AltWeeklies Wire
The leader of Trans-Siberian Orchestra reveals the magic of big catsnew
A year ago I sat at a deli and noticed what quite possibly was the greatest concert shirt ever made. On black cotton was a ferocious white tiger clawing an '80s style metal guitar, with crimson blood pouring out from the instrument's body.
San Antonio Current |
Jay Whitecotton |
12-22-2011 |
Music
The Nightmare Before Christmasnew
On the night of December 9, jazz pianist Jordan Pollard did something she had never done before: she left her Nord Electro 2 keyboard inside her car.
San Antonio Current |
Enrique Lopetegui |
12-22-2011 |
Music
Cruel Naturenew
Why PJ Harvey's 'Let England Shake' is the best album of 2011.
North Bay Bohemian |
Leilani Clark |
12-22-2011 |
Music
How Alesana Quietly Became One of North Carolina's Biggest Bandsnew
Songs inspired by fairy tales and classic fiction veer between bludgeoning metalcore and airy pop-rock, between complex prog and sing-along simplicity -- a sound the band has dubbed "sweetcore."
Tags: Alesana
Pres. Hall Leader on Big Easy Christmasnew
For all that hurricanes and oil spills can take away, tradition isn’t among them. At least not while institutions like Preservation Hall exists. After a series of commemorative shows at home, the famed jazz club’s house band is preparing to celebrate 50 years as the standard bearers for New Orleans jazz by doing what they do best: hitting the road for a special performance at Carnegie Hall in January. Until then, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band is evangelizing other Big Easy musical traditions with their Creole Holiday tour, coming to SECCA in Winston-Salem this Friday. Below, Preservation Hall Cre- ative Director and tuba player extraordinaire Ben Jaffe, son of hall founder Allan Jaffe, waxes on NOLA holiday traditions influenc- ing seasonal music and how relationships formed during the recording of the band’s 2010 benefit album have shaped the institu tions future.
YES! Weekly |
Ryan Snyder |
12-15-2011 |
Music
The Triangle's Top 10 Albums of 2011new
During a year when several of the Triangle's best-known bands didn't release records, area acts released, by my count, at least 30 albums that will henceforth belong in forever rotation.
North Carolina is an Inexplicable Hotbed for American Idol Heavyweightsnew
What unites Fantasia, Scotty and Clay also unites them with a lot of other artists in these parts, historically and now.
Two Glimpses Into the Often Overlooked Musical Diversity of Durham, N.C.new
Two music scenes thrived under (most of) our noses in 2011 -- a vivid belly dance picture and accompanying Middle Eastern and Arab live music both sacred and secular, and a young, eclectic jazz scene that increasingly makes its digs in downtown Durham.
Tags: Durham Music
The Year in Music 2011new
Musically, in the Triangle, there's an awful lot that we don't get to every week. At the close of this year, we check a few of those pockets.
Tags: Year in Music 2011
Laurelyn Dossett’s Gathering
From the Green Room in the basement of Meymandi Concert Hall in Raleigh, a cascade of banjo notes can be heard trailing down the hallway from the dressing room shared by Joe Newberry and Mike Compton. Soon, the virtuosic voice of Rhiannon Giddens Laffan — classically trained but steeped in traditional music practices — fills the air with operatic scales.
YES! Weekly |
Jordan Green |
12-03-2011 |
Music
Tags: Banjo, Laurelyn Dossett
Alien Synths and Primary Colorsnew
Synth music may flop in Southern California, but it thrives in Oakland.
East Bay Express |
George Chen |
12-02-2011 |
Music
Pay As You Choose: Why the eclectic Beehive label mattersnew
Since its founding in 2007 by Steve Nawara, Beehive has digitally released a consistent — and consistently eclectic — selection of sounds, a bona fide representation of Detroit’s fertile music scene, from funk to noisy-electro, country and folk to space rock. And it’s all available for download on a pay-as-you-choose basis.
Metro Times |
Chris Handyside |
12-02-2011 |
Music
The Wrath of Zeusnew
San Antonio rapper Carlton Zeus is no stranger to controversy.
San Antonio Current |
Enrique Lopetegui |
11-30-2011 |
Music
The Prince Vortexnew
Ever watch three hours of Prince videos straight? I did the other night, and I ended up locked within a vortex from which I could not escape.
The Coast, Halifax's Weekly |
Alison Lang |
11-29-2011 |
Music
Archival Record Label Numero Group Excavates Hidden Artistic Historiesnew
Chicago's Numero Group gives forgotten and unknown artists a strange second chance; this weekend, their Eccentric Soul Revue comes to Duke Performances.
Tags: Numero Group
