Category: Band/Artist Profile

An in-depth look at bands and solo artists

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Band/Artist Profile

Double Barrel Benefit 7 Presents: The Tender Fruit

You’ve certainly heard it before: you love local music, WKNC loves local music, local music loves us all. It’s a wonderfully symbiotic relationship, and even if the drive across the Triangle can be a pain, there’s almost always a worthwhile show in one’s given city. Seriously, it can’t be overstated that music around Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill is formidable in both quality and quantity. And there are other pockets, as well: Greenville, Asheville, and we’ll say Wilmington, too. And Rocky Mount.

Wait, Remarkable Rocky Mount? Yeah, not so much.

But Rocky Mount just so happens to be the hometown of one Christy Smith, the songwriter and leading lady in the band Nola (oh Nola, we hardly knew ye!) and the no-album-yet band the Tender Fruit. In fact, the Tender Fruit song’s “Middle State” was actually written about Rocky Mount.

It’s hard to say whether it’s Rocky Mount, Raleigh, or some combination thereof that is summoned when Christy Smith writes music, but the result is something that will melt your heart. Her booming vocals on top of calm chord progressions induce gratifyingly depressing emotion.

The Nola album is all about heartbreak and a lost opportunity at love, and I’ve heard she’s working on a new album with a special guest. While I don’t wish the difficulty of heartbreak on Christy, I sure do enjoy the shared catharsis that results. If you, like me, simply can’t wait for that album, then come check out the Tender Fruit Saturday night at the Double Barrel Benefit. They’re on first, at 9:00.

Full disclosure: I’m from Rocky Mount, too.  There’s nothing there.

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Double Barrel Benefit 7 presents: Spider Bags

I first heard about Spider Bags at Bull City Headquarters in Durham. I had gone to see a friend play with a band called Titus Andronicus. A few songs in, the leader singer says, “This is a song by the greatest band in the world – Spider Bags,” and preceded to sing Waking Up Drunk.

Now, if you were at this show you would probably remind me that Spider Bags themselves had played that night, but I got lost on the way to the venue and missed the set. Nevertheless, I made sure to look up this so called “greatest band in the world” – and you know what? Titus Andronicus wasn’t far off.

Spider Bags is made up of long time friends Dan McGee and Gregg Levy, two Jersey boys who magically ended up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Rock Forbes from the band Bad Checks is the drummer. The band themselves formed in 2006 and have been growing ever since.

Their tunes themselves sound like southern, gritty rock and roll with lyrics that consist of drugs, booze and just livin’ the hard life. Now there have been thousands of bands that have all sung the same tunes but some how Spider Bags figured it out. The mix sloppy with unique and transfix the listener with the sounds they are creating.

Spider Bags not only writes incredible music, they also put on an incredible live show. Comparable to other local favorite Red Collar,the band never lacks on emotion and energy. They can induce their audience to scream, shout or even cry.

This year the band released “Goodbye Cruel, Hello Crueler One” on Birdman records.

Spider Bags will be performing Saturday, February 6 at The Pour House after The Tender Fruit and Midtown Dickens. Roman Candle will end night two of Double Barrel Benefit 7.

For the complete Double Barrel schedule and ticket information, click here.

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Double Barrel Benefit 7 presents: Bellafea

One of the first local bands I was ever introduced to and also one of the most influential in our area, Bellafea has been gradually building quite a following since their first split 7" with Des Ark back in 2005.

Though often overlooked by local indie pop groups with a more comfortable sound, once you see this threesome live you will forever be forced to compare every live show to the raw energy, hardcore attitude, and head-bobbing punch you in the mouth feel that they electrify your ears with.  No North Carolina band rocks harder, plays louder, and gets in your face as Bellafea does.

It is strange that such force comes from such a petite lady.  You might have seen Heather McEntire playing solo from time to time sitting in a chair strumming her acoustic without a microphone or amplifier, her voice barely breaking a whisper as she is surrounded by an attentive audience, entranced by her angelic voice.  Perhaps you have heard her from her side projects Un Deux Trois or Mount Moriah as the sweet sounding front lady of the two soft folky pop groups that has everyone’s ears buzzing.

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But with Bellafea the shy placid persona falls off her and is replaced by an alter-ego of sorts, a powerful and inflamed diva whose personal demons come out in the form of a woman possessed, obliterating her guitar while bursting into her lyrics with a post hardcore attitude.  Along side Heather is Eddie Sanchez (also in Fin Fang Foom and Death Came Down the Mountain) whose blistering and electrifying bass playing ignites the crowd.   Always jumping, banging, and seemingly tearing his bass apart, he is the fire that ignites the group and transcends them into the local punk gods that they are.  Add on to that Nathan Buchanan’s crushing drums and pounding beats and you have a remarkable live act that sends your mind into a whirlwind of loud music madness that is sure to get your head rocking and your feet moving.  They are not a band you want to miss live.

Bellafea will take the stage for night one of Double Barrel Benefit 7 on Friday, February 5 at The Pour House along with The Light Pines, Veelee,, and Max Indian.

For the complete Double Barrel schedule and ticket information, click here.

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Double Barrel Benefit 7 presents: The Light Pines

Go ahead and set every clock in arm’s reach thirteen minutes fast.  This is the necessary preparation for the first night of Double Barrel Benefit 7.  Thirteen minutes will allot for an extra two minutes to get out the door, seven minutes to figure out that the best parking place is in the City of Raleigh parking deck on Wilmington Street, and four minutes to grab a sweet spot for the first band –Chapel Hill’s The Light Pines.  The six-piece will kick off Friday night at The Pour House and will serve both as  the opening band of the night and the first performance of the two day mini-mecca of local music.  It could, perhaps, be thought of as intimidating, being first in two senses, rather though, it should be deemed cherished.  Especially after last year’s opening act, Lonnie Walker, took the opportunity to ramp their buzz in the following year and create quite a stir in the local music scene.

The Light Pines is a band of familiar faces.  It is the project of the bassist for The Love Language, Josh Pope.  The members have shifted since its incarnation over two years ago, but the current line-up is an assembly of long time locals, including Love Language members Kate Thompson on keyboard and vocals and Tom Simpson on drums, as well as three members from Max Indian: Carter Gaj on guitar and vocals, James Wallace on keyboard and vocals, and Ryan Gustafson on guitar and vocals.

The 24-track EP that was recorded in rehearsal spaces, bedrooms and living rooms across Raleigh was made available eight months ago (no official release yet).  It has started to circulate and create quite a stir, including earning them a spot at MusicFest NW in Portland, Oregon in which the band received an instant label offer post-performance. However, DBB wil be the band’s first Raleigh performance, and one of the very limited Triangle performances to date so far.  This is a video from a December performance at Chapel Hill’s Local 506.

The sound that The Light Pines creates is built on a foundation of lo-fi pop but it flares into realms of mysticism and fantasy that at times can feel eerie.  The collection of songs is like a maze of mirrors that serves as the entrance to a grand party hosted by Jay Gatsby.  In order to attend the party the guest must wind their way through the complex pathways of of twisted, tilted, and manipulated mirrors all while listening to infectious, slightly fuzzy, and undeniably catchy music.  Pope explained that the inspiration for the sound of The Light Pines came from the adolescent excitement of perhaps the best holiday of the year, Halloween,

“Do you remember what it was like being 8-years-old on Halloween?  Before you came to appreciate it is as an adult?  On that day, as a kid, there is so much excitement and mystery and this overall darkness to everything.  That’s what I want it to feel like when listening to the Light Pines,” Pope said.

Keep an ear to The Light Pines.  With The Love Language wrapping up recording at Flying Tiger Sound in the next month and half, The Light Pines are planning on recording for an official release and ramping up their show dates in the months to come in 2010.  Who knows, maybe the Triangle will see the best Halloween party to date, hosted by The Light Pines.

The Light Pines will take the stage for night one of Double Barrel Benefit 7 on Friday, February 5 at The Pour House followed by Veelee, Bellafea, and Max Indian.

For the complete Double Barrel schedule and ticket information, click here.

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Double Barrel Benefit 7 presents: Max Indian

If you were to categorize bands based on how long they’ve been around, Max Indian would be a toddler, I guess.  To continue the metaphor, they would be a toddler who paints excellent watercolors, reads Machiavelli, and tutors eighth graders on the weekends.

The band’s sole release, “You Can Go Anywhere You Can Do Anything,” dropped in December of 2008 , and everyone who has had the good fortune of hearing it has been pining for more ever since.

After releasing the record – themselves,  mind you – the band beat a path around the triangle that included a live performance on The State of Things, a headlining night  during the Troika Music Festival , a headlining night at N.C .State’s Fridays on the Lawn Concert Series, and a number of  live shows that left a trail of satisfied and eager fans in its wake.

Solicit the opinion of anyone who has seen Max Indian, heard one of their songs, or even heard someone else talk about them, and the response is always the same. These exceedingly catchy, down to earth, warm, and rusty compositions will work their way into your inner ear, buy a nice piece of land,  and set up shop.  Don’t worry, though. The freshness doesn’t wear off, the melodies are top notch, and the lyrics will stick.

Max Indian will take the stage for night one of Double Barrel Benefit 7 on Friday, February 5 at The Pour House following The Light Pines,Veelee, and Bellafea. Say WHAT? If you miss this, well, I guess you think you have a good reason, but I would seriously question your priorities my friends.

For the complete Double Barrel schedule and ticket information, click here.

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Double Barrel Benefit 7 presents: Roman Candle

Back in 2006, Roman Candle’s release of The Wee Hours Revue impressed listeners everywhere with the excellent songwriting and catchy pop-rock present in the album. It was a personal favorite in high school and everyone who received the album from me became an immediate fan. Pitchfork gave it a 7.6 out of 10 and Paste Magazine a 4.5 out of 5. Since then, Roman Candle fans everywhere have anticipated the release of a new album to love. Enter Oh Tall Tree In The Ear, the long awaited 2009 LP.

This most recent album is everything that listeners have been craving, a “modern rock masterpiece” as told by Paste Magazine. “Oh Tall Tree In The Ear” is a breath of fresh air; it’s catchy, foot tappin’ music that’s good to its core. Don’t believe me? Just take a look at the reviews the album has gotten. Pop Matters has given Roman Candle’s newest effort a 9 out of 10 and Daytrotter describes the music as “tearing us out of the present, despite such modern feels and scents,” and I tend to agree. Listening to “Oh Tall Tree In The Ear” is an experience, a period of time where the listener can get away from their hectic life and escape, escape to the world of Skip Matheny’s vocals and Roman Candle’s melodies.

We at WKNC are very excited about having Roman Candle back in the Triangle to play in the Double Barrel Benefit 7. You may recognize Roman Candle if you went to the N.C. State Pack Howl homecoming concert in September 2009.  The band will take the stage at The Pour House on Saturday, February 6 as the headliner of night two of the benefit. Bands The Tender Fruit, Midtown Dickens and Spider Bags will kick off the night.

For the complete Double Barrel schedule and ticket information, click here.

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The Izza Kizza

“I’m the Izza Kizza” by the Izza Kizza is an intoxicating blend of electronic and hip hop perfect for a basement dance party filled with foam and smoke, flashing strobe lights,  and full of sweaty kids dressed up in some weird theme, like that “redneck track and field” design school party i went to.

Check out the music video for “I’m the Izza Kizza”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puTuEscz7TU

Hailing from Valdosta Geogria, The Izza Kizza is very much still on the underground, but has received attention from some big timers, like Timbaland, Lil Wayne, and David Banner.  Look out for an Izza Kizza world wide take over coming soon!

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DBB Feature #7: Birds of Avalon

Tonight, as in three hours from now, is going to be awesome.  It is night two of the Double Barrel Benefit, and keeping with tradition, the second night is rockin with one of my favorite Raleigh groups, Birds of Avalon.  BoA, as locals refer to them, are a full force, guitar ripping orgastic, Tecate drinking five piece on Volcom Entertainment Records.  I was lucky enough to catch up with these guys back in March of 2008 during South By South West at a warehouse party.  The party took a good five minutes to find, but after cruising a strip of warehouses I spotted the beacon of BoA-on-the-road—their white high-top conversion van.  It was amazing show, one of the best of my life.  Inside was a half pipe with skaters, stacks of Marshall speakers, coolers of Keystone Light, Jennifer Herrera of RTX, Jay Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. and Witch, and lots and lots of hearing-loss rock’n roll.

Pre-sale tickets for tonight are sold out. However, there will be a LIMITED amount of tickets for sale at the door at 8pm. My advice is to show up at 7:45, pay to get in, and don’t leave once you enter the Pour House.

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DBB Feature #6: Bowerbirds

Merge organized a morning concert on the last day of early voting (9am the morning after Haloween) to encourage music fans to vote. Bowerbirds played, as well as Megafaun, Billy Bragg, Superchunk, Ivan Howard, the dBs and a few others.

Ever since the release of Hymns for a Dark Horse on local label Burlytime Records, Bowerbirds have been destined for big things. In short order, the record garnered glowing reviews from indie trendsetters Pitchfork Media and Prefix magazine and rose to the top of WKNC’s indie rock charts. Within a year they were signed to big-time indie-folk imprint Dead Oceans (part of Secretly Canadian/Jagjaguwar) and went on to tour with the Mountain Goats. Simply put, the Bowerbirds rose through the ranks of the music world at a meteoric rate.

Bowerbirds’ music is characterized by uniquely minimalist arrangements and melodies paired to stream-of-consciousness lyrics, and their debut LP is a concept album of sorts; its 12 songs discuss the conflicts of civilization versus the nature and humanity.

Naturally, with such material, you might consider Bowerbirds to be a ‘cause band,’ and, indeed, they tackle the subject of environmentalism with fairly blunt words. Through clever songwriting, though, they avoid the adversarial tone that so many bands with a cause seem to convey; instead, they radiate an earthy idealism that wouldn’t seem too out of place in a Thoreau novel.

Nowhere is it more clear that Bowerbirds is an exceptional band than in concert. With even more sparce instrumentation than in thier album, they manage to create an even more full sound. They will be the final performers Friday night at the Double Barrel Benefit, taking the stage after Schooner.

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DBB Feature #5: I Was Totally Destroying It

When I was a kid, my dad would often take me for a ride in his Camaro, crank up the radio, and introduce me to some of his favorite bands, like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.  I’d sit there in the front seat, enthralled by the experience, and so began the long love affair with music that would eventually bring me to this station.

Perhaps as a result of those days, I’ve always had a soft spot for catchy, radio-friendly tunes, despite my proclivities towards the experimental and the eccentric.  After all, pop music is our culture’s universal communicator: you can sing just about anything over a good melody and most of your listeners will understand exactly what you’re trying to tell them.  That’s some serious power.

And so we come to the titular topic of this article, I Was Totally Destroying It, a group who specializes in creating just that…  remarkably catchy and ambitious pop music.

As a grizzled veteran of college radio music direction, I’ve often found that aficionados of indie rock can turn a blind eye towards unabashedly poppy music that isn’t either couched in brooding sentiment, sonic experimentalism, or profound lyricism.  IWTDI’s music can indeed become brooding, experimental, and profound, but their guiding principle has always been about building strong melodies above all other elements.

The end result is refreshingly unpretentious and listenable, whether you’re into Captain Beefheart or The Shins.  It comes with a strong pedigree too, featuring members of legendary Chapel Hill heavy rockers such as Sorry About Dresden and Strunken White.

So while you might not believe that pop music has a place in your collection, a quick listen to I Was Totally Destroying It’s songbook could change your opinion.  Fortunately for you, they’re opening up on Saturday at this year’s edition of the Double Barrel Benefit, and if you’ve never seen them live, prepare yourself for an energy-filled experience you won’t soon forget.

Until then, you can download their latest EP, Done Waiting, for free from their ReverbNation website, one of the best bargains you’re liable to find in 2009.  As for us, we’ll see you on Saturday.

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