Toward the end of Superchunk's Saturday evening Hopscotch set, Mac McCaughan stopped singing during "Digging For Something" and started talking. He said that Superchunk had never played Raleigh much over the years, but he'd come to a lot of shows here -- mostly at clubs that no longer exist, including the Brewery and Fallout Shelter. And as he looked out over the throngs in front of the City Plaza stage, McCaughan opined that it was mighty cool to have some punk rock happening outdoors in downtown Raleigh.

I'll say. From all appearances, Hopscotch's second edition could not have gone better. The weather was great, the vibes better (everyone seemed to be on their best behavior, on both sides of the stage) and the programming first-rate. South By Southwest is the gold standard for festivals like this, but I would say I saw more bands I really liked at Hopscotch than at South By Southwest this year.

Superchunk was a highlight, opening for Flaming Lips with an hour-long set that seamlessly integrated songs from the current album "Majesty Shredding" with older songs going back two decades. So were the Lips, with a psychedelic spectacle that turned City Plaza into the world's freakiest high-tech rumpus room. And earlier Saturday, I saw fine performances by Hammer No More the Fingers, Shirlette & the Dynamite Brothers and Youth Lagoon at a day party outside the Lincoln Theatre. I would have seen more, but I was beat after the Lips and called it an early night.

So after a highly successful year two, now comes the tricky part for Hopscotch's management: How do they manage growth in a way that makes the festival better, improving on (or at least keeping) the good things about the experience? Word of mouth about this year will be overwhelmingly positive, which means a lot more people descending on Raleigh for next year's event. That certainly has its upside, because growing the festival will allow Hopscotch to get better. But unchecked growth can also render a festival a gridlocked, unmanageable mess, something that South By Southwest seems perilously close to becoming.

We'll see. But for now, all that needs saying is: Well done.

This week brings a couple of very fine show announcements. First up is Bon Iver, the group led by former Raleigh resident Justin Vernon, who will play the Downtown Raleigh Amphitheater with Rosebuds on July 29 -- a bill you could call Friends of Megafaun. Vernon used to play with the three members of Megafaun in DeYarmond Edison (and he was in on their Sounds of the South project last fall); and Megafaun's Brad Cook is a sometime member of Rosebuds as bassist. Tickets go on sale Friday.

Over at Durham Performing Arts Center, meanwhile, Steve Earle has been announced for Sept. 17. Earle played solo and mostly did Townes Van Zandt songs on his last Triangle show. But this time, he'll bring in a band featuring his wife, Allison Moorer. Tickets go on sale June 3.

Friday night was one of those nights when it feels like a privilege to live around these parts. In one club on downtown Raleigh's Blount Street, you had the second annual Raleigh Undercover tribute-act festival going on; and just a few doors down, you had two of the best bands in this or any other town.

As to the latter, that was Megafaun and Rosebuds, who were both in fantastic form. Rosebuds were playing their first hometown show since an overseas tour that included dates in China, and the work has tightened them up to well-oiled-machine status. And Megafaun was as wonderful as always, showing an admirable willingness to jack with their own songs to see where it takes 'em. "The Fade," transposed from jingle-jangle pure-pop to a steady rolling groove that loped along, was particularly cool.

Meanwhile, Raleigh Undercover was likewise a ton of fun, with George Harrison (by Tomahawks), Velvet Underground (The Old Ceremony) and David Bowie among those covered Friday night. Bright Young Things' rendition of glam-period Bowie was truly spectacular, perfectly conjured down to the last detail. I felt bad for The Old Ceremony, having to follow that, but they acquitted themselves well. Both shows were packed, with great energy up and down the street, and not just because all the smokers had to stand outside to get their nicotine fix (yay for the new no-smoking law!).

Lucky you, this is happening again Saturday night at both clubs -- the final night of Raleigh Undercover, plus another Rosebuds/Megafaun show (with Hammer No More the Fingers also sweetening the bill). The latter is sold out, but it might be possible to charm your way in if you hang around and show a little patience. Besides, Raleigh Undercover is only five bucks, which means you've got a perfect backup plan in place.

So head on down. It's worth braving the cold.

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.

There's been precious little good news about the record industry in recent years, which makes the story of local label Merge Records all the more heartwarming. The label is marking its 20-year anniversary this month with a series of events, some of which you can read about in a feature in Sunday's paper.

Even though Merge has made Billboard's top-10 more than once, it's still a small business where networking counts for something. Ivan Howard of Merge act Rosebuds recalls how his band wound up signed to Merge, via an interaction with co-owner Mac McCaughan.

"I had sent them a demo and got back the standard form letter: 'Thanks for your submission, we'll listen when we get a chance,'" says Howard. "Then Mac was looking for a band to open for a Portastatic show and said he liked the EP he had at the office, and he asked who was putting it out. 'I, uh, sent it to you to put out -- I hope,' I said. 'Let me talk to Laura [Ballance] and see what she thinks,' he said. That was all it took.

"Everything is what you make of it, and Merge allows bands to make their own way," Howard adds. "That can be good or bad, it all comes down to the choices you make. But they just support what you do, which can spoil you -- the fact that somebody actually believes in what you do and not just the money."

There's plenty more where that came from in the feature in Sunday's paper. Also, WUNC-TV is running a feature on Merge on its "North Carolina Now" program, Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. And you can take a listen to this recent NPR feature, or preview the upcoming Merge history book. 

ADDENDUM: Here's that WUNC-TV feature. 

As has been noted elsewhere, Carolina Hurricanes hockey games have quirky traditions unique to the Triangle. And yet the team is missing an opportunity to connect with its home town on an even deeper level, with the music played at the games. Most of what you hear during timeouts at the RBC Center is played-out wallpaper -- which is frustrating because there's so much fantastic indigenous music to work with. For example, isn't it a cool piece of local color that the Durham Bulls play Deep Gap native Doc Watson's version of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the seventh-inning stretch at their games?

So now that the Hurricanes are on the ropes in their Eastern Conference finals series, down 2-0 with games three and four happening in Raleigh tonight and Tuesday, I think it's time to freshen up and localize the playlist. And you know me, I've got suggestions. Here's a few songs to start with. Feel free to suggest more in the comments.

Flat Duo Jets, "Sing Sing Sing" (1989) -- When the Hurricanes score, the celebratory music is Blur's "Song 2" (plus a video of Ric "Nature Boy" Flair hollering, "It's a Carolina Hurricanes goal! Woo!"). Frankly, after three years, it's kind of stale. One potential replacement might be the 1936 Louis Prima standard, as rendered by Chapel Hill's late great Flat Duo Jets. A killer instrumental version that comes on like a runaway train, it would be just the thing to incite riotous celebrations (and I sure do wish I could find a version of it online; but check out "Pink Gardenia" here to get an idea).

Superchunk, "Hyper Enough" (1995) -- Superchunk songs have occasionally graced the RBC Center's Hurricanes playlist, but it's time the group graduated to regular rotation. And here's something to prime Hurricanes power plays, an anthemic fist-waver that stacks Mac McCaughan's yelp over crushing waves of guitars and a chorus perfect for mobs to yell along with: I think I'm hyper enough as it is!

Megafaun, "Lazy Suicide" (2008) -- You know those interludes between periods, when everyone is staring the Zamboni driving in circles to clean up the ice? This is what I want to hear then.

Petey Pablo, "Raise Up" (2001) -- By now, this one is pretty corny; and you sure couldn't play the whole thing without some serious editing, given the plethora of four-letter words in the lyrics. But looping the chorus over and over to turn it into a chant could be fun: North Carolina/C'mon and raise up/Take your shirt off/Twist it 'round yo' hand/Spin it like a helicopter!

Connells, "Stone Cold Yesterday" (1990) -- For the past 12 years, the Hurricanes have taken the ice to Scorpions' "Rock You Like a Hurricane" (a song with some truly unpleasant lyrics, but that's another story). I'd like to hear them give the anthemic "Stone Cold Yesterday" a try -- a song that should've been a gigantic hit back when it was current.

The Old Ceremony, "Papers in Order" (2007) -- Picture-perfect pop, with a jaunty piano hook that practically dares you to sit still. A delight.

Squirrel Nut Zippers, "Put a Lid On It" (1996) -- Hurricanes netminder Cam Ward is one of the best goalies in the NHL, and what he needs is a signature song that plays after an amazing save. So skip that funereal organ riff they play now and try the sassy hook from this song.

Rosebuds, "Get Up Get Out" (2007) -- A game played on ice calls for chilly music, and it don't get a whole lot chillier (or catchier) than this.

ADDENDUM: Here also is Mac McCaughan's arena playlist; plus a bit more on that. 

If you can tear yourself away from this weekend's televised basketball orgy long enough to leave the house, here's a show worth getting out and braving the elements for. Rosebuds will play an acoustic show at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Marsh Woodwinds performance space in Raleigh -- their final local performance before they head off to play South By Southwest next week.

Actually, though, you won't even need to leave home to hear it, because Taintradio will broadcast the show live online. So mute the sound on the TV and listen in. Basketball fan Ivan Howard won't mind a bit.

This year has seen a ton of fantastic local records perfect for gift-giving -- just check the tags on this post for a few suggestions on acts to look for. And for further specifics, click here.

Meanwhile, the annual "alternative" musical gift guide is coming on Dec. 14. Check previous years' installments here.

It's hard not to feel like we're on borrowed time with the Rosebuds, as far as keeping them our little secret here in the Triangle. They're picking up acclaim from all over, more with each new album; and Kelly Crisp, who does standup comedy as well as music, also has designs on a career path that would take her a long way from Raleigh.

"My ultimate goal is to be on 'Saturday Night Live,' but I can't make them understand that they need me today," Crisp says with a laugh. "My standup act is observational, more stories about things I see. At this point, I'd say it's more entertaining than funny. I'm still working at it, figuring out who I am as a comic. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's terrible. So I'm just trying to string together enough shows up there to where friends can bring the people who need to see me. It's a vetting process that can take a while. I'm giving it three years because I know it won't be this year. But Seth Myers is a Rosebuds fan."

Rosebuds play tonight in Durham as part of the Troika Music Festival. For more, see the interview in Friday's paper.

ADDENDUM (2/24/09): "Life Like" video.

So this week's James Taylor tour won't be the only get-out-the-vote shows happening here this election season. Coming to UNC-Chapel Hill's Graham Terrace (adjacent to Morehead Planetarium on campus) is a Nov. 1 lineup that offers up a superb slice of local music:

The dB's
Superchunk acoustic (which might be a first)
Ivan Rosebud
Megafaun
I Was Totally Destroying It
Bowerbirds
Greg Humphreys
Regina Hexaphone
Portastatic

It gets going at the rather non-rock-'n'-roll time of 9 a.m., and it's free -- they're even throwing in coffee and doughnuts.

UPDATE: Billy Bragg, who is playing in Durham that night, has been added to the lineup.