But look no further, weary soldiers -- the final summer issue of The Daily Tar Heel is happy to present your guide to leisure, arts and entertainment style. Here is a summary of a few choice events that will be coming your way.
If you only have the cash to see one concert for the rest of the summer, it should be Imperial Teen on Aug. 8 at the Cat's Cradle. Releasing one of the finer indie-pop records of the year, On, the San Francisco quartet infuses an inordinate amount of fun into its weightless, shining tracks. Recently signed to Chapel Hill's Merge Records, Imperial Teen should draw a moderate crowd of both longtime fans and curious newcomers.
While the Cradle might have the single best show between now and the end of the summer, Raleigh's The Ritz is batting with the highest average.
Though the credibility of Sonic Youth should be questioned, it's still a big name and should make for a good time when it comes to The Ritz on Aug. 7. Four days later, The Ritz will host Philadelphia-based hip-hop icon The Roots. Though gaining a speck of limelight for their 1999 album Things Fall Apart, The Roots have held claim to an avid fan base for years. Black Thought, the group's emcee, is a methodic, brilliantly paced wordsmith who retains none of the contrived hallmarks of mainstream hip-hop.
But back on the local scene, the Shames (garage-indie-pop-rock) will perform at Local 506 July 26, while the N.C. Museum of Art brings Los Lobos (blues-rock-Tex-Mex) to its grounds July 30.
Aug. 1 is Jerry Garcia's birthday, and two venues in the Triangle are offering celebrations in his honor: The Pour House in Raleigh and the Cat's Cradle. The Pour House presents Railroad Earth on Aug. 14, a beautifully composed bluegrass group that captures more than a little bit of Jerry in Tim Carbone's high-toned vocals. But with its booking of Cosmic Charlie, a pretty slick Grateful Dead cover band, on Garcia's actual birthday the Cat's Cradle wins out.
Closing out the final summer music binge is former Replacements frontman Paul Westerberg, who will be at the Cat's Cradle on Aug. 15, the object of much anticipation since he rocked The Ritz 10 years back.
As far as movies go, Steven Soderbergh's new film "Full Frontal" earns highest recommendations. Shot in something like two weeks on digital video, it stars Julia Roberts, Blair Underwood, David Hyde Pierce and David Duchovny. This film will evidence not only Soderbergh's mastery as a director but his mastery of innovation, experimentation and the narrative.
With the exception of "Full Frontal" and, maybe, "Austin Powers in Goldmember," nothing to be released in the next two weeks is of particular note. The big-time films of the summer have already passed -- those remaining to be released will be little more than cheap thrills and major disappointments.
