Silber Records sends holiday greetings

Today we have a great holiday special, an unusual compilation of music from Raleigh's Silber Records. Steve of Subscape Annex fills us in on the details.

Steve: My friend Brian who runs Silber asked me to contribute to this year's instance of his biennial seasonal music compilation. "The 2008 installment of our Christmas compilation series features 26 tracks of Norwegian folk, indie ambient, shoegaze, aggressive ambient, & electroacoustics. Strangely enough there seem to be somewhere around zero covers of traditional Christmas tunes this time out." The entire album is available for free download on archive.org.

http://www.archive.org/details/silber069-winterizing

Artists involved for the 2008 compilation are: Varde, Hotel Hotel, Clang Quartet, Andrew Weathers, Charles De Mar, Electric Bird Noise, Glissade, Sailor Winters, Miss Massive Snowflake, Goddakk, Gorgons, Small Life Form, Lauri des Marais, Ligo, Moodring, slicnaton, Remora, Moral Crayfish, The Carnage Visors, South West Airline, Northern Valentine, Spotlight Kid, The Left Channel, Recorded Home, The Child of A Creek, and Subscape Annex.

Steve created the Subscape Annex piece "Sleighride" with Chapman Stick, E-Bows, capos, Moog MF-104 analog delay, Boss RC-20 & RC-20XL, Digitech Jamman, then final processing through Sound Soap and Audacity.

All of us here on the Interwebs wish you a wonderful holiday season!

Lukestar Tops Charts in Norway

In Norway, power-pop quartet Lukestar's album "Lake Toba" has already gone gold. They have a catchy, dueling guitar sound that has drawn comparisons to older Weezer, Mew, and Blonde Redhead. Check out the song "White Shade". The falsetto of Truls Heggero had me looking for a female lead vocalist in the group. He hits some pretty amazing high notes that I would never even think of attempting. I am reminded of another Scandanavian group as well. Iceland's Sigur Ros has a similar feel at times, though Lukestar is much more dance/pop oriented. My only criticism of "Lake Toba" is that it is somewhat predictable in song structure, a very consistent and listenable album, but could perhaps mix it up a bit more. So far they do not have any US performances posted on their MySpace, but Lukestar seem to have a lot of potential, so I imagine it won't be long before they try a US tour.

Incidentally, there is also a rapper named Luke Star, not to be confused with this Lukestar!

Restring Your Guitar the Right Way

Jim Dennis is owner of The Music Loft of Carrboro. Today Jim is going to teach us something I have never known in over 30 years of guitar playing--how to string a guitar properly. Tell it Jim!

JD: I come into contact with instruments and old and new. If you play any instrument with strings - violin, oud, electric guitar, ukulele (whatever), here are some tips on how to keep your strings working with you and not against you. First, wash your hands before you pick up your instrument! No, seriously. Your mom would want you to wash your hands anyway, so make her happy too. The natural oils produced by your skin as well as microscopic particles of dirt, grime, and even skin itself are what cause strings to “go dead” or loose their tone over time.

Be sure you have the correct strings for you and your instrument. If you put acoustic guitar strings on an electric guitar, it may do more that just sound weak and play badly. You could do catastrophic damage to the instrument. Acoustic guitar strings can have over 500 pounds of pressure when tuned up and an electric guitar (and electric strings) are made for half that amount. Keep the package the strings came in. It has information that you will need the next time you buy strings or take your instrument in for a tune up. By using the same size, type and composition of string, your instrument will respond and sound the same way so you can try different brands and compare apples to apples.

What strings should you use? That is determined by many factors--what kind of music you play, whether you are a beginner or an accomplished player, the condition of the instrument, which type of string has it been adjusted to play, the ideal sound you are seeking, and the difference between round wound, flat wound, ground wound, nylon, silk and tape wound strings. So many variables so....what does one do? Ask someone you know and trust to recommend a shop or store in your area.

Oh, David wanted to know how to put his strings on. Carefully. Spend a few minutes doing it correctly and save a bunch of hassles later. Observe how the old string is put on and use that as a guide for the tailpiece, bridge, and tuning key. Until you become an old hand at this, replace one string at a time and dispose of your old strings as you go. Believe me, you do not want to know what an old string can do to a vacuum cleaner, pet, or your little brother. Make certain the wraps on the post are neat and in a single layer like a stack of donuts. I use one hand to guide the string and the other to turn the tuning key. If it looks like a tornado of barbed wire, you could experience slippage and tuning problems. Always come “up” to the pitch for tuning. To keep the string in tune, always bring the pitch of the string up when tuning. Don’t go down in pitch to tune. If the string is sharp, bring it down below were it needs to be (i.e. flat) and come back up to pitch. The gears in the tuning machine will hold better, resulting in your instrument staying in tune longer. Use a reference like an electronic tuner, tuning fork, or pitch pipe. In a pinch I used dial tone (which is two tones - A440 and F). Strings that are cranked too high in pitch are bad for your instrument and hard to play. After you have all the stings replaced and tuned, check the tuning one last time and enjoy!

Strings are like the vocal chords of your instrument so the better shape they are in, the better you will sound.

Thanks for the excellent information Jim! I should also mention that the Music Loft of Carrboro has excellent deals on new and used musical instruments and gear, not to mention the great service and expertise of Jim Dennis and his dedicated staff.

Shows This Week

Happy almost holidays to you! Here are your shows for the week:

Wednesday, December 10th

Matt Stillwell, at Local 506, 8PM, 506 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill, 919-942-5506, www.local506.com

Patty Larkin at The Pour House, 8PM, $15-$18, 224 S. Blount St., Raleigh, 919-821-1120, www.the-pour-house.com

One Less Hero, And Then There Were None, at MarVell Event Center, 9PM, $5/$4, 119 W. Main St., Durham, 919-688-0975, www.myspace.com/marvelleventcenter


Thursday, December 11th

Nine Mile Road, at Mansion 462, 462 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill, 919-967-7913, www.mansion462.net

Wax Museum Pandemonium with The Accordion Death Squad, at The Cave, 7:30PM, 452 1/2 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill, 919-968-9308, www.caverntavern.com

Graham Colton, Michael Tolcher, Bryan Greenberg, Tim Brantley, at Lincoln Theatre, 8PM, $15, 126 E. Cabarrus St., Raleigh, 919-821-4111, www.lincolntheatre.com

Doco, Groove Stain, at The Pour House, 9PM, $5, 224 S. Blount St., Raleigh, 919-821-1120, www.the-pour-house.com

Orphan, Whatever Brains, Invisible, at Nightlight, 9:30PM, 405 1/2 W. Rosemary St., Chapel Hill, 919-933-5550, www.nightlightclub.com

Battle of the Colleges, at Local 506, 10PM, 506 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill, 919-942-5506, www.local506.com

Inspector 22, Impossible Arms, at The Cave, 10PM, 452 1/2 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill, 919-968-9308, www.caverntavern.com


Friday, December 12th

Big Mark's Birthday Bash with Widow, Viper, Twisted Tower Dire, Hellrazor, at Volume 11, 658 Maywood Ave, Raleigh, 919-839-0079, www.myspace.com/volume11tavern

Cattletrack, Greyhouse, at Dive Bar Raleigh, 3 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh, 919-832-9363, www.DiveBarRaleigh.com

The Ex-Monkeys, at Pizza Palace, 3218 Guess Rd., Durham, 919-620-9700, www.myspace.com/pizzapalaceofdurham

Spencer Scholes, Primitive Sound, at Maximillians, 7PM, 8314 Chapel Hill Rd., Cary, 919-465-2455, www.maximiliansgrill.com

East Chapel Hill Choral Dept. Winter Concert, 7:30PM, $5, 500 Weaver Dairy Rd., Chapel Hill, 919-969-2482.

Hot Tuna Electric, at Lincoln Theatre, 9PM, $24-$27, 126 E. Cabarrus St., Raleigh, 919-821-4111, www.lincolntheatre.com

A Musical Tribute to Kevin Brock, at The General Store Cafe, 8:30-11PM, 39 West St., Pittsboro, 919-542-2432, www.thegeneralstorecafe.com

CyTunes Launch Party, Flute Fries, Magic Babies, at Local 506, 9:30PM, 506 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill, 919-942-5506, www.local506.com

Holiday Honky Tonk Tour: Gambling the Muse, John Howie Jr., The Rosewood Bluff, at The Cave, 10PM, 452 1/2 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill, 919-968-9308, www.caverntavern.com

L.E.G.A.C.Y. Birthday Bash with Edgar Allen Floe, Blue Raspberry, K Hill, O.N.E. Jones, Truth Da Gohd, more, at The Brewery, 10PM, 3009 Hillsborough St., Raleigh, 919-838-6788, www.brewerync.com


Saturday, December 13th

Subscape Annex, Remora, Bryce Clayton Eiman and Andrew Weathers, , Smithfield Holiday Art Faire, 2PM- , Free, River City Arts, 109 South Third St., Smithfield, NC.

Bob Pence and Joey Prinz, Subscape Annex, and possibly others, at badgerhaus, 9PM, email steve@subscapeannex.com for directions.

The Lineage, Lions for Lambs, The Reaping, The Vaughn Street Glee Club, at Volume 11, 658 Maywood Ave, Raleigh, 919-839-0079, www.myspace.com/volume11tavern

Dead Tomorrow, Scrap Metal Casket, at Dive Bar Raleigh, 3 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh, 919-832-9363, www.DiveBarRaleigh.com

Miss Demenor, at Pizza Palace, 3218 Guess Rd., Durham, 919-620-9700, www.myspace.com/pizzapalaceofdurham

The Strugglers, The Pneurotics, at The Pinhook, 117 Main St., Durham, www.thepinhook.com

The Black Swamp Bootleggers, at Milltown, 12-3PM, 307 E. Main St., Carrboro, 919-968-2460.

Gut Nasty Blues Collaborative, Spencer Scholes, at Maximillians, 7-10PM, 8314 Chapel Hill Rd., Cary, 919-465-2455, www.maximiliansgrill.com

Cool John Ferguson, at Slim's, 8PM, $15, 227 S. Wilmington St., Raleigh, 919-833-6557, www.myspace.com/slimsdowntownraleigh

Brooks Wood Band, No Second Troy, A Clerestoy, at The Pour House, 9PM, $7, 224 S. Blount St., Raleigh, 919-821-1120, www.the-pour-house.com

Carbon Leaf, Runaway Cab, at Lincoln Theatre, 9PM, $13-$15, 126 E. Cabarrus St., Raleigh, 919-821-4111, www.lincolntheatre.com

Cantwell Gomez and Jordan, The Curtains of Night, Saint Peter Pocket Veto, Space Mammal, at Nightlight, 10PM, 405 1/2 W. Rosemary St., Chapel Hill, 919-933-5550, www.nightlightclub.com

Max Indian, The Old Ceremony, The Love Language, at Local 506, 10PM, $8, 506 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill, 919-942-5506, www.local506.com

I.G.B. Keeps It Heavy

Raleigh band I.G.B. cranks out their unique metallic blend this Friday at The Dive Bar (3 Glenwood Ave., 10PM). Drummer Tom Bell answered a few questions about the band.

Tell us about the band lineup. How did you get together?

The band started in 2004 as a 3 piece with Rob, Jason, and myself (Tom). Rob and I had played in the band Nine Lbs. together in the 90's. Jason was a friend who had a lot of experience playing in southern rock bands. During this time we had a lot of instrumental only songs and long instrumental breakdowns in most of the songs, which we still keep as a vital part of our music. Rob and Jason did sing, but we mainly just wrote music and practiced for a few years. At the end of 2006 Paul Seeber joined the band as a vocalist and we started playing shows in town pretty regularly. He stayed with the band a year and a half. In March of 2008 Corn joined the band. This was a very natural choice because Corn sang in Nine Lbs. with Rob and me. The fit has been great and the new sound and feel to the band has been amazing.

How would you describe your sound? It sounds like a more hardcore version of Black Sabbath, which is pretty awesome.

Well, we definitely appreciate that and take it as huge compliment. As far as all of the band members go, we have a very diverse range of musical backgrounds and what we actually listen to. These all influence our sound. I don't want to describe the sound though--we would rather have people listen to the music and come up with their own description of the sound.

What's up with band name? What does I.G.B. stand for?

As I said earlier, we started out as a 3 piece band. We had the whole discussion of what we wanted to name the band. One thing we did not want to do was give it a name that would classify us as a certain style of music just by the name itself. For example, there are many band names that when you hear the name you automatically know that they are a heavy metal, or southern rock, or jam band. We play many different styles and have such a wide range of influences that we didn't want to be categorized just by our name. I.G.B. was just the band members initials of their last names. After a while we felt that this had a certain sound to it and we identified with it. We never changed this name when new members were added.

I understand you are working on your second album. How is that going?

It has taken a while but it is almost finished. There will be somewhere between 7 and 9 songs on it. We have done the entire album ourselves. The songs that are finished sound great and we put them up on our website as soon as a new one gets completed available to download for free, available on MySpace. We also have CDs available at our shows.

How does the band write new material?

We usually just come up with a riff and just jam on it for a long time trying out new things here or there. We eventually come up with something we like. Then Corn adds his lyrics. We all add our input to the songwriting process. Some songs have been written just by a single person, but these are the exception. Also, a large portion of our songs at the shows are improvised instrumental segments. I don't think we've ever played a song the same way twice.

Do you have plans for touring?

At the present time we are concentrating on our current album and playing local shows.

Tell us about your gig this week.

Friday, December 5 at The Dive Bar in Raleigh. It is a really cool place with a laid back, rock n' roll atmosphere. It is a free show. You should come check it out.

Thanks to Tom and the band for introducing us to the sounds of I.G.B.

Shows This Week

Here are some shows to check out this week.

Wednesday, December 3rd

The Rosebuds, The Loners, at The Pour House, 9PM, $8, 224 S. Blount St., Raleigh, 919-821-1120, www.the-pour-house.com

Squirrel Nut Zippers holiday bash featuring the debut of "Unzipped: Two Years of Touring Presented in Photographs" by Joshua Weinfeld, at The ArtsCenter, 6:30PM, $20, 300-G E. Main St., Carrboro, 919-929-2787, www.artscenterlive.org

Cruxshadows, Ayria, I:Scintilla, at Lincoln Theatre, 9PM, $12, 126 E. Cabarrus St., Raleigh, 919-821-4111, www.lincolntheatre.com

Savage Knights, Burning Rays, Aquila, at MarVell Event Center, 9PM, $4, 119 W. Main St., Durham, 919-688-0975, www.myspace.com/marvelleventcenter

O'death, Megafaun, Prayers and Tears, at Local 506, 9:30PM, $10, 506 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill, 919-942-5506, www.local506.com

Jay Clifford at Cat's Cradle, 8PM, $10-$13, 300 E. Main St., Carrboro, 919-967-9053, www.catscradle.com

Heypenny at The Cave, 10PM, 452 1/2 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill, 919-968-9308, www.caverntavern.com


Thursday, December 4th

AC Bushnell and HappyJoy Band, with Taz Halloween, at Blue Bayou Club, 9PM, 106 S. Churton St., Hillsborough, 919-732-2555, www.bluebayouclub.com

The Travesties, Teh Vodak, The Fad, at Reservoir, 100A Brewer Ln, Carrboro, 919-933-3204, www.reservoirbar.net

Tommy Edwards, Alice Zincone, Rick LaFleur, at Captain John's Dockside, 11550 15-501N., Cole Park Plaza, Chapel Hill, 919-968-7955.

The Adrian Duke Projek, at Oliver Twist, 8PM, 8111-137 Creedmoor Rd., Raleigh, 919-844-4426, www.olivertwistlounge.com

Phase Zero, Up From Ashes, Mat Quering (Allied Threat), Dear Cousin Muscles, at The Brewery, 9PM, 3009 Hillsborough St., Raleigh, 919-838-6788, www.brewerync.com

Hendacatope, at Six Plates Wine Bar, 9PM, 2812 Erwin Rd., Suite 104, Durham, 919-321-0203, www.sixplates.com

Le Weekend CD release party, Crash, Actual Persons (Living or Dead), at Nightlight, 9:30PM, 405 1/2 W. Rosemary St., Chapel Hill, 919-933-5550, www.nightlightclub.com

Junior Reid (from Black Uhuru), Majah Hype, at Lincoln Theatre, 11PM (11PM?!?), $22-$28, 126 E. Cabarrus St., Raleigh, 919-821-4111, www.lincolntheatre.com


Friday, December 5th

Brimstone Revival, Blanco Diablo, Untold, Downcycle, at Volume 11, $8, 658 Maywood Ave, Raleigh, 919-839-0079, www.myspace.com/volume11tavern

Mosadi Music, Sweet By and By, DJ Ryah, DJ Soulful Love, at The Pinhook, 117 Main St., Durham, www.thepinhook.com

Scientific Superstar, The Loners, Simple, Hammer No More the Fingers, at Armadillo Grill, Bryan Center, Duke Campus, 9PM, 919-660-3937.

Jeff Hart Band, Future Kings of Nowhere, at The Cave, 10PM, 452 1/2 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill, 919-968-9308, www.caverntavern.com

Magic Babies, Static Minds, The Huguenots, at Slims, 10PM, 227 S. Wilmington St., Raleigh, 919-833-6557, www.myspace.com/slimsdowntownraleigh

IGB with American Murder, at Dive Bar, 10PM, 3 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh, 919-832-9363, www.DiveBarRaleigh.com

Black Congo, Twin Tigers, Fertile Crescent, Remora, at Nightlight, 10PM, 405 1/2 W. Rosemary St., Chapel Hill, 919-933-5550, www.nightlightclub.com


Saturday, December 6th

Transportation, Fin Fang Foom, Caltrop, Monsonia, at Reservoir (4 year anniversary!), 100A Brewer Ln, Carrboro, 919-933-3204, www.reservoirbar.net

Radar Brothers, at Local 405, $8, 506 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill, 919-942-5506, www.local506.com

Sequoya and Scientific Superstar (CD release party), with Sawteeth McTweedy and Resse Solo (from Dirty Little Heaters), at The Pinhook, 117 Main St., Durham, www.thepinhook.com

The Black Swamp Bootleggers, at Milltown, 12 noon, 307 E. Main St., Carrboro, 919-968-2460.

Death Fest, at Volume 11, 1PM, $10, 658 Maywood Ave, Raleigh, 919-839-0079, www.myspace.com/volume11tavern

Born of Osiris, Knives Exchanging Hands, Cast the First Stone, at The Brewery, 7PM, 3009 Hillsborough St., Raleigh, 919-838-6788, www.brewerync.com

Viva la Venus with Born Under Punches, at Dive Bar, 10PM, 3 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh, 919-832-9363, www.DiveBarRaleigh.com

Gray Young, Pacific Before Tiger, at Jack Sprat, 10:30PM, 161 E. Franklin St., Chapel Hill, 919-933-3575, www.jackspratcafe.com

Goner, at Slims, 10PM, 227 S. Wilmington St., Raleigh, 919-833-6557, www.myspace.com/slimsdowntownraleigh

Joe Bell and the Stinging Blades, at Broad Street Cafe, 10PM, 1116 Broad St., Durham, 919-416-9707, www.thebroadstreetcafe.com

American Aquarium, Bain Mattox, American Gun, at The Pour House, 9PM, $8-$10, 224 S. Blount St., Raleigh, 919-821-1120, www.the-pour-house.com

Rock for Reproductive Rights: Savoy-Doucet Band, Caitlin Cary (benefits IPAS), at The ArtsCenter, 8PM, $16, 300-G E. Main St., Carrboro, 919-929-2787, www.artscenterlive.org


Sunday, December 7th

5th Annual Christmas student band Jam with Night Prowler, The Wholigans Harborview, M3, Bodega, Bulletproof, severed Minds, Brinstone, Avatar, presented by Give to Live Guitar Studios (proceeds to NC Food Bank), at Lincoln Theatre, $5, 126 E. Cabarrus St., Raleigh, 919-821-4111, www.lincolntheatre.com