Friday, January 29, 2010

The Weekend Has Landed - January 29th

Given the impending winter event, there may be a few cancellations or reschedules. Most notably, Wine Authorities' Pork and Pinot event has been moved out to February 6th. Updates as we receive them, will be posted to our twitter feed.

*Friday*

Save Our Arts Benefit Concert @ Trotter Building - This is an all-star line-up of local bands, including Hammer No More The Fingers, The Beast, Megafaun, Midtown Dickens, and Tea and Tempests. There will be a silent auction, and Triangle Brewing Company will be pouring their tasty brews. Best of all, proceeds go to the Central Park School for Children. 6pm/$10 suggested donation.

Live Music @ Broad Street Cafe - Mandolin Orange at 8pm, The Hummers at 10pm.

Transactors Improv Presents: City of Medicine @ Common Ground - The latest episode of their "completely improvised serial medical drama." 8pm/$12.

Alonzo King LINES Ballet, featuring Jason Moran's Bandwagon @ Reynolds Industries Theater - The first piece is King’s brawny, sinuous overhaul of Ballets Russes’ icon of dance modernism, Scheherazade — here in its American premiere. The second has Moran’s trio playing live, lighting up a score the pianist wrote for King’s troupe. Friday and Saturday at 8pm.

Live Music @ Duke Coffeehouse - Max Indian, Ryan Gustafson, Light Pines. 9pm/FREE.

Live Music @ The Pinhook - Fin Fang Foom at midnight, Free Electric State at 11pm, Gray Young at 10pm, deVries at 9pm.

Matt Walsh @ Papa Mojo's - Matt Walsh is hailed by Blues legends like Bob Margolin and Paul Oscher for his talent, original Blues and raw, intense performances. 9:30pm/$8.

*Saturday*

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

Minor American Reading Series Listening Party @ THE SPACE - Featuring fiction author Brian Evenson, journalist/poet Brian Howe, and poet Jonathan Locke Hart, with music by Secret Boyfriend. 8pm/FREE.

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra with Angela Hewitt & Christopher Taylor @ Page Auditorium - Conducted by the musicians themselves, the 20-piece Orpheus is an experiment in radical democracy that is also among the finest orchestras on earth, turning out collaborative art that joins visceral energy with keen interpretive balance. 8pm/$25.

FATE presents an evening of short plays by local playwrights @ Common Ground - Get familiar with some of the Triangle’s most loved and prolific writers, and their works. The pieces will be staged by several directors, and read by some of your favorite local actors. 8pm/$5.

Willie Painter Band @ Papa Mojo's - Playing a mix of blues with a nod towards swinging jazz and an eclectic selection of rock tunes, the Willie Painter Band consists of four veterans of the Triangle music scene that are known for consistently delivering inspiring and electrifying performances. 9:30pm/$8.

Live Music @ The Pinhook - Duncan of Hammer No More The Fingers at 1am, Veelee at midnight, Gary B and the Notions at 11pm, Imperial China at 10pm.

*Sunday*

Have a Heart Valentine Wine Tasting @ Rigsbee Hall - Independent Animal Rescue invites animal and wine lovers to enjoy phenomenal wines, fantastic food, and funky music while perusing and bidding on truly unique silent auction items. This year's tasting event will explore notable artisan wines of the south of France including wines from the Rhone, Provence, Languedoc, the Southwest, and Roussillon. Additional wines from around the globe will be available by the glass. 100% of Have a Heart profits will aid in the rescue and care of homeless, abandoned, and abused animals. Tax-deductible tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. 3pm-7pm.

Henry Vogel (storyteller) @ Broad Street Cafe - He has performed as a regional teller at the Wake County, Vance County and Oxford Storytelling Festivals. He has also performed at local schools, the Storytelling Bookstore and at Halloween festivals held by the city of Burlington and Harris Lake County Park. 4:30pm/FREE.

Friday, January 22, 2010

The Weekend Has Landed - January 22nd

SPENDY Productions presents the Strange Beauty Film Festival @ Manbites Dog Theatre - A new festival showcasing adventurous and striking short films from around the world, including fiction, documentaries, experimental, and wholly unclassifiable works. Presented in three program blocks over two days.

Hoof 'n' Horn Presents: REEFER MADNESS @ Sheafer Lab Theater - In a high school classroom, The Lecturer tells the assembly of anxious parents about the evils of marijuana. Jimmy Harper is a fine upstanding youth, blessed with the love of the fair Mary Lane. However, across town, the weed-pusher Jack, his moll Mae, and his cronies, Sally and Ralph, are living in the depths of depravity, and they are waiting to lure young Jimmy into their clutches. A single encounter with "The Demon Weed" is all it will take to send Jimmy to incredible "heights".

*Friday*

An Evening With Vince Gill @ The DPAC - Nineteen-time Grammy winning country musician Vince Gill. 8pm.

Live Music @ Broad Street Cafe - Jon Shain Trio w/ The Grandsons and special guests The Gravy Boys. 8pm/$10.

Anton Kuerti @ Reynolds Industries Theater - Sonata in E-flat Major, Op. 81a, “Les Adieux”; Sonata in F Minor, Op. 57, “Appassionata”; 33 Variations on a Waltz by Anton Diabelli in C Major, Op. 120. 8pm/$30.

Beer and Comedy @ Carolina Theatre - Help raise money for the Carolina Theatre, taste beautifully-matched chocolate and beer pairings and enjoy a performance by Steven Wright, one of America's favorite comedians.

Tad Walters @ Papa Mojo's - Tad is a bluesman who has honed his skills as a guitarist, bassist, harp player and vocalist. Backed by TA James (bass) and Kelly Pace (drums). 9:30pm/$8.

Live Music @ The Pinhook - Honcho at 10pm, How I Became the Bomb at 11pm, The Huguenots at midnight.

*Saturday*

The Solstace Project @ The Hat Lounge - Live jazz from 2-4pm, and a raffle for a free fedora.

LabourLove Art Party @ Golden Belt - An adult art class for beginners! Kelly Dew will show you some of her tricks for mixed media painting in a relaxed atmosphere with a glass of wine to break the ice. Great appetizers and a cash bar will be available from Triangle Catering. 6pm/$20.

Benefit for Girls Rock! NC @ Duke Coffeehouse - Scientific Superstar at 8pm, Princess and the Criminals at 9pm, Heart of Glass at 10pm. $5 suggested donation.

Live Music @ BCHQ - My Majesty in Oxygen, Tunnels Under the Citadel, Elfowl and Last Years Men. 8pm/$5 suggested donation.

Karaoke for Cy @ Bull McCabe's - $5 per song, which gets donated through Cy Rawls Has A Posse to the Tisch Brain Cancer Center. 8pm.

Luciana Souza with Cyro Baptista & Romero Lubambo @ Reynolds Industries Theater - Returning to Duke after an entrancing 2008 show, Souza’s piercing, crystalline vocals are backed by Baptista, who’s cut percussion for David Byrne and Yo-Yo Ma, and Lubambo, who by now needs no introduction. 8pm/$24.

The Four Bitchin’ Babes present Hormonal Imbalance™ @ Carolina Theatre - Performing original songs and stories, the Babes offer both poignant views and unbridled comedic commentary on the joys and dilemmas of everyday life. Enjoy an entertaining evening with these outrageously funny and multi-talented musician galpals as they examine and celebrate the lives of ordinary men and women in our quest for balance. 8pm/$28.

Mel Melton & Wicked Mojos @ Papa Mojo's - Mel Melton is one classic blues harmonica musician who is known for his rare & impeccable Zydeco & Cajun song writing. 9:30pm/$10.

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

Ta Ta to the Tatas Benefit for Colin Mauger @ The Pinhook - Up and Down Escalator at 10:30pm, Beloved Binge at 11:30pm, River City Ransom at 12:30pm.

*Sunday*

Dine Out For Haiti - Indulge in your favorite food with good conscience! This Sunday (or Monday), several area restaurants are donating 10% of their proceeds to the relief efforts in Haiti, either through the remarkable organization Partners in Health or the inspirational, locally-run Family Health Ministries. Eat out, enjoy, and contribute to a worthy cause!

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

"The Wizard" will be at Tyler's Tonight

Ray Whitney, the leading goal scorer for the Carolina Hurricanes, will be at Tyler's Taproom this evening. He'll be joining Mike Maniscalco as they do a live broadcast of Canes Corner on 99.9 FM The Fan ESPN Radio. 6pm.

Friday, January 15, 2010

The Weekend Has Landed - January 15th

Ladies and Gentlemen, Third Friday has arrived, and with it some amazing weather. Check out our feature on the Freeze Your Balls Off Scooter Rally.

*Friday*

Two New Exhibits Opening @ Durham Arts Council - Transient Memories: photographs by Steven Gregory (Allenton Gallery) and Under the Influence, abstract paintings in acrylic by Don Mertz (Semans Gallery). 5pm.

Reception for Jim Tignor Painting Exhibit @ BCAC - Jim Tignor's In Search of Burning Bush. Jim is an Occupational Therapist in the Chapel Hill and Carrboro City Schools, and the paintings depict his spiritual journey as a Quaker. 6pm.

Exclusive Photograpy Exhibit Preview @ Through This Lens - Preview Side by Side, an exhibition of sixteen large-scale, photographic diptychs by Isabel Chicquor. 6pm.

Multiple Art Openings @ Golden Belt - Sarah Spencer White’s installation of new ceramic pieces, Spill, explores the ever shifting barrier between the industrial and the hand made. SafeKeeping is Lori Vrba's first solo show in the U.S. She has studied with internationally recognized photographers Keith Carter, Tony O’Brien and Sarah Meghan Lee, and her photographs have been nationally recognized. 6pm.

Three New Installations by Julia Gartrell @ DURTY - Julia's installations are meditations on American consumption and perception. 6pm.

Heironymus Bosch Meets Three Artists @ Scrap Exchange - Charron Andrews shrine assemblages are a garden of earthly delights made from the cast offs of daily life. Leigh Werrell offers a strong line up of riveting portraits that are quietly compelling studies of ordinary people. And the Scrap Exchange’s own Sara McCreary turns discarded house paint and recycled canvas into wildly undulating patterns of color that make you want to dance. 6pm.

Art Hanging @ Kung Fu Tattoo - Featuring the works of Anthony Hicks and Rick White. Rick is a photographer and custom car and bike builder from Raleigh, Anthony Hicks is an artist from Youngsville who works in multiple mediums, ranging from the twisted to the mundane. 7pm.

Retrofantasma @ Carolina Theatre - The monthly film series of double-features dedicated to bringing classic horror movies back to the big screen in 35mm. Ghost Story at 7pm, It Came... Without Warning 9:30pm.

Sticks (Light) @ 715 - A one night only installation with pine trees; rope; hooks; windows; spot lights; fabric; fire extinguishers; wood; studio space; pedal steel, acoustic, and electric guitar; bass guitar; theremin; fiddle; chimes; keyboard; cello; organ; piano; ektara; saw. 7:30pm.

Art and Live Music @ Broad Street Cafe - Featuring the works of Alisha Arneth. The NJ native is also a reflexology practitioner here in Durham. She paints primarily with oils and acrylics, creating abstract and surreal paintings with organic and cosmic symbols. Live music will be provided by Paul Edelman at 8pm, Mary Rockers Johnson at 10pm.

Will McFarlane @ Papa Mojo's - McFarlane pulls from blues, R&B, rock, and country, and blends it into his own keenly personal and expressive delivery. 9:30pm/$10.

Live Music @ The Pinhook - The Moaners at midnight, Lonnie Walker at 11pm, Liza Kate at 10pm.

*Saturday*

Grand Opening @ Beyu Caffe - Coffee cupping at 10am, wine tasting at 3pm, and live jazz featuring the Brian Horton Trio at 9pm.

Preservation Durham Walking Tour - No reservations are required, simply meet your guide at Preservation Durham's sign at the Durham Farmers Market in Central Park, on Foster Street just north of Downtown. The tours take approximately 1 hour and return to the Farmers Market. 11am.

Live Music @ Broad Street Cafe - Tim Stambaugh at 8pm, West Trinity at 10pm.

Dinner and a Show @ Common Ground Theatre - See Prelude to a Kiss with dinner provided by Blu Seafood. 8pm.

Swang Brothers @ Papa Mojo's - This three-piece outfit can turn on a dime, playing an all-out rockabilly rave-up one moment, downshifting into a country ballad the next, followed by a burning instrumental number. 9:30pm/$7.

Live Music @ The Pinhook - Clawform at 10pm, Cantwell Gomez and Jordan at 11pm, Grappling Hook at midnight.

*Sunday*

Italian Gardens: Contrasting Classical and Contemporary Garden Style @ Duke Gardens - College professor Greg Pierceall has been making a special study of Italian gardens, touring each summer with landscape architecture students. It will be a review of how classical techniques and design strategies are reinterpreted to serve contemporary garden goals. 2pm/$15.

Big Bang Boom @ Broad Street Cafe - What happens when professional musicians become parents? They play and write children's music. This is the path taken by Big Bang Boom, a children's music group from Greensboro. After 20 years touring clubs and playing parties, Chuck Folds (younger brother of piano rocker Ben Folds) and Steve Williard decided to expand their horizons and play for kids. Together with drummer Eddie Walker they have become the parent friendly kid's rock band alternative. 4:30pm.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Freeze Your Balls Off: Scooter Rally Rolls Through Durham

Expect to see increased two wheeled traffic this weekend, as The Incriminators Scooter Club holds their annual rally. If you'd like to marvel at the cavalcade of motor bikes, they have posted the itinerary online.

The headlining event will be a FREE BYOB show held at the soon to be opened Fullsteam Brewery, featuring live music from The Toddlers, Killer Filler, and Blood Red River. Lord Thomas and Midnight Cowboy will then take over the reigns, spinning soul records into the night. Doors open Saturday at 8pm.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Free Film Screenings - Oscar Nominated Documentaries

Starting this Wednesday, the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival will be holding some screenings of films shown at last year's festival.

The Academy's 15-film shortlist of Oscar nominees is out, and Full Frame is proud to see a number of 2009 Full Frame Alumni on the list. They are celebrating by giving those who didn't get a chance to see them at the festival (or want to see them again), the opportunity to do so.

Screenings are FREE at the Bay 7 Cinema at American Tobacco – Second Wednesdays at 7pm. Here are descriptions of the upcoming three films, which are considered Oscar frontrunners:

BEACHES OF AGNES
Wednesday, January 13

This cinematic autobiography by celebrated French filmmaker Agnès Varda unfolds in a luminous series of recollections from her extraordinarily rich life. Now in her eighties, Varda takes stock of her childhood, her marriage to fellow French New Wave filmmaker Jacques Demy, and her brilliant career as a photographer, experimental filmmaker, and installation artist as she confronts the unfathomable idea that life is drawing to a close. Using the beach as both a visual and a metaphoric conceit, she interweaves old family photographs, footage from her vast body of work, intimate anecdotal voice-overs, and present-day sequences in a stunningly cinematic expression of the creative life. In one sequence Varda returns to the Mediterranean beach of her youth and of her early films and sets up an elaborate collections of mirrors to capture her reflections, both literally and figuratively. Whimsical, witty, eloquent, poetic, Beaches of Agnes is as transcendent as the life it recollects.

THE COVE
Wednesday, February 10

This white-knuckle spy thriller of a documentary uncovers a horrifying secret in a little seaside town in Japan. To the unsuspecting, Taiji looks like the dolphin capital of the world, with dolphin images dotted all over town and the real creatures cavorting in its picturesque cove. But what few know is that beneath the calm surface of the water lurks a devastating practice—the systematic capture and slaughter of thousands of dolphins a year, their mercury-laden meat sold in markets as another kind of seafood. Enter Ric O’Barry, the former dolphin trainer renowned for his work on Flipper, National Geographic photographer Louie Psihoyos, and a team of intrepid filmmakers, specialists, and free divers, who set out with undercover cameras and underwater microphones to expose the ugly truth behind this seeming paradise. They keep you on the edge of your seat until the film’s final moments. You will never look at a dolphin or a plate of seafood in the same way again.

FOOD, INC.
Wednesday, March 10

Looking beyond the pastoral images gracing grocery store shelves, director Robert Kenner serves up a revealing look at the way food is produced in America. From factory farms to cornfields to patented seeds, this film skillfully untangles the twisted knot of farm policy, lobbying, engineering, and corporate greed that has drastically altered the landscape of American farming since the 1950s. Exasperating stories reveal the heartbreaking consequences of an industrialized food system: we meet, among others, a woman whose young son died of E. coli poisoning, a chicken farmer dragged into debt by Purdue, and a small-town seed saver being sued by corporate giant Monsanto. We also meet pioneers actively working to change the system: Polyface farmer Joel Salatin champions sustainable agricultural practices, while Gary Hirshberg, founder of Stonyfield Yogurt, proves that a successful business can be earth-friendly. Featuring authors Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma) and Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Food, Inc. is a film with an activist edge.

Friday, January 8, 2010

The Weekend Has Landed - January 8th

A relatively quiet weekend here in the Bull City, this week's edition is being composed within the comfy confines of Beyu Cafe.

Tonight is opening night for Ghost & Spice Productions presentation of Prelude to a Kiss by Craig Lucas. You can catch it at Common Ground Theatre both Friday and Saturday at 8pm, and the show runs through the 23rd.

*Friday*

Live Music @ Broad Street Cafe - Spencer Sholes at 8pm, Bob Funck and the New World Heroes at 10pm, 8 Eyes at 11:30pm.

The Insubordinaires @ Papa Mojo's - A collaboration of Roadhouse musicians, including Lark Stern (from Will Mcfarlane’s band), TA James (from the Wicked Mojo's & Tad Walters band), Kelly Pace (from Blues World Order & Wicked Mojo's), and Scott Sawyer (from Nnenna Freelon’s band). 9:30pm/$7.

Ricky and Joe Dance Party @ The Pinhook - Kicking off the New Year with the Queerlympics. Dress like your favorite Olympian.

*Saturday*

Live Music @ Broad Street Cafe - Jo Gore and the Alternative at 8pm, Sea Cow at 10pm.

Shirley Jackson w/ Dave Harrison & the Carolina All-Stars @ Papa Mojo's - Maple Leaf Blues Award-winning sax player Shirley Jackson is making an appearance here in Durham.

Live Music @ The Pinhook - Billy Sugarfix at midnight, Now You See Them at 11pm, Wembley at 10pm.

*Sunday*

Bring Your Own Vegetable Garden to Life @ Duke Gardens - For tips on garden planning, deciphering seed catalogs, starting seeds, creating raised beds, composting, organic backyard farming and more, join Durham County master gardeners Charles Murphy and Darcey Martin. 2pm/FREE (reg req).

Robin Kitson (storyteller) @ Broad Street Cafe - Robin Kitson loves taking an audience along with her. Her trips of the mind are much like those she heard as a child in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans where stories roll down the river clothed in fog.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

And So The Decade Begins

We're back from our holiday hibernation, returning to a freshly minted year and decade. Tonight is only a Tuesday, but you could catch an art opening, perform at an open mic, play some trivia, or even have the mayor serve you a drink.

Thank you Durham and Durhamites for all that you are. In 2010 we'll keep doing what we do, and perhaps add a feature or two.



The Durham Social Calendar has been populated for January, anything you'd like added shoot us an email (ideally with an .ics).
 
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