Black Lips Lincoln Theatre, Raleigh Saturday, Nov. 9, 2013 As the Black Lips neared the end of their set at the Lincoln Theatre Saturday night, they launched into sing-along punk jingle “Bad Kids.” The move invited at least one last surge from the crowd, as a single young dancer occupying the space between bassist Jared […]
Spencer Griffith
Bio: Spencer Griffith lives in Raleigh, where he teaches school and writes about bands.
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James Olin Oden’s The Craic Is Free
James Olin Oden record release show with Tommy Kagan and Three Kilts Tir Na Nog Friday, Nov. 1, 7 p.m. Free The word craic derives from Middle English, from which it borrows pronunciation but not spelling. With some slight changes in connotation along the way, the popular Irish term essentially translates as merriment. After just […]
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The magic of Del McCoury, the splendor of the mood: Spencer Griffith on World of Bluegrass, Night Four
With perfect weather and portions of several streets closed down, downtown Raleigh was alive on Friday’s first full day of open IBMA festivities. Along with a strong slate of scheduled free performances—highlighted by Album of the Year winners Balsam Range, Guitarist of the Year Bryan Sutton, Emerging Artist of the Year nominees The Spinney Brothers, […]
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North Carolina wins, Tony Rice speaks at the IBMA Awards
Even for someone like myself, who’d never been to the IBMA Awards Show before last night, one could tell that the association made every effort to point out its move to Raleigh during the nearly three-hour celebration. It’d have been a dangerous drinking game to sip at every mention of Doc Watson or Earl Scruggs, […]
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Strange encounters and surprising sounds: Spencer Griffith on World of Bluegrass, Night One
Arriving yesterday in the early evening at the Raleigh Convention Center’s registration area for World of Bluegrass 2013, I first met a pair of young guys from Alberta. “We decided to come down on a whim,” one told me. I tried to imagine flying across the continent on an impulse to see bluegrass in Raleigh. […]
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Day party afternoon: Hopscotch 2013 Day 3 highlights
My one constant rule since the first Hopscotch has been to always see Spider Bags when given the opportunity, no matter when or where they’re playing. But, considering the capacity crowd for their 2 p.m. set at Kings that caused me to miss the start of the set, it seems there must be others out […]
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Hopscotch 2013: Day 1 highlights
It’s funny how Hopscotch works. If you’re like me, you spend hours prioritizing bands within a time slot and even planning out the most efficient way to hit several venues in a matter of forty minutes or so, hoping to maximize your time and alleviate as many of the inevitable conflicts as possible. When the […]
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The Berkeley Cafe: an oral history in stories of sounds
The Berkeley Cafe hosts its last metal show in the big room Thursday at 9 p.m. Admission is free. The last EDM event is Friday at 9 p.m. Tickets are $10–$15. Southern Culture on the Skids and The Dune Dogs close down the room Saturday at 9 p.m. Cover is $15–$18. Editor’s note: The following […]
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Tonight: The last open mic in Berkeley Cafe’s large music room
Image by Brian WalsbyAn old poster from a familiar room: The last such jam at Berkeley Cafe, which closes this weekend, happens tonight. After Southern Culture on the Skids leaves the stage Saturday evening, Raleigh’s Berkeley Cafe will close its larger music room and scale back to its size of 25 years ago, adding a […]
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Live: The Darkness thrusts itself upon Raleigh
Photo by Scarlet PageYeah, baby. “We’re The Darkness from the United Kingdom, and we’re here on business!” By the time frontman Justin Hawkins made that introduction early in Friday night’s set, it was unnecessary: The nearly full Lincoln Theatre was clearly familiar with the British quartet, and the band was giving the crowd exactly what […]