The Durham-based, world-renowned indie label Merge Records celebrated its thirtieth birthday last July with a sprawling festival of past and current artists all over the Triangle.
Tickets for MRG30 went fast, with the likes of H.C. McEntire, Hiss Golden Messenger, Waxahatchee, and Titus Andronicus filling out the ranks of more than 30 bands.
But now you can stop trawling the internet for short phone clips half-blocked by some guy’s head. Come Hear NC professionally filmed the proceedings, and they’re starting to roll out their videos on Chapel Hill NPR affiliate WUNC.
You can already watch Ibibio Sound Machine playing “The Talking Fish,” The Mountain Goats playing “Younger,” and Wye Oak playing “The Louder I Call, the Faster It Runs.”
Ibibio has festival dates scheduled for the spring and summer, while The Mountain Goats (read our recent interview) is touring starting in April. Wye Oak’s JOIN tour begins next month. Keep track of them all on Merge’s tour page.
More MRG30 videos are promised to come over the next several weeks; bookmark NPR Live Sessions to keep up.
Contact arts and culture editor Brian Howe at bhowe@indyweek.com.
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