SOON (Local 506, Chapel Hill, 7/10/15)

So I snuck away from the Jphono1/Lakes&Woods 12"release show at the Cradle Backroom (more on that later) to finally see SOON.  Being a fan of the soaring pop of the Love Language, I was always intrigued to see what a band made half from them (Stu McLamb and drummer Thomas Simpson), and half from vets of local metal bands GROHG (Mark Connor) and Bitter Resolve (Robert Walsh), sounded like.  Short of some old hardcore, my tastes don't usually run metallic, or especially heavy.  But within the 3 songs I managed to catch, SOON won me over. 

What stood out from the first song I saw were the multiple vocals... downright operatic (or at least dramatic).  A thunderous kind of melody.  The penultimate cover of Pink Floyd's the Nile Song showcased the vocals even more.  Their last tune (don't know the name) began as a thudding crawl, and was taking so long to build I was wondering when the pay off would come.  Starting very low and slow, teasingly... almost torturously... building gradually, into a long, slow explosion.  But it didn't stop there.  It ramped up to a cathartic barrage of guitar, bass, drums, & voices.  Sometimes ya gotta hold back before the payoff.  Yeah, this one definitely paid off. 

I'll have to catch a full set by these guys soon (no pun... well okay, pun intended).  

The Love Language with Zack Mexico and No Eyes (King's, Raleigh, NC, 3/14/15)

Saw just a down-home rock'n'roll show at King’s last weekend...  No Eyes, Zack Mexico, and the Love Language.  I'd never seen No Eyes before, and they aren’t really in my listening wheelhouse.  But they were tight, fast, loud… and not too metal for my taste.  Great stuff.  Then Zack Mexico played a stunning show as usual.  I don’t know how these guys can consistently play a 5- or 6-song set and you never feel cheated.  Maybe it’s because they’re long, intense, driving jams that never sound like they’re just jamming.  I often say, as I did after they played to my friend Iggy, that I think Zack Mexico is THE best band operating in NC today.  He seemed to agree save for the great Whatever Brains (which I can't really argue with).

Then the Love Language played.  I’m a big fan of theirs, but I’ve seen them a million times, so I’m usually not dying to see them play anymore.  Truth be told, I came for Zack.  But it’s interesting that frontman Stu McLamb posted after the show that he was feeling rejuvenated about the band again.  As a fan -- after that show -- so am I.  They played as a 4-piece for the first time… ever? (at least that I’ve seen; but then I wasn't watching'em in Greensville in 2008)  But they rocked so much I almost believed the onstage joke that guitarist Andy Holmes was playing remotely backstage (I even checked J).  By the time they lit into the stunner Pilot Light from their latest album Ruby Red, I was re-assessing my “Best Band in NC” opinion from just a few minutes earlier.

If you read this blog, you've probably run across the social media meme that's been making the rounds to the effect of “List Ten NC Bands” or “Your Favorite NC Bands”.  I weighed in with mine… Zack Mexico and Free Clinic were 1-2, I think.  Well, the Love Language, who were lower in myTop 10, just pulled up to a tie for the lead.  But then on the way home, a song (Tenements) from Gross Ghost popped up on my iPod, and I switched to their album Brer Rabbit, and thought “How the HELL did I not remember to put them on my list?!”  And I realized:  there are WAY too many great bands in this state to list the “10 Best”.  At most, you could say “these are my favorite bands that I’m listening to right now”.  For me, it’s a constant revolving door.  We have an embarrassment of riches here in NC… from Kill Devil Hills to Asheville, from Winston-Salem to Wilmington.  Too many fucking good bands to listen to right now. 

It’s sickening, really.

Some photos below, but I’ll try to post all the photos on myfacebook page soon.  See also videos here and here.

No Eyes...

Zack Mexico...

The Love Language...

Merge 25 - Saturday Photo Gallery

Here's a gallery of the Merge 25 Saturday outdoor shows.  Just a few little bands:  Vertical Scratchers, The Love Language, Ex Hex, Mikal Cronin, Bob Mould, Teenage Fanclub, Caribou, and Neutral Milk Hotel.

The sun shone brightly... 

 Laura Ballance (Superchnk, Merge co-founder) handed out earplugs...

 Margaret Cho MC'd...

And Vertical Scrathers kicked off the day.

You could tell it was gonna be a sweaty one.  

The Love Language followed...

Ms. Cho handed out party favors (set lists)...

 ... while inside, mad scientists worked (Wesley Wolfe making records)...

 ... and we all took refuge from the heat.

Back outside, Ex Hex cranked up the rawk...

... and Mikal Cronin prepared to roll.

Mikal Cronin from above...

Mary Timony (Ex Hex, Helium, Wild Flag) enjoying Cronin's set.

More heat refugees.

Then Bob Mould showed the kids how to really rock...

  

 Drummer Jon Wurster (Bob Mould band, Superchunk, The Mountain Goats) was really having fun...

... as was Margaret Cho, who sang "See a Little Light" with Mould!

All the musicians jockeyed for position backstage to watch Teenage Fanclub's set.

 And Caribou (almost) closed out the night as the sun hung low.

  The crowd and Ms. Cho enjoting Caribou...

Then, as the sun set, and the cameras were put away, Neutral Milk Hotel took the stage (and I snuck out my brand new Deluxe MS Paint 8-Bit camera)...

I couldn't help it.