Saturday Series at Street Scene

Due to bad weather in January and February, March is full of activity.

March 9, 2013 – Emerging Artist Series – Rod Iron Black of Durham comes to Street Scene (7 PM Start)

Rod Iron Black is bringing its brand of good old-fashioned rock and roll to Street Scene. Come out at 7 PM to see local bands open stay for Durham’s Rod Iron Black

March 10, 2013 - Emerging Artist Jazz at The Broad Street Cafe. We’re back again at the Broad Street Cafe with another band out of Chapel Hill playing for guests at one of the best family restaurants in Durham.

March 16, 2013 – YCP Songwriter Workshop at Street Scene (6 PM – 7PM)   OPEN MIC (7PM-8PM)

After being snowed out on February 16, we are doing our anti-snow dance for March. The Songwriter workshop will be happening for the first time ever before a show. The Open Mic will be the early show and at 8 PM Chapel Hill’s good time band – Hung Jury and Special Guests will keep the night going with their brand fun and excitement.

MARCH 16, 2013 – SPECIAL NIGHT – Emerging Artist Series – HUNG JURY following the Open Mic (8 PM Start)

Hung Jury is a fun live band playing music. The thing to know about them is that they rock the stage with Ben Goldstein on bass and vocals, Sam Killenberg literally putting a hole in his drums with two excellent hard-rock guitar players James Allen and Joey Smigla surprising you by blowing you away with power chords and solos. This is a show you do not want to miss.  Bring your friends, bring your neighbors.

Photo courtesy of The Stagger

“I’m sorry it’s taken us so long to get down there and play. We’ve never had a master plan of where to tour, it’s always been where the music has taken us.”

With those words, The Town Pants Dave Keogh announced the band’s barnstorming tour of South including 6 shows in 7 days throughout North Carolina.

The Town Pants describe their songs as Celtic Roots music. It is that and more. The Vancouver-based band’s sound feels as at home in a bar on Galway Bay or a front porch in Appalachia.

Duane Keogh (vocals and guitar) puts it best:

“We’re not folk purists by any stretch. Nor have we ever wanted to be.”

Fulfilling that promise, The Town Pants blend the Punk Rock spirit of The Pogues with traditional Celtic rhythms, tin whistles, fiddle riffs and songs about the realities of everyday working class life telling stories of love lost, won and the unpaid rent.

The Town Pants shows are raucous, rowdy affairs that have audiences moving tables out of the way, stomping their feet and dancing to the infectious, traditional beats. My fellow Southerners will hear songs like Gin and Milk and remember times when the tables were pushed to the side, drinks were put down and flat-footing commenced at family gatherings.

The Town Pants are coming to North Carolina for 7 days, 6 shows and one unforgettable good time.

Wait there’s more…

Nuclear Honey is one of the opening acts on the bill of this great show. Nuclear Honey brings a rock and roll attitude, great guitar work with simply rhythms and approachable songs. Pitchfork would describe them as being like a  ”Thai Chili Pepper – pleasant and mellow to start with a slow, pleasant burn of a finish”  Or some other random, hard to comprehend metaphor pulled from the writer’s post HS gap year in Indonesia. I just call them good and well worth listening too if you like folk music with balls.

This tour de force of great local music put together by Drop Back Booking also includes Apples and Airplanes. These guys are raw, old-school rock and roll. Rather than play simple Blues, they update it with horns, Indie-influenced guitar riffs and lead vocals that bite through the mix. These guys have opened for some big names and pleased crowds time and time again.

Rounding out the bill from Akron, Ohio is Maid Myriad. These guys are rockers that fill out this bill nicely. It is not a stretch to think that Unifier and Maid Myriad playing bigger shows with each other around the area and country in the near future. These guys don’t get South very often, so you don’t want to miss them.

If you are anywhere near Raleigh and like Alternative music, come to this show. This is one of the most solid bills for Indie/Alternative Rock we are likely to see in the Triangle for a long-time.

The Chloe Ladd directed play is excellent. This production brings to the stage one of my favorite movies. Adrian Thornburg captures Dr. Horrible’s sweetness and sincerity under his horrible exterior. When you consider this role was played perfectly by Neil Patrick Harris in the movie, playing Dr. Horrible requires an actor capable of rising to the standard. Thornburg does. If you are a fan of the original and wondering how good a High School performer can play this role. Go see for yourself. There are two shows Saturday February 9, 2013 at 3 PM and 7:30 PM.

Kim Rubish does an excellent job of capturing Penny’s innocence and gullibility. Her delivery of the songs and dialogue was spot on. A special note to her love interest and Dr. Horrible’s arch-nemesis – Captain Hammer played by Conner Parkinson. He shined through at the press conference, at once bringing the audience in and delivering a stirring performance that brought the show to its horrible climax.

The Bad Horse Chorus with Palmer Anderson, Jack Carmichael and Aaron Shaw nail it. Watch for them and prepare to laugh.

If the great Thomas Drago Production of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog is not enough to get you to come out. All of the proceeds go to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. You can donate at http://www.alexslemonade.org /mypage/92248

Yes, this is happening. Every Second Sunday at 5 o’clock PM at Durham’s famous, Broad Street Cafe.

First Emerging Artist Series show is Sunday February 10, 2013 5 PM to 6:30 PM (followed by the successful Sunday Jazz Series, so come early and stay late)

When I started the Emerging Artist Series in Chapel Hill in February 2012, I had a simple idea: Create opportunities for High School Musicians to play. The Emerging Artist Series has primarily had indie rock and hip-hop bands. While those are important demographics, there is an undercurrent of Jazz in Durham, Chapel Hill and the rest of the Triangle. As part of the mission to create a viable self-supporting, sustainable arts community, I wanted to find a place for young Jazz Musicians to play outside of the structured systems. 

Enter friend of Jazz, The Broad Street Cafe. The Broad Street Cafe has a very successful Sunday Night Jazz Series that starts at 7:30 PM every Sunday Night. When I approached The Broad Street Cafe with the concept of Emerging Artist Jazz at The Broad Street Cafe, the decision was made to use every Second Sunday to give a showcase for young Jazz Musicians where they could get the feel for entertaining a Cafe crowd in a casual setting outside of the structure of school and competition.

The Broad Street Cafe has great food and is the perfect place to sit back, relax and enjoy Jazz as it is meant to be.

Come out Sunday, February 10 at 5 PM as The Emerging Artist Series is proud to present Emerging Artist Jazz at The Broad Street Cafe.

Please help us keep this growing by giving a little bit. Thanks.