Two things I very nearly slept on:

+ Hip-hop/funk quartet C.I.A., featuring some very prominent local musicians, made their debut at Guadalupe Cafe last weekend alongside the ubiquitous Summertime Whiskey Band. Apparently, their name stands for Collaboration of Intelligent Artists, which sounds like something a bunch of Cocky, Immodest Assholes might call themselves. Regardless, they're very good at what they do, and if they're not already too cool to play around here, you should catch them next time you have the opportunity.

+ Philadelphians Br'er and Hermit Thrushes played an emergency show at Guadalupe Tuesday night. Emergency! Each band was kind enough to play their set twice due to popular demand, and they've acquiesced to stick around in Sylva another day and play again Wednesday night at a private residence in Cullowhee.

If you've ever thought you might like to see a harp played in an indie rock band to great effect, this is your chance. So if you know anyone connected to the erstwhile Barn Owls, call them and see if they can tell you how to get to this party tonight. It will be worth your while.

Friday. Choose your own adventure:

To go to Guadalupe Cafe to watch dance-rock from Cold Hands and the live local electronica from Elebrite (featuring former members of Flawless Gaucho, The Macon Love, Thunderkid, The True Nature of Science, and Barn Owls), turn to page 79. Show starts at show time.

To go to BP Skatepark to watch "spirit-filled" metal from Bestir, Jesus-lovin' HxC from ANCHORS and straight edge... edginess from Carry Your Own, turn to page 85. (The skate park is on the hill behind Thad Woods auction mall between Balsam and Waynesville.) Show is $4 (girls get in free!) and starts at 9.

So about this Friday:
1) Gamenight is one of my favorite bands.
2) Teleconnecticut is... jumpy?
3) I've never not had fun at a basement show.
4) We should all feel very happy to be alive.

The show is this Friday, June 11th, at 8:30PM. It's on Wilkesdale Street (click for directions) in Sylva. That's really all there is to it.

Of course we have a discussion thread in our forum in case anyone really cares to talk about it, and the obligatory "event" on Facebook. So if you RSVP, the hosts will prepare more hors d'oeuvres. (Not really.)

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Also seriously worth a listen this weekend:
Indie/folk/country from New Jersey's Roadside Graves, July 12th at Guadalupe.

Shiner Miners. Tonight, with Quanta, at Guadalupe, downtown, after fireworks.

Summertime!

If you think you might like a spacier, heavier, louder and somehow hippie-er version of Explosions In The Sky, I think you might like Graboids, who are playing Saturday, June 28th at Guadalupe Cafe with the ubiquitous Barn Owls, who recently picked up a new drummer without missing a beat.

Also June 28th: mighty prog/jazzers S (formerly The Shitz) are shooting a video at Bubacz's Underground in Sylva in the afternoon. Go get famous!

Just a reminder: next weekend will see the return of the now-legendary Shiner Miners. People are excited.

And on Friday, July 11th, Knoxville's Gamenight -- one of my very favorite bands -- is playing in my best friend's basement with my band. So basically you're all invited to attend the BEST NIGHT OF MY ENTIRE LIFE. Details to follow!

The very creepy local post-folk collective Moolah Temple Stringband will have a show at Guadalupe Friday, June 13th. This is a pretty rare occasion, as I'm not sure I've heard of them playing anywhere in many moons. If you go, they will make you feel weird.

The rest of Guadalupe's June schedule is here.

+ Shiner Miners have finalized their plans for their July 4th extavaganza at Guadalupe. Benny Skyn, Cooking With Quanta and fireworks will all make appearances, and new Shiner Miners EPs will be available.

+ The indomitable Barn Owls will make their periodic migration to Guadalupe on Saturday, May 31st, in cooperation with poppity-punkity Knoxvillains Your Favorite Hero.

+ Tonight: Psychedelectronica from Asheville in the form of Pan.

Gathered from randomly overheard rumors and innuendo:

+ The now-legendary Shiner Miners are planning to reconvene for the summer and at least one show is in the works. They've also nearly completed work on an EP recorded by the ubiquitous Matt Williams. Find out more by joining the I Miss The Shiner Miners Facebook group.

+ Not to be outdone, The Barn Owls are also almost done with a four-song EP recorded in the WCU studio.

+ The Summertime Whiskey Band will be at Rick's on Main every Wednesday and Saturday from now until the end of eternity.

You already know about Cold Hands, right? Tonight they'll make another trip over the mountain from Knoxville to regale the Guadalupe crowd with their catchy, dancy rowdiness. And Barn Owls, who are awesome and will not rest until we ALL know it, will be there to help get them good and drunk, and to help YOU get good and rocked. And drunk.

Tomorrow you can shake off your hangover and take in Greening Up The Mountains, Sylva's annual street fair. Yes, arts and crafts can be somewhat dull. But funnel cake is not. The festival's music lineup can be found right here. Highlights include local songwriter Ashley Chambliss at 12:45pm and Cooking With Quanta at 3:30pm.

The early results of our little March/April project will be on display this Sunday at 7pm in the basement of a private residence in Sylva. So if you've spent the past month recording your masterpiece like I have, bring it in for a (hopefully) gentle critique.

For more information about the March Recording Challenge, check the link above. Click here for directions to the listening party.

In other news, Guadalupe Cafe is not in fact shutting down -- I hate April Fool's Day -- and instead has posted their schedule for April.

This Saturday at 4pm at the Waynesville Armory, Dogfight Entertainment is hosting nine local metal, hardcore, and punk bands for what promises to be a real balls-to-the-wall slugfest. Five dollars, nine bands... pretty hard to go wrong with that. (Click the flier at right for a larger version.)

Not sure what's meant by the show's title: "A Call To Arms." Maybe we'll all feel like fighting afterwards? I guess we'll see. Please check the Dogfight Myspace page for more details.

this Saturday at BP Skatepark in Waynesville:

ANCHORS (Waynesville hardcore)
Born Fightin' (Cherokee hardcore)
Betrayed By Sin (Franklin metal)

show starts at 7PM. the skate park is behind Thad Woods Auction Mall in Balsam.

BP Skatepark has been an important supporter of local music for the past several years. they'll be taking up donations for the park at the show, so bring some dough to give a little back.