Triangle Music for Newbies

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.

in Chapel Hill

• Local 506: Cover bands Some Girls (Rolling Stones), The Julies (60s psyche) and Southern Girls (Cheap Trick) should make for a rocking good time. Doors at 9:30 p.m., show at 10 p.m., $5 at the door. Note that this show is non-smoking. [map]
• Mansion 462: Eccentrik Festival VI: The Mariner’s Revenge, an annual steampunk/gothic fest hosted by Mistee Kantrip with Unwoman (San Francisco-based cellist/singer), Veronique Diabolique (Durham-based French goth)and Vernian Process (San Francisco-based dark/whimsical post-punk). Show starts at 9 p.m. [map]

in Durham

• The Pinhook: Halloween Bash with cover bands Girl Ramonas (female Ramones), Heart of Glass (Blondie) and Amps Do Furnish a Room (Television). Show starts at 10 p.m. [map]
• The Broad Street Cafe: Halloween party with Once and Future Kings (Raleigh-based dystopian indie rock). Show at 10 p.m. with a costume contest and prizes at 11 p.m.  [map]

in Raleigh

• Berkeley Cafe: Halloween show with UNTOLD, (Raleigh-based alternative rock)  ReAlign, Facedown, Melville Toast (Melville-based blues rock). All ages show, $5 with a costume, $8 without. [map]
• The Pour House Music Hall: 15th annual Phat Smashing Pumpkin Jam. Doors and show at 9 p.m. $5 and must wear a costume for entry. [map]

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]

Angie Aparo

Alex Lawhon of Colourslide

Monday, Oct. 19

Show at 9:30 p.m., FREE

The Raleigh Times [map]

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]

NAPS

Veelee

Americans in France

Gray Young

Wednesday, Oct. 21

Show at 9 p.m., $5

The Busy Bee/The Hive [map]

Kooley High

Mount Weather

Thursday, Oct. 22

Show at 10 p.m., FREE

WKNC showcase at Tir Na nOg [map]

Free Electric State

Gross Ghost

The Poles

Friday, Oct. 23

$5

New Raleigh showcase at Berkeley Cafe [map]

The Infamous Sugar

Colossus

A Rooster for the Masses

The T’s

Saturday, Oct. 24

Show at noon, FREE

The Raleigh Times

Sky Larkin

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

Local acts Tripp and Wylie Hunter will open up for New York-based Jupiter One in recently renovated Players Club in Chapel Hill on Friday, Oct. 16.

The headliner will play the show as a break in its tour with Regina Spektor and grace the stage of the bar that’s most commonly known for its naughty schoolgirl-themed parties but has hosted music-related events such as Anoop Desai “American Idol” watch parties. This concert is one of the bar’s first in carving a name of its own as a local music venue since its summer renovation.

Chapel Hill’s Tripp is currently selling their light-hearted powerpop wares while promoting their 2008 self-released album “Good Boy Charm.”

Check out their performance of “St. Jane” at Local 506:

Other Chapel Hill opener Wylie Hunter plays his pop rock as an solo acoustic singer-songwriter in the vein of John Mayer.

Doors are at 7:30 p.m., the show begins at 8 p.m. and the cost is $5/$10. [map]

For more info check out the Facebook event here.

Durham-based hip-hop group The Beast will kick off the release of its debut album “Silence Fiction” Friday, Oct. 16, at Duke Coffeehouse. The self-produced CD marks its first full length, but the group has practiced its blend of jazz, soul and hip-hop  on EPs “Belly” in 2008 and “Catalyst” in July.

But don’t take P. Diddy’s word for it, download  “Catalyst” for free here to check out their sound and see the band and Nnenna Freelon (who’s a Grammy award winner, mother of the band’s emcee Pierce Freelon and song “A Prelude to a Kiss” played during the closing credit’s of Oct. 10′s “Mad Men”) lay down the EP’s track “Once Again” in the studio.

Carlitta Durand,  Kooley High and Freebass 808 open. The show starts at 8 p.m. and costs $10 at the door. [map]

For more info on The Beast visit its Web site.

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.)

…and eat?

• Anotherthyme Restaurant & Bar Jazz Thursdays with Al Strong and friends [map]
• Papa Mojo’s Roadhouse with jazz guitarist Scott Sawyer during Sunday brunch noon-4 p.m. [map]

…and have a drink?

• Alivia’s Durham Bistro with Superfunk featuring DJ Chocolate Thunder and Kid Dyn-O-Mite Wednesdays 10 p.m.-2 a.m. [map]
• Sirens Lounge DJ events Saturdays 10 p.m.-2 a.m. [map]
• Uptown Club on various dates [map]

…at open mics?

• All Blues Jam at All People’s Grill, first Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. [map]
• City Beverage Wednesdays from 8:30-11:30 p.m. [map]
• Ideas! Coffee House second Thursday of every month at 7:30 p.m. [map]

…and sing karaoke?

• The Tavern Thursdays at 10 p.m. [map]

…and eat?

• The Irregardless Cafe on various nights. See the music calendar. [map]
• Margaux’s Restaurant on various nights. See the event calendar. [map]
• Hi 5 Saturdays until 2 a.m. No cover before 10 p.m. and $5 food menu. [map]

…and drink coffee?

• Java Divine Italian Cafe on various nights. See menu and event calendar. [map]
• Loco Lu’s Coffeehouse on various nights. Acoustic jams are on first and third Wednesdays and open mics are on Mondays. See menu. [map]

…at open mics?

• Deep South The Bar Tuesdays at 10 p.m. [map]
• Overtime Sports Pub Thursdays at 9 p.m. with host Travis Proctor. See the event calendar. [map]
• Sauced Pizze Tuesdays nights until midnight. [map]
• Varina Sports Bar Monday nights. [map]

…and sing karaoke?

• Micheal Dean’s Saturdays at 10:30 p.m. [map]
• Scooter’s Grill & Bar Thursdays from 8 p.m.-midnight with DJ Donald Alston. [map]

Expect an upcoming installment on Durham.

Once a year businesses in downtown Carrboro open their doors for the day-long festival that serves as a free sampler of the Carrboro-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.