Vibes blog

The Love Language Stuart McLamb, the crooning ne’er-do-well behind this lo-fi pop outfit from Chapel Hill, recently cashed in on all the (deserved) hype surrounding his one-man-band eponymous debut by signing with the neighborhood label, Merge. It’s a smart fit, since his songs have the same timeless-pop quality of former label-mate Stephen Merritt (Magnetic Fields), only filtered through the cheap-o four-track of Robert Pollard (another ex-Merger). It’s almost de rigueur these days to bury your pop in lo-fi detritus for retro cachet, but analog hiss and Phil Spector texture ain’t gonna help if your songs blow – something McLamb need not worry about. With Benji Hughes and Jon Lindsay. Visulite Theatre (John Schacht)

Merzah With lyrics that can be over the top and downright corky, but not often, this South Carolina progressive metal outfit cranks power chords that spew a mesh of ’70s prog rock tossed into growly hard rock and metal. Alternating sung and screamed vocals while waving to Iron Maiden, the double bass drums, keys and guitars get the job done. With Permanent Midknight, Pandah and Telic. Tremont Music Hall (Shukla)

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It’s funny the ways you can stumble upon new music.

A good buddy of mine is from Houston. When we lived together here in the Elizabeth neighborhood, he subscribed to a magazine called Texas Monthly. For a while after he moved out, we’d still get the issues in our mailbox.

Bored one day, I decided to pick one up, flipping through the pages of the May 2009 issue until a short story on a musician named Ryan Bingham caught my attention. After all, it’s not often that a pro bull-rider quits the rodeo circuit to pick up the guitar and tour the country as a country rock artist.

If my friend wasn’t from Houston, chances are I never learn about this Bingham guy. Never would’ve become a fan. And quite honestly, I wouldn’t be going to the Evening Muse tonight for the early evening show to see him play.

Check him out. He and his band, the Dead Horses, make really, really good music straight out of the Lone Star State.

You can thank my buddy’s magazine later.

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Real Estate This generically-named yet musically-astute pop outfit is adept in channeling the Pet Sounds vibes with other experimental pop of the era into downright spacey music. They unfold each song with a laid-back groove that blooms into pop draped in sunshine, usually subtle, occasionally somber, and often intriguing. Also on the bill: Bob Fields, the Spalding Grays and Neon Methods. Milestone (Shukla)

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Blues Traveler In last year’s snug release North Hollywood Shootout, Blues Traveler detoured from their jam highway with songs that are decidedly harder rocking, bluesier and tweaked into concise pop. But John Popper, the harmonica-wielding writer and singer of the long-established quintet, composed the numbers to allow for lots of stretching and eclectic exploration on Blue Traveler’s much adored foundation, the live stage. The Fillmore (Samir Shukla)

California Guitar Trio There’s a reason cooking analogies are so often made in regards to music. They’re both forms of alchemy, really, where one takes specific ingredients and combines them in such a way to make magic happen. The CGT, then, are like those architectural chefs who can cook anything (and better yet, arrange it in such a way that it looks like a work of art), but forget to add that ever important soupcon of soul. Fretheads will be in heaven, but those looking for something truly rib-sticking might do better elsewhere. The Evening Muse (Timothy C. Davis)

Carolina Chocolate Drops The Durham-based CCD (Dom Flemons, Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson) are a big draw at musical festivals and art-house theaters and museum openings. And why not? They’re great musicians, and they know how to entertain, too. Did we mention that they’re all African-American, and play their native burgh’s rural Southern string-band music? That they interpret standards and traditionals with the same flair with which they pen their own stuff? That they reinterpret the music at the same time they’re re-enacting it, which is no mean feat? Why, it’s enough to set a musicologist’s heart all a-flutter. Bully for them that they’re good enough (indeed, great enough) that all of the Great Black Hope shit doesn’t even matter. The music, as the cliché goes, speaks for itself. McGlohon Theatre (Davis)

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TUESDAY, AUG. 4

Cracker David Lowery’s recorded output with his post-Camper Van Beethoven outfit has suffered in the comparison, but then bars don’t get set much higher than Key Lime Pie. Cracker’s 10th and latest, Sunrise In The Land Of Milk And Honey, is a middle-of-the-pack effort, though Lowery, always an astute culture observer, still has a sharp tongue and lyrical eye. Here, he turns it on eco-survivalists, the teetering nuclear state of Pakistan, the fading promise of the American dream, shell-shocked Iraq War vets, questionable companions and the ’80s American punk scene. John Doe, Mark Linkous and Patterson Hood guest on an album of wistful pot-baked country, ’70s-riff rock and high-BPM punk. Lowery, by the way, recently did a stint as Guest Editor at Magnet, where he praised The Foot Fist Way soundtrack composed by local rockers Pyramid and called “Dog Wild Heaven” one of the “best less-than-two-minutes songs ever.” That’s gotta count for something. Visulite Theatre (John Schacht)

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SUNDAY, AUG. 2

The Crystal Method The L.A.-based electronic duo is touring the circuit supporting their new release Divided by Night. A stellar cast of guests lend a hand on the record including Peter Hook (New Order), Matisyahu and Justin Warfield. Twisting the knobs with massive beats stroked by a moody undertow, the Crystal Method makes the live gigs as intriguing as their studio-prepared recordings. Amos’ Southend (Samir Shukla)

Fireworks If you’re looking to score some Ritalin, don’t ask these guys. This Michigan power-punk band needs it worse than you. With three-chord progressions that just won’t stop and the perfect pace to fit right in on Warped Tour, Fireworks have an energy reminiscent to old New Found Glory. Their sing-along songs and crowd-inclusive chants make for a fun live experience, but maybe more for the lost 15-year-old inside of you. With Four Year Stong, Set Your Goals, Polar Bear Club and Drive A. Visulite Theatre (Sam Webster)

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SATURDAY, AUG. 1

Idols Live! It was so fitting, last year, when the sponsor of the American Idol tour was Pop Tarts. Oh well … Last season’s top 10 are out on tour to sing their greatest karaoke hits with a live band. It’s amazing that a “cover band” can pack “The Cable Box” downtown, but there’s no accounting for bad taste. Rumor has it Kris Allen no longer has to sing his wretched first single, and everyone’s favorite screecher Adam Lambert will have the guyliner caked on extra thick so it can be seen from the upper deck. I’d suggest bringing wine to go with all the cheese. Time Warner Cable Arena (Jeff Hahne)

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FRIDAY, JULY 31

Actual Proof CD Release Who knew the vibraphone could be so intriguing? The Charlotte-based progressive fusion quartet’s jazz doesn’t slack up on subtle funk, either. Vibraphonist and Queens University professor Eric Mullis and company swirl spacey fusion interwoven with improvisation that sounds so effortless because each member is obviously a master of his instrument and can run solo sections and then jump right back into the mix without missing a note. They are celebrating the release of their debut CD where sound exploration is the modus operandi. With Jonathan Scales Fourchestra. Double Door Inn (Samir Shukla)

I Was Totally Destroying It This Chapel Hill outfit’s name may give you the wrong impression of its music. This power synth pop/rock quintet with a hardcore name sounds more like Paramore than Every Time I Die, but they still totally destroy your perception of prior pop/rock efforts. Super-charged yet soft-hearted, this one-girl-multiple-guy dynamic seems to work yet again. With The Sammies, The Groves and You Tonight. Visulite Theatre (Sam Webster)

Sam Bush Sam sure can play the man-do-lin, but man, do these bluegrass guys stretch themselves thin or what? The man’s played with New Grass Revival, Bela Fleck and Emmylou Harris, to name but a few, but his most satisfying work to these ears is with his own Sam Bush Band, a sort of New-New Grass Revival (Bush’s now legendary first supergroup, who more or less, like with Bill Monroe and bluegrass, defined a genre). Sam always shows up to a session ready to pick, however, and tonight’s show ought not to be any different, no matter who’s taggin’ along. Neighborhood Theatre (Timothy C. Davis)

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THURSDAY, JULY 30

Torche Here’s a double bill to get your innards good and rattled. These rockers twist metal, psychedelic wigouts, sludgy guitars and rumbling bass to unleash their, well, innard-rattling bombast. When touring with their buds and fellow Georgia rockers the legendary Harvey Milk, the night will be rife with chunks of guitar riffs, pounding percussion and ear drums buzzing for days. Co-headlining with the aforementioned Harvey Milk. Milestone (Samir Shukla)

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 29

Pterodactyl These four sound-alchemists are based in Brooklyn, N.Y., and their latest, Worldwild, certainly fits today’s multi-culti big-city sonic bill: polyrhythmic beat-fucking, rabid full-band chanting and cross-harmonizing, guitar FX detonations, epileptic arrangements and tempos, and plenty of laptop mischief – just to highlight the most tell-tale signs. How do they differ from the Battles and Animal Collectives living right down the street? By the slimmest of degrees. With Bo White & Guests and Bob Fields. Snug Harbor (John Schacht)

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