In honor of the upcoming Layabout and Churchkey Digital sponsored Hopscotch Day Party, WNnG (The Bull City Records Blog) will be hosting a handful of shows taped over the course of a couple years at Craig’s house. I’ve also got a show or two packed away featuring some of the scheduled bands playing other venues in the Triangle that I’ll try and toss up as well. Yesterday saw the openers of the July 12th show at the Layabout, Jeremy Blair from Effingham, so today I’ll post the second band in that night’s lineup – The Dry Heathens.

House shows can turn out to be some of the most exciting shows to commit to tape. If it’s a good night, you can catch a band at their most raw, most enthusiastic, most raucous, most comfortable and usually most drunk levels. In a house show environment, garage bands and the show-goers are in their element, kind of their natural habitat. When all these elements align, you can potentially witness a band giving one of their most fiery performances in years. In addition to that, you can also trap the time, place and mood to tape, almost time-stamping it, through the audience chatter, exclamations and clinking bottles. The result here is an example of that fire and perfection.

Anyway, that being said…

The Dry Heathens.
Monday, July 12th, 2010.
The Layabout, Durham, NC.

01. tuning/warm up
02. Lose It
> 03. (cut for now)
04. Monkey Song
05. Pieces
06. Her Daddy Hates Me
07. Sociopath
08. Splendid Little War
09. Just As Well

Noah (ex-Tooth, current-HOG) was sitting in to offer his support in the devastating drums department. I think they practiced once, maybe twice together before taking the stage? The sound is loose, exciting and completely blown out in every element that you’d want. The vocals are buried behind two crunching, wailing guitars, rumbling, staggering basslines and thunderous drums. This is friends playing music for friends on a Monday night and it could not have been more perfect.

Stay tuned yet for the Goodnight Loving show!

Back in July on a muggy, rainy Monday night, Jeremy Blair took center stage in a dining room tucked away into a modest, Durham residential neighborhood. Walking up to the house, with the doors shut, windows down and AC humming, you couldn’t even tell there was something stirring just over the threshold beyond the porch. This unassuming house has become a meeting spot for Triangle indie pop and garage curiosity-seekers as the booker and resident has never disappointed in his delivery of solid touring musicians to the Durham area. From the kitchen, folks watched the backs of the band and the living room crowd, as we stared back through the band at the kitchen dwellers.

On this night Jeremy Blair (local), the Dry Heathens (local) and The Goodnight Loving (Milwaukee) were gracing us with their versions of twang-inspired rock and roll at Craig’s house, The Layabout. It takes a couple of brave bands and an even braver booker to piece together a Monday night show in the Triangle. With such a vibrant live music scene between the three cities, it’s not an easy task convincing folk to pry themselves off their couches directly following the weekend. Surprisingly 50 to 60 people or so seemed to be milling about over the course of the night.

Here’s the second half of Jeremy Blair’s set, with the other acts to follow at a later date. Blair actually is from a town called Effingham, and no, the irony of growing up in a small, slow town with a name like that is not lost on the teenagers. I was a little late in showing up, so I only caught about half the set, but I was incredibly glad I caught any at all. Blair’s writing has a distinct dreary, sad twang to it, but the songs are delivered with a rock urgency lending the music a rawer, driving edge. Stories wind and ramble through the verses, but each chorus offers a break and allows Blair a chance to explore his knack for writing a moving pop hook.

Give these tracks a listen:

Monday, July 12th, 2010.
The Layabout, Durham, NC.

Jeremy Blair – Song 1 (partial?)
Jeremy Blair – Song 2
Jeremy Blair – Song 3
Jeremy Blair – Song 4

Go out and see them on Sept 9th with Magnolia Collective at the Station in Carrboro or on September 30th with Le Weekend and Wembley at the Pinhook in Durham! Pick yer city.

Stay tuned for recordings from Dry Heathens and The Goodnight Loving from this night too.

With tomorrow night looming heavy over our heads, I’m a little slow in posting something about the Do It Yourself juggernaut celebration & art fair that’s geared up at the Pinhook. Durham’s own Cook & Cook pair, have lined up a celebration jubilation to promote and share a love for, you guessed it, doing it all yourself. This Friday night is for you specifically. It’s about empowerment, individuality and self-esteem of course, but it’s also about turning around, sharing and exposing that knowledge with others once you’ve mastered it. The idea is to collectively and openly celebrate the mindset that “yes, I can achieve this myself if I put my mind to it.”

Going along with the spirit of DIY, Heather Cook (crafter-extraordinaire) and Phil Cook (musician savant) each latched onto different aspects of DIY culture separately, planned a night around it, and then inter-weaved their ideas around each other to create a full evening of music and various demonstrations. Phil lined up local musicians, as well as one phenomenal touring musician who happened to be on his way through town, and gave them all one simple instruction – you have to multi-task. There will be no “guy or girl with a guitar” sitting up on stage at any moment, the musicians have to be playing more than one instrument at all times. This could get extremely interesting, expect to see lots of pedals, gears and duct tape. Heather organized a collection of booths and stations which will be promoting and sharing ‘how to’ ideas on various foods, crafts and arts. Each table will be selling their own things, as well as offering instructions on how to do it yourself. (Look for a very special purse and jewelry craft table!)

The muscians (in no particular order):
Frank Fairfield (Tompkins Square Recording Artist!)
Phil Cook & His Feat (Megafaun)
Big Danny McGee (Spider Bags)
Ol’ Lemon Pledgerton (Midtown Dickens Catherine)
Django Haskins (Old Ceremony)
Dave Rogers (Rogers Woodworks & dude about town)
Colin Booy (Clawform & Oyster Destroyster)
Matt White (Great White Jenkins)

Craft Fair: 7pm – 9pm.
Music: 9:30pm…

8 bucks donation please.

Frank Fairfield is a touring musician out from LA who just happened to be coming through town at the right time. He’s found a home with the Tompkins Square label, who focuses primarily on old time and roots music…new and old. You’ve gotta be pure and raw to land yourself a deal with Tompkins Square. Fairfield might as well have just accidentally stepped out of the 40s & 50s into the present day. His collar is buttoned high, his posture is true and his dust-bowl ballads are dark with drought, despair and simple honesty.

…Frank & banjo…

Frank Fairfield “Poor Ellen Smith” Live from Tiffany Frances on Vimeo.

…Frank & fiddle…

Frank Fairfield “Sweet Milky Peaches” & “Darling True Love” from Tiffany Frances on Vimeo.

The Goodnight Loving (Dusty Medical Records, Dirtnap Records, etc) are playing the Layabout, Craig’s house, tonight in Durham. The Dry Heathens and Jeremy Blair warm ‘em up. I’m gonna keep this brief so I can ping it out to you all before you leave work today. Just so you can make up your mind on whether you should go or not. And the correct answer is – you should.

For me, the Goodnight Loving are just about a perfect band. These Milwaukee boys (some of whom also put in time with Jaill and The Midwest Beat) slur together the best elements of our favorite garage bands. Welding together calculated, equal parts of twang, garage and powerpop, they’ve created a fine-tuned beast that can only be summed up by playing a couple songs for you:

The Goodnight Loving – Dead Fish on the Banks
The Goodnight Loving – Moving On
(Two tracks from their 1st LP, Cemetery Trails from 2006.)

And here’s a video of a song from one of their latest releases, The Arcobaleno 12″, a one-sided import EP on Wild Honey  Records:

If you snoozed on this 12″ EP (the b-side is beautifully screened) at the shop, and they have it at the show…you best pick it up! One of their best releases to date and it was pretty limited so I doubt I’ll be able to track more down for stock! Just sayin….

I know I say it a lot, but this time I’m gonna say it again…louder…with examples. Wood Ear (Durham, NC) is one of the Triangle’s best kept secrets. They exist rooted within the local music community, but have somehow managed to make a habit out of shyly hiding just behind the rest of the group as the endearing corner wallflower. Anyone who has seen them has been converted, everyone they have opened for has become a fan and yet somehow still they’re only spoken of in whispers. It’s fitting for them though, given their demeanor and sound.

Here’s a full recording I made of their show at the Pinhook a couple weeks ago on Thursday night, July 1st with my trusty old cassette recorder:

Wood Ear – Song 1
Wood Ear – Song 2
Wood Ear – Song 3
Wood Ear – Song 4
Wood Ear – Song 5

(If Nathan shoots over a setlist, I’ll update those titles of course.)

This night Wood Ear was a solo act. Just Nathan Tarr, some reverb and his guitars, one electric and one acoustic. Normally the band is fleshed out as a more haunting five piece with two guitars (Nathan Tarr/Nathan Golub), vocals (Tarr), bass (Frank Andolina), organ (Krystal Black) and drums (Nic Brown). What really drops the bottom out of the songs, sending your brain down your spine in creeping shiver chills, is the drifting interplay between Golub’s eerie lap steel and Tarr’s vocal melodies. Just under the surface, Tarr’s wife, Krystal Black keeps the undercurrent gliding with a dark, subtle organ ebbing.

As you can hear in the recordings above, Tarr has a great knack for writing dark, meandering songs with a focus on storytelling, vocal melodies and delivery in the vein of Springsteen’s stark Nebraska LP. With the full band, the sounds are reaching a slightly more elevated high of psychedelic twang not too far off from classic Crazy Horse era Neil Young. Don’t lean back and get too comfortable yet though, Tarr’s noisier, DIY punk-flecked Greensboro past sometimes has a tendency to creep out into song moods. Go see them live, you’ll be happy you did.

Wood Ear on Facebook.

A local good time is on its way tonight.

SPIDER BAGS
WHATEVER BRAINS
@ Tir Na Nog, Raleigh. 10pm. Free.

Simply put, this is the reason for which you’ve been looking to motivate to head out of the house tonight. Two of the Triangle’s finest rock’n'roll bands are set to bash out their different brands of garage unto an anxious, eager audience. I’ll warn you now, don’t get there too late or I’m afraid you’ll miss one of the spectacular, though all too short, 25 – 30 minute sets. With two of the best live acts staring you right in the face, how can you even think to turn it down, right? Take advantage of the local pints too. There’s not much of a better deal for a Thursday night.

—-=====0=====—-

First, the Whatever Brains are set to stun with their blisteringly jittery, weirdo garage pop. The sound is fuzzed out, chaotic and manically catchy. Frontman Rich loves his Urinals as much as he does his Belle & Sebastian. Figure that math out. Definitely your brand of hook if you’re a fan of the Oh Sees and Jay Reatard.

Second, the Spider Bags will slur unto us their gritty twang-rawk laced with psychedelia and feedback. Dan McGee carries himself onstage like a shakey bluesman lost hopelessly in time. His stories meander and bite, tangled with lost souls and missed chances. Or do they? Old souls with old stories.

Ty Segall – “It #1″ off the Lemons LP on Goner Records.

Jason, my downstairs neighbor at Avid Video, just pointed this video out to me. It’s one man band Ty Segall and this here is why we’re recently hooked on him. And it’s why you should now get hooked as well. The songs are all a bit damaged in a true raw garage sense, but they’re all undeniably hooky. He’s got records out on Goner, Trouble in Mind, Killshaman and Castleface (among others I’m sure). The newest is a 7″ just released by Goner, but I’ll get to that later. For now just sit back and enjoy the audience shot song. Pretty sure there are rumors of an In the Red release in the not too distant future….

TONIGHT:
11pm – The Daredevil Christopher Wright
10pm – The David Wax Museum
@ Pinhook, Durham, NC. 5 bucks.

I have been told by multiple sources that The Daredevil Christopher Wright is “the best vocal group in the nation.” Hailing from Eau Claire, WI, they grew up with the Megafaun/Bon Iver boys and somehow were planted with similar seeds used to spring that well-loved deep-rooted, campfire-harmony psych folk for which both bands are known. They’ve hit the Daytrotter Sessions twice now and have been racking up the good reviews since their album hit last May.

Daytrotter Session I (Jul. ‘08)
Daytrotter Session II (Dec. ‘09)

The Daredevil Christopher Wright from keeners.org on Vimeo.

I have not seen The David Wax Museum yet either, but Megafaun has also been singing the high praises for them. From what I’ve been reading, it sounds like engaging rustic Americana with some Mexican folk flair to it. Hailing from Boston, MA, they’ve garnered a few comparisons to Calexico, Wilco and Will Oldham. That’s definitely got me intrigued!

I’m trying hard not to listen to either band before I see them tonight. This can make designing a show write-up a little difficult, but just from the trusted word of mouth alone, I’m pretty sure we can go into this blind and be wowed. Sometimes it’s better not to know what exactly to expect.

Thanks for reading! Hope to see ya out tonight!

In honor of the canceled Pretty Boy Thorson (ahem…Slow Death) show last night, I figured I’d post a recording I made last year of one of their stops through town. This recording is from October 27th, 2009 at the Pinhook, a normal Tuesday night around Durham. Jesse Thorson and Dave Strait were traveling down in the direction of No Idea Records’ Fest down in Gainesville, FL. In the true nature of band luck, their van broke down immediately before this tour was supposed to start…and there’s nothing like throwing money into van repairs right before hitting the road as a touring DIY band. Out of restlessness with no immediate job responsibilities, Jesse & Dave hit the road crammed into some form of beat-up Lincoln or Cadillac with as much junk piled into the backseat as was possible. I think the idea was to meet up with the rest of the band in Gainesville that weekend. Not sure how that went.

In a great stroke of luck, it turned out that the Copyrights (old school, basement punk pop torch-bearers) from Carbondale, IL would be swinging through the area on that same night. The Copyrights were also on their way down to the Fest. For a Tuesday night in a small town, it was a pretty decently attended show if memory serves me right. The bands got a little loosened up off the half-priced drinks at the bar, while the crowd got a little more appropriately rowdy.

Last Year’s Men opened and wowed the few unsuspecting people that had stumbled into the bar a little early. Next up was a half-in-the-can Jesse Thorson, frontman for Pretty Boy Thorson. Stumbling through the set, Jesse slurred out hits from both albums and even a Misfits cover to boot (“Skulls” to be specific). The solo appearance was a great, unexpected change-up from the usual full-throttle rawk set. The strong twang and drawl of Jesse’s songwriting was way more apparent and up front this night placing more emphasis on his deep-rooted, outlaw country tendencies. Keep in mind, this is a loose performance:

Jesse Thorson (of Pretty Boy Thorson) – Full Solo Set 10/27/2009

Enjoy! I’ve also got the Copyrights’ full set which I’ll probably post a little later. I think I’ve also got Pretty Boys’ full band set from when they swung through the Pinhook last July somewhere around the shop.

Thanks for reading (and listening)!

THIS SHOW WENT AND GOT CANCELED.
SORRY GUYS!

SLOW DEATH (aka Pretty Boy Thorson) :: MIKE ERG :: SCOTTY SANDWICH

@ Pinhook, Tuesday, March 9th. 9pm. 5 bucks.
Presented & Stamp-Approved By Bull City Records.

Very excited for this one! The Pretty Boy Thorson crew has gotten us a little spoiled around these parts. For the last 4 years they’ve swung across North Carolina probably 2 or 3 times a year. While in town, they usually put on one of my favorite shows of the year. We first met here at the shop right after opening; they came through on tour with Minneapolis house-mates, Off With Their Heads, and ooooooh…it was love at first sloppy, drunk, ragged sight. Yes, they also played that mess of a night back in July at the Pinhook. They’ve played the Joyce, Siren’s…basically anywhere and anyone who would let me fool them into booking a show for this band.

This time through they cross the border as The Slow Death while on their way down south to play the Harvest of Hope Festival alongside Des Ark, Fin Fang Foom, Mountain Goats, Billy Bragg, Kimya Dawson, 7 Seconds and a ridiculous amount of other amazing bands. Following the lead of their buddies in OWTH who literally live on the road, they’ve turned to the interstate for an undetermined amount of time. The Slow Death consists of Jesse Thorson (main dude/guitar) and Dave Strait (guitar) from Pretty Boy Thorson, Tampa Jonny C (ummm…guitar too?) and Mikey Erg (drums), yes, from the Ergs. The songs draw as much influence from Merle Haggard as they do Leatherface and Dillinger 4, lending their sound a great vibe reminiscent of Rank & File, Jason & the Scorchers, etc. Cowpunk, baby. Hailing from Minneapolis, they just can’t seem to deny those Replacements roots either. All in all it boils down to amazing country punk songs full of dark despair, boredom and a slow burning, inevitably hopeless move towards nothing.

From Take It Easy CD:
PBT – Try to Get Some Sleep
PBT – I Should Really Move Out of the Alamo
From Ain’t It Funny CD/LP:
PBT – I Know I Said I Love You But I Guess I Don’t
PBT – If the Drinkin Don’t Kill Me, I’ll Think of Something Else
PBT – Two Steps Across Two Harbors

Mikey Erg will also be performing a solo set. Not sure what this will entail, but the last time he was in town he threatened to come by the shop and play all Knack covers. Which is pretty appropriate for this month I would suppose. Could be his hit Ergs songs, could be something none of us expect! I’d suggest getting there to experience it though!

The Ergs – A Very Special Song for a Very Special Young Lady, Pt. 2
The Ergs – Extra Medium

One-man hype machine and the label-man behind the new Red Collar LP, Scotty Sandwich will be closing the night out with a solo set. His band, the Sandwiches, sent punknews.org and other blog/news sites into a hizzy this past year with their international, created through-the-internet ghost band and relentless message board fights.

The Take It Easy CD is out of print, but the Ain’t It Funny CD & LP are both alive and well at Bull City Records if you need ‘em!
This show is gonna be one to see.