On Local Music

So The Bottom String hasn't been incredibly active for the past month or so, and for that, local music fans, I apologize. But alas the train has found itself back upon the tracks and we're rolling out a lot of exciting content in the new year. 2014 has been an astounding year for local music, next week we'll have our Top 20 North Carolina albums of the year posted, but this week marks a very pivotal point in the local music scene, at least for myself. Tonight at Haw River Ballroom marks the last Lost in the Trees show "for the foreseeable future."

Change like this is natural, its an ebb and flow. But as all of you likely know, Lost in the Trees is, has been, and always will be my favorite local act. From the minute that I saw the 13-piece band jam into the abandoned shops of Old City Hall in New Bern I knew I'd stumbled upon something special. That was roughly six years ago when I learned that a mere two and a half hour drive would place me into a hotbed of awe-inspiring talent. Artists like Lost in the Trees don't come around that often, even when you're surrounded by the talent that North Carolina possesses. Albums like All Alone in an Empty House serve as a snapshot, a moment in time where someone's artistic output served as much needed therapy for not only the writer, but for countless others who've undergone similar experiences. Anyone who's seen a parent struggle with depression, lived in an abusive home, had their heart broken, they've connected with pieces of music just like this. But I can safely say that I've never seen a piece of work as sincere, as passionate or as moving as Lost in the Trees' All Alone in an Empty House.

It's easy to let the melancholy wash over you without second thought while you immerse yourself in swelling strings, sharp guitars and rich harmonies. But to stop and take in the themes and the messages will shed a whole new light upon things.  So surround yourself with good people. I know it's painful but we can stand...Asked to forgive when you're still angry, if I can't heal my heart then forgive me. They're astonishingly powerful words that can easily get lost amidst the pomp and fanfare of the stellar instrumentation.

Maybe I'm just fanboy-ing out here because I'm about to see Lost in the Trees for the last time, maybe I'm just trying to share how incredibly important this band has been to my life, but either way it's a statement that needs to be uttered. Lost in the Trees, and artists like them, are the very reason that I've fallen in love with this music scene. I have zero doubt in my mind that Haw River Ballroom will be shoulder to shoulder, filled with fans, friends, musicians, and all around incredible people sharing beautiful moments with one another at one of the most scenic venues in the country. Being able to see a career trajectory as heart-warming as that of Lost in the Trees doesn't happen very often. From humble beginnings at Trekky Records to international acclaim with Anti, from the therapeutic symphonies of All Alone in an Empty House and A Church That Fit our Needs to the electronic whirs of Past Life, the sincerity and talent on display within this band is something that can never be paralleled for me.

Allow this to serve as a "thank you," to Ari and Emma, to Joah and Mark, Will and Leah, Jenavieve and Andrew, to Trekky Records, to any musician who's ever put themselves in a vulnerable position by revealing their innermost thoughts, feelings and fears and help others cope with their own. Thank you for letting some awestruck 19 year old stand in front of you with a shitty video camera for his brand new blog. You're the foundation that holds not only our music scene together, but everyone's scene. Shows like this re-ignite my passion to share local music with the masses, to shout from a mountaintop that "this band is mind blowing and you need to experience this before it's too late." Support your local scene, buy the albums, share it with friends, take them to shows, foster the community that you wish to be a part of. Most importantly, surround yourself with good people.

Show Review: The War on Drugs w/ Peter Matthew Bauer

The War on Drugs performed at Haw River Ballroom on
Friday, October 17

The night started out slow. Familiar for Haw River Ballroom. Long walk from the car to the door, grab a beer past the entrance, decent crowd, not too many yet we’re too far from all the major cities. Here we are, trapped in the amber of the moment. There is no why. Peter Matthew Bauer started the occasion. I expected a lot of Bauer—something gentle and soothing as compared to his prior sounds with The Walkmen. I had heard he’d been studying astrology, offering readings on his website for 150 a pop, the older rock star finding peace and I was excited to see how his live set would reverberate his experience.

Bauer had a 50’s vibe, surf rock mixed with indie pop and just the slightest dash of psych rock. For me it all clicked with his track “I was born in an Ashram.” Bauer has never been a vocalist; in this track I started to see whats been on his mind all those bass-thumping years. As he chanted with band in tow “let’s leave it behind, the future is ours, let’s leave it behind, all that we say, let’s leave it behind, nothing’s illusion.” I heard the triumphant dirge of a rock star bent on striking his own chord, forming a band whose frontman would sing the songs he had been holding inside. Bauer didn’t disappoint. By the time his set was winding up, the room was full of people eager to defy Kozelek and get to a The War on Drugs show. Bauer had set the room up right. Beers flowed, old friends embraced, the haw river’s characteristic “thrills” signed pointed to a stage that promised we’d see something between psych rock and indie pop hit the stage in 1!5, maybe 20 minutes.

What to say about seeing The War on Drugs. As a wise man once said, “If you can do a half- assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind.” The War on Drugs offered up tunes, but it wasn’t my favorite show (or second favorite show) that I’d seen that week. There was no consensus among the crowd. Seemingly half-hearted woo’s sounded periodically, signifying that one song had ended and another would no doubt soon begin. Some of the people around me would leave, allowing others to shuffle forward. I myself left before the encore, by the time they played "Red Eye," third or fourth song, a characteristic hit, I felt like I had gotten a sense of the whole show I would see from then on.

I may be drunk on our local music scene, starving for each show to radiate an intensity of wonder, musicians amazed at the supportive scene they play to here in Central NC. For this reviewer, The War on Drugs lacked this intensity. Not to say they were bad, they certainly weren’t. The instruments played were played well, the band’s sound was cohesive. It was that I had come expectant of a psych rock show—a genre quite open for interpretation and my personal favorite. I had heard The War on Drugs associated with the sounds of bands like Woods, Spiritualized, The Beta Band, etc. By the time they hit "Red Eye," I was losing interest in the live show which offered very rehearsed performances of studio tracks. The drum beats were kept simple, the instrumental breaks and guitar solos were played exactly similar to studio recordings. If that’s your type of thing, I would highly recommend a The War on Drugs show. If it’s not, the show may still be worth checking out, you’ll hear familiar songs and be able to put faces and movements to a sound, but it won’t be the best show you see that week.

-Joe Wright

Show Review: Cass McCombs w/ Frank Fairfield

I've got to admit that going into this show I was more excited for my first show at Haw River Ballroom than I was for the sets I was getting ready to see, however between the absolutely stellar performance from Frank Fairfield and a spot-on set from the Cass McCombs band led to an incredible evening.  For starters though it needs to be made clear how incredible Haw River Ballroom is, the aesthetics are phenomenal and the sound is just as great.  From the kids running around before the show to the attached general store, you walk through the doors and feel at home.  With only one show Haw River has become one of my favorite venues in the state,  I'd recommend going to a show there at your absolute earliest availability.  You won't be disappointed.

Around The Triangle: Week of October 3

Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks @ Haw River Ballroom
on October 1, 2011

There's been an abundance of incredible acts stopping through the Triangle lately, so much it's almost become rather daunting.  Within a week of each other Fleet Foxes and Wilco both graced the stage of Raleigh Amphitheater (Fleet Foxes in an absolute downpour has become my favorite show I've ever attended) as well as numerous local powerhouses making waves as well.  Our photographer Agatha Donkar has been here, there, and everywhere as well and this week we'll both be out at Shakori capturing Bottom String Sessions and photos of some of the incredible acts that will be playing throughout the weekend.  Below are Agatha's shots from the Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks show at Haw River Ballroom and from Mandolin Orange's big album release show at The Cat's Cradle:

The full sets of Agatha's photos can be found over at her photoblog