The Modern Age
The Modern AgeInstagramRestless LegsInstagram
¡Tumbao!
¡Tumbao! is a high-energy Latin Fusion band formed by 7 seasoned musicians from various genres and backgrounds — and we mean all different types — that creates a sound reflecting the many flavors, los sabores, of Latin America. ¡Tumbao! offers a taste of Salsa, Bossa, Funk, Cumbia, Latin-Rock, R&B, Jazz, and Brass. Formed in 2019, the band has taken to new heights and popularity rapidly throughout venues in the South Eastern circuit and beyond. Most recently featured on PBS, the NCMA, with performances in festival circuits such as Shakori Hills (and returning Spring 2022) and multiple publications, the electric sound of ¡Tumbao! keeps crossing more and more barriers captivating listeners of every age and every background.“…it’s fun, fast-paced, uplifting and would make even the shyest person in the room want to dance the night away to their rhythmic beat.” -WKNC“Tumbao refers to a clave-based rhythm. It’s also a slang word in the Caribbean and Latin America, meaning vibe, sexy, and swing.” – NC Department of Natural & Cultural ResourcesWebsite | Instagram | Facebook
Mipso
Mipso formed in 2012 as an excuse to play together between classes in Chapel Hill. Joseph Terrell came from a family of banjo-playing uncles and a guitarist grandma, and he’d gotten curious again about the string band music he’d heard as a kid. Jacob Sharp was raised on equal parts Doc Watson and Avett Brothers in the N.C. mountains and was hunting for a chance to sing harmonies. Wood Robinson added a Charlie Haden-esque interest in bridging jazz and grass sensibilities on the double bass, and Libby Rodenbough soon joined on fiddle, unsatisfied by her classical violin training but drawn like a moth toward the glow of old, weird Americana.Their first album, “Dark Holler Pop,” produced by Andrew Marlin (Watchhouse), included Terrell-penned fan favorites “Louise” and “Couple Acres Greener” and turned the recent grads into a full-blown touring band. Although it hung out on the Billboard Bluegrass top 10, its sonic mission statement was in the name: “Dark Holler Pop” was groovier and catchier than its string band contemporaries.2015’s “Old Time Reverie” earned them an invitation to perform in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade wherein they rolled down 5th Avenue on a 12-foot bucket of fried chicken. They doubled down on touring, honing a telepathic, sibling-esque connection onstage.2017’s “Coming Down The Mountain,” produced by Brad Cook (Bon Iver, Waxahatchee), added drums and pedal steel and put the band on bigger stages with an expanded Americana sound, including the Rodenbough-fronted title track, another streaming hit and live staple.Mipso considered hanging up their hats in 2018 while recording “Edges Run” with Todd Sickafoose (Ani DiFranco, Anais Mitchell). After five years of near-constant touring, they had started to wake up in hotel rooms wondering what state they were in; they’d never had pets. The album took off. Sharp’s intimate vocal on “People Change” floated into dorm rooms and coffee shops across America, cementing Mipso as a bona fide streaming success across four albums and placing them in that rarefied strata of bands with three distinct lead singers. 2020’s self-titled start-fresh album on Rounder Records brought experimental Canadian producer Sandro Perri into the mix and minted a collection with moodier landscapes and unexpected textures.Post-pandemic Mipso is starting fresh again with “Book of Fools.” The songs might be their best yet. “Carolina Rolling By” shows Terrell at his most relaxed and confident—it’s a meditative cosmic country-tinged head bopper. “The Numbers” flirts with 60s surf rock while Rodenbough winks and wags a finger at our market-obsessed culture, and “Broken Heart/Open Heart” features Sharp at his most heart-wrenching and earnest. Other standouts “East” and “Radio Hell” will infect you with earworms made of guitar riffs, Robinson’s pretzel-twisted upright bass lines, and saturated “ooohs” drifting in as if on AM radio waves. Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube
Billy Raffoul
The communion between an artist and a room full of people endures is one of the most sacred forms of connection. As emotion and energy transfer back-and-forth, this interchange of feelings might be the closest thing we have to true magic in our physical world. Billy Raffoul writes music with this moment in mind. Guitar in hand and microphone on, his voice echoes with a graceful grit that comes right from the gut as he tells stories straight from the heart.After generating hundreds of millions of streams and earning acclaim from American Songwriter, Paste, and more, the award-winning Ontario singer, songwriter, and producer continues to captivate on his debut EP for Nettwerk.During 2017, Billy made his debut with the single “Driver.” Following the 1975 EP and The Running Wild EP, he released his debut full-length, A Few More Hours at YYZ in 2020. The single “Acoustic” generated over 60.7 million Spotify streams as “Easy Tiger” surpassed 19.4 million Spotify streams. The same year, he maintained this momentum with International Hotel and shared bills with Kings of Leon, Kaleo, X Ambassadors and more. Reaching another level, 2021 saw him garner the SOCAN Songwriting Prize for the single “Western Skies.”Despite the Pandemic lockdown, he focused on writing and recording as much as possible. He collaborated with longtime creative cohorts Justin Zuccato and Mike Crossey remotely and occasionally in-person, piecing the EP together over these sessions.Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | TikTok | Spotify | YouTube | Soundcloud
The Dear Hunter
Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Migrant Returned Reissue
Ben Nichols Bikeriders Tour
Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
A Carrboro Back to the Future Prom
Benefiting the Boys & Girls Clubs of Durham and Orange Counties. The prom theme is “Back To The Future.”The full Enchantment Under the Sea reenactment with live music ranging from 1955 – 1985!! Patrons can come dressed in their favorite 50’s or 80’s attire.Prom Court Heavy appetizers from Mel’s Catering Live music by the band Mix Tape Grab Bag Photo Booth Dance Off The prom includes the full Enchantment Under the Sea reenactment with live music ranging from 1955 to 1985! Dust off your poodle skirts or rock your 80s neon for a time-traveling adventure that’s sure to be the highlight of the summer. “Where we’re going, we don’t need roads!” But dancing shoes are a must, as attendees groove to live music by the band Mix Tape Grab Bag. Your ticket doesn’t just open the doors to this retro blast—it includes a feast of heavy appetizers provided by Mel’s Catering, access to a nostalgia-inducing photo booth, and the thrill of a Dance Off competition. Who will make it to the Prom Court? It could be you! By attending this prom, you’re not just reliving or reimagining a memorable night from high school, you’re investing in the future of our community. “Remember, if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything,” Marty McFly advised. And accomplish we will! We’re thrilled that this event supports the Boys & Girls Clubs of Durham and Orange Counties (https://bgcdoc.org/), ensuring a bright future for our local youth.
George Clanton
George Clanton doesn’t just produce gleaming electronic pop, he produces nostalgia too. The Los Angeles artist’s process involves tweaking synthesizer presets, but beyond searching for the right melodies and textures, he’s hoping to come upon a sound that strikes a spiritual chord. “I’m looking for something that triggers a memory or an emotion,” he says. His lyrics are direct transmissions from his soul: raw, often off-the-cuff, evocative. When you pair those words with the gauzy textures Clanton’s become known for, his music feels like a dreamy filter you can put over your own memories. Every moment feels a little more colorful, a little more comforting.You can hear the impact of this approach in his upcoming third album—take fuzz-pop anthem “Fucking Up My Life.” The track is both raucous and soothing, and as Clanton’s distorted croons echo across swelling synths and crushing breakbeats, he offers a mantra: “It feels alright.”It’s a fitting return for an artist who’s spent the last decade cutting through the noise. In addition to making music, he runs the 100% Electronica record label with his fellow pop mutator and wife Negative Gemini. He also spearheads events, including weekly livestreams on Twitch. Being extremely online has allowed Clanton’s fans access to the depths of his personality, to connect with his work more deeply. “I think of myself as the ultimate DIY person,” he says. “Working the George Clanton way has made for a really unique career that hasn’t yet been fully recognized.”Growing up, Clanton knew he wanted to be an entertainer, but he didn’t know how. His hometown of Ridgeway, Virginia, had a NASCAR track but no concert venues or record stores. So MTV was his primary education: videos by artists like 311, The Prodigy, and the Bad Boy Records crew taught the art of showmanship. He downloaded a lot of music from Limewire. During one session, a mislabeled download of what he thought was Oasis turned out to be shoegaze band Brian Jonestown Massacre, opening him up to the vast world of underground music on the internet, which led him to help form the scene that would dream up vaporwave.Under the monikers ESPRIT 空想 and Mirror Kisses, Clanton became a key figure of the early vaporwave scene through his meditative lo-fi productions. The genre was then known primarily for its use of samples, but his 2014 album virtua.zip was a landmark: the first of its kind to be built entirely from original compositions. He also started singing on his tracks back then, adding a human touch and another layer of emotional involvement to the developing genre. In 2015, he dropped both aliases in favor of his given name, a symbolic shedding of creative restraints.In order to reproduce his internet success offline, Clanton hustled harder. Moving to Brooklyn in 2015, where he worked a day job and made music at night, provided that motivation. Seeking a label but unwilling to compromise, he started his own. The label and his first album under his birth name would share the same moniker: 100% Electronica. His 2018 follow-up, Slide, further revealed his gift for deeply moving pop. One of the album’s most powerful tracks, “You Lost Me There,” was inspired by Negative Gemini leaving for work. The mild melancholy of missing your person for a few hours started to feel like the end of the world: “I just didn’t want to be alone because the house was empty,” Clanton says. “I try to find the extreme in the mundane.”Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
Sir Woman, w/ Sketch
To say that Sir Woman has taken the crowded Austin music scene by storm this past year, would be a massive understatement. With the release of their full-length self-titled debut, the band has quickly skyrocketed to headliner status at Austin’s most venerable clubs, and garnered Artist Of The Year at the 2023 Austin Music Awards.The rolling funk/soul ensemble began as a solo vehicle for Wild Child/Glorietta vocalist Kelsey Wilson a mere two years ago. Their dynamic and joyful stage show led to quick buzz, with their recorded catalog quickly catching up to the acclaim (over 30m plays on Spotify alone). Wilson is also not one to rest on this new attention, simultaneously coordinating a Wild Child reunion, a live Sir Woman full-length (recorded at legendary Arlyn Studios), and a follow up Sir Woman studio full-length.Website | Facebook | Instagram | Spotify | YouTube
Neil Frances
There’s something you need to know: There is no Neil Frances.OK, sort of. Neil Frances is not a solo artist, it’s the name of a duo comprised of Sydney-born Jordan Feller and Southern California native Marc Gilfry. And to help you remember that Neil Frances is not a person, the duo has named its forthcoming debut LP, due out in 2022, There Is No Neil Frances.Feller and Gilfry met in 2012 and formed the group in 2016, having both relocated to LA from London and New York, respectively, in pursuit of new projects. Feller began his music career back home in Australia as a hip-hop obsessed, self-taught electronic music DJ, while Gilfry grew up in a musically-inclined household and played and sang in multiple bands. With Gilfry’s inherent knack for hooks and melodies and Feller’s encyclopedic sonic recall ability and vast knowledge of production, the pair hit it off and began to develop their brand of beat-driven popinfused with a more organic warmth than most modern music. Putting special emphasis on their enthralling live sets — always performed live with a multi-piece band and never relying on playback — the group quickly developed a reputation as a must-see stage artist.Soon their reputation as a diverse act with a wide range of talents began to build among listeners of all kinds. “I think there’s a lot of diversity in the people who listen to our songs and come out to our shows, and we feel like that’s the result of something intentional,” Gilfry says. “Jordan and I always wanted to use our music to build a tent big enough for anyone and everyone.”Steadily building from the ground up since the beginning, the duo has been hard at work on the music for the new album since just before the pandemic took hold but have been heading toward this pinnacle for even longer. The 2018 debut EP, Took A While, with its blend of psychedelic rhythms, vibe-y, infectious grooves, and a raw, funky spirit put the act firmly on the map and propelled them to tour slots with established acts like Jungle, SG Lewis and Unknown Mortal Orchestra.A number of single releases, remixes, and featured guest spots on their tracks helped implement their fluidity and embracing of a changing modern pop landscape. And now, There Is No Neil Frances is set to expand their reach with its sense ofundeniable groove and sunny outlook grounded in realness. The songs on the LP cut to the heart of what makes Neil Frances who they are and, for the first time, are bound by a common, cohesive thread. The album loosely tells the story of an insect aspiring to find its place in a utopian dreamscape — a story perhaps best appreciated while in the moment at a NF gig, or in a hazy, red-tinted room with your favorite beverage at hand.The band explains, “Our new album is about self-realization and becoming the person that you dream of. The concept is that we are insects on earth who ascend into outer space to become divas at a galactic ball.” “It’s Like A Dream” is the “set it off” track, a grade-A jam to blast at full volume and get the weekend started in the spirit of Kylie Monogue, Robyn, Amber, and Jessie Ware. “On A Dark Night” sets the tone for the rest of the record with its smoother-than-silk chorus.Website | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify
