Hopscotch music festival is the local music event of the year and will be taking place September 4-6. VIP and 3-Day Presale starts today.
So what does a VIP purchase get you?
--All Hopscotch Club Shows
--2 City Plaza Headlining Shows
--Priority Access to Club Shows
--Opening Night VIP Reception (Thursday, September 4)
--VIP Tote Bag (Who doesn't love a good tote bag?)
For true music lovers who want access to all three days, the wristband is the way to go. This will give you access to all club shows and the two headlining performances. If purchased now during the presale, the wristband costs $125.
This is Hopscotch's fifth year of feeding music fiends' fervent addictions. This year, there are 175 bands slated to take over downtown Raleigh in 15 different venues. The purpose of Hopscotch is to highlight our own local talent and combine that with artists from all around the world covering every musical genre. This is the Mardi Gras of the Triangle, don't miss out on this event. For more information and to purchase your tickets, visit the Hopscotch website. We will be sure to keep you posted on sale events and lineup details as they become available.
On Tuesday, February 25, Merge Records will release the remastered reissue of Superchunk's Indoor Living. This 1997 out-of-print album is part of the celebration for Merge's 25th birthday. It will be released on CD and LP with liner notes from Laura Ballance and producer/engineer John Plymale. Both Cd and LP will include a bonus download of Clambakes Vol. 8: We'd Like to Thank the Homecoming Committee - Live at Duke 1997.
An additional extra is the acoustic version created by Mac McCaughan of "Watery Hands" (see at bottom of post). Why not completely bask in nostalgia with the original "Watery Hands" video featuring Janeane Garofolo and David Cross? Please enjoy this, it's truly a classic!
To order the reissue of "Indoor Living", visit Merge Records' website. Superchunk is hitting the road to celebrate their success as a group and with Merge Records. They will be at Haw River Ballroom on April 10, tickets are currently on sale.
Most bands dream of that magical moment when they are discovered and signed to a major record label. For the Triangle's own Delta Rae, this dream has come true and has surpassed all of their expectations. Bassist, Grant Emerson, took the time to talk with The Triangle Beat about the band's journey to success and the hopes for their future.
The makings of this American folk rock band started years ago in the home of the Holljes family. Siblings Eric (vocals, guitar, piano, and keys), Ian (vocals and guitar), and Brittany (vocals) started making music together from a very young age thanks to their parents who raised them with a mix of James Taylor, Cats Stevens, Fleetwood Mac, and Paul Simon. They gathered further musical influences when moving around from Durham, NC, to the San Francisco Bay, then to Nashville, and Georgia. Along these travels, Brittany developed a life-long friendship with current band mate, Liz Hopkins. The siblings always admired Liz's raspy, soulful voice and the way it meshed with Brittany's powerful brassiness.
Fast forward a few years and Ian and Eric move back to Durham, NC to attend Duke University. In the meantime, Brittany was working toward graduating early from Cal-Berkeley. After all three siblings completed their schooling, they gathered in a small house in the woods, along with Liz, to settle on the group's sound. First, they had to choose a name and they quickly decided on Delta Rae. According to Grant, the band's name comes from the main character of a
mythological story that is being written by the siblings' mother. During this time, the group focused on harmonizing together, writing strong lyrics, and practicing for live shows. In 2010, Durham natives Mike McKee (drummer) and Grant Emerson (bassist) made the band complete.
Once the group was settled, the focus turned to crafting outstanding live performances. Through trial and error, they learned how to communicate the emotion and strength of their lyrics, written mostly by Ian and Eric, and how to improvise at small venues with less than stellar audio. Their music is powerful on its own, but the group gained a strong following through their genuine and energetic live shows.
A series of events and local success eventually led the group to New York City in 2011 to meet with music executive, Seymour Stein of Warner Bros. and Sire Records. As Grant recalls, they endured an awkward elevator ride on the way to Stein's office with the executive himself who did not yet know who they were. The group was filled with nervous excitement and the moment did not seem like it could be real life. Once in Stein's office, he asked them to sing for him. They belted out the love struggles of "Hey, Hey, Hey" and didn't even make it to the chorus before getting cut off. Stein called his assistant on the phone, but when he couldn't reach anyone, he opened the door and yelled, "You gotta hear these people, they sound so beautiful!" Delta Rae took a collective deep sigh of relief and continued to sing for the label's employees.
Since then, Grant says that he's been crossing one item after another off of his personal bucket list. The group has been fortunate to perform at several music fests including Bonaroo. For Grant, his highlighted moment was meeting one of his strongest musical influences, Don Henley. These surreal moments are going to continue to happen for Delta Rae as their musical career is only getting started. They are currently touring to promote their debut album, Carry the Fire. The band will return home for two shows, the first is at Cat's Cradle on March 6 and at The Lincoln Theatre on March 7.
To support this local talent, join us for their upcoming shows and check out the merchandise on their website.
With the announcement of an upcoming release of their new full length album, Montibello Memories, Columbia Records' Matrimony will return to their home state of North Carolina to play at Lincoln Theatre this Wednesday. Led by the talented couple, Jimmy Brown and Ashlee Hardee Brown, Matrimony brings a sound that is certain to appeal to North Carolina natives and folk-rock fanatics alike. Joined by Jordan and CJ Harde, Matrimony combines the couple's dynamic vocals with the musical talents of Ashlee's brothers on the drums, mandolin and banjo.
After the success of their first EP in 2010, The Storm and The Eye, this Charlotte based band set out playing together and quickly gaining notoriety. With popular songs from their first album like, Last Love, the melody created by Jimmy and Ashlee, is an example of how their chemistry both in their music and in their relationship could lead to great success for the band. Soon after, Matrimony would go back into the studio to record, Montibello Drive. This song capitalized on the unique blend of folk and Irish inspired beats as displayed in The Storm and The Eye, but also highlighting the bands own maturation as artists in deeply felt songs like, Giants and Obey Your Guns. With the assistance of Jay Joyce, who is responsible for working on albums with artists such as Cage the Elephant and Eric Church, Matrimony was able see their popularity expand over the past year. After playing at music festivals like Bonnaroo and Bela Chere, Matrimony is looking to capitalize on their success from relentlessly touring throughout 2013 with the release of their new album. Recently, Matrimony was featured on CMT Edge for their music video "Golden City."
Joining Matrimony will be Raleigh's own New Reveille. Drawing upon the talents of other Raleigh based acts in Saints Apollo and Jack the Radio, New Reveille is an alternative country/Americana band that features an all female front and the unique sounds of the steal guitar and cello. After forming in 2013, New Reveille has enjoyed instant success after producing a music video for their song, Babylon, and selling out their first live premier at Deep South on January 31. New Reveille will also be performing at Brewgaloo 2014 on April 26 in downtown Raleigh.
The doors are set to open at 7PM with the show starting at 8PM. Tickets are on sale for $8 at www.lincolntheatre.com or $10 on the day of the show.
Electric pop duo, Vertical Scratchers, is comprised of John Schmersal and Christian Beaulieu. The pair will be releasing their debut album, Daughter of Everything, on February 25. The entire album and intriguing artwork can be streamed now via Pitchfork Advance
The group is hopping in a van in March to promote their new album. They will join The Love Language at the Merge 25K finish line on March 22, which is a free concert to celebrate twenty-five musical years of Merge Records.
What can be expected from this debut album? According to John Schmersal via Merge Records:
Simplicity was the inspiration: get in the van, rehearse in the van,
tour in the van, stay mobile. “I have played in a lot of bands with
complicated set-ups and implemented technologies,” says John. “I also do
a lot of recording and editing on computers, so part of the desire for
simplicity was about wanting things to be as organic and in real time as
possible.” This impulse to keep things moving is reflected in the songs
themselves. Most Vertical Scratchers songs clock in under the
two-minute mark but often go in twice as many directions as your
average-length song. Pop deception. Think the Kinks with a Buzzcocks
brevity.
Registration is still open to run the Merge 25K, or you can simply join the label for an amazing afternoon of music following the race. For registration information and event details, visit their website.
The deadline is quickly approaching for local bands to register for the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in Raleigh on April 13, 2014. The final registration day is this Friday, February 21.
With a newly approved course in hand, race organizers
are moving forward with the next steps of planning a world-class running event,
with the Rock ‘n’ Roll Raleigh Marathon & ½ Marathon Presented by WRAL Benefiting
The V Foundation.
The
unique, entertainment themed race will feature the best sights of Raleigh, and
its best sounds too. Live, local bands will play each mile of the 26.2-mile
course, providing motivation, entertainment and a taste of Raleigh’s music
scene to thousands of visiting runners. Bands from across the region are
encouraged to apply online. More
information is available at RunRocknRoll.com/Raleigh.
Participants will experience
sights like the Governor's Mansion, Rose Garden, Oakwood neighborhood, Pullen Park, and the North Carolina State campus and will finish in downtown Raleigh near the Red Hat Amphitheater where
they can gather with friends and family for the post race concert with headliners, New Politics.
The racers will
be ushered in with the alt-rock sounds of New Politics. This group has had
an exciting year with their hit song "Harlem" appearing in a
trailer for Disney's Frozen and commercials for Windows 8 and Taco Bell.
According to an interview with suntimes.com, Boyd wrote this song after a
fling with a girl from Spanish Harlem. Since then, the band has had the
fortune to travel with fellow rockers, 30 Seconds to Mars, Fall Out Boy, and
Pink.
The show is free and open to the public. The Triangle Beat
will keep you posted on updates for the race and bands that will perform. For
more information, head to the Rock 'n' Roll Raleigh website.
To say Cat's Cradle was packed on Valentine's Day would be an understatement. The venue was pouring with music fans, ecstatic to not only have escaped from their ice-imprisoned homes of Snowpacolypse 2014, but to hear the soulful sounds of Lake Street Dive. The room was full of energy and excitement to see this "new" sensation, 10 years in the making.
The night opened with the jazz-infused Miss. Tess and the Talkbacks. Miss. Tess has quite a history with Lake Street Dive's vocalist, Rachel Price. The two became roommates in 2005 and have supported each other through their music careers ever since. Miss. Tess provides a jazz sound that is infused with old honky tonk, rock 'n' roll, and modern pop. They create melodies that are unique and can't be narrowed down to one genre. Miss. Tess delivers a radiant croon supported by drums, bass, and her own guitar. They shared new songs from their second album with Signature Sounds entitled The Love I Have for You. The group was well-received by the
Carrboro crowd, who sang along and swayed to the sunny sounds of Miss.
Tess and the Talkbacks.
Lake Street Dive took the stage with an appreciation for the crowd. They started with new music from their upcoming album, Bad Self-Portraits, set to be released February 18. The excited fans cheered as soon as vocalist Rachel Price sang her first melody. Her rich alto rolled through the room with confidence and strength, mixed with her charisma and raw talent. Price's powerful vocals were strengthened, song after song, with the sweet harmonies of bassist, Bridget Kearney and drummer, Mike Calabrese with the trumpeting of Mike "McDuck" Olson.
The group possesses a rare ability of combining the old with the new, mixing Motown with modern pop to create a sound that doesn't currently exist. It's rare to see an entire band that possesses trained musicianship with raw, natural talent, but Lake Street Dive does so flawlessly.
The band moved through the set, ceaselessly flowing from one tune to the next. The crowd cheered as they progressed into, "Would it be true that I ordered you/ Or is it you that ordered me" from the already popular song, "You Go Down Smooth." This has recently hit social media after Lake Street Dive's remarkable performance on Colbert. From there, the fans sang along to a smoky and sultry cover of George Michael's "Faith" and danced happily to this refreshed classic. The night ended where it all began for this band, with their velvety cover of Jackson 5's, "I Want You Back." This cover gained recognition for the group in 2012 with a You Tube video that reached over 1.4 million views.
Aside from the obvious musicality of this quartet, there was one element of the band that made them especially likable and respectable: lack of ego. It was easy to sense the mutual appreciation the band mates held for one another and for their fans. They each had moments to shine during the set and were heavily supportive of each other. This isn't always so obvious in an industry built on pride and ego, so it was a pleasure to witness it in such an honest way.
Lake Street Dive is soaring upwards quickly. Their video on You Tube and first TV appearance on The Colbert Report helped them get started, now their natural talent and humble demeanor will carry them through a projected long and successful career. To learn more about Lake Street Dive and order their new album, Bad Self Portraits, check out our recent interview and visit their website.
Check out a performance of "You Go Down Smooth" from "Another Day, Another Time" that appeared on Showtime.
The course will begin in Chapel Hill where Merge Records first opened its doors and will end in downtown Durham, the label's current home. Registration is open now and will run through race day. To enter, go to Sportoften.com, the cost of the race is $85. Upon registration, racers will receive a free three month MVP membership to MapMyRun mobile app courtesy of MapMyFitness.
There are plenty of great venues with Valentines celebrations (or anti-celebrations) tonight. Whether you're in love or disgusted by it, there is something to make tonight a memorable night for everyone.
Haw River Ballroom - The Bitter Hearts Ball:
It's Waltz night in Saxapahaw. Join this party with or without a partner and sweep the dance floor to the sweet sounds of Chocolate Suede. If you're dance skills aren't too sharp, no worries, HRB has you covered. Dance lessons will take place at 8 and the party begins at 9, tickets are $10. Check out the Haw River Ballroom website for more details.
Kings Barcade - The Love Hangover:
Have a little too much love last night? Kings Barcade's Love Hangover will take care of that. This annual event is on its fifteenth year of mending broken hearts. The night will celebrate all feelings created by love - anger, happiness, frustration, and harmony are just some of the common themes that will be recognized through song. Enjoy performances by members from The Tender Fruit, Bombadil, SNMNMNM, Pop Up Chorus, The Revolutionary Sweethearts, Natural Science and more. The show starts at 9 and tickets are $8. To see a complete list of artists, take a look at the Kings Barcade website.
The Pour House - LiLa and Must Be the Holy Ghost
It's going to be a great night for dancing away your blues if Valentine's Day did not meet your expectations. Join a group of childhood friends all grown up and sharing their motivating hip-hop grooves for a high-energy experience. The sounds of LiLa are meant to inspire and instill positive energy within the audience. They are supported by Must Be the Holy Ghost who mixes a looping guitar with vocals to create a whole new sound. The show starts at 10 and tickets are $8 at the door. To save two dollars on your tickets, get them early at The Pour House's website.
Deep South Bar - Post Valentine's Day Massacre
Deep South Bar will help you forget all about the dirty stench of Valentine's Day. They have put together a hard-core night complete with four talented rock bands. Rock the night away with Revelus, A Course of Action, Intertwyned, and Skycrest. All four groups share the common thread of hard rock music, but each one brings a different flavor into the mix, guaranteeing a hard-hitting, exciting show. The doors open at 7, show starts at 9, and tickets are $10. For more details about this event, check out the Deep South website.
The Pinhook - Illegal Dance Party! Feat. Jubilee
Durham will be celebrating right tonight with their monthly dance party presented by Queen Plz and Durty
Durham Arts Collective. Join in on this night of mayhem with local DJs, stripper poles, and photographers. Jubilee will be featured at tonight's show, keeping everyone on their feet with songs that fluidly flow into one another. Doors open at 9, the show starts at 10, and tickets are $10. To learn more about this event, visit The Pinhook's website.
The anticipation is great as the instruments are being tuned and arranged on stage; the sold-out crowd can barely hold back their excitement. Scattered instruments cover the stage; maracas, chimes, a harmonica, and tambourines. These tools will be used to transform the location from a beautiful music venue in Saxapahaw to somewhere out west, back in time, to the middle of an old western novel. Finally, the fans are appeased with the thunderous sound of the drums, exotic world music, and the whistling of the wind. The five members of Lord Huron enter the stage, ready to take the crowd on a musical adventure titled Lonesome Dreams.
Lord Huron creator, Ben Schneider, leads the group in an energetic set. The chimes start ringing, mixed with upbeat drums and electronics to create the lively "The Man Who Lives Forever." The crowd feeds off of Schneider's energy, and the room is alive with singing and dancing.
One song fluidly flows into another while the scene changes and blue lights are cast about the room. A more reflective mood takes over the crowd as Schneider sings "The Ghost on the Shore" with the lyrics, "Die if I must/ Let my bones turn to dust/ I'm the lord of the lake, and I don't wanna leave ya." Schneider provides the perfect balance of verve and emotion to carry the crowd through this sentimental piece.
For the final song before the encore, Lord Huron rolls into "Time to Run." The crowd has been anticipating this moment all night. Excitement moves through the fans as the drumbeat intensifies and the more pop-indie side of the band shines through. The song continues with extended instrumentals, and the crowd sings and moves along with the beat. The band plays with the same energy as the first song, not willing to disappoint the crowd. Schneider dances about the stage, interacting with his band mates, making sure each one gets credit for the combined effort of this flawless show.
Lord Huron's latest album, Lonesome Dreams, is a work of art. Seeing them perform it live is an authentic experience. Schneider ensures that everyone feels his lyrics and sees his vision through his vivacity and raw emotion. Lord Huron is well worth the ticket price if the opportunity arises.
You might not have heard of them yet, but you certainly will. Lake Street Dive is currently on the road promoting their new album, Bad Self Portraits, and are making a stop at Cat's Cradle on Valentine's Day.
The smoky voice of Rachel Price paired with a mixture of jazz, soul, rock, and pop is intoxicating and unforgettable. This sound did not come naturally to the band though, it took years of trial-and-error and experimentation to settle on this indie-pop sensation that is Lake Street Dive.
Their time together started at The New England Conservatory where all members where intensely studying jazz. The group is comprised of drummer, Mike Calabrese, bassist, Bridget Kearney, vocalist, Rachel Price, and Mike "McDuck" Olson alternating between the trumpet and guitar. As bassist, Kearney tells the story, McDuck gathered the group in a classroom where he scrolled "Lake Street Dive" on the chalkboard and stated, "We are a band. We are Lake Street Dive." That was the beginning of an adventure that has taken them from You Tube fame, to playing along side the Avett Brothers, and most recently, performing on The Colbert Report.
The band's raw talent is going to take them to successful places in the future, but the internet is largely responsible for helping them get noticed on a larger scale. The video of the group's sultry jazz cover of The Jackson 5's,"I Want You Back" has received more than 1.4 million views. It led to Kevin Bacon tweeting, "This is amazing! Gives me chills", along with a link to the video to all of this followers. Lake Street Dive quickly gained buzz with fans only wanting more.
Since then, the band has developed their new album, Bad Self Portraits, which will be released on February 18. Bassist Bridget Kearney took the time to answer a few questions and discuss the path that has led them to where they are now and where they hope to be ten years from now.
TTB: Where does the name Lake Street Dive come from?
KEARNEY: McDuck grew up in Minneapolis, where Lake Street is a bustling hub of dive bars. McDuck envisioned us playing the kind of music you might hear at one of those dive bars.
TTB: After listening to your earlier work, it seems the band's sound has gone through quite an evolution. How has the band's sound and focus changed since getting started?
KEARNEY: Yes, we've learned a lot in our nearly ten years of band-om. We're basically just following our ears to the sounds we want to be creating, which in concrete terms has meant moving towards a dancier, funkier sound with a lot more vocals in it.
TTB: Who are your strongest musical influences?
KEARNEY: The Beatles and the great pop soul bands from Motown and Stax Records in the 60's.
TTB: What has been that defining moment in the past year that has made you feel like you're an integral part of the music world?
KEARNEY: Hmmmm...well I don't know if I feel that I am integral to the music world as much as the music world is integral to me. I couldn't imagine a life without music and that's why I keep doing it.
TTB:Is there a main songwriter for Lake Street Dive, or is it a group effort?
KEARNEY: We don't have a main songwriter, all four of us write for the band. We try to learn as many of each of our songs as we can and when it comes time to record, we collectively pick the batch of songs that we want to include.
TTB:What are the positives and negatives of touring?
KEARNEY: There are a lot of practical issues of touring...like not sleeping in your own bed, being away from loved ones, rattling your days away in a van. But the shows make it all worth while, that's why we do it.
TTB:Have you adjusted to having followers and fans? What is your reaction to being in the spotlight?
KEARNEY: In the old days we'd get to be personal friends with our fans because there were so few of them! We can't do that anymore, which is sad. But I still like meeting people who like our music because that probably means that we have shared tastes and sensibilities. We have a lot of really nice fans!
TTB: What do you want people to know most about Lake Street Dive?
KEARNEY: None of us are dating!
TTB:What are the long term hopes and goals for the band?
KEARNEY: We'd like to make music together for another ten years and we want each album to be better than the last.
Lake Street Dive had their first TV appearance on Wednesday, February 8 on The Colbert Report. To see their stellar performance and to get a sneak peak of their album, check it out online.
They will perform this Friday, February 14, at Cat's Cradle in Carrboro. Opening for the band will be Miss. Tess and the Talkbacks. To preorder the new album, go to the Lake Street Dive website.
The inaugural Raleigh Rock 'n' Roll marathon will take place Sunday, April 13. The event is presented by WRAL and will benefit the Jimmy V Foundation. 12,500 marathoners are set to run the streets of Raleigh surrounded by encouraging spectators, motivating cheerleaders, and of course, bands.
Local musicians are encouraged to apply to play along the course on race day. This is a great opportunity to be heard by visitors from all around. Interested bands should apply online.
Volunteers are also needed to help this event run smoothly. Positions for the Race Crew are available along the course, at the starting line, finish line, and the Health and Fitness Expo. Volunteering is the perfect way to be involved with the community while cheering on family and friends.
The racers will be ushered in with the alt-rock sounds of New Politics. This group has had an exciting year with their hit song "Harlem" appearing in a trailer for Disney's Frozen and commercials for Windows 8 and Taco Bell. According to an interview with suntimes.com, Boyd wrote this song after a fling with a girl from Spanish Harlem. Since then, the band has had the fortune to travel with fellow rockers, 30 Seconds to Mars, Fall Out Boy, and Pink.
New Politics - "Dignity"
It took some time for the native Denmark members of the band to adjust to American life. Two current band members, frontman David Boyd and guitarist Soren Hansen, moved from Copenhagen to Brooklyn in 2009. After touring for their first two years in the states, culture shock and home sickness settled in for the mates. The group wasn't used to the financial struggles of an up-and-coming band due to growing up in socialist Denmark, where poverty isn't an issue. Due to this struggle, the original drummer, Poul Amaliel, returned to Denmark in 2010. Native New Yorker, Louis Vecchio stepped in and has been with the group ever since.
New Politics will perform at the finish line at Red Hat Amphitheater on race day. The show is free and open to the public. The Triangle Beat will keep you posted on updates for the race and bands that will perform. For more information, head to the Rock 'n' Roll Raleigh website.
Brooklyn based band, Hospitality, recently released their sophomore album with Merge Records. This is a follow-up to their debut, Hospitality, which labeled them as a band to watch. The new album is filled with whimsy and wonder that ceaselessly trails into a darkness possessed by most. As the title suggests, Trouble explores obscure spaces within the mind; that zone of insecurity, fear of the unknown, and feeling out of place. Singer Amber Papini announced in a press release that the lyrics discuss, "everyday environments that arouse anxiety or unease." These feelings are especially expressed in "I Miss Your Bones" with, "All the stars will/ Twinkle in the midst of a sea/ Of black and lonely/ An everlasting loss lack abyss."
The lyrics coincide with instrumentals that seem to be singing as well. Their sounds echo the emotions of the words, specifically in "Inauguration." The song ends with, "Is this my life?/ Is this my fate?/ Unrequited I remain/ And if I'm lost and low and need you/ Disconnect the line." Accompanying these desperate lyrics is a haunting synthesizer and a weeping guitar.
While this album pushes through the boundaries of everyday fears, it offers poppy and upbeat rhythms that echo the sounds of the 80's, making it danceable and fun. To see the band perform these tunes live, catch them at Cat's Cradle BackRoom on February 22 with Air Waves and The Human Eyes. Learn more about Hospitality and their music at the Merge Records website. See the official video for "Going Out" below.
The title alone is enough to peak interest. Foothills Brewing will release their annual stout, Sexual Chocolate tonight. The Pour House is making it a complete party. Tonight's event offers tasty beer, the first ever Miss. Sexual Chocolate Pageant with tunes from The Heritage. On top of all of that awesomeness, donations will be taken at the door to support the SPCA. All this fun and it's free to get through the door! The doors open at 8 and the party starts at 9.
