See Gulls - Curtain Call EP (Potluck)

See Gulls have had enough, and they’re fed up.  Their frustration is mostly apparent in the push-pull relationship dynamic of the songs penned by front-gull Sarah Fuller… tales of overbearing exes and sleazy broheems.  But Curtain Call, the excellent follow-up EP to You Can’t See Me, opens with bassist Leah Gibson venting workplace anxieties on Boss Hogg (which she penned).  It’s a crunchy, grinding number that’s musically perfect for the topic:  a boring job and a boorish boss; See Gulls’ own Slack Motherfucker (“I’ll go fetch some coffees while you sit and take a rest / let me guess / at your desk”).

When …Hogg premiered as a single a few weeks back, I thought it marked somewhat of a departure from band’s sound.  But upon hearing the entire record, it actually sets a tone for and completely meshes with the overall vibe of this collection.

Curtain Call is certainly less angular, more curvy, than the debut.  But it does hop on and continue down the same road traveled by Long Gone (perhaps the best cut off that record).   While the themes here are often of defiance and strength, there’s also a soft, bittersweet side.

The second entry, Where Are We Going, exemplifies this.  See Gulls have always been great at incorporating a kind of heart-achy, ‘50s-‘60s vibe into a more contemporary style.  That’s perhaps realized better than ever in this song.  From the “ba da da da dom” intro whispering up from somewhere deep in the past, to the archetypal setting of driving down a lonely road.  Reflecting on the past, with the ghost of a long gone significant other riding shotgun, Fuller sings “It’s an older tune your Daddy played for you.”  This song sounds and feels like it might actually be one of those tunes.

Kidding Me shelves the tenderness, though.  Can’t a lady have a beer to herself without being harassed by her ex?!  He whispering “not-so-sweet nothings” in her ear (to more crunchy guitar and sick, funky little organ bloops), she telling him to “hush your mouth” like the petulant child he is.

I Want It also visits the “so familiar” (as Kidding Me put it) chore of trying to get rid of a guy.  Hard shots of reverb, and again that ‘50s vibe, back this one. “I wanted you to have me, ‘til I found him” / “I wanted him to have me, ‘til I found you.”  Here, it seems conflicted, like being caught in an endless cycle, obsessed again.  Despite the doubts, there are great lyrics of reclamation and control.  “Could you see that I am not / just the thought you have of me!”

I Wrote It is maybe the most musically upbeat song.  While the title and lyrics revolve around intra-band dynamics and coming out of the shadow of a boorsish frontman, they could just as easily refer to any relationship one’s seen before and is -- simply -- tired of. “You will never see what becomes of me / and you’re blowin’ it.”

You’re Here returns to the bittersweet vibe of Where Are We Going.  It’s the slowest cut, and filled with more cool echoes and reverb.  But despite feelings of reminiscence and loss, the closing statement is another of control, relegating the memory to being that, and only that, repeating “You’re here / in my song.”

Besides great songs and wonderful all-around musicianship and production, one thing that can’t be understated on Curtain Call is Fuller’s voice.  She’s honed into a finely tuned instrument; little changes in tone alone evoke different, even conflicting, emotions, sometimes within the same line.  It’s been fun to watch her stage presence blossom from the band’s first gigs… a little hesitant at the beginning, now fully in control.  Appropriate, then, that I Want It ends with a twist on the earlier line:  “You will never see what becomes of me / and I’m runnin’ it!”  She sure is.

I’m hesitant to say any song here is the “best.”  I DO like the quieter, soulful vibe of …Going and You’re Here.  But this is an extraordinarily consistent EP.  Every song is a gem.  All I really want out of it is, maybe, 2 or 3 more.  Please?

Curtain Call proves that See Gulls early splash was totally deserved.  While it may be right up my (admittedly subjective) alley of musical preference, I’d still say by any standard, it’s one of the best local releases this year.

Organos Lives! First show in years, some videos...

One of my favorite, and one of the most unique, Triangle bands is Organos, the brainchild of Durham's Maria Albani.  Lately, she's been keeping herself busy with the Potluck Foundation, See Gulls, and Schooner, not to mention rescuing dogs from Mexico (oh and I'm sure a job or something).  But Organos is her baby, her musical voice.

I rarely take so many videos of a band.  But the desire for such was expressed, and Organos' sound lends itself well to the questionable sound recording of my Nikon (i.e., not so much loud guitar, feedback and distortion).  Plus, who knows when they'll play again?!  (a little bird tells me Nightlight in July)

So here's 5 songs from Organos, recorded at the Anti-HB2 Fundraiser at Kings.  It was put on by the band Make, who were also great... and don't get me started about In the Year of the Pig, whom I had stupidly never seen!  I took a vid of them as well, but I'm not sure yet how it came out (I'll post if it's decent).











Besides just raising awareness to fight HB2 and discrimination in general, the show was a fundraiser for Southerners on New Ground.  Check out the link to learn more about the cause.

Diali Cissokho and Kaira Ba – MotorCo, Durham, NC (11/14/15)

I’ve always loved listening to music from other parts of the world; especially Indian, Middle-Eastern, and West and South African.  But I’m far from an expert on these regions’ musical genres and traditions… except perhaps possessing a decent outsider’s knowledge of Indian music, mostly via Bollywood.  I’m just a musically restless soul, always seeking variety. 

However, I seldom take the opportunity to see such music live.  I did make sure to see Kavita Krishnamurti, the famous Bollywood playback singer, perform at Cary’s Diwali celebration a few weeks ago, and that was amazing.  I’ve seen a few local bands that blend in musical elements from other parts of the world.  Despite our scene’s diversity of styles and talent, there aren’t too many opportunities to see truly authentic traditional music, or even pop music, from other countries.  And given the choice, I usually lean towards the indie/pop/garage/whatever (just rock’n’roll) when looking for some live music to check out.  But really, that’s a poor excuse. 

So although they’ve been a part of the local scene for quite a while now, I’m ashamed to say I’d never seen Diali Cissokho and Kaira Ba yet.   Better late than never, I suppose.  I am SO glad I finally went to see them a week ago at Motorco in Durham!  Their recorded music is wonderful, possessing all the things I love about this type of music:   complex percussion, emotive and intense vocals, heavy use of the kora (Cissokho’s signature instrument).  It’s a joy to listen to.  But it’s a completely different experience from their live show. 

Kaira Ba’s live show is, simply, a celebration of music and life, full of energy.  This is in no small part to the many dancers who are part of the show.  Most appear to be friends of the band, co-performers as it were.  They’re clearly familiar with traditional West African styles of dance -- at times graceful and flowing, at times showy and braggadocious, but always joyful.  Eventually, novice dancers get pulled up from the crowd and onto the stage as well, and throughout the show, Diali’s band has the audience pulsing and moving on the floor. 

Seeing Kaira Ba is like attending a party with a few hundred new friends.  Cissokho is returning to his native Senegal for a few weeks.  But he’ll be back, and I believe their next show is scheduled for some time in February.  Do yourself a favor, pencil that in, and don’t wait as long as I did to see them.

Many photos follow; I tried to capture the ebullience of the dancers in addition to the band…

See Gulls, Midnight Plus One, & Daddy Issues - Tir Na Nog (Raleigh, 2/5/15)

WKNC's Local Beer Local Band Thursday Nights has been a mainstay of the Triangle live music scene for a long time (it was my first introduction when I relocated here).  I haven't been in a while, but they've been on a bit of an upswing.  I picked a great night to reconnect.

Thursday was headlined by one of the Triangle's best new-ish bands, See Gulls.  Openers Daddy Issues (from Greensboro) aren't far behind.  While I've seen Gulls a slew o'times, I'd only seen Daddy Issues once, so a sequel was long overdue.  But a good night of local music is never complete unless you get surprised by someone you've never seen before... which, on this night, was Carrboro's Midnight Plus One.

It didn't take Daddy Issues long to make me remember why I liked them so much the first time. Sure, front-woman Lo Davy sings suggestive lyrics in a disarming way; but rock music has always pushed the envelope of what's considered too risque.  What really makes Daddy Issues stand out is that they create sweet, surfy melodies, and then counter-punch with a rhythm section that's... well, that's just damn punk rock (courtesy Madeline Putney on bass and Amethyst White on drums).  Lindsey Sprague provides most of the surf-edge and backing/occasional lead vocals.  Their first EP comes out on, appropriately (maybe inappropriately?), Valentine's Day.  It's on Negative Fun Records, also home of locals GHOSTT BLLONDE.  

Dat rhythm section, doe!

Between the two courses of unquestionably more melodic, poppy (but great) music, Midnight Plus One provided a palate cleanser of sorts.  Correction:  a mutha fuckin' palate cleanser.  Does the water in Carrboro breed weird, impossible-to-categorize bands?  Just wondering.

The show took a dark turn with Midnight Plus One.  Lights went down, a background of flickering flames went up, and this three (!?!) piece stormed the stage.  I still can't believe they only had a guitar and drums, and somewhat of a force of nature in singer Casey Cook.  Closest thing I can compare these guys to is the experimental, angular, hard sound of 1980s Georgia band Pylon... though probably less angular and more... harder.  Go see them.

Then See Gulls, they never fail to please.  Sarah Fuller is becoming very comfortable fronting the Gulls, and relative newbies (to this band, anyway) Duncan Webster and Leah Gibson are now fully fledged.  Like Daddy Issues, See Gulls occasionally veer from the edgy indie-pop interstate onto a '50-'60s dirt road, but they don't spend as much time there.  They definitely have a more ascerbic edge to their sweetness.  Punky, as opposed to punk... does that make sense?

Oh... WHEN'S THE ALBUM COMING OUT, SARAH?!?  Whenever it does, it promises to be good.  It was recorded with the great Mitch Easter at his Fidelitorium Studio (you know, I bet Easter is getting tired of reading about "the great Mitch Easter").

 Inter-band luv:  Daddy Issues soakin' up see Gulls.

Keep an eye out... more photos of this show to come soon on the facebook page here.

Free Clinic - "Young"

As I already said on the Facebook page, I know I've been referencing and writing about Wilmington's Free Clinic and Raleigh's GHOSTT BLLONDE a lot lately.  But between them, they give NC two of the best bands ANYWHERE doing the beachy, indie-pop thing. Whereas most bands treading similar territory just ape 50's-60's styles in a slightly updated homage (see Best Coast), these two temper ragged, punk edges with much more original melodies and song structures. This makes them infinitely more interesting and fun.

While GB is a bit more trashy and thunderous, FC are more a kind of breezy punk; their songs  just make y wanna melt into the music.  But they both can  write the heck out of a melody.

So following the GHOSTT BLLONDE video just posted, here's one of Free Clinic from across town the same night.    My camera doesn't quite capture their sound as well as seeing them live, or their recorded stuff.  Go to their bandcamp page and givem a proper listen.  

Lilac Shadows - Back from the Dead (Fellowship Hall, Durham, 11/1/13)

Lilac Shadows popped up for the first time in quite a while, with a new line-up and a series of three small shows around Halloween, fittingly billed as Lilac Shadows Back from the Dead!  I caught the one in Durham, where some of the band have re-located.

Fellowship Hall is an intimate little community space which kind of reminds me of Pensacola's old Mystic Garage.  BYOB, cozy (read, curb-rescued) couches, funky painted walls.  You'd never know it was there if Lilac's Nathan Price (and DiggUp Tapes impresario) wasn't hanging out at the door.  Durham (and the Triangle) need more spaces like this.

Besides the constants of Price and frontman Sam Logan on guitars, Lilac's new line-up includes Reed Benjamin (ex-Jenny Besetzt) on drums, Brian Corum (Lonnie Walker) on bass.  They've talked about a change in sound from the more atmospheric material on the EP A Shallow Madness.  Well, based on this show, they're still "atmospheric"...  a hurricane is part of the atmosphere, right?  A more appropriate word would perhaps be "onslaught".

The first song was like New Order devolving back to Joy Division as it progressed.  Lilac has been compared to both of those bands in the past, but this new sound was more rhythm-driven.  I swear Reed almost broke the drumkit once or twice, and as good as he is fronting Lonnie Walker, Corum seemed to relish his role as sideman, kicking in the bass.

Oh yeah, and they're now noisier.  Much, much, noisier.  Much.  Maybe the small venue intensified the effect, but at times the dual guitars drove so hard you would just get swept up in a tornado of over-stimulation.

So the new Lilac Shadows?  Still atmospheric, but feeling the effects of global climate change.

Mac McCaughan & Ted Leo, Duke Coffeehouse (2/18/12)

One of the great things about the Triangle is the number of venues -- venues that bring in quality local and national acts, not just a handful of the same mediocre locals and open mic nights. There's always somewhere new to go to see good live music.

So I'm looking for something low profile to do on a recent Saturday night, and I thought: "I'll check out that little campus coffee house up in Durham that I've never been to yet. See what Duke tuition gets for the kids." Well, this coffee house "open mic night" featured solo sets by a couple of young upstarts, Mac McCaughan and Ted Leo. I've heard these guys have played around some...

For my part, I was there to see Mac, he of Superchunk, Portastatic, & Merge Records. Most of the rather intimate group of a hundred or so, however, were there to see Mr. Ted Leo. Dave and his friend, avowed Tedheads (is there such a thing?) drove from southern Virginia. Katie and Shane, from Nebraska, happened to be in town for one more night and looking for something to do, and being the big Ted Leo fans they are, well, it just kinda worked out.

Another great thing about the Triangle... you can just happen to be here for one night and, by dumb luck, catch your favorite band.

So Mac saunters out and welcomes the little crowd -- just he and his guitar, plugged in -- and breaks into Trash Heap, from the indie rock classic On the Mouth. I loved it. But I was looking to Portastatic, having seen the 'Chunk numerous times, but never the 'Static. He had recently played a set which ended with members of Portastatic coming up to play a few songs as a band, but that was not to be this night. Nevertheless, Mac played a set with as much Portastatic as anything: White Wave and the charming I Wanna Know Girls from Bright Ideas, the very sweet-sounding Paratrooper from Summer of the Shark, and Be Still Please from the album of the same name. A couple from Superchunk's latest, Majesty Shredding, were played (Learned to Surf , Crossed Wires...), and even though they're pretty upbeat rockers, they worked well with just Mac and his guitar.

Highlights were when he trotted out Leo to play melodica on a cover of Prefab Sprout's When Love Breaks Down, and another cover, Can't Fool Me (from hardcore band A Number of Things). Mac said the latter was a band he saw at one of the first shows he had seen at Duke Coffeehouse, back in the heyday of hardcore. He joked that we should start a pit. I'm sure this was a little different from his original experience with that song at the coffeehouse. But thankfully, Mac, and Merge et al, have always taken us to unexpected places musically.

Mac, with Ted Leo backing him up on melodica...
After a brief intermission, Ted Leo came onstage. Again, just he and an electric guitar. And again, the rocking out was more than sufficient despite the minimal instrumentation. Now, I myself am not a "Tedhead", so I didn't know all the songs played. There was Me and Mia and Bleeding Powers from Shake the Sheets (the lone Leo CD in my collection), Sword in the Stone, The Gold Finch and the Red Oak Tree, The High Party, and the crowd favorite One Polaroid a Day. After trying some whistling on A Bottle of Buckie ("made by monks, drunk by punks"), he joked that he shoulda gotten Mac to play melodica. He asked the crowd to sing along with Bottled In Cork ("Tell the bartender I think I'm falling in love!"), and they obliged.

There were a couple of new songs, and covers of Hazel Dickens' Aragon Mill and the classic Witchita Lineman, the latter of which really suited him vocally, and the former of which showed off his ample guitar chops. This surprised me most seeing Leo live... just how GOOD of a guitar player he is. His CD's, being more energetic, full band affairs, don't make that as obvious. But hearing him alone, in such an intimate setting, really makes that clear.

Then vocally... I never really figured out what was distinct about Ted Leo's vocals, but I knew there was something different there. Not just a maturing punker adding melodic coals to the political fire. Then when he covered, as an encore, the 1970's classic Gimme a Little Sign (by Brenton Wood), I got it. Especially after doing his Glen Campbell. THAT'S what I'm hearing vocally mixed w/ the post-punk edge. A little '70s, pop/R&B melody. This guy probably listened to a lot of Motown and AM Gold growing up. But then, also Television and NY Dolls, as made clear when he broke into another encore, his own Ballad of the Sin Eater ("you didn't think they could HATE ya now, didja?!"). Shades of Jim Carroll. The political edge was there all night, no doubt, with plenty of the anti-war lyrics Leo's known for ("people waiting for an excuse for war", "looking for another shitty war..."). But amidst the fire is the melody, a contrast which makes Leo's music so engaging.

Ted Leo...

So for Duke students and their little coffee house, I'd say tuition is well worth it. I'll have to check out this little venue again.

But the next little hole-in-the-wall club I'm gonna have to visit is the Haw River Ballroom. I think, though, that I've been beaten to the punch.

Oh, and thanks to the above mentioned Shane (Shane Hill) for the photos! I left my camera in the car for this one, bue he was kind enough to oblige, and got some great shots of Mac and Ted.

Shirlette & the Dynamite Brothers, The Beast (Local Beer Local Bands, Tir Na Nog, Raleigh, 1/19/12)

Shirlette & the Dynamite Brothers played Local Beer Local Bands night Thursday. Shirlette Ammons is a Durham poet who has brought her words to the musical stage in a number incarnations, most notably with Mosadi Music, as well as collaborations with a veritable Who's Who of local indie rockers. But as of late, she's been gigging with the Dynamite Brothers, and together, they're about the funkiest thing going in the triangle.

Shirlette and the Dynamite Brothers...

Shirlette rarely sings; she mostly raps. But like the best of early rap (which was basically poetry set to beats), her timing and rhythm are so tight, it's more than simply a recitation. Her staccato rap is in your face... musically, rhythmically, and lyrically. She raps about race, sexuality, and other topics in an unapologetic way that demonstrates how music is perhaps the last effective form of free speech left in the U.S. Sad, if a bit obvious, but musical accompaniment often allows artists to more easily get away with their most contentious words, or at least allows them to speak them to a larger audience.


The first time I saw them, I thought the Dynamite Bros. were more of a rock band backing her. Upon a second listen, though, really, they're a great blues band. The tight interplay of their funk and blues with the words -- they match her cadence perfectly, and vice versa -- make a perfect vehicle for Shirlette's voice, and the entire venture a "band" in the true sense of the word. The guitarist even got all Barry White one one number, called "Chains" (or "Change"?), singing along with Shirlette.

The Beast, a self-described "indie hip hop and progressive jazz" group, headlined. Their rap was a more modern style, and definitely with more of a more rock-pop backing sound... complete with keyboards, guitar solos, and singing as well as rapping. Emcee Pierce Freelon (yes, he's related) name-dropped everyone from Ella Fitzgerald and Earth, Wind, & Fire, to Corey and Topanga from Boy Meets World. But it wasn't all fun and pop-culture games. Singing "We don't want no trouble now", they told the age-old tale of having to lay low if you're black -- or "weird", or just different -- and get stuck in some backwoods Southern town.

Pierce Freelon of The Beast...

While The Beast had more of a rocking sound (even a little "Rage Against the Machine"-ey at times), they showed their chops by dipping into a jazzy excursion here and there, and even a little into salsa and other latin styles. Midway through the show, before Shirlette had to go, she and Freelon sang a duet ("Strangelove") that was pure 70s soul!


Overall, this LBLB night was kind of a visit to the best of the old-school, and then the new. While Shirlette and the Dynamite Bros. are still the funkiest of the two, The Beast is taking the genre into new territory.

As a postscript, The Beast did a song about going to Brooklyn, "but every time I try, I've got Carolina on my mind". Great to hear that, and it about says it all about bands relocating... to Brooklyn, or Portland (in the 90s it was Seattle, in the 80s it was Austin and Athens). Props to them. Stay at home, especially now, when you can make and promote your music from anywhere. Besides, we've got a pretty burgeoning little scene here.

Soft Company and Antibubbles at Motorco, Durham, 2/5/11

Two Raleigh bands played up in Durham last night - Soft Company and Antibubbles (Vibrant Green and Cantwell, Gomez and Jordan were also on the bill, but I missed them). It was dubbed the Aquarian Birthday Party, and any Aquarians got in free. It was my first visit to Motorco, and it really is a top quality live venue... good sound, facilities, nice-but-not-massive beer selection, tiered "ampitheater"-type seating around the fringes.

Both Antibubbles and Soft Company make pretty heavy use of keyboards, and mine prior decades for their sound. But while giving props to the past, neither act sounds too retro. Antibubbles updates the '90s Cali pop-punk genre, and is a little more straight-ahead of the two. Soft Company has an 80s feel and delves into more experimental pop - I'm reminded of Santogold listening to them now (though I realy didn't get that from the live show). Either way, both bands put on fun shows, and are worth seeing when you get the chance.

Here's a few photos from the show. First four are Soft Company, then two of Antibubbles, then one of the ghost of Antibubbles playing in the street next to Motorco. ;)