Categories
Arts & Music

Gimme Five! Seth Martin of the Sinful Savage Tigers

Truth be told, the Sinful Savage Tigers began on a lark.  Seth Martin thought he’d play a one-off gig at a folk festival in Alabama with his friend Rob Guthrie and that would be it.  That one gig, it turned out, was just the beginning.

Inspired by that opportunity, Martin assembled a band, began rearranging and  re-imagining his old tunes and playing out as The Sinful Savage Tigers.  Soon after, the band recorded a debut disc, 2008’s Rain is the Soup of the Dogs in Heaven.  Martin’s since moved and left behind the friends who helped the project get on its feet, but The Sinful Savage Tigers live on.  With David Bernay (Holler) and Seth Barden (Brand New Life), this new incarnation* of Tigers bring the raucous string-band sound to any venue that dare welcome their savagery.

This month, there just so happen to be a few places willing to take the risk.  Hear the Tigers play a set live in studio on WCOM on Saturday, July 24th (3:00-4:00) and at the Local 506 on Friday, July 30th when they’ll open at The Tell‘s farewell show.

And now just your routine five questions throw-down:

1. If your band were one of the seven sins, which would it be?

The deadly sin festering in the heart of the Sinful Savage Tigers is vainglory. Our songs and the characters in them are full of boasts, big promises, boozy swagger, false oaths, false bravado, narcissism, and the blindness necessary to write paeans to how good looking we are.

2. When was the moment you first thought music was something you might like to try?

Well, I knew spending time with the ladies was something I might like to try and MathCounts wasn’t making that happen.

3. Describe the first time you realized SST was something special/you needed to share.

Two come to mind. When I listened to a fully arranged mock-up of “Town and Country” for the first time in my monitors, I thought it was a song that deserved a chance to be heard. Another came the first time we hit upon our live arrangement for “Natural Ghost”; it differed so much from the album version and contained all these subtler elements and moods. I’d never heard a song quite like that before. I thought we had something at least a tiny bit different to say.

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

The name of the band comes from a stray line in a BBC radio comedy from the 1950s called The Goon Show that I became obsessed with it when I was twelve or so. I believe very strongly in the idea of counterweights in songwriting. If we’re working in a very rural Southern genre and with folk arrangements, I wanted to have a (seemingly) alien point of reference for the lyrics and concepts for the songs. A lot of my writing begins with ideas or notions pulled from postwar British radio and teleplays, even if they don’t end up in the finished song. Kind of like hitting a tennis ball against a backstop; it’s fun to see how your ideas get thrown back at you.

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

I wanted to be an impressionist or a voice actor. I still do a good impression of a dude who can sing and play the guitar poorly.

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

Be sure to head over to the Local 506 on Friday, July 30th to catch the Sinful Savage Tigers in action. And by all means, give Seth a high five when you see him!

*PS: Martin also divulged that there’s an even newer incarnation on the horizon. The Tigers will be on the hunt for a new mandolin/guitar player/backup vocalist beginning August 1.  If you feel up for the task, get in touch!

Categories
Miscellany

Sparrow’s Pool feature, only in today’s Citizen. PDF version now up.

Here’s the link:

http://www.ibiblio.org/carrborocitizen/print/citizen071510.pdf

Categories
Arts & Music

Advance Notice: The Week in Happenings 7/12-18

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

Mon – 7/12

  • Americans in France / Bandit Teeth @ The Cave – $5 (late)

Tues – 7/13

  • Twin Tigers / Lake Inferior @ Local 506 – $8

Wed – 7/14

  • Wolf Nipple Foofaraw (aka bring your instrument and join a big open form jam session) @ The Pinhook – $FREE!

Thurs – 7/15

  • Counting Crows Traveling Circus and Medicine Show featuring Augustana + more TBA @ Koka Booth Amphitheatre – $40.50-60.50

Fri – 7/16

  • One Man Band Extravaganze! with Frank Fairfield / Phil Cook (of Megafaun) / Catherine Edgerton (of Midtown Dickens) / Matt White (of Great White Jenkins) / Dan McGee (of Spider Bags) @ The Pinhook – $8
  • Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros / We Are Each Other (featuring Aaron Embry) @ Cat’s Cradle – $15 adv / $17 day of the show
  • Future Islands / Ear PWR / Nuclear Power Pants / Fat Camp @ Local 506 – $7 adv / $9 at the door

Sat – 7/17

  • The Love Language CD Release Party! with The Light Pines and Shit Horse @ Cat’s Cradle – $8 adv / $10 day of the show
  • Spider Bags / Fletcher / Last Year’s Men @ The Cave – $tba (late)
  • Juan Huevos / Menya + DJ One Duran Dance Party @ The Nightlight – $5
  • Red Collar / Death Becomes Even the Maiden / Free Electric State @ The Pinhook – $5

Sun – 7/18

  • Mary Chapin Carpenter / Garrison Starr @ DPAC – $22.50 and up

Anywhere else?

Categories
Weather

Nasty storm on the way

Pretty powerful storm headed into our area.
You might want to hit the radars
WRAL
Wunderground

Categories
Miscellany

UNC marches on Bingham. Read all about it in the PDF version of today’s Citizen, now up.

here’s the link:
http://www.ibiblio.org/carrborocitizen/print/citizen070110.pdf

Stay cool, y’all. Quaff local!

Categories
Community Farms

What’s at Market?

Check out what’s at the Carrboro Year-Round Farmers’ Market . . .

New Item this Week: WATERMELONS, zinnias, celosia, sunflowers, and more! In the produce department: tomatoes, melons, peaches, corn, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, potatoes, beets, beans, leeks, onions, swiss chard, onions, garlic, potted herbs and veggie starters, red cabbage, radishes, eggs, parsley, sun-dried tomatoes, cornmeal, green onions, mustard greens,dill, cilantro, turnips, beets, carrots, lettuce, turnip greens, arugula, onions, wheat flour, garlic, salad mixes (spicy and non), fresh herbs, pecans, meats like goat, beef, pork, lamb, chicken, buffalo, and various specialty meats like liverwurst, bologna, hotdogs, etc, cow’s and goat’s milk cheeses,breads, doughnuts, tortes, pies, cakes, jams, and relishes

Categories
The Eater

This week’s Market recipe

Light Summer Pizza
Recipe Provided by: Market Customer, Sacha Knowles

I tried this one at home with an easy white flour tortilla crust.  You could of course make your own dough, but the tortilla works great.  I get the great big tortillas.  Have fun with the toppings.  I’ve used cooked corn, fried okra, fried eggplant, peppers, and other toppings when I want to make bigger pizzas.  This is a simple and light summer version.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 large head of Garlic (minced)

2 large onions or 4 small onions (chopped)

1 Tablespoon of honey

6-7 tomatoes (Chopped) *I used a collection of heirloom tomatoes because I had them, but paste tomatoes work great

4 cups of grated mozzarella cheese

Olive oil

Small bag of fresh basil (chopped or whole)

3 large flour tortillas (the bags usually contain 12 tortillas)

Salt and pepper to taste

Over medium heat, sauté the garlic and onions in olive oil and be careful not to burn them.  Add about a tablespoon of honey and cook until onions are clear.  Add the tomatoes and reduce the heat to a simmer for about an hour.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Coat both sides of the tortillas in fine olive oil.  Broil each side in the oven until the tortilla is lightly toasted (about a minute or less on each side).  The tortilla will balloon out and rise.  Take out of the oven and pop the air bubbles to regain a flat surface.  Spoon the sauce overtop the tortillas and cover with cheese.   Stick back in the oven on broil just long enough to melt the cheese.  Top with fresh whole or chopped basil. Take out of the oven and drizzle the surface of the pizza with a little olive oil and salt.  Serve hot.

* Ingredients Available at Market

Categories
Arts & Music

Advance Notice: The Week in Happenings 7/5-11

A theoretical road map to great times all this week.

Mon – 7/5

  • Delta Spirit / David Vandervelde / The Romany Eye @ Cat’s Cradle – $10 adv / $12 day of the show

Tues – 7/6

Thurs – 7/8

  • Irata / Gray Young / Gods of Harvest / Its Just Vanity @ The Pinhook – $5
  • Stephaniesid / Cosmic Ray Liotta / Boathouse All Stars / Jar-E @ The Pour House – $5 adv / $7 at the door

Fri – 7/9

  • The Heartless Bastards / Peter Wolf Crier / The Builders & Butchers @ Cat’s Cradle – Pro-tip: Go to this show.  The Heartless Bastards are wickedly good live and Peter Wolf Crier may just be the best of what’s next (take my word for it).  $12 adv / $14 day of the show
  • David Karsten Daniels CD Release Show with Fight the Big Bull / Bright Young Things @ Local 506 – $7
  • North Elementary / It’s Just Vanity / Saint Solitude / Pointless Forest @ The Nightlight – $6

Sat – 7/10

  • New Town Drunks / Red Hot Poker Dots / Fantastico @ Local 506 – $5
  • The Weatherkings / The Julies (former members of the now defunct Violet Vector) / The Northern Howl @ The Nightlight – $5
  • Mad Tea Party / Pinche Gringo / Now You See Them @ The Cave – $5 (Late)
  • Inflowential / Urban Sophisticates with King Mez @ The Pour House – $10

Sun – 7/11

  • Teen-Beat 26th Anniversary Performance  with Unrest / True Love Always / Bossanova / MC: Patrick Bryant (Somerville Speakout) @ Cat’s Cradle – $15

Anywhere else?

Categories
Arts & Music

Gimme Five! Skylar of Skylar Gudasz and the Ugly Girls

It’s a roll of the dice to called your band mates “Ugly Girls” and swear your motto is to make music with “as few people with as many instruments as possible,” but Skylar Gudasz is unfazed.  And perhaps that’s because those ugly girls (Paul Fisher, William Taylor, and Elysse Thebner) are packing an awful lot of instruments.

With guitars, cello, banjo, keyboard, drums, flute, bass, accordian and anything else they can get their hands this crew of noisemakers carve out a sound that throws four part harmonies on top folk/jazz/rock arrangements. It’s smart pop without the smarm and it’s made by a band that’s shockingly new.  Friday night when they open for David Dondero (who NPR called one of the 10 best living songwriters) at the Nightlight, Skylar Gudasz & the Ugly Girls will be just over two months young.  Most people wouldn’t play for those stakes, but as typical, Gudasz is the gambler.  Give a listen to the tunes, though, and it’s easy to see that really the only one at risk is you if you don’t show up early enough to catch this band before word spreads and the crowds get downright hideous.

And now just you’re typical five question throwdown:

1. If your band were a play, what would it be?
The Full Monty meets Hedda Gabler. Steel workers, nudity, Russia, feminism, show tunes, guns and gunz – pretty much sums us up.

2. When did you decide to start this project?
This project decided to start us in April. The Ugly Girls as they stand now, however, didn’t start doing their thing until around early June, so we feel more like Ugly Babies at this point.

3. Describe what makes the Ugly Girls so ugly.
Unsightly birthmarks. Headgear, bunions. Resemblance to non-mammalian animals. Fungus Acne. Serendipitous Mutations. (which, incidentally, was our other band name choice). Regrettable tattoos in exposed places. Lack of depth perception. Bad Jokes…the list goes on and on.

4. Who/what might be a few inspirations or influences that really surprise people?
Buena Vista Social Club – William Taylor, the guitar player, is classically trained so he can bust out those Havana solos, plus the rhythm in those recordings is astounding – every instrument and voice is exploited percussively. That’s always something I’m trying to work more on. As far as voice goes, I think I’ll stand by the Silver Jews’ assessment that all my favorite singers couldn’t sing – from David Berman himself to late Sacred Harp recordings to Bob Dylan to Tina Turner and so on and so forth, they take the technicality out and let the feel dictate flow. Lyrically and melodically, Joni Mitchell is king, king, king – her songs are like movies I can live inside of for days. Oh, and Sookie Stackhouse is an inspiration to all of us AND a fox.

5. What did you dream of being when you were a kid? (how’d that turn out?)
Then, two of us wanted to be musicians. One of us wanted to be a school bus driver. One of us wanted to be an astronaut, pirate, actress, Peter Pan, or a scientist who lived in Antartica (but especially an astronaut).

Now, four of us are musicians. Three of us are/have been baristas, and one of us is in school getting ready for a Real Job. All of us are pirates.

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

Get ugly with Skylar and company this Friday at the Nightlight. And by all means, give Skylar a high five when you see her!

Categories
Miscellany

Local, Local, Local in this week’s Citizen. PDF version, including Mill, now up.

Here are the links:
Main section:
http://www.ibiblio.org/carrborocitizen/print/citizen070110.pdf

Mill:
http://www.ibiblio.org/carrborocitizen/print/printedmill/Mill0710.pdf

and have a happy 4th of July!

Categories
Arts & Music

Advance Notice: The Week in Happenings 6/28-7/4

Beat the heat with some musical fun. Here are a few places to find it.

Mon – 6/28

  • Frontier Ruckus  / Samantha Crain & The Midnight Shivers @ Berkeley Café – $10

Tues – 6/29

  • Thrice / Kevin Divine / Bad Veins / The Dig @ Cat’s Cradle – $19 adv / $22 day of the show

Wed – 6/30

Thurs – 7/1

  • We Landed on the Moon / Gift Horse/ The Pneurotics @ Local 506 – $8

Fri – 7/2

  • Islands / Steel Phantoms / Active Child @ Cat’s Cradle – $10 adv / $12 day of the show
  • David Dondero / Ye Olde Shoppe / Skylar Gudasz & The Ugly Girls @ The Nightlight – $6

Sat – 7/3

  • Shipwrecker / Filthy Bird / Homoticons @ The Pinhook – $5
  • Weese-Fest 31 with Red Collar / The T’s / Left Outlet / Richard Bacchus & The Luckiest Girls / J Chris Smith & Marc Smith / Magic Mike @ The Pour House – $10 adv ($20 for a 3 day pass for Thurs/Fri/Sat)

Sun – 7/4

  • 9th Annual Evil Wiener Wiener Roast featuring Evil Wiener + Special Guest TBA @ The Cave – $TBA
  • 4th of July Heavy Metal Throwdown! Heavy Metal BBQ! featuring MAKE / Bezoar / Wizardry / Hog @ The Nightlight – $TBA (starts at 3 p.m.)

Anywhere else?