Rhiannon Giddens to perform two nights with NC Symphony

As we told you a few weeks ago, the Carolina Chocolate Drops are losing another member at the beginning of the year, but the sole remaining original member, Rhiannon Giddens, will play a big local show in the new year.

Giddens will perform with the North Carolina Symphony for two nights this spring at Meymandi Concert Hall in Raleigh on March 14 and 15. Tickets are on sale now via the Duke Energy Center box office and Ticketmaster for $18 to $60.

The newly revamped Carolina Chocolate Drops are also scheduled to play Merlefest in Wilkesboro on Thursday, April 24. Other performers that night include Alan Jackson, The Duhks and The Kruger Brothers. Tickets are available HERE.

New music video from Superchunk - "Void"

Superchunk is back with another new music video from their latest album I Hate Music, and this one features the comedic stylings of a few well-known actors.

The new video is for the rocker "Void" and it features H. Jon Benjamin, Jon Glaser and Ted Travelstead. Watch as the trio as well as Superchunk hang out a rock club that's condemned, but just on weekdays. Check out the video below.

Check out the band's previous music videos from I Hate Music for "Staying Home" and Me & You & Jackie Mittoo" HERE and HERE.

UNC-TV to premiere Tift Merritt's 'Still Not Home' concert next week

Photo by Parker Fitzgerald

UNC-TV will premiere a broadcast of Tift Merritt's homecoming show, recorded at the North Carolina Museum of Art in August, next week.

Merritt will be live in studio to host the premiere of the concert film titled Tift Merritt: Still Not Home, airing on UNC-TV stations across the state at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, December 3. Check out a short preview of the film below.

Yep Roc Records released a deluxe edition of Merritt's latest album, Traveling Alone, in September. Check out more info on the release HERE.

Maria Taylor releases 'Something About Knowing,' announces winter tour

Alabama singer-songwriter Maria Taylor released her fifth solo album, Something About Knowing, last month and she'll hit the road in early 2014 on a winter tour in support of it.

She'll play the Cat's Cradle Back Room on Saturday, February 1. Tickets are on sale now via Ticketfly for $10.

Check out the music video for "Up All Night" from the album Something About Knowing below.

Justin Townes Earle announces December dates, coming to Raleigh

Acclaimed singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle has announced a few tour dates in December which will bring him back to the Triangle for a headline show.

He'll play the Southland Ballroom in Raleigh on Monday, December 9. Tickets are on sale now via Etix for $25.

Check out a video of Earle performing the song "Ain't Waitin'" from his 2008 album Harlem River Blues for Paste Magazine at the Newport Folk Festival earlier this year below.

Merge to reissue classic albums in 2014 starting with 'Nixon'

As a part of Merge Records big 25th anniversary celebration in 2014, the label has already announced a 7-inch subscription series and a 25k Chapel Hill to Durham road race. Now they've announced their next big project which will be to reissue some classic Merge albums throughout the year.

They'll start things off with Lambchop's 2000 album Nixon which has been out of print for a while. The reissue will be available on CD and vinyl and it will include a bonus disc featuring White Sessions 1998: How I Met Cat Power, a solo session frontman Kurt Wagner recorded for Radio France in 1998. It will be out on January 28.

Check out the music video for the classic track "Up With People" from Nixon below.

Hiss Golden Messenger reissuing Bad Debt in January, listen to "Drum"

Hiss Golden Messenger's second album Bad Debt is set for a deluxe reissue in January. The album was released overseas in 2010, though most of the CDs were destroyed during the London riots and it was released in limited numbers is the U.S. in 2011.

The new reissue will be out on January 14 via the label Paradise of Bachelors and they have just shared the last song on the release, "Drum," with the world. Check it out below along with a complete album track list.

Pre-orders of the album come with an unreleased album titled London Exodus which is available as an immediate download. You can stream the entire bonus album HERE.

Queens of the Stone Age announces winter tour, coming to Raleigh

Alt rockers Queens of the Stone Age will hit the road for another round of tour dates this winter in support of their latest album ...Like Clockwork and they'll make their way to the Triangle this time out.

The band will play the Memorial Auditorium at the Duke Energy Center in Raleigh on Thursday, January 30. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, November 22, via the venue box office and Ticketmaster for $36 to $56.

Check out the music video for "The Vampyre of Time and Memory" from ...Like Clockwork below. There's an interactive version of the video which you can experience HERE.

New music video from Polvo - "Light, Raking"

Chapel Hill indie rockers Polvo released a new album in September titled Siberia and as of yet they  haven't announced any live dates in support of it, but they have just released a new music video from it.

The video is for the album's third track, "Light, Raking" and it is a stop motion clip featuring quite a bit of yarn which happens to fit really well with the catchy, synth-laden tune. Check it out below.

Check out our view of Siberia HERE as well as the song "Total Immersion" from the album HERE.

The 1975 announces 2014 North American tour

Up-and-coming English pop rockers The 1975 released their self-titled debut full-length album a few months ago and the band will be hitting the road in North America this spring in support of it.

The band will play the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro on Tuesday, May 14. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, October 22, via Ticketfly for $18.

Check out the music video for the band's latest single from The 1975, "Girls," below (it features some ladies in lingerie so it might be a little NSFW).

Haim announces spring 2014 tour, coming to Carrboro

One of the year's most buzzed about bands, Haim, released a fantastic debut album a few months back titled Days Are Gone. The band is preparing to take the album all over the world in 2014 and will be traversing North America in the spring.

The band will make a stop at the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro on Tuesday, May 6. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, November 22 via Ticketfly for $17.50.

Check out Haim's music video for the oh so catchy "The Wire" below, which features an amusing performance from The Lonely Island's Jorma Taccone.

Journey, Steve Miller Band & Tower of Power announce 2014 tour

We're still working our way through the last few months of 2013, but the first big amphitheater tour of the 2014 season has already been announced. Classic rockers Journey, Steve Miller Band and Tower of Power will team up for a big tour and you guessed it, they're coming to the Triangle.

The bands will play the Walnut Creek Amphitheatre (it's no longer the Time Warner Cable Pavilion as the sponsorship deal was not renewed) in Raleigh on Thursday, May 29. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, November 22 via LiveNation for $36 to $131.

Check out Journey performing "Don't Stop Believin'" on the Today Show a few years ago below.

Shearwater releasing covers album, announnces early 2014 tour

Texas indie rockers Shearwater will release a collection of covers on November 26 titled Fellow Travelers which will include songs by Coldplay, Wye Oak, St. Vincent, Smog and more. The band will hit the road in early 2014 which will bring them to the Triangle.

Shearwater will play the Back Room of the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro on Thursday, March 20. Tickets are on sale now via Ticketfly for $10.

Check out the music video for "I Luv the Valley OH!," originally by Xiu Xiu, from Fellow Travelers below.

Casbah in Durham to end run as music venue

Casbah, the excellent music club in Durham, will cease to be a music venue once the calendar rolls over to 2014. In a year where a lot of Triangle venues have seen lot of changes, Casbah is the latest in a series of upheavals.

The final show will be a New Year's Eve party with Peter Lamb and The Wolves and Bullfrog and The Connoisseurs. Tickets are $15 in advance via Etix.

After that final show, the venue will close and will later reopen as what the Indy Week is reporting will be a "bar with games." We'll have to wait and see what exactly that entails.

Cracker & Camper Van Beethoven announce winter tour

California rock bands Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven are teaming up for a winter tour that will bring them to the Triangle in early 2014.

The bands will play the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro on Friday, January 10. Tickets will go on sale today, November 15, at 10 a.m. via Ticketfly for $15.

Camper Van Beethoven released a new album earlier this year titled La Costa Perdida. Check out the music video for the song "Someday Our Love Will Set Us Out" from album below. Check out the video for Cracker's 1993 hit "Low" below as well.

[UPDATE] Jason Isbell & Holly Williams announce winter tour

Singer-songwriter Jason Isbell released his highly acclaimed fourth album Southeastern earlier this year and in early 2014 he'll team up with Holly Williams for a short East Coast tour.

Isbell and Williams will make a stop at the Haw River Ballroom in Saxapahaw on Friday, January 17. Tickets are on sale now via Ticketfly for $20.

[UPDATE: After the first show sold out, Isbell and Williams have added a second show at the Haw River Ballroom on Saturday, January 25. Tickets are on sale now via Ticketfly for $20.]

Yuck announces winter tour, coming to Chapel Hill

Back in September British indie rockers Yuck released their sophomore album Glow & Behold and the band are set to cross the Atlantic in early 2014 for a big North American tour in support of it.

The band will play Local 506 in Chapel Hill on Wednesday, February 12. Tickets are on sale now via Ticketfly for $10.

Check out the music video for "Middle Sea" from the album Glow & Behold below.

Carolina Chocolate Drops to lose another founding member

Grammy winning Triangle string band Carolina Chocolate Drops will take another blow at the start of the new year when they will lose another founding member, leaving just one.

Dom Flemons will take his leave at the end of the year to pursue solo projects and other collaborations. He follows Justin Robinson, who left the group in 2011. Rhiannon Giddens will be left to carry on the Carolina Chocolate Drops with new players, cellist Malcolm Parson and multi-instrumentalist Rowan Corbett, who will join her in the new year.

Sadly the group has no Triangle dates on the books before the end of the year, so if you want to see the Drops one more time with Flemons, you'll have to head west to Charlotte, Asheville or Knoxville or south to Atlanta. Check out the dates below.

Album Review: Roman Candle - Debris

Roman Candle’s fourth full-length record, Debris, is a departure from the shining pop masterpieces for which the band is known. This is a band that’s on their fourth label and has always been on the cusp. That frustration can be heard here.

On past albums Roman Candle was in full service of the melody and focused on how to deliver it with the most punch. Debris focuses on building atmosphere. This results in compositions thickened with synths and guitar and vocal effects. The percussion rhythms seem to loop in on themselves instead driving listeners through a song creating a vortex that can be thrilling and odd at the same time. The band seems to have taken some influence from fellow Tar Heels The Rosebuds in creating unexpectedly danceable rock.

Merge Records sign Vertical Scratchers, Ex Hex

Vertical Scratchers

In the last few weeks Merge Records has announced the first few elements of their 25th anniversary celebration coming in 2014 and they've also added two new bands to Merge family.

The first is the new Los Angeles band Vertical Scratchers led by John Schmersal, a member of the touring band of fellow Merge artist Caribou. Vertical Scratchers will release their debut album on February 25 titled Daughter of Everything. Check out the song "These Plains" from the album below.

The second new addition to the Merge family is the Washington D.C. trio Ex Hex. The band will also release their debut album sometime in 2014. We'll keep you posted as more details are announced.

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings return with new album, 2014 tour

After undergoing treatment and surgery to fight a cancer diagnosis earlier this year, soulful songstress Sharon Jones and her band The Dap-Kings are ready to return to the scene with a new album. It is titled Give the People What They Want and it will be out on January 14. A tour will follow the release which will bring the band to the Triangle.

Jones and the gang will play the Carolina Theatre in Durham on Thursday, February 13. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, November 15, via the venue box office and Ticketmaster for $27 to $32.

Jones and the Dap-Kings will make their big return during the big Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 28.

New music video from Mount Moriah - "Miracle Temple Holiness"

Mount Moriah has had a busy year since the release of their Merge Records debut, Miracle Temple. They've toured a lot in support of the record and released a number a music videos, and now there's one more to add to that list.

The band has just released a video for the song "Miracle Temple Holiness" which is as brooding and moody as the the song. Check it out below.

Heather McEntire of Mount Moriah will open for Amy Ray at Motorco Music Hall in Durham on Saturday, January 25. Tickets are on sale HERE for $15.

Patti LaBelle announces winter dates, coming to Durham

R&B icon Patti LaBelle who has been inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame, Songwriters' Hall of Fame and Apollo Hall of Fame has announced a few winter tour dates in early 2014 that will include a return to the Triangle.

LaBelle will once again play the Durham Performing Arts Center on Saturday, January 11. Tickets are on sale now via the venue box office and Ticketmaster for $55 to $125.

She will also play the War Memorial Auditorium in Greensboro the following night, Sunday, January 12. Tickets for that show go on sale at 10 a.m. on Thursday, November 14, via Ticketmaster for $49 to $95.

Merge to host 25k road race celebrating 25 years

Merge Records will host a 25k road race as the first event to kick off its year long 25th anniversary celebration in 2014.

The 15.5 mile race will take place on March 22 and start in Chapel Hill, where Merge began, and end in downtown Durham, its current home. Bull City Running will co-host the event. Proceeds from the race will benefit the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina and Habitat for Humanity of Durham and Orange County.

A big after party is being planned for the finish line, so stay tuned for those details even if you're not a runner.

Click here for more details and registration.

Lost in the Trees releasing new album in February, share video for "Rites"

Triangle orchestral folk rock band Lost in the Trees are returning with their third full-length album in early 2014 titled Past Life. The album will be released by ANTI- Records on February 18 and will feature a much more stripped back sound than the big orchestration that fans have come to expect from the band.

The band have released a sparse yet very Lost in the Trees music video for the album's fifth track, "Rites," which you can watch below, where you'll also find the complete track list for Past Life.

Lost in the Trees released the song "Lady in White," which will be included on the new album, a few months back. Check out that song HERE.

Merge Records to kick off 25th anniversary with 7" box set

In 2014 Merge Records will be marking a big anniversary, their 25th year of operation as a record label and they are planning a big year of celebrations which they've just announced the first of.

Merge has announced a year-long 7" subscription box set called Or Thousands of Prizes that will feature new music from many of the label's acts including Superchunk, Mount Moriah, The Mountain Goats, Lambchop and more. In addition to the box set, subscribers will also get a surprise bonus 12", a t-shirt and an updated e-book of The Merge Records Companion, originally released to mark the label's 20th anniversary in 2009.

Miley Cyrus announces 'Bangerz' Tour, coming to Raleigh

Wholesome, Disney-made child singer and actress turned turned over the top, twerking pop star Miley Cyrus released her much hyped new album Bangerz last month after a much talked about VMA performance and now she'll continue her extended 15 minutes of fame with an arena tour in 2014.

Cyrus will play the PNC Arena in Raleigh on Tuesday, April 8. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Saturday, November 16, via the venue box office and Ticketmaster for $39.50 to $89.50.

Check Miley Cyrus' performance of her hit single "Wrecking Ball" on Saturday Night Live last month below.

We Are Scientists announces spring tour

New York indie rockers We Are Scientists released a new EP last month titled Business Casual and after spending the early part of 2014 in Australia and Europe, the band will return to the U.S. for a big spring tour.

The band will play Kings Barcade in Raleigh on Monday, May 19. Tickets will go on sale on Friday, November 8, via Etix for $15.

Check out the music video for "Return the Favor" from the Business Casual EP below.

White Lies announces North American winter tour, coming to Carrboro

UK post-punk band White Lies just released their third full-length album, Big TV, a few months ago and the band has just announced a North American tour in early 2014 that will bring the band to the Triangle.

They'll play the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro on Friday, February 21. Frankie Rose will open. Tickets are on ale now via Ticketfly for $20.

Check out the song "Getting Even" from the Big TV below which is also available as a free download HERE.

Album Review: Gross Ghost - Public Housing

There’s a particular, specific joy to hearing a band grow over time and Gross Ghost’s second full-length album, Public Housing, invokes this emotion through and through.

The most noticeable change is clearer production. Lead singer Mike Dillon’s prickly vocals don’t get lost in the mix as often and it’s a boon. The unique texture of his voice helps Gross Ghost sound entirely its own.

The tension of a polished melody with a rough-edged delivery is the engine behind the band’s music. With Dillon’s voice front and center, Public Housing is more successful than Brier Rabbit at capturing sonic concept of the band.

Album Review: Mandolin Orange - This Side of Jordan

Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz’s work together as Mandolin Orange has been a treat for listeners and it only gets better on their latest release, This Side of Jordan.

Their previous release, the double album Haste Make/Hard Hearted Stranger, proved that they can be prolific and that their beautiful bluegrass rarely wears thin. This Side of Jordan elevates the duo above their peers with powerful themes and clever songwriting.

Mandolin Orange tackles subjects that are rare in bluegrass and Americana. “Hey Adam” is a loving pep talk for a gay friend. “Morphine Girl” was written while Marlin was on painkillers and has a delirious sway.

Eagles extend 'History of the Eagles' tour into 2014

The incredibly popular California classic rockers the Eagles are extending their History of the Eagles Tour into 2014 and the new dates include a stop in the Triangle (they'll come to Greensboro on November 16).

The tour will come to the PNC Arena in Raleigh on Friday, February 28. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Saturday, November 9 via the venue box office and Ticketmaster for $51 to $185.

Check out the band performing "Witchy Woman" at a show earlier this year in Louisville, Kentucky below.