Archive for the ‘Festival’ Category
Troika Music Festival, Nov. 5-7
If you’ve been waiting around for months to finally see that great local band that you’ve heard so much about, now’s your chance.
Troika serves as Durham’s own music festival with performances in venues all around Bull City throughout three nights. Some local event sponsors include Merge Records, Duke student-run radio station WXDU and the Durham Performing Arts Center.
This event is affordable (and college-student friendly) with a full-festival pass priced at $20 or $8 for a night. However, if you’re feeling super thrifty, there is at least one free show each night (one Thursday, two Friday and four Saturday).
Rock, Paper, Scissors, a new addition to this year’s festival, features live music, and art from local craftsmen and band merchandise for sale on Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. Check out the vendor list.[map]
There’s no lack of quality in talent whatsoever, so I’ll take the lazy, yet thorough way out and post the entire schedule:
Thursday, Nov. 7
Festival Kickoff at Durham Central Park (free) [map]
- 7 p.m. The Beast
- 7:45 Megafaun
Backstage at the DPAC [map]
- 8:30 p.m. Ghost Cats
- 9:15 p.m. Humble Tripe
- 10 p.m. The Future Kings of Nowhere
- 11 p.m. Bowerbirds
The Pinhook [map]
- 9 p.m. The Desmonds
- 9:45 p.m. House of Fools
- 10:30 p.m. Aminal
- 11:15 p.m. Max Indian
Duke Coffeehouse [map]
- 9:15 p.m. Molly Bancroft
- 10 p.m. The ExMonkeys
- 10: 45 p.m. EAR PWR
- 11: 45 p.m. Future Islands
Broad Street Cafe [map]
- 9:30 p.m. Regina Hexaphone
- 10:15 p.m. Pink Flag
- 11 p.m. The Dry Heathens
- 11:45 p.m. The Moaners
Friday Nov. 8
West End Wine Bar (free) [map]
- 7:30 p.m. Tea and Tempests
- 7:45 p.m. Liza Kate
- 8:30 p.m. Birds and Arrows
Marvell Event Center [map]
- 8:15 p.m. Ryan Gustafson
- 9 p.m. Wembley
- 9:45 p.m The Proclivities
- 10:30 p.m. Embarrassing Fruits
Trotter Building [map]
- 9 p.m. The Huguenots
- 9:45 p.m. Brett Harris
- 10: 30 p.m. Hammer No More the Fingers
- 11:30 p.m. Gentleman Jesse & His Men
- 12:30 a.m. Dex Romweber Duo
Duke Coffeehouse
- 9:30 p.m. The Ringing Cedars
- 10: 15 p.m. The Pneurotics
- 11 p.m. I Was Totally Destroying It
- midnight Birds of Avalon
Broad Street Cafe
- 9:45 p.m. Jews and Catholics
- 10:30 p.m. Whatever Brains
- 11:15 p.m. Dirty Little Heaters
- 12:15 a.m. Pipe
Bull McCabe’s (free)
- 11:30 p.m. All Your Science
- 12:15 a.m. Beloved Binge
Saturday, Nov. 9
Rock, Paper, Scissors at Trotter Building (free)
- 12:30 p.m. Three Days in Vegas
- 1:30 p.m. Tin Star
- 2:30 p.m. Mount Moriah
West End Wine Bar (free)
- 7 p.m. Sequoya
- 7:45 p.m. Jasme Kelly
- 8:30 p.m. The Tender Fruit
Marvell Even Center
- 8:15 p.m. Sea Cow
- 9 p.m. Bright Young Things
- 9:45 p.m. Lud
- 10:30 p.m. Luego
The Pinhook
- 9:30 p.m. Veronique Diabolique
- 10:15 p.m. Citified
- 11 p.m. Gray Young
Duke Coffeehouse
- 8:45 p.m. D-Town Brass
- 9:30 Veelee
- 10:15 Schooner
- 11:15 Lonnie Walker
Trotter Building
- 9 p.m. The Bronzed Chorus
- 9:45 Maple Stave
- 10:30 The Travesties
- 11:30 Red Collar
Broad Street Cafe
- 9:30 p.m. Dynamite Brothers
- 10:15 Rat Jackson
- 11 The Loners
- midnight The Love Language
Bull McCabe’s (free)
- 11:30 p.m. Butterflies
- 12:15 a.m. Pistil
Check out a map of all the venues (courtesy Troika’s Web site).
If you can’t make it to Durham, head over to the Indy and download some free tracks from festival performers. (If you love free stuff check out Free-cession in the Triangle for all kinds of free activities!)
Can’t get enough Troika here? Follow the festival’s Bullbot and check out his blog.
2nd annual Cherry Bounce Fest, Oct. 18-24
Get ready to gear up because like Shakori Hills, this post is going to be a long one. 
This week-long Raleigh festival is named for a drink that an inn owner, Joel Lane, served to men who were searching for the site of N.C.’s state capital. Apparently this drink was so fantastic that it persuaded the powers that be that the place where the inn was located (which was what is now Raleigh) would be the destined site instead. Check out the full story and drink recipe here.
The artist lineups are almost completely local and it’s affordable as admission is free three nights and $5 the other four. Indy Week’s Scan points out that the festival has expanded by five days since it’s inaugural year and David Menconi’s On the Beat notes that this year that conveniently most of the venues are indoor since last year’s event was rather wet.
There’s only one stage a night so no worrying about trekking across muddy fields to catch another local favorite. Here’s the complete schedule:
Sunday, Oct. 18
Show at 9 p.m., $5
Deep South the Bar [map]
Alex Lawhon of Colourslide
Monday, Oct. 19
Show at 9:30 p.m., FREE
All acoustic:
Brian Corum of Lonnie Walker
Matt Douglas of The Proclivities
Jason Kutchma of Red Collar
Tuesday, Oct. 20
Doors at 9 p.m., show at 9:30 p.m., $5
Music.MyNC showcase at Slim’s [map]
Wednesday, Oct. 21
Show at 9 p.m., $5
The Busy Bee/The Hive [map]
Thursday, Oct. 22
Show at 10 p.m., FREE
WKNC showcase at Tir Na nOg [map]
Friday, Oct. 23
$5
New Raleigh showcase at Berkeley Cafe [map]
Saturday, Oct. 24
Show at noon, FREE
The Raleigh Times
Old Avenue (1:45 p.m.)
Peggy Sue (3 p.m.)
The Balance (4:15 p.m.)
Schooner (5:30 p.m.)
Fin Fang Foom (6:45 p.m.)
The Hood Internet (8 p.m.)
Man Man (9:30 p.m.)
Raleigh Wide Open fireworks will follow
Shakori Hills Festival, Oct. 8-11
This Pittsboro-based semiannual festival is about more than just the music, (although that’s the biggest draw), with steps toward environmental sustainability that vary in
size from a solar panels project meant to offset the electricity used for the festival to separate waste containers for compost, trash and recyclables placed throughout the festival grounds. There’s even a biodiesel shuttle that picks up festivalgoers from Carrboro, Chapel Hill and Durham.
Many local music acts are booked each time and as with most festivals there’s almost too much to do. So here’s a quick and dirty breakdown of recommended (mostly) local artists:
Thursday Oct. 8
- 5:15 p.m. Midtown Dickens at the Meadow Stage (The Durham self-described punk-folk quintet just self-released their newest “Lanterns” in September, which has received quite a bit of attention from UNC’s The Daily Tar Heel and Duke’s The Chronicle. )
- 6 p.m. Haw River Rounders at the Dance Tent (The all-acoustic Durham band channels the spirit of jug music from the 1920s and 30s.)
- 9 p.m. Roman Candle at the Meadow Stage (One of the festival’s more pop-leaning acts, Paste magazine calls the Chapel Hill band’s latest release “Oh Tall Tree in the Ear” a “modern-rock masterpiece.” )
- 10 p.m. The Hotwires at the Cabaret Tent (Expect energetic traditional bluegrass and a lot of instrumentals from the Raleigh-based band. )
- 11 p.m. dub Addis at the Meadow Stage (This roots reggae band hails from Ethiopia and resides in Durham.)
Friday Oct. 9
- 4 p.m. Cyril Lance at the Meadow Stage (Carrboro-based Lance has decades of blues jamming experience.)
- 7:30 p.m. The Duhks at the Meadow Stage (These Afro-beat playing Canadians are an expected addition to the festival lineup and actually have a sustainability project of their own.)
- 10:30 p.m. Kellin Watson at the Cabaret Tent (The Asheville folk rock songstress is no stranger to the festival’s other acts as her latest release “No Static” features fellow performer The Duhks.)
- 11 p.m. Holy Ghost Tent Revival at the Grove Stage (This Greensboro-based group’s genre is too difficult to define, but one definite thing is that they inspire a swinging good time. Check out the band’s music video for “Getting Over Your Love” to get a taste of their sound.)
Saturday Oct. 10
- 2:30 p.m. The Never at the Meadow Stage (The Chapel Hill group builds upbeat pop upon three-part harmonies.)
- 6 p.m. Chatham County Line at the Meadow Stage (The Raleigh bluegrass quartet is kind of a big deal in Norway and is currently supporting its 2007 collaboration with Jonas Fjeld “Amerikabesok” and 2008 release “IV,” which track’s “Birmingham Jail” was named one of the best songs of 2008 by the Independent Weekly. Check out the band’s 22-minute edition of Sessions at Studio B at NBC-17 in Raleigh on Music.MyNC.)
- 10:30 p.m. Lost in the Trees at the Grove Stage (The Chapel Hill folk makes music equally beautiful and complicated with a lineup that includes most musical instruments imaginable.)
- midnight The Jackets at the Cabaret Tent (An acoustic side project of Chatham County Line’s fiddle/ mandolin player John Teer and banjoist Chandler Holt.)
Sunday Oct. 11
- 1 p.m. The Grady Girls at the Meadow Stage (The Ithaca, N.Y., quartet carries on the tradition of southwest Irish dance music.)
- 1:30 p.m. Big Fat Gap at the Grove Stage (There’s a good reason this Chapel Hill bluegrass outfit is repeatedly mentioned on TMFN.)
- 8:30 p.m. Donna the Buffalo with Jim Lauderdale and friends at the Meadow Stage (Who better to close out the festival than its founders DTB?)
Check out the full festival schedule and ticket info. [map]
(Don’t fret if you can’t make this installment, the spring edition is on April 22-25, 2010.)
12th annual Carrboro Music Festival
Once a year businesses in downtown Carrboro open their doors for the day-long festival that serves as a free sampler of the Ca
rrboro-Chapel Hill music scene. This year 24 venues ranging from RBC Centura to Armadillo Grill will host more than 160 performances throughout the compact area with the earliest kicking off at 1 p.m. and the latest at 11 p.m.
There is something for almost anyone as featured genres range from Americana to hip-hop to improvisational jazz.
For fans of classic bluegrass, Big Fat Gap will play at Fifth Season Gardening/Glasshalfull at 6:15 p.m.
Folk rock duo Birds & Arrows, which has a similar sound to M. Ward and the milder ballads of The Avett Brothers, will perform at Open Eye Café at 7 p.m.
Listeners of Jucifer and Mastodon will find solace in Caltrop at the Rock Stage at Southern Rail at 9:15 p.m.
For a full performance schedule visit here.
As for traveling to the festival, UNC-Chapel Hill’s campus is a little over a half mile to the area and Chapel Hill Transit buses run regularly for free with Carrboro stops on routes. Triangle Transportation Authority bus routes run from anywhere else in the Triangle and a free bio-diesel shuttle will run from a park and ride lot at Carrboro Plaza from noon to 8 p.m.
