SONIC STRUT: Donna the Buffalo return to BAC this Sunday

  Donna the Buffalo has been a part of the Americana festival scene for years. 2019’s fall edition of Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival (October 3-6) in Pittsboro has them headlining among acts like Galactic, Roosevelt Collier and 54 other performers. They join thousands of musicians, artisans, festival-goers and organizers who return year after year because they are drawn to the music and everything the community … Continue reading SONIC STRUT: Donna the Buffalo return to BAC this Sunday

UNTETHERED INNOVATION: Rare Creatures heads to Palate with latest music

  More bands are making concerted efforts to produce music untethered to one genre. Innovative outfits like Australia’s King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard come to mind. In just nine years they’ve released 15 albums, spanning everything from garage and punk rock (“12 Bar Bruise,” 2012), to acoustic folk-rock (“Paper Mâché Dream Balloon,” 2015), to psychedelic rock (“Nonagon Infinity,” 2016). King Gizzard’s last two albums … Continue reading UNTETHERED INNOVATION: Rare Creatures heads to Palate with latest music

STAYING ALIVE: Live at Ted’s reopens with four days of music

  Hourglass Recording Studio’s Trent Harrison and his wife, singer-songwriter Whitney Lanier, remember their first time visiting Ted’s Fun on the River about three or four years ago. Like many loyal patrons, after that Fourth of July show featuring local indie-folksters Stray Local, they were hooked on Ted’s unique listening-room atmosphere. “When you’re at a show at Ted’s, you’re sitting, paying attention, maybe enjoying a … Continue reading STAYING ALIVE: Live at Ted’s reopens with four days of music

TOP GOAT: Folk and friendship are at the center of Capricious

  Here’s something to really get your goat … in a good way. Vanessa Lynch (vocals, guitar) and Cole Mancini (vocals, violin) officially call their duo Capricious, but their motto (and website) is “two goats and a dream.” Both Capricorns, they have long used their astrology sign (a goat) in their literal and figurative branding. “When we were just starting out we used to tell … Continue reading TOP GOAT: Folk and friendship are at the center of Capricious

BEYOND ONE ROLE: ‘Shakespeare in Love’ opens this week at Thalian Hall

  Many of us hear “Shakespeare in Love” and automatically think of the 1998 movie with Joseph Fiennes playing a young Bard, and Gwenyth Paltrow as Viola de Lesseps, an aspiring actor forbidden to take her place on stage. As its title promises, Shakespeare falls in love with Viola and sets into motion an Elizabethan-era romantic comedy. Making matters worse, the famed playwright is dealing … Continue reading BEYOND ONE ROLE: ‘Shakespeare in Love’ opens this week at Thalian Hall

EMBRACING THE WEIRD: Eyeball brings psychedelic neo-space rock to ILM

  “A band like ours doesn’t have too many choices of places to play because we are so weird,” says drummer Trey McLamb of his band Eyeball. Since he and Myriam Martian (guitar, art-noise) founded the Raleigh-based psychedelic project in 2015, they’ve mostly played near or west of the Triangle in venues catering to artsy, outside-of-the-box music. Wilmington’s Juggling Gypsy fits the mold and will … Continue reading EMBRACING THE WEIRD: Eyeball brings psychedelic neo-space rock to ILM

LAST CALL: Steve Forbert helps play out TheatreNOW

  Wilmington bids farewell to its first and only dinner theatre, TheatreNOW, this month. The theater opened its doors in July 2012. Its final theatrical production, “Clue: The Musical,” premiered in July and was a hit with audiences and encore’s Gwenyfar Rohler alike. Folks can catch the show’s final curtain call August 23-24. TheatreNOW’s Super Saturday Fun Time Finale is also set for August 24 … Continue reading LAST CALL: Steve Forbert helps play out TheatreNOW

20-YEAR HAZE: Umphrey’s McGee preps for sold-out show at GLA

  Now that hemp production is legal in North Carolina (as part of a state pilot program allowed under federal law) and CBD becoming a growing industry, NC seems prime to climb aboard the “Green Rush.” At least we’re reaching a point of normalizing conversations about CBD, hemp and marijuana. “I use CBD pretty regularly and it helped my mom quite a bit in her … Continue reading 20-YEAR HAZE: Umphrey’s McGee preps for sold-out show at GLA

PURE GOLD: Max Frost is a one-man spectacle

  “I was always hoping to get a mentor,” singer-songwriter Max Frost says of Michael “Fitz” Fitzpatrick of Fitz and the Tantrums. “It’s sort of like ‘The Karate Kid’: learning from Mr. Miyagi, in this case, the older, wiser, more experienced artist. . . . He acted more as a compass for how I was putting it all together.” Frost tapped Fitz to help produce … Continue reading PURE GOLD: Max Frost is a one-man spectacle

ROCKIN’ WITH THE DEVIL: Bible of the Devil steer away from modern metal

    It doesn’t get much more metal than naming a band Bible of the Devil (BOTD), but this Chicago-based outfit has more rock ‘n’ roll layers to their sound than just hardcore, pulsating punch. Made up of lead singer Nate Perry (guitar), Chris Grubbs (guitar, backing vocals), Darren Amaya (bass, backing vocals) and Greg Spalding (drums and loathing), they’re celebrating 20 years together with … Continue reading ROCKIN’ WITH THE DEVIL: Bible of the Devil steer away from modern metal