Buried amidst Sebastian Bach’s discography of mostly aboveaverage radio metal and aborted prog, there’s one album that very nearly never saw the light of day, but nonetheless stands apart in its own weird way.

If you want a job in the field you love in this economy, sometimes you just have to make it happen yourself.

Having already discussed Cass McCombs’ excellent contributions to the musical landscape in 2011 back in the first week of January (“Not So Fast: Overlooked Releases of 2011”), the elusive songwriter’s Friday performance at the Haw River Ballroom presents the perfect opportunity to discuss his opening support.

There’s another Triad Music Fest in town, but this one is in no way related to the Lupe “Fiasco” that went down last September at the NewBridge Bank Park in Greensboro.

It was only a few years ago that Jason Ringenberg was calling himself “Farmer Jason” while entertaining the wee ones with cutesy sing-alongs about animals and tractors.

Noah Puckerman once sang that only the good die young, and this New Year’s Eve, Elliott’s Revue will pour its final drink only a week before hitting its sixth birthday.

Through his first five albums, Alamance County native and classicallytrained cellist turned guitarist Seth Walker has shown himself to be something of a roots music chameleon.

On the list of the greatest live soul records of all time, Donny Hathaway’s Atlantic Records issue simply called Live has to rest near the top.

Running 12 years strong, Joe G’s Cover Band Explosion has been a chance to get to know local musicians a little better via interpretations of some of their favorite music. The irrepressible charm of it lays with the unconventionality of the bands chosen to be covered.

Until earlier this year, Huntsville, Ala. hip-hop duo G-Side toiled in the blanket anonymity of their hometown hip-hop scene, essentially one the Dirty South forgot. They characterized their struggle in their name, Gutta Side, and cemented in the oft-cited “Inner Circle” lyric “Well excuse me Mrs.

There comes a time in everyone’s life when they realize that the favorite band of their youth, one they might’ve lost touch with for a period, has become not much more than a nostalgia act. For late Gen- Xers, 311 is likely that band. It wasn’t hard to fall in love with Music and Grassroots in the early ‘90s.

It€™s likely you€™ve never heard the Godfather of Soul like this before. Whereas some all-star tribute tours are bloated with furious axe slingers (see: Experience Hendrix), Still Black, Still Proud: An African Tribute to James Brown brings together a group of players that bring something meaningful to the puzzle.

Take a look at Steve Martin’s filmography for the past few years. It’s safe to say he has developed a reputation for taking the easy route in his twilight. Bringing Down the House, Cheaper By the Dozen and its sequel, and The Pink Panther reboot: They’re all terrible, with half-assed performances by Martin.

Political rappers are a rare breed, even now in our most divisive of times, but Immortal Technique has enough to say to speak for an entire movement.

Every song has a story behind it, so says a lampooned version of AllMusic critic “Hollywood” Steve Huey in the occasionally awesome YouTube series “Yacht Rock.

Like their name implies, Dumpstaphunk is funkier than a bag of spent coffee grounds, discarded baby diapers and rotting fruit. Theyre funkier than the garbage cans behind a fish market.

One their first three albums, The Felice Brothers went off in search of America. They found its essentially a culvert riddled with vice, jealously and despair, but still a place where a good time can be had. On their fourth album, Celebration, Florida,.

The free, local neighborhood festival tradition started long ago with Tate Street Festival and was continued earlier this summer with WalkerFest, but now they seem to be proliferating like Wings stores in a beach town.

There’s only so many times you can stand hearing Grace Potter & the Nocturnals cover of “Heart of Glass” before nostalgia for the original sets in and when Blondie hits the Durham Performing Arts Center tonight, that era of Debbie Harry and the band is exactly what you’re going to hear.

Theres only so many times you can stand hearing Grace Potter & the Nocturnals cover of Heart of Glass before nostalgia for the original sets in and when Blondie hits the Durham Performing Arts Center tonight, that era of Debbie Harry and the band is exactly what youre going to hear.