Blind Pilot, The Low Anthem wow the Cradle crowd

A nice crowd turned out to the Cat's Cradle on Monday to see two great bands, Blind Pilot and The Low Anthem.

The Low Anthem started things off with their unique, atmospheric folk that had the crowd dead silent and focused. The set was mostly comprised of songs from the band's latest album Oh My God, Charlie Darwin. The trio swapped unique instruments throughout the set including pump organ, crotales, clarinet and even vocals looped through two cell phones.

The Avetts play four 'I and Love' tunes for Spinner

The Avett Brothers are still causing quite a stir with their new album I and Love and You. The band's most recent media appearance is a session for Spinner's The Interface series. They played four songs from the new album including "I and Love and You," "January Wedding," "The Perfect Space" and "Slight Figure of Speech." There is also a nice little interview with the band where they talk about North Carolina, Rick Rubin and the new album. Check out the videos below.

Album Review: The Cribs - Ignore the Ignorant

On Ignore the Ignorant, it's apparent that The Cribs have been taking their lessons from former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr to heart. Marr makes his first appearance on a Cribs record after officially joining the band in 2008 and his impact is profound.

Overall, the new album is much tighter and the production is cleaner than we have ever heard from The Cribs. The band has been steadily moving in this direction, but it has finally reached a point where the production is adding to the music instead of taming it.

Megafaun, The Beast brave the cold to kick-off Troika

Last night was a chilly night to be outside for a concert, but that didn't stop Megafaun and The Beast from playing killer sets to kick-off the Troika Festival. The bands took the stage at Durham Central Park to play for about 200 people.

The Beast played first and captivated the crowd with their unique blend of hip-hop and jazz. Pierce Freelon is a charismatic, charming guy who invited a small child on stage at one point the dance. The kid didn't move much once he got up there, but it was still a cool move. The musicians in the band are top notch too, holding down the groove while showing off their chops. One song even dipped into salsa for a section which was funky. Definitely check The Beast out if you have a chance.

Jay-Z extends 'Blueprint 3' tour into 2010, plays Greensboro

Jay-Z has extended his current tour in support of The Blueprint 3 into 2010 and will be making a stop in the Triad. He'll be playing the Greensboro Coliseum on Sunday, February 28. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Saturday, November 14 at 10 a.m. here. The online pre-sale begins on Thursday, November 12 at 10 a.m. here. Ticket prices will range from $29 to $99.

Check out the complete tour schedule as well as the music video for the excellent song "Empire State of Mind" from the new album below.

Roman Candle playing NC State's homecoming event

When the NC State homecoming event was announced a few weeks ago, it was considerably disappointing to see that this year's NC State homecoming event wouldn't feature bands. Past homecomings have featured Common, N.E.R.D., Guster and The Avett Brothers among others. Today they've announced the event's saving grace. Roman Candle will return to the Triangle tomorrow to perform prior to the College Humor guys.

The event will kick off tomorrow, November 6 at Lee Field at 7 p.m. with a pep rally. The event is free and open to the public. You can find more information on the event here.

John Mayer announces 'Battle Studies' 2010 tour, plays Greensboro

Panty-dropping troubadour John Mayer is gearing up for a big end of 2009 and a busy 2010. He will release his new album Battle Studies on November 17 and will hit the road in February 2010 on a big North American run to support it. The tour will bring Mayer to the Greensboro Coliseum on Monday, March 15. Tickets for the tour are will go onsale to the public on Saturday, November 21, but specifics for Greensboro are not available yet. Tickets for the show will go on sale Friday, November 20 at 10 a.m. via Ticketmaster.

Check out the music video for "Who Says" from the new album below along with all of the 2010 tour dates.

The Avetts, other bands with NC ties make Paste's best of the decade list

Another best of the decade list has hit the web. This one comes from Paste magazine and mostly contains repeats from previous lists with one big exception. Paste named The Avett Brothers brand new album I and Love and You as the ninth best album of the decade.

Once again, Arcade Fire's debut album Funeral grabs the top spot of any albums with North Carolina ties coming in at number three. Other mainstays from Spoon, Ryan Adams and Bon Iver made the list too. Check out the NC list below and the complete list at Pastemagazine.com. Sufjan Steven's Illinoise topped the list.