TRKfest Profiles: Yardwork

Photo by Bryan Reed.

As we near the fateful date of this year's bliss-tacular TRKfest, we'll be periodically profiling each band that will be gracing the stage. We'll tell you who they are, why they're special and why we invited them to play.

Artist: Yardwork
Hails from: Charlotte
Played TRKfest?: This'll be the first!

Our introduction to Charlotte's joyously noisy Yardwork came in the form of a couple of out-of-control, sweat-soaked, face-melting shows at Bull City Headquarters in the Summer of 2008. After we nursed our aching bodies and strained vocal chords, we realized we were in love. Yardwork's sound is a unique intersection of hyperactive punk and irreverent folk, garnished with gorgeous arrangements and an infectiously triumphant spirit. The Charlotte collective's live shows are a thing to behold, overflowing with kinetic energy, dueling drums, intertwined guitar gymnastics, and anthemic gang vocals. Yardwork reaches out, grabs you, and brings you to a place where anything can (and probably will) happen. We think it's kind of a crime that Yardwork doesn't play in the Triangle more, so we are so excited to bring them to an audience that perhaps hasn't had the pleasure of the Yardwork experience. Besides, Thomas Berkau, Yardwork's de facto leader, is our number one bro when it comes to hangin' hard at local outdoor music festivals. We met Thomas at the first ever TRKfest and solidified a strong bond after several long days and nights at Shakori Hills. Then, after a legendary morning with Midtown Dickens and Lost in the Trees trying to score vegan brunch in Charlotte, we knew these were our kind of guys.

Video: Hammer No More The Fingers @ Trekky House

Earlier this week we had a house show, in honor of our friends Brown Bird, who were on tour from Providence, Rhode Island. The night started off with Brothers Connolly, a new project from siblings Ross Connolly (Butterflies) and Clare Connolly (Auxiliary House). After that, we kept with the "people that live here" theme and had Ezekiel Graves. The main event was a very special acoustic set from Hammer No More The Fingers, with surprise guest Phil Cook (Megafaun) on banjo. Eric Chen filmed Hammer's whole set, and you can watch it all RIGHT NOW. Enjoy. Viva la house show.

Also, you can catch Hammer, Ezekiel Graves and Megafaun June 26th at this year's TRKfest.

Lost in the Trees feature in The News and Observer

Check out today's News and Observer for a very thoughtful article about Lost in the Trees, their current US tour and their new album. Our dear folk orchestra are right in the middle of a 5 week jaunt, but they'll be stopping back in at home halfway through, playing the Planned Parenthood benefit at Carrboro's ArtsCenter on June 3rd.

TRKfest Profiles: Ezekiel Graves

Photo by Will Hackney.

As we near the fateful date of this year's bliss-tacular TRKfest, we'll be periodically profiling each band that will be gracing the stage. We'll tell you who they are, why they're special and why we invited them to play.

Artist: Ezekiel Graves
Hails from: Chapel Hill, via Tryon
Played TRKfest?: No sir, first-timer

Zeke Graves is a Chapel Hill based sound artist, basically capable of mastering any musical style he takes an interest in. We first were introduced to his music with Cold Sides, a heady and sometimes experimental post rock band that, along with Sorry About Dresden and The White Octave, first got us interested in local music when we were growing up. Later on, Zeke turned his focus to electronic projects like Datahata and Kinoeye, releasing brilliant "techno" and minimalist dance music on FrequNC Records. Then in the Summer of 2009, we moved in with him! Trekky Records was looking for a new headquarters and music living space, and Zeke just happened to have a giant, music friendly house we could take over. It wasn't til after we'd been living with Zeke for a few months that we realized he was also a devoted student of rural finger-picking styles and open-tuning Piedmont Blues. Zeke had in fact been playing these styles of music for years, influenced by artists like Doc Watson and Elizabeth Cotten while growing up in Tryon, a small town in Western North Carolina. After hearing Zeke play countless rags, hillbilly tunes and country blues numbers through the walls of his bedroom, we invited him to play this year's TRKfest. Zeke will be playing early on in the festival, so arrive promptly to see him slay on the steel six-string, metal-bodied resonator and lap steel.

MP3 | Ezekiel Graves - Special Rider Blues [from the Live at Antfarm Studios EP]

TRKfest Profiles: Ryan Gustafson

Photo by Stephen Charles.

As we near the fateful date of this year's bliss-tacular TRKfest, we'll be periodically profiling each band that will be gracing the stage. We'll tell you who they are, why they're special and why we invited them to play.

Artist: Ryan Gustafson
Hails from: Durham
Played TRKfest?: Not yet!

We first saw Ryan play his solo material last Summer in a crowded and sweaty Carrboro bar, backed by his phenomenal Drughorse Collective comrades. The group's energy lit up the room, and by the time they were done, everyone was a believer. It's not often you see a performer that commands an audience with such a calm confidence and an undeniable intensity as Ryan. His debut Donkey LP is one of the most pleasant surprises to emerge from the second half of last year. Donkey paints broken, yet hopeful, pictures of both relationships and an American culture in distress, with raucous barroom stomps, delicately devastating folk tunes, psych rock haze, and wistful Americana ballads. We couldn't be more excited to have these sweethearts and vibe masters along for the ride at TRKfest this year!



MP3 | Ryan Gustafson - Soul Train [from the Donkey LP LP]

TRKfest Profiles: Vibrant Green

Photo by Agatha Donkar, from TRKfest 2009.

As we near the fateful date of this year's bliss-tacular TRKfest, we'll be periodically profiling each band that will be gracing the stage. We'll tell you who they are, why they're special and why we invited them to play.

Artist: Vibrant Green
Hails from: Chapel Hill, via Swan Quarter
Played TRKfest?: Twice

Vibrant Green is a huge part of the history and development of Trekky Records. When brothers Stephen, Joah and Jonny Tunnell moved to Chapel Hill from the quiet coastal town of Swan Quarter, NC, they were just teenagers, but quickly became a part of the fabric of the local indie rock scene, and one of the first bands on our label. We first saw their family band when we were just in middle school, and our love for Vibrant Green's incredible songs has not waned with age. Stephen's simple four chord musings are crushingly beautiful and contain a understated subtlety that asks you to slow down and listen. In the Trekky crew, Stephen has challenged us all to be better songwriters just by being so consistently brilliant. At this point, Vibrant Green doesn't perform that often, so this appearance at TRKfest is a rare chance to see Stephen sing his songs.



MP3 | Vibrant Green - Physician [from the Artless Yet Excellent LP]

More bands announced for TRKfest 2010

As if you needed more reasons to get excited about this year's TRKfest, we are happy to announce the addition of our very own folk orchestra Lost in the Trees, Charlotte's hyperactive Yardwork collective and rural-fingerpicking virtuoso Ezekiel Graves to the already packed bill. Here's some essential details below:

TRKfest 2010
Saturday, June 26. 2PM-Midnight.
Piedmont Biofuels, Pittsboro, NC.

Performers:
Megafaun
Lost in the Trees
Hammer No More The Fingers
Embarrassing Fruits
Midtown Dickens
Mount Moriah
Veelee
Butterflies
Ryan Gustafson
Yardwork
Ezekiel Graves
Vibrant Green

Other attractions:
Local art, crafts and clothing for sale
Local food and drinks for sale
Pants-off Dance-off
Coffee Sack Race
Cool Kids Yoga Session
Musical Chairs Cake Walk
Sprinklers and Water Things
Tour of Piedmont Biofuels
Free Haircuts
Shadow Puppets
Bliss Tent
and probably more!

Lost in the Trees embark on US tour with Plants and Animals

Lost in the Trees are excited to embark on their first full US tour this Summer with Canada's wonderful Plants and Animals. The orchestral folk group will be promoting their upcoming album, All Alone In An Empty House, to be released on August 10 by Anti- Records and Trekky. The album will be available at these summer shows! Check the parties below:

05-12 Charlotte, NC - The Evening Muse
05-15 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
05-18 Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge*
05-19 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court*
05-20 Boise, ID - Neurolux*
05-21 Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios*
05-22 Seattle, WA - The Crocodile*^
05-25 San Francisco, CA - The Independent*
05-26 Visalia, CA - The Cellar Door*
05-27 Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour*
05-29 Tucson, AZ - Plush*
05-31 Denton, TX - Hailey's*
06-01 Austin, TX - Emo's*
06-02 New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jacks*
06-05 Atlanta, GA - The Earl*
06-06 Asheville, NC - The Grey Eagle*
06-07 Washington, DC - Rock and Roll Hotel*
06-08 Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's*
06-09 New York, NY - The Bowery Ballroom*
06-12 Cambridge, MA - TT The Bear's Place*
06-13 Montreal, QC - Le Divan Orange
06-15 Toronto, ON - El Mocambo
06-16 Buffalo, NY - The Ninth Ward
06-19 Chicago, IL - Schubas

* with Plants and Animals
^ with Frog Eyes

Video: The Physics of Meaning - "Happy Forever" @ Nightlight

Daniel Hart's The Physics of Meaning just kicked off their Southern tour with a string of incredible North Carolina shows. Here's the band performing "Happy Forever", a unreleased song that will surely appear on the upcoming Daniel Hart record. Beautiful.

Video: Senryu - "Inklings"

Senryu is a wonderful band based in Knoxville, TN. What does this have to do with Trekky Records? Well, I'll tell you, dear friend. Senryu is led by the one and only Wil Wright, who also is a long-time member of Daniel Hart's The Physics of Meaning. If you've seen Physics' four member iteration, he's the dapper young gentleman to the left, playing bass and keys and singing harmonies. In any case, Magnet Magazine recently premiered Senryu's music video for the new song "Inklings" off the new album of the same name. Check out the intimate clip above. Also be sure to check out the band's Daytrotter Session, for some free live-in-the-studio tracks.

If you live in NC, you also still have a few chances to see Wil play in the full band Physics of Meaning this weekend. Dates below:

05-07 Greensboro, NC - The Green Bean
05-08 Durham, NC - The Pinhook
05-09 Raleigh, NC - Tir Na Nog

The Physics of Meaning Announce Spring Tour

The mighty Physics of Meaning will be hitting the road in the South and Southwest this Spring. Lead Physic Daniel Hart will briefly catch his breath from touring the world with his other band, St. Vincent, before taking his own outfit to a Southern town near you. Daniel has been hard at work, piecing together his new album at various recording sessions all over the USA, and he'll be sharing some of those new jams at these shows, as well. While joined by a full band and string section for his North Carolina shows, Daniel will play the rest of the tour dates with Physics as a duo, using a trash can drum set and a Dance Dance Revolution dancepad-turned-stompable-beat-machine-and-bass-synth to fill out the arrangements and at least provide something interesting to look at. It will be much like the scene in "Big" where Tom Hanks and Robert Loggia go to the toy store and play "Heart and Soul" with their feet, except in this case Tom Hanks also plays violin and Robert Loggia is a young woman with tympani mallets. Dates below:

05-06 Chapel Hill, NC - Nightlight
05-07 Greensboro, NC - The Green Bean
05-08 Durham, NC - The Pinhook
05-09 Raleigh, NC - Tir Na Nog
05-10 Knoxville, TN - Dan's House
05-11 Athens, GA - Farm 255
05-12 Tuscaloosa, AL - Egan's Bar
05-13 Jackson, MS - Sneaky Beans
05-14 McAllen, TX - Music Afterhours
05-15 Dallas, TX - Barley House
05-16 Lubbock, TX - Bash Riprocks
05-17 Las Cruces, NM - Equinox
05-18 Tempe, AZ - Yucca Tap Room

Blissfest approacheth