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Arts & Music

Gimme Five! Ben of Ben Davis and the Jett$

Ben Davis and the Jett$‘Round about ten years ago, on the eve of welcoming a son into the world, Ben Davis happily decided to get down to the serious business of being an adult.  Settling down theoretically meant packing up his belongings and hanging up his punk rock aspirations (and relentless touring schedule).  But, ten years, three records (2001’s The Hushed Patterns of Relief, 2003’s Aided & Abetted, and 2010’s Charge it Up!), and a split 7” (2007’s The Battle of the Beards) later, and if anything, Davis has happily discovered his family is just new inspiration for an even broader musical ambition.

First as a solo-project and then along with his backing band The Jett$ (Eric Wallen, Megan Culton, Andy Willard, and Benji Shirley), Davis has explored everything from sparse pop to punchy, anthemic rock.  Where the first release employed cello, piano, and a wash of guitars to moody ends, the latest release (Charge it Up!) plugs into a charging aesthetic, eschewing gauzy texture for straightforward, attacking guitars and melodies to match.  It’s a sound fostered thanks to a lot of energetic touring, and it’s a live show you can see for yourself this Friday August 27th at The Nightlight where they’ll be joined by Controlled Storms, Last Year’s Men, Pointless Forest.

Now just the five hardest questions in faux business:

1. If your band were an Elton John album, which would it be?
It would have to be Empty Sky…because the Jett$ need to fly free.

2. What first made you think music was something you’d like to try?
Both of my parents are musicians so it’s always been something I was around.  Of course, they all read music , teach, and are actually talented.  I’m the slacker of the family for sure.

3. Describe how your sons have influenced your music.
Well, when my first son was born I went through a phase of introspection and writing quieter stuff. I now have another son who is 2 and a half  and we are all ready to get loud and stupid 24/7.  My older son Rick is just turning 11 and plays drums and has his own bands.  He has been putting on his own shows and flyering and stuff since he was 5 without any push from me. He’s pretty amazing. I know a bunch of band parents with kids who have bands and are in 4th and 5th grade. The crop of young rockers in the Triangle is going to be insane.

4. Who/what might be a few inspirations or influences that might really surprise people?
NPR. Audio books. Woody Durham. Sleep Deprivation. Coffee. –   Probably not that much of a surprise to anyone.

5. What did you dream of being when you were a kid? (How ’d that turn out?)
In third grade I had a serious air guitar full on band.  We would have practice every day after school and get really into it and get mad at each other if we messed up.  So mostly the dream worked out perfectly.  I’ve been lucky enough to hang out with a ton of awesome musicians, play great shows, but I’m mostly still faking my way through it all.

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Ben Davis and the Jett$ play The Nightlight this Friday day, August 27.  And please, by all means give Ben a high five when you see him!

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Arts & Music

Gimme Five! Rob Montejo and Monika Bullette of The Sky Drops

the sky drops“Hang on / We’re not on this earth too long,” Rob Mentejo and Monika Bullette of The Sky Drops sing on a track off their debut record Bourgeois Beat.  It’s a carpe diem sentiment packed in a free-floating melody. With a haze of reverbed distortion set to a patient kick, “Hang On” may just exemplify the “gaze-grunge” aesthetic that defines The Sky Drops.

Hailing from Wilmington, Deleware, Rob and Monika as The Sky Drops create tunes that run the gamut from lackadaisical landscapes to ambitious webs of sounds.  But where other shoegaze-wannabes flood the speakers or where other grunge-knock-abouts clamor for attentioon, these two acknowledge the power of simplicity.  Their knack for merging voices and effects to cautious, yet emphatic ends, keeps the music interesting and feels like anything but a cerebral bore.  And you can catch The Sky Drops this Friday, August 20th, at the Nightlight where they’ll be joined by Free Electric State and White Cascade.

And now just five hard hitting questions for those Sky Drops:

1. If your band were a quote from Rain Man, which would it be?
R and M: “You complete me” (sic!)

2. What was your first instrument? What was that experience like?
R: I started playing the trumpet in 3rd grade. I chose the trumpet because I wanted to play the instrument that performed the solo on “Rock Around the Clock” by Bill Haley and the Comets. Although I soon learned afterward that the instrument on the solo was actually a saxophone, I stuck with the trumpet for 10 years.
M: I recall playing the recorder – to this day the only wind instrument I play. I can still pull off a mean Christmas carol.

3. Describe the first time you decided there was something to this musical partnership that needed to be shared.
R: I had worked on a song for Monika’s solo record, and her vocals and songwriting abilities really made an impression on me. But it was after seeing her play drums for Licorice Roots that I thought, wow, vocals and drums?  At the time, I had an idea for a stripped down big guitar band, heavy on male/female harmonies. Asking Monika to join was a no brainer.
M: I had followed Rob’s bands for years and was always impressed with his verve. I asked Rob to work on a song for my solo record because I knew what wonders he would contribute. That collaboration blossomed into The Sky Drops (and many miles traveled in the Volvo).

from Haneke's "The White Ribbon"4. What are a few inspirations or influences that might really surprise people?
R: gardening at night and dark chocolate
M: the films of Michael Haneke and pomegranates

5. What did you want to be when you grew up? (How did that turn out?)
R: I used to sing along to records and tapes in high school. It was fun, and there was something powerful about it, but not fulfilling. I eventually borrowed a cheap Cort bass guitar and experimented with writing my own songs. My songwriting is much better now.
M: I have always been impressed with people who could heal others but never made it to becoming “Dr. Monika.” Maybe through music, instead of through the medical arts, I’ve have reached some sense of that.

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The Sky Drops play The Nightlight this Friday day, August 20.  And please, do give them a high five when you see them!

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Arts & Music

Gimme Five! Pinche Gringo

Once a drummer that rattled a kit like nobody’s business, Josh Johnson used to be a mainstay in the Greensboro scene.  But try as he may to make things work with his bands there (The Spins, The Griefs), things fell apart.  The aftermath was the perfect chance for Johnson to make a radical change, so he moved to Mexico City, traded drums for guitar and became Pinche Gringo—a one-man-band blast of garage, blues.

Stripped down he may be, but Pinche Gringo delivers infectious rhythmic texture with a suave stomp and a dash of Link Wray magnetism.  Lyrically playful and inventive melodically, the songs rattle through speakers in a washed out soulful way that makes you want to dance or sing along if only you could figure out the best way to do either.  And you can hear all that on Johnson’s first full length due sometime in the near future on Spider Baby Records.  In the meantime, be sure to mark your calendars for August 21st when he’ll take over the The Nightlight along with Wild Wild Geese, Shit Horse and Shortstack.

And now just five questions for the head Gringo:

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

I would have to say Shampoo. The ladies love Pinche and Pinche loves the ladies Second Choice is Two Lane Blacktop with James Taylor and Dennis Wilson.

2. What instigated the choice of band name/alter identity? Who is Pinche Gringo?

what alter identity? I am truly a fucking american. I love cigarettes, beer and rock and roll. I can make some mean biscuits and gravy too. Pinche is a sensitive, deeply loving individual with a drug problem…ha ha, I jest. I’m super smart and dynamite in the sack.

3. Describe your connection to Mexico City.

I made my way to Mexico City a few years back by rubbing thighs. I really wanted some good tacos, ya know like better than Taco Bell. I ended up living there with this girl. My thigh rubbing money got us far in Mexico. We lived in a giant apartment and had a beach house for the weekends. Not to mention the pharmies. They are terrific down there! I hope to grow old in Mexico….pinche abuelito.

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

I really like Billy Joel’s old metal band “Attila” and Phil Collins is an inspiration. I also read Jackie Collins books to get ideas for songs. She is a classy broad.

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

I wanted to be a vet…clearly, that did not work out.
I will probably end up like those women in Grey Gardens, with the 50 cats and deteriorating house, drinking schlitz on the porch and talking to anyone that will listen.

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Catch Pinche Gringo live Saturday, August 21 at The Nightlight.  And by all means, give him a high five when you see him!

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Arts & Music

Gimme Five! Matt Damron of Bright Young Things

They may sing of “Truth in Short Doses,” but when it comes to the music they rattle out on stage, The Bright Young Things throw in a few shots of fun too.  With guitars, drums, bass and keys, this five-piece based out of Raleigh shake out their own spin on rootsy indie rock.

Featuring the talents of Matt Damron, Scott Andrews, Mark Connor, Will Goodyear, and Cameron Lee, Bright Young Things is a band stacked with veterans of other worthy local acts (notably The Tomahawks and Brett Harris) that skirts any worrisome notion of sound-alike redundancy.  Where the other projects surge with vintage personality, Bright Young Things bewitch with a certain pop/country rambunctiousness.  The band will channel that charm into gigs at both the Hopscotch and sparkCon festivals this fall and into new material for a full length (due in the near future).  In the meantime, skip on over to their bandcamp profile to download a free EP and get in the know on the Bright Young Things while it’s still early.

Now just the five fiercest questions in faux-business:

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

I think I’ve yet to read a book that really describes this band. Maybe a mix that’s like two thirds Wise Blood by Flannery O’Connor and one third Cat in the Hat.

2. When did you start to think music was something you might like to try?

My best friend in middle school informed me one day that we were starting a punk band. I was to be the guitarist, and since I could (barely) hold a tune, I’d be the singer too. I dutifully learned my instrument and found that I had a knack for arranging ideas in to songs. At that point, I knew I wouldn’t be happy doing anything else.

3. Describe your typical band practice.

Typically our practices start an hour later than they were supposed to… Cameron, our lead guitarist, evangelizes his newest favorite band (currently Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show) and we run through a few songs to get everyone in the right mindset.  If there’s a new idea, I’ll play through it and ask for some insight, then we’ll run with it, hoping for some lucky spark. Once we’re satisfied with what we’ve covered (or the beer fridge is emptied out), we move on… usually to a bar.

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

Some of my personal inspirations that are a little less expected might be Beck, John Vanderslice, Francois Truffaut and Richard Dean Anderson

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

As a little one, my dream was probably to become a singing preacher with military training that gets sent around the world fulfilling important missions for the United States, or something like that. It seems like I’ve pretty much failed at all of the above, and though I do sing, I can’t say that I’m in the service of God or country. I think I’m okay with that.

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Gather up your incandescent, juvenile chums and head out to see the Bright Young Things soon (tour dates updated here and here). And by all means, give Matt a high five when you see him!

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Arts & Music

Gimme Five! Eric Hirsch of Orquesta GarDel

In 2006, when David Garcia, a professor of Afro-Cuban music at UNC Chapel Hill, and Nelson Delgado, a singer and seasoned veteran of the Triangle latin music scene, decided to start a salsa group, they couldn’t have known the powerful music explosion that would become Orquesta GarDel. The band began by digging deep into the roots of classic and modern salsa and has since stretched its repertoire to include a host of originals that play into the members own unique, jazz and afro-cuban influenced perspectives.

Now, eleven members strong, Orquesta GarDel is nothing short of a salsa super-group.  Featuring the talents of Eric Hirsh (piano, co-director), Neslon Delgado (lead vocals), Jaime Roman (lead vocals), Pete Kimosh (bass), Brevan Hampden (timbales), Julio Correa (congas, timbales), José Sanchez (congas, bongos), Ramón Ortiz (bongos, timbales, backing vocals), Alberto Carrasquillo (trumpet), Al Strong (trumpet), Andy Kleindienst (trombone, co-director), Tim Smith (saxophones, flute), and Bluford Thompson (saxophones, flute), this orchestra plays music that will make you listen, make you smile, and make you dance your heart out.  You can experience this GarDel fever at the Saxapahaw Farmer’s Market Music Series next Saturday, July 31st.

Now just the five most furious questions in faux business:

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

Definitely a Cuisenart food processor.   Its power is restrained by its simple design, and the careful attachment of the variety of accessory parts.  You can cut things up many ways, but at the end of the day you’re just making salsa.  And everyone likes salsa.

2. How do you see Orquesta GarDel separating itself from other salsa bands that have played around this area?

We are inherently unique to this region for a number of reasons.  First, the size of the ensemble.  At twelve members, we are able to faithfully recreate the dense, polyrhythmic wall of sound that is the classic salsa orchestra.  There is just no substitution for having three percussionists, at least three brass players, and multiple vocalists.  Secondly, we strive for a very high level of musicianship, which includes picking a repertoire that avoids the ‘low hanging fruits’ of the salsa canon and seeking out the more interesting (and complex) arrangements coming out of Puerto Rico, Cuba, and New York from the seventies through today.  Finally, while this area has a great Latino music community, many bands and configurations have come and gone.  We hope that Orquesta GarDel will outlive its original founders and members and become a cultural institution with a long life and an open door for musicians to keep this art form alive and progressing.

3. Describe the dynamic of playing in such a large group.

The musical dynamic is actually very effortless.  I have much respect for large bands like Lost In The Trees, Efterklang, and Broken Social Scene, who must necessarily engage with new performance practices for their unique instrumentation.  But salsa comes with a deep tradition, rooted in West African and Afro-Cuban ritualistic musics.  Every player, each instrument has a defined role, a set of rhythms to play, locking in with each other in a very delicate way.  But you know what they say, out of constraint comes freedom.  The experience of playing a repeating-but-evolving part along with eleven other people is powerful and even trance-like.

The logistical dynamic of running such a large group?  Not so trance-like.

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

You know, salsa music, its subgenres, and its innovators are not really the main inspiration for the group.  That collective knowledge of the style ends up being very secondary when we get together to play or write.  Our biggest inspiration is probably the state of North Carolina, each other, and our community.  Though we play traditional music, we aren’t a very “traditional” group of people.  We are men of different ages, some are dads with families, some are fresh college graduates.  We are Puerto Rican, Dominican, white, and African-American.  Most of us have jazz degrees, some of us used to play merengue seven nights a week in PR, many of us actively play in funk, reggae, or hip hop bands.  We live all over the state, and we play shows for mixed crowds in all sorts of unexpected venues.  This diversity, this set of seeming contradictions makes us both an anomaly and a perfect fit for the growing culture of North Carolina.  What compels us is to get up on that stage and make people dance and have a great time, and to be able to see it in their faces and the way they move.

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

Surveyed the gang, got some responses back:

Eric Hirsh (pianist, co-director): Pretty early on I dreamt of being a musician, gave up on it in high school (for the sexy allure of…physics!), returned to it in college and it’s stuck ever since.  Also as a kid I dreamt of being a train engineer (I might have even owned a pair of blue corduroy overalls; definitely owned a few dozen picture books on the subject).

Tim Smith (saxophonist): As a kid I always wanted to be a chef (been there, done that), a poet (I am and I know it) and a multi-faceted musician…the jury is still out on that last one.  GarDel is certainly helping me to explore one more facet of the plethora of musics out there in the world today and I must say that I’m lovin’ it.

Nelson Delgado (lead vocalist): Nelson tells me that he can’t even remember what he thought about as a kid anymore, but he does recall thinking it would be really cool to be a jet engine mechanic.  He ended up in research chemistry for agriculture.

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Head out to the Saxapahaw Farmer’s Market Music Series Saturday, July 31st to hear Orquesta GarDel live.  And be sure to give Eric a high five when you see him!

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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.

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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!

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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.

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

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Arts & Music

Gimme Five! Mark Weems and Julee Glaub of Little Windows

Mark Weems and Julee Glaub pair their instrumental knack and vocal harmony with the traditions that own their hearts to create the sound of Little Windows.  With compositions that range from Appalachian to Celtic to Gospel to Country to Folk, this duet translates traditional fare for a modern audience.

Whatever the tune, the couple performs with passion and it’s that ardor that’s garnered them attention from listeners and media (namely, the NPR circuit’s Thistle & Shamrock and The State of Things) alike.  Their zeal for the music has also inspired them to start the brand new North Carolina School of Traditional Music.  There they share their knowledge of things like instrumental techniques, singing methods and songwriting to spur a new generation of love for the old music that so infects their lives.  And you can catch Little Windows, along with a few of the school’s brightest stars at The ArtsCenter in Carrboro this Saturday, June 26th.

And now just five big questions for the Little Windows:

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

Mark – My grandfather’s pocket watch. You know… the one he kept because his father had passed it on to him. He just liked the old thing, the way it looked, and the way it felt in his pocket, despite the fact that he could have worn a more modern wrist watch.
Julee – My mom’s music box that I play now for our baby. It plays a song she used to sing to me and now I get to play it for my child, thus carrying on its tradition.

2. What made the two of your decide to join forces and meld your two backgrounds?

Mark – For me it was the intimate, spiritual beauty of how our voices melted together, a unique sound blending, like nothing else out there. My pioneer nature forced its exploration. Also my Appalachian and Country and her Irish came together as naturally as two lost peas separated from the same musical pod. Why fight the harmony of the universe?

Julee – It was an unstoppable force and a perfect fit. There was no denying the beauty that came about with the mingling of our voices. We met at a time in my life when I had begun to connect my Irish songs with the Appalachian roots of North Carolina where I grew up. It was a perfect time to meet someone who was as steeped in the Appalachia and Country traditions as I was in the Irish and Gospel.

3. Describe the hope you have for the North Carolina School of Traditional Music.

We want to create a truly local, grassrootsy kind of school that would foster the growth of the Celtic, Appalachian, and Country musical traditions of our state. Our hope is that through our offerings of lessons, teaching weeks, camps, workshops, house concerts, song circles, school programs etc. many people will take notice of and interest in North Carolina’s musical traditions and also have an opportunity to participate in them. Everyone should play and sing regardless of skill level – it’s deeply humanizing, cathartic, and spiritual.

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

Mark – Marcus Aurelius, Basho, Dostoevsky, Matisse, Tarkovsky, Arvo Part, John Cohen, Pete Sutherland, John Hartford
Julee – Katharine Hepburn, Roscoe Holcombe, WB Yeats, the Psalms, Dolores Keene, Tommy Peoples

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

Mark – A comic book artist or a monk. Or maybe a monk comic book artist. Quit art school and later got married!
Julee – Actually I dreamed of being a singer, practicing singing into a hairbrush at age seven!

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Join Little Windows for a NC School of Traditional Music Night at The ArtsCenter in Carrboro this Saturday. And by all means, give Mark and Julee a high five when you see them!

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Arts & Music

Gimme Five! John Harrison of North Elementary

north elementary photo by by Daniel CostonAfter spending most of the early nineties recording ambling melodies and random sounds on a boom box in his bedroom, John Harrison got his hands on a 4-track.  The device allowed him the newfound ability to meld songs and noises into layered compositions.  The result was experimental, a whim.  It was also a sonic epiphany for Harrison that eventually led to the stylistic center of North Elementary, a band whose music bursts with noise collage embellishment and power pop cheer.

Nowadays, North Elementary functions as much as a “musical collective” as anything.  Harrison is ever the adept and amused lead songwriter, but he shares creative control with an imitable crew made up of Chad AC (drums), Jimmy Thompson (bass), Betty Rupp (keyboard/vox), and Sean Parker (guitar/vox).  With five records (Out of Phase, Lose Your Favorite Things, Berandals, Lovesday Dead Down, & Not For Everyone Just for You) and a 7” project ( the Weeble Wobble Sound Series) wrapped and a new full length on the way, North Elementary has no intention of slowing down, but you should probably take this opportunity to catch up.  See North Elementary along with Inspector 22 and The Wild Complete at The Reservoir this Tuesday, June 22nd.

And now just five quizzical questions of the principal of North E:

1. If your band were a planet, which would it be?

Uranus – hahahahaha…that never gets old

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

I’ve always been interested in sound…..first by listening to the radio and wondering where it was all coming from….. and then by recording things on an old tape recorder …..like the birds outside, cars going by and things like that.  I was attracted to drums at first….I wanted to make those sounds and I guess when you do that you are wanting to become a musician…..that’s how it all started.  I liked sounds and wanted to know how to make them….I still do that.

3. Describe the way your visual art and your music shape each other.

They both come from a similar place. A need to create something that wasn’t there before.   If I get tired or bored of myself in one medium I can change up the tools and ways to output my thoughts and ideas instead of just not creating.  Using both mediums gives me a way to still be creating when a musical or visual art lull arrives.  I get musical ideas while painting or screen printing – I certainly listen to a lot of music while do it.  On the flipside – I like view sounds as you would view color…..I like to create so it gives me another way to do so.

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

"This Way" by John Harrison

Hmmmm….not sure how surprising it would be but some of the first music I heard and was played around me in a live setting where southern Baptist hymns…..I still like the melodies in those songs such as “nothing but the blood” and “that old rugged cross.” The songs have deep meaning and an obvious redemption quality –– I like the weight they carried – they seemed very important.

I like really like the soundtrack to RENT.  I listen to it every year when I drive to St Louis at Christmas time.  The production and some of the lyrics are over the top but most every song is pretty good and many are downright brilliant…..

The Beastie Boys – I think they are a creative force for good – from my purchase of “License to Ill” in the 8th grade to watching the awesome Scott Walker documentary released by their production company Oscilloscope Laboratories last year I always check in to see what is up with them.

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

I first wanted to be a garbage man.  It looked like fun to ride on the outside of the truck and compact all the garbage.  I used to wait for them in the summer so I could watch them compact it……sometimes they let me pull the lever.  This dream died once I realized how early you had to get up.  Once that dream died I dreamed of being a backup number two guard for the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA…..this did not turn out good.

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Follow your feet over to The Reservoir this Tuesday to catch North Elementary live. And by all means, give John a high five when you see him!

Categories
Arts & Music

Gimme Five! Zach Terry of The Whiskey Smugglers

the whiskey smugglers
photo by Audrey Hill

As much a wonderful product of the local scene as their own musical proclivities, The Whiskey Smugglers are a ragtag group of players bent on bringing their own brand country stomp to the Triangle.  Band members Zach Terry, Katie Hayes, Sean Hayes, David Wilson, Lee Bidgood, Emily Bidgood, Bruce Horvath, Tim Stambaugh, and Rhett Miller combine the force of their talent to create wistful americana music.  Part honky-tonk, part string-band, part down-home orchestra, they are, if nothing else, all heart.

With a full length under their belt (2009’s Clear Strong Dreams) and a good habit of playing locally, there are plenty of chances for you to tap into the world of The Whiskey Smugglers,  but you should really consider trekking over to the Cat’s Cradle Thursday, June 17th. That night they’ll join forces with a host of other notable local bands (Mount Moriah and Mandolin Orange among them) to raise money for the Eastern NC Chapter of the National MS Society. Great music and a great cause, what’s more to say?

And now the five hardest questions in faux business:

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

photo by Jordan Lawrence

We get this question here and there because of our name.  A few of us take pleasure in carrying around a flask because it’s cheaper than buying it at the bars, so I think that’s where the name came from.  Those flasks usually have the cheap kind of whiskey in it, or from time to time the homemade kind.  I guess we’d probably just be cheap whiskey on the rocks though

2. What compelled you to start the band?

Our band started kind of organically, as a product of the Carrboro community.   The majority of us were all neighbors, at a little duplex community we’ve lovingly come to refer to as “The Compound,” due to its stunning visual appeal.  We met Bruce at Weaver Street one night, very late, while we were playing guitars.  Anyway, we all became good friends, and realized that we played different instruments but had very similar interest in music.  We started playing for fun, and because we really enjoyed each other’s company.  We realized that we had a lot of original songs between us and started focusing on those.  Our friends mostly inspired us to play a onetime gig so Mouse booked us at the Cave on a Saturday night.  We figured our friends would show, but were really surprised to find the place maxed out when it came time to play that night.  That first show was a blast, so we decided to do another one, and it has just progressed from there.  If it wasn’t for our friends and the feedback we received from the community, I doubt we’d still be playing shows.  We’d probably still just be hanging out at the compound, picking in the parking lot.  Regardless, I think the whole thing just reiterates what a great local music scene, and supportive community we’ve got here in the Triangle, and we are extremely thankful for that

3. Describe what it’s like to play in a large ensemble.

It’s pretty awesome.  We’re all great friends, and we really have fun hearing each other’s ideas and listening to them become a reality.  It’s also great having a bunch of people b/c if I miss a chord b/c I’ve had too much to drink and get confused, there’s four to five other people there to hit the right one, and most of the time no one in the audience will pick up on it.  We can do a lot with the multiple layers throughout each song, and change the structure from show to show as well, so the audience doesn’t hear the exact same song at every show.  Another benefit is that if one person can’t make a show then we don’t have to cancel it, because we’ve got enough people to sing the harmonies and take the breaks.  It’s not all dreamy though.  We’ve definitely had issues here and there.  Scheduling practice around seven people’s hectic schedules is probably the most frustrating thing, but all in all we’re just a big group of laid back folks who like to play music.

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

This is a hard question for me to answer.  If I listen to our music I hear a lot of Bluegrass, Southern Rock, Alt-Country, Rock and Roll, and Classic Country influences in there.  I can’t really say that one particular artist or band has directly influenced us though.  Most of my inspiration for writing comes from either actual events that have happened, or fictional ideas that spark from a real-life occurance.  If my songs were movies they would start like Anchorman…….”The following is based on actual events. Only the names, locations, and events have been changed.”  I like to tell fish stories, a lot, and I see that in my songs.  The musical structure though, is definitely influenced by all of the members in the band.  We’ve got a lot of similar taste, but still have a very diverse musical background.  Long story short, we influence each other.

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

A cowboy, for sure!  I’ve never really thought about the reason until just now, but I guess it’s because when I was in 2nd grade I un-knowingly was the star of a Tweetsie Railroad commercial that Blowing Rock elementary was recruited to do.  They pulled me aside out of the group and had me do all these poses and made me walk here and there and point at random things.  I literally had no idea they were filming me doing this, but I thought the entire thing was funny as hell, so I went along with it.  A month or so after that the commercial came out and I was totally surprised that I was in it a bunch.  They never paid me for it, but I got discounted season passes for something like five years after that.  I was able to ride on the steam engine anytime I wanted, and pull the whistle.  Mom would drop me off there in the summer, almost like daycare.  We didn’t have too much money, so dropping me off there was cheaper than daycare I guess.  Anyway I’d watch the cowboys fight each other and the train was always getting robbed and as a seven year old it was pretty bad ass!  I definitely developed a cowboy ego.  When I wasn’t at the trains I was running around in the woods pretending to rob trains and things like that.  At that time in my life all I wanted to do was be a cowboy at Tweetsie when I grew up.  That never happened, and I later found out that all the hired guns at Tweetsie were always getting in trouble for being wasted on the job and smoking the peace pipe at the fort.  It’s funny how our realizations and perceptions change as we get older.

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Experience The Whiskey Smugglers in action at the Cat’s Cradle this Thursday, June 17th. And by all means, give Zach a high five when you see him!

Categories
Arts & Music

Gimme Five! Laura King of The Moaners

Melissa Swingle never met a slide guitar solo she didn’t like.  Fortunately, she also took a shine to Laura King. After Swingle’s Trailer Bride hit the rocks, it was King she called on to join in a new project and together the two women set off to produce some of the most interesting and earnest indie-blues this side of the Mississippi.  As The Moaners, the women balance a fair share of trance inducing guitar riffs and clamoring drum bursts, tossing in an occasional singing saw break to create a sound-scape as dense as it is startlingly simple.

Not satisfied to rest on the laurels of their critic-and-crowd-pleasing  past releases (2005’s Dark Snack and 2007’s Blackwing Yalobusha) the women have tackled the road gaining fans across the country and spent time readying new tracks for this fall’s much anticipated Nocturnal.  Though the uncertain release date for a new record will leave more than a few people groaning, the opportunity to catch The Moaners along with Pinche Gringo and Holly Golightly and the Brokeoffs at The Cave this Saturday is nothing to moan about.

Now just five over-serious questions for the lady keeping the beat:

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

The French Revolution…we like to make heads roll.

2. What made you pick the band name? Why “Moaners”?

When we first started playing music together we had no lyrics, and when we listened back to band practices all we could hear were moans.

3. Describe your typical band practice experience.

We set up in the kitchen and hash it out.

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

Chopin, Black Sabbath, Bessie Smith, The Monkees, Django Reinhardt, Flaming Lips, and many more.

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

Melissa wanted to be an Indian Brave and declare war on the white men. Then she grew boobies and couldn’t go shirtless anymore like Indian Braves do. And she realized she was white. It didn’t turn out well.

Laura has always wanted to be a musician writing her first song at age 5 called “My Baby.” It’s working out well.

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Ramble over to The Cave this Saturday to hear The Moaners in action. And by all means, give Laura a high five when you see her!