Who's Ready to Groove in the Garden?

On Aug. 22, the Stephenson Amphitheater and Rose Garden will be home to one of the summer’s most diverse and exciting events with Groove in the Garden. Presented by The Pour House Music Hall & Younger Brother Productions, Groove in the Garden is an all-day music marathon that brings together some of the state’s finest artists for an eclectic mixture of sun-soaked indie pop, rustic Southern rock, soulful R&B and rousing bluegrass. The event will take place from 12:00 pm to 9:00 pm and brings together vendors, food trucks and a wide array of local musicians for a day full of good vibes and good times in one of Raleigh’s most scenic locales. Admission is $10 and tickets can be purchased at The Pour House Music Hall’s website. 

The Love Language will headline the event, with their dreamy pop aesthetics serving as a perfect aural accompaniment to the stunning visuals of Stephenson Amphitheater. With Bombadil’s quirky folk-pop, the recently reunited alt-country icons Six String Drag, the soulful sounds of Laura Reed, Jack The Radio’s gritty swamp-rock, Nuclear Honey’s Southern roots-rock jams, The Midatlantic’s tight bluegrass and First Person Plural’s dynamic indie rock rounding out the lineup, Aug. 22 will prove to be one of the most invigorating events of the year.

But music won’t be the only thing attendees can enjoy throughout the day, as Groove in the Garden will feature food trucks such as KoKyu, vendors such as House of Swank, and local businesses like Raleigh Cross Fit. Younger Brother Productions and The Pour House have also teamed with Taxi Taxi to provide discounted rides for attendees that purchase their tickets online in advance, helping to bring together local businesses and artists for a wide-scaled community building event for folks of all ages. Organized bike rides with Oaks & Spokes will be happening throughout the day to encourage attendees to be active, take alternative transportation and meet new people. 

For more information on the event and to purchase tickets, visit Younger Brother Productions' and The Pour House's websites.  In the meantime, check out Nuclear Honey's garden tease performance of "Garden Gnome."

*Details courtesy of The Pour House and Younger Brother Productions 

Jack the Radio's New Album and Release Show

Raleigh, North Carolina's rising indie-roots-rockers Jack the Radio will release their first studio album in over three years on October 20th, 2015. The album, entitled Badlands, is a twelve song, two-act musical journey inspired by sci-fi Spaghetti Western themes, and features guest vocals from Elizabeth Hopkins and BJ Barham.

The album will be released as a limited pressing on 12-inch colored vinyl (in bone white or splatter blue). Each record will come with a digital download card, and the first 100 pre-orders will also include limited edition posters.

Jack the Radio has worked their way to the upper-tier of Triangle bands, playing some of the areas biggest stages with acts including Hall & Oates at Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, George Thorogood at Memorial Auditorium, and the Cold War Kids at Red Hat Ampitheatre.

The band will celebrate the Badlands release at Lincoln Theatre on Friday, October 16th and have teamed up with Band Together, a volunteer-led non-profit organization, to give a portion of tickets sales to charity.

Jack the Radio plays Lincoln Theatre Friday, October 16th, 2015 
Doors 8 p.m. / Show 9 p.m. - Tickets $10 Adv / $15 DOS 
http://www.etix.com/ticket/p/8942715/jack-the-radioalbum-release-party-raleigh-lincoln-theatre

Check out the music video trailer for "Midnight" and see it live on October 16. 

My Brother, My Sister Returns to Play Deep South

Deep South the Bar is known for bringing in great local acts on any given night and this Thursday night promises to uphold that reputation.  Most recently you might have caught My Brother, My Sister opening for Matrimony at Lincoln Theatre, but this time around the Raleigh based folk-punk rock group is joining two other NC based bands for a special night of music.  As indicated in the title, the brother sister combo of John and Anne Tomasevich create a delightful sound with the assistance of Jon Sebastian on the drums and Jason Rehm on the bass.  Check out My Brother, My Sister's self titled album by visiting their website prior to Thursday's show.

In addition to My Brother, My Sister, Aim North, also out of Raleigh, will be featured at Deep South.  Aim North may look very similar to another local band, Jack the Radio, as band members Chris Sayles, George Hage, and Danny Johnson have joined together with Chris' younger brother Jamison to create a unique Americana band that is quickly catching the attention of local music fans throughout the triangle.  In less than a year, Aim North has already released an EP titled, Chasing Birds, and featured in a video spotlight by the popular local Raleigh news source, Indyweek.  

Rounding out the lineup, Roseland from Greensboro, NC is also an Americana band that has been heavily influenced by classic rock and country music artists of recent years.  Roseland released their own self-titled album in September of 2013 and have been featured at several major venues throughout North Carolina over the past year.  Be sure to make it over to Deep South the Bar this Thursday to catch some of North Carolina's best musicians at work! Doors open at 7pm with the show slated for 9pm.  Tickets are still available and the cost of admission is $7.  

Local Spotlight: Jack the Radio Plays Band Together NC

 This Saturday, May 3, Band Together will throw their main event of the year with headliners Daryl Hall and John Oates and special guests, Robert Randolph and the Family Band.  Band Together is an organization focused on raising money for several different charities with the help of volunteers, sponsors, and board members.  They use music and fun to lift up our community by providing extra funds where needed; this year the funds will go to the community schools of Durham and Wake Counties.  Band Together refers to themselves as "the mullet:  business (and social good) in the front, party in the back."


In March, four local bands competed at Lincoln Theatre for the opportunity to open for Hall and Oates at Walnut Creek.  The last band standing was Jack the Radio, a southern-indie rock band based in the Triangle.  The group consists of A.C. Hill (vocals, acoustic guitar), George Hage (vocals, electric guitar, mandolin, keys), Danny Johnson (lapsteel, baritone guitar, keys, vocals), Chris Sayles (bass, vocals), and Brent Francese (drums).  The Triangle Beat spoke with the group about their experiences as a band, their latest album, and opening for the legendary Hall and Oates. 

The Triangle Beat:  How did the band come together?

Jack the Radio:  A.C. and George met while attending NC State University.  The two lived together for part of a summer and during that time started writing and recording. They released an EP in 2005 but took several years off to pursue other projects.  In 2009, the two started writing again and brought in drummer, Brent Francese and a bassist to fill out the sound. In 2010, after playing a show with his former band, we brought in Danny Johnson on lap-steel and later keys and baritone guitar.

TTB:  Who/what are your strongest musical influences of the band? 

JTR:  Early on we were heavily influenced by bands like Spoon for their musical and rhythmic pulse and instrumentation. Also local boys, the Avett Brothers for their passionate roots sound and use of acoustic instruments.  

As our band developed and we added members the sound evolved.  We were influenced by the soul and rhythm and blues of bands like the Black Keys and the Raconteurs, and even the sounds and tones they created.  Our members have all played in other groups with varying styles over the years which creates a great dynamic in our approach at times.

TTB:   How would you describe your latest album and how does it compare to previous albums?

JTR:  Our latest release, Devil In Here was released in August, 2013.  We approached this album in a unique manner, which made it completely different from our other releases.  It allowed us to explore a lighter side and reach a new audience who may not relate to our louder-swamp-rock sound.  The album was recorded live and unplugged with a string section on the majority of the songs.

TTB:  How do you feel about having the opportunity to open for Hall and Oates? 

JTR:  It's a huge privilege to be able to perform on one of the biggest stages in the region with newly inducted Rock & Roll Hall of Famers, Hall and Oates and of course the incredibly talented Robert Randolph and the Family Band.  We have to thank the amazing team at Band Together for putting on such an epic and charitable event and for the opportunity to connect with thousands of local show goers.  As the local boys, we hope to make NC proud.

Photo Credit: Jeff Reeves

TTB:  Who is the main songwriter for the group? What is your process for songwriting?

JTR:  Generally George and A.C. will bring song ideas to the band.  It could be anywhere from an idea for a riff or a more fully planned out song that already has melody and lyrics.  From there George and/or A.C. will get the vocal melodies and lyrics together and the band will work on additional instrumentation for things like lap steel, keys and bass parts.

We've definitely had songs that worked out great the first time and came together pretty seamlessly, but we've also had songs we've been working on for years that have only recently made sense for the band.  But that seems natural for us.

TTB:  What have been some of the most memorable highlights in your musical journey so far?

JTR:  In 2005, we started out writing music for ourselves.  It was really to see if we had the ability to get these ideas in our heads translated to (digital) tape. We were recording ourselves on an out of date desktop computer and writing digital drum loops.  That lead the sound to grow from being a duo into getting full band ideas down.  

Listening back to the songs we hit a point where we realized this wasn't just for our ears and a few of our friends' ears and we decided to create our debut, full length, Pretty Money and released it out into the world in 2011.  

TTB:  What would you like the public to know about you and your music?

JTR:  We our proud to say since then we have released another studio album, Lowcountry, as well as a live/stripped down album, Devil In Here, with the DVD, Live at Amplified Art.  Our music has also been licensed on several national and international radio commercials and TV spots since 2011.  Hearing 3 of our songs for the first time on television on a single episode of Anthony Bourdain's: No Reservations was for sure a surreal moment for the band. 

TTB:  How did you come up with the name, Jack the Radio? 

JTR:  Before the band started, George had a list, or more of a brain-dump, of band names.  "Jack the Radio" was the one he kept going back to and ultimately became the name of the band when he and A.C. first started writing together.  At first it was more of a call to action, but later the name developed into a character or metaphor Jack, the Radio who the band battles with music.

TTB:   What are your goals and hopes for your future as musicians? What will come next for Jack the Radio? 

JTR:  We are constantly writing and we are currently working hard in the studio tracking for the next release.  We are discussing the idea of releasing a split album or perhaps an EP or two in the next year.  We are also continuing to play regionally and focus on publishing and licensing our music in film, radio and television.

Join in the fun this Saturday while supporting the community schools of Durham and Wake Counties.  Ticket information and band information can be found at the Band Together website.  They are always looking for volunteers, so get involved, enjoy great music, and help the community.  Don't miss Band Together NC 2014!