As you're probably aware, we've taken some hard hits in the News & Observer newsroom over the past year, with some of our best, brightest and most capable people leaving the paper. I've been sad to see them all go -- but especially photographer Jason Arthurs, who departed back in April. Jason has been a key player in making our Eight Great Local Acts feature an annual local-music highlight, with spectacular photos and multi-media footage. "Great Eight" has been a true labor of love for a lot of us, but especially Jason. And given how much of his own time he used to put into it, I honestly don't know how we're going to manage a 2010 edition without him.

One silver lining, however, is that Jason is still working his visual mojo in the local music scene. For example, he did the teaser video for "Hear Here: The Triangle" (Terpsikhore Records), an upcoming compilation of new tracks from 18 local acts, with plenty of past and present Great Eight acts including Lonnie Walker, Inflowential, Rosebuds and Hammer No More the Fingers.

Check out Jason's video handiwork here; and look for "Hear Here" to be released with a pair of release shows, Aug. 29 at Carrboro's Cat's Cradle and Oct. 3 at the Pour House in Raleigh.

Friday's paper had an introduction to the local music scene, spotlighting seven shows that will give newcomers a feel for the breadth and depth of local music. And we have a change in the location of one of those shows, Inflowential's performance at Saturday's Obama-for-President rally. That event is now happening in Cary as part of Saturday's Lazy Daze Festival, 1-3 p.m. in the parking lot of Cary Obama headquarters.

Another act mentioned in the story is Violet Vector and the Lovely Lovelies, playing Saturday night at Slim's in downtown Raleigh. VVATLL also play Thursday evening at Art on the Edge, a festival in downtown Raleigh. It's a free show also featuring Birds of Avalon, Cartridge Family and Huguenots.

For more verbiage about other acts spotlighted in that story, here are some links for Rosebuds, Megafaun, Red Collar and John Dee Holeman.

ADDENDUM (8/27/08): Stereogum interview with Megafaun.