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.

Listen to Teenage Fanclub perform on the Dinner Party Download

Teenage Fanclub at Merge 25
Photo by Kevin Norris

As all of the Merge 25 hoopla was going on a couple of weeks ago you may have read about some Merge dignitaries recording an episode of Dinner Party Download at the Nightlight with Teenage Fanclub as the house band (check out our account of the event HERE).

The performances by Teenage Fanclub are now available to stream and in addition to the classic "Everything Flows" you can also check out their cover of "Doledrums" by The Chills. The full episode is not available yet but we'll let you know when it is.

Merge just reissued Teenage Fanclub's albums Man-Made and Shadows on vinyl earlier this week.

Mark Eitzel & Stephin Merritt play final Merge 25 show

Stephin Merritt at XX Merge in 2009
Photo by Kevin Norris

Even though Neutral Milk Hotel wrapped the big four-day Merge 25 festival on Saturday night, there was still one more anniversary show on the schedule which brought two phenomenal singer-songwriters to Baldwin Auditorium, Stephin Merritt and Mark Eitzel.

Eitzel was up first and got off to a rocky start when he reached the stage, started setting up his tuner and cables and he realized he had left his guitar downstairs. While his pedal steel player ran down to get it, he was awkward but charming as he talked to the crowd.

Merge 25 Day 4: Caribou, Neutral Milk Hotel

All photos by Kevin Norris

The sounds emanating from the Cat's Cradle parking lot shifted dramatically on Saturday evening as the Merge 25 festival's penultimate act took the stage.

As the four members of Caribou dressed in all white and grouped around the center of the stage launched into "Leave House," the festival was transformed into a dance party.

Dan Snaith stood at the front of the cluster leading the band with samples, vocals and drumming. They hit their new single "Can't Do It Without You" from their new Merge album Our Love along the way.

Merge 25 Day 4: Bob Mould, Teenage Fanclub

All photos by Kevin Norris

Kicking off the second half of Saturday's big outdoor party was indie rock icon Bob Mould with Jason Narducy on bass (his second performance of Merge 25) and Jon Wurster on drums (his third performance of Merge 25.

The band hit the ground running with "The Descent," "Little Glass Pill" and the oh-so-catchy "I Don't Know You Anymore." The entire set was high energy, turned up to eleven and incredibly melodic. The band rolled through a few more songs from Mould's latest album Beauty & Ruin before jumping back to the Husker Du days for "Hardly Getting Over It."

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.

Merge 25 Day 4: Vertical Scratchers and The Love Language

All photos by Kevin Norris

With a giant stage positioned on the west end of the Cat’s Cradle parking lot and enough volume to be heard anywhere in Carrboro, the outdoor portion of Merge’s 25th anniversary festival, hosted by comedian Margaret Cho, definitely had the feel of a big time music fest.

Vertical Scratchers were the first band to take the stage around 1 p.m. while the crowd continued to trickle in. With the temperature climbing into the 90s and decibels punishing in close proximity, most of the early crowd gathered in shaded areas toward the back of the parking lot.

Merge 25 Night 3: Wye Oak, Destroyer

All photos by Kevin Norris

The penultimate act of night three of Merge 25 was Wye Oak, the formidable duo that just five years ago at XX Merge were relative newcomers to the Merge family and who had just released their sophomore album The Knot. The band returned to celebrate their second Merge anniversary showing off their incredible growth as songwriters and musicians.

Jenn Wasner skipped onto the stage giddily and then they launched into "Before" from their latest album and hit the crowd with one fantastic song after another. While the new music sounds incredible live, there is still the undeniable ferociousness of the song "Holy Holy" that landed in the middle of the set and followed by "Glory."

Merge 25 Night 3: David Kilgour and The Heavy Eights, The Mountain Goats

All photos by Kevin Norris

Friday night continued on with one of the heaviest bands currently on the Merge roster or, at least, that’s what they sounded like during their performance.

David Kilgour and the Heavy Eights brought a wall of sound and an aggression to their performance that was surprising and energetic. It continued the trend at Merge 25 of bands that may sound lighter on their records, but were really bringing it for the festival.

Merge 25 Night 3: Hospitality, Imperial Teen

All photos by Kevin Norris

Friday night at Merge 25 was a showcase of some of the reasons the label has been successful: variety, quality, and bands that don’t fit into a cookie cutter mold.

Hospitality kicked off the night at the Cat’s Cradle. The Brooklyn band often sounds delicate and coy on their records and was anything but on stage in Carrboro. Live, the songs had a lot of power to them, but didn’t lose any of the catchiness that has made the band a critical darling.

Merge 25 live on the Dinner Party Download

Friday’s Merge 25 activities kicked off with something unique: the world’s sweatiest live podcast taping.

Dinner Party Download hosts Rico Gagliano and Brendan Newnam arrived on-stage to an unexpectedly large crowd at the Nightlight in Chapel Hill. Originally, the plan was to have a seated audience, but upon seeing the long line of fans stretching down the alley, the chairs were removed and the taping took on the feeling of an indie rock show. The air was thick and the heat constantly built up, but the show’s humor was not stifled.

Merge 25 Night 2: Reigning Sound, Superchunk

All photos by Kevin Norris

The Reigning Sound were the penultimate band to hit the Cradle stage on night two of Merge 25 and even though they had a set plagued with technical issues, mostly revolving around Greg Cartwright's guitar, they still rock and rolled.

The band opened with "North Cackalacky Girl" from their new album Shattered. They also played "Never Coming Home" and "Falling Rain" the album. They also played an awesome version of "Stop and Think It Over" from Cartwright's old band Compulsive Gamblers. The band sounded great even if Cartwright did say at one point during the set, "Seriously, we're a pretty good band. Check us out next time."

Merge 25 Night 2: The Clientele, The Rock*A*Teens

All photos by Kevin Norris

As night two of Merge 25 pressed on the recently revived London band The Clientele took the stage as a trio to share their dreamy, reverb-soaked, melancholy pop with the packed Cat's Cradle crowd.

The band stuck to their first three albums for their Merge 25 set, kicking things off with "We Could Walk Together" and the always excellent "Since K Got Over Me." Though the band's music is quite mellow, some of the band's fans are pretty intense. One person in the crowd yelled out between songs, "Make more records." The band sounded as solid as ever as they rolled through their set with seeming ease as if their four-year hiatus had never been.

Merge 25 Night 2: Eleanor Friedberger, Telekinesis

All photos by Kevin Norris

The second night of the Merge 25 festival kicked off at the Cat's Cradle on Thursday with a solo set from singer-songwriter (and occasional Late Night with Seth Myers 8G Band member) Eleanor Friedberger with a stripped down solo set of songs from her two Merge solo albums, Last Summer and Personal Record.

Other than the occasional drum loop or sample, the set was just Friedberger's voice and guitar which made for an intimate performance. "Early Earthquake" and "Stare at the Sun" were standouts of the set. As a request taken before the set, she played the Fiery Furnaces song "Benton Harbor Blues."

As she reached the end of "My Mistakes" the members of Telekinesis appeared on stage to join her for a killer version of "Roosevelt Island." It was a shame they only joined her for the one song but it was great while it lasted.

Merge 25 Night 1: Lambchop, Mount Moriah, William Tyler

The big Merge 25th anniversary festival kicked off last night with a trio of mellower Merge acts in the recently renovated Baldwin Auditorium on Duke University's East Campus.

Soft-spoken guitarist William Tyler let his guitars do the talking as he kicked things off with a short yet stunning set featuring four of his guitar pieces including a new one dubbed "Going Clear." The big room complemented his beautiful playing adding fullness to the acoustic pieces and a wall of sound to the electric pieces, particularly the final song "Tears and Saints." He expressed his appreciation to Merge Records and noted that the Triangle has become a home away from home, particularly in recent years.

Photos: Merge Records' Unbelievable Things art exhibit opens in Chapel Hill with Shark Quest

All photos by Kevin Norris

On Friday night an exhibit of artwork featured in Merge Records' releases over the label's 25 year history opened at the LIGHT Art+Design gallery in Chapel Hill. Local instrumental band Shark Quest was there to kick off the three week run.

Check out photos of Shark Quest's first set at the event on Friday as well as photos of small sampling of some the art on display below. Be sure to stop by the gallery to check out the exhibit before it ends. It will be on display through Saturday, August 9.

Win tickets to see Neutral Milk Hotel, Caribou, Teenage Fanclub & more at Merge 25

Merge Records' 25th anniversary festivities may have begun months ago, but we are finally just two weeks from the main event: the Merge 25 Festival.

Thanks to the fine folks at Merge Records, we have a pair of tickets to give away to the outdoor party on Saturday, July 26. The concert will be hosted by Margaret Cho and feature Neutral Milk Hotel, Caribou, Teenage Fanclub, Bob Mould, Mikal Cronin, Ex Hex, The Love Language, and Vertical Scratchers

Enter through the Rafflecopter widget below by noon on Monday, July 14. We will select and notify one winner that afternoon. If you don't win, fear not. Tickets to Saturday's event are still available via Ticketfly for $65.

Flesh Wounds to play Merge 25 afterparty in Durham

Photo by David Winton

After Lambchop, Mount Moriah and William Tyler kick off the Merge 25 Festival with a sold out show at Baldwin Auditorium in Durham on Wednesday, July 23, the party will continue with an afterparty at Motorco Music Hall.

The show will start at 11 p.m. and feature a set by local rockers Flesh Wounds as well as a DJ set from Greg Cartwright of the Reigning Sound. Folks with four-day festival passes will get into the event for free as space allows. The public can also get tickets at the door for $5.

Check out the song "Bitter Boy," released on a 7" by Merge Records earlier this year, below.

Merge Records to showcase album art with Chapel Hill exhibit

Continuing a big year of 25th anniversary festivities, Merge Records has announced a new exhibit showcasing original artwork featured on the label's many releases from the past 25 years dubbed Unbelievable Things: 25 Years of Art on Merge Records.

The exhibit will run from July 18 to August 9 at LIGHT Art + Design at 601 W. Rosemary Street in Chapel Hill, NC. It will feature art from albums by Superchunk, Lambchop, Arcade Fire, Spoon and more than 40 other bands.

An opening reception will be held on Friday, July 18 from 6 to 9 p.m. and will feature a performance by Shark Quest. It is a free event that is open to the public.

Merge 25 Festival adds free day parties in Carrboro

The big Merge 25 Festival kicks off in exactly a month and while tickets are sold out for the Thursday and Friday night shows at the Cat's Cradle, the label has just added a few outdoor day parties behind the club at the Orange County Social Club on those days.

The shows will be from 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 24, and Friday, July 25, at the Orange County Social Club. Amor de Días and Hiss Golden Messenger will play Thursday and Radar Brothers and Saint Rich will play Friday.

Tickets are still available HERE for the show on Wednesday, July 23, at Baldwin Auditorium in Durham featuring Lampchop, Mount Moriah and William Tyler. Tickets are also available HERE for the big Saturday, July 26, outdoor show in Carrboro hosted by Margaret Cho featuring Neutral Milk Hotel, Caribou, Teenage Fanclub, Bob Mould, Mikal Cronin, Ex Hex, The Love Language and The Music Tapes.