Virgins Family Band debut "Honeylion" on The Bottom String w/ a new Bottom String Session

Honeylion by Virgins Family Band was released on
February 8, 2013.  The band will be celebrating
their album release on February 22 at Local 506
with Baobab.

Virgins Family Band are one of the most surprising acts to come from the Triangle in recent memory.  As I was scouring the web for local shows I found the Baobab double album release show with Virgins Family Band and knew that I'd be in for a treat.  However, when I first listened to Honeylion there was a visceral reaction that I wasn't expecting.  Their sweet harmonies and unpredictable melodies make each listen through an experience in which you can peel back new layers and find new moments in this music to connect with.  Ranging from frenetic soul to jazzy indie rock, Virgins Family Band have a sound unlike any other band in the state.  It's one of those bands where you can genuinely start to realize the depth of the Carolina talent pool, because seemingly from out of nowhere I've grown incredibly attached to this band.

Honeylion is as strong a statement that any band can wish to make with a debut, they've crafted a sound that's entirely unique and filled with melodic masterpieces.  Tracks like the album's opener, "Moon Breath" display the dynamic breadth displayed within this 8-track album.  Powerful rhythms drive these tunes, and they're capable of changing direction on a dime and delivering a brand new addictive melody that's filled with adventurous originality.  The best part about Honeylion though is that it always leaves you guessing, Virgins Family Band combine elements from jazz and pop music in a way that creates an inviting yet still complex soundscape that's filled with gorgeous musical moments that create for an invigorating listening experience.  The entire album is packed with fantastic musical endeavors, from the croons of "Eyes Like Troubled Dreams" to the shiver-inducing shouts that close the album in "Lily Molusco", Virgins Family Band display a mastery of dynamics and pacing.

Honeylion feels like a truly cohesive piece of work, it's difficult to not listen to this all the way through as each track beckons the listener to continue on.  The flow of Honeylion is as smooth as the title implies, this release is filled with seamless transitions and brilliant resolve.  Honeylion soundtracks my winter days and will soon do the same for my spring, mostly because it's a ubiquitous piece of music that truly feels timeless.  Honeylion has given Virgins Family Band my complete attention.  They're one of the most talented acts I've seen from North Carolina in years and I take great pride in being able to debut their first full-length.  Check out the Bottom String Session I filmed with the band below and purchase their album Honeylion on Bandcamp:

Around The Triangle: The Big Picture BSS, Automatic For The Joshua Tree, Mandolin Orange, Wiley Hunter & The Cazadores

Birds & Arrows performing at Automatic For The Joshua
Tree @ Local 506 on Jan. 6, 2012

The year has just begun and shows continue to roll right along in the great tobacco state.  This edition of Around The Triangle includes the wrap-up of last years captures from Aggie with the Mandolin Orange Christmas show and Wiley Hunter & The Cazadores at Local Beer, Local Band, as well as our first Bottom String Session of 2012 with The Big Picture (featuring the always awesome Tunnell brothers).  Cap that off with some pictures of last weeks REM/U2 cover show with shots of Birds & Arrows, Magnolia Collective, and much more.  Check out all of the aforementioned media after the jump and welcome to the new year!

Around The Triangle: Bottom String Session #16, Local Beer Local Band, Hammer No More The Fingers, Architecture in Helsinki

Photo Credit: Agatha Donkar

It's been busy times for The Bottom String lately with holidays and exams lumping themselves together, but we're jumping back on the train to keep bringing the goodness to ya!  We've got our You Should Know with Gross Ghost coming up this week as well as two new Bottom String Sessions, plus the beginning of our Year End lists!  For starters though we'll backtrack some and provide some awesome captures from the past few weeks with Architecture in Helsinki at The Cat's Cradle, Local Beer Local Band with Gross Ghost and Lilac Shadows, as well as Hammer No More The Fingers, Lonnie Walker, and Free Electric State at Nightlight.

Also after the jump is our Bottom String Session with Sinful Savage Tigers from the backyard of Andrew Marlin.  A stellar set of songs from an excellent upcoming folk band from Carrboro, Sinful Savage Tigers performed "Natural Ghost" from their debut release as well as "Ballad of John Grove" off of their latest album, "The Last Night Of The Revels".

Bottom String Session #15 - Mandolin Orange

This session kicks off what was a powerhouse of a weekend for The Bottom String.  We filmed three new sessions, filmed a brand new piece called You Should Know with Gross Ghost, as well as covered The Sea and Cake and Bombadil release show.  Amidst all of the running around Chapel Hill this weekend, some of the best footage I've filmed so far was captured, including some of this excellent session with Mandolin Orange.

Mandolin Orange was the first band I ever attempted to film over a year ago when they stopped through my town of New Bern for a breath taking set in one of the finest venues I've ever gotten the chance to be a part of, the old Broad Street Music space.  It was then that my adoration for this band began and it has only blossomed since then.  Andrew Marlin was kind enough to let myself and Agatha Donkar in to shoot for not only this Mandolin Orange session, but a Sinful Savage Tigers session on his back patio as well (which will be up later in the week).

Mandolin Orange was joined by an array of talented local musicians for this session including Seth Barden on upright bass from Sinful Savage Tigers, Josh Oliver (formerly of The Everybodyfields), as well as Josh Moore. We got one Mandolin Orange original and two classic covers that ended up becoming glorious jams.  Unfortunately the camera shit out on me for an excellent cover of "The Long Black Veil", but alas technology can't always be perfect.  Check out all of the videos plus some excellent photos from Agatha after the jump.

Around The Triangle: Wild Flag, Blitzen Trapper, Sinful Savage Tigers, Emily Stewart & The Baby Teeth

Wild Flag @ The Cat's Cradle on October 21, 2011

This week's edition of Around The Triangle brings us yet another new Bottom String Session from Shakori Hills, this time with Emily Stewart & The Baby Teeth out of Greensboro, NC, as well as more awesome shots from Agatha Donkar's ventures around the triangle.  This week's shows included Blitzen Trapper and Smoke Fairies at The Cat's Cradle, Wild Flag and Eleanor Friedberger at The Cat's Cradle, and Sinful Savage Tigers album release show with Phil Cook & His Feat at The Station in Carrboro.

All of this week's photos as well as our latest Bottom String Session can be found after the jump!

Around The Triangle: Liam Finn, MC Chris, Driftwood, & Frontier Ruckus

Liam Finn @ The Casbah on October 17, 2011

The Triangle has been insanely busy over these past few months and it only appears to be getting better.  Between the upgrades to The Cat's Cradle leading to a larger capacity, Haw River Ballroom pulling increasingly incredible acts (Stephen Malkmus at the beginning of October and an awesome bill for November 11 with Megafaun and The Bowerbirds), and consistently strong bills from Kings, Local 506, and other small local spots, it's been week after week full of incredible acts stopping through the area.  This past week alone was filled with shows for our photographer, Agatha Donkar, Liam Finn at The Casbah, MC Chris at The Cat's Cradle, and Frontier Ruckus at Local 506 just to name a few.  Also included after the jump is our most recent Bottom String Session (BSS #13) from Shakori Hills with Driftwood, an incredible rootsy folk band from Binghamton, NY.  Coming with next week's Around The Triangle will be BSS #14 with Emily Stewart & The Baby Teeth of Greensboro, NC

Around The Triangle: Shakori Hills Fall 2011

Shakori Hills is a four-day festival held twice a year in Pittsboro, North Carolina and if you've yet to attend then you're missing out on one of the guaranteed best weekends of your life.  From Thursday to Sunday the farmlands out in Chatham County are alive with music, love, and good vibes.  There's an aura to Shakori that spreads like wildfire and leaves its attendees feeling blissful and carefree, all the while allowing them to enjoy some of the best live music that has graced the state of North Carolina in a very long time.  Between the big headliners of Bela Fleck & The Flecktones (with their original lineup!) and Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Toubab Krewe, Des Ark, and Donna The Buffalo, this festival's lineup was filled from top to bottom with phenomenal acts.  I was out at the festival all weekend with Agatha dropping in for days two and three, but we got some incredible shots of some incredible artists this weekend.  Check back soon this week for a full write-up of the festival including two new Bottom String Sessions with Driftwood (Binghamton, NY) and Emily Stewart & The Baby Teeth (Greensboro, NC)

Bottom String Session #12 w/ Bombadil

After an absolutely stunning set at Fletcher Opera Hall, Bombadil has proved that they're hitting the ground running with their big return to the Triangle music scene.  The band announced a November return to The Cat's Cradle for an album release show for their upcoming record, All That The Rain Promises and it's a date that's been marked on the calendars of many in the Triangle and surrounding regions.  Before heading out to the Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion the gentlemen in Bombadil invited me into James' home to film some new songs from their album.

The Bottom String will also be covering Bombadil in November as our "You Should Know" band, highlighting some of our areas finest local talents and quickest rising up-and-comers.  We've got our first "You Should Know" with Gross Ghost coming up soon, so keep your eyes peeled.  But for the time being check out these excellent new songs from Bombadil's upcoming full length:

Surfer Blood, Wye Oak, and Free Energy capture the crowd at Deja Fest + Jack The Radio's Bottom String Session

Through the pounding heat and pounding rain, Deja Fest pulled through and provided for an awesome free event in downtown Raleigh that got me sufficiently stoked for Hopscotch in September.  The festival was put on by Deja Mi, a mobile media sharing app that allows users to share their concert footage and the like on their iPhones or Droids so you can check out what's going on all over town.  It's a pretty nifty app once all of the kinks get worked out and you get over the fact that you're looking at a bunch of people's camera quality pictures, but either way it's provided for a pretty awesome outlet in terms of a great free event for Raleigh.  Bands like Wye Oak, Free Energy, and Surfer Blood stuck out throughout the day but there were quite a few surprises throughout the lineup.