Rhiannon Giddens announces big 2015 tour

Carolina Chocolate Drop Rhiannon Giddens is set to break out on her own with the release of her new solo album on Tuesday, February 10,  titled Tomorrow Is My Turn. Starting in March she'll set out on a big tour in support of it that will keep her busy all spring.

First she'll play a big show at the Carolina Theatre in Durham on Thursday, April 2. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, February 13, via the venue box office and Ticketmaster starting at $25.

Then on Tuesday, June 2, Giddens will perform solo at the NCS Benefit at Meymandi Concert Hall in Raleigh with Brandford Marsalis and Friends. Additional details for this show are not available yet.

Boyz II Men to play with NC Symphony again in June

R&B group Boyz II Men came to Raleigh to play with the North Carolina Symphony in the spring of 2013 and the experience must have been pretty good because they're going to do it again next summer.

Boyz II Men and the symphony will once again play Meymandi Concert Hall in Raleigh on Wednesday, June 24. Tickets are on sale now via the Duke Energy Center box office and Ticketmaster for $38 to $89.

Boyz II Men just released a new album in October titled Collide. Check out the music video for "Losing Sleep" from the album below.

Trampled By Turtles announces December tour, coming to Raleigh

Photo by Zoran Orlic

Minnesota indie folk band Trampled By Turtles released their seventh studio album a few months back titled Wild Animals and they have just announced a short run of shows in December in support of it.

The band will play Meymandi Concert Hall in Raleigh on Thursday, December 11. Nikki Lane will open. Tickets are on sale now via the Duke Energy Center box office and Ticketmaster for $27.50.

Check out the music video for the title track from the new album Wild Animals below.

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.

Boyz II Men to perform with the NC Symphony

1990s R&B superstars Boyz II Men will be bringing their smooth, sexy sounds to the Triangle in the spring for a special performance with the North Carolina Symphony.

The group will perform at Meymandi Concert Hall in Raleigh on Thursday, March 28. Tickets are on sale now via the Progress Energy Center box office and Ticketmaster for $51 to $89 (the $38 balcony seats are already gone).

Check out a video Boyz II Men performing their hit "It's Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra in 2011 below. It's quite a beautiful arrangement.

Bryan Adams extends solo tour, coming to Raleigh

Canadian pop rocker Bryan Adams has extended his Bare Bones solo tour into 2013 and he'll be making a stop in the Triangle.

Adams will bring the tour to the Meymandi Concert Hall at the Progress Energy Center in Raleigh on Tuesday, January 22. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, November 16, via the venue box office and Ticketmaster for $45 to $75.

Check out the hit "Summer of '69" from the 2010 acoustic album Bare Bones via Spotify below.

New music video from Carolina Chocolate Drops - "Country Girl"

The Carolina Chocolate Drops are stepping up their game promoting their latest album Leaving Eden with a new slick music video for the song "Country Girl" which debuted on CMT's website.

The video features some classic southern images to match the lyrics and vibe of the song, but the main scene is the band playing the song to a barn full of gleeful people dancing and having fun. Check it out below.

As always, the Carolina Chocolate Drops have busy tour plans ahead of them, including opening a few DAve Matthews Band shows in the northeast. The band will return home to play a big show at Meymandi Hall in Raleigh on Friday, September 21. Tickets will go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. on Thursday, May 17 via the Progress Energy Center box office and Ticketmaster.

Ben Folds returning to Raleigh with NC Symphony

It's shaping up to be a busy year for Ben Folds. He's in the studio through March with bandmates Robert Sledge and Darren Jessee working on a new Ben Folds Five album, due out as early as this spring with a tour to follow. But before that, the piano meister is returning to the Triangle for a pair of dates with the North Carolina Symphony.

Folds will take the stage with the symphony at Meymandi Concert Hall on March 22 and 23 for what is being advertised as two different concert programs to put an "epic twist" on selections from his 15-year career.

Natalie Merchant to perform with NC Symphony in Raleigh

Photo by Mark Seliger

Singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant is set to come to Raleigh this spring for a special performance with the North Carolina Symphony. They'll perform songs from her latest album Leave Your Sleep as well as other selections from her catalog. The performance is one of only three shows she has scheduled so far this year.

The show will take place at Meymandi Hall at the Progress Energy Center on Tuesday, May 29. Tickets are on sale now via the venue box office and Ticketmaster for $28 to $79.

Merchant was last in the Triangle in August 2010 at DPAC promoting Leave Your Sleep. Check out our review and photos from the show HERE.

Ben Folds slated to play with North Carolina Symphony

Ben Folds will play with the North Carolina Symphony at Meymandi Hall on March 25, according to one of David Menconi's tipsters.

In recent years Folds has played with numerous symphony orchestras, beginning with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra in early 2005. Folds has played Meymandi once before, in March 2006 just before the birth of this blog, but we're certainly excited that the symphony will join him on stage this time.

UPDATE: The show is official and tickets will go on sale Tuesday, Feb. 2, at 10 a.m. here. Folds is working with the symphony's associate conductor Sarah Hicks on the show. He also worked with Hicks at the Minnesota Orchestra, where she is principal conductor of pops and presentations, for a concert last Halloween.

Joshua Bell to play with the NC Symphony in January

Masterful violinist Joshua Bell is set to play a show with the North Carolina Symphony in January. Bell will play Max Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy with the orchestra at the Meymandi Concert Hall in Raleigh on January 14.

I know what you're thinking. That's eight months away. Why should I care now. Well, you can buy pre-sale tickets right now thru June 5 at 5 pm. Go here and enter the pre-sale password VIOLIN. Tickets will run you $70, $60 or $50. The general on sale date for the show is August 17 at 9 am.

I still love the Washington Post experiment in 2007 where Bell played in a DC subway station and went almost completely ignored as he play some of the most difficult classical pieces there are. Check out the article and video here.

Neko Case to tour, play with Crooked Fingers in Raleigh

Indie songstress and New Pornographer Neko Case is set to play Raleigh in April. She'll be touring in support of her forthcoming album Middle Cyclone which will out on March 3 via Anti- Records. Download "People Got a Lotta Nerve" from the album at the bottom of the post.

Case will bring Crooked Fingers (aka Eric Bachmann) with her when she plays Meymandi Hall on April 7. Crooked Fingers just released a new album in October titled Forfeit/Fortune. Check out a track from that album below too.

Tickets for the show will go on sale Friday, January 23 at 10 AM via the Progress Energry Center box office and Ticketmaster for $22 or $25.

This date will accompany more tour dates which haven't been announced yet, but check below for a short list of dates I've been able to find. It's unclear if Crooked Fingers will be out for the entire run but we'll add more dates and info as it comes in.

[UPDATE: More US dates added. Crooked Fingers will open all the dates but Austin, TX.]

[UPDATE 2: Even more US dates added. May and June dates without Crooked Fingers.]

Neko Case - "People Got a Lotta Nerve" (mp3)
Crooked Fingers - "Phony Revelations" (mp3)

Neko Case tour dates:
03.31.09 - Austin, TX - Stubb's BBQ
04.02.09 - Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse [Tickets]
04.03.09 - Savannah, GA - Trustees Theater
04.04.09 - Birmingham, AL - WorkPlay Theatre
04.06.09 - Richmond, VA - Toad's Place
04.07.09 - Raleigh, NC - Meymandi Hall [Tickets]
04.08.09 - Washington D.C. - 9:30 Club
04.09.09 - Washington D.C. - 9:30 Club
04.10.09 - Glenside, PA - Keswick Theatre [Tickets]
04.11.09 - Boston, MA - Berklee Performance Center [Tickets]
04.13.09 - New York, NY - Nokia Theatre [Tickets]
04.14.09 - New York, NY - Nokia Theatre [Tickets]
04.16.09 - Montreal, QC - Le National
04.17.09 - Toronto, ON - Trinity St. Paul's United Church [Tickets]
04.18.09 - Toronto, ON - Trinity St. Paul's United Church [Tickets]
04.20.09 - Ithaca, NY - State Theater of Ithaca
04.22.09 - Charleston, WV - Charleston Civic Center
04.23.09 - Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall [Tickets]
04.24.09 - Chicago, IL - The Chicago Theatre [Tickets]
04.25.09 - Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theater
04.26.09 - Minneapolis, MN - State Theatre [Tickets]

05.28.09 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theatre [Tickets]
05.29.09 - Boulder, CO - Chautauqua Auditorium
05.30.09 - Denver, CO - The Ogden [Tickets]
05.31.09 - Salt Lake City, UT - Red Butte Gardens
06.03.09 - Vancouver, BC - The Vogue [Tickets]
06.04.09 - Seattle, WA - The Paramount
06.05.09 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
06.07.09 - Eugene, OR - MacDonald Theater
06.09.09 - San Francisco, CA - The Warfield [Tickets]
06.12.09 - Los Angeles, CA - The Greek Theatre
06.14.09 - Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Festival

Cheap tickets to see Magnetic Fields at Meymandi

Want to go to The Magnetic Fields show at Meymandi Hall but don't want to pony up the $25 plus fees? If you answered yes, then you're in luck.

The Cat's Cradle is promoting 2-for-1 balcony seats for the show. The tickets actually are listed for $13 and it appears that you don't actually have to buy 2 tickets to get the deal. Yes, TicketBastard is still going to charge a $5.50 convenience charge for tickets, but $18.50 is better than $25 plus.

The special will run until all the balcony seats are sold according to the Cat's Cradle.

The show is at Meymandi Hall in Raleigh this Saturday, October 18. Portastatic will open the show, so get there early, or at least on time.

Ray LaMontagne announces tour to support new album

Soulful softspoken troubadour Ray LaMontagne will release his third album titled Gossip In the Grain on October 14 via RCA Records. LaMontagne will support the album with a North American tour this fall.

Leona Naess will open for LaMontagne on the entire tour. She is also featured on two tracks on Gossip In the Grain.

The tour will include a stop at Meymandi Hall in Raleigh on October 16. Tickets for that show will go on sale to the general public on August 12 at 10AM, but an internet pre-sale begins tomorrow, August 1 at 10AM. Tickets prices will range from $27 to $31 and will be available via the ticket giant.

Listen to the track "Let It Be Me" from Gossip In the Grain here.

Pre-order Gossip In the Grain here.

Ray LaMontagne tour dates with Leona Naess:
Sept 30 - Murat Theatre - Indianapolis, IN
Oct 1 - Chicago Theatre - Chicago, IL
Oct 3 - Union Theatre - Madison, WI
Oct 4 - State Theatre - Minneapolis, MN
Oct 6 - Royal Oak Music Theatre - Royal Oak, MI
Oct 7 - Queen Elizabeth Theatre - Toronto, ON
Oct 9 - Opera House - Boston, MA
Oct 10 - Opera House - Boston, MA
Oct 11 - Radio City Music Hall - New York, NY
Oct 13 - Keswick Theatre - Philadelphia, PA
Oct 14 - The Strathmore Music Center - Washington, DC
Oct 16 - Meymandi Concert Hall - Raleigh, NC
Oct 17 - Bijou Theatre - Knoxville, TN
Oct 18 - The Tabernacle - Atlanta, GA
Oct 19 - Ryman Auditorium - Nashville, TN
Oct 21 - Uptown Theatre - Kansas City, MO
Oct 23 - Verizon Wireless Theatre - Houston, TX
Oct 24 - Majestic Theatre - Dallas, TX
Oct 25 - Paramount Theatre - Austin, TX
Oct 27 - Macky Auditorium - Boulder, CO
Oct 28 - Murray Theatre - Salt Lake City, UT
Oct 30 - Wiltern Theatre - Los Angeles, CA
Nov 1 - Spreckels Theatre - San Diego, CA
Nov 3 - Paramount Theatre - Oakland, CA
Nov 5 - Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall - Portland, OR
Nov 6 - McDonald Theatre - Eugene, OR
Nov 8 - Vogue Theatre - Vancouver, BC
Nov 9 - Marion Oliver McCaw Hall - Seattle, WA

The Magnetic Fields tour US, stop in Raleigh

The Magnetic Fields have announced an 11-show US tour that will include a stop in Raleigh. The band will kick off their US run in Minneapolis on October 10 and stop in Raleigh at Meymandi Hall on October 18. Tickets for the Raleigh show will go on sale to the general public on Friday, July 18 via that bad company that I won't say by name as well as at the Progress Energy Center box office. The fan club pre-sale started Tuesday, July 15.

The Magnetic Fields released their most recent album titled Distortion in January via Nonesuch Records. Check out the first track from the album, "Three-Way," below.

The Magnetic Fields - Three-Way (mp3)

10-10 Minneapolis, MN - State Theatre
10-11 Madison, WI - Capitol Theater at Overture Center for the Arts
10-13 Dallas, TX - The Majestic
10-14 Austin, TX - The Paramount Theater
10-15 Boulder, CO - The Boulder Theater
10-17 Atlanta, GA - Symphony Hall at the Woodruff Arts Center
10-18 Raleigh, NC - Meymandi Concert Hall at Progress Energy Center
10-23 Jersey City, NJ - Loews Jersey Theatre
10-24 Columbus, OH - The Southern Theatre
10-25 Philadelphia, PA - The Merriam Theater
10-26 Washington, DC - Lisner Auditorium at George Washington University

The Swell Season at Meymandi Hall - 05.15.08

The Swell Season (Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová) came prepared to put on a show Thursday night. Not only was it a night of great music, but Glen Hansard puts on a hell of a comedy routine as well.

Glen opened by himself with "Say It To Me Now" played at the edge of the stage with no amplification. I've seen a number of performers do this over the years, but Glen does it the best. You can tell he spent quite a bit of time busking when he was younger.

Oscar winners Hansard and Irglova to play Meymandi

Congratulations to Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova who literally just won an Academy Award for their song "Falling Slowly" in the film.

Nothing against the movie "Enchanted," but it's always nice to see actual songwriters and performers win this award. We're still a little bitter that Elliot Smith was beat out in 1998 for that damn Titanic song.

Hansard and Irglova will play Meymandi Concert Hall on May 15 billed as The Swell Season, which is the name of the album they released in 2006 with their award winning song.

Tickets for the show go on sale this Friday, Feb. 29, via Ticketmaster and through the Progress Energy Center box office. A limited number of tickets will also be available (without service charges!!) at Schoolkids in Chapel Hill and at the Cat's Cradle box office.

Here's the Oscar performance.

Country legend Porter Wagoner dies

Country legend Porter Wagoner, 80, died Sunday night in a hospice in Nashville. He was hospitalized earlier this month and at that time it was disclosed that he had lung cancer.

Wagoner had just released a new album, Wagonmaster, in June. The album was produced by Marty Stuart and who also played on the album and wrote/co-wrote some of the songs. Wagoner and Stuart were scheduled to perform in Raleigh at Meymandi Hall on January 10. As soon as we know if the show will be canceled or if Stuart will still play the show, we'll let you know.

Porter Wagoner was a true country legend who stuck to his guns and never sold out. In his memory, we leave you with a video of Wagoner and the Willis Bros. performing "I'll Fly Away."