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Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Opinion / Jeff Hahne / News Bonna-rumors
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Tue, Jan 26, 2010 at 5:16 PM
It never fails, as soon as one Bonnaroo ends, rumors start for who will play the next one. With an official announcement expected on Feb. 2, the rumor mill is flying off the handle as to who will perform at this year's 'Roo.
Dave Matthews Band just released its summer tour schedule, and there's a big gap between June 8 and June 15, leading to the obvious guess he'll be at Bonnaroo between June 10 and 14.
You can also guess a few based on bands that played two years ago — bands rarely play two years in a row, with the exception of Ben Harper and Les Claypool who seem to be there all the time. So, judging by 2008, I'd throw in Vampire Weekend, The Dead Weather and The Avett Brothers. Going back to return performers from 2007, I'd love to see The Black Keys, The Flaming Lips, Regina Spektor...
I'm guessing one of the Marley's will be there... some form of The Dead - probably Further. John Butler Trio has a new album coming out, so that's a guess. As for rock bands, I'd be interested in seeing Alice in Chains, Them Crooked Vultures or perhaps a reunited Soundgarden or Faith No More. GWAR has apparently confirmed, though that seems like an odd fit.
Online rumors throw around Kings of Leon, Stevie Wonder, Jay-Z, The Rolling Stones and The Who.
Perhaps the Pavement reunion will also stop by. Corinne Baily Rae is heading out on tour. Mayer Hawthorne and Florence and the Machine have been getting a lot of press.
Sly and the Family Stone is playing Coachella - could they make it to Bonnaroo? I guess we'll have to wait until Tuesday to have a better idea.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Opinion / Eric Mullis / News Improving the music scene isn't easy
Posted By Eric Mullis on Mon, Jan 25, 2010 at 11:04 AM
Jeff Hahne’s recent music blog post about the lack of support for live music in Charlotte generated some good discussion on the Creative Loafing site. I’d like to take a second to throw a thought or two into the ring with the hope that my thoughts might focus in on what I take to be the root of our problem.
If you missed the recent turn of events, the Neighborhood Theater was rumored to be closing its doors in March and that created an outcry. A facebook page called “Save the Neighborhood Theater” was created to which over 5,000 people joined. The ins and outs of the Theater situation aside, Jeff rightly called attention to the problem the Theater (and any other live music in Charlotte) faces concerns revenue. Simply put, they all need more people going out to shows and supporting live music.
After Jeff posted the blog, many people started posting replies that began speculating about why Charlotteans don’t tend to support live music. Maybe it’s because Charlotte is too spread out and you can live quite happily in your section of Charlotte without ever venturing into NoDa, Plaza-Midwood, etc. Maybe it’s because Charlotte is a banking town and everyone is too obsessed with making money. Etc., etc. Since, we’re talking about a large city with many demographics, it would be difficult to pin-point exactly what the central causes of the problem are and this leads me to think that trying to nail down THE cause is hopeless.
Regardless, the point I’d like to make is that cities and communities tend to identify themselves in light of commonly held cultural values. Those values can be political, religious, philosophical or artistic in nature. What I would like to point out is that Charlotte is still quite young when it comes to its artistic identity. Of course, the city supports the fine arts by funding museums and the North Carolina Dance Theatre. It also provides grants to independent artists whether they be painters, photographers, sculptors or jazz composers.
However, Charlotte’s live music scene and especially its LOCAL music scene is not intertwined with Charlotte’s identity as it is with other cities in the Southeast such as Asheville, Athens or Greenville S.C. Of course, as a reply to Jeff’s post rightly noted, we’re not the only city with this problem (I went to graduate school in Columbia, S.C., and was always puzzled that a city with a robust university in the city center didn’t have a burgeoning local music scene).
So, with all this said, the million-dollar question is: What do we do to change? What do we do to turn Charlotte into a city that has a robust live music scene that is part-and-parcel of the city’s identity?
Friday, January 22, 2010
Videos / Opinion / News Prince pens Vikings song
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Fri, Jan 22, 2010 at 11:57 AM
Yeah, I think this is just proof that there really are no cool ways to sing about football...
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Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Opinion / Mike McCray / News Ringtones need an age max
Posted By Mike McCray on Tue, Jan 19, 2010 at 5:11 PM
I swear to God if I hear another corny hit from the '70s or '80s emitting unironically from the purse or belt strap of an old person, I'm going to lose my mind.
Much like the Ed Hardy t-shirt clinging to the unappealing flesh of a walking mid-life crisis, ringtones are just another avenue for those crossing over from being young to old to say, "Hey, I know what the kids are doing."
Being unhip is what we expect from you. It's your role on team life, okay?
Besides, we get it. Middle-age chicks go nuts for neo-soul but the the Maxwell, Robin Thicke and Brian McKnight ringtones really must stop. Having "Pretty Wings" drilled in your head in the summer time wasn't especially terrible but now it's mind-numbing. Not a bad song, just annoying.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Opinion / Jeff Hahne / News Get off your ass and get to a show
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Fri, Jan 15, 2010 at 12:31 PM
Back in October, we held a CD release party at the Neighborhood Theatre for the latest edition of the Homebrew compilation series. As part of that event, we had a one-hour panel where a group discussed the state of Charlotte's music scene.
Some of the biggest applause of the night came from a statement basically saying, "Maybe the music scene is bad because we keep telling people it is... Maybe we should tell people it's great!" Applause followed and the panel ended on a high note.
Yeah, it was a good theory, but let's face facts — the music scene in Charlotte is in trouble. Earlier this week, the Neighborhood Theatre announced it will likely close in March. Tremont Music Hall is in the process of finalizing a deal to sell it and keep it going. Roger freakin' Daltrey couldn't sell 2,000 tickets to The Fillmore, yet it's not for a lack of population. FREE shows at the Neighborhood Theatre don't fill the place. We held our event for free with seven bands AND gave away CDs and only got 350 people there.
We are living in the largest city in the state, and 18th largest in the country. There are more than 1.7 million people in the metro area. So why doesn't anyone give a shit about live music in this town?
Photos / Live Reviews / Opinion / News Live review: 3rd Annual Stout Pull w/ Gretchen Wilson, Big Kenny, Justin Moore and Joe Nichols
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Fri, Jan 15, 2010 at 9:44 AM
Third Annual Stout Pull w/ Gretchen Wilson, Big Kenny, Justin Moore and Joe Nichols
Coyote Joe's
Jan. 12, 2010
The Deal: Four country stars — Gretchen Wilson, Big Kenny, Justin Moore and Joe Nichols — on one stage at the same time to perform hits and new material for a packed house.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Opinion / Mike McCray / News Friends + Music
Posted By Mike McCray on Wed, Jan 13, 2010 at 3:53 PM
I don't think it's hyperbole to say, "friends shouldn't let friends listen to shitty music." But it's funny to think about which friends' musical opinions we trust.
No one listens to the girl who says someone's album is good but still has Britney Spears' Circus still getting plays on her iPod. Yet that one friend who put you on an artist you like and didn't gloat, "I put you on that" every time you go to play it, is usually one of your favorites.
It's the friend with good musical taste who you don't mind taking a road trip with, because even if you argue and aren't talking for long stretches of highway, at least the music will be good.
Opinion / Jason Younger / News The revolution will be censored
Posted By Jason Younger on Wed, Jan 13, 2010 at 2:55 PM
If you ever find yourself in mainland China and fully jetlagged (you know, wide awake at 3 a.m.), there’s a fun game you can play. It’s called – “What Websites have the Chinese Government Censored?” It’s an interesting game. Especially when you see just how much of the World Wide Web isn’t allowed for viewing in one of the largest countries in the world that holds north of one billion of the planet’s people.
Here’s a quick list I found of forbidden sites:
Facebook (all social network sites for that matter: MySpace, Twitter, you get the idea)
YouTube – no funny home videos of people doin’ stupid stuff!?!?
Most of CNN (and any other US based news outlet)
Most of ESPN – this is where I fell apart really
Monday, January 11, 2010
Opinion / Mike McCray / News Songs you were probably conceived to (January 2000)
Posted By Mike McCray on Mon, Jan 11, 2010 at 1:07 PM
If your birthday is in August or September like mine, you probably realized long ago that chances are you were a product of some Christmas or New Year's lovin' and since we're all fans of music, here are some hits that probably helped get you here.
If you were born in 2000, your 10th birthday is coming up this year. Should be great, right? I'll take a stab at your origin.
Everyone was on a holiday high. Y2K hadn't happened. The world still existed and most importantly, Dad checked his bank account to find the money from his part-time job at Footaction, still there. Everyone was celebrating. Your parents met and shared a laugh at the bar over the audacity of Sisqo's "The Thong Song," had a few more drinks, then hit the dance floor. Mom literally put it on Pops when Ghostface's "Cherchez La Ghost" came on and after a slow, sexy dance to Jagged Edge's "Let's Get Married" (and a few more drinks), let's just say they knew what time it was.
Opinion / Eric Mullis / News The critics vs. the haters
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Mon, Jan 11, 2010 at 11:16 AM
If you’re a musician or a band, you have to get feedback on your sound, compositions, performances and so on. There are many folks out there who will give you that kind of feedback, but it’s often difficult to figure out who you should listen to. In the best of all worlds, you’ll get an independent and knowledgeable music lover to listen to your music and to catch your live show. Ideally, they’ll give you some quality feedback since they know about your genre and since they’ll take the time to reflect on your music and your performance.
Of course, the reality is that the feedback that they give you might not be as good as you’d like it to be. They might think that you’re okay or mediocre or they may think that you’re generally good but that you need to work on some particular thing (for example, maybe your album is great but your live show is boring). So what do you do with that kind of feedback?
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Charlotte singer-songwriter Bart Lattimore releases the ultimate 'dad' video 1
Lattimore and Modern Primitives drummer Phillip Gripper collaborate on "That's What Daddies Do."
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Live Review: Soweto Gospel Choir
Review of Soweto Gospel Choir's performance in Charlotte.
