Sam Quinn balances sad songs with quirky humor at Local 506

On Friday night Sam Quinn rolled into Local 506, without his band Japan Ten, to serenade the crowd with the heartbreaking songs from his solo album The Fake That Sunk a Thousand Ships.

Quinn's voice filled the room throughout the night, backed by the subtle support of an upright bass and electric guitar. The songs shined in the sparse arrangements, but the extra embellishments of the album were certainly missed.

The somber songs were broken up during the night by Quinn's bizarre, yet charming sense of humor. He took the stage wearing cut off shorts with black socks and at one point, when about to sit behind the keyboard, asked people not to look up his shorts (check out the photos below).

Drug Horse Cartel holiday show features big line-up

And the holiday shows keep adding up. Well, this makes the second we've mentioned. This one features a collective going by the moniker The Drug Horse Cartel. The show in Chapel Hill at Local 506 on Friday, December 11 will feature a massive line-up featuring: The Sundowners, The Love Language, Max Indian, Ryan Gustafson, Mount Moriah, The Light Pines, Jeff Crawford, Josh Moore The Tomahawks and Twelve Thousand Armies. Jeff Crawford is actually in most of the bands, so you'll be seeing a lot of him. Tickets for the show will be just $8, but are not currently available on etix.com.

Stuart McLamb of the Love Language will pop down the road to the Cat's Cradle a few nights later for the big Trekky Christmas show. Check out those details here.