Vibes blog

David Bromberg Bromberg’s American songbook style of pickin’ – bluegrass, blues, country/western, folk, jazz and rock all get chapters – got an early boost from none other than Piedmont blues artist (and North Carolinian) Rev. Gary Davis during the mid-’60s, when the latter was giving lessons. Since that time, Bromberg, despite having played with the likes of Jerry Jeff Walker, Jerry Garcia, Bob Dylan and George Harrison (the latter of which he co-wrote the song “The Holdup” with), can’t seem to get arrested in most burghs. Bromberg’s first new studio album in 17 years (that might have something to do with it), Try Me One More Time was released in February of 2007 on Appleseed Records, and includes string-supercharged versions of Dylan’s “It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry” and Elizabeth Cotten’s “Shake Sugaree.” Pick it up when you see it – no telling when dude’s putting out another one. Neighborhood Theatre (Timothy C. Davis)

The Eagles After a 14-year breakup, many fans thought the group would never get back together. Next thing you know, Hell Freezes Over and the band goes on tour back in 1994. Well, Ol’ Scratch must be wearing a scarf and earmuffs by now as The Eagles breakup went the way of Brett Favre’s retirement and Kiss’ farewell tour. The band’s last album, Long Road Out of Eden, was released exclusively at Wal-Mart. If you’ve seen four guys sitting on bar stools before with Eagles’ music playing, you’ve pretty much seen the live show here. Time Warner Cable Arena (Jeff Hahne)

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

SATURDAY, JAN. 3

The Hot House Hefftones The N.C. quintet swings, does the samba, dabbles in tango and takes the listener back to a simpler era of Dixieland jazz and lounge music. The dry and wry female vocals, brushed percussion, horns and strings run the gamut of American music – New Orleans brass, porchfront sing-a-longs and smoky jazz bar piano jazz. Quite an intriguing regional band. The Evening Muse (Shukla)

Order of Chaos The Charlotte metal quartet has been making rounds of local and regional gin joints with their melodic, hard groove metal. The blokes have tightened the wares over the last couple of years and are ready to pounce with the release and celebration of the new recording tonight. The double bass drums and guitars oughta keep the party hoppings. With Wicked Jones and Claiming Redemption. Tremont Music Hall (Shukla)

Nicolette Emanuelle A gifted pianist and cellist (most notably in Buschovski), Emmanuelle’s ASC grant-funded debut, Pinafore, dropped earlier this year, and resides between PJ Harvey’s smoldering heat and Kate Bush’s (early) off-kilter cool. You’ll hear Tori Amos’ and Fionna Apple’s names tossed around as influences, too, but there’s a good dose of Nick Cave’s ethos in Emmanuelle’s darker songs and literate narratives. With the Hothouse Heftones at the early show. The Evening Muse (Schacht)

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

FRIDAY, JAN. 2

Lil Wayne You have to hand it to Lil Wayne. When he was in the Hot Boys (kind of an iffy name in retrospect, no?), I never even thought him the best rapper in the band (see Juvenile and B.G.). Now, of course, he’s arguably the biggest (and best) rapper in the world, excluding perhaps Kanye West, whose most recent album notably features, well, not much rapping. Thing is, he’s got the talent to match his million-dollar personality, even if he does seem to go on cruise control from time to time in order to better collect a quick check. Some would even argue he belongs in the pantheon of Big and Tupac – I say, let’s let him release a couple more (actual, non-mixtape) records first. Let’s also hope he keeps his nose clean – dude’s recorded enough over the past year to release about 37 records, and it’d be a shame for them to come out posthumously. Time Warner Cable Arena (Davis)

Mego Dirge Who says the Charlotte music scene doesn’t rock? The trio formerly known as simply Mego, combine a variety of styles – Taproot, Nirvana, Helmet – into something of their own that isn’t afraid to get heavy and rock your collective socks off. It’s not the straight chord rock you might expect, these guys kick up the complexity a notch with riffs and something a bit funkier. Snug Harbor (Jeff Hahne)

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 31

Jamie McLean Band The highly-in-demand session guitarist McLean is also a fab songwriter/crooner. His blues and roots-rock tells it straight, without any flash or pretension. McLean’s recently released disc, American Heartache, gathers influences from the Black Crowes and Dylan to the Stones and inserts the McLean riffage. Many veteran musicians lend a hand on the new disc that’s stacked with Southern rock, blues, funk and R&B. Double Door Inn (Samir Shukla)

The Sammies Ever since exiting the humid musical wilds of Wadesboro, N.C., a few years back, The Sammies (Frank Backgammon, guitar and vocals; Donnie Yale, drums and vocals; bassist Conrad Vacation and guitarist/keyboardist Bobby Freedom) have inspired purplish prose both locally and nationally, and for good reason: They’re serious about not taking themselves too seriously. The band’s excellent sophomore disc, Sandwich, is the sound of a band learning to dunk on a listener in the lane. It’s got that same straight-outta-Athens-circa-’81, country-peppered/garage jangle quality – and, indeed, some of it was recorded and mixed there – as its debut, but doesn’t mumble the punch line. Or, if you will, speak with its mouth full. Snug Harbor (Timothy C. Davis)

The Huguenots Throwbacks to a time when sweet melodies and chiming guitars were the order of the day, this Chapel Hill quartet’s influences are written all over their vintage wear and vintage Rickenbackers: the Beatles and Kinks, with a touch of modern dandy-ism via the Strokes mixed in for currency. They’ve made a splash up in the Triangle with packed shows on campus and off, including a national appearance on Good Morning America. Part of the New Year’s Eve extravaganza with The Sammies and DJ Animate. Snug Harbor (John Schacht)

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

Murdercycle Composed of former headz from Ublisch (still the greatest marketed Charlotte band of all time – dudes had a buzz before they ever played a show) and Seducer (among others), Murdercycle have a sound that’s muscular yet lithe, in the vein of someone like the Hellacopters, or, in trippier moments, someone like Early Man or Robedoor. What’s more, they can also torch(e) you with robot riffage straight out of the Kyuss playbook. Yer pharmaceutical-friendly show of the week. With Weedeater, The Smoking Rocks, Sons of Tonatiuh, Moanuh Greazuh. Milestone (Davis)

Hope for Agoldensummer More than just a band breathing life into too-often rote folk music forms, Campbell sisters Claire and Page (along with main band mate Deb Davis) hand-make much of their voluminous merch, which includes everything but the plastic discs from 2007’s excellent Adriane Thread (for instance). It’s part of the music’s aesthetic, the way they see it: If you’re gonna sing it, live it. Of course, without the slow waltzes that seem carved from Georgia’s clay, the junkyard percussion, and sibling harmonies that mesh like cicadas and dusk, that all would matter a little less. With Buschovski and The Houstons. Neighborhood Theatre (Schacht)

Buschovski Sure Charlotte’s eclectic musical hermit Todd Busch’ll make you scratch your head trying to peg his music. But that’s natural. Buschovski, Todd and a slew of musical companions, compose pop gems that are classically stroked and touched with jazz and rock. Busch (piano/vocals/guitar) and company’s orchestral and genre-free pop nuggets are in the offing tonight in celebration of the release of their long-awaited new recording. Also on the bill are Hope for agoldensummer and The Houstons. Neighborhood Theatre (Shukla)

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

Paleface Maybe you didn’t score tickets for The Avett Brothers on Dec. 30 and/or 31, but even if you did, here’s a chance to see the opener for those shows. With Mo on the drums, Paleface strums his acoustic guitar and is sure to have people take notice of his laid-back Americana style and great grooves. After performing at the last Homebrew release party, he sold out of all the albums he brought with him. His next disc is due in the spring on Ramseur Records. Snug Harbor (Hahne)

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

Mark Mathis You may know him as the front man for local post-indie rockers Public Radio, but Mark Mathis turns out to have the troubadour folk gene, too. Loaded with plucked banjos, washboard percussion and high-and-lonesome pedal steel, Mathis’ most recent solo disc, We Both Was Young, blends downcast narratives and upbeat country shuffles to come across like a Mark Kozelek/Tom Petty (the Mudcrutch Petty) hybrid. None too shabby, in other words. With Lauris Vidal (late show). The Evening Muse (John Schacht)

AC/DC How much can you really say about these guys that people don’t already know? The band’s last album was the Wal-Mart only Black Ice that showed the guys still have it after all these years. Witness Angus Young rockin’ like a maniac in a school-boy’s uniform as Brian Johnson screams his lungs out. Time Warner Cable Arena (Jeff Hahne)

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

Queen City Music Awards It seems like an odd day to hold an awards ceremony, but maybe this way – on a slower night of the week – more people will show up. Not to be confused with the recently held Charlotte Music Awards, the awards here include Best Male & Female R&B Artist, Best Club DJ, Best Male & Female Hip-Hop Artist, Best Hip-Hop Group, Best Graphic Designer, Hottest Magazine and Sexiest Model. More info at queencityawards.com. Skandalos (Hahne)

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

Hooray for Earth Sounding like a more muscled Pinback on new wave synth steroids, this quartet of Beantowners has been nominated for a BMA (Boston Music Award) for Outstanding Rock Act of the Year. Their self-titled debut has been reissued on Dopamine, but it’s their Cellphone EP that has folks up North wondering if HFE might be Boston’s heirs to Mission of Burma, Volcano Suns, Morphine and the Pixies. With Illicitizen and Use Your Inside Voices! Milestone (John Schacht)

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

Hot Tuna Hot Tuna’s Jack Casady and Jorma Kaukonen, both of whom have been hunting white wabbits since the mid-’60s with Jefferson Airplane, don’t seem ready to rest their collective heads on the pop-star pillow – Surrealistic or otherwise – anytime soon. Kaukonen’s finger-picked blues, jazz and bluegrass-inflected fretboard runs still sound as silvertoned and shimmery as ever, with Casady’s loose, loping bass runs providing the requisite rubbery low end. Long may they swim. Neighborhood Theatre (Davis)

Fuzz and Mac Fuzz Jaxx and McClain Sullivan are Fuzz and Mac. What makes this duo’s jazzy and trippy hip-hop so warm is the foundation of soul and old-school beats. The male/female vocals and natural inflections further gel their sound. Originally a part of the now-defunct Organix, the pair later reunited to form this funky duo. Listen to them with a loved one. With Still Life Static and Audioform. Tremont Music Hall (Shukla)

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites