Smallpools announce 2015 fall tour

Los Angeles pop rockers Smallpools just released their debut album earlier this titled LOVETAP!, but the band has been building buzz over the last few years. The band will hit the road in support of the album this fall and will come to the Triangle.

Smallpools will play the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro on Monday, October 12. Phoebe Ryan and Machineheart will open. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. today, July 31, via Ticketfly for $20.

Check out the music video for "Karaoke" from the album LOVETAP! below.

Collective Soul to release first new album in six years, announces fall tour

1990s pop rock mainstays Collective Soul hasn't released a new album since 2009, but that will change this fall will they return with their first album in six years, See What You Started by Continuing. The album will be out on October 2 and will be accompanied by a big U.S. tour.

The band will play The Ritz in Raleigh on Wednesday, October 7. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 31, via LiveNation for $30.50. Various pre-sales have already begun.

Check out the song "This" from the new album See What You Started by Continuing below.

Youth Lagoon announces new album 'Savage Hills Ballroom,' fall tour

Idaho musician and singer-songwriter Trevor Powers, better known as Youth Lagoon, will release a new album on September 25 titled Savage Hills Ballroom. He'll hit the road on a massive world tour in support of the album this fall that will stop in the Triangle.

Youth Lagoon will play the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro on Tuesday, November 3. Moon King will open. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 31, via Ticketfly for $17.

Check out the third track from Savage Hills Ballroom, "The Knower," below.

Mike Krol announces 'Ball & Chain' 2015 tour

As we mentioned last month, singer-songwriter Mike Krol will release his Merge Records debut on August 28 titled Turkey. He has just announced a tour in support of it dubbed the Ball and Chain tour that will bring him and his band to the Triangle this fall.

Krol will play the Cat's Cradle Back Room in Carrboro on Friday, September 25. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 31, via Ticketfly for $8.

Check out the gritty, blistering 93-second track "In the News" from the album Turkey below.

Album Review: Titus Andronicus - The Most Lamentable Tragedy

Titus Andronicus’s The Most Lamentable Tragedy is an ambitious record. It’s a 29-song, 93-minute behemoth held together through impeccable pacing, creative composition and a seriousness for its vision and subject matter. “Punk Rock Opera” is a silly sounding phrase, but frontman Patrick Stickles has made a record that lends it a new respect.

Despite its intimidating overall length, The Most Lamentable Tragedy is approachable. Twenty five of the tracks clock in under 5 minutes. The second track is part four of the familiar “No Future” song cycle and gives fans a cathartic line — “I hate to be awake” — to shout over and over like they have with so many other Titus Andronicus songs.

NC State Fair announces 2015 lineup, lots of locals

After years of losing money for the Dorton Arena concerts during the North Carolina State Fair booking somewhat expensive national acts that didn't typically deliver strong ticket sales, this year the lineup will exclusively feature North Carolina acts and all of the shows will be free.

A few acts caught our attention including local indie favorites The Love Language playing the big stage on Friday, October 23. The outdoor waterfall stage will feature Hammer No More the Fingers and The Beast among the lineup on Saturday October 24. Other acts playing the fair include the Charlie Daniels Band, Jason Michael Carroll, The Real Laww, Peter Lamb and the Wolves and many more. Check out the full lineup below.

Here We Go Magic announces new album 'Be Small,' fall tour

Photo by Shawn Brackbill

New York indie rockers Here We Go Magic have just announced a new album on October 16 titled Be Small. A tour in support of the album will commence this fall and is currently scheduled to wrap up in the Triangle.

The band will play the Pinhook in Durham on Saturday, November 21. Tickets are on sale now via Ticketfly for $10.

Check out the music video for "Falling" from the album Be Small below.

JR JR (formerly Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.) announces new album, fall tour

Indie pop band JR JR, formerly known as Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., will release their first album under their new name on September 25 simply titled JR JR. The band will hit the road in support of the album this fall and will come to the Triangle.

They'll play the Haw River Ballroom in Saxapahaw on Halloween, Saturday, October 31. Tickets are on sale now via Ticketfly for $15.

Check out the single "Gone" from the new album JR JR below.

Blitzen Trapper announces new album 'All Across This Land," fall tour

Portland folk rockers Blitzen Trapper will release their eighth full-length album on October 2 titled All Across This Land and they'll hit the road on a big North American tour this fall in support.

The tour will come to the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro on Friday, October 16. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 24, via Ticketfly for $17.

Check out the song "Lonesome Angel" from All Cross This Land below.

Sam Smith postpones Raleigh concert, new date announced

British superstar Sam Smith was set to serenade Raleigh's PNC Arena with his smooth, soulful voice on Thursday night, July 23, but the venue announced earlier today that the show has been postponed.

Smith posted on Facebook that the postponement is due to needing more rest following vocal cord surgery earlier this year. Check out his full statement below. PNC Arena is encouraging folks to hold on to their tickets because a new date is expected to be announced soon.

So far no other dates on the current tour have been postponed or canceled, including the show scheduled for Friday, July 24. We'll have more info on the PNC Arena show as it becomes available.

UPDATE: This concert has been rescheduled for Tuesday, October 6. Tickets originally purchased for the July 23 date will be honored with no exchange necessary.

Minus the Bear announces 'Menos El Oso' anniversary tour

Seattle indie rockers Minus the Bear are celebrating the tenth anniversary of their album Menos El Oso this fall with a deluxe reissue of the album as well as a tour where they'll play the album in its entirety each night.

The tour will come to the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro on Wednesday, November 4. O'Brother and Aero Flynn will open. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 24, via Ticketfly for $23.

A release date for the Menos El Oso reissue has not been released yet, but check out a stream of the original release of the album below.

See Gulls Celebrate 'You Can't See Me' EP at King's Barcade

All photos by Justin Weber

Despite a meager selection of recorded tracks, See Gulls has built a rabid local fan base with magnetic live performances and immediately memorable songs. Now fans can take a little bit more of the band with them on the go.

The You Can’t See Me EP sandwiches three newly recorded tracks between the songs everybody knows and loves: “You Can’t See Me” and “Don’t Write Me Love Songs.” This new collection will still leave fans clamoring for more as there’s not a bad moment in any of these 5 tracks.

Jason Isbell extends 'Something More Than Free' tour

Singer-songwriter Jason Isbell just released his fifth full-length studio album on Friday titled Something More Than Free and he has extended his 2015 tour plans into the fall to include a Triangle date.

Isbell will play the Durham Performing Arts Center on Thursday, November 19. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 24, via the venue box office and Ticketmaster for $39.50 to $45. The venue and Ticketmaster pre-sales will begin at 10 a.m. on Thursday, July 23.

Check out Isbell performing the title track from Something More Than Free for KUTX a few weeks ago below.

Born Ruffians announces new album 'RUFF,' fall tour

Canadian rockers Born Ruffians have just announced that they will release their fourth full-length album RUFF on October 2 via Yep Roc Records and the band will hit the road on a big North American tour this fall.

The band will play the Cat's Cradle Back Room in Carrboro on Wednesday, November 4. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 17, via Ticketfly for $10.

Check out the manic song "We Made It" from RUFF below.

Glen Hansard announces new solo album 'Didn't He Ramble,' fall tour

Singer-songwriter Glen Hansard, best known for starring in and writing and performing the music for the 2007 film Once, will release a new solo album this fall titled Didn't He Ramble. He'll hit the road on a North American tour staring in November that will bring him to the Triangle

Hansard will play the Durham Performing Arts Center on Friday, November 27. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 17, via the venue box office and Ticketmaster for $30.50 to $50.50. A fan pre-sale began today, July 15, via Ticketmaster with the password WINNINGSTREAK.

Check out the music video for the song "Winning Streak" from Didn't He Ramble below.

Moogfest is moving to Durham in May

Next spring the acclaimed music festival Moogfest will be making their long-rumored move from the Moog Music company's hometown of Asheville to the Triangle, specifically Durham.

The 2016 festival will take place at various venues and other spaces around Durham on May 19-22. More details will be announced as the date draws closer.

A limited number of early bird pre-sale tickets were made available for $99 but have already sold out. When the passes officially go on sale on Monday, October 12, the cost will be double, $200. They'll be on sale HERE.

Johnny Irion preps U.S. Elevator debut album, announces fall tour

Singer-songwriter Johnny Irion, best known as part of a duo with his wife Sarah Lee Guthrie, will release the debut album of his new project, a rock band called U.S. Elevator. Their self-titled debut will be out on September 15 and they'll tour in support of it this fall.

U.S. Elevator will play the Cat's Cradle Back Room in Carrboro on Friday, September 18. Tickets are on sale via Ticketfly for $10.

Check out U.S. Elevator's single, "Dangerous Love," released a few months ago below.

Vacationer announces 2015 fall tour

Up and coming indie rock band Vacationer released their acclaimed sophomore full-length album Relief last year and they will be hitting the road again this fall on a North American tour in support of it.

The band will play the Cat's Cradle Back Room in Carrboro on Saturday, September 19. Great Good Fine OK will open. Tickets are on sale now via Ticketfly for $13.

Check out Vacationer performing the song "The Wild Life" in Brooklyn for BalconyTV below.

New music from Phil Cook - "1922"

As we first mentioned last month, singer-songwriter Phil Cook has a new solo album due out on September 11 titled Southland Mission. After releasing the song "Great Tide" with the initial album announcement last month, a second track from the album is now available to preview.

The song is Cook's take on the Charlie Parr tune "1922." Stream the upbeat track below.

Cook will play the Hopscotch Music Festival at the Fletcher Opera Theater on Thursday, September 10. Tickets for the festival are on sale HERE.

Merge Records to release The Clientele's 'best of' collection in September

English indie pop band The Clientele haven't released a new album since the 2010 mini-album Minotaur, but the band has played a handful of shows, including the Merge 25 Festival in Carrboro last summer (see photos and a review HERE).

After reissuing their debut album Suburban Light as part of the Merge anniversary reissue series last year, the group will once again look back with a brand new best of collection. Alone and Unreal: The Best of The Clientele will be released by Merge Records on September 4 and will include songs from each of the band's five albums as well as one new song, "On a Summer Trail."

Kodaline announces fall 2015 tour, coming to Carrboro

Irish rockers Kodaline released their sophomore full-length album Coming Up for Air earlier this year and the band will be coming stateside for a North American tour this fall.

The band will play the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro on Saturday, September 19. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 10, via Ticketfly for $20.

Check out the music video for "Ready" starring actor Christopher Mintz-Plasse, aka McLovin, from the album Coming Up for Air below.

Colin Hay announce 2016 dates, coming to Durham

Scottish Australian singer-songwriter Colin Hay is spending the summer out on the Last Summer on Earth tour with Barenaked Ladies, which just stopped in Raleigh on July 4, and Hay has just announced some 2016 dates that will bring him here on his own this winter.

He'll play the Carolina Theatre in Durham on Thursday, February 11. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 10, via the venue box office and Ticketmaster for $26 to $52. The venue pre-sale will begin at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, July 8.

Hay just released a new album earlier this year titled Next Year People. Check out Hay performing the title track from the album for the podcast Comedy Bang! Bang! below.

Jesse Malin announces 2015 summer tour

New York singer-songwriter Jesse Malin released a new album earlier this year titled New York Before the War and he is hitting the road on a short summer tour in support of it.

Malin will play the Pour House in Raleigh on Thursday, July 23. Richard Bacchus and The Luckiest Girls and Don DiLego will open. Tickets are on sale now via Ticketfly for $8.

Check out the music video for "Turn Up the Mains" from New York Before the War below.

Water Liars announce summer tour, coming to Durham

Mississippi band Water Liars are heading back out on the road this summer for a new round of tour dates in support of their self-titled album released last year and they'll return to the Triangle.

The band will play The Pinhook in Durham on Wednesday, August 26. Tickets are on sale now via Ticketfly for $8.

Check out the band perform the song "Ray Charles Dream" from their self-titled album in Austin earlier this year below.