Category Archives: Music

High-brow trash: Rhythm in your Rubbish with the NC symphony (3/9/2013)

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Trash + symphony = …?

The NC Symphony Kids Series culminates this weekend with the widely anticipated (ok, by me anyway) “Rhythm in your Rubbish”, a performance that brings together our NC Symphony with Toronto-based Platypus Theatre, a troupe that specializes in quirky performances for kids together with a classical orchestra.

Rhythm in your Rubbish is suitable for kids 4-12, and there will be two performances on Saturday (at 1p and 4p). Both are pretty well sold, but some seats are still available.

Mardi Gras Warm-up Party (Feb 2013)

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While the Daddy Weekly distinctly focuses on Downtown Raleigh, every once in a while, a trip to Durham is worthwhile. And when two big names – Motorco and Scrap Exchange – work together, some good usually comes out of it.

This Saturday from 4-6, Motorco in Durham is hosting a Mardi Grad costume making party. Costume making supplies are provided FREE OF CHARGE from Scrap Exchange.

The Blue Tailed Skins will play. There will be fun.

Later that day, at 8, a similar event is held for the grown-ups.

MotorCo, Durham, Saturday 4-6. With ScrapExchange.

Daddy Daughter Dance (2/2/2013)

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Preparation is everything, and with my own daughter quickly graduating from crawling to pulling up and jumping, I had to start looking into this whole Daddy Daughter Dance thing.

There are several Daddy Daughter Dances in the area, the biggest one being the Triangle Father Daughter Dance this Saturday from 6-9p. It is held at Marbles, but not directly related to or organized by the museum.

More information and tickets are available at http://www.trianglefatherdaughter.com/; it is $40 for a dad/daughter, and slightly more for dads blessed with more than one daughter. You can also make a donation so that a girl who does not have a father in her life can attend as a “Special Princess”.

The Triangle Father-Daughter Dance is not affiliated with any specific religious view and open to father/daughters of all races and ages (girls can be from 2 to adult).

Daddy Daughter Dance

Daddy Daughter Dance by Jamie Wallace, used under the CC BY-NC license

(On Jamie’s blog I learned that a Daddy Daughter Dance is “basically an hour and half of cardio in a suit” – good to know, haven’t thought of that!

African American Culture Celebration (1/26/2013)

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Every year, the NC Museum of History celebrates African American Culture in its many facets. From R&B performances to craft demos and even acupuncture, everything that can trace its roots to the African continent is present.

The celebration takes place this Saturday from 10:30a to 4:30p at the NC Museum of History. For kids, there’s “a scavenger hunt, hands-on craft, and more”. On top of that, the vast selection of music performances, and the cooking demos will allow to adequately celebrate this years’ theme, Defining Freedom, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Thomas Day Statue 2 by Universal Pops, used under the CC BY-NC-SA license_square

Thomas Day Statue 2 by Universal Pops, used under the CC BY-NC-SA license

Jack Tales: Appalachian Adventures! (Jan/Feb 2013)

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Like last year, the teen theater ensemble Storytellers To Go is touring area libraries with their performance of old appalachian folk tales by acting, puppetry and interactive storytelling. We enjoyed their blackbeard play last year, and will try to catch this one as well. This weekend they are over in Knightdale, not too far out of the way, and their future appearances are listed below:

East Regional Library: Saturday January 19, 2:00pm
Cameron Village Regional Library: Saturday January 26, 3:00pm
Halle Cultural Arts Center Of Apex: Saturday February 2, 2:00pm
NC Museum of History, Museum Auditorium: Saturday February 9, 2:00pm
Southeast Regional Library: Saturday February 16, 2:00pm
West Regional Library: Saturday February 23, 2:00pm

Jack-Tales: An Appalachian Adventure

Ironing Board Sam (1/12/2013)

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I had a feeling that a musician performing at the Museum of History might be something special, but I was impressed when the top Youtube result when searching “Ironing Board Sam” yielded a video recording of a 1965 performance.

Ironing Board Sam was a successful performer 50 years ago, and appeared even on TV. He had ups and downs, and like so many Southern Musicians, did not earn or save nearly enough to live off of it. This is where the Music Maker Relief Foundation comes in, which provides elderly, often impoverished musicians another opportunity to record an album and have a decent living.

The Music Maker Relief Foundation (in Chapel Hill) does an awesome job giving these elderly artists another chance. How old is Ironing Board Sam? Well, a young Jimi Hendrix once played in his band, long before he was famous. That’s how old he is. And he performs this Sunday at 3pm at the NC Museum of History in downtown Raleigh.

A concert for kids with the NC Symphony (1/5/2013)

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Classical music for kids. While I don’t subscribe to the theory that listening to Classical Music makes kids smarter, I do believe that exposure to this art form is a good idea at any age. (Plus, will Symphony Orchestras still be around when our kids reach our age?)

So whichever reason you choose, plan on taking your kids to Meymandi Hall, ideally for  one for the “Young People’s Concerts”. The first one was on Halloween, and the second one, Tales of Enchantment is scheduled for Saturday in a week, January-5, 2013. For this performance, the symphony is joined onstage by Enchantment Theatre Company, performing “puppetry, masked actors, magic, dance, and pantomime” to music from Maurice Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite.

Tickets are going fast, so I’m writing about this a wee bit early. There are two shows, at 1pm and at 4pm, and the recommended age is 4-12. (IF you can’t make it, a third (and different) concert is scheduled for March 9.

NC Symphony Conductor William Henry Curry

NC Symphony Conductor William Henry Curry

Veterans Parade (11/11/2012)

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The parade season is upon us, with the Veterans parade this weekend, and the “Christmas parade” (Christmas in November?) one week later. Here some tips from the Daddy for an enjoyable parade:

– Bundle up! Saturday will be sunny and not too cold, but you’ll be standing around for a while. If you’re not hauling lawn chairs, bring a thick insulating something to keep bottoms warm.
– Arrive early! The Veterans parade will not have as much spectators as the Christmas parade, but still.
– If you must drive, use the Alexander Square Parking deck. You enter (by car) from Wilmington St., but you exit (on foot) right onto Fayetteville. If you stay on that block, you and a screaming baby will be back in the car in a matter of minutes. You could even view the parade from the parking deck, but there are no safe, comfortable viewpoints for the littlest ones (30″ concrete wall and don’t even think about sitting them on the railing).
– Bring water and snacks. It would be too bad to give up your coveted perfect spot just to buy some overpriced bottled water. But in any case: The CVS at the corner of Fayetteville and Hargett has everything from water to food to diapers.

The parade starts at 9:30am by City Plaza and then goes up Fayetteville towards the State Capitol (opposite direction to most parades). A wreath laying ceremony at 11:00am and a static display of the parade with music are also planned.

Patriotism by abbyladybug, used under the CC BY-NC license

The image is Patriotism by abbyladybug and used under the CC BY-NC license. Thanks, Abby!

Storybook Tales (11/3/2012)

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Lydia Bevan performing Danse Allegresse, Raleigh Dance Theatre, spring 2011 (c) Robert Schantz

Lydia Bevan performing Danse Allegresse, Raleigh Dance Theatre, spring 2011 (c) Robert Schantz

Raleigh Dance Theater is something like the “little sister” of the Carolina Ballet. A pre-professional, younger company (age 12-18), that provides Triangle dancers opportunities to perform on stage and catch a glimpse of what a professional career in ballet would look like.

Storybook Tales is a program that “will be sure to delight even the youngest audience members“, according to their press release. The performance lasts approx. 90 minutes, and consists of three pieces: Snow White, Rainbow Fish, based on Marcus Pfister’s beloved children’s book, and Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse, based on the book by Kevin Henkes, and made possible in part by Target.

There will be three performances this weekend; Saturday at 12p and 4p and Sunday at 3p. Fletcher Opera Theater in Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts. $12 (online until 7p tonight!) or $15 at the door.

  “Lydia Bevan performing Danse Allegrese, Raleigh Danse Theater, Spring 2011” (c) Robert Schantz

Sandbox, Michael Franti at Red Hat Amphitheater (10/20/2012)

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The Red Hat Amphitheater is hosting (and PNC is sponsoring) a nice fall mini-festival this Saturday. Admission is FREE, so you might want to get there early. Weather forecast (clear, 70F) should be just warm enough to comfortably sit on a blanket; for running and tumbling around it is warm enough for sure. (But bring a warm jacket and hat; by the time Michael Franti hits the stage, the temperature will drop below 60 despite the funky reggae sound). But first things first – here the line-up:

Sandbox is the band that I wrote about a few weeks back, when they were supposed to play in Fletcher Park. (A threat of rain cancelled that concert.)

Mommie is what happens when rock stars become dads: It is the kiddie music project of Doug McMillan of The Connells fame. Songs like “Dumptruck” or “Mama’s Pajamas” meander between Connells guitar pop and punk rock. Hear (and buy) their album on CD Baby.

Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba are based in Durham and Orange County, but they sound like West Africa; indeed, Diali is from Senegal, while his bandmates grew up in places like Pittsboro or Saxapahaw. I didn’t know them until researching this article, but their music is beautiful.

Michael Franti & Spearhead, the headliner, will hit the stage at 8p (I hope we’ll last that long!) with their mix of funk, hip-hop and reggae. Like most, I only knew the up-beat “Say Hey! [I be gone today, but I be back around the way]”, but some previews on iTunes promise equally cheerful (and also politically conscious) music.

All in all, an outstanding way to end the festival season 2012!

The image is Michael Franti and Spearhead by Rich Anderson, used under the CC BY-SA license