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Singer up!
The St. Louis Cardinals baseball club is a franchise rich in history and characters. There’s Stan “The Man” Musial’s perfect nickname and, these days, Albert Pujols’ perfect bat. On the mound, you’ve got Bob Gibson and his microscopic ERA, Dizzy Dean and his quote-worthy brashness, and Steve Carlton and his wicked slider–Hall of Famers all. […]
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Soundbite
In addition to being a gathering of deftly executed duets and hand-in-glove harmonies, the Nashville-recorded Begonias is the sound of good ideas. The first smart move was, of course, the decision to make the record, an effort that Caitlin Cary and Thad Cockrell have been warming up for over the last four years. After teaming […]
