After coming up to the band after their set at King’s Barcade for Zack Mexico’s Album Release Show to tell them I really liked the song with the upstroke part, that’s the comment I received. Essentially, this band is a bunch of bastards that make some great, sunny 60’s tunes.
What sets them apart from the pack is their ability to execute. Lead singer Harry Harrison has an impeccable belt and this real loose way of strumming chords (probably due to all that masturbation) that pairs well with lead guitarist’ Jesse Meyers deliberate style. Tom and Josh keep the feeling loose but the groove tight on the rhythm side of things. I saw The Tills again at Nice Price Books with Jenny Besetzt, and even though that band now has a machine of a drummer (the dude from The Bronzed Chorus), I remember thinking they held their own when it came to drummer awesomeness.
If you like Harlem, or the amazing new Harlem-derivative Las Rosas, this band will be very appealing. Catch ‘em 9pm Friday at Krankies Coffee during Phuzz Phest.
Charlotte’s Brain F≠’s first impression is usually, “How am I supposed to say that out loud?” The answer to that question, oddly, is Brain Flannel. However, upon listening to their release Empty Set, you won’t care about putting the punk band’s name into words as their white-knuckle riffs take hold. They bring the spirit of a poppy garage rock song, then get it into enough bar brawls until it’s a punk’d up mess that knows how to have fun. If you’re looking to spice up your Phuzz Phest schedule with a something to get the blood flowing during the middle of your weekend, look no further. Brain F≠ will take the stage on Saturday, April 5 at 9PM at Krankie’s Coffee. You should probably be ready to get rowdy.
This year’s Phuzz Phest in Winston-Salem is obviously exploding at the seams with high tier artists of all kind, but they didn’t stop there.
Phuzz has decided to follow suit after some other festivals from North Carolina and elsewhere by including some great programming during the daytime that runs a cool-weird gamut.
Similar to Hopscotch in years past, this year’s Phest will include an alley cat style bike race.
From personal experience at the Hepcat and others around Raleigh I can say it is of the utmost of all fun. Little to no experience is necessary to participate and even succeed in these camaraderie building events. This race in particular looks cheap and inviting. Plus– there’s prizes, what else matters? The race will begin at Krankies Coffee on Saturday at noon.
Speaking of coffee, also in conjunction with the musical festivities this coming weekend is a “Coffee Conference” on Sunday also held at Krankie’s beginning at noon and all I have to say is–
free espresso shots until four! If you’re trying to get hyped for the evens later in the night, that’s what you’ll need. There will also be tables from coffee roasters and brewers from Carrborro, Raleigh, and Athens, GA as well as a keynote speaker and a live broadcast from KNC! Come stop by! We’ll be jittery.
Playing for a sold out show, Blouse opened up vibrantly with an array of psychedelic projections, intense bass, loud drums, and a dreamy voice brought by the beautiful Charlie Hilton. After a terrific opener, the stage was lit with an electrifying blue stemming from the neon-lit heart behind the stage. The Dum Dum girls appeared on stage to fulfill their audience’s expectations. The performance was perfect leaving little time for conversation and more time for songs. Most of the concert came from their new album, Too True, where songs such as “Rimbaud Eyes,” “Are You Okay?,” “Too True To Be Good,” and “Evil Blooms” were played. Their most popular song, “Lost Boys and Girls Club,” was not played before they left the stage… only to be performed in their encore. Brilliant show.
After seeing No Age last September at The Pinhook, it was a no-brainer to add them to my list of artists to see at this Phuzz Phest. Seeing them with Spider Bags that night was an awesome experience and I’m really looking forward to the chance to see them again. It was, by far, one of the loudest shows I’ve ever been to, and I’m by no means offering that up as a complaint. The two-piece experimental punk group out of Los Angeles and signed to Sub Pop Records is known for their impressive gritty live performances. With An Object, their fourth full-length album exhibits a clear ability to improve and they have received rave reviews for the raw force behind it. To experience their incredible live show, be sure to check them out on Saturday night, April 5 at 11 PM at Krankie’s.
After making some changes to her look and modifying her music a little bit, Jessica Lea Mayfield is definitely on my chart of must-see artists for this year’s Phuzz Phest. From growing up listening to her hypnotizing acoustic sets to hearing her equally as talented brother cover her songs, the lyrics of Jessica’s songs are always something that have seemed to captivate and keep my ears perked. On top of the lyrics, Jessica’s soft and sweet vocals are able to contribute even further to her fairy-like presence. Now, I’m not one to say if her current look/sound is here to stay, but I know for a fact that it has not changed my outlook and appreciation for her artistic talents. Be it in acoustic version or soft rock form, I’ll be eager to get the front row of any Jessica Lea Mayfield show that is in the North Carolina area.
This past Saturday, March 22, Merge Records (in association with Bull City Running Co.) celebrated its 25th anniversary with a 25 kilometer race from Merge’s hometown of Chapel Hill to the label’s new hometown, Durham. Over 800 runners signed up to run the grueling, 15 mile course from the streets of Chapel hill to the Motorco Music Hall in Durham. Dedicated runners, avid music lovers, and faithful supporters of Merge Records all came out to support Merge and to participate in the race. When the racing was over, food, music, and good times filled the atmosphere at the after-party as Merge Records artists, The Love Language and Vertical Scratchers, played for the crowds and rope skipping team, The Bouncing Bulldogs, performed jump roping tricks.
Merge Records is an independent record label that was founded in Chapel Hill in 1989 and has since gained much success from signing bands such as Arcade Fire, Spoon, and (WKNC, Double Barrel Benefit headliners) The Love Language and Mount Moriah. And just like the length of a 25k, Merge records has come quite a long way from their beginnings. Signing more bands and creating more successful events such as this 25th anniversary shindig, Merge continues to grow as a top independent music label.
In return for Merge’s many contributions to WKNC’s Double Barrel Benefit concerts, WKNC DJs volunteered to help out at the race. “It was really cool seeing how many people came out to support Merge and getting to cheer them on in their endeavors! …but the food trucks were pretty great too.” says WKNC’s Yvonne Chazal, who was one of the volunteers at the race. When asked what Merge Records artist Yvonne would race a 5k against she answered, “First of all, I would/could/should never ever run a 25k, but I would definitely start a race with Autumn Ehinger from the Love Language, stop halfway through, and go get waffles. (Autumn, hope you’re into this!!)”. Being a personal fan of the adorableness of Autumn Ehinger, it is safe to say this was an excellent answer.
Local dog fanatic and WKNC Underground DJ, Emma Badorrek, also had a few things to say about volunteering for Merge. “My favorite part was the concert afterwards at Motorco Music Hall. It was super fun and free. Another great part was seeing all of the dogs that people brought (I don’t know just really love dogs) it was also nice to live vicariously through people in good enough shape to run 25 kilometers.” well said Emma, well said indeed. When asked what surprised her the most about volunteering, Emma only had this to say “I don’t know”. Wow, short and well spoken, brilliant.
“Supporting local record labels is really important, we need to keep music accessible to people who don’t live in places like New York and Los Angeles”. Says Yvonne. And Merge Records is doing just that, bringing great music not only to North Carolina, but to music lovers of all sorts who are looking for some good ole’, solid, independent music. Keep it running, Merge!
Also, look out for Merge’s 25th anniversary music festival coming to Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, NC! Details can be found at http://www.mergerecords.com/merge-25
Adam Graetz is better known as thefacesblur, up until recently that was the moniker adopted primarily for Greatz’s visual projections. These visuals have been spotted all over the Triangle throughout the past few years, a handful of Hopscotch sets have been graced with them, sets from Zack Mexico and T0W3RS as well. But towards the end of 2013 Graetz fully made the leap from visual to audio, crafting dizzying dance tunes under the same name.
Whether you’re soaking in his bass-heavy, melodic bangers through thefacesblur or as his supporting role in Body Games, it’s hard not to become entranced by these productions. Atmospheric keys float and skitter atop rattling low-ends, making for expansive tracks that get your head bobbing and mind whirring. Adam and I discussed the transition from visual to audio, balancing between Body Games and thefacesblur, and the future of both of his endeavors.
Phil Torres is a man you can expect to hear a lot more of in the North Carolina music scene. For the past few years he’s been blazing musical trails as Baobab alongside his partner Whitney Trettiien, but recently he broke out of the “folktronic” territory and has begun to craft heady dance tracks under the moniker Crowdsource. On this electronically themed show, I spoke at length with Phil about the origin of his electronic obsession, how he crafts these infectious beats and some of his sampling sources.
Alongside the songwriting aspects of his music, the conversation frequently delved into more logistical territories of electronic composition. For starters, many have harped on the lack of showmanship involved with live electronic sets, a qualm that’s quite frankly ill-founded. Phil discusses his live set-up along with some of his major inspirations for delving into the EDM side of the electronic spectrum.
Few artists are as capable of crafting music as emotive and engaging as Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba. Though Cissokho is primarily singing in a wide array of languages that the average layman won’t be able to comprehend, the passion still oozes from this incredibly charismatic performer. The music of Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba is unlike any I’ve heard before, be that from North Carolina or West Africa. Cissokho has been working on mastering the kora since he was 5 years old, and after a few decades the instrument seems to be an extension of himself. Leading up to the release of the band’s second full-length album, The Great Peace, I was joined in the studio by Diali and the rest of the band.
Throughout our conversation the eclectic group of performers shed some light upon the origin of the band, how they met, what the name means, and so much more. The group feels less like a band of musicians and more like a family, they’re tightly knit and seem to share the same deep rooted passion for music. Throughout the hour we discussed overcoming cultural boundaries, inspiration for music, and some of Diali’s rich history in his home country of Senegal.
The band also shared three tracks from The Great Peace that you can stream below along with our full conversation.
