News
Friday, October 12, 2012
News Led Zeppelin's "Celebration Day" comes to Charlotte
Posted by Jeff Hahne on Fri, Oct 12, 2012 at 10:48 AM
In December of 2007, legendary rockers Led Zeppelin came together for a one-night-only reunion concert at London's O2 Arena to pay tribute to Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun. More than 20 million fans applied for the 18,000 available tickets in what was the band's first headlining show in 27 years.
Five years later, the band is set to release Celebration Day, a two-hour-plus movie of the performance featuring founding members Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones along with Jason Bonham, son of the late founding drummer John Bonham.
Screenings will be held on Oct. 17, 2012, at the Concord Mills 24 with Imax and the Stonecrest 22 at Piper Glen with Imax theatres. Led Zeppelin: Celebration Day will then be for sale in multiple video and audio formats on Nov. 19, 2012.
The setlist for the concert:
Good Times Bad Times
Ramble On
Black Dog
In My Time Of Dying
For Your Life
Trampled Under Foot
Nobody’s Fault But Mine
No Quarter
Since I’ve Been Loving You
Dazed And Confused
Stairway To Heaven
The Song Remains the Same
Misty Mountain Hop
Kashmir
Whole Lotta Love
Rock and Roll
Monday, September 3, 2012
News / Live Reviews Janelle Monáe rocks the body politic (and covers Hendrix and the J5)
Posted by Mark Kemp on Mon, Sep 3, 2012 at 6:30 PM
The Democratic National Convention 2012 isn't offering much in terms of "wow factor" on its music sked this week, but the first day lifted off to an extraordinary start when Janelle Monáe, in black trousers, a white shirt and suspenders, launched into "Little Wing" on a downtown stage under a canopy emblazoned with the words "We Make It Possible." Monáe and her band ripped into the oft-covered Jimi Hendrix classic as if no one — not Derek and the Dominos and not Stevie Ray Vaughan — had ever done it before. It won't get much better than this.
- Mark Kemp
- Insta-Janelle
Something about the wildly eclectic Monáe singing of "butterflies and zebras and moonbeams and fairy tales" alongside a long-haired guitarist with severe Rick James bangs made the possibility of four more years of Barack Obama seem not only hopeful but wonderfully surreal.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
News Local student designs Lil Wayne album cover
Posted by Jeff Hahne on Tue, Aug 21, 2012 at 10:34 AM
Jesse Diebolt, a recent graduate of Myers Park High School and incoming freshman graphic design major at UNC Charlotte, had his artwork selected to be the cover of Lil Wayne's upcoming Dedication 4 mixtape.
The cover features Lil Wayne as a Trukfit character holding a skateboard. Trukfit is Lil Wayne's clothing line. Karen Civil showed Weezy the cover art idea and he liked it so much he chose it for the album cover.
Dedication 4 is scheduled to be released this week.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
News / Concert Announcement / Opinion Rock & rap arms race at the two political conventions
Posted by Pat Moran on Tue, Aug 14, 2012 at 1:19 PM
The Republican and Democratic conventions are locked in an entertainment arms race. As they have with Super PACs and redistricting/gerrymandering, the GOP has so far outspent and out-maneuvered the Dems, securing at least eight big-name acts to the Democrats’ two. According to a July Showbiz400 article, Republicans are paying entertainers mega-bucks to lure them down to the big GOP convention in Tampa.
To counter this entertainment onslaught from the right, the Dems have thus far booked The Roots at Amos' Southend and will.i.am from the Black Eyed Peas; Flo Rida is scheduled for a non-partisan show at Time Warner Cable Arena and Camp Freddy is slated for a Sunday, Sept. 2, show at the N.C. Music Factory. True, the Queen City gets better music, but that’s hardly surprising since right-wing rockers are the aural equivalent of toxic sludge. But the Dems are concerned about the shortfall in their political party soundtrack.
Part of their problem is that MTV may trump the DNC. The erstwhile music network airs its Video Music Awards on Sept. 6, the same night Obama makes his acceptance speech. Currently only Alicia Keys and One Direction have chosen a live spot on the VMAs over an appearance at the DNC, but heavy-hitters Katy Perry, Rhianna and Drake have been nominated for awards. If they opt for MTV over Obama-Fest, it could lead to serious attrition in the DNC’s potential pop music roster.
News So long, old buddy: SXSW creative director Brent Grulke dies at 52
Posted by Mark Kemp on Tue, Aug 14, 2012 at 8:33 AM
Brent had worked for SXSW from its beginnings in 1987, although he lived away from Texas briefly in the early 1990s to work in other areas of the music business. He returned to Austin in 1994, becoming the music confab’s permanent creative director. Brent was responsible for booking the artists who appeared at SXSW, and he did it better than anyone could. He not only helped give SXSW its reputation for presenting an eclectic roster of quality artists, but Brent and his friends and colleagues in Austin also helped grow the conference from a small gathering of music-industry insiders into the massive, Mardi Gras-like gathering it is today. Brent was a huge supporter of regional and independent artists, and in his position as creative director of SXSW, he has directly helped to nurture numerous stars of all genres over the past quarter-century, particularly the more critically acclaimed artists often buzzed about in music publications. Brent’s excellent taste and deep knowledge of all kinds of music was formidable.
Friday, July 20, 2012
News It wasn't God who made Kitty Wells famous...
Posted by Mark Kemp on Fri, Jul 20, 2012 at 12:35 PM
Since the death of country music's first female megastar, the great Kitty Wells, earlier this week, the blogosphere has been flooded with tributes and links to stories. One of her more recent interviews was with Wall Street Journal music writer Barry Mazor, who talked to the Queen of Country in 2008 in conjunction with the opening of a Kitty Wells exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville.
Wells told Mazor that the game changed for her — and by extension, for all women in country music — after she recorded her famous reply to Hank Thompson's 1952 hit "Wild Side of Life," in which the male singer had suggested that God Himself had made honky tonk angels solely for the purpose of tempting innocent, vulnerable men. Wells' reply came later that year in "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels." It was a strong statement in an era when the good-ol'-boys network still had a vise-grip on Nashville.
The No. 1 country hit (No. 27 pop) meant Wells could now tour in style, she told Mazor.
"I recorded the song — and that really changed my life. I started making hits, and I went back out on the road; we started traveling on the bus in the '50s, and that was one of the best things that's happened to us, because we had beds in there to rest and sleep."
One of the better tributes to Wells, who died Monday at 92, over the past few days came from Kansas City journalist Diana Reese, who wrote that she took her daughter to meet the country singer because she considered Wells a powerful role model. Here's an excerpt from Reese's piece, which ran in the Washington Post on Tuesday:
News NoDa Records launches Kickstarter campaign
Posted by Jeff Hahne on Fri, Jul 20, 2012 at 11:40 AM
NoDa Records launched its Kickstarter campaign today in hopes of raising $50,000.
The idea behind NoDa Records is a self-contained collective of bands — Asleep in the Weeds, Bums Lie, JuiceBox and The Wormholes — that, over the course of six months, will shoot each other's videos, help record each other's music and film documentaries of the entire process. A low-power AM radio station broadcasting out of NoDa will feature local music and live performances from the bands. The bands will also go on tour as the "NoDa Family Road Show."
To help celebrate the launch of the campaign, a variety of events will be held around NoDa tonight starting with a parade at 7 p.m. A JuiceBox concert is planned for Saturday and the Wormholes will perform at Field Day Fest in Huntersville on Sunday.
This video sums it all up:
Monday, July 16, 2012
News / Concert Announcement / On Tour Chuck Prophet brings San Francisco love letter to Charlotte (7/18/2012)
Posted by Mark Kemp on Mon, Jul 16, 2012 at 12:42 PM
- Photo from chuckprophet.com
Prophet and his current band, the Mission Express, pull out all the stops on Temple Beautiful, which crashes and slashes with searing old-school post-punk guitar-rock energy. Song-cycles such as this don't always work, but the singer's loving tribute to his adopted Northern California hometown doesn’t so much paint a broad picture of San Francisco as it offers little vignettes. Songs include the title track, Prophet's remembrance of late-'70s punk club The Temple, which was housed in a former synagogue and later Jim Jones’ notorious People's Temple religious cult; the Jay McInerney/Velvet Underground-quoting “White Night, Big City,” about the riots that came in the wake of the assassination of gay city leader Harvey Milk; and the twangy, Dylan-esque “Willie Mays Is Up To Bat,” which name-checks the storied S.F. ballplayer. Cumulatively, they add up to a bittersweet love letter, not unlike Lou Reed’s 1988 classic New York.
My impressions of Prophet’s new album are hardly unique. Music journalist Holly Gleason sums up her Paste magazine review of Temple Beautiful with the observation, “Prophet channels Reed’s pervasive urban edge without overwhelming his own voice.” I couldn’t agree more. This is a don’t-miss show!
Let Prophet take you on a tour of his San Francisco:
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
News Hopscotch announces 2012 schedule
Posted by Jeff Hahne on Wed, Jul 11, 2012 at 9:55 AM
The 2012 Hopscotch Music Festival announced its schedule today for the event being held in Raleigh on Sept. 6-8.
On Thursday night, music will start at 8:30 in 14 different clubs around the city. Baroness will be at the Lincoln Theatre while Liars and Deerhoof perform at Memorial Auditorium.
On Friday, Sept. 7, the Jesus and Mary Chain and Built to Spill will headline Raleigh City Plaza. Again, 14 clubs will be hosting music including shows by Dan Deacon, Corrosion of Conformity, Zola Jesus, the dBs and Yo La Tengo.
The event closes out on Saturday, Sept. 8, featuring sets by The Roots, Sunn O))), Megafaun, Birds of Avalon, Whatever Brains, Danny Brown and Flosstradamus.
Among the Charlotte bands playing are Paint Fumes, Young and in the Way and Joint D.
Tickets for the 2012 Hopscotch Music Festival are now on sale. Prices range from $110 for three-day passes to one-day passes for $55-$75.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
News The Money set to close, re-open as Firewater 110
Posted by Caroline Pate on Tue, Jul 3, 2012 at 3:00 PM
David Kiser doesn't want to be known as the guy who killed The Money, which closed today. The current president of the Rock Hill club is behind the caterpillar-butterfly transformation of The Money into Firewater 110, which opens on July 6.
Kiser says the change is motivated by preconceived notions of The Money. The venue has been known as a college bar, a dance club and a metal music venue, but Kiser wants to give a new first impression. Kiser wants the club to be open to all types of music and entertainment, but many people have held on to their memories of The Money in the '70s, '80s and '90s. "It gives people a chance to come out and get a fresh perspective," Kiser says.
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VH1 Save the Music benefit on Saturday, May 12
Local bands hit the stage to support music in schools.
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The Search for the Coldest MC at The Fillmore on Saturday (6/30/2012) 1
Ice Cube will host the semi-finals to determine Charlotte's best rapper.
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Astronautalis at Tremont Music Hall tonight (10/15/2012) 4
Astronautalis’ production mixes Kid A-style sterile synth lines with G-Side-style shoeblaze.
