Showing posts tagged “Troika Music Festival”
Bryan Reed ·
16 Nov 2009, 12:30 PM ·
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"It's so very red," said Collar via Twitter.
For Durham’s Red Collar, self-releasing its first full-length album, Pilgrim, in February was an impetus to take the show on the road and make a full-time go of rock ’n’ roll. The CDs were pressed and packaged, a publicity campaign was implemented and dates were booked. The band members packed into “Vandrew Blass,” the vehicle named for former keyboardist Andrew Blass. And, so far, it’s been paying off: The band picked up favorable reviews and college radio airtime nationwide and earned a slot at the recent CMJ Music Marathon in New York.
But Pilgrim, save for local consignment, wasn’t in stores. “One of the big problems with not having a label is not having physical distribution,” says guitarist Mike Jackson. That, though, is no longer a problem. Suburban Home Records and brother company Vinyl Collective picked up Pilgrim for distribution starting Dec. 1. The distribution deal coincides with a re-issue of Pilgrim as a limited-edition LP, pressed in a batch of 500 by Loose Charm Records.
The vinyl version is different than the CD, as the band shifted and pruned the track order. “It was harder than we thought,” says Jackson. “We had to cut some of the songs … We just couldn’t fit the album onto one LP and still have it sound good.”
“Stay” and “Hands Up,” which also appeared on Red Collar’s Hands Up EP, didn’t make the cut. They remain, though, on the LP’s digital component, a download card featuring all 11 tracks from the original CD version, plus an acoustic cover of Jawbreaker’s “Jinx Removing.”
Plus, vinyl has its own rewards: “There’s something more physical and immediate about having the record,” Jackson says. “CDs almost seem disposable at this point.”
For a video of Red Collar playing “Tools” with Maple Stave at Troika Music Festival last weekend, hit the jump. And for more of Spencer Griffith’s videos from Troika (and elsewhere), hit Scan’s YouTube channel. Continue reading »
New Music, News flashes, Troika Music Festival Red Collar, Troika Music Festival
Grayson Currin ·
5 Nov 2009, 7:27 PM ·
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This year’s Troika Music Festival begins in about 30 minutes, which you might’ve heard if you pay attention to the piece of Triangle media that covers local music. Need evidence of how well publicized this year’s festival has been?
WKNC’s interviewed one of the festival’s organizers, Kyle Miller.
WUNC interviewed Megafaun and asked about Bon Iver (very original).
UNC’s Diversions talked to Miller, too. Jordan Lawrence picked his Top 10 acts.
Duke’s The Chronicle talked to The Future Kings of Nowhere, Birds of Avalon, Megafaun, The Love Language and a few other Troika participants.
Ross Grady talked Troika on WXDU.
Karen Mann plugged it.
Here’s a nifty video guide.
And we went through the lineup band-by-band, including a description and downloadable MP3 for each.
After the jump, four of the Independent’s writers—myself, Spencer Griffith and Chris Toenes—share our must-see lists for the year’s festival. Continue reading »
You Should Do This Troika Music Festival
Grayson Currin ·
31 Aug 2009, 6:35 PM ·
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Well, hey there, little guy.
Troika Music Festival unveiled the first draft of its schedule for its three November days of music in Durham this morning, and it looks like organizers have landed on the most closely curated pool of bands and bills since the festival’s inception in 2002: All told, 71 acts will spread over eight venues (two of which remain unannounced) Nov. 5-7, and no more than four bands will play any venue on any night. In other words, lots of great bands will get ample set times.
Troika 2009 will begin with a centralized outdoor show on Thursday, Nov. 5, featuring the equally but divergent eclectic The Beast and Megafaun. Four sets of four bands then head indoors to four venues—one unannounced, The Pinhook, Duke Coffeehouse and Broad Street Cafe. For a measure of this year’s quality, note that Bowerbirds, Max Indian, Future Islands and The Moaners headline their respective venues. Now there’s a Versus to get excited about. Continue reading »
Live Actions: New Bills, Troika Music Festival Bowerbirds, Future Islands, Megafaun, The Love Language, Troika Music Festival
Grayson Currin ·
3 Jun 2009, 2:35 PM ·
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Pins on Needles: David Rogers' Pin Projekt contribution raised $380 for Troika Music Festival Friday.
The road to the eighth installment of Troika Music Festival—set for Nov. 5-7, in downtown Durham—might have been full of potholes and roadblocks in the rear-view, but Friday night at The Pinhook, the festival received loads of validation from its community: $3,210 of validation, to be exact.
That’s the total amount the festival raised at the Pin Projekt, its annual concert and art auction, in which old bowling pins are converted into new works of art. This year’s benefit featured appetizers from local restaurants and chefs, a concert by bluesman Cool John Ferguson, and 21 bowling pins repurposed by local artists, including Wendy Spitzer (Felix Obelix), Brian Walsby (Double Negative/ Polvo), Shirlé Hale-Koslowski (Gerty/ The Ex- Members) and Jodi Hoover. David Rogers’ large pins-on-needles edifice raised the most money with a winning bid of $380.
The good news doesn’t stop there for Troika: Organizers have already received 170 applications from bands hoping to play one of the three November dates. Though the application process doesn’t end until June 15, that’s as much as double the average number of applications for previous festivals. The number of applications from Raleigh bands has grown as well, not to mention the bands from Switzerland and Japan who’ve asked to play. “It’s grown virally, and I think we’ve also created a fanbase,” says Troika director Melissa Thomas. Approximately 50 of the interested bands will actually make the festival. Thomas says the process of listening to all of those demos has begun, and the lineup should be announced in early July.
News flashes Pin Projekt, Troika Music Festival
