photo by Kevin Belton

Ask Sin Tax.

Sin Tax is comprised of founding member Dr. Nancy McCurry, on bass and vocals, Doug Baker, with guitar and vocals, Moxie Campbell, on drums, Dave McLean, on guitar and vocals and Marilyn Wolf doing vocals and percussion.

In August of ‘09, Neill Clegg Jr. joined Sin Tax on the ol’ DMP stage, tooting his horn alongside these crazy kids.  It was a powerpop, rockabilly, glam-rock kinda night, with a distinctly punk edge.  Sin Tax brought the spice!

photo by Alex Maness

Was it the pretty instruments that helped them rock so hard that night?  Maybe it had something to do with the three flights of stairs up which they hauled their equipment.  Maybe it was the pretty outfits that made them shine.  Or maybe, just maybe, they were showing off a little.

My opinion?

It had to be the shoes!

photo by Doug Klecsh

photo by Kevin Belton

You can come up with your own conclusion.  To hear what I’m talking about, check out their album on Amiestreet or Last.fm. For the newbies, here’s our promo entrance page to sign up for an account with Amiestreet and receive free money to support our local artists.

ALBUM CREDITS
Recording Engineers: Don Ravon, Dan Bayer
Mixing Engineer: Dan Bayer
Cover Design: Sean Coon
Cover Photograph: Alex Maness

In the end I caved. It was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Shayne is just that talented. So we worked out an abbreviated opening slot and agreed to forgo a music video.

photo by Doug Klesch

His set was sick. We should’ve filmed it.

Shayne has this uncanny ability to cut right through the uncertainty of a crowd and capture their attention with songwriting that somehow pushes the buttons of common denominator emotions, but in truly unique ways. I guess that’s just a blowhard way of saying the man can write a damn good tune.

That said, here’s the six track EP we recorded that evening.

LIVE ALBUM CREDITS
Recording Engineer: Dan Bayer
Mixing Engineer: Don Ravon
Album Design : Sean Coon
Album Photo: Jason Ellison

Since our show, Shayne’s life has been a roller-coaster ride — moving up to Brooklyn to see if his music could take off, getting the shitty news of being diagnosed with cancer, picking up and moving back to Durham and then jumping straight into undergoing chemo and radiation therapy. He also got married along the way, and while I’ve never met Rebekah, I’m sure she’s a major reason why he has such a great attitude and sense of humor about all of this. I mean, seriously, check out this post at his blog (now a movement), This Machine Kills Cancer.

How many people can joke about this kind of an experience?

Probably cancer patients. God bless ‘em.

All proceeds from Shayne’s Amie Street album go straight to his pocket, as well as sales from This Album Kills Cancer (a bunch of DMP musicians donated tracks to the cause).

If you consider yourself to be a supporter of the arts, particularly the art scene here in North Carolina, please consider purchasing one or both of the albums. Great music and a great cause. What could be better?

(To be clear: three original acts — Little Mascara and Thacker Dairy Road were the others — getting guaranteed money at a downtown venue pseudo-qualified the event as a “festival” in Greensboro back in the day.)

photo by Stephen Charles

Anyhow, I was happy to have them play, and at the last minute decided to document the show — my brother stepped up to shoot the video with me while Michael Dunn brought Stephen Charles along to shoot photographs of the evening.

While the music video didn’t have a clean audio track captured from the board and the cameras weren’t synced — we had to drop to black & white as a last resort — the experience of making the video and culling through all of the great shots of the evening was too much fun.

By all accounts, this show was the precursor to the dotmatrix project.

And that leads me to today. Two and a half years since their initial performance and eight months since their official DMP show, we here at HQ are proud to announce the release of The Wigg Report Live at the dotmatrix project. There’s not much you can enjoy on this spinning chunk of rock for $1.30. This album definitely qualifies.

Please support your local artists and download the tracks today.

ALBUM CREDITS
Recording Engineers: Don Ravon, Dan Bayer
Mixing Engineer: Don Ravon
Cover Design: Sean Coon
Cover Photograph: Doug Klesch

To say that Chuck Folds, Steve Williard and Tim Poole — the Amplify This crew — are a staple on the music scene in these parts would be an understatement.

If we didn’t document these guys, it’d be like pretending that yellow cabs never existed in NYC. Come to think of it, these guys put on about the same amount of mileage each day — Steve and Chuck play in three other bands (Big Bang Boom, Rubberband and Steve & Chuck) and write music for numerous sports teams, while Tim also holds down the longtime cover band Suckerpunch.

If there’s such a thing as a blue collar musician, these guys bring their lunch boxes to work.

photo by Doug Klesch

With a dedication of playing music not only for fun and the potential of personal gain — these guys play to support their families — it was nice to be in a position to shine a spotlight on their work, though I have to admit it was Chuck Folds’ story that interested me the most.

As much as I can relate to the closeness between brothers, I also know how a sibling rivalry has the potential to deteriorate the very same relationship. Looking in from the outside over the years, I often wondered how Chuck and his uber famous and music prodigy brother, Ben Folds, got along, but I have way too much respect for a sibling situation to ever ask. Luckily, Chuck felt he needed a release in the form of a song, which he performed for us last July.

Shadow of a Genius
[Click through to the post to listen to audio]

It doesn’t get much more real than that.

It’s been almost nine months since their DMP show, so we’re happy to finally be able to announce the release of Amplify This Live at the dotmatrix project. Purchasing this release at Amie Street puts money directly into the pockets of these guys, and the album starts as a FREE download, going up in price as more people purchase it. Currently, you can get this 10 track release for only $.94.

Show these guys some love and tap the piggy bank, won’t you?

photo by Jason Ellison

ALBUM CREDITS
Recording Engineers: Don Ravon, Dan Bayer
Mixing Engineer: Don Ravon, Cesar Oviedo
Mastering: Cesar Oviedo
Cover Design: Sean Coon
Cover Photograph: Jason Ellison

Sometimes, when the band you’ve booked begins to play you instantly know the evening is going to be special. Other times, it happens when you get yelled at by everyone involved.

The Filthybird show, by all accounts, was special.

I had to run back to HQ as the sound check got underway and made it back to the show just prior to Renee starting up. As I heard her last warmup on the keys and vocals, I jumped out of my seat in the packed house and yelled over to Don to turn down the reverb.

NO!!! came from every direction on stage.

Trust your crew was the lesson I learned that night.

MUSIC VIDEO CREDITS
Editor: Blake Faucette
Camera: Andy Coon, Blake Faucette, Sean Coon
Sound: Don Ravon

The live album is available at Amie Street, with all proceeds going to the Filthybird crew.

Imagine this:

Everything in the world can be broken down into three nouns. Negativity, positivity, and neutrality.

Now imagine looking up and seeing an atomic bomb being dropped straight onto your brain. Now imagine that, while most atomic bombs are composed of negativity, this one is of a very unique composition. Imagine that this bomb is composed of pure positivity.

Now imagine that this bomb is actually the imprint left on you by one, Clement Mallory, aka Universal Mathematics.

Photo by Kevin Belton

An infinite number of varying descriptions could be used to characterize a performance by this man. Perhaps one in several thousand would even begin to come close to completely accurate.

MUSIC VIDEO CREDITS
Editor: Ioannis Batsios
Camera: Ioannis Batsios, Matt Williams, David Bradley
Sound: Danny Bayer, Don Ravon

Universal Mathematics is more than music, more than poetry, and more than performance. It is a full-blown inspirational experience. When Clement Mallory picks up the microphone, you are intrigued. When he performs, you are entranced. When he puts down the microphone, you are left feeling better about yourself and about life in general. While Mallory seems to identify more as a poet than a musician, and while a good half of his DMP set is spoken word, his performance is less poetry reading and more interactive motivational theater. He makes smiling your only option.

Photo by Kevin Belton

The message throughout this distinct and almost unclassifiable performance is one of love and appreciation. Backed by the immaculate DJ skills of L in Japanese, Clement Mallory seems almost unaware of his audience much of the time. It is almost as if the words flowing from his mouth come forth from a deep well of honesty and compassion. His words seem inspired from his personal experiences, yet, the selflessness of his delivery leaves one with the impression that, more than self-expression, this performance is designed to help us, to make us feel better about who we are. A good example of this can be found in the track, My Love, wherein he states:

Loving you increases my love for me, so I’m going to love you more ’cause I have to love myself.

He seems to do what he does strictly out of a genuine desire to make us all feel happier and more comfortable about who we are.

Photo by Kevin Belton

During the tenure of the performance, Mallory deals with issues ranging from creation, self-reflection, acceptance of our fellow human beings, the importance of teaching ourselves and our children, and the very nature of existence.

In the track, Who am I?, he asks:

Being human, am I characterized differently from any other human being? Do we not all have one head, two eyes, two ears, one nose, one mouth, one neck, two shoulders, two arms, two hands, one chest, one stomach, one gender, defined with private section, two legs and feet?

The answer to the title of this piece comes near the end of the track, right before a moment of too-perfect-to-have-been-planned feedback where he boldly states:

I am God.

It’s a concept piece full of imagery so heavy that it seems to overwhelm even the PA. This track is definitely a highlight of the set.

Photo by Ioannis Batsios

Placing Universal Mathematics into a musical category is a nearly impossible task.

Clement Mallory is a writer, an MC, a teacher, an outlandish angel. His performance is poetry, it’s hip-hop, it’s motivational speech, it’s emotional release, it’s nearly theatrical in it’s execution. His message is uplifting, it’s inspiring, it’s fun, it’s… dare I say… universal. This man puts on a performance that is more than a performance. It is an intricate spiderweb of imagery and sound that leaves one with a feeling of happiness and well-being.

For the love of love, check out Universal Mathematics at c37words.

Recording Engineer: Don Ravon
Mixing Engineers: Dan Bayer, Don Ravon
Cover Design: Sean Coon
Cover Photograph: Kevin Belton

You can also listen to the live album on last.fm.

IMHO, the coolest aspect of what we do here is our documentation of the music scene, specifically in Greensboro, where I call home. And not just individual shows, but the gestalt of the entire scene as it unfolds over different periods of time.

While some bands find a modicum of success and play for years to come, touring regionally at times, many more bands form, play out locally for a while and disappear into the ether without the notice of more than a handful of friends and family and only the most hardcore music lovers in town.

Albina Savoy falls into such a category.

And while that’s a shame on many levels — their sound was so unique, beautiful in ways that’s hard to describe — at least we have a few reminders of their sound to enjoy.

If you like what you hear in the video, be sure to check out the band’s live album on Last.fm and AmieStreet (all proceeds on AmieStreet go to Albina Savoy).

MUSIC VIDEO CREDITS
Editor: Blake Faucette
Camera: Andy Coon
Camera: Blake Faucette
Camera: Sean Coon
Sound: Danny Bayer

================

In June of 2009, the dotmatrix project hit another milestone.  It was our first opportunity to feature three performances in a single evening.  We were pleased to showcase three singer/songwriters all local to Greensboro, NC.

Randy Furches is a high-spirited, high energy person and performer.  He kicked off the evening with a short set that showed off his love for all varieties of music.  There was some Blues, some Folk, and a little bit of Hip-Hop.  He brought along with him two musicians to accompany him during his set.  Hank Johnson provided some extra flavor on guitar and on mandolin.  King-Kev-O helped Randy finish his set off, bringing his own lyricism to the stage on “Cryogenics.”

ALBUM CREDITS
Recording Engineers: Don Ravon, Dan Bayer, Jerrod Smith
Mixing Engineers: Dan Bayer, Cesar Oviedo
Mastering Engineers: Cesar Oviedo
Cover Design: Sean Coon
Cover Photograph: Elizabeth Lemon

Morgan McPherson is a talented young performer who I believe has a long and prosperous career ahead of her.  For this evening, she was accompanied by Ron May on bass and Strother Bullins on drums.  The magic these guys brought to the stage can also be found on Morgan’s EP, Destiny Save Me, which was recently recorded in Nashville.  It should be available soon.  You can check out her myspace for more information on that.

ALBUM CREDITS
Recording Engineers: Don Ravon, Dan Bayer, Jerrod Smith
Mixing Engineers: Dan Bayer
Cover Design: Sean Coon
Cover Photograph: Doug Klesch

Kristen Leigh has done quite a bit of traveling as well, going as far as the West coast, to produce her music.  Fortunately, for us, she still calls Greensboro home.  When she’s not performing purely solo, Ueli Schweizer joins her on violin, as he did for us this evening.  Sara Dickson, Kristen’s friend and tutor on piano, also accompanied the talented songwriter during the performance.

ALBUM CREDITS
Recording Engineers: Don Ravon, Dan Bayer, Jerrod Smith
Mixing Engineers: Don Ravon
Cover Design: Sean Coon
Cover Photograph: Matty Sheets

================

April 2009 marked the thirteenth show in the series and the one year anniversary of the dotmatrix project.  This show was truly special.  We had two exceptional performances that evening.  Each expressing it’s own unique sound.  Each featuring an incredibly talented female vocalist/pianist.

Filthybird

Photo by Mark Smith

Renee Mendoza (with vocals and on keyboard) and Brian Haran (on electric guitar) got married a while back and their band took a little hiatus.  We were very proud to have gotten the chance to welcome them back to the stage in Greensboro, NC.  Shawn Smith (on drums) and Mike Duehring (on bass) fill out out the other half of Filthybird.

Filthybird has been described as “loud, yet subtle and distinctly joyful rock.”  They are, for all intents and purposes, a Psychedelic Folk Rock band.  Their music is simultaneously mental and emotional.  Their performance, I think, can best be described as “unfettered and electrifying.”

Photo by Mark Smith

Right now, you can check out their DMP set on AmieStreet.  Be on the lookout for more great music from these guys.  Get Filthybird!

Photo by Kevin Belton

ALBUM CREDITS
Recording Engineers: Don Ravon, Dan Bayer
Mixing Engineer: Don Ravon
Cover Design: Sean Coon
Cover Photograph: Kevin Belton

Albina Savoy

Photo by Mark Smith

Albina Savoy is a three-piece collaboration with Crystal Bright (primarily on keys), Barry Cantrell (on guitar), and Jon McLean (on double bass).  The group also utilizes accordion, cello and the saw to create sweetly layered compositions.  They opened the April DMP show with their sweet, soothing and dramatic style.

As Nash Roberts eloquently describes, much of their set included songs demonstrating “not only attention to melody, but striking lyricism.”  A perfect example is Emeline, a song featuring Barry Cantrell on lead vocals.  It whispers at the soul of the philosopher left to reflect on love and loss and the human experience.

Photos by Mark Smith

Unfortunately, their performance that evening was one of the last opportunities to hear Albina Savoy live. The three-piece is no longer performing together.  However, as is the case with most musicians I know, that doesn’t mean Barry, Jon or Crystal won’t be making a splash elsewhere on the music scene.  Be on the lookout for future projects.  For now, you can enjoy some of their work together by checking out their live album on AmieStreet or Last.Fm.

Photo by Kevin Belton

ALBUM CREDITS
Recording Engineers: Don Ravon, Dan Bayer
Mixing Engineer: Dan Bayer
Cover Design: Sean Coon
Cover Photograph: Kevin Belton

Photograph by Kevin Belton

Blackbeard the Voyager, a truly hip poet, has been throwing it down for NC Hip Hop for a hot minute.  He’s got a presence and a style that’s difficult to duplicate.  His performance is always full of energy and always something special.

Photograph by Kevin Belton

For his DMP performance, Mr. Rozzi brought along an entourage.  They weren’t just there to pump up the crowd.  One person or another shared the stage with Rozzi for at least half of his set.

Photography by Kevin Belton

Vanessa Ferguson belted out background vocals before and after taking center stage to treat the audience to an a capella interlude.

Photo by Ioannis Batsios

Jeremy Johnson also offered up backing vocals as well as belting out one of his R&B jams during the set.

I know what you’re wondering.  With all these performers, who was the DJ for this whole  affair?  We had none other than L in Japanese holding it down all night long.

Photo by Ioannis Batsios

You like Hip Hop, right?  Well then, in the words of Jeremy Johnson, “Get the album.  Get the album.  Get the album!”  To pick up – or rather download – the album, you can check out Amiestreet and Last.fm.  For the newbies, here’s our promo entrance page to sign up for an account with Amiestreet and receive free money to support our local artists.

ALBUM CREDITS
Recording Engineers: Don Ravon, Dan Bayer
Mixing Engineers: Don Ravon
Cover Design: Sean Coon
Cover Photograph: Kevin Belton