Born Ruffians announces new album 'RUFF,' fall tour

Canadian rockers Born Ruffians have just announced that they will release their fourth full-length album RUFF on October 2 via Yep Roc Records and the band will hit the road on a big North American tour this fall.

The band will play the Cat's Cradle Back Room in Carrboro on Wednesday, November 4. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 17, via Ticketfly for $10.

Check out the manic song "We Made It" from RUFF below.

Chris Stamey releasing new album 'Euphoria' in June

The dB's founder, singer-songwriter, and producer Chris Stamey will release a new solo album on June 2 via Yep Roc Records title Euphoria. The album features 10 new songs, including one song written by Ryan Adams that Adams himself suggested that Stamey record, the album's opening track "Universe-sized Arms."

Stamey recorded the album with the help of Jeff Crawford at Mitch Easter's Fidelitorium studio as well as his own studio, Modern Recording. The song feature a lot of local musicians including Easter, Matt McMichaels, Eric Marshall of Let’s Active, Django Haskins of The Old Ceremony, Tony Stiglitz, F.J. Ventre, and Wes Lachot along with Norman Blake of Teenage Fanclub and Pat Sansone of Wilco.

Mandolin Orange to release new album 'Such Jubilee' in May

Local folk duo Mandolin Orange have just announced that they will release a new album on May 5 via Yep Roc Records titled Such Jubilee. The ten new songs were recorded live at Echo Mountain Recording in Asheville.

The duo has released the opening track from the album, "Old Ties and Companions," which you can check out below along with the full album track list.

The group will celebrate the release with a spring tour and a big hometown show. They will play Memorial Hall in Chapel Hill on Saturday, May 2. Tickets are on sale now HERE.

Josh Rouse announces new album 'The Embers of Time,' spring 2015 tour

Singer-songwriter Josh Rouse will release a new studio album on April 7 via Yep Roc Records titled The Embers of Time and he'll hit the road this spring on a North American tour in support of it.

Rouse and his band will play the Haw River Ballroom in Saxapahaw on Wednesday, June 17. Walter Martin will open. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, February 13, via Ticketfly for $17.

Check out Rouse performing the songs "Some Days I’m Golden All Night," "Too Many Things On My Mind," "New Young" and "Time" from The Embers of Time for the Sawyer Sessions below.

Liam Finn announces new album 'The Nihilist,' shares "Snug as Fuck"

New Zealand-raised singer-songwriter Liam Finn is preparing to release his third full-length solo album this spring titled The Nihilist.

The album will be released on April 8 via Yep Roc Records. Check out the complete track list and listen to the album's third track titled "Snug as Fuck" below.

Check out photos from Liam Finn's show with The Veils at Local 506 in 2008 HERE and photos from his show at The Pour House earlier that year HERE.

Album Review: Mandolin Orange - This Side of Jordan

Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz’s work together as Mandolin Orange has been a treat for listeners and it only gets better on their latest release, This Side of Jordan.

Their previous release, the double album Haste Make/Hard Hearted Stranger, proved that they can be prolific and that their beautiful bluegrass rarely wears thin. This Side of Jordan elevates the duo above their peers with powerful themes and clever songwriting.

Mandolin Orange tackles subjects that are rare in bluegrass and Americana. “Hey Adam” is a loving pep talk for a gay friend. “Morphine Girl” was written while Marlin was on painkillers and has a delirious sway.

The Autumn Defense announces new album 'Fifth,' share "None of This Will Matter"

Yep Roc Records, based in Haw River, has announced the forthcoming release of the fifth album by The Autumn Defense, comprised of John Stirratt and Patrick Sansone of Wilco.

The album, aptly titled Fifth, will be out on January 28 and you can check out the album's first single, "None of This Will Matter," below.

Check out our review of The Autumn Defense's last album, Once Around, HERE. The band is expected to announce a tour in support of the release soon. We'll let you know if they schedule a Triangle show.

Mandolin Orange releasing 'This Side of Jordan' in August

Triangle folk duo Mandolin Orange signed with local label Yep Roc Records earlier this year and are gearing up for the release of a new album titled This Side of Jordan.

The album will be released on August 20 and you can check out the album's opening track, "House of Stone," below along with the full 11-song track list.

The band will celebrate the release of This Side of Jordan with a big show at the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro on Friday, August 23. Ticket information is not available yet but we'll keep you posted.

Born Ruffians signs with Yep Roc, announces spring tour

Canadian band Born Ruffians has joined the roster of North Carolina label Yep Roc Records, which will release the band's new album Birthmarks on April 16. The band will hit the road to support the album in the spring which will include a stop in the Triangle.

The band will play Motorco Music Hall in Durham on Tuesday, April 23. Tickets are on sale now HERE for $10.

Check out the song "Needle" from Birthmarks below along with the album track list and the band's current tour schedule.

Chris Stamey to release new solo album in February

Acclaimed North Carolina singer-songwriter and dB's founder Chris Stamey is gearing up to release his first solo album since 2005's A Question of Temperature.

Yep Roc Records will release Stamey's new album, Lovesick Blues, on February 5. Stream the song "Astronomy" from the album via the widget below or download it HERE (you need to fork over a working email address to get it).

There will almost certainly be a big local release show in the new year to launch the album. We'll keep you posted once that's been announced.

Tift Merritt signs with Yep Roc, new album out in October

Triangle expatriate Tift Merritt has signed with Haw River based label Yep Roc Records who release her new album this fall.

The album, her fifth full-length, is titled Traveling Alone and will be released on October 2. The album features eleven new songs and features guest appearances by a number of fantastic musicians including indie star Andrew Bird. Check out the complete track list below.

Merritt also recently celebrated the tenth anniversary of her 2002 debut album Bramble Rose. To celebrate, she's giving away an early, unreleased recording of "Jukejoint Girl." Download it via the widget below.

Yep Roc announces three day 15th anniversary festival in Carrboro

Haw River based Yep Roc Records (which will move to Hillsborough later this year) is celebrating its fifteenth anniversary this year and will be celebrating with a big three-day bash at the Cat's Cradle this October dubbed YR15.

The event will take place on October 11-13 and feature some of Yep Roc's biggest acts including Nick Lowe, Fountains of Wayne, Robyn Hitchcock, Sloan, Eleni Mandell, Liam Finn, Chatham County Line, Minus 5 and many more. Check out the current lineup below which is expected to grow as the fall draws nearer.

There will also be a special pre-festival party at Local 506 on October 10 available to those who buy a special pass (limited to 100) which will feature Lost Straightjackets, The Fleshtones, Southern Culture on the Skids and Countdown Quartet. Other benefits of the pass include access to a private reception with Yep Roc artists at the West End Wine Bar on October 12 and a "star-studded" recording session hosted by Chris Stamey and Scott McCaughey.

Chatham County Line to release live album & DVD in June

Internationally famous Triangle string band Chatham County Line are gearing up to release their much anticipated live album and DVD recorded/filmed in the summer of 2010 at the Fletcher Opera Theater in Raleigh.

The release is called Sight & Sound and will be released by Yep Roc Records on June 26 July 10 (the date was pushed back two weeks). It will feature 20 live songs in total, 16 on the album and 13 on the DVD (9 songs appear on both). Check out the track lists below.

We'll hopefully have some music/video from the release to share with you soon. For now, check out our write-up of the show at the Fletcher Opera Theater in Raleigh HERE.

The Old Ceremony signs to Yep Roc, new album out this summer

Photo by Kevin Norris

Durham pop band and Triangle mainstays The Old Ceremony, led by singer-songwriter Django Haskins, has inked a deal with with the Haw River-based Yep Roc Records to release their fifth album, Fairytales and Other Forms of Suicide, this summer.

The album will be out on August 21 and the band will hit the road to play a few shows this spring ahead of the release. They'll play the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro this Friday, April 27. John Dee Holeman will open. Tickets are $10 in advance via Etix.

They'll also play the Music in the Gardens series at Duke Gardens on Wednesday, June 13. Tickets will go on sale on Tuesday, May 15 HERE for $12.

Record Store Day 2012 is coming with tons of exclusive releases

Record Store Day is celebrating its fifth anniversary this year and has continued to grow larger every year. This year's big day is Saturday, April 21, and the massive list of exclusive releases has just been announced, which features quite a few local acts and others with local ties.

There will be exclusives from Bowerbirds, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Hiss Golden Messenger and Ryan Adams, as well as releases from local labels Merge and Yep Roc including Arcade Fire, Destroyer, Jukebox the Ghost, M. Ward, Paul Weller and Richard Buckner. Check out the details of all of the aforementioned releases below and check out the full list of releases HERE.

Yep Roc releasing Fountains of Wayne's 'Sky Full of Holes'

Photo by Violeta Alvarez

It's been four years since power pop band Fountains of Wayne released Traffic and Weather. The band isn't exactly known for being prolific, but now they're returning with their fifth album, Sky Full of Holes.

North Carolina label Yep Roc will release the album on August 2, which will feature 13 new songs produced by Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger.

The band plan tour "extensively" in August and September in support of the album. Maybe they'll finally make their way to the Triangle since they're label is just short drive west on I-40.

New music from Sloan - "Follow the Leader" + new album in May

Photo by Lisa Mark

The Canadian power pop quartet Sloan are celebrating 20 years of being a band in 2011 with the release of a new album titled The Double Cross. Yep Roc records, based in Haw River, N.C., will release the album on May 10.

Download the rollicking leadoff tune "Follow the Leader" below where you can also check out the full 12-song track list for the album.

Band member Jay Ferguson jokingly said of the album "it's our greatest work since Exile on Main St." But he seriously said "I personally feel it's up there with my favorites of ours."

Yep Roc signs The Soundtrack of Our Lives

Local record label Yep Roc Records has announced that they will release The Soundtrack of Our Lives' new double album Communion. The 24 tack album from the Swedish group will be out in the US on March 3.

Check out the band's cover of Nick Drake's "Fly" at the bottom of the below. The track will be included on Communion.

The Soundtrack of Our Lives - "Fly" (mp3)

The band will play a few US dates shortly after the album's release, though they're no where near the Triangle. Check out the dates below.

The Soundtrack of Our Lives US dates:
03.09.09 - Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club
03.13.09 - Chicago, IL - Double Door
03.15.09 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent
03.16.09 - West Hollywood, CA -Troubadour

[photo by Fredrik Wennerlund]

Ron Sexsmith "Brandy Alexander" mp3

Soulful Canadian troubadour Ron Sexsmith has a new album out next month via Haw River's hippest label, Yep Roc. Have a listen to "Brandy Alexander" (download no longer available) from the album, titled Exit Strategy of the Soul. Sound familiar? This is the same song that appeared on Feist's 2007 album, The Reminder. Sexsmith and Feist co-wrote the song after a chance meeting in an Ottawa hotel lounge.

Here's what Sexsmith has to say about his version of the song.

"I didn't really plan on recording a version of my own until I heard her take on it which, by the way, I love. The Feist version is very pretty and sophisticated where as I heard it as more of a drunken sing-along."

Exit Strategy of the Soul will be released on July 9. Pre-order the album here.

American Princes release album today, play Chapel Hill tonight

One of the coolest parts about having awesome local record labels is, invariably, the bands will play around here pretty close to their album release dates.

Well, it looks like all the stars have aligned this week because Yep Roc darlings American Princes have a brand new album, Other People, out today and will be playing a free (yes, FREE!) show at Chapel Hill's Local 506 tonight with American Aquarium and SNMNMNM.

You can check out a stream of American Princes' entire album here. For those of you hanging your heads after paying taxes today, you have no excuse not to check out this band. Show starts at 9 p.m. and, I'll say it again, is free.