Frightened Rabbit announce spring dates, play Carrboro

Scottish band Frightened Rabbit have a new album due out on March 9 in the U.S. titled The Winter of Mix Drinks. After a coming to the states for a slew of performances at SXSW, the band will return for a proper tour in April. Said tour includes a stop at the Cat's Cradle on Sunday, April 25. Ticket and opener info is not available yet, but we'll keep you posted.

Check out the band's music video for the song "Swim Until You Can See Land" from Mixed Drinks below along with the North American dates.

Widespread Panic bringing Band of Horses to Raleigh

Dave Matthew Band might not be coming to the Triangle this year, but jam band staples Widespread Panic are still coming. The band just announced new spring dates that includes a two-night stand at the Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion (aka Walnut Creek Amphitheatre) on April 23 and 24. The best part is that they're bringing Band of Horses along to open the shows. Tickets will go on sale Friday, February 5 for $32 to $37.

Check out our review and photos of Band of Horses' excellent show at Lincoln Theatre in November 2007 here.

My Morning Jacket to tour with Preservation Hall Jazz Band

Kentucky rock band My Morning Jacket are gearing up for a series of spring tour dates with an unlikely touring partner, The Preservation Hall Jazz Band. The tour will bring them to Cary's Koka Booth Amphitheatre on Friday, April 30. Ticket info is not available yet, but we'll keep you posted. Tickets will go on sale Friday, February 5 at noon here for $35. Check out the entire tour schedule below.

My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James' relationship with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band began when he performed with them in New Orleans last year. He recorded two sons with the band too that will be featured on the Jazz Band's upcoming album PRESERVATION: An Album To Benefit Preservation Hall & The Preservation Hall Music Outreach Program. It will be released on February 16.

New music from Dirty Little Heaters - "City Square"

The raucous Durham rockers known as The Dirty Little Heaters are preparing to release a new album titled Champions of Imperfection on February 22 via Churkey Records (that's the album cover to the right there). You can get a little taste of the album now by downloading the track "City Slang" right now below.

The band will launch the album with a release party at Local 506 in Chapel Hill on Saturday, February 20 with Red Collar and Pink Flag. Tickets are $7 are available via etix.com.

Ben Folds slated to play with North Carolina Symphony

Ben Folds will play with the North Carolina Symphony at Meymandi Hall on March 25, according to one of David Menconi's tipsters.

In recent years Folds has played with numerous symphony orchestras, beginning with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra in early 2005. Folds has played Meymandi once before, in March 2006 just before the birth of this blog, but we're certainly excited that the symphony will join him on stage this time.

UPDATE: The show is official and tickets will go on sale Tuesday, Feb. 2, at 10 a.m. here. Folds is working with the symphony's associate conductor Sarah Hicks on the show. He also worked with Hicks at the Minnesota Orchestra, where she is principal conductor of pops and presentations, for a concert last Halloween.

New music video from Shout Out Louds - "Fall Hard"

The release of Shout Out Louds' new album Work is still over three weeks away (Feb. 23), but the band have released a music video for the first official single from the album titled "Fall Hard." The video features the band playing a talk show called "Musicale d'Europe" and frontman Adam Olenius seems a bit freaked out by the experience. The song "Fall Hard" continues the band's streak for creating infectious, clever pop. Check out the video below.

The band's upcoming North American tour unfortunately, as of now, does not bring the band to the Triangle. You can enter a contest on the band's website though to win a trip to see their show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, NY on March 1. Check out the band's tour dates below.

Megafaun announces new dates, playing Carrboro

The bearded wonders of Megafaun are showing no signs of slowing down in 2010. There are already rumblings about the follow-up to the band's sophomore album Gather, Form & Fly coming sometime this year, but the band are going to stay busy playing shows.

They've just announced a bunch of new North American dates that will follow their European tour in March. The dates include a show at the Cat's Cradle on Friday, May 7. Mount Moriah and Great White Jenkins will open the show. There's no info on tickets yet, but we'll keep you posted. Tickets will go on sale on February 3 for $10 via etix.com. Check out all of the current tour dates below.

Sarah Borges announces new dates, playing Raleigh

Feisty Boston singer songwriter Sarah Borges and her band the Broken Singles, who released their third full-length album The Stars Are Out last March via Sugar Hill Records, have announced some new tour dates which includes a stop in the Triangle. The band will play the Berkley Cafe in downtown Raleigh on Thursday, March 25. Tickets for the show will be $10.

Check out the music video for "Do It For Free" from The Stars Are Out below along with band's upcoming tour schedule. You can also check out some live concert bootlegs at archive.org.

The Rosebuds schedule NC shows, include Carrboro

After their two-night stand with Megafaun at The Pour House earlier this month, The Rosebuds are now gearing up for a few North Carolina shows in March. The band will play a free show at in Asheville at the UNCA Alumni Hall on March 19 and a show at the Cat's Cradle on Saturday, March 20. Tickets for the latter will be on sale soon via etix.com for $10.

Check out photos and a review of The Rosebuds show at the Cat's Cradle for the XX Merge festival here.

[UPDATE: Here's a big bummer. The Rosebuds show at the Cat's Cradle has been canceled. No reason has been given. Ticket refunds are available at the point of purchase. The band plans to reschedule the show for a later date. The Asheville show on March 19 is still happening though.]

Dave Matthews Band announce summer tour, no Raleigh date

In an unexpected turn this summer, the Dave Matthews Band will not be stopping in the Triangle on their summer tour. The band announced their usual massive tour which which has included a stop at Raleigh's Walnut Creek Amphitheater (through all of the sponsor name changes) since 1995.

As of right now, the dates run from late May to mid-September and the only North Carolina date is at Charlotte's Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre on Wednesday, July 21. Amos Lee will open the show. Tickets for the show go on sale to the general public on February 26 here. The fanclub pre-sale period starts on Thursday, January 28.

Appleseed Cast announce new dates, play Chapel Hill

Kansas based band The Appleseed Cast are hitting the road for thorough North American tour at the end of February that will take them through mid-April. The tour will stop at Local 506 in Chapel Hill on Monday, April 12. Tickets are on sale now for $10 via etix.com. Dreamend will open the show.

The Appleseed Cast's latest album Sagarmatha was released in February 2009. Download the song "As the Little Things Go" from the album via the link below.

New music from Caribou - "Odessa"

Once again, Merge Records has announced another new album due out in the first third of 2010, making this the label's fifth LP of the year I believe. It comes from Canadian songwriter and musician Dan Snaith, better known in recent years as Caribou. He has completed his new album titled Swim which will be released on April 20.

Swim is the follow-up to Caribou's acclaimed album Andorra which was released in 2007 and won the 2008 Polaris Music Prize. Click the link below to download the opening track from Swim titled "Odessa" (you just have to give your email address). It's a tasty little tune. Also check out the album's track list below.

Album Review: Schooner - Duck Kee Sessions

When a band goes into the studio for a "session" album, there's always a worry that the studio may figure too prominently into the compositions and overwhelm, rather than enhance, what the band does well. This isn't the case with the Duck Kee Sessions

Schooner has always been about simple, loose southern pop with hints of strangeness simmering beneath. The heat is turned up on this EP and the hints begin to boil, occasionally bubbling up to the surface to compliment the other sounds.

Conan gives fans "Free Bird" on final 'Tonight Show'

In what was a fantastic and classy ending to his far too brief run on "The Tonight Show," Conan O'Brien threw on a Les Paul and rocked in an all-star jam of "Free Bird." The band included Will Ferrell on lead vocals decked out as a Van Zant brother along with Beck, Ben Harper and Billy Gibbons (of ZZ Top). There's also the return of Ferrell's infamous cowbell too. Check out the video below and enjoy. Oh, and watch for Conan's solo towards the end. He's a pretty decent player.

Check out a video of Neil Young's solo performance of "Long May You Run" from the show too by going back a bit in the Hulu video.

Carolina Chocolate Drops album release pushed up

Here's some good news about the release of the Carolina Chocolate Drops' Nonesuch Records debut. The release date of Negro Jig has been pushed up a week from February 23 to February 16.

Also, the band have just added a new local show to their busy 2010 tour schedule. They'll return to the Cat's Cradle on Thursday, April 1. Ticket info is not available yet, but we'll keep you posted. Tickets will be on sale soon for $15 via etix.com Check out the band's tour dates below.

More bands the victims of burglary in Raleigh

Annuals downtown Raleigh practice space was burglarized in late December last year, and now, the same building housing practice spaces on Capital Boulevard has been hit again. This time, A Rooster For the Masses and The Design are among the victims which includes at least four other bands/DJs according to New Raleigh.

Check out a list of some of the stolen gear below. If any other bands that are victims of the burglary want us to put the word out about your stolen gear, drop us an email at triangle_music@hotmail.com. We'll let our readers know to keep an eye out for your stuff. If anyone has any info about the crime, contact the Raleigh Police at 919-996-3555.

Deerhunter stopping in Carrboro during Spoon tour

During their upcoming tour opening for Spoon, Atlanta band Deerhunter will make a stop in Carrboro for a headline show on a day off. They will play the Cat's Cradle on Sunday, March 21. Tickets for the show will go on sale on Saturday, January 23 via etix.com for $14.

The band's latest release is the EP Rainwater Cassette Exchange released in 2009. Download the title track from the EP below along with the band's current tour schedule.

Them Crooked Vultures playing Charlotte in February

The supergroup that have everybody buzzing last year has their sights set on North Carolina. That group is Them Crooked Vultures, consisting of John Paul Jones (of Led Zeppelin), Dave Grohl (of Foo Fighters and Nirvana) and Josh Homme (of Queens of the Stone Age). They will be playing the Fillmore in Charlotte on Wednesday, February 10. Tickets go on sale on Saturday, January 23 at 10 a.m via LiveNation.com.

There are no other U.S. dates right now except an appearance at the Coachella Festival in April, so the Charlotte show may be a one-off or there may be more dates to come. Check out a video of a live performance of the song "New Fang" below.

[UPDATE: Atlanta and New York shows added below.]

The Avett Brothers play for ACL, Johnny Cash, new compilation

North Carolina's superstars The Avett Brothers have a lot of new things going on lately. First, the band has a song on the new Starbucks Valentine's Day compliation Sweethearts 2010. The song is "I Love," a cover of the classic song by Tom T. Hall. The album also features contributions by Spoon, James Mercer (of The Shins), Elvis Perkins, Yo La Tengo and others. Check it out on iTunes here.

Next, the band's performance on Austin City Limits is set to air this Saturday night, January 23. Technically, in the Triangle it'll air on January 24 because the show airs at midnight on UNC-TV in these parts. The Heartless Bastards will play the second half of the show. Check out a preview of the Avetts set below with their performance of "I and Love and You."

The Pour House to host Haiti benefit show

Another benefit show has been scheduled to raise money to help with disaster relief in Haiti. This one will be at The Pour House in Raleigh on Thursday, February 5 (the day before the WKNC Double Barrel Benefit shows at the venue). Chatham County Line, A Rooster From the Masses and Filthybird will headline the night which will also feature performances by The Hotwires, Roger Gupton, the Debonzo Brothers and Andy Bilinski.

There will be a suggested donation of $12 which will go to the Red Cross. The show starts at 6:40 p.m. Check out the scheduled set times below.

Videos: Spoon on Conan, Mountain Goats on Fallon

Last night was a good night for music on the late night shows. Conan O'Brien had Spoon playing the song "Writing in Reverse" from their just released album Transference and Jimmy Fallon had The Mountain Goats playing "Genesis 3:23" from their latest album The Life of the World To Come.

Both performances were pretty awesome and on an somewhat unrelated note, everyone should watch Conan's potentially final nights on the Tonight Show the rest of this week. He's been funnier than he's been in a long time.

Joanna Newsom coming to Durham on March tour

The quirky songwriter Joanna Newsom is about to release her third full-length album on February 23 titled Have One On Me. In March, she'll launch a North American tour in support of the album that will bring her to the Carolina Theatre in Durham on Thursday, March 25. Tickets have been on sale since Friday, January 15, but some tickets are still available. They are $26 or $23 and can be purchased here.

Check out a video of a recent performance of one of the new songs titled "Jack Rabbit" from her Australian tour below. You'll find her upcoming dates down there too.

Local bands to raise money for Haiti at the Cradle

With the tragedy in Haiti still in forefront of everyone's mind, local Triangle bands have joined forces for a benefit show. It will happen this Saturday, January 23 at the Cat's Cradle. Tickets will be $10 and all proceeds will go to the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders.

The bands include The Moaners, The Bipolar Bears (feat. Debra DeMilo, Terry Anderson, Jack Cornell and Terry McInturff), Kick The Future (feat. Robert Kirkland, Scott Davison, Terry McInturff and Ron Bartholomew), New Town Drunks, Charles Pettee, Puritan Rodeo, HWYL and Kitty Box and the Johnnys. Other special guests are expected to appear as well.

The Temper Trap announce spring dates, play Carrboro

Whether you're aware of it or not, you've likely heard the Australian band The Temper Trap recently. Their song "Sweet Disposition" from their debut album Conditions has been featured in countless commercials as well as the hit film 500 Days of Summer.

The band is scheduled to make a stop at the Cat's Cradle on Thursday, April 8. The Kissaway Trail from Denmark will open the show. Tickets go on sale this Friday, January 22 for $12 via etix.com.

Check out the sparse tour dates (more are very likely to surface soon) and a performance of the song "Sweet Disposition" from Spinner's The Interface below.

Paul Burch returning to the Triangle in February

Troubadour Paul Burch is set to return to the Triangle for another set of bluesy, folk music. He last played the Triangle in September 2009 to celebrate the release of his latest album Still Your Man (check out the album review here). On his return, he'll be playing Local 506 in Chapel Hill again. The show is on Sunday, Feb. 21 and tickets are on sale now for $8 via etix.com. Wylie Hunter will open the show.

Check out a performance of the song "Isolda" from Burch's last Local 506 show below along with his sparse 2010 tour dates. The song can be found on his 2000 album Blue Notes.

[UPDATE: Paul Burch has canceled the Local 506 show on Feb. 21, but Wylie Hunter will still play.]

Vivian Girls announce March dates, play Durham

The gazey punk trio Vivian Girls are heading out on tour in March in support of their forthcoming single titled "My Love Will Follow Me," due out on vinyl and digitally on February 16. The b-side is a cover of The Chantels' song "He Gone."

The tour will bring the band to the Duke Coffeehouse in Durham on Friday, March 26. Wetdog and Happy Birthday will open the show. Check out the band's complete schedule below.

Vivian Girls sophomore album Everything Goes Wrong was released in September 2009. Download the song "When I'm Gone" from the album below.

Album Review: Editors - In This Light and On This Evening

On In This Light and On This Evening, Editors wanted to break free from their stale, yet successful routine of moody guitar rock. The band may have used different tools and materials to build this album, but the blueprint is the same and the final result is only slightly different moody synth rock.

Back are the swirling, stormy textures and theatrical baritone vocals, except where there were once guitars, there are now synths and lots of them. Wisely, the band takes advantage of the strengths of their new instruments to make melodies and counter melodies more agile and to push louder and fuller songs into the anthemic category.

Joseph Arthur announces new solo dates, plays Carrboro

Akron, Ohio via Brooklyn singer songwriter Joseph Arthur has announced a new batch of 2010 solo dates that extends his tour through the end of March. Among the new dates is a show at the ArtsCenter in Carrboro on Valentine's Day, Sunday, Feb. 14. Tickets are on sale now via etix.com for $14. Check out the complete tour schedule below.

Arthur latest album is Temporary People, released in September 2008. Download an mp3 from each of his 2008 EPs that preceded the album below.

Video: The Love Language play acoustic session

Since The Love Language have been hard at work on their Merge Records debut, we haven't been hearing much about them, but an acoustic performance filmed in New York during October's CMJ Festival has just made it's way online. Check out Stu, Missy and Jordan performing "Providence" and "Nightdogs" via Baebelmusic.com below.

Also, check out a short (very short) studio clip of the band working on the song "Heart To Tell Her" which they debuted at Local 506 in December. Check out the full song live here.

Shearwater and Wye Oak team up for spring tour

Austin, TX band Shearwater have a new album out on February 23 titled The Golden Archipelago. A month later, the band will hit the road with Wye Oak for a few weeks months. The second stop on the tour is at Chapel Hill's Local 506 on Thursday, March 25. Kansas band Hospital Ships is also on the bill. Ticket information is not available yet, but we'll keep you posted. Tickets will be $10 in advance and should be available via etix.com soon.

Download the song "Castaways" from Shearwater's new album below along with the song "Take It In" from Wye Oak's latest album The Knot.

Ringo Starr announces All-Starr Band summer dates

This is probably the biggest get for DPAC since it opened in 2008. They have secured a Beatle. No, it's not Paul, it's Ringo, but that's still really cool. Ringo Starr just released a new solo album on Tuesday, January 12 titled Y Not and his heading out on a summer tour with His All-Starr Band. The Durham Performing Arts Center show is happening on Sunday, July 11. Ticket info is not yet available, but we'll keep you posted. Tickets will go on sale Friday, February 19 at 10 a.m. here. Prices will be $59 to $98.

Ringo's All-Starr band will feature Edgar Winter, Gary Wright, Gregg Bissonette, Richard Page, Rick Derringer and Wally Palmar. Check out a video below of Starr performing "The Other Side of Liverpool" and the Beatles classic "With a Little Help From My Friends" on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon a few nights ago. The video has been removed by YouTube.

The Rosebuds play session for Daytrotter

The Rosebuds have just become the latest local band to be featured on the supercool Daytrotter website and really, it's about time. The band still promoting their 2008 album Life Like played three songs from the album including "Life Like, "Cape Fear" and "Border Guards." Click here to download or stream the session.

Now I'd like to hear Megafaun record a Daytrotter session. That would be fantastic.

American Aquarium keep up frenzied tour schedule

American Aquarium had a crazy 2009. The band say they played 304 shows last year in 46 states and they are not planning to slow down in 2010. Actually, they're looking to beat that number. Below you'll find the band's first tour dates of the year that will kick off tonight in Wilmington, NC at the Soapbox Laundro-Lounge.

The 49 scheduled dates thus far will take the band through mid-March and include two Triangle dates. They will play The Pour House in Raleigh on Friday, January 29 and Local 506 in Chapel Hill on Wednesday, February 17.

Quasi take 'American Gong' on tour, play Carrboro

Veteran Portland rockers Quasi are hitting the road this spring for a tour in support of their forthcoming new album American Gong. It's their first album since 2006's When the Going Gets Dark. American Gong will be released on February 23 via Kill Rock Stars Records. Download the song "Repulsion" from the album below.

The tour will kick off in California on March 9 and will stop in Carrboro at the Cat's Cradle on Monday, April 26. Tickets are on sale now via etix.com for $10. An opening act has yet to be announced.

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.

Carole King and James Taylor announce 'Troubadour Reunion' tour

Legendary songwriters and singers Carole King and James Taylor are preparing to hit the road for their first Troubadour tour in 40 years. The tour is unfortunately bypassing the Triangle, but will stop in Charlotte at the Time Warner Cable Arena Wednesday, June 2. Pre-sale tickets for the show go on sale via caroleking.com or jamestaylor.com today, January 13 at 9 a.m for $133.50 (that includes fees). The general on sale date is Saturday, January 23 at 10 a.m. here for $38.50, $65 or $77.

These two performing together should make for an amazing show. Check out the complete tour schedule below as well as a performance of the song "You've Got a Friend" from the BBC in 1971.

Butch Walker to open for Train in Durham? Yep.

Yes it's true. Butch Walker will be opening for the band Train, for some reason, on most of their upcoming March dates. The tour is making a stop at the Carolina Theatre in Durham on Wednesday, March 10. Tickets for the show are already on sale here for $35. Check out the full list of tour dates below.

The super-producer and troubadour has a brand new album titled I Liked It Better When You Had No Heart coming out on February 23 performed by him and his latest band called The Black Widows. Two songs from the album, "Trash Day" and "She Likes Hair Bands," are available now on iTunes.

Butch will likely return later in 2010 to play his usual venue of choice in the Triangle, Lincoln Theatre. We'll certainly keep you posted on new developments. Check out photos and a review of his March 2009 show at Lincoln Theatre here.

Schooner's new EP to be CyTunes exclusive

Local rockers Schooner are giving exclusive rights to their next release release to charity. The 6-song EP dubbed Duck Kee Sessions will be released on Tuesday, February 9 exclusively via CyTunes. For those unfamiliar with CyTunes, check out our December 2008 post about the music service. All proceeds from the site benefit the Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke University.

The band will have a release show for the EP at The Pinhook in Durham on Friday, February 19 with Erie Choir, Veelee and The Popular Kids.

Check out the EP's track list below as well as a download of the lead-off track "Feel Better." You'll also find Schooner's upcoming dates and radio appearances down there too.

Merge Records signs UK band Let's Wrestle

I'm definitely sounding like a broken record now, much Merge Records 2010 just got another album and band bigger. The label has just announced that they've signed the band Let's Wrestle from the United Kingdom.

Merge will release the band's debut album titled In the Court of the Wrestling Let's on March 23. The album was released in June 2009 in the UK. Download the song “We are the Men You’ll Grow to Love Soon” from the album below. The song is three minutes of punchy, garage pop goodness. Check out the album's track list and the band's goofy video for the previously mentioned song below too.

Low Anthem adds new dates, returning to Carrboro

Following a run of dates opening for The Avett Brothers in late February and early March, The Low Anthem will break out on their own for a headlining tour. That tour will bring the band back to the Cat's Cradle on Saturday, March 13. Details of the show are not available yet, but we'll keep you posted. Tickets are on sale now via etix.com for $12. Lissie and Annie & the Beekeepers will open the show.

Check out our review and photos of The Low Anthem opening for Blind Pilot at the Cat's Cradle in November 2009 here. That show was phenomenal and it's well worth your time and money to check the band out live. Check out their current schedule below.

Beach House announces spring tour, plays Carrboro

On January 26, Baltimore band Beach House will release their third full-length album titled Teen Dream via Sub Pop Records. A few months after the album's release, the band will hit the road a North American tour which will stop in Carrboro at the Cat's Cradle on Saturday, May 1. South Carolina musician Ernest Greene, better known as Washed Out, will open the show. Tickets will be $12 in advance, but an on sale date isn't available yet. They should be available Tickets are on sale now via etix.com soon though.

Download the song "Norway" from Beach House's forthcoming album below where you'll also find a link to download the song "Feel It All Around" by Washed Out.

Stream Spoon's new album 'Transference' + tour dates

Spoon's new album Transference won't be out until Next Tuesday, January 19, but you can stream the full album now. Head over to NPR's website to have a listen to the ten tracks. Check out the details of the album here.

The band have just announced their first US dates in support of the album, which unfortunately, don't include a Triangle date. For those willing to take a short road trip, they will be playing The National in Richmond, VA on March 24. Tickets for the show go on sale on Friday, January 15 at 10 a.m. here for $20. Deerhunter is opening the show and the entire tour. Check out the full list of dates below.

Cheap Trick headlining rescheduled Rock Hall show

With the postponement of the second Rock and Roll Hall of Fame benefit show Cary's Koka Booth Amphitheatre last fall, which had a weak line-up, we didn't expect much from the rescheduled show. But by booking Cheap Trick for the new date on Saturday, May 1, they've gained a touch of credibility. It's funny because Robin Zander was one of early names dropped by the concert's organizers in 2008 for the first Rock Hall show. Obviously, that didn't come to pass.

The rest of line-up, as of now, includes originally scheduled acts Georgie Satellites, Atlanta Rhythm Section and the White Sox All-Star Band.

Tickets for the show will go on sale Friday, January 15 at noon here for $40 to $85. Enjoy a classic video of Cheap Trick's "Surrender" below.

New music from Portastatic - "Foam Hands" (Destroyer cover)

We first told you about Portastatic's covers EP last month, and now we have a fantastic mp3 to share with you. Check out the cover of Destroyer's "Foam Hands" below, complete with a small choir of kids joining in on the chorus, which is quite charming.

The EP is available as a digital download only via Merge Records' website (unless you subscribed to the Score! box set). Check out photos and a review or Portastatic's performance at XX Merge in July here.

Album Review: Boy Genius - Staggering

On their second album, Staggering, Boy Genius literally pick up where they left off; the opening harpsichord line is a continuation of the guitar line that closed their first album, Anchorage. What follows is another helping of typical, yet enjoyable college rock.

To further refine their already archetypal indie sound, the band traveled south from their Brooklyn home to Kernersville to work with Mitch Easter, who helped to create the college rock sound in the 80's when he worked with R.E.M and Pavement, among others.

Wilco sets DPAC record for fastest sell out

Most people expected Wilco tickets to go fast for their upcoming show at the Durham Performing Arts Center, but 17 minutes is a bit shocking. The show, slated for Saturday, March 27, set a DPAC record for fastest sell out ever with that 17 minute sell. DPAC general manager Bob Klauss is said "The DPAC staff and I will work hard to make sure we’re great hosts to the very lucky 2,700 fans who got tickets to this special show.”

So kudos to you lucky folks that secured tickets. A good night is coming your way. Check out Wilco's upcoming tour dates here.

[UPDATE: David Meconi of the N&O received a response from Wilco's people about ticket sales for the DPAC show. Check that out here. He says that 2,566 of the 2,700 tickets were distributed through proper channels.]

All-star Jimi Hendrix tributed tour coming to Durham

The Experience Hendrix Tour is gearing up for a 2010 run that will pay tribute to the late, great Jimi Hendrix with an all-star line-up. Among the musicians performing is Billy Cox (of Band of Gypsys and The Jimi Hendrix Experience), Joe Satriani, Robert Randloph, Johnny Lang, Brad Whitford (of Aerosmith) and others. Check out the full list below.

Among the dates is a stop at Durham's increasingly popular Durham Performing Arts Center on Sunday, March 28. Tickets for the show will go on sale Saturday, January 16 at 10 a.m. here. Ticket prices are not yet listed, but other shows on the tour are selling for $80 and less. We'll keep you posted on the tickets. Tickets are $39.50, $57.50 or $75.

Hockey hitting the road in March, playing Chapel Hill

Portland rockers Hockey are gearing up for a spring tour in support of their latest album Mind Chaos, released in 2009. They will bring their danceable, hooky tunes to Local 506 in Chapel Hill on Monday, March 22. Solid Gold from Minneapolis, MN will open the show. Tickets are $8 in advance and available now via etix.com.

[UPDATE: Hockey has canceled their Chapel Hill show. Ticket refunds are available at the point of purchase.]

Check out a video of Hockey performing the song "Song Away" from Mind Chaos on the UK show Later with Jools Holland below along with the complete spring tour dates I've pieced together thus far.

New music from Radar Brothers - "Horses Warriors"

I feel like a broken record, but the Merge releases are seemingly going to be non-stop in 2010. The next album coming down the pike is a new album from Radar Brothers titled The Illustrated Garden. The album will be released on March 23, but you can download the song "Horses Warriors" from the album right now below.

The band is scheduled to play South By Southwest in March followed by a US tour in early summer. Dates have not been announced yet, but we'll keep you informed. Check out our photos and review of Radar Bros. set at the XX Merge festival in July 2009 here.

Chicago schedules hectic 2010 tour, playing Durham

For all you Chicago fans out there, the band is planning to "Make You Smile" this spring (yeah, that was lame). The band are hitting the road on a busy spring tour that will take them to theaters and other mid-size venues across the country. The tour will make a stop at the Durham Performing Arts Center on Tuesday, May 18. Ticket info is not available yet, but we'll keep you posted. Tickets for the show will go on sale Friday, February 12 at 10 a.m. here and will cost $36 to $66.

Check out the lengthy tour schedule below as well as a performance of "Saturday in the Park" on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson that aired last year.