Chapel Hill
Blood on the Wall, Psychic Ills
Local 506–The downtown New York scene of the ’60s harbored some of the most important minds of the last 50 years–La Monte Young, Tony Conrad, Terry Riley, John Cale, the whole of The Velvet Underground. It had very little to do with Brooklyn, but its latest batch of disciples descends from the borough of BK, probably somewhere in Williamsburg. NYC label The Social Register is among the leading purveyors of that new strain, and two of their bands–Psychic Ills and Blood on the Wall–end their tour in Chapel Hill. Blood on the Wall is more trans-decade NYC than anything, combining the smears-of-sound, lo-fi repetitive aesthetic of The Velvets with the sneer and spazz of NYC ’80s acts, most notably Sonic Youth. The Psychic Ills are trans-continental, though, fusing world elements–languid Middle Eastern chants, alternative percussion, trance-inducing drones–with Western rock propulsion. Local guitar heroes Invasion open the $8 show at 10 p.m.
–Grayson Currin
Durham
Write On!
Durham Main Library–Rare is the writer who makes a fortune with her chosen trade, but happy is the child who learns to express herself. It’s a lifelong treasure, and Julie Wilson of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Writing Center hosts this free workshop each Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. to make sure the children have it. Such tutelage is especially important given the approaching summer slumber.
