Our top picks of Hopscotch Music Festival 2013

Hopscotch Handicapper PDFs

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Venues

Raleigh City Plaza
450 Fayetteville St.

Berkeley Cafe
217 W. Martin St.

CAM Raleigh
409 W. Martin St.

Deep South the Bar
430 S. Dawson St.

Five Star
511 W. Hargett St.

Fletcher Opera Theater
2 E. South St.

The Hive at Busy Bee Cafe
225 S. Wilmington St.

Kennedy Theatre
2 E. South St.

Kings Barcade
14 W. Martin St.

Lincoln Theatre
126 E. Cabarrus St.

Long View Center
118 S. Person St.

Memorial Auditorium
2 E. South St.

Pour House Music Hall
224 S. Blount St.

Slim’s
227 S. Wilmington St.

Tir na nOg
218 S. Blount St.

We asked a handful of our INDY freelancers, plus a couple of hardcore Hopscotch-goers, to give us a rundown of the acts they were most interested to catch in each half-hour time slot throughout the three-day festival. A cumulative tally of their responses resulted in this “Handicapper” guide to what our informal survey suggests may be the hottest tickets at Hopscotch this year.

Blurbs by Peter Blackstock (PB), Spencer Griffith (SG), Corbie Hill (CH), Brian Howe (BH), Jordan Lawrence (JL), Ashley Melzer (AM) and Bryan C. Reed (BCR).

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All sets run 40 minutes except where noted.

THURSDAY

8:30 P.M.

Nathan Bowles @ FletcherA member of both The Black Twig Pickers and PeltAppalachian string-band revivalists and revisionists, respectivelyBowles brings an appropriate balance of reverence and ingenuity to his work as a solo banjoist. The instrument’s casual twang and rollick are familiar, but Bowles’ percussive, lyrical figures are his own. BCR

Also: Body Games @ Pour House

9 P.M.

Kingsbury Manx @ Memorial The Manx’s manicured pop is also quite kinetic. Spotless and airtight, the longtime Chapel Hill band’s limber melodies are built intricately by guitars and keys. But these fleet tunes aren’t impeded by their complexity. JL

Wichita Falls @ Deep SouthWichita Falls is Will Clintonthough this producer and multi-instrumentalist is packing a full band to replicate the careening, shambling indie rock of his latest EP, …And the Bad Blood. With raspy, desperate vocals calling out over the fits and starts, plus Modest Mouse-reminiscent rhythmic tumbles, Clinton’s strong songwriting matches his no-brakes punk impetus. CH

Also: Skylar Gudasz @ Long View (see Thursday Triptych box), Ama Divers @ Busy Bee, Dreebs @ Kennedy, Old Quarter @ Tir Na Nog, Twilighter @ Berkeley

9:30 P.M.

Angel Olsen @ Fletcher (to 10:40 p.m.) Olsen’s cutting warble is a timeless instrument, calling to mind the raw power of country legendsLoretta Lynn, for instancewhile retaining a pastoral simplicity that harkens to even simpler times. JL

Last Year’s Men @ CAMLong live old-school punk-pop. This Chapel Hill quartet tosses out instantly memorable tunes in an off-the-cuff manner that makes everyone else appear to be trying too hard to be original. Thing is, it’s hard to be easy; not everyone can pull it off, but the primitivism of Last Year’s Men rises above. PB

Also: Boyzone @ Kings, DJ Paypal @ Pour House, Maple Stave @ Slim’s, Melissa Swingle @ Five Star, Midnight Plus One @ Lincoln

10 P.M.

Pharmakon @ Kennedy

Sylvan Esso @ Memorial (to 11:10 p.m.) Matching the stunning, sweet voice of Mountain Man vocalist Amelia Meath with Megafaun bassist Nick Sanborn’s sparse electronic productions has been a recipe for Sylvan Esso’s fast-building buzz. The duo’s double A-side debut reimagines Meath’s airy folk songs, setting their immediate hooks to gradual, throbbing grooves. SG

Also: Noise Trauma @ Busy Bee, Beloved Binge @ Berkeley, Bitter Resolve @ Deep South, Terry Anderson & the Olympic Ass-Kickin’ Team @ Tir Na Nog, Tonk @ Long View

10:30 P.M.

Eros and the Eschaton @ Slim’sThe married duo of Adam Hawkins and Kate Pedroni, who live near Greensboro, exploded with their Bandcamp page of sweet, dreamy shoegaze and indie rock songs. Those tracks got them quickly snatched up by the Bar/None label, which recently released their charming first LP Home Address for Civil War. BH

Lapalux @ Pour HouseGiven that his home is in Essex, England, and his label, Brainfeeder, is in Los Angeles, producer Stuart Howard is used to being pulled in different directions. His deconstructed R&B reflects that discord, stitching together raw parts of percussion, synth and vocals for an approachable, beautiful new whole. AM

Also: Malcolm Holcombe @ Five Star (see Thursday Triptych box), Ironing Board Sam @ CAM, Mike Shiflet @ Kings, Survival @ Lincoln

11 P.M.

Backsliders @ Tir Na NogLike R.E.M. sitting down to brunch with Steve Earle, Raleigh’s Backsliders play jangly, story-driven Americana with respectable pop sensibilities. Born of the mid-’90s Triangle alt-country boom that launched Whiskeytown, they didn’t play together for years, until a reunion show last fall prompted a new chapter. Welcome back, guys. CH

Sal Mineo @ KennedyNamed for the murdered actor, this haunted collaboration between two provocative, experimental frontmenXiu Xiu’s Jamie Stewart and Oxbow’s Eugene Robinsonmatches Stewart’s minimalist creepshow arrangements to Robinson’s expressive speak-sing vocals. Both Hopscotch alums in their separate outfits, the duo marks its North American debut with this show. BCR

Also: Co. @ Berkeley, Expo ’70 @ Busy Bee, Golden Void @ Deep South, Grouper @ Fletcher, South Carolina Broadcasters @ Long View

11:30 P.M.

Merzbow @ KingsHaving released hundreds of recordings since the late ’70s, culminating in the monumental 50-CD Merzbox in 2000, Japan’s Masami Akita is hands down (or perhaps over ears) one of the most influential people in harsh noise. In his Merzbow project, named in homage to Dada artist Kurt Schwitters, dark erotic undercurrents drive transcendent distortion and feedback hymns. BH

Purling Hiss @ CAMThough still plenty raw, Purling Hiss’ latest proves that beneath the trio’s formerly scuzzy lo-fi surface, the band has always known its way around a catchy hook. Howled vocals, scorching solos and righteous riffs mark the Philadelphia group’s garage-psych, which also takes cues from classic and slacker rock. SG

Also: Endless Boogie @ Slim’s, Dauwd @ Pour House, Marnie Stern @ Lincoln, Rosebuds @ Memorial, Water Liars @ Five Star

MIDNIGHT

Ken Vandermark & Tim Daisy Duo @ Busy BeeIn the Vandermark 5, Ken Vandermark and Tim Daisy are among the most prominent international exponents of Chicago’s legendary avant-jazz and improvisation scene. As a saxophone and drums duo, they string together lyricism and experiment in the sure-footed way that only players with a well-seasoned dynamic can. BH

Shannon Whitworth @ BerkeleyAfter gaining attention in bluegrass band The Biscuit Burners, Whitworth went solo, a move that paid off with a gradual push away from the constraints of tradition. Her broader Americana sound pulls in jazz, pop, blues and Appalachian notes, all of it anchored by her effortless vocal presence. AM

Also: Chatham County Line @ Long View (see Thursday Triptych box), American Aquarium @ Tir Na Nog, ASG @ Deep South, Wold @ Kennedy

12:30 A.M.

Kurt Vile & the Violators @ LincolnAs if stuck in a time warp, sardonic singer-songwriter Vile’s easygoing rock ‘n’ roll could have existed in the ’70s, though he’s not trapped by nostalgia. Guitar lines spill out neatly as his songs unfold to epic lengths, with enough space to imbue the feeling of driving an open road in America’s heartland. SG

Oblivians @ CAMIn 1997, the Oblivians were a lo-fi frenzy, a no-nonsense blitz of finest garage fury. The re-formed Memphis trioincluding Jack Oblivian and Greg Cartwright (The Reigning Sound)is equally feral on the new Desperation, their first album in 15 years. JL

Also: Jonathan Kane’s February @ Slim’s, Matthew Dear @ Pour House, Shilohs @ Five Star, Wolf Eyes @ Kings

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FRIDAY

8:30 P.M.

Black Zinfandel @ KingsUnleashing taut proto-punk volleys beneath subtly disorienting scuzz, this new Raleigh crewforged last yearboasts a freewheeling approach and a fully formed sound that backs up their impressive credentials. JL

9 P.M.

Brett Harris @ MemorialThey don’t make tunesmiths like Harris anymore, which might be why his classic melodic strengths shine so brightly across an indie-centric landscape. N.C. rock legacy act The dB’s recognized his talents enough to recruit him as a sideman for their recent reunion tour, but Harris is best appreciated playing his own songs, which recall a vivid early-’70s AM radio blend of pure pop, country-folk and sweet soul music. PB

Spooky Woods @ Deep SouthIn an age of incessant media oversharing, it’s refreshing that four Triangle musicians with conspicuously thick résumésJeff Crawford, Skylar Gudasz, Casey Toll and James Wallacehave started this band and refrained from saturating Bandcamp with practice recordings. Curiosity: piqued. CH

Also: Dub Addis @ Tir Na Nog (see Friday Triptych box), Ilyas Ahmed @ Long View, Wool @ Berkeley, Villages @ Kennedy, Waumiss @ Busy Bee

9:30 P.M.

Late Bloomer @ Pour HouseSplitting the difference between slacker detachment and punk insistence, this Charlotte trio allows fuzz to thicken atop tenacious assaults. Hands-in-pocket gawkers and circle-pit instigators will feel equally at ease. JL

OXYxMORON @ CAMMuch better than its name, this South Carolina act’s smart, soulful Southern rap really is, as many acts claim to be, born of hard times. But it’s easy to hear the hunger in its trio of young, ambitious MCs, though, as they rhyme coming-of-age lessons alongside laid-back club anthems. SG

Also: Deleted Scenes @ Five Star, Lady Lamb The Beekeeper @ Fletcher, Protomartyr @ Kings, Sannhet @ Slim’s, Turf War @ Lincoln

10 P.M.

Dan Friel @ Busy BeeFounder of the great Brooklyn noise-rock outfit Parts & Labor, Dan Friel’s solo guise shares much of his old band’s energy, but he focuses it into propulsive bursts of noisy synth-pop. His new disc, Total Folklore, shows a clear sense of direction, moving across melodic fields that flirt with pop and power electronics. BCR

Rose Windows @ BerkeleyPriests and spirits and wartime lovers all find their way into the meanderings of this Seattle band. Formed by songwriter Chris Cheveyo, the band mines blues-rock, psychedelic folk and indie inventiveness to transcendent ends. Their Sub Pop debut, The Sun Dogs, is a moving target of wild tales and timeless auras. AM

Also: Alexander Turnquist @ Kennedy, High Aura’d @ Long View, High Highs @ Memorial, Human Eyes @ Deep South, Shirlette Ammons T4GB @ Tir Na Nog

10:30 P.M.

Alpoko Don @ LincolnIf his momentum continues, the best-kept secret in Greenville, S.C., won’t stay kept for long. Alpoko Don’s skeletal, hand-drummed beats, hymnal blues moans and gritty street rhymes already have caught notice from online tastemakers such as Pitchfork and NOISEY. But while his novel approach is almost guaranteed attention, the conviction in Don’s delivery promises longevity beyond the blog-buzz. BCR

Night Beds @ FletcherThe aching beauty of Night Beds’ songs is matched by Winston Yellen’s hauntingly beautiful vocals, which are bolstered by his bandmates’ harmonies. Recalling the desolate indie-folk twang of Fleet Foxes, Yellen delivers with a vulnerability that underscores his sincerity. SG

Also: Helado Negro @ CAM (see Friday Triptych box), Airstrip @ Five Star, Spacin’ @ Kings, Swearin’ @ Pour House, Vattnet Viskar @ Slim’s

11 P.M.

Daniel Bachman @ Long ViewAn early-20s picker holding his own with veteran masters, Bachman is something of a prodigy among practitioners of the American primitive guitar style. He’s as capable of stirring up tantrums of clattering strings and foggy overtone drones as he is of spinning delicate, lyrical passages, but his youth does betray itself in his unflagging energy and urgency. BCR

Speedy Ortiz @ KennedyFollowing a few lo-fi solo efforts, Sadie Dupuis had her creative breakthrough when she expanded her band to a rock quartet for this year’s nervy, acclaimed Major Arcana. Speedy Ortiz revels in ’90s indie rock and post-punk, twisty and unsprung like Pavement, with palm-muted chords bearing guitar leads as spiky and skewed as Dupuis’ lyrics. BH

Also: Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba @ Tir Na Nog, Houses @ Berkeley, Jeanne Jolly @ Deep South, Leech @ Busy Bee, Local Natives @ Memorial (to 1 a.m.)

11:30 P.M.

Action Bronson @ LincolnBronson’s “Strictly 4 My Jeeps” video shows the New York tatted-and-bearded MC goofing off on the city streets but concentrating in the kitchen; the accomplished chef and rising rapper, after all, is a master of ingredients. With a seemingly effortless flow and a Wu-descended balance of hardened intensity and absurd humor, his cuts are layer cakes of double and triple entendre. CH

Mount Moriah @ Fletcher (to 1 a.m.) Though distinct, these folk-rockers are also diverse. Heather McEntire’s piercing coos and Jenks Miller’s fiery guitar underpin piano elegies, country ragers and string-girded ballads. You’ll get all of it at this special catalog-spanning set. JL

Also: Hunters @ Pour House, Gorguts @ Slim’s, Mykki Blanco @ CAM, Whatever Brains @ Kings, Zen Frisbee @ Five Star

MIDNIGHT

Morning Brigade @ Deep South“What’s the point in facing your fears if you’ll never fight?” sings frontman Peter Vance in one of Morning Brigade’s newest songs. Such forthright lyrical expression is part of what makes this six-piece of mostly UNC students stand out, along with instrumentation that eschews both bass and electric guitar for strings, keys, bells and dual percussion. They’re indie, yes, but they’re marching to their own drummer(s). PB

Waxahatchee @ KennedyOn her second album, Cerulean Salt, singer-songwriter Katie Crutchfield added instruments and fidelity without sacrificing the daring intimacy of her debut, American Weekend. She writes and passionately performs clever, heartfelt punk-folk songs, alternately introspective and lacerating, that hark back to the most confessional days of the Saddle Creek label. BH

Also: Slavic Soul Party! @ Tir Na Nog (see Friday Triptych box), Charlemagne Palestine @ Long View, Nightlands @ Busy Bee, Suuns @ Berkeley

12:30 A.M.

Pere Ubu @ KingsThey appear to be flying under the radar amid a Hopscotch lineup packed with rising talent, but Ohio’s Pere Ubu remains one of the great experimental rock bands of all time. Frontman David Thomas is a commanding stage presence, presiding over a musical colossus that likely will leave a lot of festival upstarts in the dust. (They also have an album of new material for the first time in four years, The Lady From Shanghai on Fire Records.) PB

Pig Destroyer @ Slim’sThe difference between most heavy bands and Pig Destroyer is the difference between horror movies and pure horror itself. In a 20-minute set, these Arlington, Va., masters of extreme grind deliver compulsively complex, nerve-destroying blastbeat assaults. If you want to see how confrontational, fast and anxiety-inducing metal can get, check ’em out. CH

Also: Earl Sweatshirt @ Lincoln, Magik Markers @ Five Star, Mikal Cronin @ Pour House, Ryan Hemsworth @ CAM

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SATURDAY

8:30 P.M.

Moon King @ CAM

9 P.M.

Cian Nugent @ FletcherAn Irish guitarist with an ear for American styles, Cian Nugent makes contemplative acoustic instrumentals that burrow deep into the American songbook, dredging up notes of blues and ragtime, rock ‘n’ roll and folk. His distance, geographically and chronologically, from the source material does Nugent a favor, swirling these sounds into a moving and meditative new style. BCR

Saints Apollo @ Tir Na NogAmong a handful of young Triangle bands turning to instrumentation that reaches beyond a guitar-bass-drums blueprint, Saints Apollo has fashioned a brilliant acoustic pop sound accented by cello, violin and piano. On their full-length debut We Are Ghosts, released last week, they gloriously push the vocal harmonies to the front of the mix, daring to make beautiful and undamaged music. PB

Also: Estrangers @ Berkeley (see Saturday Triptych box), Casual Curious @ Busy Bee, Plume Giant @ Deep South, Regina Hexaphone @ Long View, Prypyat @ Kennedy

9:30 P.M.

Horse Lords @ CAMHalf of Horse Lords plays percussion, producing hypnotic polyrhythmic grooves that become trancelike as they push past the 15-minute mark. Like a primitive post-rock group with eclectic influences, the quartet is constantly building and releasing tension with intricate guitar noodling that uses the just intonation tuning. SG

Ryan Gustafson’s The Dead Tongues @ MemorialAfter leaving behind the arena-ready alt-rock of Boxbomb, singer and guitarist Ryan Gustafson reinvented himself with his excellent 2009 solo debut, Donkey, which recast him as a kind of ’60s rock shaman with tinges of rustic roots and desert psychedelia. An extended hiatus recently ended when Gustafson resurfaced this year with a new band, The Dead Tongues, and a new LP, Desert. BH

Also: Cesar Comanche @ Kings, Drug Yacht @ Slim’s, Libraness @ Five Star, Richard Bacchus & the Luckiest Girls @ Pour House, Solar Halos @ Lincoln

10 P.M.

Pelt @ Long ViewTriumphing over the untimely death of guitarist Jack Rose, Virginia’s Pelt continues to mine the rich seam between American roots music and Eastern drone music that they’ve staked out since the late ’90s. The group’s undimmed power to infuse pungent drones with the driving energy of rock and bluegrass is evident on last year’s Effigy. BH

Ex-Cult @ BerkeleyEx-Cult used to be Sex Cult; it’s a shame they had to change it (legal reasons), because the original name fits the quick-and-dirty-and-playful nature of the Memphis treble-punks’ material perfectly. This is garage-punk wound about as tight as it getsright to the breaking point and just a touch beyond. CH

Also: Schooner @ Deep South (see Saturday Triptych box), Jamaican Queens @ Busy Bee, Overmountain Men @ Tir Na Nog, San Fermin @ Fletcher, Scout Niblett @ Kennedy

10:30 P.M.

Arborea @ Five StarThere’s a whispery quality to the music of Shanti and Buck Curran. The couple pull from a palette of dulcimer, ukulele, harmonium, banjo, guitar, flute and fiddle to create a captivating folk ambiance. Pastoral tales of horses or careless lovers are cast over the arrangements, drawing listeners into a realm both lovely and reserved. AM

Inter Arma @ LincolnReleased in March, Inter Arma’s second LP, Sky Burial, earned quick accolades, and it’s easy to see why. Sky Burial moves deliberately, like doom, but snaps into sprint-speed assaults with little warning. It’s dynamic and monstrously heavy, but it also revels in contrast, employing agile melodies and airy, spacious passages to make the thunder more explosive. BCR

Also: Broken Prayer @ Slim’s, Everymen @ Pour House, Fat Tony @ Kings, Holly Herndon @ CAM, Richard Youngs @ Memorial (to 11:40 p.m.)

11 P.M.

Low @ Fletcher (to 12:30 a.m.)On their own, the hypnotic harmonies, guitar lines and piano chimes of Duluth, Minn., trio Low are attractive without being revelatory in isolation. But the foreboding melodies and lyrical wisdom they’re attached to come pretty close. JL

Torres @ Deep SouthRecording under the name Torres, Nashville’s MacKenzie Scott drew attention earlier this year with a self-titled debut that deftly skirts around solo confessionalism. Her music hits deep emotionally, in part because she defies singer-songwriter conventions and pushes herself toward dynamic soundscapes. PB

Also: Ashrae Fax @ Busy Bee (see Saturday Triptych box), Beets @ Berkeley, David Grubbs @ Kennedy, Katharine Whalen @ Tir Na Nog, Lonnie Holley @ Long View

11:30 P.M.

Adult. @ KingsDumb it down, and the furious smack of the drum machine and a restless whir of synth are all you need for electroclash. Married duo Adam Lee Miller and Nicola Kuperus keep the smarts and the fun coming with their striking dance music that roughs up pop with delightful fury. AM

Cy Dune @ Pour HouseAkron/Family guitarist Seth Olinsky still gets adventurous on wild and wooly garage rock jams stuffed with fuzzy riffs, yelped vocals and primal rhythmic stomps. Think the destructive tendencies of the White Stripes, substituting an experimental mind-set for that duo’s simplicity. Olinsky’s fond, for instance, of enlisting as many drummers as he can gather for live sets. SG

Also: Ahleuchatistas @ Slim’s, Evoken @ Lincoln, High Wolf @ Five Star, Matmos @ CAM

MIDNIGHT

Califone @ Long View

John Cale @ Memorial

Also: Amor de Dias @ Kennedy, Doug Paisley @ Deep South, Kopecky Family Band @ Tir Na Nog, Majical Cloudz @ Busy Bee, UBT @ Berkeley

12:30 A.M.

Coke Bust @ Slim’sThe fest’s most punishing punk act, this Washington, D.C., outfit cranks up the ferocity on the lessons learned from its hometown hardcore forefathers. Its aggressive, straight-edge bursts are played blisteringly fastthough with an occasional sludgy breakdownand last about as long as it’ll take you to read this. SG

Pissed Jeans @ Pour HousePennsylvania pig-fuck insurgents Pissed Jeans have a penchant for turning the mundanities of middle-class life into anthemic bursts of noise-scabbed hardcore. The deep, grumbling low-end and searing, swerving guitars are held together by frontman Matt Korvette, whose snarling vocals feel indulgently grumpy and deliriously unhinged. BCR

Also: Big Black Delta @ CAM, Charalambides @ Five Star, Gent & Jawns @ Kings, Sleep @ Lincoln

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This article appeared in print with the headline “Hopscotch Handicapper.”

Correction: Prypyat plays Saturday at 9 p.m. at Kennedy Theater (not Deep South).