Friday, May 29, 2009

The Weekend Has Landed - May 29th

This marks the first of our new weekly series, "The Weekend Has Landed," where we will chronicle what events are going down in Durham for the upcoming weekend. We'll do our best to get this post out on Fridays before that magical 5:00 hour.

And here. We. Go.

*Friday night*

The Pin Projekt @ The Pinhook - This is the annual fund raising event that supports the Troika Music Festival. Local artists use old bowling pins as the endoskeleton for the application of their creative wiles. The pins are then auctioned off to the highest bidder. There will be a viewing session, along with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, starting at 6:30 PM at the Pinhook. The auction will begin at 8:00 PM, and then at 10:00 PM Cool Jonh Ferguson will heat up the joint with his special blend of blues, funk and R&B.

Poetry Reading @ Sound Pure - Cockeyed Press and Carolina Wren Press are presenting a poetry reading at Sound Pure, featuring four poets: Shirlette Ammons, Chris Tonelli, Andrea Selch and Karen Leona Anderson. The event starts at 7:00 PM, and admission is free. Hat tip to New Raleigh, which has more details here.

Durham Bulls vs. Buffalo Bisons - It's Friday Night Fireworks at the DBAP. The game is scheduled to start at 7:05 PM.

Live Music @ The Broad Street Cafe - Andrew Martin goes on at 8:00 PM, and is followed by P.M. Bulldozer. BSC's event site has more details.

*Saturday*

Thanks goes out to Bull City Rising for pointing out the next two events:

Downtown Durham Resource Fair & Picnic - A picnic with free food and live music, where a multitude of local community organizations will be present, looking to recruit some new volunteers. Here's your chance to help the community! The event runs from 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM at 403 E. Main St.

Five Points Palooza - The Blue Tailed Skinks will be setting up shop at Five Points to play some music and enjoy the weather, and encourage folks to come out and join them. They will be downtown from 7:00 PM - 'til. (craigslist events)

7th Annual Bull City Chili Challenge - The fine writers at Carpe Durham uncovered this gem, a CASI sanctioned chili cook-off. Show up at Durham Central Park at 11:00 AM to taste some salsa, or at 12:00 PM to taste the chili.

See No Weevil @ The Hat Lounge - Head over to the Hat Lounge in Northgate between 2:00 PM to listen to a trio performing an eclectic mix of blues and R&B. They will also be serving Pizza and Chips!

Durham Bulls vs. Buffalo Bisons - The second game of a back-to-back. Starts at 7:05 PM.

Live Music @ The Broad Street Cafe - Love N A Box at 8:00 PM, and Pagan Hellcats at 10:00 PM.

Black Bull: A Durham Cabaret @ The Pinhook - A first of its kind cabaret featuring a number of different local performers, starting at 10:00 PM. The Herald-Sun wrote an article on it, and here is another blogger's take.

*Sunday*

A Stuff Swap for SWOOP @ Traction HQ
- Bring stuff you don't want, and trade it for stuff you do! Any stuff left at the end of the day is donated to Strong Women Organizing Outrageous Projects (SWOOP). It runs from 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM at 1018 Broad St. (traction)

Durham Bulls vs. Buffalo Bisons - It's Pepsi Kids Run the Bases night, and Lance Family Sunday (bring 3 Lance wrappers and get 2 tickets for the price of 1).

Whew. That's all for now, if you can make it to all of those events, color me impressed.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Trivia-ing!

UPDATE: 2010 Edition! adds Beyú Caffe to the mix Tuesdays @ 9:00pm

Durham is a town filled with graduate students and over-educated workers of every ilk. You'd think that in a city like this, you'd be able to find a bar trivia night at every corner. Well, perhaps the bars realized it was a losing battle, because there are strikingly few throughout the "City of Medicine." My crack investigative journalism (calling about a dozen bars) was able to uncover the following trivia nights hosted in Durham bars:

1) James Joyce Irish Pub - Tuesdays @ 9:30pm
2) Bull McCabes Irish Pub - Wednesdays @ 9:00pm
3) Dain's Place - Wednesdays @ 8:15pm

Evidently, City Beverage and Alivia's used to have pretty great trivia nights, but both have discontinued that tradition.

I plan on testing out my knowledge of useless things next week. Anybody know of any other places that have trivia nights in Durham?

Drinking Liberally (Liberally Drinking?)

If you like beer and arguing about politics, you might check out the Durham chapter of Drinking Liberally. Get together with a bunch of "left thinking" individuals (whatever that means) and argue about the advantages and disadvantages of a regressive tax structure on the economic impacts of neoliberal policies with regard to socially just community education initiatives. Or you could just use it as an opportunity to meet new people.

Thursday, May 28 (tonight) at 9:00pm
Bull McCabe's ~ 427 W Main St

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Local Yogurt Now Open!


If you find yourself in the Rockwood Park area, Local Yogurt has now opened their doors for business. They're open relatively late, open until 9, 10 or 11 PM depending on the day of the week.

I walked over today and had the coffee flavored yogurt, with fresh bananas on top, which was delicious. I will definitely be back to sample the plethora of different flavor and topping combinations.



View The Durham Socialite Map in a larger map

Scenes from the Weekend

Friday's show at the Local 506 was everything I had hoped for, an enjoying evening of local music. Lemming Malloy had stepped up their game since I had last seen them, and I walked out with a copy of their new album. They are true showmen (and woman), and they had the crowd captivated from the first note.


The surprise of the evening was I Was Totally Destroying It, who opened up for Lemming. Aside from faint name recognition, I had no expectations going in. What they did was put on a high energy show, with the band members smiling throughout the entire show. Socialite contributor D.Mann put it best when he stated that "their album is good, their live show is even better."

Saturday was A Taste of Durham, which I wasn't particularly impressed with. It was definitely more of a family minded event, and a number of the food vendors were from across the Triangle instead of being limited to Durham City/County, so it was a bit closer to A Taste of RTP. However, it was still a beautiful day, and trying out different foods and spirits was a pretty good way to spend an afternoon.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Lemming Malloy - Steampunk CD Release


If you're looking to take a musical adventure tonight, mosey on over to the CD release party at the Local 506 for Lemming Malloy's The Return of the Norfolk Regiment. Lemming Malloy is the latest collaboration of a number of local musicians, I've noted some of their other projects next to their names:
  • Jay Cartwright (Felix Obelix, Eyes to Space)
  • Joe Mazzitelli (I Was Totally Destroying It)
  • Wendy Spitzer (Felix Obelix,The Physics of Meaning, The Gates of Beauty, Eyes to Space)
  • Dylan Thurston (The Physics of Meaning, Eyes to Space)
What is steampunk, you ask? Check out the wiki page to do some pre-show research. Lemming Malloy is more than just style, however, as they have a full and intriguing sound, with deep and intellectual lyrics.

Here is an article that the Independent Weekly did on the band, and here is their description by their record label.

Also playing at the venue tonight will be I Was Totally Destroying It and Gray Young.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Canes v. Penguins Tonight - Where to Watch?

I know we've been writing about the Carolina Hurricanes a lot lately, but it is playoff season. Well, the good news is that tonight's came is away, so you can watch it from the comfort of Durham instead of having to journey through Cary to get to Raleigh (whew!). Here are some suggested places to watch the game.

Tyler's Tap Room - American Tobacco Campus
Tyler's is a great place to go generally speaking. The food is great, the beer selection is amazing, and it's convenient and easy to get to being part of American Tobacco. They almost always have the game on, sometimes on the projection screen (though, the NBA games might be getting priority now).

Dain's Place - 9th Street
Dain's place is cozy and comfortable. Their burgers are great, the beer selection is nice, and many people enjoy the smoke-free environment. Last time myself and the other DurhamSocialite writers were there, they had some trouble with the DirecTV and couldn't get the game on. Hopefully that's been resolved.

Carolina Ale Houe - 3911 Durham Chapel Hill Blvd
The Carolina Ale House has a lackluster beer selection, mediocre food, and hit or miss service. But, it is always packed with Canes fans... so it's sometimes nice to watch a game. They will likely have it on a dozen different screens, both standard and high definition varieties, and on the main projector.

Satisfaction - Brightleaf
Nice place with a weird atmosphere. It won't be full of fans, but they'll happily turn the game on if you ask. Beer is cheap, food is decent, no real winners or losers here.

Check the parking lot to find our Canesmobile above and you'll know where we are. Anybody have any other suggestions for places? Let us know in the comments.

UPDATE: Six Plates Wine Bar on Irwin just tweeted that they would be playing the game as well.

Taste of Durham 2009


Being that it's Thursday afternoon, it's time to start thinking about the weekend. The marquee event this Saturday is the 2009 Taste of Durham.

Taste of Durham is a festival celebrating things we all love, including food, live music, entertainment and art. Here's the breakdown:

Music:
Included in the performance showcase:
  • The TROSA Band
  • Johnnie Foster
  • Cool John Ferguson
  • Nufsed
  • Alicia Grant
On the main stage:
  • Elmwood - A genre bending group from Nashville, combining the sounds of jazz, Caribbean, bluegrass and funk.
  • John Brown and the Groove Shop Band - This group has a full horn section, full rythm section, and multiple singers, creating a powerful sound of funk, rhythm and blues.
  • Locos Por Juana - Heralded as "Miami's Best Latin Band"
On the international dance stage:
  • Salsa 4 U
  • Inis Cairde School of Irish Dance
  • Mambo Dinamico Dance Company/Cobo Brothers
  • Jack Wolf: Cajan & Creole Fun
  • Hannan Sultan Bellydance
  • Flamenco Carolina
  • Singing for Everyone
  • NC Triangle Steppers Chicago Style Steppin Demonstration
  • International Dance Connection/Polynesia
Food and Drink:
There will be both a wine tasting pavilion and a beer tasting garden, along with a "goodlife demonstrations" area where local chefs will demonstrate their culinary talents, along with tips on entertaining and livin' it up.

There will also be a number of well know restaurants that will be offering up samples of their fare. That list includes:
  • Baba Ghannouj Mediterranean Bistro
  • Bocci Trattoria & Pizzeria
  • Don Rio's Southwest Catering
  • Carmen's Cuban Cafe & Lounge
  • Catering: Abrams' BBQ & Seafood
  • Cold Stone Creamery
  • Joe Van Gogh, Inc.
  • The Mad Popper
  • The Melting Pot
  • Moe's Southwest Grill
  • Nikos Taverna
  • Noodles & Company
  • Pomodoro Italian Kitchen
  • Rita's
  • Serena Restaurant & Bar
  • Tamarind India Bistro
  • Vita
Arts & Entertainment:
The "art is alive" exhibit will feature a variety of both local and international artists and artwork.

Entertainment that can be enjoyed with your young ones:
  • Too Much Fun Zone - will feature a carousel, among other rides
  • Snow My Yard - making snow and ice scupltures
  • Singing for Everyone - sing-a-long session
  • Face Painting
  • Traditional India Henna Painting
  • Funtastic Faces Characture
Admission is $4 in advance, $6 at the event. The festival will be going on all day long, 11 AM - 7 PM, down near the intersection of I40 and Page Rd in Imperial Center.  For those who live downtown or want to support public transit, the event is right near the new TTA Regional Transit Center, which services routes that run through both Durham and Raleigh.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Benefit Concert Tonight @ Pinhook [Drinking for Charity]

Tonight the Coalition to Un-Chain Dogs is holding a benefit concert at everyone's favorite downtown hipster hangout, The Pinhook. The Coalition is an outfit that works to: (1) Raise money and build fences for chained dogs in the community, (2) Provide support to and educate the community as to why chaining is cruel and dangerous and raise awareness of the physical, mental and emotional needs of dogs, and (3) Advocate for the passing of laws that disallow or severely restrict the chaining of dogs.

The benefit will feature two local bands, Regina Hexaphone and The Tin Star. Doors open at 6:30pm and there is no cover!

Monday, May 18, 2009

'Canes and Community


There's a great post over at New Raleigh about how the Hurricanes have grown and flourished along with the area, and how they help to put our region on the map. 

Check it out. And Go Canes!

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Carolina Rollergirls


Tonight I made the trek out to Raleigh to attend this month's Carolina Rollergirls bout. For those that aren't familiar with this wonderful sport, check out the wiki page. Carolina fields two talented teams for national competition, the Carolina All-Stars and the Carolina Bootleggers. They play in the historic Dorton Arena, and have bouts approximately once a month.

Being your average male who loves both women and full contact sports, these events are a must-see. Their next home bout is June 6th. I've you've never been, check it out, you won't be disappointed.

Brightleaf Square on Friday Night

Thursday, May 14, 2009

No Landscapes! No Flowers! - The Art of Jason Strutz and Franco

If you're out and about in Downtown Durham tomorrow evening for Third Friday, be sure to make the trek down Buchanan on the other side of the freeway to stop at Kung-Fu Tattoo.

From the Third Friday website:
Jason Strutz illustrates stories that do and do not exist. Both memories and nightmares come alive on his canvases. His works are more than art, but adventure by oil and acrylics. 

Franco's work is a illustration of american urban realism executed with a digital medium. Much of his work deals with class and race issues. Many of his thought-provoking images center around the iconic fist hair pick symbolizing the ‘70’s theme of peace, love, and revolution.
To get some more information on the artists, or to preview some of their work, check out their respective websites:
On the venue, Kung-Fu moved into their current Chapel Hill Street digs in January 2009, defecting from North Raleigh to join the Durham scene. To learn more about the shop and sample the beautiful work of their tattoo artists, check out the Kung-Fu Tattoo Blog.

As if supporting local artists and a local business weren't enough, there will be free food, drinks, and BEER! For those who aren't already sporting ink, the dress code will be tattoo optional.


Friday Art Invastion

Do you like free & cheap wine in disposable plastic cups? Do you enjoy feeling erudite and saying seemingly profound things with other strangers? If you answered yes, Friday night in Durham might be the perfect night for you.

Keen observers will notice no less than six art-related events happening in Durham this Friday night, many as part of Third Friday Durham. These range from small shows to full-fledged openings of new galleries. Here is an overview:

LabourLove Gallery Opening
807 E. Main Street ~ 6 - 9pm

LabourLove is a new gallery opening in the Golden Belt. Golden Belt is a newly rennovated textile mill in downtown that "draws a dense arts energy to downtown Durham with artist studios, live/work loft apartments, offices, restaurants, retail, live music and more." LabourLove will be having their grand opening on Friday and will be featuring the work of 3 new artists:
On May 15, LLG will open the doors of its sleek 1,800 square foot space to the public. The grand opening, in conjunction with additional Third Friday festivities, promises to be a lively celebration of the arts. The first fifty guests will receive a free, limited-edition Giclée art print and for $30, patrons can create eco‐friendly, custom t-shirts featuring works by the opening artists. The renowned Only Burger and Sabor taco trucks and the lauded Daisy Cakes desserts will delight the hungry and home brew master Jason Salemme will treat the crowds to a sampling of his award‐winning Scottish Ale and Stout beers. To complete the evening, the “hot pickin’, sweet singin’, good lookin’ bluegrass band”—the Cadillac Stepbacks—will fill the Golden Belt courtyard with tight vocal harmonies, fast instrumentals, and their own blend of energy.
--Press Release (PDF)
Art Hanging at Kung Fu Tattoo
1003 W. Chapel Hill St. ~ 7 - 10pm

Kung Fu Tattoo will be displaying the art of two talented illustrators, Jason Strutz and Franco. You can check out some samples of some of their work at the Kung Fu Tattoo blog. Rumor has it that there will be free beer, free food, and free drinks. Durham Socialite writer DBL will be attending this event.

Other Art Events
See calendar for more details
  • Watercolor paintings by Freeman Beard @ Bull City Art & Frame Company (905 W. Main St.)
  • Porcalian and stoneware by Kelly O'Briant and L.T. Hoisington @ Claymakers (705 Foster Street)
  • Paintings by Jeff Mahorney @ Bull City Arts Collaborative (401-B1 Foster Street)
  • Short documentary films @ Durham Arts Council PSI Theater (120 Morris St)

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Images from Game 6 Canes/Bruins

Here are a couple of photos I shot at last night's Canes game.


First up is a t-shirt honoring Jussi Jokinen's goal earlier in the playoffs where he scored in the last 0.2 seconds of the game.

Next we have a venerable Canes-mobile, complete with oversized metal Stanley Cup and "Scott Walker for Mayor" sign.



Beautiful Durham

Jessie over at Umbrella Love has a Durham guide that just came out. She took some amazing photos of Durham's unique spots that really show the beauty of this city. Check them out here.

Free Summer Concerts in the Triangle

Ginny has put together an excellent compilation of free summer concerts going on throughout the Triangle:

T-minus 1 month until pools are open

Durham Parks & Rec issued a press release today that outdoor pools will open on June 13, including the spray grounds that were closed last year due to water restrictions.

Full press release can be found at Durham myNC.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Attending a Carolina Hurricanes Game


In case you haven't heard, the Carolina Hurricanes are in the NHL playoffs.

While this is admittedly not exclusively about Durham, it is an exciting time for everyone living in the "Durham-Raleigh" area. Besides, it has been appearing on the calendar a lot lately as the Hurricanes progress through the playoffs. As a newbie to the sport myself (other socialite writers got me into the game this past fall) I thought it would be nice to offer a primer for those interested in going to a game.

1. Tickets

I recommend the box office at the RBC Center. They are cheaper because you don't have to pay the Ticketmaster tax, and you can pick your individual seats, not just sections. Also, Duke University employees get a discount.

2. What to wear

Most people wear jerseys. You can get some good deals at www.hockeyattire.com, but the most important thing is just to wear the team colors (red, black, and white).

3. The Day of the Game

Enter the RBC Center from the south off of Trinity Rd. This is much easier to get into and out of, and this is where all the tailgating is. Parking is $10 cash.


View Larger Map

Tailgating does occur before the games. We recommend the Durham Socialite Recession Tailgating Package:

  • Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
  • Tortilla chips (in the sandwich or on the side, your choice) and salsa
  • Miller High Life

Friday, May 8, 2009

Introducing The Durham Socialite

Welcome to Durham's consolidated source for social events.

The idea for this site was born out of our own desires to keep track of what events were happening when. To keep track of potential social events on any given day, we created a shared Google calendar to house them. Any time we saw or heard about an event that we may want to attend, we would add it to the calendar. Then, when we asked ourselves the question, "What are we going to do tonight?," there in front of us (and available on our mobile devices) was a list of possibilities.

The implementation of said calendar was so successful, we thought that it may be something that others would be interested in. That combined with our love of Durham and desire to give back to / help foster our community, led to the creation of this site. While the content will contain events across the Triangle, it will certainly be Durham-centric.

Now that we are live, we will strive to continually improve and evolve this site. We're here for you, blossoming and veteran socialites the same, and we welcome any feedback to make this experience the best we can.

We'll see you in Durham, and enjoy!
 
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