Durham
Anne Kornblut

The Regulator BookshopIn the future, gender studies profs will characterize the 2008 presidential election race as one where women gained two steps forward and fell two steps back. Former first lady Hillary Clinton endured criticism on everything from her policy proposals to her pantsuits to her perserverance in the primaries, and she emerged to become Barack Obama’s secretary of state. On the other hand, we got fertile hockey mom Sarah Palin teetering around the GOP stage on lipstick-red Naughty Monkey F-me pumps (a brand purported to be a favorite of celebutante Paris Hilton). Tonight, Washington Post White House correspondent Anne Kornblut will discuss what it all means in Notes From the Cracked Ceiling: Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin and What it Will Take for a Woman to Win. The book examines the 2008 race through these women and also looks at Nancy Pelosi, Condoleeza Rice and Janet Napolitano. Kornblut will discuss the book and sign copies beginning at 3 p.m. Visit www.regulatorbookshop.com. Sarah Ewald

Chapel Hill
Nightlight Seven-Year Anniversary with Future Islands

NightlightEarly last month, Chapel Hill’s Nightlight booked a four-band experimental music bill. Swedish quartet Tapes were on tour with New York duo Mountains, playing slow, steady, instrumental music. Horseback, the handle for the ever-amorphous oeuvre of Chapel Hill drone maker Jenks Miller, opened with an improvised sweep for two keyboards, while Ghost Hand began the show with some local noise. The night, as you might guess, threatened to be a logistical terror with long gaps between acts as each ensemble did a dozen line checks and made sure the room sounded perfect, possibly leading to twiddled thumbs and a disgruntled crowd.

So, true to the spirit of the avant-garde artists that have become the mainstay of the Rosemary Street space’s schedule for these last seven years, Nightlight improvised: Tape took the stage, while Horseback took a little tabletop in a corner. Mountains performed against the back wall, letting the crowd gather in close for the headlining set. The night moved along swiftly, and despite the stillness of their moves, the bands established a surprising amount of momentum through the night.

That sort of versatility makes Nightlight an essential artistic space in the Triangle, especially in the last two years, during which it’s become a full-time venue in the absence of the used books and records store Skylight Exchange. By hosting visual art exhibitions, films, dance parties, modern dance, noise festivals, open band rehearsals and whatever you can imagine, really, Nightlight’s not only paid its bills but become a significant community and artistic resource. Its ever-expanding mission is the stuff of real sustainable inspiration.

And tonight, they celebrate with old friends. DJs Mothersbrothers and Family Vacation spin throughout the night, with a set by the old-school party raps of Wizzerds of Rhyme. At the top of the bill is Future Islands, a Greenville-via-Baltimore trio whose forthcoming Thrill Jockey debut, In Evening Air, throws one of the darkest dance parties you’ll hear all year. For more on that, see page 36. Pay $5 at 10 p.m. See www.nightlightclub.com. Grayson Currin