Merge Records & Chaz's Bull City Records team up for Record Store Day event

With Record Store Day just over a month away (it's on April 18 this year) all the details of this year's event are starting to spill out. What will definitely end up being one of the biggest events in the Triangle will be happening at Chaz's Bull City Records in Durham in partnership with Merge Records.

The store will host a big outdoor event on April 18 featuring performances by Merge artists Ex Hex, Mac McCaughan and William Tyler. The festivities will being at 3 p.m. The event will be broadcast live on WXDU and will be available afterwards via NYCTaper. Lagunitas Brewing Company will be on site serving up brews and donations for the Durham Public Schools will be accepted.

Merge Records shares videos, photos from Merge 25

Photo by Kevin Norris

The Merge 25 Festival in Carrboro was easily one of the highlights of the year in the Triangle this past summer, and now the the label has shared a bunch of photos and videos from the four-day festival for folks to enjoy.

Head HERE to check out tons of media and you can even stream the videos via the embedded players below.

And in case you missed any of our coverage of the festival earlier this year you can check out tons of photos and reviews HERE.

Ex Hex announces winter tour, coming to Raleigh

D.C. rockers Ex Hex have only been a band since last year but in a short amount of time they've worked and toured practically non-stop. They released their debut album Rips earlier this year (check out the album review HERE) and are heading back out on the road on a southern tour in January.

The band will return to the Triangle to play Kings in Raleigh on Saturday, January 3. Birds of Avalon  and See Gulls will open. Tickets are on sale now via Etix for $10.

The band recently performed on Late Night with Seth Meyers. Check out their performances of "Don't Wanna Lose" and "Hot and Cold" from the show below.

Album Review: Ex Hex - Rips

Ex Hex are here to have a good time and they don’t care if anybody joins them or not.

The first album, Rips, from the trio of Mary Timony, Betsey Wright and Laura Harris is 35 minutes of white hot punk and glam-inpired rock and it’s mostly nostalgia free. Ex Hex doesn’t sound like a band that’s paying tribute.

At first, it’s hard to hear past the historic sounds, but with each listen it melts away. After a while, you don’t hear The New York Dolls or Buzzcocks. You hear Timony singing — actually singing — for the first time. You hear Write's rambunctious bass lines. You hear Harris’ razor sharp rhythms on drums (“New Kid” in particular showcases Harris as a total badass behind the kit). You start to hear a band honestly expressing their idea of fun.

Ex Hex & Speedy Ortiz to play Pinhook sixth anniversary show

Photo by Jonah Takagi

Next month The Pinhook in Durham will mark its sixth anniversary and to celebrate they'll host a big show featuring Washington DC rockers and Merge Records artist Ex Hex as well as Massachusetts indie rockers Speedy Ortiz.

The bands will play the downtown Durham club on Friday, November 7. Tickets are on sale now via Ticketfly for $12.

Check out the song "Beast" from Ex Hex's newly released debut album Rips below.

Hopscotch Music Festival announces 2014 day parties

The 2014 Hopscotch Music Festival is just three weeks away and the festival has just announced their annual series of day parties, kickoff parties, after-parties and whatnot. Bands will be playing venues all around downtown Raleigh from Wednesday, September 3, through Sunday, September 7.

Among the big list of performers are Mary Lattimore and Thurston Moore, Ex Hex, Spider Bags, Lilac Shadows, Schooner, Gross Ghost, Pipe, Chris Stamey, Caitlin Cary, Hammer No More the Fingers, T0W3RS, Loamlands, Whatever Brains and so many more. Check our schedule HERE.

The Julie Ruin, Ex Hex & Mount Moriah to play Girls Rock benefit

This fall a trio of great female led bands will converge on Carrboro to play the ten year anniversary celebration of Girls Rock NC and to raise money for the organization.

The Julie Ruin, featuring Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill, Ex Hex, and Mount Moriah will play the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro on Saturday, October 4. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, August 12, via Ticketfly for $27.

In addition to the show at the Cat's Cradle there will also be interactive camp experiences/workshops, a screening of The Punk Singer and an alumni showcase at the ArtsCenter. There will also be a post-show dance part at The Station. Learn more HERE.

Merge 25 Day 4: Ex Hex, Mikal Cronin

All photos by Kevin Norris

The second quarter of Merge 25’s outdoor show began with a needed breeze and some brief cloud cover rolling in. Ex Hex took the stage with host Margaret Cho to take a photo with the crowd in the background before performing songs off of their anticipated debut record, Rips, coming out this fall on Merge.

Mary Timony, Betsy Wright, and Laura Harris are already in excellent form. Wright and Timony play off each well on stage and are clearly having a ton of fun in this new group.

Ex Hex releasing debut album this fall, share "Don't Wanna Lose"

Breakout power trio Ex Hex, led by Mary Timony of Helium and Wild Flag, released their debut 7" earlier this year and now they're gearing up for the release of their debut full-length.

Merge Records will release Rips on October 7. The album was recorded with Mitch Easter in North Carolina and with Jonah Takagi in the basement of Mary's home. Check out the song "Don't Wanna Lose" from the album below.

Ex Hex will play there Merge 25 Festival in Carrboro on Saturday, July 26, with Neutral Milk Hotel, Caribou, Teenage Fanclub, Bob Mould, Mikal Cronin, The Love Language and Vertical Scratchers. Tickets are available via Ticketfly for $65.

First Merge 25 Festival acts announced, Neutral Milk Hotel, Bob Mould, The Clientele, Lambchop & more

We've been talking about the Merge Records 25th anniversary festivities for the last few months with the regular announcements of deluxe reissues from the Merge catalog and the 25K road race happening this Saturday, March 22, but now the big news is starting to emerge. The label had already announced that the big festival celebrating their anniversary would take place in Carrboro (and also Durham) on July 23-26, but now we have the first band announcements and other details to share.

The festival will include Neutral Milk Hotel, The Clientele, Wye Oak, Caribou, Lambchop performing Nixon, The Rock*A*Teens, Bob Mould, Ex Hex and many more yet to be announced. The first night, July 23, will be at the newly renovated Baldwin Auditorium on Duke's campus in Durham, and then July 24-25 will be at the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro. The final day, Saturday, July 26, will be a full day of music outdoors in Carrboro (outdoors is all we've got right now but it certainly bodes well for the possibility of big names).

Ex Hex announces spring tour, stop in Durham

One of the latest additions to the Merge Records family, DC-based Ex Hex, has announced a big tour for March, including the group's first stop in the Triangle.

The trio will play The Pinhook in Durham on Friday, March 7. Tickets are available now via Ticketfly for $10.

Ex Hex is slated to release a full-length album later in 2014. We'll bring you those details once they're available.

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.