In an online interview last month, "Eastbound & Down" creators Danny McBride and Jody Hill gave a nice shoutout to the Triangle music scene. Asked their favorite bands, they listed Black Keys, Avett Brothers, Jesus and Mary Chain, Bob Seger, MC5 -- plus Dynamite Brothers and Lonnie Walker,  two groups that  call the Triangle home.

McBride and Hill come by their Tarheelia honestly, since they studied film at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. So it's no surprise that Sunday's episode of the HBO series will include a Lonnie Walker song, "Heartbreakin' Ball," which you can hear playing over the concluding synopsis and end credits. Tune in at 10 p.m. Sunday.

Dynamite Brothers have had songs on the show, too, and drummer Scott Nurkin even appeared in an episode this season, playing in an onscreen band.

Oliver Gant isn't even in kindergarten yet, but he sure does have friends in high places. Young Oliver has been battling sacrococcygeal teratoma for the past year, so the local music and arts communities have been pitching in with a series of benefit shows to help out his family. The latest is "Racing the Cure," featuring an upper-echelon slice of the regional music scene playing multiple venues in downtown Raleigh on March 23. This might be the only time you'll ever see the Avett Brothers in a club around here where they're not headlining.

Tickets are $25 and allow entrance to all three clubs. They go on sale at noon today (Wednesday) at etix.com.

Kings
8:15-8:45 -- Jack the Radio
9-9:40pm -- Schooner
10-10:40 -- Filthybird
11-11:40 -- The Old Ceremony
midnight-12:25am -- Avett Brothers
12:30am -- Ivan Rosebud & JYU

Tir Na Nog
8:15-8:45pm -- Hooking Up
9-9:45 -- Hammer No More the Fingers
10-10:45 -- Whatever Brains
11-11:45 -- Lonnie Walker
midnight -- Annuals

Pour House
8:15-8:45pm -- Gross Ghost
9-9:45 -- Spider Bags
10-10:45 -- Patty Hurst Shifter
11-11:45 -- Birds of Avalon
midnight -- The Love Language

I'm still catching up on stuff that happened while I was on vacation, and here's another pretty cool thing that turned up -- Ten North Carolina Bands You Should Hear Right Now, as compiled by the Brooklyn blog earfarm. The countdown includes Megafaun and Hammer No More the Fingers; and look who they've got at No. 1, a band that just happens to be playing Saturday at Tir Na Nog in Raleigh.

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.