New old music from Superchunk - "Born to Run" (Bruce Springsteen cover)

The 40th anniversary of Bruce Springsteen's classic 1975 album Born to Run was earlier this week and local indie rock icons Superchunk dug up a live cover of the album's title track to mark the occasion.

Their version of "Born to Run" was recorded in 2000 when Superchunk was on tour with ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead and Crooked Fingers. They closed each show with everyone on stage covering the song, including Eric Bachmann playing Clarence Clemons' classic saxophone solo. Check out it below.

Mac McCaughan of Superchunk will be playing the Hopscotch Music Festival in a couple of weeks. His set will be at the Lincoln Theatre at 9:30 on Thursday, September 10.

John Vanderslice and Crooked Fingers charm Kings Barcade

Photos by Justin Weber

John Vanderslice and Crooked Fingers kicked off a 3 week tour together with a fun and friendly show to a small crowd at Kings Barcade in Raleigh Tuesday night.

Vanderslice opened the show by praising the quality of the backstage food and then proved his point by bringing out a giant bowl of kale to share with the audience. He played solo most of the night, but the gentle crunching of crispy kale from the audience provide some light percussion throughout the show.

Vanderslice paused between each song to tell stories and converse with the audience. Before “Convict Lake” he explained that the song was about the time he took too much acid and woke up in a hospital. He talked about the dangers of a rigid concept before singing “Scorpio Rising,” a song from a collaboration he did with John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats.

Crooked Fingers & John Vanderslice announce fall tour

Two incredible singer-songwriters, Erich Bachmann (Crooked Fingers) and John Vanderslice, will team up for a fall tour that will kick off in the Triangle.

The bands will play Kings Barcade in Raleigh on Tuesday, October 30. Tickets will go on sale at noon on Friday, August 10 via Etix for $15.

Check out a video of Crooked Fingers performing "Your Apocalypse" from their latest album Breaks in the Armor in a bowling alley at Google below. Also, check out a video of John Vanderslice performing "Convict Lake" from his latest album White Wilderness on KEXP.

Crooked Fingers, Annuals, Tres Chicas & more playing free Raleigh concert series

A new free concert series is coming to downtown Raleigh every other Thursday this summer. The series is called OC7 and will feature three bands performing in City Plaza starting on May 31 with Tres Chicas, Antique Firearms and Saints Apollo.

Headliners for the rest of the shows are Katharine Whalen and Her Fascinators, I Was Totally Destroying It, Annuals, Hobex and Big Daddy Love. Check out the full lineup below, which still has a few missing acts, including the headliner on July 12. We'll let you know once the lineup has been updated to fill those holes.

[UPDATE: Crooked Fingers, Once and Future Kings and The Dune Dogs have been added to the lineup, filling all of the TBA spots.]

Check out more information about Oak City 7, including stage schedules, HERE.

Lambchop plays mellow set for packed Motorco crowd

All photos by Kevin Norris

Enduring Nashville indie band Lambchop rolled into Motor Music Hall in Durham on Saturday night in support of their eleventh studio album Mr. M, released in February (check out the album review HERE).

The show was more subdued than their recent Triangle gigs. The five-piece band kicked things off with a laid back version of "Give It" before launching into a set of mostly songs from Mr. M. "If Not I'll Just Die," 2B2" and "Gone Tomorrow" were highlights from the set, though the band painted a lush soundscape on every song.

Win tickets to Lambchop and Crooked Fingers at Motorco

Merge Records labelmates Lambchop and Crooked Fingers are teaming up for a show at Motorco Music Hall in Durham on Saturday, April 14, with Lambchop touring in support of their latest, Mr. M, and Crooked Fingers wrapping up a set of dates supporting their 2011 release, Breaks in the Armor.

For the chance to win a pair of tickets to Saturday's show, email trianglemusiccontests at gmail dot com with "Lambchop tickets" in the subject line no later than noon on Thursday, April 12. We will select and notify a winner that afternoon. One entry per person, please.

Tickets to the show are $12 in advance and $15 day of, and are available here.

Lambchop announces 'Mr. M' tour, coming to Durham

Photo by Bill Steber

The excellent unclassifiable Nashville band Lambchop are hitting the road this spring in support of their new album Mr. M, due out on February 21 via Merge Records.

The second date of the tour will bring the band to Motorco Music Hall in Durham on Saturday, April 14. Tickets are on sale now at the venue and HERE for $12.

[UPDATE: Making the bill phenomenal, Crooked Fingers has been added as the opener.]

Crooked Fingers playing Raleigh in January with Mount Moriah

Photo by Justin Evans

After a fantastic set at the Cat's Cradle in October celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Orange County Social Club and the release of Breaks in the Armor (check out a review and photos HERE), Crooked Fingers will play a proper headlining set in the Triangle in early 2012.

The band will play Kings Barcade in Raleigh on Friday, January 6. Mount Moriah will open the show. Tickets are on sale now via Etix for $10.

Stream or download the song "Typhoon" from Breaks in the Armor below.

Crooked Fingers rocks Orange County Social Club's anniversary bash

All photos by Kevin Norris

Eric Bachmann brought his band Crooked Fingers to the Cat's Cradle on Saturday night, not only to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Orange County Social Club, but also to celebrate the release of their new album, Breaks in the Armor.

Even though it was the first show of the band's new tour, they sounded tight. Liz Durrett complimented Bachmann's vocals fantastically, especially when she shared lead on the duet "Sleep All Summer."

Album Review: Crooked Fingers - Breaks in the Armor

Crooked Fingers’ Breaks in the Armor is Eric Bachmann’s most natural record under the moniker and sounds like the product of truly honest song writing.

On this album, Bachmann isn’t experimenting with new sounds or styles; he’s embracing everything he’s done so far. The result is an organic mix that resists easy classification, but it feels like Breaks in the Armor is a singer/songwriter approach to indie rock.

Orange County Social Club to celebrate 10th anniversary with Crooked Fingers, Benji Hughes & more

To celebrate their tenth anniversary, the Carrboro bar and hangout Orange County Social Club will be a week of events this October, culminating in two nights of music at the Cat's Cralde.

The Cradle gigs will be on October 14 and 15 and feature Crooked Fingers, Benji Hughes, David Bazan, Gross Ghost, The Ghost of Rock, The Toddlers, Kerbloki, Seven Bridges for the Meatwagon and The Dogwoods (featuring members of Mandolin Orange, The Light Pines, the Tomahawks and Ryan Gustafson). Check out the lineup for each night below.

Crooked Fingers rejoin Merge Records, new album in October

If the hive of activity surrounding the Archers of Loaf reunion tour and re-release of Icky Mettle in August wasn't enough, Eric Bachmann is returning to his main recording project Crooked Fingers this fall.

Merge Records will release the new Crooked Fingers album Breaks in the Armor on October 11. The album was recorded in Athens, GA, which Eric Bachmann now calls home. The album's 11 songs will feature backing vocals by singer-songwriter Liz Durrett.

Check out a trailer for the album below, which features a new song and beautiful shots of Bachmann and Durrett along along a stretch of rural highway.

Crooked Fingers announces December dates, coming to Chapel Hill

Photo by Gary Isaacs

Crooked Fingers, led by singer songwriter Eric Bachman, has been busy working on a follow-up to his last full-length, 2008's Forfeit/Fortune, which is supposed to complete by the end of the year. In the meantime though, Crooked Fingers are hitting the road for a short east coast tour in December.

The tour will kick off in at Local 506 in Chapel Hill on Wednesday, Dec. 8. Tickets will go on sale soon via etix for $12. The excellent Mount Moriah will open the show.

[UPDATE: Cotton Jones has been added to the bill. Check out a review of their latest album Tall Hours in the Glowstream here.]

Duke's 'Music in the Gardens' series returns with killer shows

Last year's summer concert series at Duke University's Duke Gardens was one of the best parts of the summer. It featured shows by Portastatic, Bowerbirds and Les Savy Fav among others. This year, organizer Aaron Greenwald has stepped things up for the "Music in the Gardens" series booking a slew of great performers including The Rosebuds, Thad Cockrell, The Love Language, Eric Bachmann, Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey, Alina Simone, Megafaun and others. Check out the list of performers and dates below.

Tickets for each show will be $10 for the public $5 for Duke employees and free for Duke students and children under 12. Each show is scheduled to start at 7 pm.

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