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Music news for May 1
An Elizabeth City based band, Vivid Darkness, is headlining at The Norva in downtown Norfolk on May 3, along with our friends from Further Adieu. There are four bands in all, so it should be a good show. We will be doing a feature on Vivid Darkness sometime in the near future, but we’re somewhat backlogged with bands at the moment. Saturday’s issue will feature local performer and owner of Cypress Creek grill, Bobby Plough. You’ve seen him at the Potato Festival and The City Wine Sellar. He has a new CD coming out and it should be pretty good. It’s produced by Bobby and Martin Parker and features several prominent local musicians, including Kyleen Kendall of The Daily Advance. Still no word on the Further Adieu CD, the Strings Attached CD or the band Guta. Summer is coming, so there will be more bands and soloists out and about, so our local entertainment schedule is bigger than usual. That’s a good thing!
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News for the week of April 6
It’s been a busy couple of weeks here at the office, what with the redesign of the newspaper and all, but we’re still alive. I hope everybody enjoyed the article on ‘Big Daddy’ Stallings. He’s really quite a guy and full of a lot of amazing stories, many of which I couldn’t fit in the article because of space constraints. I highly recommend his CD, ‘Blues Evolution,’ which you can get on his web site at www.bigdaddystallings.com. There’s a lot of BB King and Muddy Waters influence in there, and the man will make you laugh. Also, next month will feature local singer/songwriter and owner of Cypress Creek Grill, Mr. Bobby Plough, along with some other musicians, including Kyleen Kendall, who works here at The Daily Advance. The region should be gearing up for some good local music soon, so watch for it at The City Wine Sellar, Thumpers, Coasters, the deck outside at Groupers, Levels Sports Bar, ECSU, COA, the Potato Festival, The Onley Place in Belvidere, Kelly’s in Nags Head and anywhere else that features live music.
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I know it’s only rock and roll
Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed that Madonna does NOT play rock and roll? Silly question, I know, but the Rock an Roll Hall of Fame seems to be a bit confused. No disrespect to Madonna; she has done some amazing, albeit controversial, things in her career, but I can’t remember any great rock and roll songs being among her accomplishments. Papa Don’t Preach? Hey, I’m not preaching, I’m just saying that, as I’ve read on several other blogs, there are many bands and artists, such as John Mellencamp or Styx or Rush that deserve to be there much more so than she does. I would consider her for the pop or possibly the R&B Hall of Fame, if they ever decide to branch out and create a another wing to the building. Come on, though, lets stick to the rock and roll. Don’t put Madonna up there with the Stones; that’s sacrilege.
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Music news for 03-02-08
Further Adieu had a great acoustic show at Coasters in Elizabeth City on Saturday night. I’m always impressed by how the songs written by the band are consistently above average. I usually have to ask someone, “Is that a cover song or an original?” It’s hard to tell with them because there is no difference in the quality of songwriting. J.J. tells me the band has been getting airplay in Va. Beach on FM93.7 and FM99, which is an amazing feat in itself. Also, the crowd at Coasters, as usual for the band, was standing room only - all night. I expect to see great things happen for Further Adieu. The CD is still in the works, they say. The word on the street about another great local band, Guta, is that they are on hiatus while lead singer and guitarist Teddy Sablon is in Colorado working on a project. Maybe the CIA? Who knows? More news about Out’n the Cold, Eddie B. and other local artists coming soon.
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Local music news for 2-16-08
According to local musician and owner of Cypress Creek Grill, Bobby Plough, he is currently working on a new CD project with engineer extraordinaire Martin Parker, who seems to be very busy lately. Plough says he is working with several musicians on the project, some from as far away as Texas. He also said the sound is similar to what he plays at his shows, sort of a mix between mellow rock and country. We will be featuring a story on Plough in the May issue of The Albemarle Sound, just after the CD is scheduled for release. He will be having a release party, time and date to be announced. Speaking of Martin Parker, Blake from Strings Attached says that their current CD project is on hold while the bass player is training as a volunteer firefighter, so a date for that release is still up in the air. The band doesn’t have a gig lined up until summer, so don’t look for them until then. As usual, we will keep you posted on any new happenings in the local music world. If there is anything going on you’d like us to know about or a band you’d like to see featured, send us an email or comment on this blog.
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The Zep has landed - again
Is anybody as stoked about the Led Zeppelin reunion as I am? Granted, Robert Plant can’t perform his youthful vocal gymnastics as well as he once could, and Jimmy Page’s hair is white instead of black, but if anyone remembers the Plant/Page reunion in the 90s, with the live album and full Indian orchestra and the studio album, ‘Walking Into Clarksdale,’ you know that the new Zeppelin will have some power. I didn’t get to see it, but I heard that the concert in London, with Jason Bonham, John’s son, on drums, was immaculate. The band said that the chemistry was instantaneous, and I believe it. They called Jason ‘Son of Thunder.’ Of course, they have played with him a couple of times before to less than spectacular effect, but I don’t think Plant was quite ready for things to happen yet. There were too many bad memories for him, what with the loss of his son in ‘77 and his friend and band mate, John Bonham, in 1980. But I think they’re ready, now. They’re going to show us just what a bunch of old guys can do - when they’re still young at heart. They will supposedly be getting back together in September after Robert Plant finishes his current tour with Allison Kraus. I will be waiting, because I have a whole lotta love for Led Zeppelin.
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Music news for 1-25-08
Blake Cooper of Strings Attached tells me that the band is going into the studio with Martin Parker, formerly the drummer for Vince Gill and currently playing with Out’n the Cold. Parker has a small studio in Edenton where he recently moved from Nashville. He said he’s hoping to get the recording done in a week. The band’s sound is tight, so I believe they will do it. Further Adieu, who will be featured in the next issue of the Albemarle Sound, is also working on a CD, but no word on when that will be available. The show at Thumpers last Saturday was great - a standing room only crowd. I shot some video there, which will be available on The Daily Advance web site next month. It will be coupled with photos taken by Justin Falls and an original song written by Further Adieu.
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Latest news for 1-18-08
The Next issue of The Albemarle Sound, Feb. 2, will feature the local band Further Adieu. These guys are really good, reminiscent of 90’s rock (my favorite), bands such as Stone Temple Pilots, but a little more on the pop side. They tell me they’re playing a gig at Levels, so apparently Levels is getting into the live band scene as opposed to strictly DJs. In the past, performers have played in the back bar, so that may be the case here, but who knows? The band will be playing tonight at Thumpers, so go check them out and look for me and photographer Justin Falls to be there, as well. I have word from owners of The City Wine Sellar that they will be having an open mike night beginning sometime in the near future, so keep an eye out for that. According to them, they have had quite an influx of performers wanting to play there, so there will likely be some new faces at The City Wine Sellar in the months to come.
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CDs versus mp3s
I definitely think there is a lot to be said about being able to download an artist’s song without having to purchase an entire CD. I myself have music for sale on iTunes and other places on the internet, and I must admit I’ve made more money off that than I have off selling actual CDs on line. But the problem with just buying one song, one that wasn’t meant to be sold as a single, is that you don’t get the full impact of an artist’s statement. A body of music is, more often than not, meant to be taken as a whole and not just as a disc full of singles. Take Seargent Pepper, for instance. The Beatles never allowed any singles to be made from that album - that’s why you don’t hear songs like Lucy in the Sky (except for the Elton John version), being played on the radio. The Beatles intended for that album to be taken as a whole, to be understood as one complete statement. To do otherwise would be like taking a person’s statement out of context and publishing it in a newspaper or on a web site - it’s just not going to be understood in the proper context. Of course, there are albums that can be all but unlistenable except for one certain song, and in those cases mp3s make a lot of sense. For the most part, however, CDs should be listened to the same way they’re recorded - all at once. That CD is like a snapshot, a moment in the life of that band or musician - it’s where they’re at at that particular point in time. Otherwise, you’re not getting the whole picture, and in that case, you may be cheating yourself out of a great experience.
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Trendsetting
I was so glad to see that someone took the intiative to put together an outdoor music concert, one that actually had some decent bands and seemed to bring in a good crowd - about 500 people, which for this area is a good crowd. Of course, I’m talking about Camstock, which was a benefit to raise money for Camtech, the technical school for high school students in Camden. I know we’ve had other benefits recently, as well, such as the Benefit for Darfur at The Weeping Radish in Jarvisburg last May. I believe we could probably have a lot more of these concerts. Every time I drive by the Waterfront park on any night of the week, including weekends, I see an endless parade of cars and trucks full of teenagers driving in and out of the parking lot with nothing to do. Well, why not give them something to do? There is already a stage in the park and I’m sure it has electricity, even enough to power a rock band. I think kids would love to see some local bands playing out in the park. Many of them probably play in their own bands and would love a chance to get out in front of a crowd and do their thing. I realize it takes money to organize and advertise a concert, but I think the potential profits for the city or charity would outweigh any costs.It could be free, like the Potato Fest, but there could be vendors or t-shirt sales or some way I’m sure any business-minded person could find to turn a profit. I also think it would give our kids something to show them that we’re not clueless about their boredom, and that we care. Maybe we could start a new trend - concerts in the park.
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Creating a local buzz
I’ve noticed that since we started the music page in The Daily Advance a week ago, I have been getting emails about bands that I never knew existed. It was as if they magically appeared out of nowhere. Well, that’s good for me - that gives me more resources for the music page, but it also makes me wonder: Where have these bands been? I see some of them periodically at festivals (the Potato Fest, Harbor Nights, etc), but it seems that I see mostly the same bands playing the same venues fairly consistently. I’m not saying that’s bad - at least I know that musicians are getting gigs, making money and growing a fan base. But it tells me that a lot of bands either, A: Aren’t trying to get gigs, or B: Clubs are turning them down. It may even be C: Not enough clubs for all the bands. In my own experience, though, I know that it can be hard for an unknown band, especially one that plays all original music, to get a gig anywhere without a track record, or at least a CD. It’s like trying to get a job - no experience, no job; no job, no experience, and on and on it goes.So, I make a plea to the local clubs - give some bands a break, even if you have to pay them a little something. At least you know, if nothing else, their friends and family will show up, and that can sometimes turn out to be quite a good crowd. How about an open mic night? I also make the plea to local bands and soloists - Don’t be afraid to assert yourself and let club owners know you’re around. Go to the clubs and tell them who you are, record a tape of your music (preferably a CD), and write yourself a biography telling them what you’ve done and where you’ve been. And club goers, support your local music. Bands that make the big time will remember those who supported them in the beginning. Together we can create a buzz.
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Stuck in the 90’s
Okay, it’s time to end the charade and admit the awful truth - I’ve never blogged in my life. Oh sure, I’ve read plenty of blogs and even answered a few blogs, but never have I blogged myself. That’s right, I’m……………web log challenged. So bear with me as I embark on this, the first blog of (hopefully), many more to come. As the title of this blog says, I am one of those who remembers, and still enjoys, the college music scene of the 90s. Recall, if you will, bands like Dada, School of Fish, Lemonheads, Buffalo Tom, Meat Puppets, Dinosaur, Jr., Better Than Ezra, Semisonic, Tonic and all the bands that played gigs at the old Boathouse in Va. Beach. I still enjoy many of those bands today, some of whom are still around and whose CDs I will continue to buy. Dinosaur, Jr. has recently embarked on a new tour with the original songwriting duo of Barlow and J. Mascis, the Lemonheads have released a new album, Better Than Ezra has never really waned in popularity (I liked their last CD, something about robots), but many of the good bands have gone their separate ways and moved on to other projects. The shoe gazing bands of the grunge scene were great, too. Who didn’t like Nirvana? They gave us another killer band, the Foo Fighters, who I think are pretty awesome (they also have a new CD out). I’m not a huge fan of Mudvayne, but they had their place in the grunge revolution, as did Pearl Jam and others. That was good music. I’m a little disappointed with the music of the 21st century, though some bands that carried over from the 90’s, like Nada Surf and Gomez, and especially Fountains of Wayne, are still making the scene and getting played in my CD player, but most of the stuff I’m hearing on the radio today just doesn’t do it for me. I’m not going to name any specific artists, but let’s just say the banality of it all is a bit disheartening. Of course, fans of 80’s music would surely say the same of 90’s music, so I suppose it’s all relative to your point of view. I could go on, but I think I made my point, which is this - the 90’s were cool, music wise. Otherwise, the 90’s stunk. I could go into a diatribe about the lost sound of 70’s soul music, (which may be making a comeback), but I’ll save that for another time. Thanks for listening and let us know what you think.
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Weekend Music update 11/01 to 11/04
This weekend music around the sound country includes a few gospel sings and a little jazz. If we missed a venue, send an e-mail to elizabethcity@coxnc.com and put “Albemarle Sounds” in the subject line.
Gospel sing Who: American Legion Post 40 When: Friday , 7-11 p.m. $10 per person Where: Amer. Legion Post 40 Contact: 482-2386
Jazz and freestyle Latin Jazz trio Who: The City Wine Sellar When: Friday , 7-10 p.m. Where: The Sellar Wine Bar, Elizabeth City
Relay for Life fundraiser, tribute to Elvis Presley Who: VFW Post 6060 When: Saturday, 7 p.m. dinner and silent auction Where: Hwy. 17 North, Elizabeth City Contact: 335-7167 Admission: $20 per ticket
Who: Sounds of Joy What: acclaimed group from Virginia Beach, performs variety of music When: Sunday, 7:30 p.m. for free Where: First Baptist Church at 300 W. Main, Elizabeth City.
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Welcome to Albemarle Sounds!
Albemarle Sounds is a new blog brought to you by music lovers at The Daily Advance. Throughout the week we will update you on local music happenings, CD releases and even some new music reviews. And beginning Saturday, Nov. 3 we will launch our monthly music page in The Daily Advance print edition, Albemarle Sounds. The page, published the first Saturday of each month, will feature profiles on local bands and musicians, a monthly music calendar and an update on some of the newest CD releases.
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