Saturday, May 19, 2012
Friday, May 18, 2012
Photos / Live Reviews Live review: Monophonics, Double Door Inn, 5/17/2012
Posted by Jeff Hahne on Fri, May 18, 2012 at 12:38 PM
Monophonics
Double Door Inn
May 17, 2012
An hour into Monophonics' set at the Double Door Inn on May 17, 2012, people were still walking in the door of the Elizabeth venue. Apparently, word got out. San Francisco funk-and-soul sextet was absolutely killing it on stage.
While the group brings a retro Motown vibe to its albums, some of that is lost in the live setting - only in a good way. The band drops the retro and drives forward with spirit and soul. Where a studio version might be like a smooth excursion, the live rendition comes through like a roller coaster. Singer/keyboardist Kelly Finnigan was dripping with sweat after the first song and the entire band played with a these-are-the-coolest-songs-we've-ever-heard attitude - swaying, sweating and smiling.
Live Reviews Live review: Kellie Pickler, Whisky River (5/17/2012)
Posted by Mark Kemp on Fri, May 18, 2012 at 11:03 AM
The story Kellie Pickler told about halfway into her free unplugged set at Whiskey River Thursday was wrapped in several layers of irony. Referring to her critically lauded third album 100 Proof, the Albemarle native told the woo-hoo crowd packed in the EpiCentre club like hens in an egg factory how excited she was to have been able to finally cut a record of authentic, traditional, balls-to-the-wall country.
"They kept telling me it was too country," Pickler confided, in that sweet, rural drawl that melted a million hearts - even stony Brit Simon Cowell's - during her American Idol run. "I told ‘em you could never get too country for a Carolina girl."
- Mark Kemp
- Kellie Pickler gets up close and personal at Whiskey River
Live review: Styx, REO Speedwagon, Ted Nugent, 5/17/2012
Posted by Jeff Hahne on Fri, May 18, 2012 at 10:53 AM
Styx, REO Speedwagon, Ted Nugent
Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
May 17, 2012
Styx, REO Speedwagon and Ted Nugent performed at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre on May 17, 2012, as a stop on the Midwest Rock 'n' Roll Express Tour. For those in attendance, it was a trip down nostalgia lane and you could easily tell what you'd see before the first notes rang out.
Ted Nugent hit the stage first for an egocentric trip down guitar-flash lane. Would you expect anything less? With a hand's free microphone, Nugent stomped around the stage screaming and singing, letting out as many vocal whoops as flashy guitar riffs. And, of course, there were plenty of hits - "Wango Tango," "Cat Scratch Fever" and "Stranglehold" among them.
When REO Speedwagon appeared, the waves in the audio pool were much calmer than when the Nugent storm rolled through. REO Speedwagon is one of those groups where you can't name one song off the top of your head, but when the band plays, you realize you know most of them. "I heard that Ted doesn't like our songs and thinks they're too soft," singer Kevin Cronin told the crowd. "But, when you go home tonight, would you rather make love to one of our songs or to 'Wang Dang Sweet Poontang'?" Cronin (who himself left and rejoined the band) was REO's second singer after original vocalist Terry Luttrell left the band in 1971. Keyboardist Neal Doughty remains the only original member of the group whose setlist included "Keep On Loving You," "Can't Fight This Feeling" and "Don't Let Him Go."
The night ended with a set by Styx who was full of flash and smiles. The band members constantly broke into poses, winks and grins that stopped just shy of being choreographed. Singer/guitarist Tommy Shaw is clearly the leader of the pack and made full use of the large stage. The band threw a few hits in their set including "Too Much Time on My Hands," "Come Sail Away" and "Renegade."
So, let's face it. The half-filled amphitheatre and older-leaning crowd proved this tour is clearly a trip down memory lane for most, or a chance to see some radio-friendly rock ballads in a live setting. Familiar? Yes. Cheesy? A bit. Bland? At times. But for fans and performers alike, they appeared to simply enjoy the moment, kind of going through old photos — they're nice to bring out and look at once every few years, but then you put them back in the shoebox under the bed.
Slideshow
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Live Reviews Live review: My Secret Other Girlfriend, Milestone, 5/16/2012
Posted by Jenny Lou Bement on Thu, May 17, 2012 at 2:40 PM
My Secret Other Girlfriend
The Milestone
May 16, 2012
From the moment the band took the graffiti-adorned Milestone stage on Wednesday night, My Secret Other Girlfriend's music progressed from genre to genre and era to era while creating a positive vibe that radiated from one end of the venue to the other.
The Charlotte quintet, who was without a synth player on this night, stood on stage in full control, beckoning patrons toward the stage and captivating them with a range in styles that got heads rocking and bodies dancing.
From tinges of guitar harmonies which paid homage to the 1990s to '50s surf-rock riffs and warm bass tones, My Secret Other Girlfriend covered an array of rock 'n' roll styles. It was all done to a hi-hat-heavy, thumping drum beat similar to the dance-rock grooves of The Faint.
You might classify them as indie, but the '90s in their soul reigns deep with vocals in a key that Perry Farrell would approve of. Guitarists Aaron Bradshaw and Adam Vaagen traded charging guitar screams and treacherous downbeats.
News Donna Summer dies at age 63
Posted by Jeff Hahne on Thu, May 17, 2012 at 12:17 PM
Disco legend Donna Summer died on Thursday morning at age 63. The Grammy-winning singer had been battling cancer.
Though she was best known for her edited-down pop-disco radio songs, Summer's enduring contribution to American dance music came with her creative collaboration with Italian producer and disco pioneer Giorgio Moroder. Their extended versions of tracks like the ultra-sensual "I Feel Love" and "Love to Love You Baby" - as well as Summer's playful overhaul of songwriter Jimmy Webb's overwrought "MacArthur Park" - were button-pushing highlights for the singer.
Summer won five Grammys and recording numerous hits in the 1970s and '80s including "Last Dance," "She Works Hard for the Money" and "Bad Girls."
News / Concert Announcement Yep Roc celebrates 15 years with weekend festival
Posted by Jeff Hahne on Thu, May 17, 2012 at 10:34 AM
Yep Roc Records will celebrate its 15th anniversary with a three-night concert at the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro affectionately called "Yep Roc 15" on Oct. 11, 12 and 13, 2012.
The initial lineup includes Nick Lowe, Robyn Hitchcock, Chatham County Line, Fountains of Wayne, Los Straitjackets, Eleni Mandell, John Doe, The Sadies and more.
Tickets go on sale Friday, May 18 at 10 a.m.
Based in Haw River, N.C., Yep Roc Records was founded in 1997 by Tor Hansen and Glenn Dicker and has released albums by a list of artists including The Gourds, Jukebox the Ghost, Jim Lauderdale, Southern Culture on the Skids, Reckless Kelly, Bob Mould and the Rev. Horton Heat.
"YEP ROC 15" INITIAL LINEUP
Dave Alvin
Chatham County Line
John Doe
Liam Finn
Fountains Of Wayne
Robyn Hitchcock
Los Straitjackets
Nick Lowe
Eleni Mandell
Mayflies USA
Cheyenne Marie Mize
Chuck Prophet
The Sadies
Sloan
Jim White
(more TBA)
Photos / Live Reviews Live review: Jonathan Wilson, Visulite Theatre, 5/15/2012
Posted by Kathleen Johnson on Thu, May 17, 2012 at 9:57 AM
Jonathan Wilson
Visulite Theatre
May 15, 2012
Jonathan Wilson's concert at the Visulite Theatre on Tuesday night quickly turned into a Charlotte '90s music scene homecoming. The N.C. native who began his musical career here as a teen before making his way to New York, then L.A., returned for a rare appearance that drew a good weeknight crowd of fans, friends, local musicians and family (including his parents).
These days, Wilson and his heralded CD, Gentle Spirit, are making huge waves in Britain and Europe; here he counts numerous industry heavy hitters amongst his friends and collaborators. This night, though, the focus was squarely on Wilson's own patchouli-tinged mystic rock grooves.
He and his crack band (really, you can't compliment this outfit enough, individually or collectively) opened with a grooving "The Way I Feel." Things then heated up with "Rolling Universe," Wilson's incendiary guitar workout the match to our kindling. A wonderful extended version of "Natural Rhapsody" featured Charlotte jazz scene mainstay Ziad on guest saxophone (Wilson played as a teen with Ziad, so it was a nice student-pays-back-teacher sort of moment). Other notables include "Desert Raven" and the hallucinatory "Valley of the Silver Moon."
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Live review: Styx, REO Speedwagon, Ted Nugent, 5/17/2012 1
Trio of bands hits Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre for trip down nostalgia lane.
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Aretha pays tribute to Whitney in Charlotte performance
Franklin was performing as part of the Music with Friends series on Feb. 13, 2012.
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Concert announcement roundup
Madonna making her first appearance in, Iron Maiden kicking off the tour in Charlotte.
