The Bottom String's Top 10 North Carolina Albums of 2012

As December begins to roll on through just as swiftly as the rest of the year did, it's been a hard process to narrow down my favorite releases from the state this year.  2012 was yet another fantastic year for North Carolina artists, many of our favorite local darlings have begun to achieve more national success than one could have ever imagined.  Acts like Midtown Dickens have begun getting the national attention they deserve from outlets like NPR, Mount Moriah signed to Merge Records and announced their sophomore LP (to be released in February 2013), and countless fantastic new acts have found their footing and began making waves in our already overflowing music scene.

With Hopscotch growing larger than ever before, bringing in highly esteemed acts like The Roots and Jesus and Mary Chain, the tobacco state has been getting heavy praise for it's tightly packed, deep-rooted community of musicians.  While touring artists were bringing in fans from across the country it was local acts like T0W3RS, Jenny Besetzt, and Hiss Golden Messenger that left Hopscotch'ers floored...and rightfully so!  2012 was filled with an insane amount of wonderful North Carolina tunes, so without further ado I give you my ten favorite releases of the year:

10.  Pastoral - JKutchma & The Five Fifths

The full-time frontman of Red Collar has turned a solo side-project into an absolute gem of a live act.  Much like other local side projects, Kutchma enlisted in the help of fellow local musicians to take time out from their regular bands to participate in one of the finest, most unique releases of the year.  While it's easy to write Kutchma off as a Springsteen-lite, Kutchma brings and intensity and passion to his music that is unparalleled.  Seeing Kutchma command a crowd at Tir Na Nog this past Hopscotch is what solidified his excellence for me, flailing around stage with a sense of purpose whilst combining punk rock furiosity with Americana's honesty and sentimentality, Kutchma's songs range from shouts to whispers.  Tracks like "Teenage DMZ" have a jangly yet gritty bounce to it that makes it easy to take in Kutchma's raw imagery while still dancing around like a fool.  However, the other side of the coin is found within tracks like "I'll Survive", a somber track that details the struggles of coping with the hard times but coming out alive and kicking.  Pastoral is a fantastic release from a versatile group of local artists, one can only hope for more of the Fife Fifths to be popping up in 2013.

AC Entertainment announces Mountain Oasis Electronic Music Summit

For the past three years AC Entertainment, the company responsible for the U.S. superfest Bonnaroo, has been bringing an eclectic mix of indie rock darlings and electronic savants to the great city of Asheville under the Moogfest banner.  Starting the same year as Raleigh's Hopscotch, the two festivals have acted as staples of the Carolina music scene by providing vastly different but insanely enjoyable festival experiences.  However, it appears that 2013 will be opening new doors for the fantastic mountain city of Asheville, as AC Entertainment recently announced that they've left the Moogfest banner and will instead be hosting a brand new festival, Mountain Oasis Electronic Music Summit.

Ashley Capps, AC Entertainment CEO, said that Moogfest has not been re-liscensed to AC Entertainment and that "...we really have no choice but to re-name it.  We enjoyed booking, marketing and producing our event for our fans and want to continue with them on this creative journey."  While Moogfest will surely continue on within it's regular Halloween weekend slot, the addition of Mountain Oasis opens up an exciting realm of possibilities for live music in Asheville.  The beautiful town has a thriving culture of its own, walking down the street one can find busking accordion players and friendly smiles.  This large and thriving city has maintained the sense of community found within a small mountain town, but most importantly it's open to welcoming the booming electronic scene.  This past year Beech Mountain was home to the seemingly disastrous Gnarnia Festival, but Mountain Oasis will provide a legitimate outlet for those anxious Carolinians looking to get their dance on.  AC Entertainment has brought electronic pioneers like Flying Lotus, Massive Attack, Thievery Corporation, and Brian Eno to Asheville within the past few years and will surely continue on with this exciting new festival.

News on both Mountain Oasis and Moogfest will be coming in 2013, and whether Mountain Oasis contains the diversity found within Moogfest's lineup has yet to be seen.  But either way, this can only mean great things for the bustling festival scene in North Carolina.

Gross Ghost announce Odessa debut + tour with Spider Bags

Gross Ghost @ Hopscotch 2012

It's no secret that Gross Ghost is one of my favorite local bands, ever since they put out their Lip City EP I've been addicted to their refreshing take on surf rock sentiments fused with a punk rock drive, topped of nicely with the infectiously poppy melodies of songwriter Mike Dillon.  Gross Ghost released their debut full length, Brer Rabbit, this February on Grip Tapes and it seems that the band hit the ground running and never stopped in 2012.  They've hit up quite a few east coast tours and some high profile dates with local favorites The Love Language, and damn near tore down Berkeley Cafe with a capacity show at Hopscotch.  The sight of wall-to-wall fans vigorously rocking out to Gross Ghost was something that stayed with me throughout Hopscotch, it was an indefinite highlight of the weekend.

Most recently the band announced an upcoming tour with Spiderbags, a band hailed by Patrick Stickles of Titus Andronicus as one of the best bands in the world.  The tour kicks off on January 15 at The Pinhook in Durham and makes stops in Virginia, Philly, New York, and Baltimore.  While this was exciting news in itself, it was recently announced that Gross Ghost would also be joining Spider Bags as a member of the Odessa Records family.  Gross Ghost is set to release their sophomore full length next spring with the Chapel Hill record label, home to fantastic local acts like Wesley Wolfe, Kingsbury Manx and Americans in France.  Color me excited, Odessa has been a local favorite for me since I discovered Wesley Wolfe back at Troika Music Festival's last year and I've been a fan ever since.  With one of the consistently strongest outputs of the state, one can expect great things from this blossoming relationship.  Check out our You Should Know feature on Gross Ghost below:

Robes release video for "Dead Sounds"

If there's one new local band that hasn't gotten anywhere near the amount of attention that they deserve it's probably Robes.  Throughout the year they've been the opening act for some stellar bands such Youth Lagoon and YACHTS, yet something still hasn't clicked within the Triangle to catch on to this awesome group.  Robes are based out of Chapel Hill and are a member of the Potluck family along with the likes of Schooner and Organos, but they're bringing something far different than the rest of the Potluck roster.  Robes build upon tight electronic drum beats that coincide perfectly with the upbeat yet melancholy tone of their music.  An even blend of breezy and beefy synths entangle themselves within driving bass and catchy guitar hooks, all of which sit comfortably under an infectious, poppy melody.

Robes released a promising 7" this summer entitled "Dead Sounds", and the band recently teamed up with Hueism Pictures (the same crew responsible for videos from Mount Moriah, Kooley High, and the wonderful Kool A.D) to release a video for the title track of "Dead Sounds".  Robes will be performing at the Local 506 for a free "Merch Holiday Dance Party" on December 26.  Consider it a late Christmas present to yourself and go check this band out, you won't be disappointed!  Check out the new video below:



Robes - Dead Sound from Hueism Pictures on Vimeo.

Album Review: "Tobacco Town" by Caleb Caudle

Tobacco Town was released on October 22, 2012
Caudle will be performing in Raleigh at The Pour House
on Saturday, November 24 w/ Wylie Hunter,
Onward, Soldiers and Old Quarter

Tobacco Town marks the first solo album from The Bayonets' lead singer Caleb Caudle, and the release is a step in a far different direction than that of the rambling rock n' roll tunes of his full time band.  Trading in electric guitars for acoustics, banjos and fiddles, Caudle steps into a folkier direction that allows his sincere lyrics to take the forefront while soothing instrumentation allows the listener to glide through an album thats remarkably easy to listen through.  Think of it as Petty trading in the Heartbreakers' rockin' status for a more low-key and personal "Wildflowers", while the album isn't nearly as monumental as the aforementioned, it makes the same transitional steps that allow the songwriter to focus more on personalized lyrics and speak on topics that may be strayed away from in a bar friendly band like The Bayonets.

Tobacco Town starts out strong with a hopeful yet somber tune, "Blue or Gray" but picks up steam with one of the album's highlights, "Hesitate".  While Caudle's lyricism is definitely a strong suit, his talent lies mostly in his ability to craft addicting melodies out of these meaningful tunes.  "Hesitate" is one of the poppier tracks on the album, standing tall with a catchy chorus to counteract its jangly verses.    But for every track like "Hesitate" comes ones like "Midnight Beauty" or "Little Reminders", while they have some memorable lyrics that can strike up vivid images like, "Little reminders of you in the pockets of my jeans/Your hair on the pillow, the vinyl still out of the sleeves", they can tend to drag on with melodies that feel a bit too static.  However, while these tracks may not pop as much as others, each one has stellar composition that pays off greatly with stellar vocal harmonies and violin parts from guests like Caitlin Cary and Haley Dreis.  While the opening tracks feel hit or miss, Tobacco Town finds its stride towards the second half of the album with a cohesive and seamlessly flowing string of songs that give us a peek into Caudle's psyche.

Album Review: "Overgrown" by Justin Lacy and The Swimming Machine

Justin Lacy and The Swimming Machine released
Overgrown on October 30, 2012

Overgrown is the debut album from Justin Lacy and The Swimming Machine, and the band has leapt into the proverbial deep end with this dense and boisterous release.  With a massive presence and cacophonous yet focused sound, The Swimming Machine has burst upon the scene with a stellar debut that ranges from carnival-esque madness to gypsy folk punk at the drop of a dime.  Their self proclaimed orchestral gutter folk is a truly unique sound that is unparalleled by their peers, while they pack a heavy Americana tinged punch that feels reminiscent of fellow Wilmington band Onward, Soldiers , Justin Lacy and The Swimming Machine have built their own niche and filled it with fantastic and triumphant anthems.

Overgrown takes the listener on an aural journey that boats nightmarishly dark overtones juxtaposed with bright brass lines and dance invoking swing.  Album opener "In Cold Blood" introduces Lacy's jaunting melodies accompanied by a powerful orchestral presence that sets the tone for the rest of the album.  The Swimming Machine can simultaneously invigorate the listener with their energy that seems to pour from the speakers and captivate them with their seamlessly woven layers of fuzzed out guitar, upright bass, brass, and woodwind.  Tracks like "Cellophane" are perfect representations of this feat, this song is bursting with life and bouncing melodies that perfectly counteract the abrasive grit of Lacy's vocals.

Album Review: "Wyatt" by T0W3RS

T0W3RS plays at Kings Barcade on Saturday
November 3 for DiggUp Tapes Monthly Show Series
with Alpha Cop and Zack Mexico

T0W3RS have been swiftly building momentum throughout the past year, through dazzling sets around the state and a massive full-length that was released back in April, If All We Have Is Time the band has been building a heavily devoted fan base.  Until now the band's output was primarily from the groups brainchild, Derek Torres, but with their latest EP the group has approached writing with a bit more collaborative of an effort.  Wyatt was initially released at Hopscotch through a scavenger hunt for the 5 cassingles that were hidden throughout downtown Raleigh, but last week the band celebrated the official release of their latest EP.  Wyatt is a perfect representation of the gradual growth and exploration that the band is doing, they're still drawing heavily upon their influences but are equally stepping out of their comfort zone to define a niche of their own.

Wyatt begins with "Mobius Strip", a track that kicks off with a fuzzed out guitar and Torres clever wordplay giving us just enough personal insight to be able to feel like we're truly looking into the songwriters life while remaining instantly relatable.  "So I know what I say/That doesn't mean that I like what I say", Torres keeps his vocals relaxed but with enough of a bounce to perfectly counteract the continuous chugging of the distorted guitar for the verses.  "Mobius Strip" boasts an anthemic chorus, one of many that can be found throughout this EP which will surely make for some fantastic live moments.  It's clear that Jacki Huntington's influence made a difference in this EP, high pitched whirs and harmonies give the album far more depth than If All We Have Is Time, the band is beginning to stray from the path with wonderful results.