Social Calendar Updates - April 6-12th '13 edition

Thank the heavens it's the weekend. And thank the heavens, too...for (finally!) Spring is coming. (And, in comparison to most, I have absolutely no reason at all to complain about our winter. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure I've earned my PhD in Complaining now.  So why let great life experience go to waste??)

That said, I'm taking a quick moment to update several things of interest on the 'to do' calendar (in general for right now):

Today, April 6th:

• For the NCAA basketball fans out there (go Wichita State! my underdog love goes unchecked still), Southern Rail in Carrboro is having a viewing party (both for the semis today and the actual final game on Monday).  Free admission, but I recommend dining/beers there any time.
• And, for something completely new to my experience:  The Vaudevillain Revue - U.S.Oh! is on over at Motorco tonight.  Promises to have "...live music, burlesque, comedy, circus arts, and general shenanigans...". (Seriously, now, who doesn't like 'general shenanigans'?  Not love them, even?)  Doors open at 9pm, $10 tix now (plus Eventbrite charges, I think, unless bought in advance or at Motorco proper).  Facebook page updates here.

Tomorrow, April 7th:

• For the college baseball fans out there, UNC, the No. 1 ranked college mens' baseball team, has a home stand weekend (Friday-Sunday) battle versus Maryland.  Tickets are very affordable ($7-$10), and Sunday's game has a 1pm start time.  Home games are at Boshamer Stadium, and save $5 back for approved parking (nearby parking decks).
• And the aforementioned Motorco is hosting a "Mad Men" premiere party tomorrow night.  Free admission, on the jumbo megatron.  Starts at 8pm, but arrive early enough to drink and fix your hair.

Monday, April 8th:

• In what could be a problematic attention-divided night for me should Wichita State (hopefully) advance to the NCAA Championship Game, Monday is the Season Home Opener for the Durham Bulls.  Tickets are still available as I write this, but generally this frequently sells out...so act quickly. (Not to mention, it's predicted to be in the low to mid 70s at first pitch.  Ahh, spring.) **First pitch is at 605pm this year**, but allow some time (and a few bucks) for traffic parking in advance.
• As mentioned above, Southern Rail will also be showing the NCAA Mens' Final game. (Complete with, I'm sure, the irritating send-off that CBS always does yearly with their "One Shining Moment" segment.  Even though I'll be watching the Bulls start, I always hate to see college basketball end.)
• And the wonderful folks with Band Together have a *huge* event booked for May 4th and are seeking volunteers to help out.  Volunteer meeting is Monday, April 8th, 6pm, at the Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh...details found here. Their May 4th fundraiser will be at Cary’s Booth Amphitheater and has Lyle Lovett, Delta Rae, Chatham County Line, and the Mac and Juice Quartet on the bill. Proceeds will aid the Tammy Lynn Center for Developmental Disabilities, with a goal of $850,000. Tix start at $34.50 (plus fees, advance) for the lawn and are on sale now. If you can't volunteer to help on the 4th, come out to the show!

Days in between: 

• Several things that involve me working, or exercising, or daydreaming, or all of the above, in here and that's not very exciting stuff, so I'll spare you.  Unless I win the lottery and then I'll update y'all before I leave from the international terminal.

 Friday,  April 12th:

• Unfortunately, these two cannot be combined, and both are scheduled at the wonderful Carolina Theatre in Durham:  In one area, starting at 8pm, it's the Classic Albums Live series, this time with Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" in its entirety, plus some other Floyd gems afterwards. Tix are $29-$39, and they do serve some tasty brews from their concession stand (which is not totally appropriate for this album, I agree, but proper stuffs are not legal in this state).  Up in the movie house at the Carolina, their Retroclassics Film Series has a doubleheader of "The Mummy" & "The Invisible Man" (yes, the originals...with Boris Karloff and Claude Rains!).  This monster tour-de-fierce starts at 7pm, and I think tix hold strong at $8 for both...and I cannot stress this enough...**get your tickets in advance if possible and get there early for both a good seat and tasty concessions**.  Several of these Retro series' movies have sold out/almost sold out this season. (Kudos to Jim and his great staff for bringing all their different Series to us, by the way.)  I still hold out hope for the classic "Wizard of Oz" film and this Floyd audio pairing someday in a proper theatre, though.
• And while I adore Floyd and Boris and Claude (and Jim & his people!), I'm heading over to Raleigh instead for something even rarer:  to watch a restored print of Mary Pickford's "Dorothy Verndon of Haddon Hall" from 1924.  And thankfully, it will feature live piano accompaniment (amazingly, I've been to some silents that didn't...and it's damn trying in that format).  Starting at 8pm, this is an one-time only show at the North Carolina Museum of Art.  Tickets are $5-$7 (plus fees), and can be purchased online.  I do so have a weakness for the silent movies, and many are lost gems.  Hopefully, the original "America's Sweetheart" won't disappoint.

I'll probably be found in the popcorn line...

Memorial Concert for Eve Carson, May 18

A memorial concert for the recently slain UNC Student Body President, Eve Carson, will be held tomorrow night over in Raleigh at a local favourite concert hall, The Lincoln Theatre. Minimum (ticket) donation is $10.



The "Hark The Sound" (name taken from UNC's oldest alma mater fight song) Concert Benefiting The Eve Carson Memorial Fund will start at 4pm on Sunday, May 18, 2008. Performers include The Jealousy Game, Aloretta, Jonas Sees in Color, Hey Euphony, Joe Grizzley, and Left on Cates. Doors open at 3:30pm, with plenty of municipal parking available across the street and also in the nearby Moore Park parking deck.

The supremely gifted and hard-working Ms. Carson would have graduated with honors last week from UNC-Chapel Hill. The investigation into her death (which is still under wraps to some degree, with even local press being denied access to see the search warrants issued by police) has been linked to the earlier murder of Duke University graduate student Abhijit Mahato. Additionally, the two men charged with her killing (one of which is a 17-year-old) were on probation and should have been in jail for violations of such at the time of her March 5 murder. Further details about the judicial breakdown can be found here...at least one suspect now states that he had not been contacted by his probation officer for more than a year, even though he was on probation for gun and break-in charges. WRAL (the local CBS affiliate in Raleigh) also has prepared a quick synopsis of the events following the tragic deaths of both students.

Ms. Carson's loss still resonates within this small, but essentially University-dominated, city. It has shaken our security, but not our resolve to see the (many) errors within the NC Justice System corrected so another set of family and friends...another community...does not have to endure this horror again. What's been revealed so far about the breakdown and handling of these suspects and their previous crimes and/or probations, though, is very very troubling. And beyond disturbing. And crying out for a desperate need for reform in our system.

Rest in peace, Eve, rest in peace. Prayers to your family and friends continue.

It's Party Time at The Lincoln Theatre!

You can easily file this under the 'better late than never' concert announcements category. This damn work thing, interrupting my blogging...

The Lincoln Theatre in downtown Raleigh is bringing out the big guns this weekend, especially for those of us who adore a little twang in our guitar and a little drawl in our song. Not just one, but two, of my fave trio bands (and masters in this particular musical art form) blow in there tonight and Saturday.

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The SCOTS 'Family Album' pic: Dave Hartman, Rick Miller, and Miss Mary Huff. © Southern Culture on the Skids
First up, tonight, November 9, is our good Chapel Hill-based heroes, Southern Culture on the Skids (SCOTS). Always a good time to be had, complete with bouffant hairdos, flat straw hats, and enough dancing to meet your exercise quotient for the week. I'm sure it will include a good set from their latest release, "Countrypolitan Favorites", as well as some of their classics, including "Camel Walk" and "Eight Piece Box", among many, many more.

(And for those that read my review of their Wilmington show from earlier this year, yes, I am taking precautions tonight with the glasses...no need to tempt fate twice.)

Wear comfortable clothes and even more comfortable shoes...you're gonna need them. The show starts at 9pm, the doors open at 8pm, parking in and around the area is in constant 'flux' due to construction downtown so get there early. A few tickets are still available and cost $14.

And come prepared to make friends with all of the fellow dancers, fans, and fried chicken and grits lovers in attendance.

.......................

Tomorrow, Saturday, November 10, should be an additional corker. In what will assuredly be a marathon of guitar-playing heroes and a crowd worthy enough to wear "Vamp Red" lipstick, the Lincoln pulls out Texas-based touring gods Reverend Horton Heat. If you have not seen these guys in person, or even heard of them, it's a 'must see' if you can make it. Comprised of 'Reverend' Jim Heath on lead vocals and lead guitar, master upright bass master Jimbo Wallace, and drummer Paul Simmons, this is the best damn psychobilly band period in my all of my years of listening and attending shows...and, arguably, also one of the best live shows I've ever seen, too.

The fact that The Rev & Company are masters of their chosen instruments is a massive understatement. The Rev is simply the guitar god all of us wanted to be when we were younger, and still the god that so many musicians want to be even now. And the very expressive Jimbo on upright bass...it's a powerful combo up front, and a show that has been honed down through the years with relentless touring and 'anything can happen and maybe even does' kind of shows. The licks, the lyrics, the interaction can be fast and furious, the style an explosive attack of electric guitar war mixed with good-timin' Texas twang and humour. Again, a 'must' see, if you can can still get a ticket.


The Reverend Jim Heath with Jimbo Wallace on stage. © The Reverend Horton Heat
While I'll miss the opening act I saw with The Rev last year at Jester's Pub in Fayetteville (the punk-inspired yet vaudeville show of The Horror Pops), the two opening acts tomorrow should be dandies in their own right. (And, no, I am not making up the bands' names.) First up, is Nashville Pussy. Don't know too much about them, but I didn't either about The Horror Pops and was left blown away...the Rev generally has some great opening acts as support, so I'm far from worried. And, then following, an act I've wanted to see (but keep missing somehow) for some time: Hank Williams III and Assjack (and, yes, this is who you think it is, country music fans...he is the son of Hank Williams, Jr., and the grandson of Hank Williams, Sr.).

Yes, it will be a night of dancing, drinking, hollering, cussing, and comparing tattoos (if you've got 'em). And if there is any fighting at all, my money's always on Jimbo. Always, always, always. Never underestimate the skills of an upright bass player...they will always surprise you.

The RHH show and Friends show starts at 8:30pm, the doors open at 7:30pm. Tickets are $22.50 in advance, and $25 tomorrow. (Act EARLY...don't even know how many are still available.)