9th Wonder & Phonte take new albums on tour, coming to Carrboro

North Carolina's hip-hop heavyhitters 9th Wonder and Phonte both just released new albums and the former Little Brother bandmates are now joining forces for a short tour in October.

The pair will play a big hometown gig at the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro on Sunday, October 23. They'll be joined by a bunch of special guests including Median, Rapsody, The Away Team, HaLo and DJ Flash. Tickets are on sale now via etix for $15.

Check out "Never Stop Loving You from 9th Wonder's The Wonder Years and "The Life of Kings" from Phonte's Charity Starts at Home below.

Youth Lagoon announces fall tour, coming to Durham

You may have seen young Idaho musician and songwriter Trevor Powers, who creates music under the moniker Youth Lagoon, at The Rosebuds day party during the Hopscotch Music Festival. He's hitting the road this fall in support of his debut album are coming back to the Triangle this fall for a headlining show.

He'll hit Motorco Music Hall in Durham on Saturday, November 12. Advance tickets are available HERE or at the club for $8. Opening acts have not been announced yet.

Youth Lagoon's debut album, They Year of Hibernation, was just released via Fat Possum Records on Tuesday, September 27. Check out the music video for the song "Montana" from the album below.

Beirut extends 2011 tour, coming to Carrboro

The eclectic, experimental pop group Beirut, led by Zach Condon, have extended their fall tour in support of their new album The Rip Tide.

The new dates include a stop at the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro on Thursday, December 8. Perfume Genius will open the show. Tickets will go on sale on Friday, September 30 via etix for $18.

Check out the band's video for "Sant Fe" from the new album below.

This week's Local Band Local Beer: The Toddlers & The Cellar Seas

It's Thursday, so that means there will be some fantastic free music tonight (September 29) in downtown Raleigh as the weekly Local Band Local Beer show hits Tir Na Nog.

The show will feature a pair of Triangle bands, The Toddlers from Chapel Hill and The Cellar Seas from Raleigh. Check out music from each band at their respective MySpace pages (The Toddlers HERE and The Cellar Seas HERE).

As always, the show is limited to those 21 and up and the music will start around 10 p.m.

New music from Mandolin Orange - "Haste Make"

Ambitious Chapel Hill duo Mandolin Orange will officially release their new double album Haste Make / Hard Hearted Stranger on November 8, but the album is available now at the band's shows.

The album was recorded as two separate albums. Haste Make was recorded by the dynamic duo of Jeff Crawford and James Wallace, who also play on the tracks, at Arbor Ridge Studios in Franklin. The stripped down Hard Hearted Stranger was recorded at Rubber Room Studios in Chapel Hill by one half of the duo, Andrew Marlin.

Todd Rundgren announces fall tour, coming to Durham

Acclaimed singer, songwriter, musician and producer Todd Rundgren is hitting the road this fall with his band Utopia in support of his new album, (re)Production, released earlier this month.

The tour will bring the band to the Carolina Theatre in Durham on Thursday, November 10. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, September 30 via Ticketmaster for $35, $45 or $55.

Check out the trio of classics "Hello It's Me," "I Saw the Light" and "It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference" from Rundgren's amazing 1972 double album Something/Anything? below.

Album Review: A.A. Bondy - Believers

Like many solo artists have before him, A.A. Bondy is fleshing out his music by adding a band. On Believers, he introduces his listeners to his new sound with the most extreme version of it.

“The Heart is Willing,” the first track on the new album, builds from thumping drums and bass. The pace is brisk and it feels a bit paranoid. It stands apart because the album never returns to the same urgent tempo. Musically, it feels like the first track is an event and the other nine tracks are reflections and echoes of it.

The New Pornographers announces October dates, coming to Chapel Hill

Indie pop super band The New Pornographers are hitting the road in October for a short tour that will bring them to the Triangle for UNC's homecoming celebration.

A.C. Newman, Neko Case, Dan Bejar and the rest of the gang will play the Carmichael Auditorium on Saturday, October 29. Tickets will go on sale for students on Monday, October 3 for $10. Tickets for the public will be available after students get first dibs, the information is not available yet. We'll let you know when it is.

[UPDATE: The Love Language will open the show.]

Javelin announces fall dates, coming to Durham

After spending the rest of September touring with Future Islands, the New York based duo Javelin will then be stopping in the Triangle in October for their own show.

The band will play the Pinhook in Durham on Saturday, November 5. Further details about the show are not available yet, but we'll keep you posted.

Stream some select tunes from the band via the widget below. You'll also find a video of the band performing at the Berkeley Cafe as part of the first Hopscotch Music Festival last year below too.

Torche & Part Chimp announce fall tour, coming to Durham

The hook heavy Miami metal band Torche are hitting the road for a short run of dates this November with fellow heavies Part Chimp from London. They'll release a limited edition split 12" on the day the tour kicks off, which will be in the Triangle.

The bands will hit Motorco Music Hall in Durham on Saturday, November 5. Tickets are available in advance at the club or HERE for $10.

Torche's half of the split release will feature three Guided By Voices covers. Stream their version of "Exit Flagger" over at Pitchfork.

Schoolkids to host Wilco listening party, Katharine Whalen & Aloud in-stores

With fall officially rolling in, Schookids Records in Raleigh has a few cool events going on at the store soon.

First, the store will host a listening party for Wilco's new album The Whole Love at 7 p.m. on Monday, September 26. There will be a raffle giving away some cool Wilco gear including a signed poster. The album will be released the following day, September 27, the same day that the band will play the Raleigh Amphitheater with Nick Lowe.

Local Natives & Blind Pilot, Aziz Ansari coming to Durham this fall

The Duke University Union has announced its major shows for fall, and indie rockers Local Natives and Blind Pilot are on the calendar, as well as Parks & Recreation breakout star Aziz Ansari.

The booking of Local Natives and Blind Pilot is a bit of a departure for the DUU, which, in recent years, has focused more on hip hop artists such as Chiddy Bang and Lupe Fiasco.

Local Natives and Blind Pilot will play Duke's Page Auditorium on Wednesday, Nov. 2. Tickets go on sale Oct. 6th for students for $15 and Oct. 7th at 11 a.m. for $25 for the general public through the Duke box office. Stay tuned for a special discount code for this show just for Triangle Music readers.

UPDATE: Use promo code TRIMUSIC for a $3 discount, limit 2. Thanks to the Duke student union major attractions committee for offering this special!

2011 Carrboro Music Festival boasts over 180 bands on 25 stages

This Sunday, September 25, the annual Carrboro Music Festival will take over Carrboro, boasting a lineup of over 180 bands on 25 different stages around the town. Oh yeah, and it's free.

The venues reach from the Looking Glass Cafe to Jesse's Coffee and Bar. There will be tons of great bands across the stages including Luego, Fan Modine, Birds and Arrows, Brett Harris, Free Electric State, Lilac Shadows, The Tender Fruit, The Moaners, Billy Sugarfix's Carousel, Big Fat Gap, The Stars Explode, Le Weekend, Animal Alphabet and many, many more.

Check out the alphabetized full lineup below and check out stage schedule and map of the venues as a PDF file HERE. There is more information about the festival as a whole, HERE.

This week's Local Band Local Beer: Jack the Radio & The Ethnographers

This week's free Local Band Local Beer show at Tir Na Nog at 10 p.m. on Thursday, September 22 will feature a pair of North Carolina bands.

First on the bill is Raleigh band Jack the Radio, who have been hitting the clubs hard lately, even playing a set recently during the Hopscotch Music Festival. Stream some songs from the band via the widget below.

Starting the evening will be the young Greenville band The Ethnographers. Download a bunch of free songs from the band via their Facebook page.

Chatham County Line announces electric Christmas dates, playing Raleigh & Saxapahaw

Photo by Kevin Norris

Every holiday season, the fantastic Raleigh string band Chatham County Line plugs in and lets loose with some friends on their annual Electric Christmas Tour. The shows usually include two sets, a normal, string band set and them an all out electric set with some special guests, which haven't been announced yet.

They'll play their usual stop on the tour, the Pour House in Raleigh, on Wednesday, December 14. Tickets will be on sale soon HERE for $17.

The band will also stop at the fantastic Haw River Ballroom in Saxapahaw on Sunday, December 18. Tickets are on sale now HERE for $15.

My Morning Jacket announces December tour, coming to Greensboro

Kentucky's indie/southern/jam rock band (or however you choose to describe them), My Morning Jacket, is touring hard supporting their latest album, Circuital. A new round of U.S. dates have been announced for December which will bring the band to the Triad.

They'll play the War Memorial Auditorium in Greensboro on Monday, December 12. Delta Spirit will open the show. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, September 23 for $47 via Ticketmaster and the Greensboro Coliseum box office.

Check out a video of the band performing "Holdin' on to Black Metal," found on Circuital, at the Lollapalooza Festival last month below.

Photos: Ray Lamontagne & the Pariah Dogs at Koka Booth Amphitheatre

All photos by Kevin Norris

Soulful and shy singer-songwriter Ray Lamontagne and his band The Pariah Dogs rolled into Cary's Koka Booth Amphitheatre on Monday.

Lamontagne took the stage wearing his stylish top hat and plaid shirt and belted out the somber "Burn," with the help of bassist Jennifer Condos. The rest of the band then joined them, rolling through "For the Summer" and "Beg Steal or Borrow."

Check out photos of the band below.

The O'Jays announce new shows, coming to Durham

R&B legends and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees The O'Jays are playing some U.S. dates this fall and winter and will be coming to the Triangle.

The group will play the Durham Performing Arts Center on Sunday, January 15. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, October 14 starting at $45.

The group performed their biggest hit, "Love Train," during a funny bit at John Stewart and Stephen Colbert's rally in Washington last year that also involved Cat Stephens and Ozzy Osbourne. Jump to eight minutes in the video below to see them perform the song with The Roots.

Album Review: Megafaun - Megafaun

Durham trio Megafaun are always full of surprises and have a tendency to exude great musical depth, so when they release new music, we stop and take notice. Their new self-titled album is their most adventurous, yet most accessible release to date.

Gone are the most of the freak folk sounds that garnered them that label early on, and in its place, lots of electric guitars and piano.

The flowing, shimmering electric guitars of "Real Slow" and the eight and a half minute "Get Right" show off the band's folk rock side.

Jessica Lea Mayfield announces fall tour, coming to Chapel Hill next week

Ohio singer-songwriter Jessica Lea Mayfield has been touring hard since the release of her Nonesuch Records debut Tell Me, which came out in February. Her current tour dates will keep her on the road until Thanksgiving, but she'll be stopping in the Triangle next week.

She'll play at the Historic Playmakers Theatre on UNC's campus on Tuesday, September 20. Student tickets are $5 and each student can buy two tickets with their OneCard. There is no word on whether there will be any tickets available to the public.

Video: Superchunk performs at Pitchfork Music Festival

Local indie stars Superchunk played a killer set at last weekend's Hopscotch Festival (check out a review and photos HERE), but a few months ago, the band played the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago.

Pitchfork has released two videos from the band's set, "My Gap Feels Weird" and the classic "Slack Motherfucker." Check out the performances below.

The band just rereleased the remastered and repackaged version of their 1994 album Foolish. Check out more about the release HERE.

Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson tour coming to Raleigh

It's been more than two years since the untimely passing of Michael Jackson, but his memory and music still lives on. One of the latest form it has taken is found in the new show The Imortal by Cirque du Soleil.

The show hits the road this fall and will travel around North America through next summer. There will be two performances at RBC Center in Raleigh next spring, an 8 p.m. show on Saturday, March 10 and a 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 11. Tickets are on sale now via the box office and Ticketmaster for $50 to $175.

Check out a trailer for the show below.

Album Review: Wild Flag - Wild Flag

After their successful tour last spring, it seemed like a forgone conclusion that Wild Flag would put out a superb record. This week the evidence is in and Wild Flag’s self-titled debut is every bit as entertaining as their live show.

The album was recorded live in the The Hanger, a cavernous space, and it creates a gratifying ring, particularly with the drum sound (just listen to the intro of “Electric Band”). Guitar and keyboard tones hang in the air after they’re struck creating a delicious mix of tones.

Maria Taylor announces fall tour, coming to Chapel Hill

Photo by Jason Hamric

Alabama singer-songwriter Maria Taylor just released a new album in August titled Overlook (check out our review HERE). Now she's preparing to hit the road on a lengthy fall tour in support of the album.

She'll come to Local 506 in Chapel Hill on Tuesday, November 22. Dead Fingers and The Grenadines will open the show. Tickets are on sale now via etix for $12.

Download the songs "Matador" and "Bad Idea?" from the new album Overlook via the widgets below.

Hall & Oates announces fall dates, coming to Durham

Hitmakers Daryl Hall and John Oates are heading out on the road late this fall on the Do What You Want, Be What You Are 2011 Tour, named after their 2009 four-disc box set.

The tour will come to the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC) on Wednesday, December 7. Tickets will go on sale on Friday, September 23 at 10 a.m. at the box office and via Ticketmaster outlets starting at $48.50.

The band has so many awesome pop hits, it's hard to pick just a few to share, but check out the music videos for "Private Eyes" and "Maneater" below.

Bombadil to celebrate new album in Carrboro in November

Photo by Liz Devine

Fresh off of their fantastic performance at the Fletcher Opera Theater during the Hopscotch Music Festival this pas weekendt, Bombadil are preparing to celebrate the release of their new album this fall.

The band announced that their third full-length album will be released on November 8 during their Hopscotch performance. They'll celebrate the release of the album with big show at the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro on Saturday, November 12. Tickets are on sale now via etix for $12.

Check out photos and a review of Bombadil's Hopscotch performance HERE.

Frontier Ruckus announces fall tour, coming to Chapel Hill

After coming to Raleigh to perform at the Hopscotch Music Festival this past weekend, indie folk band Frontier Ruckus are staying on the road through the fall and will be returning to the Triangle.

The band will play Local 506 in Chapel Hill on Saturday, October 15. Tickets are on sale now via etix for $10.

Stream the song "Pontiac, the Nightbrink" from their latest album Deadmills & Nightfalls below. Also, check out the band's recent Daytrotter session HERE.

Stream Megafaun's new self-titled album

We've been sharing songs with you from Megafaun's new self-titled album for the last few months and now that its release is just a week away, September 20, you can now listen to the entire album.

Head over to Rolling Stone who is has an exclusive stream of Megafaun. They also have some quotes from Brad Cook about the overall direction the new music has taken.

Megafaun will play the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro on Thursday, September 22. Tickets are available via etix for $12.

Hopscotch 2011 Day 2: Generationals at Marsh Woodwinds

All photos by Emily Price

Before playing their for a packed house at White Collar Crime on Friday night during the Hopscotch Music Festival, New Orleans band Generationals stopped by Marsh Woodwinds to film a performance for the public access/web series Sound Situations.

You'll be able to watch their stripped down performance along with many others filmed during Hopscotch sometime soon on Raleigh Public Access channel 10 or online. The show airs on Thursday and Saturday at 6 p.m.

For now, you can check out a few photos from Generationals' set below. Check out photos and a review of their set at White Collar Crime HERE.

Hopscotch 2011 Day 3: The Old Ceremony at White Collar Crime

All photos by Kevin Norris

Late Saturday evening, local favorites The Old Ceremony packed their plethora of instruments into the small stage at White Collar Crime to close out the Hopscotch Music Festival at the venue.

The band took the opportunity to play some fantastic new songs for the attentive crowd. Violinist and keyboard player Gabriel Pelli was there playing with his fellow bandmates only days after his wife had given birth to twin boys.

Check out a few photos from their set below.

Hopscotch 2011 Day 3: Des Ark & KORT at King’s Barcade

All photos by Kevin Norris

King’s Barcade was a showcase of fantastic bandleaders Saturday night as both Aimée Argote of Des Ark and Kurt Wagner of KORT dominated the stage.

During the heavy parts of Des Ark’s set, Argote played like she was literally possessed by her music. One minute she’s telling jokes about being vegan in a venue sponsored by a barbeque restaurant and the next she’s thrashing and stumbling about, whipping her guitar around without fear. The pain and anger of the music was boiling inside her. When she sang quietly, she barely let the lyrics pass her lips, building the tension until she could explode in violent shouts.

Hopscotch 2011 Day 3: The Caribbean at Tir Na Nog, Shit Horse at Slim's & Unknown Mortal Orchestra at Five Star

All photos by Kevin Norris

While The Flaming Lips played in City Plaza, D.C.-based The Caribbean took the stage to play to an empty Tir na Nog.

The venue was shockingly empty – two people stood in the stage area of the bar – but the band was gracious and professional and handled the situation as best as they could.

It was obvious their hearts weren’t into their performance, but one can’t blame them. It would be unfair to judge The Caribbean based on this performance.

Hopscotch 2011 Day 3: Bombadil & Lost in the Trees at Fletcher Opera Theater

Bombadil photos by Kevin Norris
Lost in the Trees photos by Emily Price

Fletcher Opera Theater was the perfect refuge Saturday night for those looking to wind down a bit at the end of their Hopscotch experience. Bombadil and Lost in the Trees both played captivating sets in what was an ideal venue to showcase both bands.

Bombadil took full advantage of the space's baby grand piano during their portion of the set, opening with a stark piano tune before launching into a set of folk-tinged tunes. The group played several songs off their new album, slated for a November release, including one particularly charming ukulele tune.

Hopscotch 2011 Day 3: The Flaming Lips at City Plaza

All photos by Kevin Norris

Before taking the stage as the Saturday night headliners at the City Plaza stage, The Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne took the opportunity to warn the crowd about strobe lights and encourage them to let their freak flag fly.

"The time to freak out will be while we're playing music, not while I'm in the space bubble," Coyne told the crowd. The show that followed is one that the thousands of attendees will not soon forget.

Right out the gate, the band launched into "The Fear" as Coyne entered the space bubble and wandered out over the crowd. As he returned to the stage, they launched into the thrashing "Worm Mountain," and the crowd was bombarded with streamers, confetti, giant balloons and as much aural and visual stimulus that a human could handle.

Hopscotch 2011 Day 3: Superchunk & Dreamers of the Ghetto at City Plaza

All photos by Kevin Norris

As the sun sat low in the west Saturday evening, local indie rock heroes Superchunk took the stage for a career spanning 14-song set that melted the faces of the massive crowd gathered in City Plaza.

The band kicked things off with "Throwing Things" and rolled through a number of songs from their latest album Majesty Shredding. The giant disco ball of The Flaming Lips hung over guitarist Jim Wilbur, adding a little humor to the band's usual simple style.

Mac McCaughan noted that the band rarely ever plays Raleigh, but reminisced about seeing shows at former Raleigh venues The Brewery and the Fallout Shelter.

Hopscotch 2011 Day 3: The Rosebuds outside Lincoln Theatre

All photos by Kevin Norris

Hometown heroes The Rosebuds were given a warm welcome as droves of fans turned out for the band's headlining set at The Rosebuds and Friends day party outside the Lincoln Theatre. Some people even took to the windows of the parking deck to get a better view.

The band sounded incredible as the ripped through a set of songs mostly from their latest album Loud Planes Fly Low and their acclaimed 2005 album Birds Make Good Neighbors. The crowd joined in for a massive singalong on "Nice Fox," with Ivan telling them that he wanted people to hear them all the way at Cook Out.

Hopscotch 2011 Day 2: Pepper Rabbit at Five Star, Wembley at The Union

All photos by Emily Price

Fresh off the release of their latest album, Red Velvet Snowball, Los Angeles-based Pepper Rabbit packed fans into the bar area at Five Star Friday evening for an energetic set. I only arrived in time to see the last few songs of the set, but the crowd seemed nearly entranced by the duo's synth pop.

Across the Warehouse district, Wembley fans at The Union were a little more low key as the Hillsborough four-piece played a set laced with dreamy, piano-driven tunes as well as more upbeat ones, such as "(Did You Give Him His) Pills," off their EP, You Are Invisible. Though it had been a couple years since I'd seen the group live, their set reminded me why memory has always looked up on them favorably.

Hopscotch 2011 Day 2: Japandroids at The Pour House

Photo by Emily Price

While the occasional strobe light and constant artificial breeze blowing lead singer Brian King’s hair back were a little silly, Vancouver band Japandroids put on a show that was serious fun.

Both King and drummer David Prowse threw themselves into their set and the audience responded right away. They started with some new songs before playing the Post-Nothing hits, but the audience was in constant motion for all of them.

Hopscotch 2011 Day 2: Generationals at White Collar Crime

All photos by Kevin Norris

Friday night may have been Generationals' first time in Raleigh, but the packed house at White Collar Crime hardly needed any introductions.

The wall-to-wall crowd danced their collective asses off with the band's driving beats and pulsating stage lights as their soundtrack as the New Orleans-based quintet plowed through a 45-minute set composed of many songs from their 2011 release, Actor-Castor.

Hopscotch 2011 Day 2: Sir Richard Bishop & Swans at Fletcher Opera Theater

All photos by Kevin Norris

The number of great guitarists playing Hopscotch this year is incredible, but if you’re looking for the best one, Sir Richard Bishop should be in the discussion.

Bishop, a solo act, looked slightly odd with just one guitar in front of the massive Swans stage set up, but he showed that's all you really need. The sound from his guitar filled the opera house easily and makes one consider whether any band really needs more than one guitar.

Hopscotch 2011 Day 2: John Vanderslice at Berkeley Cafe & Hospitality at The Union

All photos by Kevin Norris

During night two of Hopscotch, troubadour John Vanderslice took the stage at the Berkeley Cafe for a rousing solo set.

The opening lines of "Trance Manual" received a hearty cheer from the receptive crowd. He seemed to be in good spirits and asked that the venue's disco ball be turned on, which added a bit of sparkle to the fairly drab room.

He launched into "Pale Horse," prefaced by saying it is a "call to arms" written after George W. Bush was elected to his second term in 2004. After that killer performance, I left the venue to explore more music the festival had to offer.

Hopscotch 2011 Day 2: Guided by Voices, Drive-By Truckers and The Dodos at City Plaza

All photos by Kevin Norris

One of Hopscotch’s weaknesses last year was headliners that looked good on paper, but didn’t deliver on stage. This year the festival addressed that problem by finding bands that can live up to their promise.

Top billing went to the classic lineup of Guided by Voices. Leader Robert Pollard and the band were sloppy, incoherent, drunk and exuberant. In short, they were a rock band and their experience showed.

Before each number, Pollard shouted out the song titles before counting the band down and signaling the beginning of a song with a kick or a microphone twirl. GBV wasn’t messing around. They ripped through songs one after another, whipping the crowd into a frenzy.

Hopscotch 2011 Day 1: Spider Bags & Black Lips at Lincoln Theatre

All photos by Emily Price

On night one of the Hopscotch Music Festival, the Lincoln Theatre was one of the most hopping clubs. Chapel Hill rockers Spider Bags took the stage between Last Year's Men and The Love Language. Check out photos of their set below.

Rowdy Atlanta band the Black Lips closed out the venue on Thursday night. Things got crazy quickly as the band's energy spread throughout the crowd. Check out photos of the set below.

Check out the rest of our Hopscotch 2011 coverage HERE.

Hopscotch 2011 Day 1: Le Weekend at White Collar Crime

All photos by Kevin Norris

On day one of the Hopscotch Music Festival, I stopped by White Collar Crime to catch a bit of Chapel Hill band Le Weekend. The band was skillfully rocking through a set of guitar driven rock for the small crowd at the club. Check out some photos from the set below.

Check out more of our Hopscotch 2011 coverage HERE.

Hopscotch 2011 Day 1: The Necks and J Mascis at Fletcher Opera Theater

All photos by Kevin Norris

Fletcher Opera Theater is the best venue at this year’s Hopscotch. It’s a beautiful space with great sound, sight lines and seats. Add to that a line up that will expose Hopscotchers to a wide variety of incredible acts and it’s tempting to find a seat and say put for three days.

I booked it down Fayetteville Street in time to catch the end of Rhys Chatham and the ensemble he had put together for a rousing end to “Guitar Trio.” There couldn’t have been a better introduction to the acoustics of the opera house.

Hopscotch 2011 Day 1: The Love Language at Lincoln Theatre

Photo by Kevin Norris
All photos below by Emily Price
except the fourth

The Lincoln Theatre was the place to be Thursday night, if the line down the side of the building for The Love Language's 11 o'clock set was any indication. Inside, fans were packed floor to ceiling as the occasional handful of glow sticks arced overhead and the band cranked out an hour of high energy tunes with much of the crowd dancing and singing along.

Frontman Stu McLamb seemed to barely have time to catch his breath (though he did take the opportunity to wish his dad a happy birthday) as the band plowed through a dozen or so songs, including some new material and a cover of Diana Ross' "My World Is Empty Without You," which they absolutely owned.

Hopscotch 2011 Day 1: Dinosaur Feathers & Lower Dens at Kings Barcade

All photos by Emily Price

With only two acts to choose from in the 8:30 slot, Kings Barcade was packed for the energetic Brooklyn band Dinosaur Feathers. For a crowd that was still warming up, Dinosaur Feathers was a great way for people to dive head first into Hopscotch.

The band’s combination of world influences, dance pop and aggressive guitar playing slowly got the crowd dancing. Dinosaur Feather’s music is contagious enough, but seeing lead guitarist Greg Sullo and bassist Ryan Michael Kiley thrash about on stage makes them impossible to resist.

Hopscotch 2011 Day 1: Cold Cave at The Pour House

All photos by Kevin Norris

One of the hottest sets of the first night of the 2011 Hopscotch Music Festival was at 12:30 a.m. at The Pour House. The New York trio Cold Cave packed the venue to capacity as people danced along to the band's European-flavored synth pop.

The band played in the dark and donned black leather jackets, ignoring the heat and humidity created by the packed house and September weather. The band was all about attitude as frontman Wesley Eisold thrashed about and got right on top of the front row. Dominick Fernow danced around the stage when he wasn't manning his samplers and synths.

Hopscotch 2011 Day 1: Cassis Orange at The Union & Invisible Hand at Deep South

All photos by Kevin Norris

Carrboro-based Cassis Orange kicked off the Hopscotch festivities at The Union Thursday night with a fun, energy-packed set. Though they battled some technical difficulties early on (lead singer Autumn Ehinger joked that she felt like Ashlee Simpson on Saturday Night Live), the band was a big hit with the crowd with their sometimes dreamy, often driving pop songs.

Down the street at Deep South the Bar, Invisible Hand wasn't shy to crank the volume and rock out. Fans packed in to the front of the room to watch frontman Adam Smith and guitarist Jon Bray thrash about the cramped stage.

Check out photos from both sets below.

Hopscotch 2011 Day 1: Last Year's Men at Lincoln Theatre & Bustello at Deep South

All photos by Kevin Norris

The Hopscotch Music Festival kicked into high gear on Wednesday night, and many local bands were among those driving at the wheel.

The young local lads of Last Year's Men got things started at the Lincoln Theatre. The club got more and more crowded as the band roared through their infectious, fuzzed out rock and roll. Check out photos of the band below.

A little later in the night, over at Deep South the Bar, Durham trio Bustello cut loose and played some fierce rock and roll to a smaller, yet attentive crowd. I only caught a couple of songs, but they sounded really tight. See a few photos of their set below as well.