As the band was wrapping up their set at the Contemporary Art Museum, Zack Mexico drummer Joey LaFountaine rocks so hard that he falls off his drum throne.
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Local label DiggUp Tapes has a big presence at this year’s Hopscotch, and they kicked off the annual festival in a big way with a day party at Kings.
Co-sponsored by Raleigh Denim and Nice Price Books, the DiggU Tapes Orientation In Space day party featured performance from Jenny Besetzt, Cassis Orange, Invisible Hand and The Human Eyes.
Between sets, The Lollipops’ Iggy Cosky, T0W3RS’ Derek Torres and Lonnie Walker’s Brian Corum each performed solo sets.
A relatively new band in the Triangle, The Human Eyes — featuring Thomas Costello (Mount Weather), Ryan Gustafson, Carter Gaj (Max Indian), James Wallace (Mount Moriah) and Tom Simpson (The Love Language) — headlined the show. The band released its debut album, “Guiding Eyes For The Blind,” May 1.
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The band was involved in a “motor coach accident” on Aug. 14 in the Bath area of England. Its label, Relapse Records, said all of the band members and personnel on board the bus were treated for injuries.
According to BBC News, Baroness’s tour bus fell 30 feet from a bridge. Two of the people on board had to be freed from the bus by firefighters.
Among those injured, John Baizley suffered a broken left arm and left leg, Allen Blickle and Matt Maggioni each suffered fractured vertebrae, and Pete Adams was treated and released from the hospital not long after the accident.
The band wrote on Aug. 16, “Three of the five crew members who were on the bus have also been treated and released. One member is still undergoing testing. The driver of the bus remains in critical condition.”
Since then, all band members have been released from the hospital, but they said the remainder of their 2012 tour would have to be canceled while they recover.
In a statement, the Hopscotch organizers said, “We wish them all the best in their recoveries and look forward to trying to get them back to Raleigh in the future.” To fill the vacancy, Hopscotch will welcome Sacramento’s Trash Talk as the headliners at Lincoln Theater on Sept. 6.
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Considering Hopscotch‘s first year saw the now-annual festival bring Public Enemy, Panda Bear and Broken Social Scene to City Plaza in downtown Raleigh, there really wasn’t much doubt that — three years later — the ante would be upped.
“Each year, we think we’re producing an event people want to attend, but we never know until we release the lineup and gauge reaction,” Hopscotch founder and director Greg Lowenhagen said. “We’re grateful for the support and look forward to doing this as long as the bands and fans keep coming.”
In its third year, Hopscotch will bring 175 bands to 15 venues throughout downtown Raleigh Sept. 6-8. While some 165 of those bands will take the stage at 14 venues, all eyes are on City Plaza and who curator Grayson Currin has lined up for the festival-defining shows on Friday and Saturday.
On Sept. 7, indie rock stalwarts Built to Spill will join a reunited Jesus and Mary Chain on the main stage. Meanwhile, on Sept. 8, the massive, 17-piece disco band Escort will open for the ultimate hip-hop band, The Roots.
Of course Hopscotch just wouldn’t be “Hopscotch” without the numerous unique opportunities to see musicians stepping outside of their normal routines. In 2010, Megafaun presented an improv night at Kings; while in 2011, Rhys Chatham invited 11 musicians on stage to perform his 30-minute “Guitar Trio.”
This year is no different.
The Mountain Goats’ John Darnielle will play two sets at Fletcher Opera Theater, including a set of rarities on acoustic guitar and a covers set featuring heavy metal numbers played on piano.
Megafaun will again present a unique set. This time the trio will premiere a new work at Long View Center with German composer Arnold Dreyblatt.
Guitarist Ben Greenberg, who performs as Hubble, will offer the world premiere of a piece called “Lag.”
Drummer Chris Corsano (Björk, Jandek, Kim Gordon, Nels Cline) will jump in on bands’ sets throughout Hopscotch, making several performances “once-in-a-lifetime experiences.”
And Richmond songwriter Matthew E. White will give a one-time performance of his forthcoming record, complete with horns, strings and a full choir.
Also set to perform during the unforgettable — and no doubt exhausting — weekend are Bio Ritmo, Colin Stetson, Dan Deacon, Danny Brown, Deerhoof, Ducktails, J. Roddy Walston & the Business, Lambchop, Samantha Crain, Sunn O))), Wye Oak and Yo La Tengo. And naturally, dozens of Triangle-area musicians will take the various stages — including Birds of Avalon, Corrosion of Conformity, Gross Ghost, Heads on Sticks, Left Outlet, Mac McCaughan (Superchunk), Midtown Dickens, Pipe, Shark Quest, T0W3RS, The dB’s and Valient Thorr .
Pre-lineup VIP wristbands sold-out after their December release, however 200 more VIP wristbands are available for $165. Three-day All-Show wristbands are still available for $110, and a limited number of single-day passes and Single City Plaza tickets will be available in July.
COMPLETE LINEUP:
Airstrip, Altar of Plagues, Altos, Alvarius B, Amen Dunes, Arnold Dreyblatt & Megafaun, Balam Acab, Baroness, Big Troubles, Bill Orcutt, Bio Ritmo, Birds of Avalon, Black Skies, Boy Friend, Built to Spill, Burglar Fucker, Calico Haunts, Cantwell, Gomez & Jordan, Carlos Giffoni, Charlie Parr, Charles Latham, Cheater Slicks, Chelsea Crowell, Chris Corsano, Chris Forsyth & Koen Holtkamp, Chuck Johnson, Cities Aviv, Class Actress, CO LA, Colin Stetson, Corrosion of Conformity, Curtis Eller, Damien Jurado, Dan Deacon, Danny Brown, David Pajo/Papa M, Death Grips, Deerhoof, Delicate Steve, Doldrums, Donovan Quinn, Dope Body, Drique London, Duchess Says, Ducktails, Elephant Micah, Escort, EXITmusic, feltbattery, Field Report, Flesh Wounds, Flosstradamus, Free Electric State, Frustrations, G-Side, Glenn Jones, Grohg, Gross Ghost, Guardian Alien, Guinea Worms, Hacienda, Heads on Sticks, High Wolf, Hiss Golden Messenger, Holograms, Hubble (Lag World Premiere), Hume, Hundred Waters, ITAL, J. Roddy Walston & the Business, Jacaszek, Jackie Chain, Jane Jane Pollock, Jason Kutchma & the 5 Fifths, Jenny Besetzt, Joint D≠, Jon Mueller’s Death Blues, Julia Holter, Kenny Roby, Kevin Drumm, Lambchop, Lazy Janes, Laurel Halo, Left Outlet, Liars, Lilac Shadows, Lizzy Ross Band, Little Hollow, Mac McCaughan, Marc McGuire, MAKE, Matthew E. White: One Incantation Under God, Mark Holland, Midtown Dickens, Minor Stars, Mirel Wagner, My Best Fiend, Nails, Naked Gods, Nerves Junior, Nests, Nick Catchdubs, No BS Brass Band, Nobunny, Odonis Odonis, Oneida, Oren Ambarchi, Paint Fumes, Pallbearer, Phil Cook & His Feat, Pipe, Pop. 1280, Quiet Evenings, Roman Candle, Roomrunner, Samantha Crain, Savage Knights, Say Brother, Screaming Females, Secret Cities, Secret Mountains, Shark Quest, Shirlette & the Dynamite Brothers, Shovels & Rope, Silver Swans, Sinful Savage Tigers, Sister Crayon, Some Army, STAG, Starlings, TN, Strand of Oaks, Sunn O))), Sutekh Hexen, T0W3RS, Tomas Phillips & Craig Hilton, Tom Maxwell, Tenement, Thee Oh Sees, The Atlas Moth, the band in Heaven, The Beast, The Beat Report, The Bronzed Chorus, The dB’s, The Future Kings of Nowhere, The Hot at Nights, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Mountain Goats, The Roots, The Spits, The Toddlers, Toon & The Real Laww, The Weather Station, Valient Thorr, Vattnet Viskar, Versus, Whatever Brains, White Hills, Withered, Wood Ear, Work Clothes, Wowser Bowser, Wye Oak, Wylie Hunter & the Cazadores, Yo La Tengo, Young and in the Way, Young Magic, Zack Mexico, Zammuto, Zeus, Zola Jesus
To re-live Hopscotch Festivals of past, click here.
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We’re less than a month out from the full lineup announcement, which means we’ll be receiving bits and pieces of information about what to expect at Hopscotch ’12.
Just last week, Hopscotch announced that doom metal pioneers Sunn O))) will play their first announced North American tour date since September 2010 when they take the stage at Memorial Auditorium on Sept. 8.
And Detroit-based underground emcee Danny Brown was announced to be performing at the annual music festival.
Just today, festival co-founder Greg Lowenhagen revealed that Chicago’s Flosstradamus will among those making the trek to Raleigh Sept. 6 through 8.
“Formed by DJs J2K (Josh Young) and Autobot (Curt Cameruci) in 2005, they’ve maintained relevancy for what seems like an eternity by deftly blending styles — mash-ups, house, juke, hardstyle, and recently, techno-fueled trap anthems — and abiding by one simple rule: Have fun,” Lowenhagen writes of Flosstradamus.
“From their fabled Wednesday night sets at Chicago’s Town Hall Pub to college campuses to Coachella, Flosstradamus create an atmosphere where people want to sweat.”
As for what else is on tap for Hopscotch, that remains a mystery until the floodgates open April 18, or until more names slip through the cracks.
Meanwhile, Hopscotch will host Real Estate, Twerps and Old Bricks at Lincoln Theatre this Friday, April 6 for a free show benefiting The Coalition to Protect All North Carolina Families, a movement focused on defeating Amendment One.
Also, on April 20, Hopscotch brings the living, breathing dance party that is Gang Gang Dance to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences for the grand opening of the museum’s new wing. Again, that show is free.
Pre-lineup VIP wristbands are sold out, however 200 more VIP wristbands will be released at midnight on April 18 for $165. Three-day All-Show wristbands are still available for $110, and a limited number of single-day passes and Single City Plaza tickets will be on sale in July.
To re-live Hopscotch Festivals of past, click here.
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Yet another downtown hotspot has joined Hopscotch‘s growing list of participating venues.
The newly opened Contemporary Art Museum at the corner of Martin and Harrington Streets follows the Long View Center as the latest addition to the 3-day festival’s venue roster.
Tickets for Hopscotch 2012 go on sale Dec. 1 in various pricing structures.
Here’s a breakdown of the ticket and wristband options:
Unlike previous years, “due to a lack of interest” there will be no club-only wristband. And as a gift to previous ticket buyers, Hopscotch will offer pre-sales 24 hours in advance of the Dec. 1 on-sale.
The full lineup of 175 bands is expected to be announced April 20.
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Entering its third year, Hopscotch has once again extended its limits, expanding its venue reach to 15 as well as bumping up the numbering of participating bands to 175.
When Hopscotch 2012 hits Downtown Raleigh Sept. 6, the festival will incorporate the use of The Long View Center, situated on the corner of Person and Hargett Streets.
Built in the late 1800s, the venue can seat 400 attendees, which should help alleviate some of the crowds that congregate around Moore Square Hopscotch weekend.
In addition to The Long View Center, Hopscotch will extend invitations to 175 bands — up from last year’s 135.
Tickets for Hopscotch 2012 go on sale Dec. 1 in various pricing structures.
Here’s a breakdown of the ticket and wristband options:
Unlike previous years, “due to a lack of interest” there will be no club-only wristband. And as a gift to previous ticket buyers, Hopscotch will offer pre-sales 24 hours in advance of the Dec. 1 on-sale.
The full lineup is expected to be announced April 20.
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We’re just a month removed from Hopscotch 2011, and planning is well underway for the third year of the massive music festival.
Only two weeks after the streets were swept clean of the confetti leftover from The Flaming Lips’ festival-headlining performance, Hopscotch organizers Greg Lowenhagen and Grayson Currin took to Twitter to announce the dates for Hopscotch III.
Here we are a month later and the duo has announced the on-sale date and package pricing for tickets. Tickets go on sale Dec. 1, a full four and a half months earlier than last year, in various pricing structures.
Here’s a breakdown of the ticket and wristband options:
Unlike previous years, “due to a lack of interest” there will be no club-only wristband. And as a gift to previous ticket buyers, Hopscotch will offer pre-sales 24 hours in advance of the Dec. 1 on-sale.
As previously mentioned, the Dec. 1 on-sale is four months earlier than last year, meaning early ticket buyers will have to have some faith in Greg and Grayson’s choice of bands for next summer’s event.
The full lineup is expected to be announced April 20, though I’m sure we’ll see a few names leak out before that date.
For the uninitiated, Hopscotch is a three-day music festival that takes over Downtown Raleigh the second weekend in September. Last year saw more than 135 bands — including festival headliners The Flaming Lips, Drive-by Truckers, The Dodos and Guided by Voices — span 13 stages.
And to relive Hopscotch 2011 — including photo galleries, reviews and interviews — visit the Music.MyNC Hopscotch page.
Photo by James Nix
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I guess you could say it was inevitable, what with the seeming success of this year’s Hopscotch Music Festival.
With a simple Tweet Friday morning, Hopscotch announced that the third year of the ever-growing festival will take place Sept. 6-8, 2012.
Of course that is all we know for now; and it’s probably all we’ll know until 2012. But considering this year’s fest actually turned a bit of a profit this time around, hopefully we’ll see this already massive festival grow further.
“It cost a half-million dollars to throw Hopscotch this year. That’s a huge risk for a little alt-weekly like the Indy,” Indy Week President Steve Schewel wrote. “But by the grace of the Music Gods we dodged earthquake and hurricane, and the moon rose fat and full over City Plaza. And we’ll even make a small profit this year.”
In its first year, Hopscotch lost about $50,000, which Schewel called a “gift to the musicians, to the clubs, to Raleigh, to music fans from the Triangle and all over.”
Here’s to 2012! And to relive Hopscotch 2011 — including photo galleries, reviews and interviews — visit the Music.MyNC Hopscotch page.
Photo by Tim Lytvinenko
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Review by Ben McNeely
Photo by James Nix
Danny Mason stood on the stage in the back of Slim’s Downtown, chatting up the growing audience filling in the hole-in-the-wall venue.
“We’re through with being stupid,” he said, with a sly grin. “Now, we’re waiting to rock.”
One problem: Shit Horse blew the PA system during practice. Not surprising.
Mason is at the center of the Shit Horse storm, backed up by his younger bandmates, who also play in Chapelboro label Odessa Records’ Americans in France and Wild Wild Geese.
A longtime Triangle musician, Mason has gained notoriety from a new generation of music lovers who love him not only for his showmanship fronting Shit Horse, but for his personal style — flashy suits and hats are a trademark.
What they don’t know about him, and what he is reluctant to talk about, is fame.
“I don’t like it,” he said, in an interview at Kings after Odessa’s day party at Hopscotch. “People come up to me all the time, shake my hand. It makes me embarrassed that I don’t remember their names.”
Granted, it’s a lot of people that want to shake Mason’s hand and get a picture with him, but he’s a genuine soul.
Here’s an example: Shit Horse’s signature song, “Twelve Horses,” has a mantra the band drones at the beginning: “I wish you 12 horses when you die!”
“Twelve Horses, for me, if someone is keeping you down, if they are holding you back, if they discriminate against you, well, you don’t have to wish bad things on them,” Mason said.
Even presidents, like John F. Kennedy, didn’t get 12 horses pulling his coffin, Mason said. It’s an honor in Mason’s mind, but, “I want to be standing there as you go by.”
When he is on the stage, Mason is a fire-and-brimstone preacher, his pulpit the microphone. He is the evangelist and his message: Music, no matter how weird, can set you free.
Indeed, it never gets weirder than shows featuring a topless dancer with tape on her nipples, wearing suspenders and a rubber horse mask, carrying a toy gun, riding Mason during the anthem “Shit Horse Is Gonna Ride.”
As the crowd is singing “Shit Horse is gonna ride, man!” Mason is growling into the mic, “Every time you want to be rescued, all you got to do is see Shit Horse ridin’ through … that’s why we’re gonna ride, just for you.”
Mason, in his twisted, electric way, is trying to save your soul. And the faithful got their dose of religion at Slim’s Saturday night. Who needs church the next morning to get over the Hopscotch hangover when Preacher “Magic” Mason gave out absolution for free the night before?
Amen.
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Story/Photo by Chris Cowperthwaite
Leaning back in a chair with a triumphant smile Saturday night, Charlie Smarts wasn’t mincing words: “I don’t know what to say other than that was [f'ing] awesome.”
The former Raleigh-based rapper, who’s trying to make it big in New York City nowadays, had just stepped off stage for his solo performance at the Hopscotch Music festival.
A member of the Kooley High hip-hop collective, Smarts doesn’t get back to the Triangle very often, and his gig at The Hive was extra-special because he doesn’t usually perform without the rest of the crew.
“That was crazy,” he said with a broad smile. “I don’t do solo stuff. Ever.”
Smarts played to a packed house, blending Kooley High standards with a big batch of tracks off his two solo albums, F’Alex and Trident.
Hip-hop fans rave about his seemingly-effortless delivery and sharp lyrics, and he’s got a great command of the stage when you see him live. That combination was highlighted with his last song of the night, “Bonanza,” a perfect way to end the evening.
Despite his reputation around Raleigh, Smarts admits that it’s a challenge getting attention in the city that never sleeps. Hundreds of other talented artists are trying to do the exact same thing, and that’s before you even account for the established artists who are already firmly entrenched in the Big Apple’s music scene.
“We live in New York and expect the world to change. That’s not going to happen,” he said. “It’s tough to get 300 people into a club. You’re going up against Elvis Costello and Erykah Badu.”
This weekend, though, none of that mattered. Smarts was ecstatic to be back in “Raleighwood,” and says he loved soaking up the Hopscotch atmosphere. The Foreign Exchange’s set on Friday was his personal highlight, but he was impressed with the entire lineup and wants to see the festival get even bigger.
Here’s hoping that if he’s back for Hopscotch again next year, he’s got that coveted contract. He deserves it.
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When Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne takes the stage in City Plaza, Sebastian Bach will be blocks away at the Raleigh Amphitheater.
The Lips will be in City Plaza for Hopscotch Saturday night while Sebastian Bach is in town for City Fest.
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The headline says it all.
If you weren’t fortunate enough to score a wristband for Hopscotch this summer, you still have a chance to catch Future Islands during all of the madness.
The Baltimore-based trio will take the stage at Kings Saturday afternoon for the Raleigh Denim and DiggUp Tapes Day Party.
The band is set to perform at 1:30 p.m. with Lonnie Walker slated to follow. Doors open at 12:30, and it’s strongly encouraged to get there early if you want to see any of the set.
Meanwhile, the band will perform during Hopscotch proper Saturday night at Lincoln Theatre.
Think of it this way: Future Islands sell out Kings even when the shows require cash. So yeah, free … Good luck.
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Though not specifically regulated by Hopscotch, in 2010 Day Parties were mostly hosted at venues participating in the three-day music festival itself. Some outside facilities welcomed the opportunity to take part in the Hopscotch hype, but the majority of the festival’s Day Parties were contained within the festival’s nine primary venues.
This year, things are a bit different.
Of course there will be plenty of Day Parties within Hopscotch’s scope, but a number of new venues are welcoming day-side Hopscotch celebrations.
Kicking things off Thursday is an all-day event at Sadlack’s Heroes presented by Guitartown and sponsored by Big Boss.
The show is scheduled to start at noon with Martin Richmond and continue well into the evening with The Bleeding Hearts taking the patio stage around 8 p.m. Acts will alternate between the patio and playing inside until Maldora takes the stage at 6:15 pm for the after party.
No wristbands are required and admission is free.
| 12:00 – 12:20 12:20 – 12:40 12:40 – 1:00 1:00 – 1:20 1:20 – 1:40 1:45 – 2:05 2:05 – 2:25 2:30 – 3:00 3:00 – 3:20 3:25 – 3:55 4:00 – 4:20 4:20 – 4:40 4:45 – 5:15 5:15 – 5:35 5:40 – 6:10 6:15 – 7:00 7:15 – 7:45 8:00 until |
Martin Richmond Turntable Graveyard Brent Wilson / Rosa Martin The Last Tallboy Stella Lively The Debonzo Brothers Erica Blinn Hank Sinatra Zapruder Point and the Monologue Bombs John Howie and the Rosewood Bluff Lynn Blakey The Trousers Kenny Roby The Static Minds Chip Robinson Maldora Olympic Ass Kickin’ Team The Bleeding Hearts |
Also Thursday, Flanders Gallery and Raleigh Denim will co-present a Day Party at Flanders Gallery starting at 4 p.m. with Frank Fairfield, The Hot at Nights and Gray Young.
The show is free and will have beer served from Fullsteam Brewery and food by Posh Nosh.
Friday is light with Ashley Christensen’s Fox Liquor Bar hosting The Small Ponds and Roman Candle. The show is free and starts at noon.
And parties get thick again with Isaac Hunter’s Tavern, DIVEbar, Lump Gallery, Sadlack’s Heroes and Brewmaster’s Bar & Grill all hosting shows.
Oulipo, SoftSpot, Andrew Cedermark and Annuals will each perform at Brewmaster’s starting at noon; Mutant League, Maple Stave, White Cascade and A Rooster for the Masses will perform at Isaac Hunter’s Tavern starting at 1 p.m.; and Bitter Resolve, Birds & Arrows, The Fooligans, The Charming Youngsters and Effingham will each perform at Sadlack’s Heroes starting at 12:30 p.m. for the Let Feedback Ring Day Party.
Last September, Karen Mann of Mann’s World hosted a beautifully curated bill of stoner metal at Kings Barcade. For Hopscotch 2011, Mann’s World will take over DIVEbar on Glenwood Avenue Saturday, Sept. 10, with another impressive selection of face melters.
Headlining the show is Righteous Fool, featuring two original members of Corrosion of Conformity — Mike Dean on bass and Reed Mullin on the drums, with support from Lurch and Black Thai.
The party is sponsored by Big Boss and, like last summer, the show is free.
And finally, All Day Records is teaming with the Lump Gallery for a Super All Day & All Night Party that kicks off at 1 p.m. and doesn’t wrap up until 2 a.m., when DJs Lack, A Stroud, E Main and Mothersbrothers launch into a late night dance party. The complete schedule can be found below.
| 1:00 1:40 2:20 3:00 3:40 4:20 5:00 5:40 6:20 10:00 11:00 12:00 1:00 |
Meg Baird Blood Jar Creepers Des_Ark Ezekiel Graves Phil Blank & Jordan Huthcinson Hiss Golden Messenger Mike Gangloff & Nathan Bowles William Tyler Steve Gunn Secret Boyfriend Brain F≠ Cheveu Extreme Animals |
One of the early Hopscotch rumors was that Titus Andronicus was going to play this summer’s fest. Alas, the Hopscotch lineup announcement came and went, yet there was no mention of the Jersey-based indie rock quintet.
However, the generous Hopscotch organizers surprised us this morning with the addition of 14 bands to the festival, as well as a new venue to accommodate the 150 bands.
“[T]ickets sold more quickly than the festival organizers had anticipated, with VIP tickets gone in less than three hours and more than half of the festival’s All-Show wristbands grabbed only a month after launch,” the organizers explained. “So Greg Lowenhagen and Grayson Currin began searching for a 13th venue that would allow them to add more fans and, more importantly, more bands.”
In addition to Titus Andronicus, Hopscotch added Times New Viking, Vivian Girls, Coliseum, White Ring, Pepper Rabbit, Bass Drum of Death, Diamond Rings, Xray Eyeballs and The Hairs. Local favorites D-Town Brass, North Elementary, and Charlotte’s Brain Flannel and Temperance League.
Helping to house all of these killer acts will be The Union at 327 West Davie St., No. 114.
“By adding The Union, we continue our growth into Raleigh’s emerging warehouse district while maintaining a closely-knit, walkable footprint within downtown,” the organizers explained.
However, with all of the good news, there comes some bad. Hopscotch says, “Due to a family wedding, Tyvek has unfortunately had to cancel the tour that was built around Hopscotch.” Taking Tyvek’s place is the previously mentioned Xray Eyeballs.
Of course this is all in addition to the previously announced festival headlining acts The Flaming Lips, Guided by Voices, Dodos, The Light Pines, Drive-By Truckers and Superchunk. September can’t get her soon enough!
| Sept. 8 |
Sept. 9 |
Sept. 10 | |
| City Plaza | Guided by Voices, Drive-By Truckers, The Dodos, Sami Automatic | The Flaming Lips, Superchunk, The Light Pines | |
| Lincoln Theatre | Spider Bags, Last Year’s Men, The Love Language, Black Lips | Carlitta Durand, Annuals, Twin Shadow, The Foreign Exchange | SPCL GST, All Tiny Creatures, Toro Y Moi, Future Islands, Yelawolf |
| Fletcher Opera Hall | Steve Gunn, Rhys Chatham, The Necks | Julianna Barwick, Sir Richard Bishop, Swans | The Prayers and Tears, Bombadil, Lost in the Trees |
| The Pour House | Prurient, Oneohtrix Point Never, Weekend, Cold Cave | Soft Company, Braids, Disappears, Japandroids | Peter Lamb and The Wolves, Fight the Big Bull, D-Town Brass, Budos Band |
| Kings | Dinosaur Feathers, Lower Dens, Grandchildren, Woodsman, Lonnie Walker | Whatever Brains, The Body, Liturgy, Earth | The Hairs, Des Ark, Little Scream, KORT |
| The Berkeley Cafe | Man Will Destroy Himself, Hog, Mouthus, Oxbow | Brice Randall Bickford, Wooden Wand, John Vanderslice, Mount Moriah | Caltrop, Horseback, Duane Pitre Sextet, Krallice |
| Slim’s | Super Vacations, PC Worship, XRay Eyeballs, JEFF The Brotherhood | Brain Flannel, The Loners, Vivian Girls, Coliseum | Shit Horse, Flight, Bass Drum of Death, Royal Baths |
| Tir Na Nog | 12,000 Armies, Tender Fruit, Cheyenne Marie Mize, J Mascis | L.E.G.A.C.Y., King Mez, Apple Juice Kid, Beans | The Caribbean, Man/Miracle, Beach Fossils, Titus Andronicus |
| Deep South Bar | Bustello, Invisible Hand, Apache Dropout, Empress Hotel | Temperance League, Chip Robinson, Bandway, Jennyanykind | The Tomahawks, Andrew Cedermark, Organos, Frontier Ruckus |
| The Hive | Jack the Radio, Dustin Wong, Reading Rainbow, Ford & Lopatin | Justin Robinson and The Mary Annettes, Jesse Sparhawk & Eric Carbonara, David Daniell, Barn Owl | D&D Sluggers, Charlie Smarts, Thien, Bird Peterson |
| Five Star | Yair Yona, Black Twig Pickers, Frank Fairfield, William Tyler | Pepper Rabbit, Diamond Rings, Mount Eerie, White Ring | Family Dynamics, Heads on Sticks, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Dawn Golden and Rosy Cross |
| White Collar Crime | Oulipo, Le Weekend, Xiu Xiu, Dan Melchior Und Das Menace | Wesley Wolfe, Old Bricks, Generationals, Royal Bangs | The Moderate, Onward, Soldiers, Jon Lindsay, The Old Ceremony |
| The Union | Cassis Orange, Yardwork, Filthybird, Mandolin Orange | North Elementary, Dylan Gilbert, Wembley, Apex Manor | Embarrassing Fruits, Gross Ghost, Gauntlet Hair, Times New Viking |
NOTE: I’ll be spending most of my time between Lincoln Theatre, Tir Na Nog and White Collar Crime. How about you?
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In its inaugural year, Independent Weekly’s Hopscotch Music Festival skirted all doubts as it brought 120 bands spread across 10 venues throughout the heart of Downtown Raleigh.
Each of the festival’s three-nights was brimming with extraordinary talent. And every venue struggled to contain the massive crowds, with concert goers often bleeding onto the sidewalks — the perfect examples being Best Coast at Tir Na Nog and Spider Bags at Slim’s.
Hopscotch certainly proved doubters wrong as VIP wristbands sold out in less than a week, and all wristbands sold out before the festival started. So the next hurdle was to top the previous year.
Although the festival reportedly lost $50,000, the Independent Weekly was quick to get behind a second year.
“Hopscotch lost money — about $50,000 at first count. But I’ll just call that money the Indy‘s gift to the musicians, to the clubs, to Raleigh, to music fans from the Triangle and all over,” Independent Weekly founder Steve Schewel wrote just days after last summer’s festival.
Schewel added, “Besides, next year Greg and Grayson will know what the heck they’re doing, and I figure we’ll make that money back.”
For its sophomore year, set for September 8- 10, Hopscotch founders Greg Lowenhagen and Grayson Currin expanded the festival to an awe-inspiring 135 bands, and upped the number of venues to 12 — adding White Collar Crime and the beautiful Fletcher Opera Theater.
Still, the festival will remain within walking distance of the Hopscotch epicenter: City Plaza.
“Our biggest goal is to prevent that island effect at night where you walk over to see a show and miss another show because you had to walk so far,” Currin explained. “If we can, in the future, make essentially another hub for the festival, that’s the path we want to take.”
With the added venues came the opportunity to host more bands and “the opportunity for increasingly diverse programming.” Among those bands will be the influential and newly reformed post-punk band Swans.
“As we were booking the inaugural Hopscotch Music Festival, Michael Gira announced that he would, for the first time in nearly a decade, make music and tour with Swans,” Currin said. “[W]e tried to book Swans, but they weren’t scheduled to start rehearsing until the week after Hopscotch 2010 ended. We didn’t have the ideal room for them, either.”
There’s certainly excitement surrounding these added venues — especially Fletcher with Swans, Rhys Chatham, Lost in the Trees, The Necks and Julianna Barwick, among many others — but the greatest anticipation surrounds Hopscotch’s City Plaza headliners.
Like last year, City Plaza serves as ground zero with show stealing headliners Friday and Saturday nights. In year one, those headliners were Broken Social Scene, Panda Bear and Public Enemy with support from No Age, The Rosebuds and The Love Language.
For year two, Currin, the festival’s curator, had to up the ante.
“The way we choose the headliners is by a few set guidelines,” Lowenhagen explained. “We look at bands we like, bands that can fill the space or would be a good fit for the space in the Plaza. And then we start talking to their agents and we determine one-by-one if they’re available, how much they might cost, does it seem like a good fit for Hopscotch overall.”
“Friday night we will start out with the Dodos, who are a pop trio from San Francisco,” Currin said. “Then Drive-By Truckers, who is the best southern rock band in decades, will be playing.”
And Friday night’s headliner? Currin said, “The original bellwether indie rock lineup, Guided by Voices.”
Meanwhile, Saturday night is set to take a turn for the weird — or at least the psychedelic.
“On Saturday night we’ll have The Light Pines, who are a band from Chapel Hill who is finishing their debut record right now. It will be out on a big indie label that we can’t name,” Currin explained. “And Superchunk, who are of course the founders of Merge Records, will be playing.”
And while it may have been an April Fools prank on the part of New Raleigh, they were closer than they realized to spoiling Hopscotch II’s big headliner.
“The Flaming Lips — who are legends, geniuses, crazy,” Currin said. “They are a great psychedelic rock band; they float in bubbles, douse the crowd in confetti, have people dressed up as animals on the stage, lasers, fake blood — it’s beautiful.”
The remainder of the 124 bands is an impressive list of national and local acts, less than a dozen of which are repeats from last year.
“The repeats are largely local; the two national repeats are Futures Islands from Baltimore and All Tiny Creatures from Wisconsin,” Currin said. “The local repeats are Old Bricks, The Love Language, DJ THIEN, DJ SPCL GST, Spider Bags, and there aren’t many more — maybe one or two more.”
Currin added, “We knew as soon as last year’s festival was over that number would be small. There are a lot of bands we love, and I wish we could book more bands than we have this year.”
“What’s interesting in terms of turnover is we probably could have invited all of those bands back, but then all of a sudden there are all these other local bands that either didn’t get to play last year or we want to play it this year,” Lowenhagen said.
“So when we talk about repeats, it’s fitting them into new spaces or they’ve got records coming out on certain labels — there’s some sort of transitional thing there.”
While this September’s festival is slightly lighter on local acts, Lowenhagen said those bands are still an integral part of Hopscotch.
“The one thing that is important from the beginning … is that when I pitched this idea to Grayson, we both agreed that we wanted it to be anywhere between 35 to 55 percent local,” Lowenhagen said. “This year is a little over 40 percent local bands playing the festival.”
Those bands include the previously mentioned Lost in the Trees, The Light Pines, Superchunk, The Love Language, Old Brick, THIEN, SPCL GST and Spider Bags, as well as Xiu Xiu, Lonnie Walker, Gross Ghost, The Foreign Exchange, Bombadil, Annuals, The Old Ceremony, The Prayers and Tears, Horseback, Mandolin Orange, Last Year’s Men, Mount Moriah, Organos, King Mez, The Tomahawks, Soft Company, and more than two dozen more.
Lowenhagen said, “We work for the Independent Weekly, Grayson is the music editor, I’m the marketing director, the paper’s been around for 28 years, it covers the local music scene perhaps as well as anyone else in the area, and it’s something that is our bread and butter 52 weeks of the year.
“So we figured with the history of the Triangle’s music scene and all these friends Grayson has and all these people I’ve met since I moved here, we wanted those bands to play it.”
Tickets for Hopscotch go on sale today (April 20) at 10 a.m. for between $32 and $155. Here’s a breakdown of the ticket and wristband options:
Complete Hopscotch Music Festival Lineup
| The Flaming Lips Guided by Voices Drive-By Truckers Superchunk The Dodos Swans Yelawolf Japanroids J Mascis Black Lips Earth Twin Shadow The Love Language Rhy Chatham The Foreign Exchange Krallice Cold Cave The Necks Toro y Moi The Budos Band John Vanderslice Weekend Oxbow Future Islands Liturgy Kort Lost in the Trees Little Scream Disappears Lower Dens Beans Julianna Barwick Xiu Xiu Royal Bangs |
Braids Bombadil Oneohtrix Point Never Beach Fossils Barn Owl Lonnie Walker Jeff the Brotherhood The Light Pines Bird Peterson Annuals Royal Baths Ford & Lopatin The Old Ceremony Generationals Cheyenne MarieMize Woodsman Reading Rainbow Mount Eerie All Tiny Creatures Frontier Ruckus The Prayers and Tears Apex Manor Bandway Fight the Big Bull Sir Richard Bishop Dinosaur Feathers Wooden Wand Des Ark Grandchildren Man/Miracle Mouthus Horseback Unknown Mortal Orchestra |
The Body Prurient Frank Fairfield Flight Gauntlet Hair William Tyler Duane Pitre Sextet Jennyanykind Spider Bags Tyvek Dawn Golden and Rosy Cross Andrew Cedermark Mandolin Orange Chip Robinson Apache Dropout Hog Last Year’s Men PC Worship Jon Lindsay The Super Vacations Onward, Soldiers Empress Hotel Steve Gunn Dustin Wong Whatever Brains David Daniell Mount Moriah Organos King Mez Apple Juice Kid THIEN Jesse Sparhawk & Eric Carbonara Invisible Hand Carlitta Durand |
Old Bricks Black Twig Pickers Dylan Gilbert The Tender Fruit Twelve Thousand Armies Filthybird Yair Yona The Tomahawks Caltrop Wesley Wolfe Shit Horse Heads on Sticks Gross Ghost Justin Robinson & The Mary Annettes Embarrassing Fruits Family Dynamics Yardwork Soft Company SPCL GST The Loners Cassis Orange Wembley Bustello L.E.G.A.C.Y. Charlie Smarts The Strugglers Jack the Radio The Moderate Peter Lamb & The Wolves Man Will Destroy Himself Dan Melchior Und Das Menace Le Weekend Oulipo D&D Sluggers The Caribbean |
When the Hopscotch Music Festival launched in 2010, Independent Weekly music editor Grayson Currin and marketing director Greg Lowenhagen brought a staggering 120 bands spread across 10 venues throughout Downtown Raleigh.
Those 10 venues centered around the festival’s epicenter, City Plaza.
But notably absent from Hopscotch’s lineup of venues was the newest addition to Downtown Raleigh, the Raleigh Amphitheater.
The amphitheater officially kicked off its inaugural season June 5, just three months before Hopscotch kicked off its inaugural festival.
“When we started Hopscotch, no one knew the amphitheater would be open by that point,” Currin explained. “We were told by the City that they had no idea when it would be open — it might be open, but there was no guarantee.”
As a result of the flippancy of the Raleigh Amphitheater’s opening schedule, Currin and Lowenhagen opted to exclude it from the official Hopscotch venue list. Although it was ultimately home to a Hopscotch-sponsored post-party featuring Dosh and the North Carolina Symphony on Sept. 12.
But as both the amphitheater and Hopscotch enter their second years, again the venue is excluded from the festival’s sanctioned activities. This despite the fact the organizers’ decided to expand Hopscotch to include two more venues.
Lowenhagen says this is predominately due to Raleigh Amphitheater’s partner agreements.
“The amphitheater has its own rules and regulations with who they’ve partnered with in order to get it built and also to book it,” Lowenhagen said.
He added, “So they have their own partners in place and we can’t get a deal done where we can share the revenue on the concessions. That means that all of the beer sales and all of the food sales and everything else that is sold in the venue would go to an entity that isn’t us.”
The amphitheater’s booking is handled mainly by Live Nation, with Deep South Entertainment contributing a few bands to flesh out the venue’s schedule. Hopscotch, however, is curated by Currin, and booked by he and Lowenhagen.
“We pay for the bands, then we pay to rent the space and pay for the production,” Lowenhagen explained of booking at the amphitheater. “But we would not really reap part of a major financial stream there, which are the concession.”
While there were contractual problems with hosting Hopscotch events at the amphitheater, Currin says there’s also a charm to centering the festival around City Plaza that couldn’t be duplicated if the amphitheater was the fest’s central venue.
In 2010, City Plaza was home to show stealing performances from The Love Language, No Age, The Rosebuds, Panda Bear, Broken Social Scene and Public Enemy.
“As you walked through the City from venue to venue, or you walked to Raleigh Times to get dinner, you could hear this large band playing a few blocks down and it felt like a city united,” Currin said.
“That’s definitely a charm in keeping it in City Plaza rather than pushing it over just a little bit into the amphitheater, which is a space that is designed — at least to an extent — to keep sound in.”
Located on Fayetteville Street in Downtown Raleigh, Currin says the setting of City Plaza also serves as selling point for attracting bands to Hopscotch.
“We pitch it to bands that Fayetteville Street has forever been called North Carolina’s Main Street,” Currin explained. “And as you play, you’ll be staring at the State Capitol and at your back there will be this beautiful arts center.”
Lowenhagen added, “We loved using the Plaza, it worked out perfectly. And it’s something — even if we had a really legitimate option to use the amphitheater — we’d still put the shows on in City Plaza.”
Tickets for Hopscotch go on sale April 20, at 10 a.m. for between $32 and $155. For a complete festival lineup, click here.
Eight days: that’s all we have to wait before we can soak in the complete list of 135 bands playing this summer’s Hopscotch Music Festival.
Leading up to that highly anticipated announcement, the Hopscotch organizers have slowly lifted the veil of secrecy, revealing bits of information about the venues and artists who will fill out the massive, three-day festival.
Today, curator Grayson Currin announced that Dawn Golden and Rosy Cross will occupy one of the coveted spots when the festival takes over Downtown Raleigh September 8 through 10.
“[F]rom the start, we’ve made a commitment to presenting a mix of emerging artists across as many genres and categories as possible — pop, experimental, hip-hop, electronic, singer-songwriter and so on,” Currin explained. “Dawn Golden and Rosy Cross is not only one of this year’s most thrilling discoveries; it’s also a find that welds each of those genres into one unlikely and unforgettable whole.”
“Blacks” by Dawn Golden and Rosy Cross
A bedroom project of 24-year-old Chicago native Dexter Tortoriello, Dawn Golden and Rosy Cross released its debut EP Blow today through Mad Decent records.
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It’s only seems appropriate to commemorate the Triangle’s biggest three-day music festival with three nights of free music.
To coincide with the official lineup announcement and ticket on-sale for this summer’s Hopscotch Music Festival, the event’s organizers are pairing with Vitaminwater to present three free concerts beginning April 21.
We already told you about that first concert, but as a reminder, Hopscotch along with Vitaminwater, WKNC and Revolver Consignment will bring The Rosebuds to Tir Na Nog for the weekly Local Band-Local Beer series. Joining the ‘Buds will be DJ SPCL GST and Heads on Sticks. There will also be a fashion show hosted by Revolver Consignment.
On Friday, April 22, the always amazing Spider Bags and Last Year’s Men will take the stage at The Cave in Chapel Hill. And on Saturday, April 23, two of our local favorites, Schooner and The Loners, will hit the final point of the Triangle with a show at The Pinhook in Durham.
All of these shows are free and Hopscotch will be giving away tickets for this September’s festival.
The Hopscotch Music Festival will span 12 stages throughout Downtown Raleigh Sept. 8, 9 and 10. The official lineup announcement and ticket on-sale are April 20.
To add these shows to your mobile calendar, scan the QR Codes below with your mobile device.
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Just last week we brought you news of the Hopscotch Music Festival adding two new venues — Fletcher Opera Theater and White Collar Crime — to the annual festival’s already impressive lineup of 10.
Along with the announcement , the Hopscotch organizers teased, “This September, a visionary Paris-based composer, a Chapel Hill folk band, a seminal trio of Australian improvisers, an experimental Brooklyn siren and many more will take to Fletcher’s stage.”
Today, festival curator Grayson Currin revealed that one of those bands that will grace the stage at Fletcher Opera Theater will be the influential, and newly reformed post-punk band Swans.
“As we were booking the inaugural Hopscotch Music Festival, Michael Gira announced that he would, for the first time in nearly a decade, make music and tour with Swans,” Currin explained. “[W]e tried to book Swans, but they weren’t scheduled to start rehearsing until the week after Hopscotch 2010 ended. We didn’t have the ideal room for them, either.”
As a result of the addition of Fletcher, Hopscotch had an appropriate venue for the six-piece to play, and the band booked its tour around Hopscotch 2011′s Sept. 10 show date.
“When I drove north to Washington, D.C. last fall to see them perform, Gira already knew we’d made an offer to have Swans in Raleigh — for the first time ever, mind you — this year,” Currin wrote. “Finally, after more than a year of working out the details, Swans are coming to Raleigh.”
The announcement of Swans is certainly an exciting one, and it’s also the first official confirmation from the Hopscotch camp.
As we quickly approach the April 20 announcement of all of the acts destined to storm Raleigh this September, we can look forward to more nuggets of information leaking about this highly anticipated three-day fest.
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We’re less than a month away from the Hopscotch 2011 line-up announcement, so between now and April 20, information will certainly begin to leak about the highly anticipated event.
For its inaugural year, the now-annual festival featured 120 bands spanning 10 venues throughout Downtown Raleigh.
This year the event, which is set for Sept. 8 through 10, will expand to 135 bands spread across 12 venues. In addition to last year’s stages, the organizers have added White Collar Crime and the 600-seat Fletcher Opera Theater at the Progress Energy Center to Hopscotch’s repertoire.
Teasing Fletcher’s possible line-up, the organizers said, “This September, a visionary Paris-based composer, a Chapel Hill folk band, a seminal trio of Australian improvisers, an experimental Brooklyn siren and many more will take to Fletcher’s stage.”
Honestly, we’re clueless as to who they may be referring to, but some guesses include Sharon Van Etten, Rhys Chatham and Lost in the Trees. Those however are purely speculation and should not be taken as authoritative word.
We’ll know the definitive lineup when tickets go on sale April 20; until then, stay tuned as we analyze every piece of information disseminated by Twitter, Facebook and blogs.
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By Steve Sbraccia, NBC17
Cool September nights and even cooler music are on tap this weekend during the Hopscotch Music Festival in downtown Raleigh.
The three day event began Thursday night featuring more than 120 local, national and international acts.
“I’m very excited because it shows off Raleigh’s real music scene,” said Magician Michael Casey, a music lover who showed up at downtown’s Lincoln Theatre, which hosted the first several bands Thursday night.
Some of the venues are hoping Hopscotch will be an opportunity to improve their bottom line.
“Things have been kind of slow this summer,” said Lincoln Theatre manager Chris Miller. “Hopefully a lot of people will come downtown, and we can make a lot of money while everyone has a good time and enjoys themselves.”
In the future, organizers hope the festival becomes a destination location; but for some it already is.
“I’m from Australia, and I came here to see music,” Jenny Stephenson said. “There’s a lot of good bands at this festival.”
Specifically, Jenny and her husband came to see local alt-country outfit American Aquarium.
“We saw them about two years ago in New Orleans and fell in love with them,” Brett Stephenson explained. “We were looking at coming to the states again this year and saw they were playing here, so we made this our first stop.”
For some local bands like John Howie Jr and the Sweethearts, the festival is an ideal exposure opportunity.
“It’s drawing a lot of the community in that might not be that aware of some of the local bands,” said Billie Feather, who plays upright bass, banjo, and sings vocals with the band. “People come for big bands and go, oh wait there’s more wonderful music in our city.”
The festival continues through Saturday with both free events and paid venues all over downtown.
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We’re not going to try to tell you which shows you should check out this weekend at Hopscotch. We’ll leave Triangle Music, Mann’s World, Trekky Records, Indy Week and New Raleigh to handle that task.
However, we are proud to say that a significant number of bands who have performed a set on Session at Studio B will take the stage throughout the festival. So rather than dictate your weekend, we’ll offer a glimpse at some of the band’s you may see while navigating venue to venue.
Click Through For Sessions At Studio B’s 22-Band Guide
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Two weeks. That’s all the time you have before Hopscotch invades Downtown Raleigh for three days.
Until now, we’ve heard word of a handful of day parties that will fill the void between 2 a.m. when the last of the previous night’s bands walks of the stage and 5:30 p.m. when the next day’s City Plaza show kicks-off.
It’s time now to look at the complete list of shows that will occupy any free time you may have while roaming the streets downtown.
| Sept. 9 | Sept. 10 | Sept. 11 | |
| Raleigh Times | Local Time: 11 a.m.–6 p.m. The Flute Flies, NAPS, The Loners, Maple Stave, Red Collar, Des Ark, The Old Ceremony. Presented by The Independent Weekly, Hopscotch Music Festival, Raleigh Times Bar, WKNC-FM 88.1. |
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| The Pour House | Friend Island: 11 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Collections of Colonies of Bees, All Tiny Creatures, Pattern is Movement, Family Dynamics (ex-Stars Like Fleas), Megafaun, Breathe Owl Breathe. Presented by Hometapes. |
Trekky Records Presents DAY-DREAM: 2–5:30 p.m. Butterflies, Embarrassing Fruits, Sharon Van Etten, Midtown Dickens, Lost in the Trees, special guests Justin Ruggiano. |
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| Kings | Knox with an X: noon–5 p.m. Tea and Tempests, Brett Harris, Phil Cook & His Feat, Shawn Luby, Midtown Dickens, Birds and Arrows, Gray Young, North Elementary. Co-presented by Triangle Brewing Company. |
Troika Music Festival Presents…: 2–5 p.m. The Pneurotics, Bellafea, The Beast. Co-presented by Triangle Brewing Company. |
Mann’s World: 1–5:30 p.m. HOG, Make, Caltrop, Black Skies. |
| Slim’s | Layabout in Raleigh: 1–5 p.m. The Wigg Report, Pinche Gringo, Last Year’s Men, John Wesley Coleman III and a special unannounced guest. A Layabout House road show co-presented by Fullsteam Brewery, Nice Price Books & Churchkey Digital. |
New Raleigh Presents: 1–5 p.m. The Drughorse Collective. |
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| Tir Na Nog | Tamplin’s Last Local Band, Local Beer: noon–5 p.m. Cellar Seas, Veelee, Filthybird, Temperance League, A Rooster for the Masses. Co-presented by New Raleigh and Aviator Brewing |
Churchkey III: noon–5 p.m. Lurch, Free Electric State, Last Year’s Men, The Dry Heathens, Hammer No More the Fingers. Co-presented by Triangle Brewing Company |
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| Humble Pie |
A Hazy Morning Wake-Up: noon–3 p.m. Glissade, The White Cascade. Presented by Deep Space Recordings. |
The Hopscotch festivities don’t stop there, however. Two pre-parties and a hangover party are also planned for the event.
Before Hopscotch officially hijacks the newly reopened Kings Barcade, Raleigh’s own sons of Venus will ravish the stage on Sept. 8 for a Hopscotch pre-party. And also on Sept. 8, Independent Weekly will host Love Is Local Vol. 2 at The Pour House, featuring King Mez, Freebass 808, Kourvioisier, Dow Jones, Tyler Hipnosis, Blaze the Sky and Little Brother’s DJ Flash.
Both of the pre-parties are $5.
As for your Hopscotch hangover: Slim’s will host Brett Harris, The Spring Collection, Chip Robinson and the Heavy Beat Outfit on Sunday, Sept. 12 beginning at noon.
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The closer we get to Hopscotch (three week, folks!), it seems the more news is pouring out of the veins of the various venues that will contain the three-day fest.
We told you earlier this week that New Raleigh is planning to host two Hopscotch day parties, now word leaks of the first of those events.
In collaboration with the delicious Aviator Brewing, New Raleigh will host a Local Beer Local Band day party at Tir Na Nog on Sept. 10. For anyone familiar with New Raleigh’s hosted events, it should come as no surprise that A Rooster For The Masses will headline the show with a performance at 3:45 p.m.
Before AR4TM takes the stage, The Cellar Seas will open the show at 12:45 p.m. followed by Veelee, Filthybird and Temperance League.
Of course, everything should be wrapped up by 5:30 in time for the City Plaza show with The Rosebuds, Panda Bear and Broken Social Scene.
Along with the bands, Tir Na Nog is inviting local labels to “set up shop” in the venue for a Local Record Label Rock N Shop event.
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Before Hopscotch officially hijacks the newly reopened Kings Barcade for three days in September, Raleigh’s own sons of Venus will ravish the stage on Sept. 8 for a Hopscotch pre-party.
Hopscotch curator Grayson Currin says the show is one of two Hopscotch pre-parties, the other of which should be announced sometime next week.
Joining the band at Kings will be Junius and HOWL, who will also be touring with Valient Thorr through September and into March.
Valient Thorr is touring in support of its up-coming fifth studio album, simply titled Stranger, which is set to be released Sept. 14 through Volcom Entertainment. The album’s first single, “Double Crossed,” is available from download on the Rock Band Network.
Valient will be back in the area (sort of) Halloween with Caltrop at Green Street in Greensboro.
“Double Crossed” by Valient Thorr
Three years after shuttering its doors, it looks as if Kings Barcade may be poised to finally reopen Aug. 27 in its new location.
While this is certainly not a confirmation, its looks at if Kings will open at 14 West Martin Street with a lineup that included The Tomahawks, The Royal Nites and The Spring Collection.
Of course we know Kings will for-sure be open in time for Hopscotch, what with festivities scheduled to grace the storied venue each of the festival’s three nights.
Also tapped to perform at Kings in the coming weeks is Left Outlet Sept. 16 for SPARKcon.
If the new Kings can capture even a fraction of the magic that was found at the old location, the new Martin Street venue will surely be a success.
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As we mentioned last month, 307 Knox is planning a day party for Sept. 9 to coincide with the Hopscotch Music Festival.
Details for that party have been scarce … until now.
The Durham-based record label will host its day party at Kings on Sept. 9; the show is set to kickoff at 12:30 p.m. with the performances scheduled to wrap-up around 5 p.m.
While the day parties announced thus far consist of four or five bands, the Knox With An X bill is comprised of seven Knox artists and friends, including North Elementary, Gray Young, Midtown Dickens, Shawn Luby (Humble Tripe), Phil Cook & His Feat, Brett Harris and Tea & Tempests.
In addition to the 307 Knox party, there’s word of two New Raleigh-hosted showcases Sept. 10 and 11, and a shoegaze-y day party Sept. 11 at Humble Pie with The White Cascade and Glissade. We’ll have more on those shows as details become available.
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