Show Preview: Reptar w/ Casual Curious & The Brand New Life

Reptar will headline at Kings Barcade in Raleigh
on June 18 w/ Casual Curious & The Brand New Life
opening. Tickets are $10 in advance

Ah, summertime shows. The perfect escape from the sweltering blanket of humidity known as a North Carolia summer. It feels a bit like the end of a hibernation, bands are touring like crazy and shows range from a cool welcome oasis to a tightly packed sweatfest in an overcrowded room (hey at least you're in it together). Either way, summer shows are quite simply delightful--especially when they're filled with as many talented bands as this one. On June 18 Kings Barcade will house some of the most exciting live acts in the Southeast.

Reptar's name may throw you off, especially if you're not fond of the early 90's cartoon from which it's inspired. Quite frankly the first time I saw it I was expecting a shitty screamo act, but I was more than pleasantly surprised when I heard the dancy psych-pop that emanated from my speakers. I was immediately enthralled with their unique blend of countless musical stylings, you can hear the group dabbling into Afro-pop rhythms, exploring their sonic depths with expansive synths and evoking passionate emotion with pseudo-shouting vocals. Reptar is the type of band that you simply have to experience live, their energy is practically pouring out of the stereo. Closing your eyes you can envision the band bouncing around on stage with droves of adoring fans and you simply WANT to be there. The band commands your attention by combining entrancing polyrhythms with robust vocal melodies, making for an astounding listening experience.

Around The Triangle: Tame Impala, Virgins Family Band, Frontier Ruckus and Brand New Life

Photo by Agatha Donkar

2013 has proven to be a busy year for shows in the Triangle and it doesn't look like that tradition will be going anywhere soon.  While it's been some time since we've posted an Around The Triangle, this influx of incredible music can't go ignored!  So alas, Around The Triangle has returned once more with another stack of awesome photos from recent shows around the area.

Thanks to contributors Agatha Donkar and Emily Ritter, we've got some fantastic shots from the last few weeks of shows in the area including a sold-out Cat's Cradle show from Tame Impala, an incredible outing from Virgins Family Band for their album release, and a magical Valentine's Day performance from Frontier Ruckus.

Tame Impala w/ The Growl @ Cat's Cradle
February 21, 2013

Hear Here: February 21 - February 27

Baobab (Phil Torres & Whitney Trettien)

After a few weeks of Hear Here downtime due to that pestering obligation known as "school", it's back in full effect with an incredible week of shows.  From a sold out Tame Impala show at Cat's Cradle to a couple of highly anticipated local outins from personal favorites like Baobab and Naked Gods, there's a wide array of awesome live music for you North Carolina folks to check out.  Thankfully the shows are relatively spread out throughout the week as well, so for once there's little worry about missing one show for another or attempting to breaking the laws of time and space and being in two places at once.  Diversity and excitement is abound in the Triangle this week, so let's get to some shows!

Show of the Week: Baobab w/ Virgins Family Band @ Local 506 in Chapel Hill, NC on Friday, February 22