Quick Troika update…it was awesome. It was unbelievably awesome. It is the best weekend of the year, if you live in Durham. There were 200 people at the Pistil show!!! Pistil is great, and they deserve 200 people at every show, but still. It’s gratifying. We live in a rad city, my brothers and sisters.

Caltrop PUNISHED.

Bellafea DESTROYED.

Grappling Hook CRUSHED.

Gray Young PILLAGED.

Citified WERE TOTALLY AWESOME.

Max Indian APOCALYPSED.

Sorry for the abstraction.

Anyway, let’s not live in the past, no matter how great it might be. Winter is upon us, and winter is spectacular.

What’s happening movie wise?

If you are into bikes, and old-school 1920’s animation filtered through the equipment and vision of a 21st century auteur, then The Triplets of Belleville is the movie for you. This movie is enrapturing, a full-senses descent/ascent into a psychedlic miasma that is at once nostalgic and uncomfortably novel. Also, one of the best pieces of animation ever produced.

Great show lineup too.

Nov. 10th – Tuesday @ 9pm
11:00 – Proud Valleta
10:00 – Miss Ellen Sunday and her Fantastic Cats
9:00 – Jonathan Thompson (is the man. hosts our new open mic)

Nov. 11th – Wednesday @ 9pm
11:00 – The Mutant League
10:00 – Israel Darling
9:00 – Casual Curious

Well Durham, thanks for the greatest two weekends ever. I can’t help but feeling that Troika is the thing that’s going to get the rest of world totally obsessed with our city. That might not be a good thing. Discuss.

But it was a great fucking weekend.

I LOVE THE HELL OUT OF YOU,

Tha PHKAY

Hey Everybody! Today…this very Wednesday, November 4th 2009…is THE ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE PINHOOK! This time last year we were all scrambling around trying to get a liquor license before the big election party that night. And oh what a party. America Won! And half the city seemed celebrate within our doors. We were proud to open on that historic day, and we’re proud to STILL be open, one year later, kicking out the jams for the fine badasses of the triangle.

But that opening night was nothing compared to what happened that weekend, when we hosted our first live music events as part of Durham’s awesome Troika festival. Troika is back again this year (we hoope it’s back every year, forever, until the end of time) and the Pinhook’s lineup is kind of even more amazing than it was last year.

Shit kicks off on Thursday with the excellent Max Indian/Aminal bill. These guys have been all over my radar recently, with their unassuming-yet-powerful rock action. House of Fools and the Desmonds support.

Friday…well, friday is the greatest thing that ever happened. Scientific Superstar (menacing robot rock). Grappling Hook (epic tales and double guitars from Valhalla). Caltrop (searing, technically flawless metal). And Bellafea (everybody knows these guys. Beautiful, heavy, meandering. Perfect). As a side note, the fantastic superstar Heather McIntyre of Bellafea, Un Deux Trois, and Mt. Moriah has joined the Pinhook staff! Not sure her schedule yet, but you’ll be seeing alot of her in the coming months.

Saturday welcomes amazing newcomers LA Tool & Die (actually, they may not be newcomers, but I only recently found out about them), francophile goths Veronique Diabolique, Greensboro’s shoegaze gods Citified, and Raleigh’s completely insane Gray Young, who are one of the best bands around at the moment. Their drummer is goddamn awesome.

That’s Troika Y’all! It’s going to DESTROY SUCKAS! Come out all nights for the triangle’s best musical weekend.

Love,

The Pinhook

PS – If you find yourself in Red Hook, Brooklyn, get a sandwich from Defonte’s. I am really hungover right now, and their peppers & eggs just literally saved my life.

Thanks to everyone who came out over the Halloween weekend. We had a rockin’ one. It was so awesome to roll up on Saturday night and see the place packed with our main beautiful freaks, just givin’ her all they had. Great costumes, great music…great party.

This month ain’t shapin’ up to shabby (man I am dropping alot of my g’s in this post). We kicked things off with another successful vegan brunch, and thanks to all who came out to eat in the freezing cold. Halloween was like 100 degrees, and the next day was totally frigid. What the heck. No big deal, though. We made the place hell of cozy.

Anyway, the month of horror is sadly over, so we need a new movie theme. We settled on…BICYCLE MOVIES! YAAAA! The month kicks off on Monday with Breaking Away, which is totally heartwarming and apparently won like a million oscars. If you’re not into seeing human beings eating other human beings, this is the month for you.

Also, for your pleasure, here is another poster that is completely fucking weird.

Is that dude smoking a joint? Second from the left? I totally think he is smoking a joint.

Tuesday OH MY GOD TUESDAY begins our monthly open-mic, hosted by Local Excellent Dude Jonathan Thompson. This can be a rockin’ open-mic if you want, good-style. Trembly sensitive singer-songwriters are, however, totally welcome, and everyone will be nice. Ain’t no one gonna get their feelings hurt here.

Wednesday crushes with The New Familiars, Red City Radio, and Jay Heart Montreal.

And then, on Thursday. TROIKA, MOTHERFUCKERS! Prepare for a huge Wednesday post about this most excellent of music festivals and a certain bar’s one year anniversary…

Love you people. THIIIIIISSSS MUUUUUUCH!

Hook

Love

Boo! Or should I say…boo-YAH!

The leaves have turned, there is (sort of) a chill in the air, and out of the nebulous autumn mists creeps one of the best three-day lineups of the year at the ole ‘Hook. I’m not usually a dude of Halloween – I prefer to avoid the crazies and watch Dawn of the Dead a few times with a bottle of whiskey – but I’ve already watched Dawn of the Dead twice this week, so I have no choice but to don my costume and head out the door, into the scary awesome world of local music.

Thursday sees our old friends The Wigg Report, Steven et. al., kicking out the folk-punk for all. They’re pretty legendary around here, but if you haven’t seen them check it out. They play like 67 anthems at breakneck speed with crazy saxophone and this little Korg keyboard that sounds like a million ray-guns. Also, they are the nicest people in the entire world. In support of Fontana.

Friday, we welcome back yet another group of old friends, they of the giant anchor and the pedal steel, the venerable Shipwrecker. Richard and the gang are releasing their album that night, so come pick up a copy. Shipwrecker is one of the most unique bands around, and these guys can fucking play, believe me. Bask in the viruosity.

Actually, Friday is a double record release party, as the incredible Spacelab (how am I just finding out about these guys?) celebrates the release of their vinyl LP. Missy Thangs kicks things off at 10 p.m.

And then…the unholy night itself. A night of madness, wine-fueled blood orgies, sexy cat costumes, and just general Dracula cold sucking people’s blood action. The Pinhook is going with a loose CBGB’s theme this year (appropriate, although we can clean the graffiti off our bathroom walls.) Amps Do Furnish a Room, covering Television (!!!!!!!!!!!!!YAY!!!!!!!!) start things off at 10, followed by Heart of Glass (an excellent Blondie cover act) and The Ramonas, a kick ass all-girl Ramones cover band. Come here some of the best songs ever written, filtered through the capable hands of some of the Triangle’s best musicians. I am so fucking psyched to hear Marquee Moon in it’s entirety, live.

Here’s a Taste.

Happy Halloween everybody!

And then. AND THEN. November kicks off with the second monthly VEGAN BRUNCH, hosted and cooked by Chef Shirle of Rockin the Stove. On Monday, Chef Shirle was featured on the talk show of horrible troll Rachel Ray, so she is bona fide famous as shit by now. The brunch still costs $7 though, still starts at noon, and still features alcohol.

What’s up, Nerds. Guess who is on the Rachel Ray show right at this very moment. Give up? It’s Shirle Hale, the chef of The Pinhook’s monthly vegan brunch! Which just happens to be next sunday! Come to it and eat food made by an actual celebrity.

Tonight, however, the hangin’ out is much more terrifying, as zombie movie month concludes with the ultimate and most awesome film in our series. I know, a month ago, that I said that Dead Alive was the best zombie movie ever, but forget about that shit. The best zombie movie ever is…

AW YEAH. This is the classic zom-apoc film, with people trapped in a mall, heads just totally explodin’, bikers killing the hell out of zombies, and so much more. There is no explicit sex in this picture. It says so right on the poster. Check it.

After that, the week gets SO MUCH BETTER, with Pretty Boy Thorson, The Copyrights, and Last Year’s Men on Tuesday, and Lost Hands Found Fingers, The Dopamines, and Laura Stevenson on Wednesday. Tune in Wednesday night for spooky halloween details.

Word.

‘KHP (backwards today)

Ladies and Gentlemen…Mr. Dexter Romweber…

…will be playing the Pinhook this Friday, October 23rd. We are lucky, proud, and extremely fucking psyched to have the one-time Athens bad-ass turned Triangle luminary playing our club. There are few musicians in our community as influential as Dex, and his newest band The New Romans represents a stunning step forward. The Comets, Rare Surf, Etta James, 60’s soul. Let’s just say Rocket from the Crypt should show up and just bow down.

Also, he just finished recording a 7″ with Jack White. Damn.

While it’s great to welcome such an epic figure into our humble home, equal praise should be loaded into firehoses and sprayed all over D-Town Brass, the towering afro-beat/soul/free-jazz/noise/bebop juggernaut from Durham. Masterminded by Andy Magowen (one of two head-chefs at Piedmont), the Brass is a collection of Durham’s finest – and often-unsung – musicians. This band has fucking chops to slay a dinosaur, brings it with the theatrics, and is all around one of the best bands around. This is a party in a bag, people. A bag delivered to your doorstep with a dozen roses and a note saying “come see our show.”

This might be the show of the year.

The rest of the weekend ain’t to shabby either. Thursday sees Bob Funcke, Butter, and 8-Eyes. Saturday with the excellent Mercators and up-and-coming workhorse Misty Mayhem.

In other, alcohol-related news…

Cold weather got you down? A little phlegmy maybe? (gross why did I type that) To my knowledge we are the only bar in town serving up perfect hot toddy’s these days, thanks to a new and exciting machine that is pure magic. I had a toddy earlier and it blew my mind.

Also, it’s time to clear out the taps and usher in a new line-up of wintery beers. Please welcome…

Victory Lager – a little more…normal…than the Brooklyn Lager, this fine offering from Victory is just what a lager should be. Just a little hoppy and easy to drink.

New Belgium 1554 – Strong, warming, and malty without being cloying or sweet, this is a cold weather beer that you can stay with all night.

Foothills Pilot Mountain Pale Ale – A classic from our friends in Winston-Salem. If the Bells Two-Hearted is a little too hoppy for you, but you cherish and crave the timeless British pub taste, this is it.

Highland Brewery Oatmeal Porter – In my opinion, this is the finest beer brewed in our excellent state. Come taste it for yourself.

Bells Two-Hearted and Big Boss Bad Penny remain on tap. Let their reign never end.

Good blog, everybody. Thanks.

-The Pinhook, esq.

I am currently in Las Vegas. Can you believe that shit? Don’t ever come here, it is a festering hell-hole of sadness. But I won $100 bucks betting on football! And I got a sunburn!

Anyway, enough about me and the stuff that I did and got. Tomorrow’s movie is Zombie, Lucio Fulci’s Italian made sequel to Dawn of the Dead. It is one of the goriest, craziest, wildest zombie films ever, and it features a scene where a zombie fights a shark that is literally the greatest instance of cinematic prowess ever.

THEY ARE COMPLETELY GOING TO EAT YOU.

Tuesday is a rock triple header featuring Death to Details, the enthusiastically named We Landed on the Moon!, and the fast approaching classic status Lions at Lunchtime.

Wednesday is a double header of  Cali’s The Americas and Rooftops.

Peace out y’all! I can’t wait to be back in the D.

-PHK

This is a very exciting weekend at The Pinhook, and pardon the fuck out of me for being so serious right off the bat. Pardon that shit.

Ok, I guess I’m not being so serious.

But seriously. Friday, October 16th, we are honored to host the 10th anniversary show of Cantwell, Gomez, and Jordan. This is going to be a really fun night, but more importantly it speaks to the staying-power, gall, and sheer awesomeness of the one of the Triangle’s most long-running musical outfits. When I moved here five years ago, they were one of the first bands I saw. I read their press like the bible, and their name has become iconic to me. They represent everything righteous and bold about the scene we have built (and are still building) here in Durham, Chapel Hill, and beyond. Their music is a mix of playfulness and menace, humor and terror, unswerving pop sensibilities and literally the most fucked-up stuff you ever heard. Add a dose of shit-hot chops (these people can play) and you’ve got the epitome of an Epic Local Band. Ten years running, let’s toast to ten more.

By the way, Maple Stave, Des Ark, and Clang Quartet open the show. ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? This is going to destroy.

We’ve got a great weekend planned in other ways as well. Saturday’s Dance party promises to heat up what is apparently winter already, here in The D. DJs Tyler Hypnosis and Gonzo spin the hip-hop all night, with M1 Platoon jumping in to make the floor shake.

Monday? ZOMBIE MOVIES CONTINUE…

Love You People…THIS MUCH (arms stretching out ludicrously far),

Hook

I gotta say this newfangled “youtube” phenomenon is pretty great. Right now, at this minute, while I write this blog post, I am watching a video of a baby eating a pickle and making a hilarious baby-face that says “I don’t like this shit.”

HAHAHAAHAHAAAAAAAAA. It is so awesome. Seriously, the things computers can do.

Because of all the literally brilliant and indispensible content on youtube these days, we are just cold having a night where anyone – crazy mormons, drunk ninjas, presidents, astronauts, bums, etc. – can come into the Pinhook and basically show everyone their favorite youtube stuff.

FLYER TIME

Awesome. SO AWESOME.

That’s tuesday.

MONDAY, however, is a little different. The caliber of bands playing on this special, halloweeny, October-only wild ass monday night is just mind boggling. If you haven’t heard Wizzard Sleeve, TV Ghost, or Harlem yet, make it yr damn business to not suck on a Monday. Don’t go Garfield on me. Garfield is terrible and not funny.

I am currently listening to the song “You Are” by Built to Spill. Listen to that shit when you get a chance, it is some awesome shit. Shhhhit.

Love You Fuckers,

PHK4EVA

Word to all of your beautiful Mothers, people of the Triangle. It’s a crazy-ass Indian Summer afternoon, and I am blogging to you from a Ferrari convertible, screaming down Highway 40 at dangerous speeds, all Ray-Bans, all white linen jacket, wind whipping through my hair. Stone cold rampagin’.

Anyway, here’s the deal this weekend…and beyond.

Thursday, October 8th we got Blag’ard and the White Cascade. Blag’ard is crazy LO-FIlthy rock music, slung out by shirtless dudes who can rip it up. White Cascade filters My BLoody Valentine through God Speed You Black Emperor until you’re just comfortably drowning in unfolding reams of expertly managed feedback.

Friday, October 9th…it’s a Ricky and Joe Dance Party. You know what to do at those (hint: it involve the shaking of asses.)

Saturday is an excellent rock bill, featuring the precision-tuned Tin Star, the Creation Records-era buzz of Greensboro’s Citified, and the perennially ass-kicking AMINAL.

Here’s a surprising thing – next Monday is not movie night! But it is a great show put together Wizzard Sleeve, Harlem, and TV Ghost. Here’s what Grayson Currin at the Indy had to say about this:

“10.12 TV GHOST, WIZZARD SLEEVE, HARLEM @ THE PINHOOK

Thanks to record label reputations and a shared tendency toward low fidelity or precision in production, all three of these out-of-towners get tagged as garage rock bands. But it’s hard to imagine a triumvirate that better communicates the diversity percolating just beneath indie rock’s increasingly shiny veneer these days. Alabama’s Wizzard Sleeve, for instance, sounds a little like psychedelic lords Hawkwind taking a Black Flag LP the distance, sheets of bent tones smothering or supporting pure attitude. Austin’s Harlem, though, sound like bad kids in a pop candyland, turning less-than-veiled love of breasts and pills into tunes that stick like boiled confectioners sugar. Meanwhile, Indiana headliners TV Ghost suggest a distillation of Faust IV and The Fall’s Hex Enduction Hour: It’s noisy, headstrong and full of unexpected twists, but traces of playfulness preside over all. $5/ 9 p.m. —Grayson Currin”

We’re proud to have such a great out-of-town lineup. Show up in force to support these guys!

Also, this is happening. It is what it sounds like.

Later doggggs,

‘HK