The Weekend Has Landed - August 28th

*Friday*

Summer Concert Series @ Brightleaf - Cave Dwellers take the stage at 7pm.

Live Music @ Broad Street Cafe - Spencer Sholes at 8pm, The Highlines at 10pm.

Midtown Dickens CD Release @ Duke Coffeehouse - Check out our feature on this. Doors open at 8:30, and it's a BYOB venue.

Live Music @ Papa Mojo's - Cyril Lance goes on at 9:30pm.

Live Music @ Pinhook - Lake Inferior at 10pm, Ponchos from Peru at 11pm, The Land Mammals at midnight.

*Saturday*

Chef Amy Tornquist @ Durham Farmer's Market - The owner/chef of Watt's Grocery will be serving Zuke's country sausage with okra and lady pea salad from 10am-noon.

Music For Fences @ Durham Central Park - Benefit concert for the Coalition to Unchain Dogs. Check out our feature on this.

3 Boys & Beers @ Durham Central Park - This sold out event is a planned dinner pairing cask conditioned ales with delicious foods, hosted by Larry Tilley, John Warasila and Daniel Bradford.

Durham Bulls vs. Gwinnett County Braves - First pitch at 7pm.

Live Music @ Broad Street Cafe - Adam Sampieri at 8pm, Nova Stella at 10pm.

Inside Joke @ Duke Coffeehouse - Duke’s Sketch Comedy Group presents "Hangover: The Prequel. They are performing shows at 7pm and 9pm. Cost is $5, however it is free for Duke freshman. Followed by a free late shift dance party.

Live Music @ Papa Mojo's - Mel & The Wicked Mojos take the stage at 9:30pm.

*Sunday*

Duke Performances Series @ Duke Gardens - Sweet Honey in the Rock will perform at 4pm for this live, outdoor, and free event.

Durham Bulls vs. Gwinnett County Braves - First pitch at 5:05pm.

Midtown Dickens and Music for Fences, Hear Here!

This weekend is packed with three marquee local music events. The Duke Coffeehouse will be kicking off their 2009-2010 season with the release party for Midtown Dickens' greatly anticipated second album, Lanterns. It is a free event, and also features Mt. Moriah and Des Ark. The Indy has a good review of the new album, which can be streamed from their site. I'm thrilled that the new album is finally out, as Midtown Dickens is part of the heart and soul of the Durham music scene. Doors open at 8:30pm, and the show starts at 9.

Next up we have Music for Fences, which is a benefit concert for the Coalition to Unchain Dogs. The Coalition is a worthy cause, and all proceeds from the concert will go toward building fences to help unchain dogs. The show starts at 4:30pm on Saturday, and you're encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets. Your children and your dogs are also welcome, as there will be special activities for both! Bands that are performing include Superchunk, Regina Hexaphone, The Kinksmen, and Rey Norteño.

Saturday evening will be the CD release extravaganza for Hear Here, a compilation of 17 different bands from the Triangle area, orchastrated by the good folks at WKNC. The show will go down at 8pm at Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, and will feature live performances by Annuals, The Never, Birds of Avalon, and Hammer no more the Fingers. The cover is $10, and includes a copy of the CD!

It's Coming! World Beer Festival!

Imagine a world where you carry around a small glass, and everywhere you go, people give you free beer! Not just any beer either, but some of the best beers from across the country, and across the world. Imagine still that you are surrounded by hundreds of other happy beer aficionados who live in this same magical place with you.

But wait! It gets better. Imagine this wonderful place is in Durham! Not just any part of Durham, but the newly renovated Historic Durham Athletic Park. Imagine that by relaxing in this world, drinking beer for hours on end, you are simultaneously supporting the Carolina Theater!

Well for one afternoon in October, this dream becomes reality when the World Beer Festival descends upon Durham, October 3rd:

The 14th World Beer Festival in Durham, NC is back at the newly renovated historic Durham Athletic Park. Sample the incredible variety of great beers, educational sessions, local food and entertainment that is the World Beer Festival standard.

USA Today rated the World Beer Festival as one of the “10 great beer festivals to tap into for some suds in the summer sun.” Read the article.

The Socialite staff have been attending this event for years, and perhaps we're biased, but The Socialite considers the World Beer Festival, organized by All About Beer Magazine, to be one of the best Durham social events of the year! The beer is amazing, the company is great, the music good, and it supports the Carolina Theater:

All About Beer Magazine's World Beer Festival Durham is proud to raise money for The Carolina Theatre, whose 1920s performance hall is a rich part of Durham's history and the last of 13 original theatres in Durham. To date, All About Beer Magazine and the World Beer Festival has raised $70,000 for the Carolina Theatre.

You are probably wondering why The Socialite is talking about an event that is more than a month away. Well friends, that is because tickets to this glorious occasion go on sale in a mere two weeks! The general public can purchase tickets on September 8th (All About Beer subscribers prior to Aug 21st get first dibs). Tickets are $40 and are good for 4 hours in heaven! More information here.

We'll see you there!

The Weekend Has Landed - August 21st

*Friday*

It's Third Friday Durham, and an action packed night indeed. Check out our feature on the slew of events happening from 6-9pm.

Painting Durham and Water for Elephants @ Durham Arts Council - Armed with an Emerging Artist's Grant from the Durham Arts Council, Annemarie Gugelmann has painted some massive 6x6 foot paintings of Durham cityscapes. She was also recently featured in The Durham News. The second exhibition is "Water for Elephants," new paintings by Brad Williams. The gallery will be open from 5-7pm, immediately followed by a historic walking tour of Downtown Durham with Erik Landfried of Preservation Durham.


Durham, Be Easy @ CCB Plaza - A free community festival that will run from 6-10pm. There's a big line up of artists that will be performing, including: The Beast, Dasan Ahanu, The Mountain Goats, Language Arts, J Bully, Lizh, The William Darity Trio, UpRight Lions, Ashanti White, and Church da Poet.

Warehouse Blues Series @ West Village - Cool John Ferguson performs from 6-8pm.

Summer Concert Series @ Brightleaf - Shine takes the stage at 7pm.

Art Hanging @ Kung Fu Tattoo - Featuring the work of Joshua Heisey and Artie Barksdale. Free food and drinks starting at 7pm.

Durham Bulls vs. Charlotte Knights - First pitch at 7:05pm.

Live Music and New Art @ Broad Street Cafe - Saba Bernard's "Free Music" exhibition is a series of skeleton portraits. Music from Chris Bryant at 8pm, Robert Ferguson at 10pm, and Sleep Control at 11pm.

Film Under The Starts @ Durham Central Park - Durham Cinematheque will be screening "Crazy Italian Night." In conjunction, Piedmont will be offering some accompanying specials, so that you can bag dinner the movie.

Live Music @ Papa Mojo's - The Fairlanes take the stage at 9:30pm.

Compulation CD Release @ Pinhook - Featuring My Dad is Dead, Americans in France, Spider Bags, and Django Haskins of The Old Ceremony, it all kicks off at 10pm.

*Saturday*

The Fifth Annual Durham Latino Festival - There will be food, music, community resources and information, with face painting and storytelling for the kids. Here's the schedule for the main stage:

• 3:25 p.m.: Leno y sus Compass Del Norte

• 4:30 p.m.: Dance Folklore Azteca

• 5:15: p.m.: The Latin Project

• 6:45 p.m.: Carnavalito

Live Music and West End Wheat @ Broad Street Cafe - Starting at 7pm, they'll be tapping a keg of Carolina Brewery's beer, and will have Jordan Dupree performing, followed by Kiley Holder at 8pm and Mixed Greenz at 10pm.

Black Light Insect Hunt @ NCMLS - From their site, "Museum staff will lure the creatures of the night to a white cloth with irresistible strong lights that are set up on the boardwalk. See a variety of insects such as moths, beetles, and more. Entomologists will be on-hand to help you identify the bugs." It goes from 8:30-10:30pm, and costs $5 if you're over 12, and $2.50 if you're under.

Live Music @ Papa Mojo's - Big Mama E & The Cool takes the stage at 9:30pm.

Live Music @ Pinhook - Panda Force at 10pm, Blare Crimmins and the Hookers at 11pm, Cobalt and the Hired Guns at midnight.

Decisions, Decisions: The 6-9pm Block of Third Friday

This month's Third Friday Durham is particularly packed with events, with the 6-9pm block of time being a complete logjam. You'll inevitably have to make a decision on which events to attending during the block, and The Socialite is here to help that at least be an informed decision. In no particular order, here we go!

Drawn to Clay: Vessels Emblazoned @ Claymakers - Claymakers presents a special exhibition of the works of some of North Carolina's most talented potters and ceramic artists, with a focus on their artwork that has been "emblazened" onto the surface of the pottery/ceramics. If you've never been to Claymakers before, they also provide classes, studio areas, retail sales, supplies and clay firing services.

An Evening of Public Healing @ Golden Belt - North Carolina artist Amanda Burr will be opening her new exhibit "Public Healing" in Building 3. She explores the connections between the natural world, cultural imagery, spirituality, suffering and humor. There will even be an on-site shaman to help guests on their quest for meaning. On the second floor of Building 2 will be a sound installation by Khristian Weeks, a transient blend of aural events. In Building 6, learn to dance Nia, which is a conglomeration of the dance, martial and healing arts. A strong contingent of the Durham's Epicurean Motor Pool will be present, including OnlyBurger and the Sabor Taco Truck.

Jacqueline Nielson Opening @ Joe Van Gogh - Jacqueline will have select oil and watercolor paintings on display.

Scrap Quilts: Creative Reuse Across Generations @ Scrap Exchange - In the Scrap Exchanges' Green Gallery, Ruth Warren will be teaching a historical lesson in creative reuse, looking at scrap quilts. There is a story behind each quilt square, a piece of history that can be incorporated into a new quilt to keep the story alive for the next generation.

Alisha Arneth Paintings @ Durham Central Market - Using acrylics and oils on canvas, Alisha presents are of the inner world, playing in the subconscious. She was schooled in art for three years in Israel, has shown work on the Jersey Shore, and now calls Durham her home.

Beer Meetup @ Broad Street

Tonight at Broad Street Cafe is Tri-Beer Meetup. This is an event for beer enthusiasts to meet each other and try new and interesting brews. Tonight Durham's own Triangle Brewing Company will be serving their Rauchbier von Durham:

Rauchbier (smoked beer) has a distinctive smoke flavor imparted by using malted barley dried over an open flame. This is a special beer, unique to NC, that Rick has been working on for a while. It is light in color and body, with a pleasant smokey nose and hints of earth tones in the finish. This beer measures in at 4.4% ABV.

This is a truly unique beer and is worth a try. There will also be live blues music on stage.

The Weekend Has Landed - August 14th

*All Weekend*

The 14th Annual North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Film Festival @ The Carolina Theatre - The second largest festival of it's kind in the Southeast, NCGLFF "celebrates a worldwide glimpse of today's gay and lesbian life" through the medium of film. Featuring short, documentary, and feature films, check out the schedule and take in a movie this weekend.

*Friday*

Warehouse Blues Concert Series @ West Village - Free outdoor blues concert at the West Village courtyard, featuring Adolphus Bell and Dr. Burt, from 6-8pm.

Summer Concert Series @ Brightleaf - The Flabbergasters take the stage at 7pm.

Durham Bulls vs. Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankees - Friday Fireworks night, first pitch at 7:05pm.

Live Music @ Broad Street Cafe - Love N A Box at 8pm, Mary Rockers Johnson at 10pm, Down River Bluegrass Band at 11pm.

Experimental Guitar Show @ BCHQ - Featuring Andrew Weathers, Khristian Weeks, the show starts at 9pm.

*Saturday*

Performance Arts Camp Presentation: "The Kid Who Cried Wolf" @ Common Ground Theatre - A new adaptation that blends Aesop's fable with Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf.” Shows are at 11am and 1pm, tickets are $5.

Brewery Tour @ Triangle Brewing Company - The gates open at 1pm, and the tour begins around 1:30pm. The tour is free, but bring a few bucks as they'll be grilling up some fresh seafood.

Durham Athletic Park Grand (Re)Opening - This marks the post-renovation grand opening of the historic Durham Athletic Park, now operated by Minor League Baseball. It is free and open to the general public from 12-5pm. Durham politicians, former minor league players, and area coaches will face off in a game of softball. Local mascots will be making appearances, along with the Durham Divas. On top of that, there will be free food and drinks.

Taller de Bicicletas Bilingüe / Bilingual Bike Clinic @ Durham Bike Co-op - Taller abierta enfocada en personas que hablan español. En conjunción con el Proyecto de Bicicletas y Solidaridad, que trae bicicletas a rancheros en Durham. / Open shop geared towards Spanish-speakers. Hosted in conjunction with the Cycle Solidarity Project, whose goal is distribute bicycles to farmworkers in NC. 12-6pm.

Durham Bulls vs. Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankees - Saturday Fireworks Night, first pitch at 7:05pm.

Live Music @ BCHQ - Featuring Who goes there?, Perfect Future, It's Just Vanity, Oh mother, from 8pm-midnight.

Live Music @ Pinhook - Straight 8's at 10pm, Blood Red River at 11pm, Resist Not! at midnight.

Live Music @ Broad Street Cafe - The Dry Heathens are opening for the recently reunited Pipe. (see Kyle's comment below)

*Sunday*

Queerrilla Film Festival Shorts Screening & Brunch @ BCHQ - Queerilla is a grassroots, guerrilla supplement to the NC Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, with the mission of providing a focus on radical political issues and gender diversity within the GLBTQ communities. Starts at 10am.

Durham Bulls vs. Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankees - First pitch at 5:05pm.

Documentary Class

Elisabeth Haviland James of Thornapple Films wrote us to let us know about a film documentary class that she will be teaching this fall through the Continuing Education division of the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke:

We will focus on research, proposal and treatment writing, budgeting, fundraising, scheduling, “casting,” as well as the other elements that make up the pre-production phase in professional documentary film.

Sounds like great fun if you're into documentaries and film-making. Elisabeth says "Though it is listed as an "advanced" class, anybody who has an idea for a film or photography project that they wish to fully develop is welcome and encouraged to sign-up." She even makes mention of regular post-class discussions at local watering holes!

"Untethered" Primere to benefit Coalition to Unchain Dogs

The Coalition to Unchain Dogs is a Durham non-profit that seeks to improve the welfare of outdoor dogs in the Triangle area. Saturday, August 15th @ 7:30pm, the group will be having a benefit at Manbites Dog Theater where they will primere a new documentary called Untethered which documents the work of the group. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased either from the Coalition ahead of time or from the box office before the show.

Thursday Night Whiskey Quest

To celebrate some personal milestones, I took the staff of The Socialite out for a night on the town. This was to be a classy evening, dressing up for the occasion, and including some rare indulgences.

We had dinner reservations at Revolution, which marked our first time patronizing this fine establishment. It's a deceivingly large space, but still retains a sense of intimacy. I started off with an old fashioned (pictured to the right) which was a bit fruity for my taste, but was still well made. We ordered the Venison Carpaccio as an appetizer, which was tender and flavourful. To continue with the wild game theme, I had the Grilled Bob White Quail for the main course. It was cooked in a Southern inspired manner, and was a delicacy.

To continue the theme of the evening, we walked over to the recently opened Whiskey for after dinner drinks. To our dismay, they ended up being closed for the evening due to an issue with the building (see Barry's post). At this point, we had a thirst for top shelf scotch that needed to be quenched. The next place that came to mind was The Cellar at West End Wine Bar. Our streak of bad luck (or timing) continued, as The Cellar was shut down for the evening due to a private event. Our hopes were dashed again at our next stop, as Piedmont had already closed down for the evening. We finally found our first lick of scotch at the Durham Convention Center's bar, a nice Lagavulin Single Malt Islay.

With our feet rested and our hope reignited, we continued our whiskey quest and found ourselves at the Sirens Lounge. It appeared our luck had turned, as we had a few different scotches to choose from. The bar at Sirens is massive, and has a built in fish tank. The lounge and dance floor started out on the quiet side, but then a bachelorette party arrived to liven things up.

To wind the evening down, we went over to The Green Room to shoot some pool and drink some beer. All in all, a great evening in Downtown Durham.

Restaurant Openings (Blog Roundup)

A few items of note from various other Durham blogs this week.

New Mexican restaurant, Dos Perros, opened this week to good reviews (CarpeDurham):

All in all, Dos Perros represents a fantastic new addition to the Durham restaurant scene and we would highly recommend it. It’s got great atmosphere, great service, and great food. We can’t wait to go back and see what their full menu looks like.

BullCityRising (BCR) notes that they will be getting a liquor license soon, so beer & wine are coming (yay!).

A couple of other notes from BCR.

A new bar will be opening up the weekend of August 21st in the space formerly occupied by the Music Loft. Called simply The Tavern, they look to have a promising lineup of weekly events including poker tournaments, trivia, and karaoke.

Also, a new burger and hot-dog joint will be opening up where Kings Sandwich Shop used to be. New owners got permission to use the original Kings name, so they will be trying to resurrect the old restaurant.

The Weekend Has Landed - August 7th

*Friday*

Friends of Julie Hatch and Jonel Hoogterp Fundraiser @ Steel Blue - Sudden Affair will be playing a fundraiser show to support the families of Julie and Jonel, two local Durhamites who were tragically killed in a car accident up in Michigan. If you can't make it in person, you can also donate online.

Lynn McGee & The Monarchs @ Brightleaf - Part of the Summer Concert Series, the music starts at 7pm.

Durham Bulls vs. Syracuse Chiefs - Friday Fireworks night at the DBAP, first pitch at 7:05.

Live Music @ Broad Street Cafe - Southern Route at 8pm, The Will McBride Group at 10pm.

I Was Totally Destroying It CD Release Party @ Pinhook - IWTDI will be releasing two new EPs, and takes the stage at midnight. Free Electric State kicks it off at 10pm, and Goner goes on at 11pm.

*Saturday*

Durham Rescue Mission Bargain Center Grand Opening - The Rescue Mission is opening up their newest thrift store. There will be free food, face painting and balloons, in addition to a performance by the Durham Rescue Mission Victory Choir. (h/t Durham Mag).

The Spectacle: A Procession of Music & Costume & Imagery - The Durham Art Guild and the Scrap Exchange present a day of community events inspired by jazz musician SunRa. From 3-4:30pm there will be Intergalactic Costume Creation at the Scrap Exchange, from 4-6:30pm will be the Spectacle Procession, a parade going from Durham Central Park to the Durham Art Guild at 120 Morris Street. Finally, from 6-8pm Gallery Space is the Place, with a film, video and sound celebration.

Rock Out Against Cancer Night @ The DBAP - Durham Bulls vs. Syracuse Chiefs. There will be jersey and silent auctions to raise funds to battle cancer, there will be a candlelit outfield and fireworks, and the band The High and Mighties will perform after the game.

Live Music @ The MarVell - S. Burns with Vintage Fresh, starts at 9pm.

Live Music @ Broad Street Cafe - Workbook at 8pm, Bleumatics at 10pm.

Madonna Dance Party @ Six Plates - Dress up like Madonna and break it down on the dance floor. Starts at 10pm and goes until last call. Six Plates serves their full menu up until 2am.

*Sunday*

Chamas Brazilian Steakhouse Fifth Anniversary Celebration - Chamas will celebrate by offering its all-you-can-eat Full Rodizio and Gourmet Delight dinners for half price. There will be live entertainment and dancing, plus some other food and drink specials. (h/t N&O)

Durham Bulls vs. Syracuse Chiefs - First pitch at 5:05pm.

Picasso at the Nasher

Well, his artwork anyway.

The Nasher Museum of Art will display the works of Pablo Picasso starting August 20th. The exhibit is taking a new look at his work and it's connection to text:

The Nasher Museum presents a groundbreaking exhibition examining Pablo Picasso's lifelong relationship with writers and the many ways in which language affected his work. Picasso and the Allure of Language comprises some 60 works in all media by Picasso, as well as select examples by fellow artist Georges Braque, and photographs, letters, manuscripts and book projects by a diverse group of artists and writers. Together, these works illuminate Picasso's deep and multidimensional interest in writing and language, and challenge the notion of what have been considered highlights of his lifetime of work.

Tickets are on-sale now for between $5 and $15 (depending on whether you are a Duke students/staff or over the age of 7). Visit http://nasher.duke.edu/picasso/ for more information.

Durham's National Night Out 2009

Tomorrow evening (8/3) will be this year's National Night Out, an event designed to promote neighborhood spirit and strengthen the police-community partnership.

Various neighborhoods across the city will be hosting specific events, such as parades, cook outs, and friendly visits by police officers.

For more information, check out the Durham Police Department's press release. The Durham News has also written up an article.

This is a great opportunity to get outside, learn more about the DPD, and meet some of your neighbors!