Last month, we ran a story about Ba Da Bing Records and label head Ben Goldberg, who called Chapel Hill home in the late ‘90s while working at Merge. The most popular band on Ben’s label, Beirut, releases its second LP, The Flying Club Cup, on Oct. 9. In that story, speaking of Beirut, Ben said: “It’s a very anticipated record, and I’ve never worked with a very anticipated record on my label before, at all. This is something different, like when you’re worrying … about it leaking early.”

And so, now you have the evermore popular watermarked advance. A big day for the little steppers!

I dig the first five minutes in a big way, not to mention the Steve Reich-circa-Desert Musicbutplaying-Vince Guaraldi tune. Also, Beirut frontman Zach Condon is on the new A Hawk & A Hacksaw EP, which is fantastic!

The Shins, Memorial Auditorium, Friday, Oct. 19.

Birds of Avalon pulled out of Raleigh today for a show that’s probably finishing up in Baltimore right now. They’ll hit some dates on the Volcom tour and some headlining gigs before returning South for some dates with The Flaming Lips. The closest they’ll come to their hometown, however, will be Amos’ South End on Wednesday, Oct. 3. That’ll be a colorshow, for sure.

CBGB’s founder Hilly Kristal is dead at 75. Yesterday, Midtown Dickens pointed out page 27 of John Putnam’s collection of CBGB’s photographs, CBGB: Decades of Graffiti. The orange photo above the right side of the bench looks familiar, eh?

Click on the photo to see a larger version.

Good story by David Menconi over the weekend on the current downslope of big-shed popularity, its geezer upswing and its heavy white quotient. At least Van Halen’s keeping its sweat off our stages, eh?

Mississippi author is a recognized breed, just like Texas singer/songwriter. Ex-Marine and firefighter Larry Brown was part of the former group, but you get the feeling that he’d be just as comfortable, if not more so, in the latter. Brown, who died of an apparent heart attack in the late fall of 2004, was a music fan, and he hung around with and wrote about musicians. I remember an especially cool piece that Brown wrote about the Oxford, MS-based Blue Mountain for The Oxford American. He also wrote the liner notes for that band’s Homegrown record. According to his wife, Brown tried to make time every night to play his guitar.

Tim Lee was the Neil Young/Ian Hunter-favoring half of the Mississippi-based duo the Windbreakers, one of the leading lights of the so-called Southern pop movement of the ‘80s. Lee’s now in Knoxville, but he’s a Mississippian by birth and at heart. According to Lee, “When (Larry Brown) died, it struck me that there could be no better tribute to the man than a collection of his musical friends’, fans’ and peers’ homages to Larry and his work.” Thus stricken, Lee set about compiling what became Just One More: A Musical Tribute to Larry Brown.

Just One More gathers artists ranging from Alejandro Escovedo, Blue Mountain’s Cary Hudson and Vic Chesnutt to two generations of (no relation to Larry) Browns—Greg and his daughter Pieta, who each contribute a track. There’s the veteran (Jim Dickinson), the ancient (T-Model Ford) and even the late (the North Mississippi Allstars take on the trad song “Glory” with help from Otha Turner). Ex-Slobberbone leader and current head Dram Brent Best offers a lengthy but tremendous Nebraskaish cut, and there’s an alwayswelcome new song from Scott Miller & the Commonwealth. Chesnutt’s contribution is typical Vic: meandering, but with periodic moments of genius that make it worth the trip.

The songs tend to be about Brown or inspired by his writing. Or, in some cases, they just plain share his cooler-full-of-beer, let’s-head-to-the-fish-pond aesthetic. Earthy, wise, and genuine, the results will make you believe that people and songs can be kindred spirits. On Saturday, Sept. 1, Tim Lee and his wife Susan Bauer Lee will guide a a couple of their fellow contributers—namely, Best, Pieta Brown, and Bo Ramsey—to Hideaway BBQ and make you believe it in person.

Though his humble, soft-spoken nature wouldn’t reflect it, Chuck Johnson has remained in constant flux with music projects ranging from modern classical to guitar experimentation, from noise-pop to techno. This week, he’s attending a retreat on deep listening, the application of the practice of mindfulness towards sound, with Pauline Oliveros at her Institute. In the coming weeks, he’ll be starting the MFA in Electronic Music and Recording Media in the esteemed music department at Mills College, in Oakland, California, where Oliveros is an alumnus and artist-in-residence. Some of you may remember that WXYC’s Bob Boster entered the same program around 10 years ago. Others may know it for its association with the minimalism movement, and composers like Terry Riley or Steve Reich.

In my story on Chuck in this week’s paper, a handful of local music folks wax about Chuck’s bearing on them, and it’s none too small. Talented people like Chuck at once inspire, agitate and keep local music community moving in ways that make writers want to use the old chestnut “local treasure.” But Chuck was always a little under the radar. If you’re not already familiar with Chuck or his work, please check out our mix of examples of his music, ranging from his early avant-rock days in Spatula to recent film score work.

And if you already know Chuck, then you’ll dig this recording of Spatula’s reunion show in 2002, when they covered Funkadelic’s “Maggot Brain.” Look out, Oakland.

Another N.C. jazz native.

Ben Davis and Cat’s Cradle are working together on a benefit to raise student awareness for local music and money for the Piedmont Wildlife Center. It’s turned into something bigger than all of the parties expected: The show will now run from Friday, Aug. 31 to Sunday, Sept. 2. Here’s the preliminary list of bands, with more expected to come soon:

Roman Candle

The Strugglers

BoxBomb

Fin Fang Foom

Hobex

Transportation

The Never

Endless Mic

Red Collar

Big Fat Gap

Kingsbury Manx (Acoustic)