Some cynics may be quick to write off the Raleigh-brewed deep electric-hopping, funakdelic grooves of Waylandsphere as just another jam band, but don’t discard these boys as granola-eating bohemians just yet. Though his guitar playing isn’t the most technically impressive in town, David Titchener–a grizzly faced, restless-eyed cat who sings with genuine down-home grit and a dollop of white soul power–sounds like a young, thankfully exuberant Jim Morrison with mojo to spare. That said, Stephen Foster has learned his lessons from Ray Manzarek and Jimmy Smith alike, heaping his own intoxicating keyboard wizardry atop the band’s Southern-styled epics without pause. “From night to night, the songs sound different…if they were just simple songs and it all moved from a to b, we’d all be doing something different. We’re all free here,” Titchener says with a vamp-sized grin. These guys have plenty of friends among the jam band elite; they may be there before too long. Brian Watson–a friendly, groovin’ Wilmington fan turned saxophone sideman–joins them onstage for their first headlining set at the Cat’s Cradle. 9 p.m. For more information, call 967-9053 or visit catscradle.com. $7.
