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Arts & Music

Advance Notice: The Week in Happenings 1/3-9

Places to be and what you’ll find when you get there.

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Arts & Music

Advance Notice: The Week in Happenings 12/20-26

Don’t let frightful weather get you down, here are a few delightful places to find yourself this week when not toasting by the fire with your loved ones. Happy holidays!

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Arts & Music

Advance Notice: The Week in Happenings 12/13-19

Here because you can’t be trusted to know where to find the good stuff every night of the week.

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Arts & Music

Gimme Five! Patrick Phelan of Luego

Patrick Phelan had only met producer Jeff Crawford a few short months before he called him up and told him he wanted to make a Luego record together.  They talked it out at OCSC at least once over a round of PBRs and Wilco records.  Then, they burst into action.  Their introduction had been a sort of blind luck, but the hard work and heart they put into the next few months was pure intention.  The resulting record, 2009’s Taped Together Stories, showed the fruits of their labor— a playful barrage of pop rock melodies and warm, folk-minded arrangements and a testament to the well-oiled working relationship between Phelan and Crawford.

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Arts & Music

Advance Notice: The Week in Happenings 12/6-12

Your guide to the week ahead (mostly because we don’t trust you to figure out this far in advance).

Tues – 12/7

  • Yonhimbe / Hunnie Bunnies / Ski Mask / Pretty Birds That Kill @ The Nightlight – $5

Wed – 12/8

  • Crooked Fingers / Cotton Jones / Mount Moriah @ Local 506 – $12

Thurs – 12/9

  • Stroke It, Noel: A Fully Orchestrated Performance of Big Star’s Third Album @ Cat’s Cradle – $17 adv / $20 day of the show

Fri – 12/10

  • Stroke It, Noel: A Fully Orchestrated Performance of Big Star’s Third Album @ Cat’s Cradle – $17 adv / $20 day of the show
  • Cantwell, Gomez and Jordan / The Mighty Contact / Jews and Catholics @ The Pinhook – $TBA

Sat – 12/11

  • Kooley High / Carlitta Durand / King Mez / HaLo @ The Pour House – $6 adv / $9 at the door
  • Carolina Chocolate Drops / The Low Anthem @ Lincoln Theatre – $18 adv / $20 day of the show
  • American Aquarium / Luego @ Motorco – $TBA

Sun – 12/12

  • Relient K (acoustic) / Sherwood / Deas Veil @ Cat’s Cradle – $15 adv / $18 day of the show

Anywhere else?

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Arts & Music

Gimme Five! Rick Miller of Southern Culture on the Skids

On their new record, The Kudzu Ranch, Southern Culture on the Skids revels in the swampy barrage of country, rockabilly, surf rock that’s been their calling card from the start (aka all the way back to 1983!). Rick Miller, Dave Hartman, and Mary Huff trot out all the old styles while imbuing them with a little edge and a lot of humor and showing off all the ways the band’s grown.  They sing of bone dry dirt, busy roads, bad boys, and neighbors burning trash.  There’s also, appropriately, a track about pig pickin’ and if you mosey on down to the Cat’s Cradle this Saturday, Dec. 4, you can join the band at a holiday pig pickin’ to support the Carrboro Food Pantry.

And now just the five filthiest question this side of the mason-dixon:

1. If your band were a fried food, what would it be?
3 pieces of fried catfish with raw onion on white bread on a paper plate on a picnic table in a square cinder block building. (Catfish Sandwich, Archibald’s #2 , Tuscaloosa, Alabama.)

2. When was the moment you thought you’d made it?
When I quit the day job in 1992 – my proudest career moment to date!

3. Describe your typical band practice.
Practice usually goes like this.

  1. somebody is late.
  2. talk or argue for a while – doesn’t matter which.
  3. rehearse the songs we screwed up last at the last gig
  4. make some coffee or tea (our practices depend on caffeine more than alcohol)
  5. run thru a set list till we are bored (Mary likes to check her email at this time)
  6. jam really loud for a while on a riff or a song.
  7. tell each other not to forget what we just played “cause it was really good”.
  8. try to play it again but realize we forgot it but there was some other stuff we just played “that was really good too”.
  9. go home – come back tomorrow and do it again cause “practice makes perfect”.

4. What/who might be a few inspirations or influences that would surprise people?
Belly dancing records!!

5. What did you want to be when you grew up? (How did that work out?)
I wanted to be a farmer like my Grandfather and Uncle but my family told me it was hard to make a living being a farmer – so I decided to become a musician and I love my job!

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Join Southern Culture on the Skids at the Cat’s Cradle this Saturday, December 4th for an old fashioned pig pinkin’. And, by all means, give Rick a high five when you see him!

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Arts & Music

Advance Notice: The Week in Happenings 11/29-12/5

Mon – 11/29

Tues – 11/30

  • Dan Melchior und das Menace / Fabulous Diamonds / Pigeons @ The Nightlight – $5 adv / $7 day of the show
  • An Evening with Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby @ Motorco – $10

Wed – 12/1

Thurs – 12/2

  • 919 Noise Showcase: Weather Glover / Electric Cactus & Weather Machine / Boat Burning @ The Nightlight – $5
  • Dexter Romweber @ The Cave – $TBA (late show)
  • HearNC Music Video Festival with Billy Sugarfix / Bibia Ellison @ Cat’s Cradle – $10 adv / $12 day of the show

Fri – 12/3

  • Lost in the Trees / Veelee @ Motorco – $TBA

Sat – 12/4

  • Spider Bags / Bellafea / Whatever Brains @Local 506 – $FREE!
  • Holiday Pig Pickin’ with Southern Culture on the Skids / The Forty Fives / Pnche Gringo @ Cat’s Cradle – $12 adv / $14 day of the show (proceeds benefit the Carrboro Food Pantry)
  • American Aquarium / House of Fools / Crowfield @ The Pour House – $8 adv / $10 at the door
  • Holy Ghost Tent Revival / Cabinet / Nick and The Babes @ Lincoln Theatre – $6 adv / 8 day of the show
  • Xiu Xiu (experimental set) / DJ Skull Vomit / Cheezface / The Ex-Monkeys @ The Nightlight – $5

Sun – 12/5

  • South Carolina Broadcasters / The Blackberry Bushes @ The Pinhook – $TBA

Anywhere else?

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Arts & Music

Advance Notice: The Week in Happenings 11/22-28

Trust me, there are more things than Turkey Day going on this week.

Mon – 11/22

  • Junip (Jose Gonzales, Elias Araya, Tobias Winterkorn) / Sharon Van Etten @ Cat’s Cradle – $15

Tues – 11/23

  • Kurt Vile and the Violators / Purling Hiss / Old Bricks @ King’s Barcade – $10 adv / $12 day of the show

Wed – 11/24

  • Tim Kasher / Darren Hanlon @ Local 506 – $10 adv / $12 day of the show
  • David Dondero / The Moaners / Salt to Bitters @ The Cave – $TBA
  • Glam Rock Dance Party @ Motorco – $FREE!

Thurs – 11/25

  • Thanksgiving Open Jam and Potluck @ The Cave – $FREE!
  • Punksgiving Feast @ Motorco – $TBA

Fri – 11/26

  • 10th Annual Post-Turkey Day Jam with Jon Shain, Will McFarlane, Sally Spring and Peter Holsapple / Birds and Arrows / New Town Drunks @ Cat’s Cradle – $10
  • Morning Stars / Pinche Gringo @ The Cave – $TBA
  • River City Ransom / Space Ghost Cowboys / Ramona Cordova @ Motorco – $FREE!

Sat – 11/27

  • L in Japanese Dance Party (21 and under) @ Local 506 – $8
  • Give Thanks Reggae Fest with Da Gullah Rootz / Jah Creation / dub Addis / Anchants @ Cat’s Cradle – $8 adv / $12 day of the show

Sun – 11/28

Anywhere else?

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Arts & Music

Gimme Five! Wendy Spitzer of Felix Obelix

For a time, Wendy Spitzer thought she’d play classical oboe for the rest of her life.  The idea of that—symphonies, incessant practice, orchestras, audiences packed with the stilted and elderly—was enough to make her stop playing music pretty much altogether for about two years.  After taking a little space to think it all over, she reemerged first as a bass player in a friend’s band and then as all out band-leader in her own outfit, Felix Obelix.

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Arts & Music

Advance Notice: The Week in Happenings 11/15-21

Mon – 11/15

  • Spelling Bee (as in an actual bee, not a band) @ Motorco – $FREE!

Tues – 11/16

  • Horse Feathers / Anais Mitchell @ Local 506 – $9 adv / $11 at the door
  • John Lindsay / Wesley Wolfe / Bright Young Things @ Motorco – $7
  • The Weepies / Carsie Blanton @ Lincoln Theatre – $18 adv / $20 day of the show
  • The Autumn Defense / Sarah Guthrie / Johnny Irion @ The Casbah – 12 adv / $15 day of the show

Wed – 11/17

Thurs – 11/18

  • Dark Water Rising / Samantha Crain / Shawn Lubby @ The Pinhook – $TBA
  • Doug Keith / Anna Bullard / Patrick Phelan (of Luego) @ The Cave – $TBA (early show)
  • Brendan Benson (of the Raconteurs) / The Posies / Aquaduct @ Cat’s Cradle – $18 adv / $20 day of the show
  • The Spinns @ The Cave – $5 (late show)
  • Calico Haunts / Jessica Hernandez and the Deltas / Aaron Berg and the Heavy Love @ The Nightlight – $6

Fri – 11/19

  • Future Islands / Lonnie Walker / Veelee / NAPS @ King’s Barcade – $8 adv / $10 day of the show
  • Puritan Rodeo CD Release Party! with New Town Drunks / Twilighter / Gasoline Stove @ Local 506 – $5
  • North Elementary / Gray Young / Jews and Catholics @ The Pinhook – $TBA
  • Gmish @ Jessee’s – $FREE!
  • Luego / John Howie and the Sweethearts / Honored Guests @ Motorco – $5

Sat – 11/20

  • Felix Obelix / Velvet Umbrella Orchestra and Chorus perform selections from Seamus Kennedy’s “All Hail the Comet – A Sci-Fi Pop Opera” @ The Nightlight – $TBA
  • Butterflies CD Release Show! with The Strugglers / Erie Choir / Cassis Orange / Wes Phillips @ Cat’s Cradle – $FREE!
  • I Was Totally Destroying It / Today the Moon, Tomorrow the Sun / Fan-Tan @ Local 506 – $FREE!
  • Schooner / The Huguenots / Wages @ The Pinhook – $TBA
  • The Old Ceremony / The Tomahawks @ Motorco – $6

Sun – 11/21

  • Doomtree ft. P.O.S. and Dessa @ Local 506 – $10 adv / $12 at the door

Anywhere else?

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Arts & Music

Gimme Five! Bryon Settle of Lud

“Those stupid bastards poisoned the town,” or at least so says the title of a track off 2008’s V, Lud’s latest record. When it comes whom the culprits of said crime may or may not be, there’s no band that’s likely to know any better than Lud, who have been playing around these parts for over two decades.

Founded by Kirk Ross (editor-in-chief of The Carrboro Citizen) and Bryon Settle (of Killer Filler, etc) in the 1980s and currently featuring Tim Salemy (formerly of The Sames) and Sara Bell (of Regina Hexaphone, etc), Lud’s great strength has been the band’s free-form attitude and maniacal passion for the music. They’ve recorded five records, played an untold number of shows, and generally jammed their way through the cobwebs of rock cliché and indie pretension. And you can catch them in action down at The Cave this Saturday when they’ll be joined by Titanium Rex and others.

And now just the five hardest questions in faux business:

1. If you band were a barnyard animal, what would it be?

I’m trying to think which animal cares the least. How about a donkey. All of the other animals get eaten eventually.

2. How has being a father changed the way you think about (or relate to) music?

Parenthood requires one to prioritize all things. time is precious. I no longer want to play tuba and will concentrate on being a better guitarist.

3. Describe what it’s like to play in Lud versus in other bands (like Killer Filler).

That’s easy: I get to do what I want in Lud. I never have to play a song the same way twice. The other band I’m in (Killer Filler) requires discipline and dedication which is also good.

4. Who/what might be a few inspirations or influences that would really surprise people?

Hard to say. Bernard Herrmann, Steve Reich, Kirk Ross, Miles Davis.

5. What did you dream of being when you were a kid? (How ’d that turn out?)

Guitar player. Seriously. I just wish someone would have told me that I needed to work a little harder early on. Turned out fine though. I can play most gigs. I do wish Lud could play out more.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Bounce over to The Cave this Saturday, November 13th to see Lud in action. And, by all means, give Bryon a high five when you see him!