...is that, as a friend puts it, everybody expects your next video to be even more amazing than the last one. Nevertheless, danged if the group hasn't done it again. It probably won't involve a super-cool Rube Goldberg-type contraption, but the band plays Raleigh's Lincoln Theatre on May 11.
(Thanks, Brian.)
One of the hardest-working bands around is Drive-By Truckers, and they've spent enough years on the road to have had some pretty crazy things happen. Like the time a few years back when they had a near-miss from a meteor.
"It happened when we were all asleep," Patterson Hood said in a recent phone chat. "Our driver back then was a retired Marine Vietnam veteran, really cool and unshakeable. But we woke up in Idaho one morning and he was all shaken up: 'Hope I didn't jolt anybody too bad. We almost got hit by a meteor!' 'What?!' There'd been a meteor shower and a piece of space rock landed in the median right next to the bus. And it was even on the news that day, that there'd been a shower of debris -- and we were in the middle of it. 'God,' I thought, 'after all we've been through, wouldn't that be the craziest way to get taken out?' We're so fatalistic, we were going, 'Great -- they couldn't stop us any other way, so now they're throwing space dust at us.' I'm glad nothing happened, but what a crazy way to go if something had happened. 'Oh yeah? I'll see your plane crash and raise you a meteor!'"
For lots more, including details on the Truckers' shows in Raleigh this weekend, see the story in Friday's paper.
If you were planning to brave Thursday night's predicted Winter Weather Event to see the iconic '70s singer/pianist Leon Russell at Raleigh's Lincoln Theatre, you can leave your coat in the closet. The show has been postponed to April 18. There's been no reason given, but tickets for tonight's date will be honored -- or you can get a refund at point of purchase.
Texas singer/songwriter/all-around-funny-dude Robert Earl Keen plays in Raleigh on Wednesday night. Click through for a spot of verbiage on him, past as well as present.
So we had to do this instead, to preview Wu-Tang's Monday night show at Raleigh's Lincoln Theatre -- which has already been postponed and rescheduled once. But here's hoping it stays on-course and actually happens, even if the price is mighty steep ($50 at the door!).
UPDATE: Looks like WKNC scored some interview time. Jealous...
Cabaret-punk singer/pianist Amanda Palmer does an onstage bit called "Ask Amanda," in which she reads and answers written questions submitted by the audience. She introduced it as "my favorite part of the show" Saturday night at Raleigh's Lincoln Theatre. But she probably had mixed feelings about this edition, because somebody actually had the nerve to ask:
How's Ben in bed?
That would be old Chapel Hill hand Ben Folds, who produced Palmer's latest album. She seemed simultaneously mortified and amused at the question.
"I have no idea, he has a wife!," Palmer said in a tone just short of scolding. Then she smiled: "But... I'm sure Ben in bed would be just like Ben on-record -- geek chic!"
Palmer offered up plenty of geek chic herself with a very fine show that was long on dramatics. Helping things along there was the Danger Ensemble, a quartet of performers who acted out various songs. They were particularly effective on "Guitar Hero" (yes, about the computer game) and the very kinky "Coin-Operated Boy." But my personal favorite was a deadpan little piece of perfection called "I Googled You," a solo torch song that reimagined Frank Sinatra in the internet age. Very cool.
The hip-hop gods taketh away, but they also giveth: Wu-Tang Clan's on-again/off-again show at Raleigh's Lincoln Theatre is back on again, set for Jan. 12 (a mere eight-and-a-half months after the original date). We'll see if it actually stays on the schedule this time.
