On Spearhead’s 2003 release, Everyone Deserves Music, the hip-hop group’s front man Michael Franti sings, “I wanna rock the punks because I love punk rock/ I wanna rock the hips because I love hip-hop/ I wanna rock my peeps all around the block/ If I were in Baghdad then I would rock Iraq.” And, a … Read more
Having gazed into the boughs of a towering forest and rested in the lap of a mature tree, I was unprepared for a recent magical moment with a bonsai. Never before had I stood beside such a small, living specimen and experienced that overwhelming sense of understanding and awe. I saw the tree’s entire form … Read more
Through the grapevine: The Lobster Trap is full of surprises this month. The restaurant has unveiled a brand new menu for the fall season, as well as plans for a wine dinner with burgundy-wine importer Steve Pignatiello titled “An Evening in Bourgogne.” The cost of $65 per person or $120 per couple includes a five-course … Read more
Chapel Hill. Two words, one town – but the name says a lot. For many North Carolinians, the place evokes Tar Heel basketball. For others, it’s a liberal academic haven set in a state that retains a distinct strain of Southern conservatism. But here’s the kicker: Chapel Hill is also home to some major players … Read more
Music News One man band takes second place at Piedmont Blues Challenge. Eight is better than one … barely. Local guitarist Patrick Fitzsimons (whose album Hoo Daddy was featured in Earful last week) almost bested the eight-piece band Mighty Lester for top prize at the 19th Annual Piedmont Blues Preservation Society Blues Challenge in High … Read more
When it comes to sports, most Americans prefer contests that can be decided in the time it takes to polish off a large pizza and a few beers. One hour of play is plenty, thank you. But a quick conclusion is far less important to South Africans, who save their athletic fervor for endurance challenges … Read more
Though they’d already established alt-country flagship status by their second album, 1996’s Being There, Wilco’s explosive creative transformation just six years later, exhibited on their 2002 masterpiece, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, would make the band a hip-households name synonymous with artistic exploration and change. Yankee Hotel is a shimmering, sometimes haunted, genre-defying record that propelled the … Read more
The Lake Eden Arts Festival, featuring roots and world music, contra dancing and healing-arts workshops, happens every May and October at Camp Rockmont, the former site of avant-garde Black Mountain College. LEAF’s current installment unfolds Friday, Oct. 14 through Sunday, Oct. 16. Weekend passes include camping, and are $108/adults, $87/youth. The weekend pass “plus” includes … Read more
