The Independent Weekly’s words+ on music
Tonight at Slim’s, one of the best, The Kingsbury Manx, joins Inspector 22 for a benefit show for a friend with cystic fibrosis. I received this note Wednesday afternoon, after our print preview hit the racks.
Grayson,
Thanks for getting this weekend’s The Kingsbury Manx benefit show into this week’s Indy. It is very much appreciated. Our friend is getting the lung transplant as I type this.
Eugene Wheeler
See you there, I hope.
Annuals' Adam Baker, recording Hear Here: The Triangle at Flying Tiger Sound.
On Saturday, Aug. 29, Annuals, The Never, Hammer No More the Fingers and Birds of Avalon will play Cat’s Cradle to celebrate the release of Hear Here: The Triangle, a 17-track compilation featuring loads of new songs (and a few old cuts) from several of the Triangle’s best bands: The Rosebuds, Lonnie Walker, The Love Language, Birds of Avalon, The Kingsbury Manx and many more. A copy of the compilation—a joint production between Flying Tiger Sound, Terpsikhore Records and 88.1 WKNC FM—is included for $10 admission at the 8:30 p.m. Cradle show.
And it’s totally worth it, if for nothing more than the best Lonnie Walker song yet (”Feels Like Right,” which opens the disc) and the funniest The Rosebuds song yet (”Brad Cook Is Not Your Man,” which closes the disc). A promotional video for Hear Here has been making the rounds, and it includes “Flesh and Blood,” a Johnny Cash cover by Annuals that didn’t make the final cut due to licensing rights. The video approved tracklisting will be waiting after the jump. Continue reading »
Back in December, I mentioned Odessa Records—the new label from The Kinsgbury Manx member and former Touch & Go/Merge employee Paul Finn—and its exciting roster of three bands as one of the Triangle’s best musical prospects for the ‘09.
Turns out, that was totally true, too: The new records from Americans in France, Impossible Arms and The Kingsbury Manx represent as strong an introductory triptych as I could imagine for a verdant label. The Manx record arrives April 21, followed by the Arms and Americans on May 12. But you’ll likely be able to pick up copies of all three at Odessa’s first showcase, set for Thursday, April 9, at 9:30 p.m. at Cat’s Cradle. The free show doesn’t include Spider Bags, the destructo-country band with a single due on Odessa this summer. Take the jump for free mp3s from the first three Odessa acts, including “Crest,” an exclusive tune from The Kingsbury Manx. Continue reading »
—N.C. Symphony releases a record; Menconi on the downtown amphitheater; Odessa and Hot Releases; Manchild 4 Continue reading »
Schooner and The Kingsbury Manx
Pinhook, Durham
Jan. 30, 2009
Downtown Durham welcomes The Pinhook with open arms, and for good reason. Sure, the club provides a new watering hole for the Bull City, but it also aspires to become a legitimate music venue hosting performances on the regular. The spot’s run by a cadre of folks who actively participate in the scene they want to support. And, by setting up a stage flanked by speakers and a proper DJ booth, they’ve set themselves up for eventual success.
Though Friday’s double-bill of The Kingsbury Manx and Schooner wasn’t Pinhook’s first rock show, it was another test of the bar’s abilities to host bands, especially those who appear with their own built-in, local fans. Both The Kingsbury Manx and Schooner were unveiling new material, too, performing a little self-evaluation of their own.
It was chilly outside, so The Pinhook’s non-smoking status had people scurrying out for brief draws on cigarettes on the sidewalk. Inside, audience members crammed into the space in front of the stage or out front with the furniture. Through the back window, just over the stage, those in the first few rows could see the illuminated Lucky Strike smokestack and the new flickering “Old Bull” sign. Durham, all right.
The Kingsbury Manx played songs from its forthcoming fifth album, Ascenseur Ouvert!, starting off with a mix of acoustic guitars and organ. (To hear one of these songs, “Crest,” see the music player to your right.) Though a great fit for their music—all hushed lyrics, with the pace of a rocking-chair daydream—the set-up didn’t allow the intricacies of each song—or for that matter, the lyrics of new ones—to shine through. The Pinhook’s P.A. seemed to be working as hard as it was physically able without overloading, but the incessant hum of conversation—from the front row on back—made it hard for the band to get its subtle points across. Still, The Manx appeared unfazed, its members even grinning at one other. And they sounded as together as ever, harmonies sticking together like old friends. When the band switched instruments and went electric for the final songs, the music finally rose above the talking din. People sang along to their favorites.
When Schooner came on, Reid Johnson cordially said hello and announced his band would also play a lot of new tunes. Minus a busted guitar pedal, which caused a bit of feedback during one early number, Schooner sounded confident with each song, old or new. The fresh tunes moved with more dynamics than Schooner’s old material, and Johnson and sister Katherine held vocal duties well throughout a strong set. Reid even kicked the floor proudly on a few rockers, nailing home their points. It’s exciting to watch a band offer fresh stuff that tests previous limits. No acoustic guitars in sight, the band beat any outside noise far offstage.
While The Pinhook may be growing gradually into a live music venue, shows like this are an exciting happening in downtown Durham. (Ed.’s note: DPAC gigs not included, though it is a pretty room. Let’s hope Aaron Lewis understands.) Let’s hope this is only the beginning.
