Every Local Band Local Beer in July brought something new and the July 31st show was no exception.
Cat Be Damned(first photo) started off the night. Typically a full band, only one member was performing tonight. While simple with only vocals and a guitar, the lyrics were fun and catchy.
Following up was another solo act, TOW3RS(middle two photos). TOW3RS put on a dramatic and well rehearsed performance. This guy has got some dance moves! I look forward to seeing his Hopscotch performance as he will be performing with a full band.
Wesley Wolf(bottom three photos) brought the rock to an otherwise tranquil night.
A special thanks to French Broad Brewery and Lazer Dan for all the delicious samples provided in July!
Phian interviewed TOW3RS last Thursday before they played Local Band Local Beer at Tir Na Nog Irish Pub in Raleigh.
You can hear two TOW3RS songs during the interview: Eee! and Bounty.
TOW3RS was also joined by Lazer Dan and Blair from Tir Na Nog, and they had a special prize for anyone who could come by the studio dressed like a French broad.
You can find out more about TOW3RS on Bandcamp and Facebook.
Until a week ago, I’d never had an opportunity to go to a music festival, so you can bet that I was pretty stoked when I found out I was going to Merge 25.
I figured that it was going to be awesome, but it wasn’t until I discovered the lineup that I truly flipped out. Among many other artists, two of my favorite bands of all time, The Mountain Goats and Telekinesis were playing at the three-day festival spread out across venues in Durham and Carrboro. I attended on Saturday at Cat’s Cradle, and I didn’t know then that I was going to see one of the best performances of my life.
I was a bit busy helping out the Merge staff in the morning, but I did get the opportunity to see The Love Language, the North Carolina natives who certainly rocked it on stage. They played a bunch of fan favorites including “Heart to Tell” and “Calm Down”, but “Lalita” was definitely my favorite. Something that I’ve always admired about The Love Language is the amount of soul that they put into their performances. This was my first time seeing them live, and they certainly did not disappoint. Frontman Stuart McLamb puts his heart into every verse he sings and every chord he plays; it’s the kind of passion that inspires people to achieve their own greatness. The Love Language is an icon of the North Carolina music scene, and their sound makes me proud to be from NC.
Later in the day, I caught the very end of Caribou’s set, and managed to get a rather decent spot, dead center, but about eight rows back to see what we’d all been waiting for- Neutral Milk Hotel. I assumed that Neutral Milk Hotel live was going to be an amazing experience, since the filming and photography of their performances was prohibited. It must be pretty special, right?
Well, it was pretty special, to say the very least. I’d never seen them live, and I didn’t know what to expect. The crew feverishly raced to assemble Neutral Milk Hotel’s set in a reasonable amount of time after Caribou’s performance. The stage was littered with all sorts of horns, in an almost Beirut-esque ensemble. There was an accordion, and even saws. After the stage was readied in what I’m sure was record time (shout out to the Cat’s Cradle and Merge employees), Jeff Magnum walked out on stage alone, gripping his guitar. By the end of the first song, the whole band was on stage. They dived straight into “Holland, 1945”, a definite fan-favorite, judging by the volume that the crowd shouted the lyrics back at the band.
The setlist slowed down a bit after that, with favorites such as “Two Headed Boy” and “In An Aeroplane Over The Sea.” People were singing, dancing, and even a few were crying during the unreleased “Little Birds.” I’ve never been to a show where I’ve seen people more connected with each other. The crowd felt like a single being, with everyone intertwined by the shared experience of witnessing such a performance. I couldn’t imagine a better way to end my first festival experience.
Seeing Neutral Milk Hotel has always been on my bucket list. I thought I was never going to get that chance since they disbanded in 1999. But last year I was happy to learn that the band was back together, and touring again – coming to Raleigh for Merge Records’ 25th anniversary celebration.
The lineup for Merge 25 was stellar – Caribou, Destroyer, The Mountain Goats, Mikal Cronin, The Love Language, Mount Moriah, Superchunk, Hiss Golden Messenger – to name only a few of the bands that performed during the three-day event.
I was only able to see Caribou and Neutral Milk Hotel on Saturday, since I was busy in the afternoon helping out the Merge folks make sure the festival went smoothly.
About 20 minutes before Caribou came on, I slipped into the crowd alone and found myself a spot about four or five standing rows from the stage. I hadn’t heard a whole lot of Caribou, just their song “Leave House,” but I really liked it and was looking forward to hearing some of their other music.
Four men dressed in white sauntered on the stage and launched right into “Leave House.”
(read more after the jump)
I was captivated by the familiar song, swaying to the beat. As I looked at the other members of the audience around me, their faces all held the same, happy expression I was sure mine did. A guy behind me kept blissfully screaming “Oh my God!"
The music shifted between uptempo beats and dreamlike riffs, punctuated occasionally by lyrics. The sun began to set on the outdoor stage as the band played "Sun.” Dusk was upon us by the time Caribou left the stage.
Margaret Cho took the stage as Caribou cleared off to announce that Neutral Milk Hotel would be coming on next. She reminded the audience that photography was forbidden at the band’s request.
I was pretty disappointed that we wouldn’t be able to take pictures, but figured that would have to be the price I’d pay for finally seeing Neutral Milk Hotel.
By way of apology for the no-photography rule, Margaret Cho bared her tattooed buttcheeks, which depicted two ladies that “look like they’re talking” when she jiggled them. She invited the audience to take a picture of her butt instead. I, uhh, declined that opportunity.
I watched in wonder as the people onstage scrambled to set up Neutral Milk Hotel’s set. An accordion sat on its own table, flanked by a set of three different sized saws resting against an amp. A lighted lamb statue sat near a drumset with a picture of what looked like a saint in the bass drum. Many different horns were brought out, many of which I don’t know the name for.
Sometime after Caribou I was able to move forward two standing rows, putting me just two rows of people back from the stage. Everyone squeezed together, trying to avoid touching each other’s sweaty arms.
Then, right at 8:30, Jeff Mangum walked out on stage alone, carrying just an acoustic guitar and began to play.
As the set progressed, band members entered and exited the stage, playing their parts. A shiver ran down my spine as Julian Koster picked up the banjo and began to play “King of Carrot Flowers parts 2-3.”
The audience sang along loudly with the most popular songs, and fell into a somber silence during “Little Birds,” a slower, unreleased song.
When it was all over after the encore, most people stood staring into space, seemingly digesting what they’d just seen. It was definitely a show to remember, and a fitting way to mark an item off my bucket list.
I couldn’t help but think of a line from “In The Aeroplane Over The Sea:” “How strange it is to be anything at all.”
