All-star lineup to bring Big Star's 'Third' back to the Cradle

Photo by Kevin Norris

Back in 2010 Chris Stamey set out on an ambitious mission to bring Big Star's experimental and incredibly influential album Third to life at the Cat's Cradle with an all-star band and an orchestra. Those lucky enough to witness the shows at the Cradle or the few that happened elsewhere were treated to a truly special evening of music (see a review and photos of the debut night at the Cat's Cradle HERE).

Those who missed out will have another chance next month with an added bonus. This time, Stamey and friends will also perform Big Star's first album, #1 Record, in its entirety. The event is part of the Southern Folklife Festival, which celebrates 25 years of the Southern Folklife Collection at UNC.

Mandolin Orange to play MS benefit in Durham

Local folk/Americana rising stars Mandolin Orange will play a big local show this Friday to raise money for the Eastern NC Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Mandolin Orange, Magnolia Collective, The Dogwoods, and Django Haskins (of The Old Ceremony) will play Motorco Music Hall in Durham on Friday, November 30. Advance tickets are available HERE for $10.

Mandolin Orange played Motorco this summer as part of Duke Performances' Music in the Gardens series. Check out some photos from the show HERE.

Video: Django Haskins sings "Holocaust" from Big Star's 'Third'

While there's another all-star performance of Big Star's Third coming up in New York, the organizers have released a fantastic video of the recent performances in Carrboro and Chapel Hill. It is of the song "Holocaust," fronted fantastically by Django Haskins of The Old Ceremony. Watch the video below.

The bulk of the footage appears to be from the recent show at the Historic Playermakers Theatre in Chapel Hill, but there are shots of the Cat's Cradle shows also used. Check out photos and a review of the first night of the two-night stand at the Cradle HERE.

Check out more info on the upcoming New York show HERE, which in addition to many of the performers from the Carrboro and Chapel Hill shows, will also feature M. Ward, Matthew Sweet, Tift Merritt and more.

Big Star's 'Third' comes to life at the Cat's Cradle

All photos by Kevin Norris

A truly magical event took place Thursday night at the Cat's Cradle. A large crowd gathered at the Carrboro club to see the world premiere performance of the fully orchestra classic album Third / Sister Lovers by Big Star.

With Chris Stamey at helm, a band consisting of Big Star's own Jody Stephens, R.E.M.'s Mike Mills, Mitch Easter, an Ari Picker conducted orchestra and guest vocalists galore, the show was not only a celebration of the amazing music of Big Star, but of the Triangle music scene.

Django Haskins of The Old Ceremony served as master of ceremonies and opened the show with the somber "Nature Boy." The full band came out and launched into the rocker "Kizza Me," and the show rocked on from there.

Hopscotch Day 3: Megafaun presents 'A Seamless Night of Sound'

Megafaun
All photos by Emily Price

Kings Barcade played host to a night of brilliant acts hand selected by Megafaun to open for what would be the band’s final show for quite a while. The night wasn’t really seamless - there were set changes and downtime just like every other venue - but during the sets of the electronic artists, there where no breaks.

The crowd drifted in and out all night. The experimental and patient nature of these artists rewarded those who stayed with an open mind. This wasn’t the type of show to just drop in on.

Things kicked off with Megafaun improvising an ambient tune on stage. Phil Cook was on guitar, Joe Westerlund on drums and Brad Cook operated a laptop and sampler. The resulting song was sparse and open. Some drones came from the sampler, singular guitar notes hung in the hair and the drums were brushed as lightly as possible.