Telekinesis and The Rosebuds rock BugFest

An event called BugFest organized by The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences isn't exactly where you'd expect to find two of Merge Records' best bands, but that's where they were Saturday afternoon.

The Rosebuds took the downtown Raleigh stage facing the capitol building at about 4:30 p.m. Unfortunately, due to heavy traffic for NC State's football game, I arrived a bit late for their set, but still got to see a groovy show. They even busted out "Kicks in the Schoolyard" from their 2003 debut as a request, which was particularly nice.

After The Rosebuds I wandered the museum checking out some of the exhibits since there were two hours until Telekinesis would come on. There was a young band playing mostly covers after The Rosebuds which I'll take the fifth on out of politeness. I'll just say that "Sweet Home Alabama" and Weezer's "Pork and Beans" were involved.


As the sun set, Telekinesis took the stage. Mastermind Michael Lerner was joined by Ivan Howard on bass and B.J. Burton on guitar. The trio tore through a set comprised mostly of tunes from Telekinesis' self-titled debut. The enthusiastic crowd was treated to a new song as well titled "Non-Toxic." Lerner's stage banter was quite charming as he noted that he had been staying with Ivan for a few days and had enjoyed the local color including Bojangles, Krispy Kreme and the Biscuit Station. The band closed the set with the geographically appropriate (and incredibly catchy) song "Coast of Carolina."

For those who missed Telekinesis on Saturday, you can catch them for free tonight, September 14, at Tir Na Nog in downtown Raleigh. The show will start around 10 or 10:30 p.m. and Motor Skills will be opening.

[all photos by Kevin Norris]

The Rosebuds set list:
(drop us a line if you know the first few songs)
Hold Hands and Fight
Shake Our Tree
Kicks in the Schoolyard
Back to Boston
Get Up Get Out
Nice Fox

Telekinesis set list:
All of a Sudden
Look To the East
One Step Forward
Great Lakes
Non-Toxic (new song)
Rust
I Saw Lightning
Foreign Room
Imaginary Friends
Plankton
Tokyo
Coast of Carolina

The Rosebuds and Telekinesis