Hear Here: November 16 - November 25

Mike Dillon of Gross Ghost from our "You Should Know"
session

Last week held one of my favorite shows of the year with Bombadil's glorious album release show at The Cat's Cradle so it's going to be pretty hard to follow that up with something better, however there is a show from one of my favorite bands at the Cat's Cradle this week so let's see how that plays out.  With a show I've been waiting ages for from Manchester Orchestra  at The Cradle on Thursday, much of the week falls back behind the shadows of my favorite band (yes, yes, now you know that Manchester Orchestra is one of the bans I fanboy over).  However, Chapel Hill is loaded with shows this weekend as well as a few gems popping up in Raleigh and Durham.

Show of the Week: Manchester Orchestra w/ White Denim & The Dear Hunter at The Cat's Cradle on November 17, 2011


Thursday, November 17
Manchester Orchestra w/ White Denim & The Dear Hunter @ The Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, NC
$16 in advance/ $19 at the door
Manchester Orchestra are an absolute powerhouse of a live show, not only is the dedication from their fans enough to fill the room with positive vibes, but the sheer energy displayed by the band members seems to permeate throughout the room as well.  Keyboard player/percussionist Chris Freeman can be found banging his head like a metal frontman in the corner on most occasions and Andy Hull is often releasing those booming vocals that he's become so known for.  The subtleties are what shine through brightest though in their live show, it's the hushed tones and heart breaking lyrics that leave listeners hanging on by a thread to this master of emotion.  Manchester has always been known for bringing in amazingly powerful openers as well in my experience with the band and White Denim and The Dear Hunter are much of the same.

The Dear Hunter is an ambitious project that is led by Casey Crescenzo with two separate conceptual projects throughout their history as one of the best up and coming progressive indie acts around.  Fueled by his incredible songwriting and story telling skills, The Dear Hunter have freshly released The Color Spectrum a project featuring 36 songs, condensed to either 9 EPs (one for each of the seven colors of the spectrum as well as the two tones, white and black) or a full-length album consisting of highlights from each EP.  Another conceptual project from the band began with their first release and will continue through Act VI (although fans are currently anxiously awaiting Act IV) with the story of a boy known as The Dear Hunter, encompassing life, death and everything in between.  A night full of stellar songwriting and incredible musicianship, there's never been a Manchester show where I didn't walk away either overwhelmed with emotions or perplexed at how phenomenal of an opening band I was given the joy of being exposed to.  Expect some videos from this show for sure!

Friday, November 18
Hammer No More The Fingers w/ Lonnie Walker, Free Electric State @ Nightlight in Chapel Hill, NC
$6 in advance/ $8 day of
Some of the finest local acts around are gathered together for what's sure to be a night full of energetic, fast paced, excellent tunes.  Hammer No More The Fingers are the indie rock extraordinaire's of Durham, crafting incredibly catchy melodies on top of their driving instrumentation that keeps concert goers bobbing heads and dancing along to these infectious sounds.  I've never seen anyone walk away from Hammer No More The Fingers underwhelmed, they usually leave performances with a smile on their face from the quirky, fun vibes that Hammer seems to give off.  Plus on top of Hammer you have the folk inspired indie rock excellence of Lonnie Walker.  With an almost cult following in the Triangle, it's hard to go to Lonnie Walker shows without being surrounded by fans that are chanting right along to every single word that Brian Corum spurts out of his mouth in such a sporadic  fashion.  Lonnie Walker are another band that's hard to walk away from live, they've mastered their stage presence and use it to their advantage for certain.  This will be a must see show on a crowded Chapel Hill Friday night.

Jack The Radio w/ Onward, Soldiers @ Slim's in Raleigh, NC
$5
Raleigh concert goers have no excuse not to go to this, two stellar Americana/Rootsy bands at Slim's for $5?!  Jack The Radio have a heavier blues and country influence than that of Wilmington based Onward, Soldiers, but these two should mesh excellently together for another stellar local lineup this weekend.  Jack The Radio have a knack for writing catchy choruses that get stuck in your head for days (if you don't believe me check out their Bottom String Session they filmed this summer here), plus they've got an excellent sense of layering their instruments that conveys nicely in their live performance.  Onward, Soldiers lean more towards an Americana inspired sound with bits of contemporary indie rock shining through with their driving rhythms and poignant lyrics.  Definitely the go-to show for Raleigh fans who don't feel like venturing out of town for a great show.

Gross Ghost w/ Museum Mouth & Spaghetti Western @ The Cave in Chapel  Hill, NC
We just shot a brand new piece on Gross Ghost called "You Should Know" that's going to be up soon, highlighting the upcoming local band and covering a bit of their album process, writing process, and much more.  So with that being said it comes as no surprise to know that Gross Ghost is one of my favorite local acts, if you question why then I recommend you checking out this show to get your affirmation.  Filled to the brim with energy, Gross Ghost crafts surf rock inspired indie rock tunes with a tinge of punk influence and topped off with poppy melodic masterpieces thanks to the brilliance of Mike Dillon's lyricism.  Openers of Spaghetti Western are a side project of Joe Norkus and John Neville's Embarrassing Fruits which I've personally never checked out but can co-sign on for the fact that Embarrassing Fruits are the shit.

Friday, November 25
The Jackets w/ Peter Lamb & The Wolves @ Motorco in Durham, NC
$10
A night that's sure to be magical, this is a lineup filled with some of North Carolina's most talented musicians.  The Jackets features members of Chatham County Line, the absolutely incredibly bluegrass act that's returning from a European tour, and Peter Lamb & The Wolves are just absolutely stellar musicians who've yet to truly get the recognition that they deserve from the scene they're surrounded by.  I checked out Peter Lamb & The Wolves before Shakori so I could be familiar with them, then their set left me exhausted from dancing and absolutely floored by their displays of talent.  Filled with lush textures and smooth riding jazz melodies, it's easy to find yourself lost in the sweet sounds of Peter Lamb & The Wolves.  The Jackets are no push overs either, they're much harder to put into a single category of genre because they encompass quite a few.  They've got a straight, no frills, rock n' roll sound to them with bits of Americana influences popping up as well as the melodic focus of earlier pop sounds.  It's always nice to find an excuse to head out to the excellent venue of Motorco, but it's even better when bands like Peter Lamb & The Wolves are the ones filling that need.