Music has changed. Archers of Loaf hasn’t. BY CHARLES AARON

King Learo

The inchoate frustrations of youth and adulthood combust in Archers of Loaf’s revivified music BY CHARLES AARON music@indyweek.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF MERGE RECORDS

Rock ‘n’ roll spews out a few big, beautiful emotions really well, and most of them are related to whether or not you’re having sex.

In the indie-alternative cosmos of the 1990s, inchoate frustration was the rock emotion du jour. Launching a long national tour at Cat’s Cradle last Friday, Archers of Loaf showed why they, perhaps more than any local band besides Superchunk—with apologies to Polvo, Dish, Motocaster, Finger, et al.— incited sane people to hype the Triangle as “the next Seattle,” i.e. the nation’s most promising wellspring of rebellious, youth-soundtrack whoop-de-doo.

The Loaf was, and is, inchoate frustration incarnate. It’s their métier. But singer-guitarist Eric Bachmann, guitarist Eric Johnson, bassist Matt Gentling, and drummer Mark Price now lurch, churn, thud, and get on their metaphorical knees without the slapdash smear of sound that plagued them 20 or 25 years ago. Bachmann’s gnomic sentence-fragment lyrics range narrowly from annoyed to stymied, but within that tight space, his haunted, dry-roasted bellow somehow tracks an entire life cycle of frustration—personal, collective, or both—from simmer to boil to explosion to exhaustion.

I missed the band’s 2011–12 shows in support of Merge Records’ reissues of their four remastered albums, but while facing a teeming crowd of a certain age (plus some curious under-thirties), the foursome made an authoritative roar. Their early, bro-ish goofi ness was not missed. It was the first time I’d ever imag

ined the band commanding more than a club stage. They tore through their ornery catalog with the moxie of dudes who are finally able to inhabit the power of their racket. It was exhilarating from start to finish.

Highlights: “Raleigh Days,” from their upcoming Merge album of new songs, was a brisk, wistful blast that sounded wiser but no less gritty than their original tirades. “Wrong” and “Might,” from their 1993 debut album, Icky Mettle, inspired immediate pogoing. The first captures the epic struggle of two people very sarcastically yet very earnestly telling each other to fuck off, while the second is one self-loathing person trying to write a song for another.

Bachmann’s lyrical gift is for the overwrought—the nonsense proclamations that frustrated humans tend to blurt. They can emerge out of a shambly, discordant lull like a scrap of pointy dialogue, from stray gripes (“Strike up the band/Turn up the random/Calling out to the A&R,” as “Lowest Part Is Free” would have it) to much-quoted maxims (especially “The underground is overcrowded,” from “Greatest of All Time”).

That was once heard as a commentary on underground rock’s transformation into a chum bucket for major-label alt-rock sharks. Now, who knows? Is the underground still overcrowded? What’s the underground? That line might as well be about the sweltering bodies swarming London’s subway. The world has changed, but Archers hasn’t, and these days, you can find frustration wherever you look. Maybe this second comeback is right on time. W

Slicing the Loaf

Here’s why an exemplar of Chapel Hill indie rock is singing about Raleigh in its comeback song

BY BRIAN HOWE bhowe@indyweek.com

“R aleigh Days” is Archers of Loaf’s first new song in more than 20 years, but only the lyrics let on that any time has passed. Singer Eric Bachmann still sounds like he might headbutt you. Guitarist Eric Johnson still seems one reckless string bend away from pitching headlong off the stage. Not only is this the careening, scorch-marked Archers of yore, it’s pitched at a nostalgic frequency that only longtime locals will hear.

Archers helped make the Chapel Hill indie-rock sound a national craze in the 1990s, in the last salad days of print media both high-toned and Xeroxed. So it seems almost perverse that, after a decade of reunion shows dedicated to their ‘90s Chapel Hill classics, they would return with a song about … Raleigh.

Archers isn’t much of a band for lyrical exegesis. Fans have spent decades mumbling through indecipherable words that make even less sense when you look them up (see “Learo, You’re a Hole”), and that rough-hewn surrealism continues here—until you get to the shout-along chorus.

“Raleigh days, from the Fallout Shelter stage, heard you scream you’re gonna be somebody someday,” Bachmann blortles. It’s the emotional key to a song about moving forward by looking back. In Raleigh, where Flex Nightclub now stands, there once was a venue called the Fallout Shelter where all the young rock bands played as the punk shows of the ‘80s gave way to the A&R-scout feasts of the ‘90s. In that last flash of record-label excess, music journalist David Menconi remembers the venue as the site of an “insane” bidding war over local band Motorola, later Motocaster. In an interview with me some years ago, Superchunk and Merge’s Mac McCaughan ranked it alongside the Cradle and the Brewery in importance at the time.

If Archers of Loaf’s invocation of the little-documented venue is an Easter egg for locals, it’s also a reminder that the legend of Chapel Hill was largely a media concoction, and that Raleigh and Durham played major roles in indie rock’s creation myth.

Though Archers’ chorus might be directed at any band they saw striving at the Fallout Shelter, it might also be directed at themselves, 30 years ago, when they stood on that stage, about to be swept up in the post-Nirvana indie feeding frenzy. (Courted by major labels, they were stuck in a bad contract with the indie Alias.)

Are they somebody, now that it’s someday? They made all of their music in 10 years and then nursed a fan base that can sell out the Cradle for 20 more. It might not be the career they’d have imagined then, but it’s a legacy, and with new songs emerging at last, the band appears primed for a meaningful second act.

(By the way, “blortle” is a word I made up specifically to describe Bachmann’s singing. It’s something between a blurt and a chortle.) W

Fri 2/28 John Stevens with Zach Drill Sat 2/29 Larry Bach & John Gillespie Sun 3/1 Rob Gelblum 2pm Tues 3/6 Karen Novy with Neville’s Quarter Wed 3/7 Gnarly Blue with Michael Paris Sat 3/14 Alice Osborn Music Performed from 6pm to 10pm Beer & Wine Served Daily Timberlyne Shopping Center, Chapel Hill 1129 Weaver Dairy Rd • specialtreatsnc.com

FR 2/28 @CAT’S CRADLE JUNIOR BROWN W/BUCKSHOT BETTY

TH 2/27 @CAT’S CRADLE DAN DEACON W/ED SCHRADER’S MUSIC BEAT, BOULEVARDS, JENNY BESETZT

FR 2/28 @CAT’S CRADLE BACK ROOM PALEHOUND W/ADULT MOM, LOAMLANDS

THU 2/27 723 RIGSBEE AVENUE • DURHAM, NC 27701

The Monti StorySLAM 7 DEADLY SINS7 DEADLY SINS Duke Performances presents Building Bridges: Muslims in America with GNAWA LANGUS RECENTLY ANNOUNCED: Nile

OM Wovenhand

School of Rock Chapel Hill Mid-Season Showcase Flash Chorus sings “Jump” by Van Halen and “Trampoline” by SHAED LITTLE PEOPLE / FRAMEWORKS Yppah Cat’s Cradle presents ELLIS DYSON & THE SHAMBLES Downtown Abby and the Echos Fifth Annual Rock Roulette: A Benefi t for Girls Rock Duke Science & Society presents Periodic Tables: Pet Tabbies, Not Tigers

LEE FIELDS & THE EXPRESSIONS Durty Dub’s Tribute to Charley Pride

COMING SOON: Post Animal, Against Me!, Asgeir, Mdou Moctar, 75 Dollar Bill, Tiny Moving Parts, Laura Marling, Dance With The Dead, Magic Sword, Black Atlantic, Caspian, Deafheaven, Vundabar, Shannon & the Clams, Kevin Morby, Sebadoh, Okilly Dokilly, Harley Poe, Oso Oso, Prince Daddy & The Heyena, CBDB, Napalm Death, Fu Manchu, Neil Hamburger, The Cybertronic Spree, Diet Cig, Stephen Lynch, Risk!, Greer COMING SOON: Post Animal, Against Me!, Asgeir, Mdou Moctar,

CAT'S CRADLE TH 2/27 DAN DEACON W/ ED SCHRADER'S MUSIC BEAT, BOULEVARDS, JENNY BESETZT ($15/$17) FR 2/28 JUNIOR BROWN W/BUCKSHOT BETTY ($20/$24) SA 2/29 OF MONTREAL W/LILY'S BAND ($17) TH 3/5 MOLLY TUTTLE W/OLIVER HAZARD ($20/ $23) WE 3/11 DESTROYER W/NAP EYES ($20/$23) SA 3/14 RADICAL FACE W/AXEL FLÓVENT ($25/$28) WE 3/18 WHITE REAPER W/YOUNG GUV, BUDDY CRIME ($15/$17) SA 3/21 BEST COAST THE ALWAYS TOMORROW TOUR W/MANNEQUIN PUSSY ($25/$27) TU 3/24 PORCHES W/SASSY 009 ($16/$18) TH 3/26 REBIRTH BRASS BAND ($20/$23) FR 3/27 WUNC MUSIC PRESENTS SOCCER MOMMY W/ TOMBERLIN ($18/$20) SA 3/28 ANTIBALAS ($18/$22) FR 4/3 SHOVELS & ROPE W/INDIANOLA ($25/$28) TU 4/7 ATERCIOPELADOS AND LOS AMIGOS INVISIBLES ($32/$35) WE 4/8 STEPHEN MALKMUS W/QAIS ESSAR & THE MAGIK CARPET ($20/$23) FR 4/10 BROTHER ALI - OPEN MIKE EAGLE, DJ LAST WORD ($18/$20) MO 4/20 REAL ESTATE ($25/$28) WE 4/22 CRANK IT LOUD PRESENTS: NOTHING, NOWHERE. W/DANGER INCORPORATED, RO RANSOM, BOGUES ($18/$22) MO 4/27 WAVVES KING OF THE BEACH 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY USA TOUR W/SADGIRL ($22/$25) TU 4/28 47 SOUL ($20/$23) SA 5/2 GUIDED BY VOICES ($30/$35) SU 5/3 THE RESIDENTS ($30/$35) MO 5/4 STEREOLAB W/DERADOORIAN ($35/$38) TU 5/5 ANDY SHAUF W/ FAYE WEBSTER ($18/$20) SA 5/9 POOLSIDE ($20/ $25) SU 5/10 GREG DULLI W/JOSEPH ARTHUR ($33/$38) MO 5/11 BARNS COURTNEY ($22/$25) TU 5/12 JOJO WE 5/13 BOB SCHNEIDER (SOLO) ($20/$23) TH 5/14 YOLA WALK THROUGH FIRE WORLD TOUR W/AMYTHYST KIAH ($20/23) FR 5/29 HANK, PATTIE & THE CURRENT W/DIRTY GRASS PLAYERS ($12/$15) SA 6/6 BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB W/LIZA ANN ($32/$35) TH 6/11 BAYSIDE W/SENSES FAIL, HAWTHORNE HEIGHTS, CAN'T SWIM ($25/$29) MO 6/15 THE GROWLERS ($30) WE 6/17 PINEGROVE W/HOVVDY ($21/$25) SA 8/8 WEYES BLOOD W/ANA ROXANNE ($17/$20) FR 9/18 ADHOC PRESENTS OH SEES W/ MR. ELEVATOR ($25/$28) MO 9/21 ADHOC PRESENTS BIKINI KILL ($29.50/ $35) SA 11/14 HOODOO GURUS ($25/$28) CAT'S CRADLE BACK ROOM WE 2/26 WISH YOU WERE HERE (JESSEE BARNETT OF STICK TO YOUR GUNS) W/SCOTT RUTH AND DEREK TEDD ($12/$14) TH 2/27 ZEN FRISBEE W/TEETH OF ENGLAND, JOE BRZOSKA ($8) FR 2/28 PALEHOUND W/ADULT MOM, LOAMLANDS ($13/$15) SA 2/29 ENO MOUNTAIN BOYS W/CHUCK MOUNTAIN, WINFIELD ($8) SU 3/1 ORPHAN RIOT ALBUM RELEASE SHOW W/SIBANNAC, LUNCHBOX HERO ($7) TU 3/3 KNUCKLE PUCK W/HEART ATTACK MAN, BETTER LOVE WE 3/4 J RODDY WALSTON (SOLO) W/PALM PALM ($15) FR 3/6 SIR WOMAN (KELSEY WILSON OF WILD CHILD/ GLORIETTA) ($15) SA 3/7 TYLER RAMSEY ($15) SU 3/8 DAN RODRIGUEZ ($15) TU 3/10 PHANGS W/90’S KIDS, LOWBORN, SEASONS ($12/$14) WE 3/11 HEART BONES W/COLD CREAM ($10/$12) TH 3/12 SONG TRAVELER'S WRITERS NIGHT FR 3/13 SONGS FROM THE ROAD BAND W/BIG FAT GAP ($12/$15) SA 3/14 VERSUS ($15) SU 3/15 CALL ME KARIZMA W/CYRUS, MXRCUS ALEXIS, STICKY ARROW ($15/$18) MO 3/16 GRADUATING LIFE W/KING OF HECK TU 3/17 BAMBARA W/BLACK SURFER, GRAY YOUNG ($10/$12) FR 3/20 THE OLD CEREMONY W/REESE MCHENRY ( $10/$12) SA 3/21 MELLOW SWELLS ALBUM RELEASE SHOW W/RODES AND POCKET ENVY ($7) TU 3/24 STEVE GUNN, MARY LATTIMORE, & WILLIAM TYLER ($20/$22) TH 3/26 CONSIDER THE SOURCE W/EMMA'S LOUNGE ($10/$12) SA 3/28 LAUREN SANDERSON - MIDWEST KIDS CAN MAKE IT BIG TOUR SU 3/29 THE JACKS ($10) MO 3/30 VILRAY ($12) TH 4/2 VAGABON W/ANGELICA GARCIA ($14/$16) FR 4/3 HONEY MAGPIE ALBUM RELEASE W/RODES AND ENO RIVER RATS ($8/$10) SA 4/4 CHERRY POOLS W/JET BLACK ALLEY CAT, SMALL TALKS, MOBS ($13/$15) SU 4/5 CALEB CAUDLE ALBUM RELEASE TOUR W/WILD PONIES AND DAWN LANDES ( $15/$20) SOLD OUT SOLD OUT

SAT 2/29 @CAT’S CRADLE OF MONTREAL W/LILY’S BAND

SU 3/4 @CAT’S CRADLE BACK ROOM J RODDY WALSTON (SOLO) W/PALM PALM

MO 4/6 MIGHTY OAKS ($12/$14) WE 4/8 VETIVER ($15/ $18) TH 4/9 THE NATIONAL PARKS ACOUSTIC SET ($12/$15) FR 4/10 MATTIEL ($10/$12) TU 4/14 ALLAN RAYMAN ($22/$25) WE 4/14 BENT KNEE ($15) TH 4/16 INDIGO DE SOUZA W/ TRUTH CLUB ($10/$12) FR 4/17 AN EVENING WITH JILL ANDREWS ($14/$17) SA 4/18 JOHN CRAIGIE W/HONEYSUCKLE ($12/$15) MO 4/19 DYLAN LEBLANC ($14) TU 4/21 KATIE PRUITT W/WILLIAM PRINCE ($10) SU 4/26 SAMMY RAE & THE FRIENDS ($12/$15) FR 5/1 KEVIN KRAUTER W/WHY BONNIE ($10/$12) SA 5/23 FRANCES QUINLAN ($16/$18) WE 6/17 PINEGROVE W/HOVVDY ($21/$25)

NC MUSEUM OF ART (RAL) SU 4/26 BRITTANY HOWARD (OF ALABAMA SHAKES) W/ NU MANGOS ($35-$60) ARTSCENTER (CARRBORO) TU 3/24 JAMES MCMURTRY W/BONNIE WHITMORE ($22/$25) MOTORCO (DUR) FR 3/6 ELLIS DYSON & THE SHAMBLES W/DOWNTOWN ABBY AND THE ECHOS ($10/$12) TU 3/17 POST ANIMAL W/TWEN ($15/$17) WE 3/25 TINY MOVING PARTS W/BELMONT, CAPSTAN, JETTY BONES ($18/$22) TU 4/14 DEAFHEAVEN W/INTER ARMA, GREET DEATH, ALL YOUR SISTERS ( $25/$28) FR 6/5 DIET CIG W/SAD13 ($15/$17) THE RITZ (RAL) CAT’S CRADLE AND LIVE NATION PRESENT TU 6/16 CAR SEAT HEADREST W/TWIN PEAKS (ON SALE 2/28) HAW RIVER BALLROOM TH 2/27 TODD SNIDER W/LILLY HART ($25/$28) TU 3/24 JOHN MORELAND W/S.G.GOODMAN ($15/$18) MO 4/20 SHARON VAN ETTEN W/JAY SOM ($28/$31) FR 4/24 WAXAHATCHEE W/OHMME ($18 ADV/ $20) FR 5/1 TENNIS W/MOLLY BURCH ($18/$20) SU 5/3 SNAIL MAIL W/ HOTLINE TNT ($20 / $22) SU 6/21 GREGORY ALAN ISAKOV W/ CHE APACHE ($36) MO 6/22 GREGORY ALAN ISAKOV W/ CHE APACHE (36) THE CAROLINA THEATER (DURHAM) WE 4/15 ANGEL OLSEN W/MADI DIAZ ($32.50/$35) TH 4/30 BEN GIBBARD ($32.70+) DPAC (DURHAM) TH 8/27* CODY KO & NOEL MILLER TINY MEAT GANG - GLOBAL DOMINATION ($24.50+) *rescheduled from april FLETCHER HALL (RAL) TH 5/14 BRUCE COCKBURN ($37-$50) SOLD OUT SOLD OUT

DOWN THE ROAD* *Be on the lookout for these big

names coming through the Triangle

The Black Keys will perform at Walnut Creek Amphitheatre on Sunday, August 30. PHOTO BY ALLYSE GAFKJEN

Mar. 3 Jacquees The Ritz, 8 p.m., $25

Mar. 4 Zac Brown Band PNC Arena, 7 p.m., $30+

Mar. 12 Billie Eilish PNC Arena, 7:30 p.m., SOLD OUT

Mar. 20 Michael BubléPNC Arena, 8 p.m., $65+

Mar. 21 Best CoastCat’s Cradle, 8 p.m., $25–$27

Mar. 27 Soccer Mommy Cat’s Cradle, 8 p.m., $18–$20

Mar. 30 Mandy Moore DPAC, 8 p.m., $40+

Apr. 2 Vagabon Cat’s Cradle, 8 p.m., $14–$16

Apr. 15 Angel Olsen Carolina Theatre, 8 p.m., $33–$35

Apr. 20 Sharon Van Etten Haw River Ballroom, 8 p.m., SOLD OUT

Apr. 22 Lake Street Dive DPAC, 7:30 p.m., $35+

Apr. 24 Waxahatchee Haw River Ballroom, 8 p.m., $18-$20

May 3 Snail Mail Haw River Ballroom, 8 p.m., $20-$22

May 12 JoJo Cat’s Cradle, 8 p.m., $30+

May 24 Ozuna PNC Arena, 8 p.m., $40+

Jun. 2 Local Natives Red Hat Amphitheatre, 6:30 p.m., $25+

Jun. 2 The Lumineers Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, 7 p.m., $35+

Jun. 20 The Doobie Brothers Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, $30+

Jun. 23 Alanis Morissette Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, 7 p.m., $55+

Jul. 4 The Black Crowes Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, 8 p.m., $29+

Jul. 10 Thomas Rhett Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, 7:30 p.m., $44+

Jul. 11 Tedeschi Trucks Band Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, 6:30 p.m., $45+

Aug. 1 Harry Styles PNC Arena, 8 p.m., $36+

Aug. 2 Rage Against the Machine PNC Arena, 8 p.m.

Aug. 10 Journey, The Pretenders Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, 7 p.m., $35+

Aug. 25 Goo Goo Dolls Red Hat Amphitheatre, 6:30 p.m., $25+

Aug. 30 The Black Keys Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, 7 p.m., $61+

Sep. 9 KISS Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, 7:30 p.m., $40+

Sep. 12 Maroon 5, Meghan Trainor Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, 7 p.m., $50+

Sep. 18 Bikini Kill Cat’s Cradle, 7 p.m., TBA

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pick THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27 Dan Deacon Dan Deacon’s live performances are uniquely experiential. And while it could be easy to get blissfully lost in the electronic composer’s dense productions, Deacon also orchestrates organized chaos among show-goers, keeping attendees on their toes. On the heels of his fifth full-length studio album, Mystic Familiar, Deacon manifests dreamy electronic dance tracks with a heavy existential undercurrent. Vast cinematic synth pads build a spacious soundscape as gritty low-end bass lines and frenetic drumbeats bubble into the mix, making for heady yet high energy output. Ahead of the show, get some stretches in and ready to take a prayerful knee alongside fellow crowd members as Deacon’s waves of jubilant electronic whirs and whistles wash over Cat’s Cradle. Deacon is joined by fellow Baltimore-based synth rockers Ed Schrader’s Music Beat, while local funk phenom Boulevards and woozy dream-pop outfit Jenny Besetzt open the show. —Grant Golden Cat’s Cradle, Chapel Hill 8 p.m., $15–$17

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27 Tall Juan Like much of his music, Tall Juan’s move to Far Rockaway several years ago was inspired by The Ramones. The Argentinean rocker still pays tribute to his heroes with acoustic, jittery rhythms, though he’s recently also ventured into sultry cumbia. The gritty proto-punk of opener Drag Sounds suggests Television’s twin-guitar attack and arty detours, while last year’s crucial IV found the Durham trio ratcheting up its intensity with urgent, unhinged howls and muscular riffs.—Spencer Griffith Shadowbox Studio, Durham 8 p.m., $5-$7 suggested

Dan Deacon PHOTO BY SHAWN BRACKBILL

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27 Gnawa Langus Moroccan master musician Samir LanGus plays the sintir, a lute-like bass instrument with three strings that is, in his hands, earthy, plunky, and hypnotically romantic. With his ensemble Gnawa LanGus, LanGus presents the Gnawa tradition of AfricanIslam ritualistic music, alongside nods to flamenco, jazz, and Indian genres. The performance is a culmination of the group’s residency with Duke’s Building Bridges: Muslims in America initiative. —Josephine McRobbie

Motorco Music Hall, Durham 8 p.m., $25

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28 Palehound Palehound initially began as the college recording project of vocalist and guitarist Ellen Kempner. After dropping out of school, Kempner moved to Boston and transformed the act into a trio, with the assistance of bassist Larz Brogan and drummer Jesse Weiss. This new configuration of Pale Hound, honed in on sincere lyricism and intricate guitar patterns, is currently touring behind Black Friday, its third record released last June on Polyvinyl Records. Adult Mom, the bedroom-pop act of Stevie Knipe, opens. —Sam Haw

Cat’s Cradle Back Room, Carrboro 8 p.m., $13

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28 Wye Oak Ahead of its ambitious JOIN tour—which kicks off this week in Asheville, with a second stop at Baldwin—Durham’s dreamy electronic duo Wye Oak has unrolled a set of singles, over the past few months. Stack and Wasner are famously painterly with their music, and these recent releases are no exception; each song is a bright, perfect prism of joy and fear. My favorite single, “Fortune,” is spiky, daring, and mercurial—an ascendant ode to letting go. —Sarah Edwards Baldwin Auditorium, Durham 8 p.m., $25

review

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28 Personality Cult After fronting Last Year’s Men and Natural Causes, Personality Cult leader Ben Carr has a reputation for infusing wild-eyed garage rock and punk with unshakeable power pop hooks. Now a full band supergroup of the area scene, new LP New Arrows finds Carr and company blasting through seemingly simple romps riddled with infectious refrains, concealing sudden shifts and other unexpected treats. The slate of likeminded openers includes UV-TV’s noise pop, De()t’s sneering sprints, Cochonne’s femme post-punk, and Stevie’s bittersweet jangles. —Spencer Griffith

Nightlight, Chapel Hill 9 p.m., $10

Gnawa LanGus performs at Motorco on Thursday, February 27. PHOTO COURTESY OF DUKE PERFORMANCES

Wed. 2/26

$5 Elvis The Cave Tavern, 9 p.m. $5 suggested. 919noise Showcase: High Tunnels, feltbattery, Benjamin David Felton, Heavy For The Vintage Nightlight, 8:30 p.m. $7. Jesse Barnett Cat’s Cradle Back Room, 8 p.m. $12-$14. Dermot Kennedy The Ritz, 8 p.m. $35-$225. Passafire, Bumpin Uglies, Joey Harkum Pour House Music Hall, 8 p.m. $15-$18. Peekaboo Lincoln Theatre, 9 p.m. $15-$22. Pocket Vinyl, Spaced Angel, Lazaris Pit The Maywood, 8:30 p.m. $8. Zephyranthes, Shake the Baby Til the Love Comes Out, Green Aisles, Through the Tallwoods Ruby Deluxe, 8 p.m. $7.

Thu. 2/27

The Broadcast, Striking Copper Pour House Music Hall, 9 p.m. $5. Dan Deacon, Ed Schrader’s Music Beat, Boulevards, Jenny Besetzt Cat’s Cradle, 8 p.m. $15-$17. Gnawa LanGus Motorco Music Hall, 8 p.m. $25. Jooselord, Capri, Madrique, Rome Jeterr Kings, 8 p.m. $15. Chris Larkin Neptunes Parlour, 10 p.m. $8. Morgan Creek Bluegrass Blue Note Grill, 7 p.m. Pity Genovese The Cave Tavern, 9 p.m. $5 suggested. Scythian Lincoln Theatre, 8 p.m. $17-$160. Todd Snider, Lily Hiatt Haw River Ballroom, 8 p.m. $25-$28. Tall Juan, Drag Sounds, Triangle Soul Society DJs Shadowbox Studio, 8 p.m. $5-$10. Wild Street, Dirty Remnantz Slim’s Downtown, 9 p.m. $5. Wilmette, Meet Me At The Altar, Zealotrous, With Clarity Local 506, 8 p.m. $10-$13. Zen Frisbee, Teeth of England, Joe Brzoska Cat’s Cradle Back Room, 8 p.m. $8.

Fri. 2/28

Tim Armacost Sharp Nine Gallery, 8 p.m. $20. Baats And The Afterglow, INS Kino, Cozm And Naught The Cave Tavern, 9 p.m. $5 suggested. Junior Brown, Buckshot Betty Cat’s Cradle, 8 p.m. $20-$24.

HHH I Don’t Know About “You”

BY BRIAN HOWE bhowe@indyweek.com

Though he works fulltime as a gigging musician, it’s been more than a decade since Raleigh’s Chris Titchner has released an album of his own. That fallow spell ended at The Wake Forest Listening Room on Sunday, when Titchner released Already Gone, which sounds like the work of a greener musician—in a good way, mostly. Titchner, a sprightly acoustic guitarist and singer, has a fresh, springy sound, bright and coursing like a brook. He also has a clear, natural voice and a knack—for better and worse—for fitting long, complex, grammatically correct speeches into catchy singalong tunes. Though his folk-pop tunes are professionally wrought, his energy is more eager, earnest college student than grizzled songwriter, and the combination is musically winning.

The album opens with “I’ll Come Back Around,” where a fine, flitting melody and Titchner’s lightly dancing voice buoy up his apologetic second-person lyrics. This mode of address always makes me feel like I’m uncomfortably eavesdropping, and it pervades the album. On the second song, “Hold Up,” the gracious acres of ringing chords, ropy leads, and country-radio-worthy choruses hold more appeal than the interpersonal litigation of the verses.

As a musician and songwriter, Titchner is sound, but his overall vision still needs focusing. Though the acoustic palette holds the album together, he sometimes seems to be checking off boxes to see what will stick. There are blowsy jazz horns on Luddite anthem “Kerosene.” “Day Old Ticker Tape Parade” is like acoustic Death Cab for Cutie. “I Don’t Mind” is basically the album’s “Nightswimming.”

Next time, Titchner might do well to go all in on a writerly noir vibe, like The Old Ceremony, or on the unfussy singer-songwriter fare of his own “No Easy Way Out.” And dial down that pesky pronoun. I don’t know about you, or “you,” but I don’t like spending too long in someone else’s argument, which slightly sours an album otherwise notable for its sweet, inviting sound.

Chris Titchner: Already Gone [Self-released; Feb. 24]

SUNDAY, MARCH 1 Daniel Romano The prolific Canadian musician Daniel Romano has the voice of a mid-70s Bob Dylan—twangy and flushed with a slight down-on-the-luck sneer—the drifting poetic sensibilities of Jonathan Richman, and the swagger of a Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid-era Paul Newman. So why, a decade and change after his first album, isn’t he a touch more famous? It’s hard to say—but we like being in on the secret, and his dark, brassy twist on country is right on track for Kings. With Paradise Motel Lounge. —Sarah Edwards

Kings, Raleigh 8:30 p.m., $13–$15

Palehound plays at Cat’s Cradle Back Room on Friday, February 28. PHOTO BY GRACE PICKERING

DJ Debt Stalker Ruby Deluxe, 10 p.m. Daniel Donato, Into The Fog, Taylor McCall Pour House Music Hall, 9 p.m. $7-$10. The Gravy Boys, Mad Crush Kings, 8:30 p.m. $12-$15. The HillBenders Fletcher Opera Theater, 7:30 p.m. $30-32. Anya Hinkle, Tellico Wake Forest Listening Room, 7 p.m. $12. Ingested, Visceral Disgorge, The Last Ten Seconds of Life, Cabal, Septicemic, Malediction The Maywood, 6:30 p.m. $15-$17. The Mac McLaughlin Group Arcana, 9 p.m. Mikey Erg Band, Slow Death, Doc Hopper, Loose Behavior, Almost People Local 506, 8 p.m. $8-$10. North Carolina Symphony Classical Series: Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 Meymandi Concert Hall, 8 p.m. $20+. Palehound, Adult Mom Cat’s Cradle Back Room, 8 p.m. $13. Personality Cult, UV-TV, De()t, Cochonne, Stevie Nightlight, 8:30 p.m. The Straight 8’s, Joe’s Cousin The Kraken, 8 p.m. Thick Modine, GSO, Lemon Sparks Slim’s Downtown, 9 p.m. $5. Tiffany The Ritz, 8 p.m. $17+. Katharina Uhde, R. Larry Todd Duke Campus: Nelson Music Room, 8 p.m. Elonzo Wesley, Chessa Rich The Station, 8:30 p.m. Whiskey Foxtrot, Jared Stout Band, Tyler Resch Lincoln Theatre, 8 p.m. $5-$7. The Wiley Fosters Blue Note Grill, 9 p.m. Wye Oak Duke Campus: Baldwin Auditorium, 8 p.m. $25.

Sat. 2/29

Annual Spectrum Concert UNC Campus: Hill Hall, 7:30 p.m. $10. Tim Armacost Sharp Nine Gallery, 8 p.m. $20.

Community Old Time Stringband Jam The Kraken, 7 p.m. Day Party with DJ Nabs Provident1898, 2 p.m. Donations suggested. DJ Gay Agenda Ruby Deluxe, 10 p.m. Duke University Wind Symphony Duke Campus: Baldwin Auditorium, 8 p.m. Eno Mountain Boys, Chuck Mountain, Winfield Cat’s Cradle Back Room, 7:45 p.m. $8. False Prophet, Sadistic Vision, Edge of Humanity The Maywood, 9 p.m. $10. Aaron Hamm, Tan Sanders, Heads Up Penny, Rebel’s Fox Lincoln Theatre, 8 p.m. $10-$12. Julia, Mellow Swells, Alo Ver Local 506, 9 p.m. $8-$10. Megachrome Slim’s Downtown, 9 p.m. $5. The Nelson Files Nightlight, 10 p.m. $10. No Love, Cold Cream, Cochonne Duke Coffeehouse, 9 p.m. $5. North Carolina Symphony Classical Series: Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 Meymandi Concert Hall, 8 p.m. $20+. Of Montreal, Lily’s Band Cat’s Cradle, 8:30 p.m. $17. Off With Your Radiohead Pour House Music Hall, 9 p.m. $10-$12. OM, Wovenhand Motorco Music Hall, 9 p.m. $21. Orlando Parker Jr., Floor Model, Leisure Moan The Cave Tavern, 9 p.m. $5 suggested. Poinsettia Wake Forest Listening Room, 7 p.m. Eric Sommer, Maggie Yarborough The Station, 7:30 p.m. Daniel Stevenson Pour House Music Hall, 5 p.m. Johnny White, The Elite Band Rhythms Live Music Hall, 8 p.m. $15. Gray Young, Proper Sleep, Cold Comfort, Pnltybx Kings, 8:30 p.m. $10-$12.

Sun. 3/1 Mon. 3/2

Carla Copeland-Burns, Inara Zandmane, Michael Burns Duke Campus: Nelson Music Room, 7:30 p.m. Free. Jon Curry, Thom Nguyen Neptunes Parlour, 8:30 p.m. $10. Fallow Ground Wake Forest Listening Room, 2 p.m. Mahalo Jazz, Big Fat Gap, Grand Shores, Violet Bell, DJ Rang Haw River Ballroom, 2 p.m. $20. Rachel Cole Band Pour House Music Hall, 3 p.m. Daniel Romano, Paradise Motel Lounge Kings, 8:30 p.m. $13-$15. School of Rock Chapel Hill Mid-Season Showcase Motorco Music Hall, 1 p.m. Michael Smerconish Lincoln Theatre, 2 p.m. $45+. Bobby Sparks Pour House Music Hall, 8 p.m. $18-$25. Weird God, Megachrome, Micah Moses The Pinhook, 8 p.m. $7. Hanns Zischler, Stefan Litwin UNC Campus: Hill Hall, 7:30 p.m. $15. Flash Chorus: Van Halen, Shaed Motorco Music Hall, 7 p.m. $7. Lydia Loveless Pour House Music Hall, 7 p.m. Clark Stern, Chuck Cotton The Cave Tavern, 9 p.m. $5 suggested.

Tue. 3/3

Freekbass, The Bump Assembly Pour House Music Hall, 9 p.m. $15-$18. Maddie Fisher Arcana, 8 p.m. Home Body, Cevra, Best Believe Ruby Deluxe, 8 p.m. $7. Jacquees The Ritz, 8 p.m. $25-$149. Knuckle Puck, Heart Attack Man, Better Love Cat’s Cradle Back Room, 8 p.m. Sold out. The Musicians MBA, Christian Tamburr Sharp Nine Gallery, 7 p.m. NC Master Chorale: Dvorak’s Requiem Meymandi Concert Hall, 7:30 p.m. $30-38. Slippery Hill, Fiddlin’ Al McCanless The Station, 7:45 p.m. Transviolet, Armors Local 506, 7 p.m. $13- $15. Bob Weir and Wolf Bros Durham Performing Arts Center, 7 p.m. $50+.

Wed. 3/4

The Bailsmen Wake Forest Listening Room, 7 p.m. $10. The Cowboys Neptunes Parlour, 10 p.m. $10. Duke Symphony Orchestra, Jeffrey Brown Duke Campus: Baldwin Auditorium, 7:30 p.m. Leyla McCalla Rubenstein Arts Center - von der Heyden Studio Theater, 8 p.m. $25. The Minks, Reality Something, Hey Champ! The Pinhook, 8 p.m. $10-$12. Postmodern Jukebox Durham Performing Arts Center, 7:30 p.m. $40+. Soulfly, Sergio Michel, X-Method, Systemhouse, Suppressive Fire Pour House Music Hall, 7:30 p.m. $25-$30. Joe Jack Talcum, Coolzey, DJ Halo Local 506, 9 p.m. $10-$12. J Roddy Walston, Palm Palm Cat’s Cradle, 8:30 p.m. $15-$18. Zac Brown Band PNC Arena, 7 p.m. $36+.