Hear Here: Aug. 4-10

Spider Bags will be performing two sets at The Pinhook in Durham, NC
on Friday, Aug. 8

With The Bottom String's four year anniversary coming up, the blog is getting an overhaul. After running this site mostly on my own for the past four years, there's been a rotating door of series, features, interviews and whatever I can think to toss your way, really. But every time a new year rolls around I want to analyze how coverage compares to previous years, and frankly I got bummed out at the fact that I was no longer giving updates on as many shows around the state, which was one of the primary reasons to run this thing. So thus, Hear Here makes it valiant return! Every week I'll be running down my favorite shows in the area coming up from local and national acts. Whereas past installments of Hear Here gave a day by day list of all of the shows in the area, this will be contained to five shows that are worth your time and money throughout the next six days.

1. Spider Bags at The Pinhook
Friday, Aug. 8

Admission: $10 (Purchase tickets here)

Spider Bags are just one of the latest local standouts to make their way to the powerhouse indie label Merge Records. For years now Spider Bags has been bringing their unique take on garage rock to the Triangle, blending triumphant horns, Americana twang and a particular nonchalance that I can't place my finger on. Dan McGee's songs are brimming with personality, featuring quirks and quips that keep the listener entertained while jumping, shouting and swaying along to the unforgettable songs. Frozen Letter is the band's Merge debut and it's a triumphant introduction to the national market, there's an even split of headstrong straight-up garage pop and long-running tracks with embedded grooves. But that's just the joy found within their studio work, and anyone who's seen this glorious band before knows that their live shows are an entirely different beast.

On Friday Spider Bags will be performing two sets at The Pinhook to celebrate the release of Frozen Letter. The first set will showcase the band's new album from front to back while the second will feature fan favorites from their back catalogue...and there's plenty of fan favorites. Whether McGee is rolling on the ground as he rips out riotous guitar lines or bouncing to and fro as the crowd shouts along to infectious tracks like "Friday Night," he always pours every ounce of energy into his performances. This double-set from one of the area's most exciting acts is my must-see show of the week.

2. Wool w/ It Looks Sad. & Bridges at Slims 

Saturday, Aug. 9

Admission: $5

Slims is an often underutilized venue that doesn't get quite as much attention as the rest of the smaller Triangle venues. Sometimes a bill lends itself to a dimly lit dive bar and I'll be damned if this isn't one of those shows. Wool headlines the evening with their hazy dream-pop music while It Looks Sad and Bridges brings a bit more energy to the evening with their agro-emotional indie rock. Wool has been slowly building up their repertoire around the area with their impressive performances and continually evolving sound, one that utilizes vocalist Troy Hancocks vocals as both an instrument, providing rich texture, and a vessel for introspective lyricism.

However, the act I'm most excited to see rolling into Slims is Charlotte's It Looks Sad. Cut from the same cloth as acts like Junior Astronomers and HRVRD, this Charlotte based crew (formerly It Looks Sad That's Why I Said It's You) brings angular post-punk vibes with a sleek sense of melody to wash over the jagged rhythms. It Looks Sad. has been receiving heavy national acclaim from outlets like Pitchfork and Stereogum, so it's only a matter of time before they move onto bigger venues in the area. Jump at the chance to see these guys in a tiny dive bar on the corner of Wilmington St. and you won't be disappointed. Bridges will be opening the evening as well, providing a shoe-gaze inspired take on indie rock that blends dynamic song structures with heartfelt lyrical content.

3. Local Band Local Beer w/ Oulipo, Vannevar & Ancient Cities at Tir Na Nog

Thursday, Aug. 7

Admission: FREE

To put it simply Local Band, Local Beer is one of the best parts of living in the Triangle. With a continually rotating cast of talent, this weekly showcase gives local fans a chance to check out fantastic acts from across the state...for free! Since Craig Reed of Younger Brother Productions took over the booking, the event has been revitalized, hosting more relevant acts with a wide array of sounds on display. Bills like this one are a perfect example of that, one of the most promising psych-pop acts in the Triangle is teamed up with a swiftly rising psych-folk outfit out of Charlotte to make for an excellent night of music (with free Lonerider samples!)

Ancient Cities is a new project from a handful of Charlotte-based musicians who've already received quite a bit of love from previous acts. Songwriter Stephen Warwick received high acclaim from his previous solo project while Justin Fedor of New Familiars and Matt Branniff and Jonathan Erickson of The Noises Ten fill out the rest of the band. Ancient Cities have revitalized old-school psych-rock and put a modern twist on the tried and true formula, blending entrancing instrumentation with powerful hooks. If Ancient Cities represents the finest of old-school psych, then Oulipo heralds in the new age, drawing inspiration from acts like Radiohead, Dirty Projectors and Animal Collective to blend samples and drum machines with spaced-out guitars and tantalizing melodies that toy with tensions and release. It's hard to find a better bill this week with absolutely no cover.

4. The Rock*A*Teens w/ The Love Language at Cat's Cradle - Back Room

Wednesday, Aug. 6

Admission: $10 (Purchase tickets here)

Just because the Merge 25 festival has come to a close doesn't mean that the celebrations have to end. The long gone quiet Rock*A*Teens reunited this year for their first shows in over a decade, and these early 90s Merge standouts will likely draw quite the mid-week crowd that's hankering for another blast of nostalgia. Merge describes the band's sound as a "thick primordial stew that defies categorization" which strangely enough is pretty accurate. Gritty, fuzzed out guitars blend their southern influences with their straight-forward rock sentiments. Wrap that all together with some sweet melodies and baby, you got a primordial stew goin'!

Local favorites and label mates The Love Language will be opening. Whenever a band that could sell-out the Cat's Cradle performs at one of the region's smaller venues I feel like you'd be foolish to miss out. These small shows from local figureheads are usually a great place to hear new songs in their trial phases and sing along vigorously to your favorites without having to battle the awkward pre-teens in the crowd that are texting their bae's.

5. Flesh Wounds w/ Paint Fumes and Drag Sounds at Cat's Cradle Backroom

Friday, Aug. 8

Admission: $8 (Purchase tickets here)

If Spider Bags just isn't your cup of tea, but you're still looking for a raucous night filled with high-energy garage rock then you needn't look further than Flesh Wounds' LP release show. Flesh Wounds, much like Spider Bags, received a bit of Merge love earlier this year when the label released a 7" from the band. It was almost as if their Merge release reignited the area's love for this often overlooked act, because they've been building steam ever since. The Cat's Cradle Backroom will surely be packed out with a slew of concertgoers ready to throw themselves around in a fit of unadulterated joy at the deft punk-inspired stylings of Flesh Wounds.

Openers Paint Fumes and Drag Sounds will certainly be holding their own as well. Paint Fumes are arguably one of the most talented garage rock acts in the state, but sadly the Charlotte-based rockers don't make it down to the Triangle as often as I'd like. So when you get to see them on a bill with some of the area's most talented cohorts there's no reason to miss out...unless of course you're just a Spider Bags kind of guy (or gal!)

Show Review: Hopscotch Music Festival, Day 3

Spiritualized @ City Plaza

By the time Saturday rolled around exhausted is one of the words I had in my rolodex to tell people how I was feeling when asked. But despite my energetic woes, there was no way that I'd miss out on the full days worth of shows that came along with Saturday's Day Parties. While the move shows my nonsensical youth at work, my day began right at 12:00 thanks to Trekky's Day Party and an open bar thanks to Team Clermont. Because what better way to battle hangovers than with a quick round of day drinking?

Winston-Salem's fuzzed-out rockers Estrangers kicked off the day for me, so while half of this attendance was for the free booze the other was most definitely to see this fantastic band. Their debut full-length Season of 1000 Colors (you can check out my review in Creative Loafing Charlotte today!) was released earlier this summer and proved to be one of my favorite local releases of the first half of the year. It's unfair to make Love Language comparisons of any local act that's got reverb-washed, classic pop stylings--but frankly the comparison is apt when it comes to Estrangers. Phillip Pledger's unrestrained vocals are liable to turn on a dime, ranging from delicate croons to passionate wails.

Immediately after Estrangers came a solo set from Hi Ho Silver Oh and it was one of the few sets this year that absolutely blew me out of the water. Everyone packed upstairs for the quaint show, but Casey Trela held nothing back in a powerful set that slowly evolved into a riveting full-band display with locals Joah Tunnel and Josh Kimbrough joining Trela for fully fleshed-out interpretations of his raw, attention-grabbing tracks. Trela's folk inspired melodies took form over a looped guitar that added depth and complexity to his bone-chilling vocal delivery. I walked in oblivious to this former North Carolinian's act and immediately left with the desire to immerse myself in their work. A stellar set that set the bar high throughout the day.

Album Review: "Singles" by Spider Bags

Singles by Spider Bags was released on Churchkey
Records on June 25, 2013

Spider Bags have become one of North Carolina's most beloved bands in what feels like no time at all. Although the band released their first full length in 2007, it wasn't until their 2009 release Goodbye Cruel World, Hello Crueler World that they truly began to pick up steam. Since then the band has only become tighter, finding themselves far more focused on honing their frenetic bursts of energy and razor-sharp lyricism.

The three years between Goodbye Cruel World... and their highly acclaimed follow-up Shake My Head was peppered with 7" singles released on various local labels, serving as a scrapbook that chronicles the natural progression of this garage rock outfit. But naturally, singles don't get as much attention as full lengths and many of these Spider Bags songs probably went unheard by quite a few folks if they weren't regularly attending the group's live shows. Thankfully, Church Key has relieved us of that ailment and on Tuesday the label released a collection simply titled Singles that packs all ten of these tracks into one extremely pleasing package.

Hear Here: February 28 - March 7

Justin Lacy & The Swimming Machine

Last week was jam-packed with fantastic shows and this week showcases much of the same.  Sometimes within the Triangle we'll see a particular city jam-packed with shows while the rest are left to twiddle their thumbs or make the drive up I-40, but every now and then there's that one week where the entire area is filled with incredible performances.  You can welcome that particular conundrum this week.

With a raucous show from Spider Bags at Slim's kicking off the week and a sold out performance from Alt-J at Cat's Cradle, this week runs the gamut of musical genres.  Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill are getting equal amounts of lovin' from both touring acts and local favorites, so make your way out to a show this week!


Show of the Week: Onward, Soldiers w/ Wiley Hunter & The Cazadores and Justin Lacy & The Swimming Machine @ Kings Barcade on March 2

Thursday, February 28
Spider Bags w/ Flesh Wounds & DJ Suggadelic @ Slim's in Raleigh
$5

• Two of the areas finest punk acts are going to be packed into one of the Triangle's finest clubs for gritty, high-energy shows.  Needless to say this show is going to be incredible.  Spider Bags solidified their spot in 2012 as one of the local powerhouses, receiving high acclaim from national publications like Pitchfork, Shake My Head was release that boosted Spider Bags to the glory that they deserve.  I finally got to see their southern blend of punk rock at Double Barrel Benefit earlier this month and suddenly understood why this band has received the acclaim they have.  The energy was bouncing across the stage, much like the band, as they powered through an engaging set filled with sing-a-longs and wild antics.  Spider Bags' fans are a dedicated bunch, exerting just as much energy as the band when taking in their frenetic live performance.  Flesh Wounds couldn't be a better opener either, I got the chance to see them in a crowded Berkley Cafe at Hopscotch last year and saw much of the same that I did at Spider Bags, but with far more grit.  Flesh Wounds give fans exactly what they want, no frills balls-out punk rock with jaunting rhythms and fast-paced melodies.  Slim's is at its finest when it's packed in tightly and filled with the brash tunes that we'll see on display on Thursday.  A fantastic way to kick off this batch of shows.