March 2009

When I met Stuart McLamb, singer/songwriter for The Love Language, before their CD release party at the Local 506 in Chapel Hill, he told me that he would wink at me the most since I was reviewing his show. But fortunately for McLamb, his music did all the winking for him.

Never leaving anyone wanting less, the band expertly put on more of a carnival than a concert, one where everyone in the room was as much a part of the act as the band itself; and the sold-out crowd clearly appreciated it. They performed everything from whimsical ballads to gutsy waltzes and circus-reared rock tunes, showcasing their ability to create a wide variety of soundscapes live. And not only did the band and the audience clearly have a blast, the music itself seemed to have a great time, drawing everyone into the lush and sophisticated indie pop songs, despite the ever present lo-fi grit.

READ ON for more of this month’s Triangle Explorer…

We’d like to welcome back Alex of Hipster Resistance to tell us all about the Blues & Lasers show at Sullivan Hall with the help of Rachel Balik…

The combination of Gregg Allman’s improved health, The Allman Brothers 40th anniversary and the Phish and the Dead reunions is creating a perfect storm for an American rock and roll revival. Blues music is a key component to rock and is finally getting the recognition it deserves here in NYC. As the Allman Brothers 40th anniversary is shaking the foundation of American pop culture, bands like Blues and Lasers are catching a ride of the wave of good music, as evidenced by their post-show performance.

Blues and Lasers are made up partially of the backing band behind Grace Potter, in Grace Potter and the Nocturnals and consist of GPN lead guitarist Scott Tournet, Benny Yurco on lead and rhythm guitar, Matt Burr and Steve Sharron on drums and their new Bass player, John Rogone. Rogone is a Vermont area session musician that replaced former Blues and Lasers Bassists Bryan Dondero who first stepped down from Blues and Lasers and in just the past week Grace Potter and the Nocturnals as well. Dondero leaving GPN resulted in the last three shows of their tour being cancelled. Despite this fact I was told at the concert that the split was “very happy” and there are no hard feelings, that Bryan is multi-talented and has chosen to go work in the engineering and producing side of music. This good natured sentiment is also reflected on a statement released on the GPN website.

READ ON for more from Alex and Rachel on Blues & Lasers…

The other day a friend of mine asked if I could point him in the direction of good clips from Phish’s Hampton run on YouTube. In looking at that site