Categories
Arts & Music

Gimme Five! Mimi McLaughlin of The Pneurotics

There’s always some sickly sweet couple gabbing about metaphorically making music together. When Rich and Mimi McLaughlin tied the knot and the bassist for his band split for Russia, this couple decided to make that darling claim a reality.  Mimi went from biggest fan to bassist. Rich’s band became a family passion.  A few years, a few shows, and two full length records (2008’s Forty and 2009’s Second Skin) later and the core of The Pneurotics are still literally rocking out together.

With Chris Burzminski on skins, Mimi keeping steady on bass and Rich handing guitar, vocal and songwriting duties, the sound this trio creates is somewhere in the realm of alt.country with a power-pop burst of energy.  It’s a twang-addled without the nostalgic drag, pop/rock without the blustering naiveté. And you can hear catch The Pneurotics live this Saturday, May 29th at The Pinhook where they’ll be joined by Lonnie Walker and Sweet Sacrafice.

Now just five questions for the leading lady:

1. If your band were a member of The Cosby Show family, who would it be?

As much as we wish we were Theo, the cool, ever-charming, athletic, popular all-about-the-ladies character, or even the deviant Denise who dropped out of college, ran off to Africa and got married, we really are most like the paternal Cliff Huxtable.  We want to be cool, but really, we just wear bad sweaters, make goofy faces, can’t dance to save our lives, and like the chance to say “pudding” funny.  Rich definitely plays a meaner guitar than Cosby Kids’ Rudy Davis though.

2. What compelled you to start playing your instrument?

Rich started playing guitar when he was 14 years old, and begged his parents for an electric guitar,  They compromised, indulging in a $5 nylon string acoustic garage sale special.  He taught himself to play adapting his years of classical piano training to the guitar.  I started the Bass guitar about 5 years ago after meeting Rich as part of our pre-nuptial agreement.  It came down to play bass or be in charge of laundry, so I chose bass.

3. Describe what it feels like when you play together.

Being married brings another dynamic to our music.  Rich typically writes songs on his own.  To me, it’s a tedious process with lots of playing the same riff over and over.  Learning and writing a new song can be both challenging and exciting, with lots of working and re-working, and criticism, which is sometimes hard to interpret positively when coming from your significant other.  But when things come together, and we hear the blend of our instruments, and I know that what we’re doing together is creating music, well, we  just know it’s right. The addition of Chris Burzminski as our most recent drummer has brought an energetic percussive creativity and collaboration that drives the beat, and highlights the rhythmic nuances of our songs.

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

Rich has a strong background in classical music and loves Chopin, particularly the complicated melodies and exquisite rhythms, playing 9 beats over 4 and crazy patterns like that.  It’s no surprise that he obsessively imitated Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page as a kid, but likely surprising that he has a secret penchant for pop and country music.  He knows all of the words to Justin Timberlake’s “What goes around” and publicly accompanied our teenaged daughter’s on a moving karaoke rendition of Taylor Swift’s  “You Belong with Me.” No one is surprised that we are inspired daily by our awesome kids, Jack, Mara and Grace.

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

Rich wanted to be a professional basketball player.  He briefly considered turning down a mathematics scholarship to Princeton grad school to pursue music, but then thought better of it.  He is now making waves as a fluid dynamicist at UNC, recently getting a little press about his studies on plumes, and underwater oil mixing as relates to the oil spill.  I always wanted to be a veterinarian, but take care of people instead as a physician assistant.   I never dreamed of being in a band.

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Check in for more five this time next week. And head out to The Pinhook this Saturday to catch The Pneurotics live and by all means, give Mimi a high five when you see her!

Categories
Miscellany

It’s Hot! Today’s issue of The Citizen, that is. PDF version now up, including the June Mill.

Here are the links:
Main section: http://www.ibiblio.org/carrborocitizen/print/citizen052710.pdf
Mill: http://www.ibiblio.org/carrborocitizen/print/printedmill/mill0610.pdf

And, as always, eat, shop and be local, y’all.

Categories
Arts & Music

Advance Notice: The Week in Happenings 5/24-30

Sifting through the week in music so you don’t have to.

Mon – 5/24

  • Widespred Panic’s Dirty Side Down CD Release Party @ The Pour House – $FREE!

Tues – 5/25

  • Pink Flag / 8 inch Betsy / Spooky Qs @ The Pinhook – $5
  • Fang Island / Hollerando / Zlam Dunk @ Local 506 – $8 adv / $10 at the door

Wed – 5/26

  • Tim Fite / The Wailing Wall @ Local 506 – $8
  • Music Industry Networking Party – local experts, surprise performances @ Berkeley Café – $FREE!

Thurs – 5/27

  • The NC Folklore Society presents an Old-time Jam @ The Nightlight – $FREE!
  • Round Robin Solo with John Harrison, Jason Kutchman and Chip Smoak (early) @ The Cave – $TBA
  • Sinful Savage Tigers / The Lonesome Heroes @ The Pinhook – $5

Fri – 5/28

  • Sam Quinn & Japan Ten / Josh Moore @ Local 506 – $8 adv / $10 at the door
  • The Pin Project 2010 @ The Pinhook – Come support the Troika Music Festival by purchasing a bowling pin that’s been designed by local artists and musicians. Billy Sugarfix hosts the art show. Jason Kutchman hosts karaoke afterward. $FREE!
  • Thank You, Friend: A Tribute to Alex Chilton featuring Mitch Easter & The Able Hands / John Howie Jr. / Greg & Ann Humphreys / Tom Maxwell / Lynn Blakey / Stu McLamb & Missy Thangs / Jeff Hart / Jane Francis & Jay Manley / Kurt Heasley & Alex Maiolo / Matt McMichaels & Adam Price / The Magic Babies(with Jen Richelson) / The Stars Explode / Jeff Carroll / Holden Richards @ Cat’s Cradle – No Cover / $10 suggested donation
  • Kooley High / Carlitta Durand / Fat Snacks / DJ Gonzo @ The Pour House – $6 adv / $9 at the door

Sat – 5/29

  • The Pneurotics / Lonnie Walker / The Sweet Sacrifice @ The Pinhook – $5
  • Luego CD Release Party! featuring The Tomahawks @ The Nightlight – $5 (show)/ $8 (show + CD)
  • The Herndon’s Wedding Bash featuring John Howie Jr. & The Rosewood Bluff / Puritan Rodeo / New Town Drunks / The Moaners @ The Cave – $TBA
  • Music for The City: Benefit for Relief Efforts in Nashville @ The Pour House – $7 suggested donation

Sun – 5/30

  • I Was Totally Destroying It  U2 @ Local 506 – IWTDI turns U2 tribute band? That’s the word on the street. $5
  • She Wants Revenge / The Light Pines @ Cat’s Cradle – $15 adv / $17 day of the show

Anything to add?

Categories
Arts & Music

Gimme Five! Pierce Freelon of The Beast

By the time they joined forces with emcee Pierce Freelon, Eric Hirsch (keys), Pete Kimosh (bass), and Stephen Coffman (drums) had been playing together for six years.  The guys had knocked out music degrees and honed their skills as musicians and performers and were looking for a way to channel that training in the most creative way. Teaming with Freelon and synergizing the improvisatory bombast of hip-hop with their jazz, afro-cuban minded compositions, was a chance. Thankfully (for listeners) it was one that paid off in a tangle of insightful rhymes, infectious instrumentals and a sophisticated new quartet called, audaciously, The Beast.

Now two EPs and one full length (2009’s Silence Fiction) in, The Beast has found its footing, straddling the worlds of hip-hop and jazz. Freelon commands attention like an evangelist, but instead of hawking religion he’s rebuking the ills of society or exhorting listeners to have a good time.  Beneath his flow, Hirsh, Kimosh, and Coffman keep a tight reign on the arrangements, knowing just when to pull back or explode out with expert swagger.

Taking to the road this summer, The Beast will share that dynamic sound with audiences in New York, Rhode Island and Washington DC.  So, unless you feel like making a trek, you’ll have to wait till they land back in Durham for the Triangle Brewing Company Pub Crawl on July 10th to catch this energetic crew live. It seems waiting is a whole nother kind of beast.

And finally, five questions for the emcee in charge:

1. If your band were a fairytale, what would it be?

Anansi the Spider. Like Hip-Hop, spiders are feared and often misunderstood, especially by people who aren’t familiar with them and don’t appreciate their function in a healthy eco-system (or, music scene). But Anansi is that dude – he’s a skilled wordsmith/trickster, a griot and progressive intellectual. And he’s from Ghana – which is the North Carolina of West Africa.

2. What do you hope listeners’ discover through your music?

Making music is like making a baby. You need to meet the right collaborator(s), have chemistry, work hard, (and hopefully have fun) and with good timing and a little luck you’ll give birth to something that reflects each individual that contributed to creating it. So, I hope listeners will discover our baby – our musical progeny.

3. Describe your feelings toward vinyl.

I love vinyl. I also love 8-track tapes, VHS players, the Steam Engine and the Atari 2600. We should bring each of those back.

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

Other cool quartets like: The Beatles, RCDC, The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Fantastic 4 (the “New” F4 squad with Ghost Rider, Spider Man, Wolverine and Grey Hulk), The A Team and KISS.

5. What did you dream of being when you were a kid? (How ’d that turn out?)
When I was a kid, I dreamed about being an astronaut. Totally blew it.

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While you to catch The Beast locally, keep up with all things Silence Fiction on the band’s myspace, facebook, or twitter.  Check in for more five this time next week. And by all means, give Pierce a high five when you see him!

Categories
Arts & Music

Advance Notice: The Week in Happenings 5/17-23

Your weekly update on where to be and who to see.

Tues – 5/18

  • Chicago @ DPAC – $36-66
  • Pride Parade / Blag’ard / Embarrasing Fruits @ Local 506 – $5

Wed – 5/19

  • Howe Gelb / Jeff Crawford @ Local 506 – $10

Thurs – 5/20

  • Tish Brain Tumor Center Benefit featuring Front Porch Sofa @ The Cave – $5 (early)
  • Full Spectrum and Visual Media Record Show featuring Andrew Marino / Andrew Weathers / John Latartara and Khristian Weeks @ The Nightlight – $5
  • Hog / The Bronzed Chorus / Self Evident @ The Pinhook – $5

Fri – 5/21

  • The Swell Season @ NCMA – $30 reserved / $20 general / $10 kids
  • Blotter Benefit featuring Puritan Rodea / Gasoline Stove @ The Cave – $TBA
  • Mr. Coffee and the Creamers / River City Ransom @ The Nightlight – $5
  • Gray Young / Solar Powered Destroyer / Harvard @ The Pinhook – $5

Sat – 5/22

  • Matt Pond PA / Bobby Long @ Local 506 – $10 adv / $12 at the door
  • Actual Persons Living or Dead CD Release Show! with Wembley / Maple Stave / Oyster Destroyer @ The Pinhook – $5 (+ Free CD)
  • Band Together for StepUP Ministry featuring Michael Franti & Spearhead / The Old Ceremony / One Eskimo @ Lincoln Theatre – $22 adv / $25 day of the show
  • Peasants of the Apocalypse Reunion Show with SuKit / DJ Summa @ The Pour House – $7

Anywhere else?

Categories
Arts & Music

Gimme Five! Heather McEntire of Mount Moriah

It’s an understatement to say that Heather McEntire, Jenks Miller and James Wallace have been in a few bands.  Between them, they’ve tread the waters of indie pop (Un Deux Trois), kraut-infected noise (In the Year of the Pig), soul-driven garage rock (Max Indian), and all sorts of sounds between and beyond (Horseback, Bellafae, etc).  Of late, though they’ve been wandering the old-time highways of country music, performing together as Mount Moriah.

The trio’s music may beckon to an older era, but don’t worry, these adventurous musicians infuse their own off-kilter references into the mix.  Rustic shuffles pair with ethereal vocals. Shakers and tambourines bump up against spangling guitars.  It’s country music with an eerie edge, occupying some ghostly realm where the spirits have traded mournful moans for reflective ballads and up-tempo howls.  With a record on the horizon and a few songs for preview online, Mount Moriah’s bound for the road and you can catch them playing a set at Tir na Nog on Thursday, May 20th as a part of local’s night.

And now just five contemplative questions for the head-mistress of Mount Moriah:

1. If your band were a President, who would it be?

The poorest and most likely to wear flannel.

2. You’ve played in rock, indie, and noise bands, what prompted you to explore writing more folk/country-oriented songs?

Playing punk, experimental, and loud music are certainly fulfilling creative outlets, and I feel lucky having the opportunity to passionately experience them all, including the opportunity to explore something more accessible and historically Southern, like folk and country. I grew up on a family farm and inside a mechanic shop where the country radio dial was firmly set. That, and gospel music from church, has always stuck with me. I’m interested in the challenge of creating unique narratives and melodies within a traditional folk/country format.

3. Describe your feelings toward Gillian Welch.

She is classic, reliable, and convincing. She’s not doing anything musically that hasn’t been done before, but she’s doing it really, really well. Her contribution to contemporary folk music is inarguable, important.

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

I grew up near the same town that Nina Simone learned how to play piano as a kid in – Tryon, North Carolina – and I’ve visited her tiny, bare-bones shack of a childhood home many times. It’s humbling, so powerful. I’m influenced and inspired by conviction, curiosity, devotion, faith, and conflict. Some secrets: disco, Carole King, Randy Travis.

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

When I was a kid, I expressed interest in one day being the following things:
a garbage collector, a detective, an Olympic athlete, an underwater archaeologist, a boy. I’m 28 now – musician, writer, record label co-owner, bartender – and I still have a lot of dreams left.

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Trot on over to Tir na Nog on the 20th to see Mount Moriah in action and please check in  next week to see who else will take up the challenge of facing down the five. Oh and by all means, give Heather s a high five when you see her!

Categories
Arts & Music

Advance Notice: The Week in Happenings 5/10-16

Just a few reasons to get out of your house and into the mix.

Tues – 5/11

  • Jessica Lea Mayfield / The Futurebirds @ Local 506 – $10
  • Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings / Fitz & The Tantrums @ Cat’s Cradle – $25 (SOLD OUT– but worth the try)

Wed – 5/12

Thurs – 5/13

  • Sinful Savage Tigers / Charlie Horse @ The Cave – $5
  • Little Feat / Swagger @ Lincoln Theatre – $24 adv / $28 day of the show
  • Bowerbirds @ Artspace – $10 members/ $15 general public

Fri – 5/14

  • Fan Tan EP Release Party with Free Electric State / Citified @ Local 506 – $8
  • Chill Thrill!: MC Bingo Blower / Max Legroom / Workday/Schoolnight /DJ Yes! Sputnik @ The Nightlight – $TBA

Sat – 5/15

  • Carrboro / Chapel Hill Home Brew Fest (early) @ The Nightlight – $10 suggested donations (fundraiser to fight MS)
  • “Gold Leggings on a Motel Floor” Equality Now Dance Party @ The Pinhook – $5

Sun – 5/16

  • Everybody was in the French Resistance… Now / Jews and Catholics @ Local 506 – $8 adv / $10 at the door

Know of a great show or venue we should add to the list? Don’t keep it a secret. Share in the comment section and hopefully we’ll see you there.

Categories
Arts & Music

Gimme Five! Duncan Webster of Hammer No More the Fingers

They’ve known each other since elementary school, played together since middle. But after playing every talent show and garage that would let their high school band make a racket, Duncan Webster, Jeff Stickley and Joe Hall parted ways and set off in wildly different directions.  Stickley wound up at ECU playing bluegrass.  Hall rambled down to Brazil and picked up some new riffs.  Webster did that New York dance where you fall in love, start a band, and then lose both.  Somehow, after a little time tilting at windmills, the guys all ended up back in Durham.  The adventures had taken them down wildly different paths, but all roads led home and to making music together once again.

Playing as Hammer No More the Fingers, Webster, Stickley and Hall have toured relentlessly, spreading their own spin on ‘90s college rock to anyone who’ll listen.  Their sound is a throwback to those grunge inspired indies of old without sounding kitschy or too nostalgic.  Coalescing idiosyncratic riffs and thumping bass lines with Stickley’s tempestuous drumming and Webster’s mundane, Hammer No More the Fingers bang out songs as interesting musically, as they are affecting lyrically. “Don’t know how hard it’s been, living without a friend, in the center of the world,” Webster sings on “Shutterbug” off their record, Looking for Bruce, but given the way these guys play, it’s not a feeling any of them will know for long.

And now just five tough as nails questions for Duncan to hammer down:

1. If your band were a cartoon character, who/what would it be?
ProStars—the Saturday morning cartoon starring Bo Jackson, Wayne Gretzky, and Michael Jordan. For obvious reasons. That, or the cast of Mulan II.

2. What instigated the choice of band name?
Every band name we were coming up with was terrible or was already in use: Vaudevillain, Wolf Laser, Korn, The Monkees. We just got tired of coming up with dumb band names. So we decided to keep the latest and dumbest that we had.

3. Describe the writing process for “Fall Down, Play Dead”

That’s one of the oldest songs we have. It started off as a riff that we played in a prior band called “Dead by Dawn” back in high school. All our songs were based on the Evil Dead trilogy. Pretty rad stuff. That was one of the riffs that stayed with us. We just kept tinkering with the chord progression until it morphed into what it is now. The lyrics are about a story I heard on NPR one day.

4. Who/what might be a few early inspirations or influences that might really surprise people?
Biz Markie is one of my favorite lyric writers of all time. Every song of his is about a different, whacked out subject. He raps about being a dude and doing dude stuff. Very down to earth, and yet weird and hilarious. We used to cover “Alone Again” from the album I Need a Haircut. Great song.Phish, Outkast, bluegrass, My Morning Jacket, Ween, and a lot of Brazilian music have a big influence on the Hammer. As do a lot of books we read, stories we hear, people we meet, and strange towns that we play.

5. What did you dream of being when you were a kid? (How’d that turn out?)
We’re all 26 now, and have known each other and been playing music together since we were kids. Like 9 or 10 years old. This is pretty much an extension of that. Definitely on a smaller scale than Nirvana, because Nirvana is all I cared about as a kid. We couldn’t be more psyched about playing in a band, though. It’s more fun these days than ever before.

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Keep up with Hammer No More the Fingers touring schedule and other updates here, here, or here.  And check back next week to see who else will take up the challenge of facing down the five. Oh and by all means, give Duncan and the rest of the Hammers a high five when you see them!