North Carolinian sues RIAA, major labels

North Carolinian Shahanda Moursy has filed suit against three major labels (Vivendi Universal, Warner Music and Sony BMG ), plus the RIAA, Safenet and MediaSentry, alleging the cooperative measures taken by these groups is an unlawful invasion of privacy and an abuse of the judicial court system.

Moursy's attorney, Ray Beckerman writes, in his submission to the court,

"For a number of years, a group of large, multinational, multi-billion dollar
record companies, including these Record Company Counterclaim Defendants, have
been abusing the federal court judicial system for the purpose of waging a
public relations and public threat campaign targeting digital file sharing
activities. As part of this campaign, these Record Company Counterclaim
Defendants hired an unlicensed private investigator, MediaSentry, – in violation
of North Carolina and other applicable law – which receives a bounty to invade
private computers and private computer networks to obtain information – in the
form of Internet Protocol (’IP’) addresses – allowing them to identify the
computers and computer networks that they invaded."

He goes on to assert that MediaSentry carried out these allegedly unlawful investigations in "North Carolina and other states." Beckerman's full submission is available in PDF format here.

P2PNet report.

The Washington Post loves Kooley High

The venerable Washington Post knows what's up. In yesterday's "Singles File" article, Allison Stewart gave a nod to Raleigh rap group Kooley High's newest single.

She writes: Kooley High: "Everywhere Is Summer" The North Carolina-based hip-hop nostalgists turn a remixed version of Common's "Everywhere" into a soulful, summery reminder of the mid-'90s, when jazz-influenced hip-hop outfits like A Tribe Called Quest roamed the Earth.

You can download the track by clicking here.

Kooley High's forthcoming Kooley Is High mixtape gets proper release-related celebration April 3 at The Pour House in Raleigh.

Ear Pwr signs to Carpark Records

Asheville dance duo Ear Pwr has inked a deal with the Baltimore-based Carpark Records--the label that brought you Dan Deacon and Beach House. The duo's new LP, Super Animal Brothers III, will see a May 19 release, bearing the Carpark imprint. Welcome, Ear Pwr to the jacuzzi filled with diamonds and champagne that indie-level stardom affords.

Sadly, this also brings up the news that Ear Pwr will soon be leaving North Carolina to bring its electro-twee to Baltimore full-time, following a similar path as fellow North Carolinian band Future Islands.

Super Animal Brothers III tracklist:
1. Tripodium
2. Beam Of Light
3. Super Animal Bros. III
4. Future Eyes (mp3)
5. Sparkley Sweater
6. Cats Is People Too
7. You Are The Bom
8. Boys II Volcanoes
9. Jams O Jamz
10. Diamonds Liquor Leather
11. Goofy Award
12. Discover Your Colors
13. Ghostride The Buffalo
14. Mexican Newspaper
15. Epic Suitcase
16. Secret Stars

R.I.P. Charles Hairston

Charlotte soul singer Charles Hairston died on Monday, after a year-long battle with cancer. He was 61. Hairston was known in the area for his vibrant, rich voice--which he put to good use as the frontman of Double Door Inn staples The Monday Night All-Stars.

A straightforward message left on Hairston's Myspace reads,

Charles Hairston passed away February 23, 2009 after battling cancer since last year. He was loved by so many and will be greatly missed. Over a half centry of Experience has produced a master vocalist extraordinaire. Decades of experience by performance and Evolution of popular music has brought Charles to the top of the game. "The love for my craft as well as the love of my audience creates a one on one experience,collectively and individuality at every show. In other words when you leave my concert you feel as if every song that was performed was song especially for you. Go to a Charles Hairston show with the understanding that your going to be entertained by a God Given Talent that expresses a kind of love and joy that we all sometimess need to feel."

Charlotte Observer reporter Tonya Jameson wrote two obituaries for Hairston, one for the Observer, and one for her own blog.

Matador to distribute Whatever Brains' "Mt. Whatever" 7-inch

In what is unquestionably a major coup for both the Raleigh-based punk band Whatever Brains and its label, Bull City Records, Matador Records (a label you might have heard of if you've ever listened to music before) has picked up Whatever Brains' debut single, Mt. Whatever, which, coincidentally, is also the debut release for Bull City Records, for distribution.

Scan, the music blog of the Triangle's Independent Weekly has more. Also, I should probably mention that some of that "more" is a review written by yours truly, Shuffle's Assistant Editor Bryan Reed.

Still interested? Bull City Records honcho Chaz Martenstein has the inde scoop on his own blog.

Nice move, Ron Liberti

In what might simultaneously be the most badass and most potentially unsanitary rock 'n' roll poster of all time--or at least of a hot minute--veteran poster artist (and Chapel Hill musician) Ron Liberti used a simple design to advertise the recent Joe Romeo & The Orange County Volunteers CD release show in Chapel Hill--then textured his portrait of Romeo with what appears to be actual human hair.

Well, good on ya, Ron Liberti. Kudos from Shuffle.

New Superchunk EP!

N.C. indie rock legends Superchunk have announced the release of Leaves In The Gutter, a brand-new five-track EP. Only one cut is previously released, the until-now vinyl-only "Misfits and Mistakes," originally intended for use in the "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" movie.

This is the first wide-release CD for Superchunk since 2001's Here's To Shutting Up. The band will play at the Coachella festival, and it's probably pretty safe to assume they'll make an appearance at Merge's 20th Anniversary festival in July.

Leaves In The Gutter tracklist below:
01 Learned to Surf
02 Misfits & Mistakes
03 Screw It Up
04 Knock Knock Knock
05 Learned to Surf (acoustic demo)

All Get Out Daytrotter session

Charleston's All Get Out recently recorded a session with the ever-cool Daytrotter, offering up four cuts--one of which, "Let Me Go," is exclusive to Daytrotter.

All Get Out is--as is customary for the road warriors--bringing its dynamic and effervescent pop-rock cross-country, with dates booked well into March, listed below. The band will return to the Carolinas at the beginning of next month for dates at the Music Farm in Charleston and Local 506 in Chapel Hill.

Feb 17 2009 8:00P	The 5th Quarter	Greenville, Texas
Feb 19 2009 8:00P	The Boiler Room	Denton, Texas
Feb 20 2009 8:00P	The Parlor	Austin, Texas
Feb 24 2009 8:00P	Luna’s Bar & Grill - Mardi Gras	Lake Charles, Louisiana
Feb 25 2009 8:00P	The Circle Bar	New Orleans, Louisiana
Feb 28 2009 8:00P	The Handlebar	Pensacola, Florida
Mar 5 2009 7:00P	Cox Capitol Theatre w/ Sequoyah Prep School & Harrison Hudson & Jetadore	Macon, Georgia
Mar 6 2009 8:00P	Jack Rabbit’s	Jacksonville, Florida
Mar 7 2009 8:00P	Music Farm	Charleston, South Carolina
Mar 10 2009 8:00P	Local 506 w/ Lydia	Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Mar 11 2009 8:00P	Drunken Unicorn w/ Lydia	Atlanta, Georgia
Mar 12 2009 8:00P	Proud Larry’s w/ Lydia	Oxford, Mississippi
Mar 13 2009 8:00P	One Eyed Jacks w/ Lydia	New Orleans, Louisiana
Mar 15 2009 8:00P	Rubber Gloves w/ Lydia	Denton, Texas
Mar 17 2009 8:00P	White Rabbit w/ Lydia	San Antonio, Texas

On the demise of Ruckus, and the un-commodification of recorded sound

Ruckus, the free music portal for college students, owned by TotalMusic, LLC, has ended its operations. A visit to Ruckus.com reveals only the above image with no links, explanations or contact information provided. The DRM-laden download service was ad-supported, but worked primarily with Windows-supported computers, leaving many Mac users out in the cold. As Macs gained popularity, Ruckus lost potential consumers, says a PC World article published earlier today. Also, since the files were so heavily encrypted, they couldn't be transferred to portable devices, such as the ubiquitous iPod.

TotalMusic's Vice President of Product Management, Jason Herskowitz, offered some insight to the demise of the major-label-backed enterprise on his blog.

One of the more than 80 campuses that partnered with the service, UNC-Chapel Hill, adopted Ruckus in 2006 to give students an alternative to illegal file-sharing networks, and in turn, relieve the University from RIAA pressures.

In a story published in The Daily Tar Heel yesterday (full disclosure: I served as Diversions Editor for the DTH for the 2007-2008 school year), students offer a largely unanimous opinion: music should be free.

“I was pretty upset. Actually, really upset,” said Shenise Gilyard, a first-year chemistry major.

“I don’t use iTunes because it’s a dollar a song. Ruckus was great because I didn’t have to buy songs I was just interested in.”

Rob Stewart, a junior environmental studies major, echoed Gilyard’s concern about costs.

“It’s unfortunate,” Stewart said. “That was a sweet deal we had, not having to pay for music.”

In a landscape where the prevailing public opinion is that music no longer has a monetary value, what hope is there for the already sinking music industry?

Herskowitz sums it up rather nicely early into his blog post:

I only hope that someone else figures out how to crack this music-on-the-web nut in a way that is a win for everyone in the value chain. The problem is that to make a music service a win for everyone, then they all of the famished participants have to sit at the table - and be content to let all the others have a little bit to eat, even though they are still hungry themselves.

But it seems awful pessimistic to concede that the only way everybody wins is by agreeing to lose a little bit less.

Kooley High documentary hits the Web

One Day - Introducing Kooley High from BECAUSEUS on Vimeo.

"One Day: Introducing Kooley High" was directed by Napoleon Wright II, and tracks the up-and-coming rap group in its members' day-to-day lives. Spencer Griffith's report of the film's theatrical debut ran in The Independent Weekly and can be read here.

New song from Embarrassing Fruits

"Corner" is the first single from Embarrasing Fruits' follow-up to last year's The First Time EP, their long-playing debut, Community/Exploitation, on the way from Trekky Records. Its Sebadoh strum-n-mumble gets a boost from some well-placed horns and promises good things to come from the Chapel Hill trio.

Download "Corner" here.

Sparklehorse/Fennesz collab to be issued in March.

Pitchfork is reporting new updates on the Sparklehorse/Fennesz collaboration for Dutch label Konkurrent's "In The Fishtank" series, which is slated for a March release and will also see the two artists joining forces for a Feb. 8 show in Knoxvile, Tenn. at the Bijou Theatre for the Big Ears Festival.

Free mixtape from Juan Huevos

Triangle MC and producer Juan Huevos has released a free digital mixtape, Fliptape, comprising 15 tracks of Huevos' pop-song re-imaginings. He writes in a Myspace blog post, "While it functions as a "mixtape" in design, it has been noted as a fliptape for the nature of the animal that it is: these are not so much songs constructed from samples, rather, actual songs re-arranged to have either the same vibe or a different one and then blessed by myself." Artists "flipped" include Masta Ace, Wolf Parade, Prince, M.I.A., Pinback, Radiohead, Kelly Clarkson and Depeche Mode, among others.

You can download Juan Huevos' Fliptape by clicking here.

Benji Hughes sings on the televesion

Benji Hughes, the Charlotte-based crooner who released his double-album debut last year andgraced the cover of Shuffle #3, will make his television debut with a performance tonight on Jimmy Kimmel Live on the ABC network.

Birds of Avalon finishing new record

Birds of Avalon are getting ready to issue their follow-up to the Outer Upper Inner EP, produced by Mitch Easter and mastered by Greg Calbi. You can read all about BoA's recording process at their blog.

New Hammer No More The Fingers video: "Nitro"

Hammer No More the Fingers: Nitro from Matt Williams on Vimeo.

Durham trio Hammer No More The Fingers is readying its first long-playing platter, Looking For Bruce, for an April release on Churchkey Records. They've been bringing the new songs to area stages for a while now, and the Greensboro-based Dot Matrix Project captured "Nitro" at a November show at the Gate City venue, The Green Burro.

Attn: Greenville, NC

This is floating around Myspace. Help your scene, Greenville!

To Greenville:
(and all who have been through to see a show or performed in this town and loved the vibe)

The live music and art community here is at an important junction. Over the past few months this town has seen the underground spaces that have made Greenville so special drop like flies. The Spazzatorium Galleria! closed. The Turducken House (11th St.) retired. Spider Skull closed. Legit spaces that opened their doors to keep a music community existent disappeared (R.I.P. 21:11 Beer & Wine). The only club willing to work with us, The Corner, closed.

A legit venue at the former home of Sociology/Spider Skull is our goal. We are doing everything in our collective power to make this happen and to bring about a new incarnation of The Spazzatorium. Our limits have been reached as to what we can do on our own. It is now we ask the folks out there who want this to become a reality to step up and put their efforts forth. If everyone gives a little we can make this happen. People behind the scenes have been fighting tooth and nail, scraping away what time and money they have to do this. We have reached our wall. Everyone reading this who has ever been to a show or event should be able to see how important this endeavor is. A place to host and allow creativity to flourish is vital for this town. We have people willing to be there when this happens. Willing to give their time and efforts to keep this dream going. We just have to get there.

We’re asking everyone to pitch in whatever they can to help. Below is a secure link to contribute to our efforts via Paypal. Even if you don’t have a paypal account most credit cards will work.

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=2484114

If you have paypal all donations can be processed to moviej2k AT gmail DOT com

A detailed list of where the money is going will be made available.

From Feb through April I will be in the Philadelphia area taking an opportunity to run The Danger Danger Gallery while the people who regularly run this amazing space go on tour with their bands. My departure comes at a time where transition is occurring. Do-it-yourself mentality has run me ragged and it’s clear to me that Greenville needs a broader spectrum of influence and allowance. The only way we can do this is together.

D.I.Y. IS DEAD :

D.I.T.– DO IT TOGETHER!

As we speak there are folks learning the ropes to be their own “booker” and if you have an inclination that this might be something you’d like to try get in touch, because we need ya! The complacency and reliance on one person to do everything was never an intention so I’m stepping back some to allow more diversity.

Unity through diversity!?!

The entire month of Feb will be a benefit month for the Spazz 2.0. All shows that take place will have local/semi-local bands performing as a benefit for the space with all proceeds going directly towards our efforts.

I love this town more than I can express because it allowed me to do what I love doing for this long. I plan on returning here after those 3 months to continue to do my part in making it an amazing place to live in and visit. The catalyst will be if we can get The Spazzatorium going again. Let’s make this happen folks because this is probably the final attempt in a long held dream and I know we can come together to make this happen. Sit back now, do nothing, and watch it die before your eyes. Step up, do your part, and watch the withered roots blossom into a life-nourishing, soul-stirring tree of creativity. I promise you we have something so special here folks. People from all over this country, heck even the world, see and feel the unique energy and spirit Greenville has. It just needs a home.

LET’S SAVE THE SPAZZ!

Please repost this. Everyone...

-Jeff B.

Ryan Adams has had enough.

Pretty much the whole indie rock universe has picked up on this little tidbit, but I saw it here first. Ryan Adams, still the ex-Whiskeytown frontman, has declared his intent to add "ex-Cardinals frontman" to his list of titles. This announcement, naturally, came in blog-form--which you can see here.

The main idea: Ryan Adams' March 20 date in Atlanta will (reportedly) be his last with The Cardinals. He also intends to take time off from music in general, though doesn't rule out the possibility of coming back to it at some point in the future. He's just taking a break.

Adams and the Cardinals have two pre-break-up dates scheduled in South Carolina. Details below.

March 11 – No. Charleston, SC – North Charleston Performing Arts Center Tickets

March 12 – Columbia, SC – Township Auditorium

Presale starts Thursday, January 15th at 10am here
Password: COBWEBS
Tickets go on sale to the public Friday, January 16th at 10am here

Lunchbox Records celebrates three years

Charlotte-based Lunchbox Records has reached its third year of successful operation, spitting in the face of the music industry's wings-ablaze descent to what seems like inevitable bankruptcy. If ever there were cause for celebration, this is it. And what better way to do so, than to throw not just a show, but two--including what might turn out to be the best punk show you're likely to see all year.

The festivites kick-off with an in-store show at Lunchbox's Central Avenue headquarters, featuring Graf Orlock (CA), Lewd Acts (CA) and Lowbrow (Charlotte).

Then, it's time for the main event at The World Famous Milestone Club. The show will be headlined by the long-running (and p4k-endorsed) Fucked Up and Raleigh's HC-revivalist heroes Double Negative. Local support comes in the form of Grids (featuring Lunchbox clerk Rob Davis) and Planet Piss (featuring Lunchbox honcho Scott Wishart).

Fuck yeah.

Giant = Brave Young

The post-metal behemoth that Greensboro's Giant has become is plainly obvious to any who have seen recent shows. The now-instrumental act has shed it's more metallic trappings, and with it its old moniker. Giant is now Brave Young. Kind of. No massive Myspace switchovers have happened, and you'll still see the name Giant on venue calendars. But if you see Brave Young, you'll know what's up.

Also, while you're confused, head over to Giant/Brave Young's Myspace page to hear the new "The Days That Sat in Front of Everything" in all its 17-minute glory.

Kooley High, movie stars

To date, Kooley High has only released one proper album--and an E.P. at that. But that didn't stop filmmaker Napoleon Wright from deciding the young rap group was a worthy enough subject to be the focus of a documentary, "One Time." The film debuts Jan. 24 at the Galaxy Theater in Cary.

Here's the trailer:

"One Day" Movie Preview from Kooley High on Vimeo.

The Foreign Exchange's Leave It All Behind now available on vinyl!

Raleigh-slash-Wilmington duo The Foreign Exchange--aka Phonte and Nicolay--slated its second long-player, and arguably one of 2008's best contemporary R&B records for a staggered release: digital first, then CDs, and now, vinyl. If you missed it the first time around, here's a chance to catch it on a trendsetting format.

From a Nicolay Music press release:

Calling all vinyl-enthousiasts and FE-collectors! The 2xLP Gatefold edition of "Leave It All Behind" will be in stores this Tuesday, January 13th.This is a one-time pressing of only 1000 copies and there will be no future re-presses. Each copy is individually numbered.

NOTE: Phonte and Nicolay have signed a little over 80 copies to be sold exclusively through Nicolay Music! Click here to visit the Nicolay Music webstore.

The Love Language hits the highway with The Rosebuds

Consider Raleigh well-represented on East Coast Highways this month as the capital city pop crew The Love Language joins Shuffle 4 cover stars The Rosebuds on tour for four dates plus a Cat's Cradle homecoming with Megafaun.

This comes on the heels of the announcement of The Love Language's brand new self-titled LP on Bladen County Records--and addition to Ground Control Touring's clientele.

Love Language tour dates with The Rosebuds
1/14 Otto Bar, Baltimore, MD
1/15 Johnny Brendas, Philadelphia, PA
1/16 Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY
1/17 Middle East Downstairs, Boston, MA
1/24 Cat's Cradle, Carrboro, NC