Week 67: North Carolina Music Online 1, TriangleRock.Com
On this blog, I am the Chapel Hill, and by association the Triangle Area (Chapel Hill/Durham/Raleigh) and North Carolina representative. It says it right there next to my name on the right. As such I try, at least occasionally, to write about North Carolina music. I’ve written about the Dirty Little Heaters, The Avett Brothers, Dexter Romweber, The Spinns, Valiant Thorr, and the Midtown Dickens, among others. This, however, is just a drop in the ocean of music that can be found in this state.
So in an attempt to offer a more complete version of what North Carolina music is, has been, and could be, I am starting this series which will feature mainly, though not exclusively, blogs and forums about North Carolina music. With each of these installments I will add the link to the site in our blog links list to the right.
This week’s featured site is TriangleRock.com and its associated google group, alt.music.chapel-hill. Both are managed by Rice University Alum and Houston expat Ross Grady. Ross has been involved with various aspects of Triangle Area music for a few years and currently, besides managing these two sites, he hosts a show at WXDU, the Duke University radio station, where he features local bands playing live and he also makes recommendations of local CD’s for the station playlists. Some of you Houstonians who read this might have known him from his KTRU days. Here’s a nice article about him from our local weekly paper, The Independent.
TriangleRock.com is a solid site for one of the central areas of NC music. It has a great calendar listing shows for the current week, complete with a music player that plays music by some of the bands listed; it has a list of venues with descriptions of them, a list of local bands, and a link to Ross’s live local music show page on WXDU. It has a list of blogs and online articles about North Carolina with descriptions (some of these will also be linked here as this series progresses). All this is very useful and Ross keeps it well updated.
However, the best part of it all is the alt.music.chapel-hill google group. This is a no frills discussion board that has been active since 1994. It has a wide membership from the area that includes musicians, fans, and industry people. Posts range from announcements of all kinds to lively discussions on everything from why it is so hard for some bands to get a show at some venues, to why it is so hard to keep some music venues open. The discussions are specifically about local area situations, but they reflect situations found in almost every music community around the country.
It’s also kind of cool to look back at their archives and see what discussions about music people were having 10+ years ago. On June 1994, for example there was a discussion about a group called Polvo who apparently played the Duke Coffeehouse with another group called Guided by Voices…
So in an attempt to offer a more complete version of what North Carolina music is, has been, and could be, I am starting this series which will feature mainly, though not exclusively, blogs and forums about North Carolina music. With each of these installments I will add the link to the site in our blog links list to the right.
This week’s featured site is TriangleRock.com and its associated google group, alt.music.chapel-hill. Both are managed by Rice University Alum and Houston expat Ross Grady. Ross has been involved with various aspects of Triangle Area music for a few years and currently, besides managing these two sites, he hosts a show at WXDU, the Duke University radio station, where he features local bands playing live and he also makes recommendations of local CD’s for the station playlists. Some of you Houstonians who read this might have known him from his KTRU days. Here’s a nice article about him from our local weekly paper, The Independent.
TriangleRock.com is a solid site for one of the central areas of NC music. It has a great calendar listing shows for the current week, complete with a music player that plays music by some of the bands listed; it has a list of venues with descriptions of them, a list of local bands, and a link to Ross’s live local music show page on WXDU. It has a list of blogs and online articles about North Carolina with descriptions (some of these will also be linked here as this series progresses). All this is very useful and Ross keeps it well updated.
However, the best part of it all is the alt.music.chapel-hill google group. This is a no frills discussion board that has been active since 1994. It has a wide membership from the area that includes musicians, fans, and industry people. Posts range from announcements of all kinds to lively discussions on everything from why it is so hard for some bands to get a show at some venues, to why it is so hard to keep some music venues open. The discussions are specifically about local area situations, but they reflect situations found in almost every music community around the country.
It’s also kind of cool to look back at their archives and see what discussions about music people were having 10+ years ago. On June 1994, for example there was a discussion about a group called Polvo who apparently played the Duke Coffeehouse with another group called Guided by Voices…
Labels: North Carolina Music Online, Thursdays
12 Comments:
Ross Grady looks very familiar I have to say but I don't remember him directly.
From that show list - Of course I don't know many of those acts. Jason Ringenberg is a cool guy. He's totally into the parent thing too and does some good kiddie shows. He has an album dedicated to his young daughter too that is pretty. I'll see if I can dig something up from that for the cast.
I've seen Richard Buckner a couple of times and find it boring though I like some of his recorded stuff.
Hey how come New Town Drunks isn't on there?
I was interested in moving to Chapel Hill in the mid 90's still looks like a great place. Maybe someday I will. We're still mobile.
As far as doing the same thing for Chicago now that you've put the thought in my head, I don't know. I've actually thought about it before but feel like this city gets a lot of attention right now anyway especially in regards to indie rock.
The Jason Ringenberg show should be great. The Two Dollar Pistols are playing too and they are on their last shows before their already announced break up, so i'm sure they'll be tearing it up like there is not tomorrow, cuase there isn't much of one for them.
I'm not sure what you mean about doing the same thing for chicago? the same thing Ross has been doing? the same thing I'm doing on this blog?
If its about what I'm doing, then be aware that i'm not just going to be doing indie rock stuff (neither is Ross for that matter), and i'm sure there are plenty of music blogs and forums in chicago that are not getting all that much attention (at least not from our discerning readership). you could also stretch outside of Chicago a bit maybe into Detroit, Ann Arbor, Columbus, Minneapolis….
I meant something like what you're doing. But I can't reach out to those cities too much since I've only been to one of them, Minneapolis (which rocks btw).
No I didn't think you were going to concentrate on indie (Thank God too because I think indie rock should be thrown off a cliff). I just meant that the Chicago scene gets a lot of press what with Albini, John Langford, Lollapalooza, Pitchfork, Wilco and all that kind of thing going on here.
Anyway it's worth some thought - how to approach this. Thanks for putting it in the noggin. Look forward to more penis boy.
Jason Ringenberg reminds me of a Napcast Theme I want to do.
Before and After.
In JR's case it would be some of his early Scorchers stuff versus his softer poppa side.
That Guided By Voices/Polvo show was, I believe, the same night we (meaning Dyn@mutt) played at Local 506 in Chapel Hill, and I remember being endlessly frustrated that we couldn't go to that as well as play, or somehow have swung an opening slot on that show. I can't remember what the name of the band we played with was, or even if there was another band, but I do remember there were, like, three people at a show, one of whom was a college friend, one was a guy in a DRI shirt who was a one-man mosh pit during a show, and one was a sax player, who joined us for a twenty-minute "can't call it an encore so much as just kept playing when we ran out of songs" jazz odyssey, the first and only time we did such a thing.
I think I know who that sax player was.... hehe.
Have you all seen this? About John Darnielle's new book...
Seems like something made specifically for our blog...
Speaking of which Carlos - have you seen the images on tMG's main page? They seem specifically for you.
damn, they sure do.
carlos: for what it's worth, you always pique my interest with your reviews of live shows. they're not really reviews...more first had accounts. but they make me wished i were there.
btw, is anyone interested in going to Terrastock this year? Linus Pauling Quartet will be playing so it'll be our family's summer vacation. Ramon can you post a link? (maybe you could write about the other bands at the festival? there are a few that i am completely unfamiliar with...)
I'm actually trying to play catch up right now. I got halfway through Doug's post (which I enjoyed) but work has been a bear this week. I can't even think forward to next week.
But here is the link: Terrastock 7
Terrastock 7 looks cool. Although I agree with the promoters, it is too bad the Acid Mothers can't do it.
I could actually see us getting down for that. If anybody else is interested let me know.
Steve Krakow, aka Plastic Crimewave, is pretty alright. Looks like his band is coming down for this. He's quite active in the Psych scene here. He writes, er draws, a column for the Reader - the Secret History of Chicago Music. Ramon, you might like.
Anyway good going LP4.
is anyone interested in going to Terrastock this year?
Only if there's the possibility of riding in a garbage truck.
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home