Local Beat recap 6/25/10

The Local Beat last Friday was the first full three hour program since February and my first evening back behind the board in a month after throat surgery.  I felt a little rusty behind the microphone but my guests to the show triumphed to make the three hours fly by with great conversation and some really cool new songs that had never been played before.

While waiting for the Trekky guys to come in, David Mueller of Birds of Avalon came by to drop off the pre-release of the Heads On Sticks album entitled Mocking Bird.  Heads On Sticks is David's solo project that he has been working with off and on for the better part of four years.  In fact, his Marsupial's EP was one of the first local albums I ever came across and really pushed me into the local music scene here.  We debuted his first new track in two years, a song called "Two Clicks." David will be back on the Local Beat on the 9th to talk more about the album, so be sure to listen in then!

Will Hackney and Martin Anderson, the owners and masterminds behind Trekky Records, dropped by a little late after being stuck in traffic to pump up the third annual TrkFest, which happened Saturday, June 26 at Piedmont Biofuels in Pittsboro, NC.  We spent the majority of an hour and a half talking about the day-long festival, the differences between this year and the previous two years, playing music from bands signed to Trekky, and other bands involved with the show.  Will and Martin are also in numerous bands in the area themselves and two of the busiest guys I know, so I had to ask them about their time management and how they run their business.  In all, we had a fascinating insight into a remarkable record label and the guys behind the scenes.  You can check out some of the pictures from TrkFest here.
TrkFest on the Local Beat 6/25/10

Local favorites Bombadil stopped by for the last hour of the show to debut some brand new material and play live for the first time in a year.  As many of you know, Bombadil had to take a break last summer as pianist Stewart Robinson went back to school and Daniel Michalak had to take time to recover from a serious health problem, while James Phillips moved to Oregon and Bryan Rahija went to work in Washington D.C.  However, the band has still made time to write music and admitted that they now have enough new material for an entire album.  We discussed the difficulties with being so far apart and still trying to be a band and the frustrations with not being able to tour.  We also touched on their most recent album, Tarpits and Canyonlands, which was released last summer.  The band was unable to promote the record despite raving reviews, and I had to ask them how that made them feel.  Despite the down turn in events, the group seemed exceptionally positive and upbeat for the future and even played two brand new songs for us, which you can download through our Local Beat ReverbNation page (you can listen to them in the music player to the left).
Bombadil on the Local Beat 6/25/10

TrkFest 2010

Saturday, at the Piedmont Biofuel facility in Pittsboro, was the third annual TrkFest put on by Trekky Records.  TrkFest has quickly become one of the most important local music events in the area and a group of WKNC folk made it out in full force.  It was terribly hot and humid outside while the sun was out, but not one single person complained, and I believe everyone had a fantastic time.  I was lucky enough to sit next to Rich and Mimi McLaughlin of the Pneurotics, and we had a fine view of both stages.



We missed Vibrant Green and Ezekiel Graves but got there just as Yardwork started up, and those guys put on a fantastic set to start our day.


After a excruciatingly hot but fascinating tour of the entire Biofuel center, we caught the last half of Ryan Gustafson's set.  I have seen Ryan about six times now, but this was only the second with a full band, and he was awesome, as usual.

We had to escape the heat, so we headed into the shade during the Butterflies set.


Veelee went on next.  Their sound has evolved so much in the past year while still keeping with their same general style.  One song that stuck out to me was a new track named "T'morrow;" that was the first in their set.


Mount Moriah went on next and, as usual, played an incredible set.  I cannot describe how much I love this band and how excited I am for their new album to come out.

Midtown Dickens played one of my favorite sets of the evening.  Megafaun came on for a couple of songs, and Kym and Catherine are always entertaining but even more so for this event.  Fun, outgoing, and fresh is the best way to describe them.

It has been awhile since I saw Embarrassing Fruits play, but with a new album in the works, theses guys were as tight as ever as expected.


Hammer No More The Fingers has never been anything but a pleasure to see.  They are one of the most technically sound and entertaining groups in the area.  For a couple of songs they brought up Drew Anagnost and Leah Gibson from Lost in the Trees on the cellos and Brad Cook of Megafaun jumped on bass.

Lost in the Trees literally blew the crowd away playing second to last.  I was surprised that they could cram onto the smaller of the two stages, but it ended up being truly magical.  I feel like every time I see them live they sound different, which is always refreshing.

Megafaun ended the show as they always do: reeling the crowd in with their unique charisma and then putting them into a manic frenzy with their exceptional live performance.  I took several videos of the group playing some brand new songs with a variety of different musicians, all off of their upcoming album, but the sound quality came out too poor to post them.  Needless to say, every time I see Megafaun play, they retake the top of my list of local bands.

Local Beat preview: 6/25/10

It has been longer than a month since we have had a live Local Beat, and, since February, we haven't had a full, three hour show (mostly due to NC State Baseball).  I have spent the past month recovering from throat surgery and also doing some summer traveling, but it is finally time to get back into the amazing local music scene here, and tonight's show is going to be one for the ages.

We are dedicating the first two hours to Trekky Records and their kickass annual summer event TrkFest.  The event happens tomorrow, June 26, and this year there will be two stages of live music as well as the usual crafts, food, and beverages including:

• Pants-off Dance-off


• Coffee Sack Race


• Cool Kids Yoga Session


• Musical Chairs Cake Walk


• Sprinklers and Water Things


• Tour of Piedmont Biofuels


• Free Haircuts


• Shadow Puppets


• Bliss Tent

I know I am going to get a haircut that I so desperately need and jam out to my favorite local musicians that include:

• Megafaun


• Lost in the Trees


• Hammer No More The Fingers


• Embarrassing Fruits


• Midtown Dickens


• Mount Moriah


• Veelee


• Butterflies


• Ryan Gustafson


• Yardwork


• Ezekiel Graves


• Vibrant Green

This is the 3rd annual TRKFest, and tonight, on the Local Beat, we will be chatting about all of the old and new things about the festival, the bands, and hearing some live music from some of the performers tomorrow.

At 7 p.m. my favorite local band Bombadil will be dropping by for what is the first time in well over a year.  As many of you may know, Bombadil has been on recent hiatus as some of the members have moved away and Daniel Michalak has been dealing with some health problems. With that said, this is their first interview as a group in quite some time, and one of the first since their Tarpits and Canyonlands hit the streets back in 2009  (If you remember, the album was my #1 album of the year).  The entire band is going to try to make it and and perhaps play their first live music together since last summer. It is seriously going to be awesome.

Lost In The Trees plays to a captivated crowd

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On Saturday night, little j and I ventured to the other side of the Triangle, Carrboro to catch local favorite Lost In The Trees in action at their CD Release Party at Cat's Cradle. The band has recently signed with record label Anti- to rerecord their album All Alone In An Empty House. little j and I gave up the chance to see Inflowential for free in downtown Raleigh and hoped that our decision would not let us down. We didn't have to worry about that because the show at the Cradle was a good time for both of us.

Local band The Strugglers started things off that night and we were both glad to have gotten to the show early enough to catch their performance. The Strugglers are local at heart, but are partly based in Washington D.C. for the time being, so catching them live in North Carolina is kind of tricky at the moment. The performance featured a nine-piece version of the band accompanied by a string quartet.

Old Bricks was next, giving a moving performance to the growing crowd at Cat's Cradle. Live, the band sounds a lot different than what you hear on the recordings available. The sound is fiercer and contains even more emotion, if that is even possible. Old Bricks ended the set with a brutal beat on drums by different members of the band, and WOW was it a great end.

Lost In The Trees was the final band of the night and the obvious one everyone was waiting for. Combining old favorites with a couple of new, jazz-inspired songs accompanied by a guest tenor saxophonist, the band sounded pristine in the dark room at Cat's Cradle. I think the only song I failed to hear was "Love On My Side", but the good thing about a band being local is that you're sure to catch them here again (Lost In The Trees is playing at TRKfest in Pittsboro on June 26.)

Over all, little j and I had a grand time going to Carrboro to catch some amazing local acts. Being caught in that freak thunderstorm after might be the only negative thing about Saturday night...

TRKfest returns for third year

Trekky Records has announce the initial lineup, as well as date and location, for it's third annual TRKfest. The festival will take place Saturday June 26, once again at Piedmont Biofuels in Pittsboro, and will feature several of the Triangle's best bands, including the experimental folk of Megafaun, the muscular indie rock of Hammer No More the Fingers, and the hauntingly beautiful folk rock of Mount Moriah. Admission will be a $10 suggested donation (and there is really no reason you should shell out less than that) and there will be a variety of activities going on throughout the day, including a coffee sack race, yoga, and free haircuts. You can check out more info here

Full lineup (with more acts to be announced May 16):
Megafaun
Hammer No More The Fingers
Mount Moriah
Embarrassing Fruits
Midtown Dickens
Veelee
Butterflies
Ryan Gustafson
Vibrant Green

Top 10: Des Ark

Hey readers,

It's your lucky day!

Aimée Argote, the powerful voice behind Des Ark is sharing the songs that have been inspiring her this week.

BRIAN WILSON -Our Prayer - Gee
CHROMATICS-Hannah's Song
FILTHYBIRD -The Gospel Of Truth (As Judas Told It To Me)
LIZA KATE -Anclote
LUCINDA WILLIAMS -Fruits of My Labor
MASS MOVEMENT OF THE MOTH -Idle Minds Speak In Binary
NINA SIMONE -Suzanne
NEIL YOUNG -Only Love Can Break Your Heart
PYGMY LUSH -Butch's Dream
VAN MORRISON -Crazy Love

Aimée with be playing at TRKfest on June 13th.