Vibes blog

We all love free events, and even more so good, free events. That’s where Neighborhood Theatre and The Rat’s Nest come in. This Friday, – during NoDa’s Gallery Crawl – the music venue and the vintage shop located in the heart of NoDa partner together to present a free music night, dubbed “Rat’s Nest Harvest Hoedown.” Enjoy live performances by bands like Bill Noonan & the Barbed Wires, Brandon Kirkley, The Loose Lugnuts, and The Pistoleros — let’s just hope no actual rats are there. Free. Doors open at 8 p.m.; Show starts at 9 p.m.

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KMFDM with Angelspit

The Fillmore

Oct. 28, 2009

The Deal: Industrial music pioneers, KMFDM, performs at The Fillmore. Sydney, Australia-based band Angelspit opens.

The Good: KMFDM! Fronted by Sascha Konietzko and Lucia Cifarelli, – who controlled the beats and sang – along with guitarists Jules Hodgson and Steve White, and drummer Andy Selway, the band emerged on stage and immediately began blasting off industrial beats with “D.I.Y.” The group played an assortment of powerful tunes, both in English and German. Konietzko smoked a cigarette during most of the show. Highlights included “Bait & Switch,” (side note: This song features lyrics from the Christmas hymn/carol “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”) off of the groups 2009 album Blitz, as well as other pulsating melodies like “Hau Ruck,” (meaning “Heave-ho” in German), “Looking for Strange,” “Megalomanic,” and a much heavier version of “Free Your Hate” off of 2005’s Hau Ruck. KMFDM played more than 14 songs and came out for two encores, after the crowd loudly chanted “KMFDM sucks.”

The Bad: Opening act Angelspit was a bit of a disappointment. Comprised of two members (Destroyx and Zoog), the band delivered throbbing industrial beats, without any real impressive elements. It was hard to hear the lyrics to the songs, as most of the members’ vocals were drowned out by the music. In addition, the audience was quite small at the start of the concert (during Angelspit), but by the time KMFDM arrived on stage more folks had arrived. Hmmm…I wonder why they came so late?

The Verdict: Go see KMFDM the next time they are in town. Get there late if Angelspit is opening.

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Rob Thomas with Carolina Liar and OneRepublic
Uptown Amphitheatre
Sept. 29, 2009

Photo by Jeff Hahne

The Deal: Rob Thomas, lead singer of Matchbox Twenty, performs at Uptown Amphitheatre in support of his sophomore solo album Cradlesong. Opening acts include Carolina Liar and OneRepublic. (more…)

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Ours
Visulite Theatre
Aug. 10, 2009

The Deal: Melodic rock act Ours performs in Charlotte at Visulite Theatre.

The Good: It’s been a while since Ours’ last headlining show in Charlotte. The last time they were here they opened up for Filter at Amos’ Southend. Since then, they’ve been kicked off their record label and they’ve been writing new material, front man Jimmy Gnecco revealed during the show. Ours played songs mostly from their 2008 album Mercy (Dancing for the Death of an Imaginary Enemy) (“Willing,” “Mercy,” “Black,” “Ran Away,” “Murder,” “Live Again,” “God Only,” “The Worst Things Beautiful,”) and from their 2001 album, Distorted Lullabies (“Here is the Light,” “I’m a Monster,” “Bleed,” “Dizzy,” “Meet Me in the Tower,” “Miseryhead,” and “Fallen Souls”). Highlights included a lengthy, music-heavy version of “Live Again” and the acoustic “Meet Me in the Tower,” in addition a newbie tune called “Sing for Me.”

The Bad: Nothing was bad about this show. However, Gnecco mentioned the band had written enough new material for several CDs. I would have liked to have heard more than just one new song.

The Verdict: Ours is a band to check out any time they roll through town. Let’s just hope they don’t take too long, before coming back. In all my times of seeing Ours live, which dates back to 2001 performances, they have put on an impressive performance. The lyrics to Ours’ songs are always meaningful (and sometimes a bit gloomy), while the music that accompanies them is powerful and full of depth. You can’t get much better than that.

Ours setlist
Willing
Sing for Me
Mercy
Black
Here is the Light
Ran Away
I’m a Monster
Murder
Live Again
God Only
Bleed
The Worst Things Beautiful
Dizzy
Meet Me in the Tower
Miseryhead
Fallen Souls

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The Offspring performs at Uptown Amphitheatre tonight and we just know you’re flying inside. Come out to Halo (formerly known as the Garden and Gun Club) for a special pre-show party, presented by none other than Creative Loafing. Oh, and in case your worried about cash, you need not be. The party — which starts at 5:30 p.m. — includes free food from The Nook and drink specials. Halo is located at 820 Hamilton St. (in the NC Music Factory).

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Gavin Degraw with honeyhoney
Neighborhood Theatre
May 3, 2009

The Deal: Gavin Degraw performs a sold-out show at Neighborhood Theatre with honeyhoney opening. (more…)

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Black Label Society with Sevendust and Dope
Amos’ Southend
April 19, 2009

The Deal: Heavy metal band Black Label Society — headed by front man and metal guitarist extraordinaire Zakk Wylde — visit Charlotte for a sold-out performance at Amos’ Southend, along with Sevendust and Dope. (more…)

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Ben Folds is set to release a new greatest-hits album, titled Ben Folds Presents: University A Capella on April 28. It was recorded with college a capella groups. Read more in the Paste Magazine article below.

A new kind of greatest-hits record

Ben Folds returns with an entourage—they intonate their voices at breathtaking levels, overlapping in a seamless harmony throughout the album. The singer/songwriter takes the back seat and lets the college kids channel their inner Folds, and they successfully do so—often stealing the spotlight away from Folds.

The groups incorporate their own sound and reinvent the tracks. The Ohio University’s Leading Tones added some Blues and R&B on “Brick,” and the University of Georgia’s With Someone Else’s Money brought some much needed angst to “You Don’t Know Me.” The University of Colorado’s Buffoons lose some of their identity in “Landed,” sounding eerily like Folds himself at times.

The instrument-free, re-vamped “Effington,” a single from his 2008 album Way to Normal, is Folds’ best moment. One of the two tracks he recorded for this album, the song sounds more like a party than the tormented track it’s supposed to be.

Ben Folds Presents: University A Capella! shows once again Folds’ need to live outside his own artistic margins and celebrate talent, as well as others’ appreciation for his songwriting.

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Death Cab for Cutie, Cold War Kids and Ra Ra Riot
Belk Arena at Davidson College
April 9, 2009

The Deal: Washington-based indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie drew a sold-out crowd to Davidson College’s Belk Area for its performance. Opening acts included indie bands, the New York-based Ra Ra Riot and California-based group Cold War Kids. (more…)

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15 years ago yesterday, Kurt Cobain was found dead in his Seattle home. Ironically, in today’s news, Courtney Love – who was married to Cobain and who has been targeted by some folks at possibly having something to do with his death – is claiming that she has lost millions of dollars, left to her by the late Nirvana front man. Read more in The Guardian article below.

Courtney Love is claiming that the money she inherited from her late husband Kurt Cobain after his death in 1994 has been stolen. According to Love’s lawyer, Rhonda J Holmes, as much as $530m (£360m) may have been looted by unscrupulous investors acting on the singer’s behalf.

“I have never seen such greed and moral turpitude. This case is going to make Bernard Madoff look warm and fuzzy,” Holmes told the New York Post. “We will be filing civil cases … within the next 30 days. There are many, many millions missing. We’ve only been able to track down $30m, but there is more.” (more…)

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