Thursday, October 07, 2010

All-star tribute to Big Star in Carrboro to feature members of R.E.M., The dB's & Big Star!!

There is going to be an amazing all-star tribute to Big Star at the Cat's Cradle in December with a line-up to knock your socks off. The two-night show, dubbed Stroke It, Noel, will feature a fully orchestrated performance of Big Star's album Third/Sister Lovers.

Chris Stamey is organizing the event and will be in the band, which will also feature none other than Big Star drummer Jody Stephens, R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills, Jeff Crawford (of a boatload of bands), Mitch Easter and The Tomahawks' Charles Cleaver as well as members of Lost in the Trees, Birds and Arrows and the North Carolina Symphony. There will also be guest vocalists including members of The Love Language, Megafaun and The Old Ceremony.

It will all happen on Dec. 9 and 10 at the Cat's Cradle. Tickets are $17 each night. Dec. 9 tickets are available here and Dec. 10 tickets are available here. Proceeds will be going to KidZNotes in Durham and the New Orleans Musicians Clinic.

Other Big Star songs will also be featured in the shows and they will be filmed for inclusion in the Big Star documentary Nothing Can Hurt Me: The Big Star Story, due out in 2011.

This is going to be awesome.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

not to state the obvious, but wasn't there already an Alex Chilton benefit in May with most of those same people?

Anonymous said...

Yes, but this is a little different. These concerts and the concept of playing a fully orchestrated version of Big Star's third album was planned long ago, and Alex Chilton was on board for doing them. However, he died in the spring, but the idea of recreating the full arrangements live (for the first time ever) and going through with the planned shows seemed like a good way to pay tribute.