Superchunk slay sold out Cat's Cradle crowd

All photos by Kevin Norris

Veteran indie rockers Superchunk came back to the Cat's Cradle Friday and played a fiery, 23-song set that blew the roof off of the club.

The band opened with "Learned To Surf" and rolled through a set featuring new songs from Majesty Shredding as well as tons of classics and deeper cuts from the band's more than twenty year career.

The Durham show at Nasher Museum last July was fantastic, but the Cat's Cradle seems to bring out the beast in the band. Mac prowls the stage with fury, repeatedly jumping up on the drum riser and showing off his Pete Townshend windmills.

Album Review: Veelee - The Future Sight

The debut album from Chapel Hill’s Veelee is a clinic in how to use repetition effectively in music.

The repetition begins with the album art of The Future Sight. The same photo is repeated seven times and each time it’s sightly shifted. The sixth and seven repetitions reveal something new: the name of the band and the album.

Veelee’s music unravels itself in a similar way. The seven songs vary nicely from track to track, but all share in the use of repetition. They start with persistent rhythms in the drums and often end in hypnotic, droning vocals. Throughout each song guitar and various percussion instruments augment the listener’s perception ever so slightly.

Mac McCaughan, Phil Cook, Lonnie Walker & more playing arts benefit in Raleigh

Not only is there a benefit show in Durham this weekend, there is also a two-night benefit in Raleigh for the new community education facility dubbed Moving Island. The organization is led by four board members, Chris Riddle (Motor Skills/Old Bricks), Adam Crane, Kelly Crisp (The Rosebuds) and Maria Albani (Schooner/Organos).

The benefit concert, cleverly called Buoyancy Benefit since it's to get the organization afloat, will be at Moving Island, which is located at 804 N. West St. in Raleigh. It will happen on Friday, January 28 starting at 7 p.m. & Saturday, January 29 starting at 3 p.m.

The Mountain Goats, Veelee & Phil Cook bring tidings of comfort & joy to King's

Attracted by a combination of charity, cake, booze, and King’s Barcade’s best lineup since Hopscotch, people packed in to go Brome for the Holidays.

The show opened up with a rare performance by Phil Cook’s one man band, Phil Cook and his Feat. Cook, with guitar in hand and a kick drum at his feet, was calm and patient in his set. His smooth guitar playing combine with his humble demeanor made his music all the more comforting.

When explaining the backstory behind how he first feel in love with the French Christmas carol “Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella,” his excitement to share the music he loves most shone through.

Stuart McLamb offers up his favorite local songs of 2010

Stuart McLamb, the mastermind of The Love Language, has named his favorite songs from the Triangle music scene in 2010. Not only did he pick his favorites, he's made a mixtape available for everyone to download dubbed For Lokals or Street Hitz: Vol. 2.

The download is not individual songs, but the entire list as one 45-minute mp3. Among the songs is "Month of May," not the Arcade Fire song, but a song by Love Language bassist Justin Rodermond's project Beach Body.

There are also songs by The Dirty Little Heaters, Gross Ghost, Last Year's Men, Veelee, Shit Horse and more. Check out the full list of songs below along with the download link.

Win tickets to Caribou at Cat's Cradle this Halloween

Caribou will wrap its international fall tour with a show at Cat's Cradle this Halloween, and we're giving away a pair of tickets to the show.

To win, email trianglemusicblog at gmail dot com with "Caribou tickets" in the subject line no later than Friday, Oct. 22, at 5 p.m. One entry per person, please! We will randomly choose a winner and notify them that evening.

Tickets to the show are $16 in advance via etix and $18 at the door. Veelee will open the show.

September line-up of Local Beer Local Band at Tir Na Nog

Soft Company

September is upon us and the highs are still in the mid-90s, but at least there's a new month of Local Beer Local Band shows at Tir Na Nog to tell you about.

Things get started on Thursday, September 2 with the last Local Beer show booked by series founder Chris Tamplin who will leaving to focus on his new Durham venue called Motorco Music Hall. His final show will feature Soft Company, The Houston Brothers and Darien (check out a review of Darien's EP here).

The following Thursday is the Hopscotch show and the rest of the month will feature Inflowential, Veelee, Luego and more. Check out the September schedule below.

TRKfest 2010 announced with Megafaun, Hammer No More the Fingers and more

With summer on it's way, it's about time for the annual TRKfest, put on by the folks at Trekky Records. This is the event's third year and it is at the usual location, Piedmont Biofuels in Pittsboro. It will take place on Saturday, June 26 and if it happens to rain on that date, the event will be on Sunday, June 27.

This year's line-up includes Megafaun, Hammer No More the Fingers, Mount Moriah and more. Check out the current line-up below, though there will be more performers added later.

Bowerbirds to headline the Cradle in April

A lot of local heavyhitters will headline the Cat's Cradle in the coming months including The Rosebuds and Megafaun. Now, Bowerbirds have joined the Cradle schedule. They'll play the venue on Friday, April 9 with Midtown Dickens and Veelee. Tickets are on sale now for $12 via etix.com.

The band has a few other dates scheduled in February and March. Check them out below. And if for some reason you haven't heard them yet, download the songs "Northern Lights" and "Beneath Your Tree" below from the band's latest album Upper Air.

Max Indian, Roman Candle to headline WKNC's Double Barrel Benefit

Max Indian and Roman Candle are slated to headline WKNC's Double Barrel Benefit at The Pour House next month.The seventh installment of WKNC's two-night bash will be Friday, Feb. 5, and Saturday, Feb. 6.

The headlinders will be joined on stage by The Light Pines, VeeLee, Bellafea, The Tender Fruit, Midtown Dickens and Spider Bags.

Tickets are on sale now through wknc.org and the-pour-house.com for $7. Tickets will be available at the door, though not likely for long, for $9, or you can buy a two-night pass at Schoolkids. The event is 18+ with a $5 surcharge at the door if you're under 21. Doors are at 8pm with music scheduled to begin at 9pm.