Kevin's weekday picks

Monday, October 30 - Tapes 'N Tapes, Annuals @ Local 506 (indie/rock)
Tuesday, October 31 - The International Drive, Mercy Mercedes, Minutes Too Far @ The Brewery (rock/alternative)
Wednesday, November 1 - Danielle Howle, Regina Hexaphone @ Raleigh Music Hall (folk/alt-country)
Thursday, November 2 - MC Chris**, SNMNMNM @ Cat's Cradle (hip-hop/indie pop)

**MC Chris did the freakin' voice of MC Pee Pants on Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

Kevin's weekday picks

Monday, October 23 - Copeland, Murder By Death, The Dark Romantics @ Lincoln Theatre (rock/pop/indie)
Tuesday, Octboer 24 - Decibully, Megafun, Auxiliary House @ Local 506 (indie rock)
Wednesday, October 25 - Mojave 3, Tim O'Reagan @ Cat's Cradle (indie pop/folk)
Thursday, October 26 - The Dresden Dolls, The Red Paintings @ Lincoln Theatre (alternative/rock)

Well, crap.

Well, it looks like TM won't be reviewing Old Crow Medicine Show's concert at Cat's Cradle this Sunday as I'd hoped. For the second time in a row, their show has completely sold out. If you happened to get tickets, congratulations! Have any extras? :) Send your reviews and photos to triangle_music@hotmail.com!

Instead, I'll leave you all with a performance by native son Ben Folds on Conan last night. Who knew he was so into pirates?



Oh, and p.s., Ben Folds has a sort of new CD coming out on Tuesday, supersunnyspeedgraphic, The LP. The LP is a combination of several EPs Folds released, Super D, Speed Graphic and Sunny 16. Also included is Folds' recording of Dr. Dre's "Bitches Ain't Shit" (which was the b-side to "Landed"), a tune of The Bens EP and one from the "Over the Hedge" soundtrack. According to Folds' website, the songs have been "remastered and tweaked," but if you're a superfan who already owns all the EPs, don't expect any earth shattering differences.

Kevin's weekend picks

Friday, October 20 - Old Habits, Shotgun Romance @ Bickett Gallery (bluegrass/folk)
Saturday, October 21 - David Bazan @ Local 506 (indie rock) [early show]
Sunday, October 22 - Old Crow Medicine Show @ Cat's Cradle (bluegrass/country)

Kevin's weekday picks [UPDATED 10.18]

Tuesday, October 17 - Annuals, The Never, Tom Yoder @ The Brewery (indie rock/pop)*
Wednesday, October 18 - Okkervil River, Elvis Perkins, David Karsten Daniels @ Duke Coffeehouse (indie rock/folk)**
Thursday, October 19 - Amos Lee, Mutlu @ Cat's Cradle (folk rock/soul)

*This is Annuals CD release party for their debut LP Be He Me.
**Part of Troika Music Festival

Kevin's weekend picks [UPDATED 10.15]

Friday, October 13 - The Sammies, A Rooster For the Masses, Barbarella @ Local 506 (indie rock/pop)
Saturday, October 14 - Tiger Thief, Can Joann, Goner @ Raleigh Music Hall (inide rock)
Sunday, October 15 - Say Anything, Me Without You, Piebald, Days Away @ Cat's Cradle (alt-rock/punk)

The Rooster is crapping all over my afternoon commute

Okay, that's a stretch. My afternoon commute is all of five minutes...and I usually listen to my iPod...but the recent shift on the FM dial is depressing nonetheless.

After being on the air for 22 years, 106.1 WRDU, pretty much the only consistently decent station in the area, switched to a country format — Rooster 106. I found out while on my way home last week and discovered one of my radio presets playing Faith Hill.

Oh, and have you noticed The River, 100.7, playing a little bit too much '70s music lately? Uh huh. Go to their web site and you'll still see pictures of Ray LaMontagne and Teddy Geiger (um, did they ever play them to begin with?), but they too have changed their format, from adult alternative to "rock-based adult contemporary." Translation: classic rock with no guts. At least they play The Beatles.

It's hard enough to find a reliable radio station in Raleigh without Clear Channel going in and mucking things up. But I guess that's just what they do. So where do we go from here: Sirius or XM?

Just some random speculation

For whatever reason, I'm a little obsessed with the state fair. Maybe it's the honey cotton candy, the lure of deep-fried Coca-Cola, or just playing a friendly game of "count the mullets," but I love the fair.

Some of you may remember me expressing some disdain with the selection of performers this year, as well as wondering why they didn't have a bigger name for the final night.

Turns out they may have tried.

Flip to the last page of the fair's program guide to the calendar for Sunday, Oct. 22, and you may see a familiar name blacked out for the concert: Willie Nelson.

The listing has been fixed on the pdf version of the program and hopefully on the ones to be handed out at the fairgrounds, but it's hard not to wonder what happened with that arrangement. Oh well. We may not have Willie's signature braids, but at least I still have my mullets.

Kevin's weekday picks

Wednesday, October 11 - Built To Spill, Camper Van Beethoven, Helvetia @ Cat's Cradle (indie rock)
Thursday, October 12 - Built To Spill, Camper Van Beethoven, Helvetia @ Cat's Cradle (indie rock/pop)

The Old Ceremony and Roman Candle rock the Cradle

I think I may have a new favorite band.

The Old Ceremony held their CD release party for Our One Mistake at Cat's Cradle last night, and what a party it was! More than 500 people turned out to see TOC and Roman Candle. I'd never seen either band before, but I was supremely impressed by both of their performances.

TOC played many songs off Our One Mistake — which won't be officially released until Oct. 24, but you may just find some copies around the Triangle after this Tuesday — including my personal favorite, "Papers in Order." Check out video clips from the show of that song and another new tune, "Radio Religion" below as well as Roman Candle performing "You Don't Belong to This World," off their new CD The Wee Hours Review.

One of the main things that makes these guys so damn appealing is how much they clearly enjoy performing and that they have a great time on stage, and I hope that comes across in the video.

If you missed the show, shame on you, because the next chance you'll have to see TOC is Oct. 21 at Evening Muse in Charlotte. Roman Candle will be back at Cat's Cradle on Nov. 8.

One thing's for sure: you can expect to see great things in the future from both of these outstanding local bands.

TOC - "Papers in Order"


TOC - "Radio Religion"


Roman Candle - "You Don't Belong to This World"

Kevin's weekend picks

Friday, October 6 - Be Your Own Pet, Black Lips, Psychic Hearts @ Cat's Cradle (garage rock)
Saturday, October 7 - The Old Ceremony, Roman Candle @ Cat's Cradle (rock/pop)*
Sunday, October 8 - The Greencards @ The Pour House [early show] (bluegrass/folk)

*This is The Old Ceremony's CD release party for their new album, Our One Mistake.

Photos: Of Montreal play Duke

[All photos by Kevin Norris]

Kevin's weekday picks

Monday, October 2 - French Kicks, The Little Ones, The Honored Guests @ Local 506 (indie rock)
Tuesday, October 3 - Ratatat, Envelopes, Panther @ Local 506 (electropop/indie rock)
Wednesday, October 4 - Tiger! Tiger!, The Cassandra Complex, Papercranes @ Local 506 (rock/alternative)
Thursday, October 5 - The Sammies, Elevator Action, The Talk @ Kings (indie rock/pop)