Triangle Music

Blind Pilot, The Low Anthem wow the Cradle crowd

2009-11-10T10:19:00.000-05:00

A nice crowd turned out to the Cat's Cradle on Monday to see two great bands, Blind Pilot and The Low Anthem. The Low Anthem started things off with their unique, atmospheric folk that had the crowd dead silent and focused. The set was mostly comprised of songs from the band's latest album Oh My God, Charlie Darwin. The trio swapped unique instruments throughout the set including pump organ,

The Avetts play four 'I and Love' tunes for Spinner

2009-11-09T19:14:00.002-05:00

The Avett Brothers are still causing quite a stir with their new album I and Love and You. The band's most recent media appearance is a session for Spinner's The Interface series. They played four songs from the new album including "I and Love and You," "January Wedding," "The Perfect Space" and "Slight Figure of Speech." There is also a nice little interview with the band where they talk about

Album Review: The Cribs - Ignore the Ignorant

2009-11-09T06:26:00.002-05:00

On Ignore the Ignorant, it's apparent that The Cribs have been taking their lessons from former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr to heart. Marr makes his first appearance on a Cribs record after officially joining the band in 2008 and his impact is profound. Overall, the new album is much tighter and the production is cleaner than we have ever heard from The Cribs. The band has been steadily moving

Megafaun, The Beast brave the cold to kick-off Troika

2009-11-06T09:18:00.002-05:00

Last night was a chilly night to be outside for a concert, but that didn't stop Megafaun and The Beast from playing killer sets to kick-off the Troika Festival. The bands took the stage at Durham Central Park to play for about 200 people. The Beast played first and captivated the crowd with their unique blend of hip-hop and jazz. Pierce Freelon is a charismatic, charming guy who invited a small

Jay-Z extends 'Blueprint 3' tour into 2010, plays Greensboro

2009-11-05T23:32:00.001-05:00

Jay-Z has extended his current tour in support of The Blueprint 3 into 2010 and will be making a stop in the Triad. He'll be playing the Greensboro Coliseum on Sunday, February 28. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Saturday, November 14 at 10 a.m. here. The online pre-sale begins on Thursday, November 12 at 10 a.m. here. Ticket prices will range from $29 to $99. Check out the complete

Roman Candle playing NC State's homecoming event

2009-11-05T15:53:00.001-05:00

When the NC State homecoming event was announced a few weeks ago, it was considerably disappointing to see that this year's NC State homecoming event wouldn't feature bands. Past homecomings have featured Common, N.E.R.D., Guster and The Avett Brothers among others. Today they've announced the event's saving grace. Roman Candle will return to the Triangle tomorrow to perform prior to the College

John Mayer announces 'Battle Studies' 2010 tour, plays Greensboro

2009-11-04T19:18:00.002-05:00

Panty-dropping troubadour John Mayer is gearing up for a big end of 2009 and a busy 2010. He will release his new album Battle Studies on November 17 and will hit the road in February 2010 on a big North American run to support it. The tour will bring Mayer to the Greensboro Coliseum on Monday, March 15. Tickets for the tour are will go onsale to the public on Saturday, November 21, but specifics

The Avetts, other bands with NC ties make Paste's best of the decade list

2009-11-04T06:41:00.002-05:00

Another best of the decade list has hit the web. This one comes from Paste magazine and mostly contains repeats from previous lists with one big exception. Paste named The Avett Brothers brand new album I and Love and You as the ninth best album of the decade. Once again, Arcade Fire's debut album Funeral grabs the top spot of any albums with North Carolina ties coming in at number three. Other

Embarassing Fruits' Joe Norkus offers up free EP

2009-11-03T22:42:00.001-05:00

Embarrassing Fruits frontman Joe Norkus has offered up a new EP titled Hollerin' Haints for the low, low price of nothing. It is a Halloween EP released the day before the holiday that's just making the rounds this week. It features six original tracks as well as a track called "Hollerin' Haints (scare track)" that is supposed to be played in a haunted house. I guess we'll have to wait and use it

Brandi Carlile adds Carrboro to hectic 2010 tour

2009-11-02T17:57:00.004-05:00

Brandi Carlile is hitting the road in 2010 in support of her new album Give Up the Ghost which will once again bring her to the Triangle. She'll play the Cat's Cradle on Thursday, February 11. Tickets for the show will go on sale via etix.com on Friday, November 6 for $25. Check out Carlile's lengthy tour schedule below as well as a video of an acoustic performance of the song "Dreams" from her

Album Review: Moneen - The World I Want to Leave Behind

2009-11-02T12:55:00.001-05:00

Moneen is back with their fourth full-length album, The World I Want to Leave Behind, their first since 2006. Apparently that world is the one of present day, as the album sounds like it's from the first half of the decade. It's difficult to review emotional power pop albums without condemning them for simply belonging to the tired genre, but Moneen has created an album that fully embodies every

New music video from Megafaun - "Impressions of the Past"

2009-11-02T06:03:00.001-05:00

The folks over at the record label Hometapes who released Megafaun's sophomore album Gather, Form & Fly have posted a new music video for the song "Impressions of the Past." The video is comprised entirely of still photos taken by friend-of-the-blog Tim Lytvinenko. If some of the photos look familiar, it's because he was kind enough to share some of these photos with us in August. The video

Spoon to release 'Transference' in January

2009-10-30T17:04:00.001-04:00

It's a big week of announcements for Merge Records releases in early 2010. We let you know about Shout Out Louds new album on Monday, and now Spoon have announced that their new album will be released in January. It is titled Transference and will hit stores on January 26. The album will feature the band's most recent single "Got Nuffin" that was released prior to the XX Merge Festival in July.

New music video from Valient Thorr - "Tomorrow Police"

2009-10-30T05:41:00.001-04:00

Chapel Hill's local rockers from another planet, Valient Thorr, have released a new music video from their 2008 album Immortalizer. The bizarre, yet enjoyable video is for the song "Tomorrow Police." There are odd looking creatures with swords that are chasing Valient and at one point he's in a car. It's all done on a green screen which also adds to the funny. Check it out below. Take a gander

Matisyahu to play Schoolkids in-store

2009-10-29T17:55:00.002-04:00

The Hasidic MC Matisyahu will be making a pit stop in Raleigh before his show at the Lincoln Theatre on Tuesday, November 10. He will stop by Schoolkids Records for an in-store performance promoting his latest album Light as well as his show later that night. He is scheduled hit the Schoolkids stage at 6 p.m. Check out a performance of "One Day" from Matisyahu's in-store at Independent Records

Guster anniversary show stirs old memories in Charlotte

2009-10-29T12:53:00.001-04:00

(Ed. note: Please welcome our friend and guest blogger Carrie who brings us this review from Charlotte.) Ten years ago I had recently graduated from Queens in Charlotte and was living in an apartment so crappy I didn’t let my mom see it until I moved out (she thanks me for that). After having purpose and direction for as much of my life as I can remember, I suddenly had neither. I was a bit

New music - Xiu Xiu's remix of The 6ths "Volcana!"

2009-10-28T18:51:00.000-04:00

With the release of SCORE! 20 Years of Merge Records: THE REMIXES! about three weeks away, Merge has offered up a taste of the album. Download the Xiu Xiu's remix of The 6ths song "Volcana!" below. The remix is doesn't really stray that far from the original structure, but the more mellow sounds from The 6ths versions are replaced by electronic noise and the sound of destruction. It's an

Shout Out Louds to release 'Work' in February

2009-10-28T15:35:00.001-04:00

The fantastic Swedes of the Shout Out Louds have are wrapping up production of their their third full-length album titled Work. The album was mostly recorded in Seattle, WA with Phil Ek who has worked with Fleet Foxes, Band of Horses, The Shins, Built To Spill and Modest Mouse. Details of the album are sparse right now, but it will be released via Merge Records on February 23. Check out a short

Lincoln Theatre adds full bar and memberships

2009-10-27T19:55:00.009-04:00

More than two years after hinting at it online, Lincoln Theatre has pulled the trigger and will indeed become a membership-style club offering a full bar. The club is offering free memberships to subscribers of its e-newsletter, but it's uncertain whether they mean only subscribers up until the announcement was made, so get on it and sign up just in case. Seeing as owners have been

Jet playing a free show in Raleigh midst US tour

2009-10-27T18:13:00.000-04:00

During the band's inexplicable tour Papa Roach, Australian rockers Jet will be making a stop in Raleigh for a free show sponsored by 96 Rock. The show will go down at the Lincoln Theatre on Monday, November 16. Tickets will be given away via many sources including at bars around Raleigh, via on-air contests and other such things. The show is 21 and over, which likely means they'll be pimping out

Album Review: The Swell Season - Strict Joy

2009-10-26T11:09:00.002-04:00

The Swell Season, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, are back with Strict Joy, their first proper album after the Once soundtrack with their Oscar-winning song "Falling Slowly." Hansard is still the driving force on the album, but for the first time I hear more of him and less of his previous band, The Frames. His previous work had a tendency to be overwrought, but this album is full of warm

The Avett Brothers playing Merlefest 2010

2009-10-26T06:09:00.000-04:00

The Avett Brothers announced late last week that they will return to Wilkesboro next year to play the fantastic four-day Merlefest. The event will take place on from April 29 through May 2. The Avetts will play the main stage on the final day, Sunday, May 2. Other main stagers during the event include Elvis Costello, Works Progress Administration, Sam Bush, The John Cowan Band, The Duhks and many

The Mars Volta's show tonight is canceled

2009-10-23T16:36:00.001-04:00

Bad news for anyone planning to catch The Mars Volta show tonight at the Disco Rodeo in Raleigh. The show has been canceled at the last minute. No reason was given by LiveNation who was putting on the show and the band's websites have not even acknowledged the cancellation. So it's a bummer. Tickets will be given starting Monday, October 26 at the point of purchase.

Stream R.E.M.'s new double live album 'Live at the Olympia'

2009-10-22T18:15:00.000-04:00

The south's favorite college rock icons, R.E.M., have a new double live album due out on Tuesday, October 27 titled Live at the Olympia. The album features 39 songs recorded at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin, Ireland during the band's live rehearsals in 2007. You can stream all 39 songs now on NPR's website. There will also be a deluxe version of the album that will include a DVD shot by Vincent

Bowebirds perform "Northen Lights" & "Chimes" in a chapel

2009-10-21T15:25:00.002-04:00

The fine folks over at Pitchfork TV have posted two fantastic performances from the Triangle's own Bowerbirds, performed live in a chapel. They performed "Northern Lights" and "Chimes" from their latest album Upper Air. The big open sound of the cathedral really lends it self to the band's sparse, somber songs. Check out videos of the performances below. The band are currently touring Europe,