Will Hoge gets nominated for a Grammy during Chapel Hill show

Photos by Kevin Norris

Wednesday night brought Nashville singer-songwriter Will Hoge's Let Me Be Lonely solo tour to Local 506. It was a partially seated show which is something I'd never seen in the small Chapel Hill club before.

After a few quirky and impressive tricks from local magician Michael Casey (aka Magic Mike), Hoge took the stage to play a career-spanning set, including quite a

John Vanderslice and Crooked Fingers charm Kings Barcade

Photos by Justin Weber

John Vanderslice and Crooked Fingers kicked off a 3 week tour together with a fun and friendly show to a small crowd at Kings Barcade in Raleigh Tuesday night.

Vanderslice opened the show by praising the quality of the backstage food and then proved his point by bringing out a giant bowl of kale to share with the audience. He played solo most of the night, but the

Divine Fits rocks through fiery set at Lincoln Theatre

All photos by Kevin Norris

Indie rock supergroup Divine Fits, featuring Britt Daniel of Spoon, Dan Boeckner formerly of Wolf Parade and Handsome Furs, and Sam Brown of New Bomb Turks, rolled into the Raleigh Sunday night to play a fiery show in support of their debut album A Thing Called Divine Fits.

The band got things started with "Neopolitans" and roared through a killer set including "My

Passion Pit plays packed, sweaty show at The Ritz

All photos by Kevin Norris

Days after playing for millions of viewers on Saturday Night Live, Passion Pit rolled into Raleigh to play a sold out show at The Ritz (which has returned to the name after being called the Disco Rodeo for many years).

The band stormed the stage and immediately launched into "Talk a Walk," the first single from their new album Gossamer. They didn't slow down and

Stars, Diamond Rings & California Wives rock the Cradle

All photos by Kevin Norris

Canadian indie pop band Stars returned to the Cat's Cradle on Wednesday night to share their latest album The North with their Triangle fans.

The band played a set heavy on the new album, opening with danceable first single "The Theory of Relativity" and they played all but one of the twelve songs during their 20-song set. The crowd belted out the lyrics to the new

Hopscotch 2012 Day 3: Versus, Sunn O)))

All photos by Kevin Norris

New York indie rockers Versus took the stage at the Lincoln Theatre on Saturday night which was dominated by Merge acts (Mac McCaughan and Wye Oak were also on the bill). The band rocked through the first few songs of their set which sounded fantastic.

A little later over at Memorial Auditorium, smoke machines filled the dark venue well before drone metal band Sunn

Hopscotch 2012 Day 3: The Roots, Shirlette & The Dynamite Brothers

Photo by Kevin Norris

Weather was not a friend to the Hopscotch Music Festival on Saturday evening as a strong band of storms rolled through Raleigh forcing crowds to seek shelter in local businesses around City Plaza. The crowd patiently waited and even though Escort set's was canceled, once the rained passed, The Roots stormed the stage.

The band are a true powerhouse both musically and as

Hopscotch 2012 Day 3: Lambchop, Wye Oak

All photos by Kevin Norris

Fletcher Opera Theater is the perfect venue for the current Lampchop tour. The band wants to play as quiet as possible and the theater provided both the acoustics and expectations to make it work.

Early this year at Motorco, Lampchop tried a similar set that was marred by an incessant hum from on of the amps and a chatty crowd. In Fletcher the audio was perfect.

Hopscotch 2012 Day 3: Megafaun, The dB's, Mount Moriah

Photo by Kevin Norris

One of the most talked about day parties of Hopscotch 2012 was the big Megafaun and Friends party in front of Mecca on Martin Street.

Megafaun were joined by phenomenal guitarist William Tyler for most of the set which included "His Robes," "Heretofore," "Second Friend" and "Get Right." Towards the end of the set, the band were joined by Adam Granduciel of The War on

Hopscotch 2012 Day 2: The dB's

All photos by Kevin Norris

Venerable North Carolina pop rock band The dB's took  the stage at one of the Hopscotch Festival's new venues, Long View Center, late Friday night to play songs from their new album Falling Off the Sky as well as songs from their catalog.

The original four-piece band were accompanied by local singer-songwriter Brett Harris sounded fantastic on classics like "Love is

Hopscotch 2012 Day 2: The Weather Station, Hiss Golden Messenger

Photo by Michael Graham

The Fletcher Opera Theater was full of fantastic folks music on Friday night. Canadian singer-songwriter Tamara Lindeman, aka The Weather Station, and Hiss Golden Messenger featuring Brad and Phil Cook of Megafaun and guitarist William Tyler, stunned crowds with their sets.

Check out photos of The Weather Station and Hiss Golden Messenger below.



Photo by Michael

Hopscotch 2012 Day 2: Naked Gods and Yo La Tengo

Photo by Kevin Norris

It was a good night for rock and roll in Raleigh and the comfortably full Tir Na Nog got some of the best.

Boone's Naked Gods owned the small stage in the Irish pub. Singer Seth Sullivan bashed his tambourine with fury in between verses. Guitarist Derek Wycoff bent his guitar every which away to get it to scream and howl.

While Naked Gods’ robust rock is angular at

Hopscotch 2012 Day 2: Built to Spill, Jesus and Mary Chain

Photo by Kevin Norris

The first main stage show at Hopscotch 2012 was a blast from the past. Hall of fame indie rockers Built to Spill and The Jesus and Mary Chain brought the audience back to the 90’s.

The crowd was packed up to the sound tents when I arrived during Built to Spill. The band’s classic slacker rock sounded good, but the crowd was in a lull. Other than lead singer Doug Martsch,

Hopscotch 2012 Day 2: The Love Language, Lonnie Walker, The Lollipops

All photos by Michael Graham

During the day on Friday, Hopscotch threw a big day party bash in front of the Contemporary Art Museum (CAM) in Raleigh headlined by The Love Language.

The band played a bunch of new material, presumably from their forthcoming album, as well as some classics with a new lineup that featured Ryan Gustafson on guitar, original drummer Tomas Simpson, and Mark Simonsen

Hopscotch 2012 Day 1: J Roddy Walston & The Business at Tir Na Nog

Photos by Kevin Norris

Maryland rockers J Roddy Walston and the Business brought a little old school rock and roll to the first night of Hopscotch playing to a big, sweaty crowd at Tir Na Nog.

The band jammed away on their classic sounds and frontman Walston noted that the band were playing a bunch of new songs for the crowd who seemed to love every minute of it.  The band also encouraged the

Hopscotch 2012 Day 1: Lilac Shadows at Kings

All photos by Kevin Norris

Carrboro band Lilac Shadows kicked off the 2012 Hopscotch festivities at Kings Barcade. With the aid of some projected psychedelic visuals, the band sounded stellar.

Sam Logan's catchy, dream-like songs felt even more lush live than they do on record and the band were solid. The title track from the band's debut release, the Shallow Madness EP, was particularly

Foo Fighters play epic 35-song set for Rock the Vote in Charlotte

Arena rock superstars Foo Fighters stopped at the Fillmore in Charlotte for a rare club show on Wednesday night to support Rock the Vote and die-hard fans were treated to a 35-song set that clocked in at just over three hours.

The band brought their A-game, rolling through a set of greatest hits combined with songs from their latest album Wasting Light, all of which sounded phenomenal. The band

Janelle Monáe plays short, fiery set at the ArtsCenter

Photos by Kevin Norris

Grammy nominated R&B/soul singer Janelle Monáe rolled into the ArtsCenter on Saturday evening for a Young Americans for Obama event only announced two days earlier. Word got around, because a large crowd showed up for the concert which saw the Carrboro venue playing the role of a full-on rock club.

Monáe is a force to be reckoned with on stage. She has commanding

Megafaun closes out summer at Duke Gardens

Photos by Kevin Norris

Local superstars Megafaun returned to Duke Gardens on Wednesday evening to close out the 2012 season with bang (the band first played the Gardens in 2009).

After opening with the quirky instrumental "Isadora," Phil Cook has some problems with his banjo. Being the incredibly adaptable band they are, he simply didn't use it on the ballad "The Longest Day" making for a

Midtown Dickens & friends bring charming folk to Duke Gardens

Photos by Kevin Norris

Isolated storms steered clear of Duke Gardens on Wednesday evening which meant that Midtown Dickens and a cavalcade of friends were able to play quirky folk for a lawn full of excited fans.


The band stumbled through through the first part of the set having issues with guitar straps and playing the right harmonica, but the rough-and-tumble nature of the set adds to