Thursday, March 11 • 8P Workbook (jazz w/ Brad Newell)
A jazz duo with a large repertoire of music ranging from laid back to funky to standards. Thelonious Monk to Led Zeppelin.
• 10P Bob Funck and The New World Heroes (acoustic/folk rock/pop)
Acoustic-electric rock that blends passion, vulnerability, angst & pure
sonic power... great musicianship built on strong grooves, folk-pop
sensibilities, & irresistible hooks. Lyrically emotive, contemplative,
melancholy yet hopeful... songs about the four "L's"... love, life, loss
and loneliness.
Friday, March 12 • 8P Spencer Sholes (alt/folk rock/funk)
Lifelong musician, songwriter. Specializing in guitar and vocals. Playing original music wherever I can get in the door.
• 11:45P The Pneurotics (rock/indie/alternative)
"Rich started writing songs in high school with music and lyrics most reminiscent of indie-rock with an occasional alt-country twang. His songs are inspired by authentic emotionality provoked by love gone awry, betrayal, thwarted intentions, and unfulfilled expectations tapping into the commonality of the human experience of love. The depth and complexity of his songs are tinted with the color, honesty and roughness of the southwest canyons. His music is guitar-driven, startling, and raw with rough vocals sung from the toes. He’s created stirring, idiosyncratic riffs with surprising bridges and changes that make you stop whatever you’re doing to listen. A doctorate in fluid dynamics influences the melodic waves and intricate harmonic spirals that he incorporates organically into his unique guitar licks. However, an unusual humility and self-described shyness has left his body of music to be an undiscovered wealth for the music-loving community." • 12:30P The Love Language(soul/spanish pop/shoegaze)
"After three decades of sonic observation, you start to realize what really good music sounds like. You know what you like. You like the Beatles. You like Thin Lizzy. You like Stevie Wonder. The declaration, “You’ll love this band!” no longer arouses much excitement. You’ve heard thousands of bands, millions of songs, and find little incentive to embark on any audible adventure when “The Boys are Back In Town” has already been written. In terms of music, we download it, we burn it, but we rarely really listen to it. Perhaps I’m being selfish, but I listen to the Love Language because they write music I wish I’d written. I often picture myself playing these songs for some awkwardly shy, yet strikingly beautiful French girl on a jetty in Quebec, romantically duping her with my plagiarized sentiments. Dishonest, yet undeniably feasible. I could figure out those chords on guitar, and placidly convince some girl that these thoughts and feelings were my own. It’s not like trying to pass off “Blackbird” as an original composition. As you strum, you begin wishing that these poetically mundane moments were parts of your own past, until you realize that they are. That’s what the Love Language is to me: The modest declaration of the universal obvious. Songs written about apartments you’ve lived in and rotary phones that you’ve hung up. Although McLamb’s arrangements are typically overcast, each song reminds you of the towering trees that relish each falling drop. That there are winners and losers, but sometime tragedy makes the most beautiful story. After all, no one would remember the Titanic had it not sunk. That is the Love Language- the celebration of the sinking ship. Bon Voyage." – Jon Kirby, Wax Poetics
Saturday, March 13 • 8P Brett McKey(acoustic/folk/folk rock)
In Brett McKey's unique style of acoustic folk-rock, the influences of Bob Dylan, Nick Drake, and contemporary songwriters like Sam Beam are most readily apparent. However, McKey's appreciation for great songwriting of across genres has also given his music the flavors of jazz, reggae, gospel, and blues music. Writing songs virtually since he picked up the guitar at age 18, McKey also played in a variety of bands while attending college in Ohio. In 2006, McKey began attending seminary in North Carolina. During that time, he focused on his studies, essentially giving up playing music publicly, but he used that break from performing to hone his guitar and songwriting skills.
McKey's more recent songs bear the distinct marks of someone who has spent a great deal of time pondering some of life’s greatest questions. His emphasis on writing songs that lead the listener to probe the depths of life’s great mysteries may be the most distinguishing feature of his music. And yet, while these questions are what drive much of McKey’s music, he’s also not afraid to keep the mood light. He enjoys covering a variety of popular musicians, as diverse as Marvin Gaye, Bob Marley, Tom Petty, and Norah Jones. McKey has also been known to write and perform completely outlandish songs such as a song about eating chicken nuggets and a humorous song about his favorite theologian, John Zizioulas.
So while McKey takes music, songwriting, and the issues that drive his songwriting seriously, it’s fair to say that he’s less concerned with taking himself seriously, and always more intent on bringing a unique story or perspective to his audience.
• 11P A Rooster For The Masses (dub/indie/surf)
"Raleigh's A Rooster for the Masses wrote and recorded its debut EP, Gallo Rojo, not long after George W. Bush landed his second term, or when most every new rock band you heard cited Gang of Four as a reference for disco-fueled post-punk and politics. The Rooster's been slow to answer the call of Rojo, a quick-paced politico lasher that leaned hard left from Franz Ferdinand's Top 40 beats and hooks. Luckily, on its first full-length, Broken Era, the band expands its sound and scope, borrowing cues from Radiohead (hear the skittering beats of "This Drawing" or the OK Computer lift of "The Finger") and reggae ("End Game" plays out an easy existentialism over a buoyant bassline). Never fear, though, as the Rooster still sings truth to power over angular guitar lines and hi-hat pulses, whether riffing on the downtown void King's Barcade left behind on "No Party Downtown" (the band released Rojo there in 2006) or territorial tendencies on "Headwaters." It's just that frontman Adam Eckhardt's finally learned to make his numbers make sense melodically, adding finesse and grace to his most bellicose moments. Hell, on "Homebodies," he even sounds like the missing angry Rosebud. Indeed, change can be a mighty fine look."--Grayson Currin Independent Weekly
• 12 Midnight The Dry Heathens (rock/punk/indie) - $5 Cover "the band hammers at feedback-and-vitriol punk laced with shots of hook and twang, like Drive By Trucker Mike Cooley woodshedding with Social Distortion" — Grayson Currin, Independent Weekly
"The Dry Heathens craft massive songs of raucous energy - air-strike epics that inspire equal parts emotion and movement."— Jamie Williams, The Daily Tar Heel
Sunday, March 14 • 4:30P BSC Kids! It's FUN and it's FREE!(tip jar passed) Baron Von Rumblebuss - Kids music that rocks. Songs about robots, superheroes, and falling into onion dip are a few of the kid-centric blasts of tunage that’ll take you straight to the playground. You’ll hear the lingering echoes of the Kinks, The Who, Devo, and more!
• 7:30P The JazzTones(jazz/blues/swing)
The JazzTones sextet plays mainstream jazz in the styles of the 50's and 60's. Behind the sultry vocals of Alice Brower, the Jazztones cover tunes ranging from standards, to swing, blues, latin and bebop. It's members come from the greater Hillsborough, North Carolina area.
Tuesday, March 16 • 8P Café Cinépresents... "Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!"
Movie will start promptly at 8pm with an introduction from Neal Bell. There will be an intermission about halfway through and a Q&A session immediately after the movie ends.
There is no charge for this event.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to violence, the word and the act. While violence cloaks itself in a plethora of disguises, its favorite mantle still remains... sex. Violence devours all it touches, its voracious appetite rarely fulfilled. Yet violence doesn't only destroy, it creates and molds as well. Let's examine closely then this dangerously evil creation, this new breed encased and contained within the supple skin of woman. The softness is there, the unmistakable smell of female, the surface shiny and silken, the body yielding yet wanton. But a word of caution: handle with care and don't drop your guard. This rapacious new breed prowls both alone and in packs, operating at any level, any time, anywhere, and with anybody. Who are they? One might be your secretary, your doctor's receptionist... or a dancer in a go-go club!"
This month's film -- "Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!" -- is a 1965 exploitation film directed by Russ Meyer, who also wrote the script with Jack Moran. It stars Tura Satana, Haji, and Lori Williams.
The film features gratuitous violence, sexuality, provocative gender roles, and campydialogue. It is one of Meyer's more provocatively titled and explicitly exploitative films, yet unlike most of his films, it does not contain explicit nudity.
Movie Night is being hosted by Neal Bell, Playwright, Professor of the Practice of Theater Studies at Duke University, and Obie Award winner.
Neal Bell's plays - including Two Small Bodies, On The Bum, and Somewhere In The Pacific - have been produced at Playwrights Horizons in New York, and regionally at theatres including the the Mark Taper Forum in LA, Berkeley Rep, Actors Theatre of Louisville, and Durham's own Manbites Dog. His adaptations of Therese Raquin and Frankenstein have appeared at the La Jolla Rep and New York's Classic Stage Company. A recipient of grants from the NEA and the Rockefeller and Guggenheim Foundations, Mr. Bell has also received an Obie for sustained excellence in playwriting. His play, Spatter Pattern, won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America.
Mr. Bell has also written for television and the screen - as a staff-writer for the soap opera One Life To Live, and as author of the horror movie Terminal Choice. ("Good cast wasted in this unsavory thriller," raves Leonard Maltin.)
Currently Mr. Bell is a professor in Duke's Theatre Studies Department, where he teaches playwriting, screen and TV writing, and a course on horror in films and plays, "The Dramatic Monster."
Wednesday, March 17 • 6:30P Blues N' Brews Tri-Beer - The Triangle Beer Meet Up You do not need to be a Tri-Beer member to participate in this event.
Tri-Beer is a group for the true beer enthusiast or those who want to develop a stronger appreciation for beer. Every month, we try to bring in a beer that is special or different - - - something that not everybody would normally get a chance to try. We've had beautiful casks and kegs from Duck Rabbit, Lone Rider, Aviator, Sweetwater, Foothills, and others.
This month Duck-Rabbit is bringing us a keg of its Barleywine Ale. The Duck-Rabbit Barleywine is the hoppiest of all the Duck-Rabbit brews. This is a Farmville-style Barleywine, crafted the way brewers in Farmville have always done. Loads of Amarillo hops give a piney citrusy bitterness that's supported beautifully by a toffee malt backbone. ABV = 11%
Come for the Beer...stay for the Blues!
• 8PContinuum Blues Jam- Come out to the Blues Jam every other Wednesday sponsored by Continuum Consulting Services. Butch Haas will be facilitating this free-to-the-public jam. So bring your gear, sign up for a time, and jam with some of Durham’s finest! Drums, keyboard, bass, guitar and harp amps provided.
Thursday, March 18 • 8P Ann Humphreys
Ann Humphreys got her first guitar as a high-school graduation present from her grandmother, who always thought she had the prettiest voice. A native North Carolinian, she grew up listening to and singing along with her dad's bluegrass and cosmic cowboy albums. In the last few years she has been lucky enough to sing and play with John Howie Jr. of the Two Dollar Pistols, Greg Hawks of The Tremblers, and her immensely talented brother Greg Humphreys, of the legendary pop group Dillon Fence and local soul band Hobex. Her clear soprano voice has both the ring and the ache of our best-loved country divas.
• 10pm The Stray Dogs (roots/americana/country)
Take heartfelt vocals, the distinct sound of a Fender guitar, a rockin’ rhythm section and mix them up so you can hear the instruments, listen to the story and tap your feet - that's what we are all about. We’re gonna take some country, some honky-tonk, some rock n roll, some Chuck Berry, some Johnny Cash, some Tom Petty, some Memphis, some Nashville, and some Bakersfield and stew it in a big pot and serve you a heaping helping of rockin’ music. You will not be disappointed.
Lenora Zenzalai Helm, award winning jazz vocal musician, composer, lyricist and
educator will perform a concert of songs from her new CD Chronicles of a Butterfly at Broad Street Cafe, Durham, NC
on Friday, March 19, 2010 at 7 pm.
The events for
the evening include a 7 pm guest reception with selected menu, followed by a live concert at 8 pm where Ms. Helm will
be joined by many of her fellow faculty from the music department of NCCU, Ed Paolantonio, piano; Baron Tymas,
guitar and Durham native, A.J. Brown, acoustic bass. Guest performers include Ira Wiggins, saxophone and flute,
members of the NCCU Vocal Jazz Ensemble. The evening will conclude with Helm autographing her CDs while guests
enjoy the delicious menu of Broad Street Cafe. Public radio station, WNCU 90.7 FM, (www.WNCU.org) is one of the
promotional partners onboard to support Helm’s Chronicles of a Butterfly: A Story of Transformation. Spotlight
Benefit Auctions will be the Auctioneer for this fundraising event on March 19th.
For a more complete description of the event, CLICK HERE.
Saturday, March 20 • 8P Paul Daniel (folk rock/acoustic)
Paul Daniel is a powerful singer/songwriter and guitarist from Raleigh, North Carolina. Paul thrives on the raw purity of one man and one instrument, yet is always pushing for an even fuller folk rock sound. His guitar work is layered and complex drawing influences from, rock, blues, country, bluegrass and folk. Imagine Bruce Springsteen, Mark Knopfler, Norman Blake and Jerry Garcia all channeled into one guitar. The result is a rich foundation for songs with vivid scenes, lingering stories and unforgettable lyrics.
• 10P The Nova Echo (alternative/electro/pop) - $5 Cover
• 10:30P Bobby's Fever (surf/punk/rock)
After moving from Los Angeles and posting a craigslist ad for band mates, Lars Endrigat is teamed up with locals Ryan McKellar, (Soda Pop & Ritalin, Butter, former Autocade) on drums and Dan Streib (The Future Kings of Nowhere and Resist Not) on bass. Self-proclaimed as a garage symphony, Bobby’s Fever are loud and in your face as they hope to inspire you to shake your ass and bang your head. Drawing inspiration from such bands as The Ramones, Weezer, Rancid, and Nirvana as singer/guitarist Bobby Lars’ child-like vocal gravel and heavy guitar riffs mesh with Bobby Ryans ever pounding drums and Bobby Streibs bass lines.
• 11P En Serenade
I cannot count the times the skylines left me breathless…
It’s a simple enough of a story: a few guys from North Carolina pay their dues in pervious bands (The Athenian Mercury and Farewell, if you’re curious). Long drives in cramped vans, middling attendance and those unexpected huge turnouts, scrapping songs and scrapping relationships, flyering parking lots…all in anticipation of the next long drive and 45 minutes on a stage. But all those trials and tribulations are standard issue plot devices for any band willing to make a go at it. What stands tantamount to anything else is the music. That said, meet En Serenade.
These simple chords that I press down they don't kill my fears; they just block them out.
Drawing from post-hardcore Classic Case, the hooks of Weezer and the earnestness of Ben Gibbard’s ballads, En Serenade make damn good music-period. The hooks are there, sweetened up with just the right harmonies. What’s more, the guitar work is uncompromising, urgent and fun. Simply, everything fits into place perfectly. You’ll jump around, you’ll sing along, you’ll raise your glass high and toast. Also on En Serenade’s side is the oft-forgotten trait of humble and honest lyricism. Any less from any other band would be contrived, but En Serenade has the distinction of singing it and meaning it. One listen to TGIFO holds all the proof you’d need of a band possessing the sincerity so many bands try to imitate.
You’ve never had a song for you, then here is one to call your own.
Capturing awkward goodbyes, driving with the windows down, all the parties you remember and most of the ones you don’t, En Serenade have made music for the part of you that’s still has a wide-eyed optimism in spite of the jaded cynicism that comes with age. Give it a spin and remember what it was like to feel something new (and exciting, scary, awesome, unknown) for the first time.
There is no cover charge for this event but donations are encouraged.
Rags to Riches is very excited about performing,"Aesop's Fables," with some Ragsters who just participated in our most recent Academy. We will perform,"the Lion and the Mouse," "The Country Mouse and the City Mouse," and "The Tortoise and the Hare." The show will last 20 to 30 minutes. The Ragsters is the "Youth Division," of Rags to Riches theatre for young audiences. We work with children 5 through 12 on building ensemble and improvisational skills for playing on the stage. Rags to Riches has been performing for children in this area and up and down the East Coast for 17 years. For more information on our company please go to www.rags-to-riches.org.
• 7:30P Sound Syndicate (jazz)
Four young but serious musicians trying to capture the essense of American music through the traditions of jazz. Including Christian Dashiell on bass, JC Martin on guitar, Larry Q. Draughn on drums and Myk'l Hanna on vocals.
Wednesday, March 24 • 7:30P Open Mic Night Open Mic is arranged to enable anyone to perform, so all you have to do is turn up early and get your name down to perform. Originals and cover music of every style and genre are welcome! Open mic is a great way to practice your art and can also can be a proving ground for new talent and material. The audience consists of singers, poets, songwriters and music lovers so the atmosphere should be warm and encouraging for everybody.
Thursday, March 25 • 7P Bob Funck (folk rock/pop)
Rhythmic acoustic folk-pop with a melodic quality that is unpredictable
yet fully accessible… and full of irresistible hooks. The songs are at
once hopeful and melancholy weaving personal and social themes into
intricate lyrical tapestries… stories of the 4 L's...Love, Life, Loss and
Loneliness.
• 8P Brother Bandit
Drawing from a wide range of influences, Brother Bandit blends heartfelt melodies with hard driving energy and sincere lyrics. The brothers, Matt and Daniel Rotroff, were raised in the rural town of Lewisville, North Carolina. From an early age their father introduced them to music ranging from Doc Watson to Led Zeppelin. Back porch jam sessions were a common occurrence for the brothers, and helped shape a unique, grassroots style of music.
• 9:30P Negative I(alt/rock/pop)
Negative I is composed of singer/songwriter/composer Drissy and Lead guitarist/composer Chris Blakely. Both members have been working and performing with other bands growing up in Morocco and California respectively. They started working together on original Alternative Rock music since December 2007. They have been playing around the Triangle in different venues that promote original work. They perform with varying musicians, which allows them to experiment with different sounds that they incorporate in their demos. Negative I was featured on www.originalmindproductions.com for working with photographer Keith Papke while doing a photo shoot for their upcoming Album. Drissy just released her first single "Cold" as a solo artist, it is available worldwide on itunes. They are currently working on some musical projects with Nikk Furrie from "La Caution"; a French Rap/Electro/Hip Hop group known for their Laser dance song; "The a la Menthe" in the OST Ocean's Twelve. They are also working on their upcoming single "Alien" with The Industry Connect in Raleigh, NC.
Friday, March 26 • 8P Chris Bryant - The 2010 Discovery Series (Amos Lee & Ray Lamontagne) Middle school teacher by day, singer/songwriter by night, singer/songwriter by night, Chris Bryant approaches varied genres and subject matter with soulful honesty. It doesn't matter if he's singing about love, love lost, social responsibility or having fun at a party - when Chris sings, people listen. And when they listen, they believe him.
In 2010, Chris is playing a special series of shows at the Broad Street Cafe. Each month, he'll play a 45-50 minute set of music from an artist, band, or genre that's been influential or inspirational to his musical development. He'll follow that up with a 45-50 minute set of his own material. January's featured artist is Ben Harper. To find out more, visit http://discover.chrisbryantmusic.com.
• 10P The Crossover Blues Band Anchored in the tradition of Texas & Chicago Blues, they roll like a freight-train into rip-roarin, hi-energy, classic blues jams emulating the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughn, ZZ top & Al Collins.
Right when you think you got em' figured out, they slide right into an Aretha Franklin tune & a neck-snappin' Rock-a-billy piece from the Stray Cats.
Two smokin' lead guitar players, delta-blues harp, fat organ, several vocalists & a slammin' rhythm section...one of the best band's I've seen live!
If you're lucky, they just might drop a tune or two unplugged conjuring an intimate energy more common on a street corner in Memphis in the 40's.
I'm not sure I've ever seen a band cover this much ground.
-Mosley Sarsippius Jackson
The After Hours Review
Saturday, March 27 • 7:30P Skeedaddle (swing/acoustic/hawaiin)
Skeedaddle is a four piece acoustic string band that plays 20s and 30s swing, Hawaiian, jump blues, jug band and other roots Americana music with the intensity of a vaudevillian volleyball troupe. You have to see this group to appreciate this group - - - a great time...and if you like to dance, well, you're in luck!
• 10pm The Whiskey Smugglers (hillbilly rock/raucous folk)
"Standing up there with the Old Crows and Hackensaws of the world, the
Whiskey Smugglers rock a sweet and rowdy brand of large-ensemble
Americana. With high lonesome harmonies, heady jams, and blistering
rave-ups, these folks bring all the best of the mountains to our
Piedmont home" - Montgomery Morris, Music Director at WXYC in Chapel
Hill, NC.
Sunday, March 28 • 4:30P BSC Kids! It's FUN and it's FREE!(tip jar passed) Flying Hippo (band) Silly Joyfulness - Music, Poetry, Art, Drama, Dance, Story Telling, Improv - Exploring the wonder and connectedness and joy of Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, & Equality - Kids Songs for Adults, Adult Songs for Kids
• 7:30P Sawyer-Goldberg Jazz Band
"Our style is highly improvisational, with an emphasis on interplay & polyphony.
The music is our passion & we delight in sharing it with listeners."
Lou Sawyer& Pete Goldberg have been performing jazz together since 1980. Their repertoire is focused on mainstream jazz classics, standards, & originals.
The current Sawyer-Goldberg jazz group, which was formed in 1993, includes: Susan Cohen - vocals Roger Cook - electric & acoustic bass Pete Goldberg - guitar Lou Sawyer - alto, tenor & soprano sax David Shore - drums
Tuesday, March 30 • 8P Public Nudity Songwriters Night #6 A new series featuring great area songwriters.
Hosted byGreg Humphreys(Dillon Fence, Hobex).
Wednesday, March 31 • 8PContinuum Blues Jam- Come out to the Blues Jam every other Wednesday sponsored by Continuum Consulting Services. Butch Haas will be facilitating this free-to-the-public jam. So bring your gear, sign up for a time, and jam with some of Durham’s finest! Drums, keyboard, bass, guitar and harp amps provided.
APRIL EVENTS
Thursday, April 1 • 6PMagic Hat Spring Vinyl Pint Glass Night
Magic Hat's Spring Vinyl Buy a $4 pint, keep the glass (while supplies last)... plus other free stuff and giveaways!
• 8PDaniel Shawn(acoustic/rock/funk)
Daniel Sean has been writing music over the past decade. He is excited to finally bring these songs of life, love, hope, and happiness to you. The songs were written from a personal point of view either consciously or unconsciously. For the record, he never set out to be a singer/songwriter. To Daniel, songwriting is an art form for composing life as you live it.
• 10pm Delta Rae (folk rock/pop/soul)
From a simple, white house in the woods of North Carolina, Delta Rae brings together four unique voices to harmonize over songs born out of the rhythms and scenery of the coasts and country of America. Siblings Ian, Eric, and Brittany Holljes, along with their childhood friend, Elizabeth Hopkins, sing with a grit and soul older than their early twenty years would suggest. Harkening back to bands like Fleetwood Mac, the Mamas and the Papas, and Peter, Paul, and Mary, Delta Rae brings its own fresh sound and distinctive songwriting to a genre pioneered by such legends.
The songs, which would sound alternately at home in the catalogues of James Taylor, Ray LaMontagne, or the Dixie Chicks benefit from four lead singers, each with their own character: Liz has the rasp and emotion of a pop Bonnie Raitt; Brittany the high, pure tone of Natalie Maines; Eric, the range and soul of Billy Joel; and Ian, the strength and clear falsetto of Glen Hansard. But the true brilliance of Delta Rae reveals itself when the four singers combine. Their harmony and blend reflect their blood relations and the decade they’ve sung together.
In these four voices, joined by multi-instrumentalist, James Goldberg, the hope and beautiful melancholy of common scenes throughout the American landscape are elevated to new heights.
Friday, April 2 • 8PAmelia's Mechanics
Amelia’s Mechanics is an all-female, American rock trio whose instrumentation and vocal harmonies traverse classical, country, and jazz genres resulting in a sound best described as vintage country with a moonshine concerto.
The band, whose name, album title, and lyrics are inspired by the accomplishments of early aviatrix and aviators, explorers and pioneers, writes and sings about the mechanics underlying life’s triumphs and tragedies.
Amelia’s Mechanics debut album, “North-South” was produced by Jim Avett and released February 2010.
River City Ransom (rock/concrete/indie)
River City Ransom Is NOT from Oklahoma, California or the UK. River City Ransom is a five-piece rock and roll band from Raleigh, NC who play aggressive indie rock with loud post-punk choruses. In fact, I’m sure there are seven or eight more subgenres you could tag onto this band- but let's be honest; subgenres are fucking stupid. River City Ransom plays rock music, and its good.
Red Collar (rock/indie/alt)
“There’s a feeling in the room when Red Collar is playing that is hard to describe. It is as though the club or room has been lifted from its foundations and pulled straight up–that we’ve been taken out of time, and transported to a time before ironic posturing became the norm. A time before we used terms like post-anything. I’m not talking about false nostalgia for a better time. Just a different time. When this band plays it is ALRIGHT to yell along and to clap your hands.” -Evan Rowe, Maple Stave, Des_Ark
Saturday, April 3 • 8PGilbert Neal (pop/soul/funk/acoustic)
Gilbert Neal is one of the more revered musicians among musicians in the Chapel Hill/Raleigh DIY pantheon. Adept at bass, guitar, keyboards, able to improvise Queen-esque vocal interplay on the fly, an arranger and singer par excellence, it is easy to forget that on Neal's two solo outings, he has, among other things, crafted some of the most likable, DANCEABLE grooves to come out of that hotbed of indy music.
Born in Buffalo, NY, Neal's first guitar was a Hait, which his mother bought at Brand Names, a catalog store on Union Road. "My first year or so with my guitar was an exercise in tuning all the strings to the same tone with maybe a 5th or two thrown in. My early raga-like drones were a perfect, almost undetectable forgery of those early Beatles hits. Kidding."
After cutting his teeth in bands like Man Against Mauve, East of Idaho, and The Murk, Neal moved to Raleigh, NC. He formed Vibraspank with a group of guys who, like him, had a love of the dry funk of bands like The Meters and Sly Stone.
Neal played bass more often than not, and this became his primary instrument. He has a college degree in Musical Performance, primarily in Voice. In his career, he has sung in a 40's revival group, a comedy music group that parodied TV commercials, a country band, played guitar and sang lead in a Raleigh funk band (Cabarrus Street Allstars), played bass for very large productions of well-known Broadway and off-Broadway musicals, been a Musical Director for a Buffalo dinner theater, played bass guitar for radio commercials, written copy for same, acted in productions in college (Neal was Doc Gibbs in “Our Town” at Buffalo State).
But it isn't until you listen to Neal's two solo outings that you truly grasp the humor, the pathos, the anxiety and sadness, the hope and redemption, and the seemingly endless rhythmic inventiveness of this young soul, this funk-loving renaissance man singing about Van Gogh, inappropriate tumescence, George Bush, and his own evil twin ruining parties.
• 10pm
Sunday, April 4 • 4:30P BSC Kids! It's FUN and it's FREE!(tip jar passed) Big Bang Boom (band)
Big Bang Boom is a power pop trio that writes and performs parent-friendly children’s music. The live show is high-energy, and gets the crowd involved. From getting the kids on stage for the “Spongebob Chorus” to the parents vs. kids hokey pokey challenge – there is no sitting down!
What happens when professional musicians become parents? They play and write children's music. This is the path taken by Big Bang Boom, a children's music group from Greensboro. After 20 years touring clubs and playing parties, Chuck Folds (younger brother of piano rocker Ben Folds) and Steve Williard decided to expand their horizons and play for kids. Together with drummer Eddie Walker they have become the parent friendly kid's rock band alternative.
Big Bang Boom is designed to give parents something else to listen to besides Disney music and the Wiggles. There is some good quality children's music being recorded these days. You can catch it on any kid-friendly TV station, and now you can hear it live too.
Big Bang Boom plays some children's favorites as well as their own original songs for kids.
• 7:30PAaron Mills Project - Sunday Night Jazz Starting at 7:30, Open Jam at 9
If you are in any way a fan of jazz, this is not to be missed !!!
Aaron Mills, best known as the audacious bassist of classic funk act Cameo, has inspired a generation of groovy musicians, but his long time love affair with jazz has inspired The Aaron Mills Project. Aaron has been playing at the Cafe for a few months now, along with Wayne Kee, Bobby Hinton, Warren Fraizer and others. Aaron has brought Sunday night jazz back to the Cafe in a format that includes a cast of regulars as well as featured guest musicians every week. Towards the end of the evening, the night becomes an open jam, so, if anyone wants to come blow their horn....
Tuesday, April 6
Art Opening - Lucia Marcus
Wednesday, April 7 • 7:30P Open Mic Night Open Mic is arranged to enable anyone to perform, so all you have to do is turn up early and get your name down to perform. Originals and cover music of every style and genre are welcome! Open mic is a great way to practice your art and can also can be a proving ground for new talent and material. The audience consists of singers, poets, songwriters and music lovers so the atmosphere should be warm and encouraging for everybody.
Thursday, April 8 • 8PWorkbook (jazz w/ Brad Newell)
A jazz duo with a large repertoire of music ranging from laid back to funky to standards. Thelonious Monk to Led Zeppelin.
• 10pm Steven Bryan (rock/singer-songwriter)
Steven Bryan (born Francesco Dell’Orco, 4 April 1982) is an “English adopted” singer/songwriter. Born in Milan, Italy, Steven’s first contact with music happened at age of 8, thanks to a tape including songs of Beatles, Cat Stevens and Guns ‘N’ Roses, appreciated gift from a close cousin who studied piano at the Music Conservatory.
According to Steven, that scratched and “million times” used tape is still on his desk…
He was influenced by music from a very young age, listening to artists such as Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel and big rock bands like U2, Bon Jovi and Guns ‘N’ Roses among others.
Steven started writing at the age of 14 and he established his first band in 1998, The Kids, playing piano-bar duo acts around the city.
Things began to be more interesting in 2000 after an audition with a band called Destiny. With Nick D’Elia and Alessandro Barberio at the guitars, Oreste Di Blasi at the bass and Michele Salgarello (Amanita Muscaria, Gruppo Elettrogeno, Eugenio Finardi, Matia Bazar) at the drums, the band recorded a demo in the studio of the famous American sound engineer Alan Goldberg (Yes, Fabrizio De Andrè, Ivano Fossati, Pino Daniele). The four songs included had rock, blues and funky influences. The band started getting the attention of some important A&R and promoters; nevertheless after a great final concert for GreenPeace, in 2002 the band broke up.
Steven kept on writing new material with his “alter ego” Nick D’Elia, ex-guitarist of Destiny; in the meanwhile gained stage experience with some rock&roll cover bands such as 3G (2003), The Distance (2004) and Jasmine Gun (2006), playing several local and regional shows.
In 2007 Steven Bryan moved to London as a very important stage in his artistic journey.
After playing acoustic sessions in London clubs like “The Spice of Life”, “Belushi’s Bar”, “Half Moon Pub” and “12 Club”, in 2008 his first single Help Me if You Can Tonight, produced by CrazyMind, had airplay on some local Italian radio stations and internet radios.
In 2009 Steven hired experienced musicians such as Francesco Lo Castro at the guitars, Dominic Giannetta (New Trolls, O.R.O., Red Box Blue, J-Funk) at the bass and Gabor Dornyei (Musical "Thriller" of Michael Jackson) at the drums and recorded his first British EP Let Me Stay including four tracks: Let Me Stay, Feelin’ Good, Say Goodbye (You Still Want Some) and Only 24-7.
A few months later, in July 2009, Steven Bryan has signed with Foley Entertainment Group, whose owner/president, Eugene Foley, has worked with various record labels (EMI, Sony, Interscope, Atlantic, Geffen, Elektra), and whose clients have earned nearly 40 Gold & Platinum Records & 3 Grammy® Awards for their overall career accomplishments.
Steven proves a more than entertaining guide to some of the finer points of the musical anatomy. The vocals has all the low-key passion of James Morrison and Paulo Nutini, the whimsical, yet intense, emotion of David Gray with a soulful, continental twist..."
OVERPLAY.COM
"I would call Bryan’s vocal delivery a softly-spoken approach with a rock edge. His style of singing is very distinct in terms of his cool pitch. Steven Bryan wants to stay in the world of music making and I think that we, the public, will have no problem letting him do that. Bryan is here to stay!"
SKOPE MAGAZINE
"Overall this is a stellar 4 track EP.The writing of the tracks is awesome. Attention to detail is evident in each of the lyrical sets. This is a great way to begin the next chapter and I for one am glad that I heard it…don’t miss out!"
STEAL THE SPOTLIGHT MAGAZINE
""He has a catchy bittersweet quality to his songs, and the passion is there!"
ORIGIVATION MAGAZINE
Friday, April 9 • 8PSpencer Sholes (alt/folk rock/funk)
Lifelong musician, songwriter. Specializing in guitar and vocals. Playing original music wherever I can get in the door.
• 10pm The Pneurotics (rock/indie/alternative)
"Rich started writing songs in high school with music and lyrics most reminiscent of indie-rock with an occasional alt-country twang. His songs are inspired by authentic emotionality provoked by love gone awry, betrayal, thwarted intentions, and unfulfilled expectations tapping into the commonality of the human experience of love. The depth and complexity of his songs are tinted with the color, honesty and roughness of the southwest canyons. His music is guitar-driven, startling, and raw with rough vocals sung from the toes. He’s created stirring, idiosyncratic riffs with surprising bridges and changes that make you stop whatever you’re doing to listen. A doctorate in fluid dynamics influences the melodic waves and intricate harmonic spirals that he incorporates organically into his unique guitar licks. However, an unusual humility and self-described shyness has left his body of music to be an undiscovered wealth for the music-loving community."
Saturday, April 10 • 8PKen Larson Trio (jazz/swing/bossa) The KLT consists of Ken Larson on guitar, Lex Larson on bass and Todd Gambling percussion/vocals. KTL focuses on mid-20th century traditional Jazz with an emphasis on Bossa. Favorite composers include: Jobim, Miles, Ellington, Mingus.
Sunday, April 11 • 7:30P The JazzTones(jazz/blues/swing)
The JazzTones sextet plays mainstream jazz in the styles of the 50's and 60's. Behind the sultry vocals of Alice Brower, the Jazztones cover tunes ranging from standards, to swing, blues, latin and bebop. It's members come from the greater Hillsborough, North Carolina area.
Tuesday, April 13 • 7P Periodic Tables: Durham’s Science Cafe Cold Beer. Hot Food. Cool Science.
A monthly gathering where curious adults can meet in a casual setting to discuss the latest science in plain English. At Periodic Tables, you will chat with your neighbors and local experts about interesting and relevant science happenings right here in the Triangle and beyond. No lengthy PowerPoint presentations, no drawn-out seminars, no confusing jargon. Simply smart and relevant science in a relaxed atmosphere. Eating and drinking is encouraged, and there is no such thing as a stupid question.
**This event starts at 7pm, but try to come a little early if you want food as it gets very busy very quickly right around 7.
This month's topic: Speaker:
Wednesday, April 14 • 8PContinuum Blues Jam- Come out to the Blues Jam every other Wednesday sponsored by Continuum Consulting Services. Butch Haas will be facilitating this free-to-the-public jam. So bring your gear, sign up for a time, and jam with some of Durham’s finest! Drums, keyboard, bass, guitar and harp amps provided.
Thursday, April 15 • 8PGasolinestove (americans/roots/folk rock)
With some former members of Memphis the Band, this new look at Scott Morgan's music takes a different approach. Upright Bass, piano, accordian, acoustic guitar and percussion as well as harmonies make up a new sound.
• 10pm The New Familiars (acoustic/folk rock/thrash) - $X Cover
For Years now, North Carolina's The New Familiars have been touring & playing their own style of American Rock & Roll wherever and whenever they can. Drawing from the vast influences that they've collected throughout their collective careers, this quartet has shaped a sound that combines the nitty-gritty roots music of the Appalachia with guitar-drenched-drum-driven anthems of Rock & Roll. Through collective songwriting, howling harmonies, & multi-instrumental talent, their show can take you from a back porch hoe-down to a full on rock show at the change of an instrument.
Having played hundreds of shows from the sunny beaches of FL to the bustling cities of MA and from the Smokies to the Rockies, these gentlemen have seen some miles and have some stories. On an almost constant state of tour, they have managed to release a few EPs, a VINYL single, and are currently on tour with thier NEW LIVE ALBUM; all the while continuing work on a full length album.
Friday, April 16 • 8P Chris Bryant - The 2010 Discovery Series (Cake) Middle school teacher by day, singer/songwriter by night, singer/songwriter by night, Chris Bryant approaches varied genres and subject matter with soulful honesty. It doesn't matter if he's singing about love, love lost, social responsibility or having fun at a party - when Chris sings, people listen. And when they listen, they believe him.
In 2010, Chris is playing a special series of shows at the Broad Street Cafe. Each month, he'll play a 45-50 minute set of music from an artist, band, or genre that's been influential or inspirational to his musical development. He'll follow that up with a 45-50 minute set of his own material. January's featured artist is Ben Harper. To find out more, visit http://discover.chrisbryantmusic.com.
• 10pm Union County (rock/acoustic) - $5 Cover Union County consists of two members: Alan Peterson and Steve Thompson. UC began at Appalachian State University in 2005. Alan had been playing guitar and singing for many years and had recently started getting serious about his songwriting. Steve had been writing and playing in band's for years and was looking for someone to build a unique band with. Alan and Steve were both music majors at Appalachian and got to know each other in a choir that they both sang in. The thing that they really remember most about the formation of their friendship is cigars. The first few times they spent time together were on opposite sides of burning tobacco and billowing clouds of thick white smoke. Alan and Steve spoke of pain, happiness, freedom, aspiration, religion, fear, and most of all...love. Not from a disgustingly chipper angle or as though it were a redoubtable opponent, instead they spoke of love as it is: the center of all things. This belief at the core of each of them bound them together in a tight friendship very quickly. One night Steve and Alan played some music together. In this one night it was abundantly clear to both men that there was a special spark in the sound. The styles were different. Alan's leaned toward folk/jazz and Steve's pushed towards rock/pop, but the mesh seemed effortless. Alan and Steve were immediately pleased with the way their voices sounded while singing together and they quickly realized that this "Union" of styles was one that was strong. It only took a few practices and they were writing songs with the other person's part in mind and before long they had established a home for their specific musical creations..."Union County". The rest is future history.
Help our community become a safer place for families by attending a benefit concert for the Family Violence Prevention Center of Orange County (FVPC). This past year, FVPC directly assisted over 800 victims of family violence (a 30% increase over the year before) by providing such services as a 24-hour crisis hotline, court advocacy, support groups, and emergency shelter placement. We need your help now more than ever.
Keep FVPC in the black by listening and dancing to the Blues.
From 1990 thru 1997, Armand Lenchek toured with Skeeter Brandon and HWY61 playing the blues clubs like BB King's in Memphis, Buddy Guy's Legends in Chicago, Manny's Car Wash in New York City, Margaritaville in Key West and Muddy's in Portland, Maine in addition to appearing in festivals all over the world.
It is even rumored that he's played at the famous Moondogs Pub in Blawnox, Pa. (Near Pittsburgh)
"Lenchek . . . is patient . . . unlike a lot of young fretmen he's willing to let the melody come to him rather than chase it down the street. Even at his most aggressive, he plays ideas, not just notes." Living Blues
Will McFarlane spent six years playing guitar with Bonnie Raitt, from 1974 to 1980. Born on a Navy base in California, McFarlane started voice lessons at age 6, adding piano a year later. Seeing the Beatles play the Ed Sullivan Show when he was 12 inspired McFarlane to take up guitar. He developed a taste for R&B in high school, focusing on Motown material while developing as a rhythm guitarist.
McFarlane attended college in Denver, but soon dropped out and had been playing gigs in bars and clubs across the country when Raitt found him in a club in Cambridge, Mass.
McFarlane learned how to listen as well as play while in Raitt's band. His musical education was a versatile one, encompassing straight blues, country blues, folk, country, rock 'n' roll, as well as singer-songwriter material. Raitt was sharing stages with living blues legends, and McFarlane soaked up as much as he could from them before and after the gigs.
McFarlane left Raitt to move to Muscle Shoals, Alabama, playing on records for Bobby Blue Bland, Little Milton, Etta James and Johnnie Taylor as part of the famed Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section.
He parted company amicably from Raitt in 1980, because he and his wife, Janet, wanted a change of lifestyle and didn't want to raise two kids in L.A.
Soon after relocating to Muscle Shoals, he had a spiritual awakening. His younger brother was murdered while McFarlane was still with Raitt, and he says he stayed high for three years afterward trying to deal with it.
He became a Christian, but continued to make his living playing secular music at Muscle Shoals Sound, as well as traveling in ministry. During this time his floundering marriage was restored, and he and Janet, now married 32 years, also travel together.
McFarlane has continued to work in secular and gospel music, both traditional and contemporary styles. He has added full-fledged minister to his list of occupations since coming to the Triangle area seven years ago, and has been one of the pastors at Grace Church in Chapel Hill. He has continued to work in Muscle Shoals, Nashville, and other places around the country and world, as well as doing many sessions and live performances in the Raleigh/Durham area. He was just recently inducted into the Musician's Hall of Fame in Nashville as a friend of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section (The Swampers).
Sunday, April 18 • 7:30P Sound Syndicate (jazz)
Four young but serious musicians trying to capture the essense of American music through the traditions of jazz. Including Christian Dashiell on bass, JC Martin on guitar, Larry Q. Draughn on drums and Myk'l Hanna on vocals.
Tuesday, April 20 • 8P Café Ciné
Movie will start promptly at 8pm with an introduction from Neal Bell. There will be an intermission about halfway through and a Q&A session immediately after the movie ends.
There is no charge for this event.
Movie Night is being hosted by Neal Bell, Playwright, Professor of the Practice of Theater Studies at Duke University, and Obie Award winner.
Neal Bell's plays - including Two Small Bodies, On The Bum, and Somewhere In The Pacific - have been produced at Playwrights Horizons in New York, and regionally at theatres including the the Mark Taper Forum in LA, Berkeley Rep, Actors Theatre of Louisville, and Durham's own Manbites Dog. His adaptations of Therese Raquin and Frankenstein have appeared at the La Jolla Rep and New York's Classic Stage Company. A recipient of grants from the NEA and the Rockefeller and Guggenheim Foundations, Mr. Bell has also received an Obie for sustained excellence in playwriting. His play, Spatter Pattern, won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America.
Mr. Bell has also written for television and the screen - as a staff-writer for the soap opera One Life To Live, and as author of the horror movie Terminal Choice. ("Good cast wasted in this unsavory thriller," raves Leonard Maltin.)
Currently Mr. Bell is a professor in Duke's Theatre Studies Department, where he teaches playwriting, screen and TV writing, and a course on horror in films and plays, "The Dramatic Monster."
Wednesday, April 21 • 7:30P Open Mic Night Open Mic is arranged to enable anyone to perform, so all you have to do is turn up early and get your name down to perform. Originals and cover music of every style and genre are welcome! Open mic is a great way to practice your art and can also can be a proving ground for new talent and material. The audience consists of singers, poets, songwriters and music lovers so the atmosphere should be warm and encouraging for everybody.
Thursday, April 22 • 8PErin Brown (acoustic/alt/folk)
• 10pm Tribella (indie/powerpop/new wave)
tri·bel·la
Pronunciation: ..trī-ˈbel-lə..
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin (from tri-, tres) & Greek, from tri-, treis — plus French, from feminine of beau beautiful —
Date: 2008
1: 3 Women (American). Superb musicians. Schooled by grandparents in classical piano and old-time jazz by way of Indiana, Baton Rouge & New York City. Met in Austin. Came together to play good music. Really good music.
EMERGING WITH THEIR DEBUT EP MY GUEST LIST at SXSW two years ago, Tribella has established itself as a mainstay on the local Austin scene, performing with a host of other renowned independent bands and embarking in June of 2009 on a 20-show US tour throughout the Midwest, East Coast, and South East. Based in Austin, the trio—whose sound defies pat labeling but draws from 80s new wave, progressive and indie rock influences—performs regularly at hotspots like The Mohawk, Antone’s and Emo’s; their CD release party for Thirteen is at Lambert’s on February 27.
Tribella’s tour schedule has taken them from The Beachland in Cleveland and The Frequency in Madison, to venues in the Twin Cities, Boston, NYC, Asheville, and New Orleans. They've shared bills with: Sarah Bettens (K’s Choice), Girl In A Coma, Reign of Kindo, The Black Hollies, Why Make Clocks, Soap Stars, Punch Drunk Poets and Kid:Nap:Kin.
With every performance, the trio has been winning audiences over with their adroit musicianship, nervy attitude, and stunningly intricate and emotive songs. KUT’s Texas Music Matters wrote: “The band has crafted a sound that’s a perfect blend of pop-rock and new wave, but their attention to song craft is what sets this band apart from others in the local music scene." While their influences range from 80s pop to traditional jazz, they consistently evoke a nostalgia for 90’s alternative rock bands like Belly, Liz Phair and Jane’s Addiction, and – with their infusion of elaborate melodies and syncopated rhythms – bring to mind progressive bands like Yes, Rush and Muse.
“When I moved here several years ago, I had just released a solo CD and was gigging around town promoting that album. I knew Rae through playing shows... It was obvious right away that Rae and I made a great team and that we were amazingly like-minded. Dena had just moved to town from San Francisco and word spread that there was this great new female drummer I should meet. When the three of us first got together, we weren’t sure it would work and were all a bit nervous, but once we started playing it felt powerful and there was a unique chemistry. Tribella has been creatively liberating for all of us.”
Combining the trio’s dynamic musicianship with emotionally charged lyrics, the songs on Tribella’s album are named after time signatures (“13” is from the track’s unusual meter 13/8) and chord structures (“CSUS4” for one of the prominent chords within the progression). “13” comes from a place of uncertainty in a push-pull relationship with a lover who moved away, while “Deal Breaker”—the jamming opener —draws inspiration from a recurring nightmare Sarah had as a child about being trapped in a basement with flickering lights and strangers speaking foreign languages; she now applies the metaphor to the fear that is aroused when people focus on their differences rather than on what is universal. “CSUS4” toys with the notion of super stardom and being stalked by paparazzi.
“My hope is that every time we play, people are affected by the passion and sincerity we collectively put forth" says Sarah, "And when I can sense that the audience is responding and even jumping up and down, I know they’re getting it and that’s very gratifying.”
Tribella are Sarah Glynn (lead vocalist and guitarist), Rae Golding (bassist) and Dena Gerbrecht (drummer/backing vocalist). Their highly anticipated full-length album Thirteen DEBUTS on February 27, 2010.
Friday, April 23 • 8PGilbert Neal (pop/soul/funk/acoustic)
Gilbert Neal is one of the more revered musicians among musicians in the Chapel Hill/Raleigh DIY pantheon. Adept at bass, guitar, keyboards, able to improvise Queen-esque vocal interplay on the fly, an arranger and singer par excellence, it is easy to forget that on Neal's two solo outings, he has, among other things, crafted some of the most likable, DANCEABLE grooves to come out of that hotbed of indy music.
Born in Buffalo, NY, Neal's first guitar was a Hait, which his mother bought at Brand Names, a catalog store on Union Road. "My first year or so with my guitar was an exercise in tuning all the strings to the same tone with maybe a 5th or two thrown in. My early raga-like drones were a perfect, almost undetectable forgery of those early Beatles hits. Kidding."
After cutting his teeth in bands like Man Against Mauve, East of Idaho, and The Murk, Neal moved to Raleigh, NC. He formed Vibraspank with a group of guys who, like him, had a love of the dry funk of bands like The Meters and Sly Stone.
Neal played bass more often than not, and this became his primary instrument. He has a college degree in Musical Performance, primarily in Voice. In his career, he has sung in a 40's revival group, a comedy music group that parodied TV commercials, a country band, played guitar and sang lead in a Raleigh funk band (Cabarrus Street Allstars), played bass for very large productions of well-known Broadway and off-Broadway musicals, been a Musical Director for a Buffalo dinner theater, played bass guitar for radio commercials, written copy for same, acted in productions in college (Neal was Doc Gibbs in “Our Town” at Buffalo State).
But it isn't until you listen to Neal's two solo outings that you truly grasp the humor, the pathos, the anxiety and sadness, the hope and redemption, and the seemingly endless rhythmic inventiveness of this young soul, this funk-loving renaissance man singing about Van Gogh, inappropriate tumescence, George Bush, and his own evil twin ruining parties.
Saturday, April 24 • 8PPaul Daniel (folk rock/acoustic)
Paul Daniel is a powerful singer/songwriter and guitarist from Raleigh, North Carolina. Paul thrives on the raw purity of one man and one instrument, yet is always pushing for an even fuller folk rock sound. His guitar work is layered and complex drawing influences from, rock, blues, country, bluegrass and folk. Imagine Bruce Springsteen, Mark Knopfler, Norman Blake and Jerry Garcia all channeled into one guitar. The result is a rich foundation for songs with vivid scenes, lingering stories and unforgettable lyrics.
• 10pm Paul Edelman (folk/soul/country)
Almost born on the airplane from Columbus, Ohio, where his family lived, to Philadelphia, because his mom, a native of Philly, only trusted one doctor. Then the infant Edelman was flown right back to Columbus. "I was a very serious kid, and I think that's why. That's a lot of stress for a baby." His best friend in Columbus was a weeping willow tree. From there Paul's family moved to the north shore of Long Island, one of the natural habitats to the privileged dirtbag." There was a lot of money in that town, we stood out like sore thumbs." His family was always musical. Paul's uncle narrowly avoided success when he refused to sell one of his songs to Joe Cocker." Everyone in the family had talent, my mom had a beautiful voice."
Paul spent a year at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh before settling into Philly. Paul spent years hosting open mics all through town, meeting folks and drawing influence from his peers. " My strongest asset is the ability to surround myself with people that are better than me." Eventually, Paul began connecting with some serious players with real ambition and talent. Paul found himself being a sought after player in town. "One of my first bandmates insists that I invented the term Grunge as a musical genre." He learned how to give other songwriters what their songs needed, and in so doing, was learning how to craft his own music with unique vision.
Paul was a Boxcar, a Butcher Holler Boy and lead guitar for Naked Omaha, three of the hottest tickets in town, simultaneously. It was no surprise then when Paul broke out on his own with the Jangling Sparrows, he was selling out the World Cafe and sharing bills with James McMurtry, Robert Earl Keen and Langhorn Slim.
Since relocating to the Blue Ridge Mountains The Jangling Sparrow's heavy hitting songwriting has already been met with an outstanding reception at some of the most respected venues in the area and radio in the region. Tough and tender, from a holler to a whisper. from timeless, original, Soul, Folk and Country to ferocious twang rock.
Paul has also shared stages with:
The Drive By Truckers, Neko Case, Scott Miller, Big Sandy and his Flyrite Boys, Slim Cessna, Marah, The Bottlerockets, The Sadies, and if you include stage crashing, Sarah Mclaughlin, Chrissie Hind, Cheryl Crow and the Dixie Chicks.
"If you’re a fan of solid alt-country music, you don’t want to miss Paul Edelman’s performance. Edelman has a sound that calls to mind some of the best of the genre, but what really sets him apart is his songwriting."
Carla Nelson-The Corner News, Auburn, AL
"Edelman makes short work of simple but effective lyrics, driving percussion, searing guitars and hooky melodies....Hints of Springsteen and Mellencamp are balanced with Edelman’s original sound; an imperfect but comfortable voice and addictive narrative songs"
Alli Marshal-Mountain Xpress
Sunday, April 25 • 7:30P Sawyer-Goldberg Jazz Band
"Our style is highly improvisational, with an emphasis on interplay & polyphony.
The music is our passion & we delight in sharing it with listeners."
Lou Sawyer& Pete Goldberg have been performing jazz together since 1980. Their repertoire is focused on mainstream jazz classics, standards, & originals.
The current Sawyer-Goldberg jazz group, which was formed in 1993, includes: Susan Cohen - vocals Roger Cook - electric & acoustic bass Pete Goldberg - guitar Lou Sawyer - alto, tenor & soprano sax David Shore - drums
Tuesday, April 27 • 8P Public Nudity Songwriters Night #7 A new series featuring great area songwriters.
Hosted byGreg Humphreys(Dillon Fence, Hobex).
This months guest artists are:
Wednesday, April 28 • 6:30P Blues N' Brews Tri-Beer - The Triangle Beer Meet Up You do not need to be a Tri-Beer member to participate in this event.
Tri-Beer is a group for the true beer enthusiast or those who want to develop a stronger appreciation for beer. Every month, we try to bring in a beer that is special or different - - - something that not everybody would normally get a chance to try. We've had beautiful casks and kegs from Duck Rabbit, Lone Rider, Aviator, Sweetwater, Foothills, and others.
Come for the Beer...stay for the Blues!
• 8PContinuum Blues Jam- Come out to the Blues Jam every other Wednesday sponsored by Continuum Consulting Services. Butch Haas will be facilitating this free-to-the-public jam. So bring your gear, sign up for a time, and jam with some of Durham’s finest! Drums, keyboard, bass, guitar and harp amps provided.
Thursday, April 29 • 8P3rd Stage (traditional/bluegrass/folk)
Stuart Gordon came to North Carolina State University over thirty years ago. He has lived in the area since. His musical style is influenced by folk and folk-rock from the 1960s and 1970s as well as bluegrass and early country. Stuart sings and plays guitar, mandolin and harmonica. He has performed with various string bands at festivals, concerts and coffee houses. Stuart is featured on "Steel Rails through the Valley", a compilation CD of railroad songs produced by the New Hope Valley Railway in Bonsal, NC.
Alan Goldman started playing guitar as a teenager. In college he played with a band called the Raunch Hands and performed throughout the Northeast. The Raunch Hands recorded two L.P. records on the Epic label. He started playing 5-string banjo around 1970 and later took up the hammered dulcimer. He is a retired pediatrician, having practiced medicine in Raleigh for 36 years. He presently lives in Raleigh. Melissa Holland was transplanted from Nashville, Tennessee to Raleigh more years ago than she will ever admit. Music has been an important part of her life since starting piano lessons at the age of five. As a member of a cappella choirs in high school and college, she learned to appreciate using the voice as an instrument. For the last six years, Melissa has sung and played fiddle with a number of gospel groups in the Triangle area, including Homecoming and Going Home. She listens to a variety of music, but particularly loves bluegrass and traditional country.
Friday, April 30 • 8PFlava (contemporary jazz/r&b/pop)
• 10pm Cupcake Diaries
Mary Rockers Johnson (americana)
“A voice built for singing of lingering touches (check out her gorgeous Two Step) and songwriting skills built for the subtle but lasting detail.”- Independent Weekly "The musical backing serves as flickering streetlights, directing you to the voice and words of one Mary Johnson Rockers down below. And that’s where the brightest lamp should shine.” -Rick Cornell in review of No Place for Birds to Rest (Independent Weekly)
Birds and Arrows (folk/pop/indie)
Starmaker, the full-length debut from young duo Birds & Arrows, plays like a scrapbook that chronicles the love and lives of husband and wife Pete and Andrea Connolly. Both the album art and songs are deeply personal, edging on voyeuristic at times, but offering a sort of universal truth for their intimacy. On the title track, Andrea and Pete sing in unison, identifying God as the "starmaker" who pushes a pin through black paper like on a schoolchild's art project. By casting God as the craft artist, the Connollys afford themselves the power to create their own world, one of instant nostalgia and familiarity, not unlike the best of Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music. Artwork of Native Americans and spaceships collides with lyrics about traveling and love. Birds & Arrows' domain is strange and beautiful, full of wide-eyed wonder. On "Honeymoon Song," they describe a broad and encompassing world, singing, "In a place so old with a life so new, it was all." Still, Andrea picks out minute details, like stopping the car every few miles because it was smoking. The specificity paints an intimate portrait, offering an inlet into the couple's private life. Andrea's strummed guitar begins the track, which grows in layers—cello, piano and pedal steel as ornaments, then Pete's simple tribal drumming on tom-toms. Add all the sounds in the world, though, and the excitement in "Honeymoon Song" stems from the palpable connection between the couple. Pete joins Andrea on harmony vocals, helping lift the line, "It was all," into "It was always you." The singing throughout Starmaker is fantastic. Andrea's voice is clear, full and stunning, seemingly designed for melancholic anthems and slow-burning love songs. With sand on his vocal chords, Pete delivers lyrics with a rootsy, quiet confidence that balances Andrea in an unexpectedly appealing way. He even tackles lead vocals on a few songs, including "Monkey Brother," a song about his estranged adopted brother who died last year. While the band is essentially a guitar-drums duo, "Ripe and Ruptured" features Latin-inspired claves and ooh-la-las. Coldplay could even cover "Company Keep." The music refuses to stand still, mirroring the album's uniting motif of drives—or, more generally, movement and progression. The theme comes to fruition on "Daisy Renee," a joyous country ode to an old car. "Send her home," the Connollys call together, echoing Tom Waits and Neil Young's old-world automobile nostalgia. The '64 Oldsmobile can be imagined heading off into the glowing sunset. Primal and passionate, expectant and hopeful, Birds & Arrows' Starmaker is a Victorian curio cabinet filled with personal moments and universal emotions.............................. ALBUM REVIEW by ANDREW RICHEY of Independent Weekly
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to violence, the word and the act. While violence cloaks itself in a plethora of disguises, its favorite mantle still remains... sex. Violence devours all it touches, its voracious appetite rarely fulfilled. Yet violence doesn't only destroy, it creates and molds as well. Let's examine closely then this dangerously evil creation, this new breed encased and contained within the supple skin of woman. The softness is there, the unmistakable smell of female, the surface shiny and silken, the body yielding yet wanton. But a word of caution: handle with care and don't drop your guard. This rapacious new breed prowls both alone and in packs, operating at any level, any time, anywhere, and with anybody. Who are they? One might be your secretary, your doctor's receptionist... or a dancer in a go-go club!"
You do not need to be a Tri-Beer member to participate in this event.
• 7:30P Open Mic Night
• 8P Public Nudity Songwriters Night #6
Cold Beer. Hot Food. Cool Science.
Help our community become a safer place for families by attending a benefit concert for the Family Violence Prevention Center of Orange County (FVPC). This past year, FVPC directly assisted over 800 victims of family violence (a 30% increase over the year before) by providing such services as a 24-hour crisis hotline, court advocacy, support groups, and emergency shelter placement. We need your help now more than ever. 