Red Collar EP release

Red Collar: "Used Guitars" (from The Hands Up EP 2007. Buy/download)

There's a lot of good stuff happening for Durham's Red Collar. They've put out a great EP on 307 Knox and have a release show this Friday at 305 South. Even better, they got a slot at the Reverbnation showcase at SXSW later in the month. Couldn't happen to nicer folks.

The EP features two songs that the band has had up on MySpace for a while ("Used Guitars" and "Witching Hour") and two that are new (to me) ("Hands Up" and "Stay"). As I've noted earlier, the music is smartened-up punk, and the lyrics are thoughful and sensitive to the plight of folks on the verge of being crushed by forces beyond their control. The disillusion of "Used Guitars" is compelling -- listen to Jason Kutchma spitting "We can't be everything we wanted to be" as the song winds up -- while "Stay" manages to find a glimmer of hope in amidst creditors and auditors. In addition to the well-crafted lyrics, the music is pretty smart as well: "Hands Up" makes the most of a nifty pair of interlocking guitar parts, and the "Stay" gets a jolt from some jumpy odd-time sections.

Grayson Currin gives the EP a thoughtful look in this week's Independent, and the Daily Tar Heel has a nice conversation with the band. (I already thought Jason was pretty cool, but to know that he covered "Peace Sells...But Who's Buying?" in a former band takes the cake...)

So, the CD release show at 305 South on Friday is $5, which also gets you a copy of the EP. There's another show at the Broad Street Cafe the following Friday (3/9), a benefit for the Leukemeia and Lymphoma Society. Among others on the bill is Can Joann, a band that carried the promise of the Aiden Grace EP into last year's strong release, Hurt People Hurt People. Here's hoping Red Collar can follow the same trajectory.

Checking in with old friends

Can Joann: "After the Seizure's Gone"
"Indecision's Way"
(from Hurt People Hurt People 2006. Out soon -- check here for purchase info.)

The Balance: "Runnin"
"Game"
(demos for forthcoming EP)

I'm a bit short on time today, so here's an update on some folks that I've written about before. Can Joann [previously] has a touch of the Rosebuds about their energetic pop-inflected rock songs, but with more of an indie edge (and so less of the slightly retro Rosebuds feel). Joel Peck's soaring vocals lead the band through some really catchy songs. These are two songs from the band's new album, due out any time now. They're playing a CD release show next Friday (5/12) at King's in Raleigh with Hotel Lights [previously] and Shakermaker.

The Balance [previously] is working on a new EP and evidently not playing out much. "Game" is in the same indie rock vein as their previous work, but "Runnin" suggests a new, folk/country direction as well.

Can Joann

Only time for a brief post today, so let's go with a band that I know basically nothing about other than their music. Can Joann is a four-member rock band based in Chapel Hill. The Independent calls them "an intriguing mix of pop finesse and supple indie guitar crash", and some pretty nimble bass playing, I'd add. Within a basically conventional indie rock framework, they do manage to mix up their sounds a good bit, from garage rockers like "West Side" to more pop numbers like "Sympathetic Thrill" to the semi-funky "Cameron's Sleeping".

They have an EP (The Aiden Grace EP) and a full-length album (Meet Me on the Sly), both (I think) self-released. Their web site is undergoing renovations and their MySpace site is pretty sparse also, so I don't have much other background to relay. There are a bunch of MP3s here; I'll highlight a few favorites.

MP3: "West Side"
MP3: "Cameron's Sleeping"
(from Meet Me On The Sly, self-released 2003)

MP3: "Sympathetic Thrill"
MP3: "Lady Luck"
(from The Aiden Grace EP, self-released 2004)

I don't know how you can buy these albums, but if you e-mail the band I bet they'll tell you. Or you can ask them at tonight's show at the Library in Chapel Hill (with Randy Bickford's rootsy Strugglers -- should be fun!).