Album Review - A Stone, A Leaf, An Unfound Door by River Whyless

A Stone, A Leaf, An Unfound Door was released
on March 1, 2012

A Stone, A Leaf, An Unfound Door is a debut album unlike many, while River Whyless has been active for years now as Do It To Julia, the band made the move to Asheville and dropped not only their moniker, but their style of songwriting.  Since their name change and move the band has flourished in every way, whether it be their lush orchestration or their developed and picturesque lyricism, River Whyless has completely revamped their approach to music.


A Stone, A Leaf, An Unfound Door received a physical release on March 1, 2012 and the band has been touring non-stop since, hitting up SXSW, Daytrotter, and our great northern brethren in Canada.  It seems as if River Whyless has finally found their niche within this beautiful baroque folk they're producing, and it feels like they've got a lot more developing left to do.

The album opener "Leaf", sets the tone brilliantly for the rest of the album.  It affirms the band's traditional roots with a wonderful violin part meshing perfectly with the slow croon of Ryan O'Keefe as he pours his heart out with lines like, "At the top of the morning/At the bottom of night/You were sleeping closer to him/And I wept in the stairwell/That's where our love I said to farewell/I had just let you go/To the god that I'd never know".  Halli Anderson's vocals serve as the perfect harmony within lines such as these, the two have a feeling of sincerity within their voice that play perfectly off of one another.  As the album unfolds both songwriters have their own defining moments, but the band shines brightest when the two vocalists are playing off of one another.

Music on the Mountaintop brings Railroad Earth, Dr. Dog and some stellar locals to Grandfather Mtn.

Music on the Mountaintop brings Dr. Dog,
Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Railroad Earth, and
more to Banner Elk, NC on August 24-26

Music on the Mountaintop is celebrating its 5th anniversary in a big way, bringing in the highly esteemed Railroad Earth as a partner in curating and hosting a Superjam on the last day of the festival.   Headlined by Railroad Earth and the fantastic indie folk rockers Dr. Dog, Music on the Mountaintop is a quaint but expanding event held near the college town of Boone, NC.  The three-day festival held at the foot of Grandfather Mountain from August 24 through August 26 is currently selling tickets at an early bird price of $85, allowing you to enjoy three days of music and two nights of camping in one of the most gorgeous festival locales in the state.

Held at Grandfather Mountain Campground, the festival offers satellite parking at a lot under 5 miles away and requires festival goers to take the golf cart shuttle or the free Boone/App State shuttle.  With a low price and some stellar local acts filling out the line-up, MOTM looks like it's going to be an absolute blast.

Radiating nothing but good vibes, Music on the Mountaintop is held in Banner Elk, NC roughly 10 miles from Boone and already features a diverse lineup of talented North Carolina musicians along with some highly revered international acts as well.  Beginning in 2008, the festival has grown from humble beginnings and has continually supported local non-profits such as Appalachian Voices throughout their history.  With last year's attendance at 5,500 the festival has since expanded to three days, and with artists like The Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Sam Bush, MOTM continues to fill their expanding lineup with an eclectic blend of musical styles that makes for their best lineup yet.  Local standout artists like River Whyless and Naked Gods of Boone return to the festival along with the beloved Holy Ghost Tent Revival make for an excellent snapshot of North Carolina's music scene.  Be sure to check out the rest of the lineup thus far after the jump!

TRKfest 2012 announces a unique powerhouse of a lineup

Trekky Records is quite simply one of the most compelling labels within the North Carolina music scene, between their phenomenal roster and consistently wonderful events held throughout the year, the label has cemented themselves as a staple of our state's scene.  This year's annual TRKfest is shaping up to be one of the finest in the festival's history, or at least the most memorable.  With a suggested $10 donation, there's no reason to miss this surely beautiful day filled with arts, crafts, tie-dying and most importantly, music.

Held at Piedmont Biofuels in Pittsboro, NC, TRKfest is an absolute gem of a festival that brings together some of the finest members of not only the Trekky roster, but the Carolina scene as a whole.  This year's lineup boasts two one of a kind sets that are sure to live up to every bit of hype that they garner throughout the upcoming weeks before the festival, held on July 21.  Headlined by Lost Skulls, an Ari Picker led Misfits tribute band comprised of fellow local "Disciples of Danzig", the festival also boasts a supergroup cover set with The Piedmont Family Reunion, a collaboration of Midtown Dickens and Megafaun playing one-anothers songs along with other covers.

The Tallest Man On Earth plays The Finest Venue In The Triangle

While the Haw River Ballroom doesn't have a packed out schedule with bands playing night in and night out, they've got the upper hand on most venues around the area for one reason, consistency.  Now this isn't to say that other venues aren't consistently bringing in great artists, but if you're heading out to a show at Haw River you're guaranteed to have a damn good time.

The atmosphere within the old mill is one that can't be recreated even if you tried.  The acoustics within Haw River make for the perfect stage for a variety of acts, as evidenced by the fantastic and versatile names that have already graced the stage of the venue.  Last week saw Archers of Loaf, the indie rock icons of North Carolina, and earlier this year the stage held acts like Megafaun, The Mountain Goats, and Cass McCombs.  Well lightning strikes once again for Haw River, as it was recently announced that the rustic sounds of The Tallest Man on Earth will be filling the room in Saxapahaw on Wednesday, July 25.

Shakori Hills Spring 2012 Review

Holy Ghost Tent Revival @ Carson's Grove
Photo Courtesy of Agatha Donkar

Shakori Hills couldn't have come at a more perfect time for this busy college student.  Popping up right before exams kick in, who wouldn't want to spend four days in the woods surrounded by incredible people and incredible music?  While Spring Shakori lacked some of the pull of a big name headliner and suffered from a day full of cold untimely rain, Shakori Hills once again pulled off a weekend full of excellent music with the most welcoming environment a festival could truly have.  The festival boasted and eclectic lineup filled with dance-y gems from bands like Rubblebucket and Equanimous Minds, hip-hop excellence from The Beast and Blitz The Ambassador, and some of the best local music you can find in the Triangle.

I took a bit of a hands on approach to this Shakori Hills and joined my roommate and girlfriend in volunteering for the festival...well kind of.  I went out the weekend before the festival in an attempt to talk with some of the organizers on the origins of Shakori, but as I should have known everyone was in Showzilla mode and it just resulted in a day of lending a hand.  I wouldn't have had it any other way.  There's something about the community at Shakori Hills that just keeps festival goers coming back for more, and you can find that at it's roots with these volunteers.  Hammering stakes into the ground, assembling tents and wooden floors, hanging decorations from trees, there was a little bit of everything going on during these volunteer hours and it was an absolutely invigorating experience to be a part of.  All the way down to the chimes of the lunch bell ringing out through the grounds to call all of the volunteers in for a freshly cooked meal, this experience was just full of welcoming individuals.

Around The Triangle: Delta Spirit, Plants & Animals, Frontier Ruckus, Avett Brothers, and more

Plants & Animals @ Local 506 on April 7, 2012

It's been a busy busy month Around The Triangle so we've got some catching up to do with our captures from the latest shows.  Last weekend saw a small crowd treated to an energetic and exciting set from Plants and Animals, while last week also held a highly heralded set from Delta Spirit at The Cat's Cradle. Aggie was also out at Frontier Ruckus at Local 506 a few weeks back, a band we were scheduled to shoot a Bottom String Session with but alas sicknesses arose and we had to cancel the session.  Frontier Ruckus is certainly a band that's still high on my list of Bottom String Session's though so fear not, you'll get your delicious acoustic goodness soon enough!  Rounding up our ATT this week includes shots from Grant Hart, Vacationer, and a couple of videos from The Avett Brothers' set at King's.

Show Review: We Were Promised Jetpacks w/ Bad Veins

Bad Veins @ Motorco

In February of 2010 I was graced with the privilege of seeing We Were Promised Jetpacks and Bad Veins pull the one-two punch in Tremont Music Hall in Charlotte.  I remember being floored by Bad Veins and even more surprised by how absolutely perfect Jetpacks' set was.  I went into the show blind to Bad Veins but a big WWPJ fan, so hearing that the combo was going to be coming to Motorco on April 7 naturally got me all schoolgirl giddy.  We Were Promised Jetpacks has since put out a relatively disappointing new album and Bad Veins are getting closer and closer to the release of their sophomore full length, judging by this show it looks like Bad Veins may be swiftly rising above Jetpacks in terms of longevity and energy.

Bad Veins produce unique indie-rock that has an absolutely mesmerizing live show.  From the minute you see the band setting up for sound check you're tantalized by the presence of the telephone hanging near the microphone, wondering just quite what singer Benjamin Davis will do with it.  Between playing guitar, keyboard, and singing, Davis also operates a reel-to-reel tape that adds wonders to the aesthetic of the band's performance.  It's incredible seeing two men produce music with such density on a live stage, especially considering they're still giving it their all and pouring with energy.

Bad Veins' phone set-up

From Davis' distorted shouts into the telephone to Sebastien Schultz' incessant drumming, Bad Veins filled Motorco with a sense of awe.  Though the band was constantly experiencing sound problems (Davis was asking for his monitor to be turned up in between nearly every single song, an experience I'd imagine could get grating for a band) they rolled right on through it with favorites from their debut full-length with "Gold and Warm", "Cross Eyed" and "Afraid", while mixing in new songs from their upcoming full length The Mess We've Made.  I captured video of the band's first single from The Mess We've Made, "Dancing On TV", which can be found after the jump.