Interview: Bombadil

by Jordan Lawrence May 29, 2012

The neighborhood just north of downtown Durham, running along Trinity Avenue, is becoming a magnet for the city’s musicians. Jason and Beth Kutchma—the singer and bassist, respectively, of Red Collar—recently moved into the area, gaining members of Midtown Dickens and Megafaun (two bands who will perform at Duke Performances’ Music in the Gardens this summer)…click to continue…

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Live Review: M. Ward & the Lee Ranaldo Band

by Bryan Reed May 18, 2012

I imagine M. Ward has been described, once or twice, as an “old soul.” The Portland singer/songwriter earned cultural currency by ignoring it, and his timelessness was on full display Tuesday night at Page Auditorium. Lee Ranaldo, who opened the show with a set of songs drawn mostly from his recent album Between The Times…click to continue…

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Lee Ranaldo (Almost) Blows Up

by Jordan Lawrence May 17, 2012

When Lee Ranaldo first put his lips against the mic at Durham’s Bull City Records, his head jerked back in pain and annoyance. It was a little before 5:30 p.m. on Monday, May 14, and Ranaldo and his band were setting up for a free performance at the cozy record store. The mic Ranaldo was…click to continue…

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Mohammad-Reza Shajarian in Conversation (Part 2)

by Brian Howe May 10, 2012

In our rather rapturous live review of classical Persian singer Mohammad-Reza Shajarian’s DPAC concert with the Shahnaz Ensemble, we included a video of Shajarian’s public conversation with Duke’s Amir Rezvani (check it out here). Today we’ve got the second part of that video, which includes some impromptu instrumental demonstrations from the phenomenal Shahnaz, and you…click to continue…

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Music in the Gardens Video Bonanza

by Brian Howe May 8, 2012

As was recently announced, Duke Performances’ summertime Music in the Gardens series, which presents affordable concerts in a lovely outdoor environment, will feature some of the Triangle’s most vital bands in 2012. Watch this space in the coming weeks for preview coverage. In the meantime, we’ve rounded up this bumper crop of videos for each…click to continue…

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Live Review: Mohammad-Reza Shajarian and the Shahnaz Ensemble

by Brian Howe May 4, 2012

On the evening of Saturday, April 28, a convivial mood prevailed in the Durham Performing Arts Center. It felt like the Triangle’s entire Persian population had converged to hear Iran’s most popular classical singer, and the crowded lobby was filled with the sound of conversation in Farsi and the honeyed aroma of baklava. In the…click to continue…

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