$1/day: WE FEST in Wilmington, NC

Uh, faithful readers, this will be the last post until the jump to the new website. Check back on Tues. the 26th for that special awesomeness.

WE Fest is the lil ol’ music fest that could down in Wilmington, North Carolina held at the Soapbox LaundroLounge. It started as a zine exchange gathering several years ago and then meshed into a music smorgasbord of muck of grime (not only the music genre). It’s four days every Memorial Day wknd and each day is $1. Holy moley! The price is intentionally low for the opportunity to discover new bands. I heard some rumblings that the management was handed over to some locals who just gave spots to a whole bunch of local bands rather than extending their reach far out, so I don’t think the talent is as great this year. In my few years going (not everyday), I’ve seen some good bands like Happy Birthday Amy! and I Was Totally Destroying It and The Never among others who were so awesome, I think they’re playing again and are the pick for the whole weekend–THAT IS REVEALED AT THE END OF THE POST!!!! (OH MAN!!! YOU’RE LUCKY DAY!)

Here are some of my selections for the wknd. For the full sked, check it at the WE FEST site.

Thurs., May 20
(Bands & Art from 3pm to 1am)
8pm: Hand Grenade (Myrtle Beach)–Fast and spunky punk
12am: Some Ambulance (Myrtle Beach)–Folk beats and brass w/ a vague maritime feel and random bouts of chanting
1am: LA Tool & Die (Charlotte)–Sarcastic electronic rock. Think Helvetica font and bright colors.

Fri. May 21
(Bands & Art from 3pm to 1am)
4pm
River City Ransom (Raleigh)–Laid-back post-punk (insert more hyphens here)
5pm Pistolero (Atlanta)–Rock grunge groove in a more typical song structure
9pm Dylan Gilbert (Charlotte)–Experimental, knob-twisting singer/songwriter like Bright Eyes when he was not enthralled with money
10pm Marionette (Richmond)–Quiet shoe-gaze trance inducing electronic rock
12am The Dry Heathens (Durham) Dirty distorted punk
1am Onward, Soldiers (Wilmington, NC)–Brooding Americana

Saturday, May 23
(Bands at 3pm)
10pm The Paper Jets (New Jersey and Minn)–Americana rock w/ harmonies
11pm Puritan Rodeo (Chapell Hill)–Honest straight-up country
1am Olivia and the Housemates (Washington, DC)–60’s-lite pop w/ an excellent vocalist

Sunday, May 24
(Bands start at 3pm)
3pm Gray Young (Raleigh)–Instrumental rock
5pm Pink Kodiak (Savannah, GA)–Progressive melodic electronica
6pm Ponchos from Peru (Wilmington)–Understated creative folk rock
12am Western Civ (Chapel Hill)–Spacey alt-rock

Monday, May 25
(Bands start at 6pm)
8pm Hearts by Darts (Baltimore) Good rock w/ Feist-y vocals

***10pm Terminal Reynaldo (Jersey City, Jersey)***

Pretty sure I saw these guys last year (that’s breaking a cardinal WE-fest rule), but holy cow, go see them. Some moody electronica rock, like a slowed down, more intricate version of what Titus Andronicus has been doing lately. Some nice chord changes, some unexpected upticks and beatdowns. They know the right moments to bleep and blip. Definitely the pick of the whole freakin’ weekend***

Rising Tide: Tides of Man Florida dates (and a new label deal

Florida band Tides of Man are taking their punk-metal amalgamate to Rise Records. They’re shooting for an August release of their debut Empire Theory . Before hitting up the midwest and the big time (that’s a spurious relationship), they’re playing a few last shows in the Sunshine State. Their sound is fairly typical for the Rise Records sound and Tides of Man will fit snug like bedbugs under your pillow. Florida dates and a vid of “Create” after the jump:

May 21 ORLANDO AKA Lounge (w/ Contest of Arms)
May 23 PEMBROKE PINES The Talent Farm (w/ The Rise of Science)
May 27 YBOR CITY New World Brewery (w/Lorien & Farewell Flight)
May 29 ST. PETE State Theatre (w/ Oceana CD Release)

It only takes a spark: DFW’s The Burning Hotels

I’m sure the phrase “burning hotels” has been a temptation for the band on their long east coast road trip, but Ft. Worth’s The Burning Hotels are swinging one more time through the south before crossing state lines back home. Their upbeat rock-dance mix mines similar ground to The Killers and Placebo with a dash of moroseness similar to Lovedrug. What it is though is very tight, very likable, and from all accounts across the great state of Texas, a very excellent live show. The Eight Five Mirrors EP is available at their MySpace and on iTunes.
Tour dates below w/ a vid of the band after the jump:

May 19 2009 9:00P Local 506 Chapel Hill, North Carolina
May 20 2009 10:00P The Double Door Inn Charlotte, North Carolina
May 21 2009 10:00P The Mercy Lounge Nashville, Tennessee
May 22 2009 12:00P Whaleapalooza at the Squid & Whale Pub Eureka Springs, Arkansas
May 23 2009 10:00P Vino’s Little Rock, Arkansas
May 24 2009 8:00P The Moon Bar w/ the Orbans Fort Worth, Texas

Those Ataris? For real?

Glancing through my local event listings and noticed that the Ataris (yes, the boys of freakin’ summer) are still playing shows, still going on tour, with…wait for it…a new album this summer. Who likes The Ataris anymore? Aren’t they stuck in the dreaded no man’s land? The mainstream doesn’t know they exist anymore after their flavor of the week status has ended, yet they’re original fans remember the betrayal. No place for the Ataris to go. Maybe they should bank on whole new level of nostalgia and call themselves The N64s.

Tour dates (in case you’re interested) and the “Boys of Summer” vid for (old time’s sake) after the jump.

Such Great Heights: Red Collar in Charlotte, Chapel Hill, DC, Richmond

Everyone screams “Fugazi” at Durham’s Red Collar, but there’s more nuance to this band than a classic punk rock comparison. Between the dynamic interplay between Jason Kutchma and Mike Jackson there is a penchant for the dramatic, for the grand. Passionate live shows made even better by their blistering and exciting brand of punk and contemplative, motivating anthems about life, work and music. So if you ever say “Fugazi” at them, the guys and gal of Red Collar might take it another way than in a musical comparison. They will take it as an order, as a command to reach for the musical heavens for the greatest realms of musical integrity and ideals. Somehow, they have a unique gift for understanding common life experiences and elevating them to the most hopeful heights. For any doubters, listen to the live version of “The Commuter” at their MySpace and listen to Kutchma give an impassioned speech about a radio station. Was that really off-the-cuff? If so, he could sell squirrel meat to Ruth’s Chris. Their new disc is called Pilgrim and can be ordered from their website.

Do not miss if you need inspiration and a good time at a show. They’re coming closer to home in North Carolina, so the shows are sure to be doubly-inspired. Vid of “Pilgrim” after the jump:

Fri May 08 09 9:00 PM Snug Harbor, , Charlotte, NC
W/ Prabir and the Substitutes & the lights fluorescent

Sat May 09 09 9:00 PM Local 506, 506 W Franklin St, Chapel Hill, NC, 27516, US
W/ Death to the Details and The Lights Fluorescent

Tue May 12 09 7:00 PM The Camel, 1621 W Broad St, Richmond, VA

Wed May 13 09 7:30 PM The Velvet Lounge, 915 U St NW, Washington, DC
W/ noon30, Wicked Hemlocks, Triathletes, Spiral Beach

Thu May 14 09 9:00 PM The Outback Lodge, 917 Preston Ave, Charlottsville, VA

Fri May 15 09 7:00 PM The Calvert House, 6211 Baltimore Avenue (US 1), Riverdale, MD,
W/ Escape Artist + Lonely are the Brave

It’s nice or never: Pretty & Nice on tour w/ mp3

"Tora Tora Tora" by Pretty & Nice. From Hardly Art.

Pretty & Nice are killing it with snappy whiplash rock-pop somewhere between a melodic Pattern is Movement, Q and Not U and Elvis Costello. Their last album, Get Young features the quality “Tora, Tora, Tora” and “Grab Your Nets.” They released it last fall on Hardly Art and are making their way across the southeast as part of the P&N Party Adventure. Dates in St. Pete, Lake Worth, ATL, Charlotte with a vid of “Solar Energy” after the jump.

May 7 2009 9:00P Star Booty Salon St. Petersburg, Florida

May 8 2009 8:00P Propaganda Lake Worth, Florida

May 9 2009 8:00P Drunken Unicorn Atlanta, Georgia

May 10 2009 8:00P Milestone Charlotte, North Carolina

May 11 2009 8:00P New Brookland Columbia, South Carolina

May 12 2009 8:00P Local 506 Chapel Hill, North Carolina

May 13 2009 8:00P Soapbox Laundro Lounge Wilmington, North Carolina

May 14 2009 9:30P Union Hall Brooklyn, New York

May 15 2009 8:00P The M Room Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

May 16 2009 8:00P Rock N Roll Hotel Washington, DC, Washington DC

More alt-country: American Aquarium

Don’t mean for this to turn into an alt-country rant, I’ll try and dig up some mellow electro-shoegaze very soon. Despite the obvious name reference, American Aquarium has more of a classic country/honky-tonk feel that makes it hard to believe they played a few dates with Against Me! Fronted by a piano this is a mellow Uncle Tupelo, but some gruffer vocals puts the “alt” and Lucero references in play. No matter, the Raleigh band is playing a ton of shows in Georgia, Florida and even hitting the no man’s land of touring groups: Mississippi and Alabama. Video of “Louisiana Beauty Queen” and tour dates after the jump:

Can the Gaslight Anthem bridge worlds? In ATL, Carrboro and Balt.

There’s no doubt that indie rock exists in two spheres: that of independent rock of punk and screamo bands on labels like Fat Wreck Chords or Victory and that of “indie rock” stereotyped as pretentious holier-than-thou starving artist types. Is there any room to unite? Can we allow Thursday and The Thermals to exist in the same world? Or Dashboard Confessional and Colin Meloy? Maybe it’s not style, but melody versus non-melody. One of my faves in this is The Appleseed Cast. They’re on a teeny-bopper punk label for the most part, but play introspective moody math (formerly emo) rock. Please point me to common ground.

Now here comes a fairly new entrant: The Gaslight Anthem. With upbeat, competent and at times even impressive alt-country stylings, Gaslight contains the new fad of Brooklyn’s best posers as an upbeat, updated version of The Hold Steady. And Alt-Press covers to boot Williamsburg cred out the door. Good thing they’re from Jersey. Their label may or may not help. Side One Dummy contains indie rock fave Gogol Bordello along with other punk bubblegum pop like Broadway Calls.

So can the Gaslight Anthem do it? If not them, hopefully somebody and sometime soon. Vid of “Great Expectations” after the jump.

May 5 2009 ATL, GA @The Masquerade w/Heartless Bastards and Good Old War
May 6 2009 CARRBORO, NC @ Cat’s Cradle w/Pela and Good Old War
May 7 2009 Towson, MD @Recher Theatre w/Pela and Good Old War

Oh Brother: JEFF the Brotherhood extends reach

Nashville and popular blog fav (uh…not this one) JEFF the Brotherhood wrap up their east coast tour before sitting back down at home for a few more dates then launching out again. They’ve got a slew of new 7″ splits and some CD-Rs that may or may not be sold out, but view the MySpace for that. For those inclined to know what the northeast looks like in the spring, here are more of the bro’s band blog antics. (band blog antics have been a fav of my as of late.)
Check JEFF for some scuzzy electro-punk akin more to melody than moshing. No word on if JEFF is jazzy or not.

Vid of “I Dream of Jake and Jamin” after the tour dates.

May 1 2009 8:00P bbb complex (bury your bike 2 fest) jacksonville, FL
May 7 2009 8:00P the end (w/ screaming females) nashville
May 14 2009 8:00P mercy lounge (w/ royal bangs) 18+ nashville
May 19 2009 8:00P new french bar (w/ turbo fruits) asheville, NC
May 21 2009 8:00P meat town u.s.a. (w/ turbo fruits) new brunswick, NJ
May 22 2009 8:00P cakeshop (w/turbo fruits) New York, New York
May 23 2009 8:00P don pedros (w/ turbo fruits) Brooklyn, New York
May 24 2009 8:00P the khyber (w/ turbo fruits) philladelphia
May 26 2009 8:00P go bar (w/ turbo fruits) Athens, Georgia
Jul 9 2009 8:00P the end (w/ jay reatard) Nashville, Tennessee

At it again: Against Me! wraps up tour

What’s the point in writing Against Me!? I knew they were going on tour, but they’re freakin’ big time. Or I thought so until I checked out these locations–not the biggest in town, not the smallest, just where hardworkin’ punk rockers fit in. It’s amazing they’ve been around since 1997, they seem newer and older all at the same time. Maybe newer b/c mainstream indie rags are finally giving them the ink and digital space and older because they’ve been punk rock’s open secret for a long time.
According to their website, Against Me! is releasing soon The Original Cowboy out on Fat Wreck Chords, from old 2003 studio sessions.

Here are the remaining dates before a trip out to Australia:

Apr 29, 2009 Athens, GA Tasty World
w/ Off With Their Heads & Music Hates You

Apr 30, 2009 Wilmington, NC The Soapbox
w/ Off With Their Heads & American Aquarium

May 01, 2009 Columbia, SC New Brookland Tavern
w/ Off With Their Heads & Of Angels and Lions

Meteoric Rise: Manchester Orchestra

Manchester Orchestra was kind of taking off when I was in Atlanta a few years ago. Though I haven’t heard the whole new album, Mean Everything to Nothing, this one has a fuller sound, like Andy Hull is finally letting everyone participate. I’ll admit, I wasn’t always high on these guys, but they’ve come along nicely and it’s true that Hull has immense talent as a lyricist and guitar player. Fortunately (or unfortunately) for him, he started this stuff back in high school going straight to indie rock and sideswiping any punk rock diversions. So, Hull and the rest of his Manchester Orchestra are able to grab youth and maturity at the same time–this fluctuates bounces between a couple of southern-fried riffs, to a bit of alt-country, but isn’t afraid of embracing some of the more modern rock tendencies of shouted intensity. And they do all of that in one song: “I’ve Got Friends.” Less brooding, more cavorting, what’s left is Kings of Leon with cajones and something that modern rock (!) fans can enjoy rather than another dose of adult-alternative.

Here are their southern tour dates w/ FUN (former member of Anathallo) and Atlanta’s Winston Audio with a link to the “I’ve Got Friends” vid. No embedded vid link b/c Sony is apparently keeping a tight leash. Guess they’ve gotta lot banking on these guys. (Does the music industry get a bailout too?)

Apr 18 2009 8:00P Criminal Records Atlanta, Georgia
Apr 21 2009 8:00P Exit/In Nashville, Tennessee
Apr 22 2009 8:00P 40 Watt Athens, Georgia
Apr 23 2009 8:00P Cat’s Cradle Carrboro, North Carolina
Apr 24 2009 8:00P The National Richmond, Virginia

(THEN OTHER PLACES)

May 29 2009 8:00P Spanish Moon Baton Rouge, Louisiana
May 30 2009 8:00P Proud Larry’s Oxford, Mississippi
May 31 2009 8:00P Bottle Tree Birmingham, Alabama
Jun 2 2009 8:00P State Theatre St. Petersburg, Florida
Jun 3 2009 8:00P The Social Orlando, Florida
Jun 4 2009 8:00P The Social Orlando, Florida

I’ve Got Friends

Viva Voce Breaks Up, Re-forms

In classic Viva Voce fashion, the band announces new members to further their touring. Plus, spring tour dates! And new work coming soon (at least we can all hope).

Tour dates (what no east coast love?!?) and the vid for “Alive with Pleasure” after the jump.

“Viva Voce rise like a Pheonix (or is that Phoenix-ed.) in 2009. Forever swearing off being a
two-piece band, Anita and Kevin Robinson have broken up, reformed adding
two of Portlands finest, and will unveil a new record in the coming
months. Notably more angular songs than the previous “Get Yr Blood Sucked
Out”, Viva Voce set out to perform the new tunes on a spring tour,
ending with a Portland homecoming a year in the making.”