Reel Deal: "Due Date"

By Rocco Giamatteo | April 16, 2010

To this day, I can’t answer the age-old question that many a moviegoer have faced since last summer: Which is funnier… Robert Downey Jr.’s blackfaced (and Oscar-nominated) portrayal of identity-confused actor Kirk Lazarus in “Tropic Thunder” or Zach Galifianakis’s turn as the childishly reckless Alan in “The Hangover?” Don’t think too hard about it. This November, the two Hollywood sensations will share the screen in “Due Date,” a road trip comedy featuring Downey Jr., Galifianakis, Jamie Foxx, and Alan Arkin. Todd Phillips (“The Hangover”) is directing the film, which will be the second of at least three movies that Phillips and Galifianakis will make together (as “The Hangover 2” is already in the works). The film centers on a workaholic expectant father named Peter Highman (Downey Jr.), who is forced to hitch a ride with wannabe actor Ethan Tremblay (Galifianakis) in order to make it to his child’s birth on time.I know it sounds like Downey Jr. will just accentuate Galifianakis’s typical quixotic-delusion-of-grandeur affability, but in a recent press interview, Downey Jr. described his role as much more integral to the film’s humor (Pretention? Well, you decide for yourselves): >No one is really the straight man in this movie, but I am kind of like this stick that's pounded into the ground, that I think a lot of people can relate to."

Mixtape Round-Up: April 9-15

By Benn Wineka | April 15, 2010

Mixtapes were pretty slow this week, so I'mma make sure you're acquainted with Allen Mask. A senior at UNC, Mask was the subject of a feature and an album review.Check out his debut, Pilot Season, which is available for free over at Thinkopation, including a dope array of linear notes that include commentary from Mask and lyrics. Diversions staff writer Joe Faile said this about it:"Mask blueprints strikingly ingenious beats to do his business.""Mask puts a plethora of unusual instruments behind his rhymes. Violins add class. Saxophones jazz it up. Pianos root a polished eminence. And an appearance by UNC’s Clef Hangers takes care of the genre blending."Mask’s debut showcases his production talent. If you like what you hear, check him out tonight at Cat’s Cradle where he’ll be headlining.

5 Questions: Jay Cartwright

By Jordan Lawrence | April 15, 2010

Steampunk is not a mainstream thing. A cultural movement that involves art and music made in the way they would have been during the era of steam power, it's a left-field venture, most often seen in small bohemian sort of places. But Saturday at Morehead Planetarium, the music of this movement will be on proud display. Jay Cartwright, a great local steampunk musician, will deliver his product alongside art and science exhibits. The free event starts at 11 p.m. and will show the ways steampunk and science intersect. Looking forward to the event, Diversions Editor Jordan Lawrence caught up with Cartwright for a short chat about his unusual style.Diversions: You're doing the steampunk event at Morehead this weekend. Why did you want to take part in this?The reason I was asked is just that I've been involved in the steampunk community in Carrboro and Chapel Hill, mostly through the rock band I used to play in Lemming Malloy, which was a steampunk band. The planners of this steampunk event had talked to some of my friends, and then it got back to me that they were looking for some folks. And I just thought it sounded like a lot of fun.

You can come home again

By Jordan Lawrence | April 15, 2010

Roman Candle - Cat's Cradle - April 14 Call them proof that Pitchfork doesn't quite rule all of the music world. Call them proof that Southern charm doesn't necissarily have to be stupid or redneck. If you must, call them a Dixie Wilco, though I don't believe that even comes close to covering it. Call them what you will, but I personally call Roman Candle one of the very best things to come out of a very good area.The Chapel-Hill-turned-Nashville group of outsized pop-rockers played a homecoming concert to their old stomping grounds at Cat's Cradle last night. And though openers The Parson Redheads were great, a warm bath of lush harmonies, it was Roman Candle who owned the night.In a polo and jeans, lead-singer Skp Matheny didn't look to have an aged a day since his days pounding out jams in town, and his powerful attack hasn't wained either. He attacked the mic and his guitar with a bemused smile, barking out lines with incredible charisma. His backing wrapped his wonderful perforance in agressive rock, organs and keys underpinning electric guitar licks.Simply put it was great. In fact, about the only bad thing I can say about it is I don't know when I'll get to see the band again. Because even though the band's outsourced to Nashville, they'll always be Chapel Hill to me. Come back soon.

The Movie Trail for April 13

By Mark Niegelsky | April 13, 2010

As Hollywood coasts into the pre-summer doldrums, there isn’t a whole lot to get particularly pumped for, trailer-wise. The biggest release of the past week is “Dinner for Schmucks,” starring Paul Rudd and Steve Carell. Apparently, director Jay Roach (the “Austin Powers” series and “Meet the Parents/Fockers”) is dead set on recycling some old jokes and giving Rudd and Carell their first truly unfunny roles. The movie is a remake of the French film “Le dîner de cons,” the plot centers on a monthly dinner where high-powered executives invite idiots to a dinner and make fun of them. Despite some top-tier talent, there isn’t a laugh in this whole trailer.

Music News Monday: April 4-11

By Elizabeth Byrum | April 12, 2010

Courtesy of Pitchfork1. North Carolina’s local folk favorite Megafaun has finished its third album, Heretofore, a mini LP which is set for release this summer. “Volunteers” is the first single from the upcoming album. Megafaun will be touring for the spring, including making a stop in Carrboro on May 7. (via Pitchfork)2. Local stars Superchunk are returning to the Cat’s Cradle in May, following a few spring performances at South By Southwest Music Festival. The band will play the Cradle on May 21 and plan to debut a few new songs from an upcoming album that should be out this year. (via trianglemusic.blogspot.com) 3. Oddsac, the psychedelic and experimental film from Animal Collective, will make it’s way to the Varsity Theatre in Chapel Hill on Friday, April 23rd. There will be two screenings, at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Additionally, director Danny Perez and members of Animal Collective will be present for the event. Below, you can view the trailer for Oddsac.(via trianglemusic.blogspot.com) 4. Kanye West is rumored to be working on his next album, tentatively named Good Ass Job, with Q-Tip, RZA, and Pete Rock. The album is set to be released this summer. At the same time, West finds himself in a lawsuit against Suge Knight, over a 2005 incident in which Knight was shot in the leg at a party hosted by West. (via Pitchfork)

Dive TV for April 12

By Anna Norris | April 11, 2010

Dive TV starts out with a blast from the past this week, from dark indie rockers Xiu Xiu. The song is "This Too Shall Pass Away (For Freddy), and it's set to a 80s-looking video game - one that includes guillotines, alcohol and astronomers. There's a lot going on, and it's hard to look away. Up next is the heavier Titus Andronicus and a video for "A More Perfect Union" off of the recently released The Monitor. It features Titus Andronicus and friends playing their song and frolicking in a snowy forest. But be warned. When Titus Andronicus frolics, Titus Andronicus frolics HARDCORE. Sunday, they'll frolic at Local 506 with Spider Bags and The Dry Heathens

Reel Deal: De Niro to Star in Vince Lombardi Biopic

By Rocco Giamatteo | April 9, 2010

Alright, I’ll be honest and say that I didn’t know too much about Vince Lombardi before writing this post. I knew he coached base … well, I knew he was a coach … of a sport of some kind. As it turns out, he was the legendary head coach of the Green Bay Packers (alright, so I was off on baseball) from 1959-1967, during which time the Packers won five league championships. Taking on the franchise at a time when the Packers were not taken seriously at all, Lombardi’s fierce disciplinary measures and his famed words of wisdom inspired greatness in run-of-the-mill footballers. And judging by the pages of quotes authored by Lombardi on”brainyquotes.com,” I think it would be safe to assume that the man had just as many insights to offer off the field as he did on it. This intriguing life story has garnered the attention of producers at ESPN Films, who have decided to make a biopic about the sports icon. And in trying to cast someone fitting for the part of an unwavering, notoriously domineering sports icon, they found the perfect man for the job, the raging bull himself, Robert De Niro.

Mixtape Round-Up: April 2-8

By Benn Wineka | April 8, 2010

I know everybody reading this is getting ready for the Dive Party on Friday so I'll keep this week simple.Rhymefest, who's El Che we've been waiting on for about 4 good years now, dropped his latest mixtape and hasn't lost a beat. Although he at times sounds like a second coming of hip-hop's original crotchety grandpa KRS-One with his rants and all, he's still a dope emcee. Throw in some Little Brother appearances and you've got something every hip-hop head will enjoy. Apparently these tracks were assembled the first time El Che was being put together and J Records didn't like them. Go figure.What's Good?: "Do It Again," "Letter" Feat. John MayerTracklist and Download link for Dangerous 5:18Signed to SRC/Universal, Marky is an dude to look at for. Nice flow, nice rhymes and all-around good sound. You can tell this guy has his own expectations of where he's going as well by the theme of his mixtape. This is essentially an EP with only seven songs, but what better way to introduce yourself to Marky. Also, fans of HBO's How to Make it in America should peep "Rasta Monsta," which goes in over the extra-dope theme song.What's Good?: "Rasta Monsta," "Arizona Lemonade"Tracklist and Download link for Journey to Markyland, USA: Rest Stop 1Lastly, this is something that got overlooked a week back. Charles Hamilton used to put out like, literally three tapes a week. The man has talent, but after intense overexposure, quantity over quality and some miscues (citing J Dilla as an executive producer - a man he never met - on his shelved debut), Charles was quiet. Now he's back with a much more polished sound and apparently his last mixtape. So, here's his mixtape swan song.What's Good?: "She Speaks," "Investment Music"Tracklist and Download link for The Binge 3: Charles Hamilton's Last Mixtape

5 Questions: Dive Party Curator Jordan Lawrence

By Linnie Greene | April 8, 2010

Editor's Note: Diversions Editor Jordan Lawrence helped craft no part of this interview other than his own responses. The rest was left entirely up to interviewer Linnie Greene. Photo courtesy of Aaron PateAhh, parting is such sweet sorrow. Just ask UNC senior Jordan Lawrence, current Diversions Editor, curator of this semester’s epic Dive Party and subject of this week's 5 Questions. On the eve of the Dive Party, featuring local heavyweights Jason Kutchma, The Dirty Little Heaters, The Beast, and Luego, Assistant Diversions Editor Linnie Greene fired away at the boss of this year's section.Linnie Greene: So, first off: how did you choose the lineup, and what makes this semester's show different from shows past?Jordan Lawrence: Well, I made a list of about eight or ten bands I could see playing last or second to last, and then I pretty much e-mailed them one at a time. With the line-up for the two Dive Parties I've curated I've tried to balance my own personal opinion about what makes music good with what is accessible. I think this line-up strikes that balance better than most any show before. There's genuinely something for almost anyone.

Animal Collective's "Oddsac" comes to Varsity

By Jordan Lawrence | April 8, 2010

Animal Collective's "visual album" "Oddsac" has been a long time coming. Four years in the making with whispers of what it might be like accompanying it the entire way, the fact that it's actually coming out is exciting enough.It's getting even more exciting for Triangle residents. "Oddsac" will have two screenings at Franklin Street's Varsity Theater on April 23. Members of the band will be on hand as will director Danny Perez. As you'll see by the trailer below, it should prove for one extremely psychedelic affair.Tickets are $15 and can be aquired in advance here.

Music Review: Corey Smith

By Seth Leonard | April 7, 2010

Corey SmithKeeping Up with the Joneses(UNDERtone Records)Making a name for your self in the country music business is tough, even considering the booming nature of the genre. Georgia boy Corey Smith has followed his own path towards the top, and his latest LP features some deep rumination on life and the difficulties in remaining true in spite of new found fame and fortune.Keeping Up with the Joneses is an acoustic guitar-fueled jaunt that focuses on Smith’s lyrics and pleasing voice. Rather than an over-twanged southern style, Smith sounds more like Jack Johnson’s long-lost brother who happens to have been raised in Dixie.His guitar style seems like a similar derivative, but he tends to keep the tempo down. Rather than unleashing a full throttle pick fest backed by electric guitar and rock drums, Smith keeps it simple and deliberate.The entire album reaches an enviable balance between somber ballads like “Collide” and “Lonely Ride” and swaggering songs like “Dirtier by the Year." Smith has reached a sweet spot where he is able to divide his album between mainstream radio jams and his more thoughtful and lonesome pieces that deliver a view into the man’s soul.Whether he’s delving into what it means to be a simple man or admitting that he’s “nasty enough to make a stripper blush," Smith manages to do some of his best work with Keeping Up with the Joneses and appears poised to keep climbing the ranks of country music royalty.Smith plays Cat's Cradle on Saturday alongside Sons Of Bill. Show starts at 9 p.m. and costs $20.

The Movie Trail for April 6

By Mark Niegelsky | April 6, 2010

The first official trailer for “The Expendables” is up. It’s a movie about a group of mercenaries, featuring Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Randy “The Natural” Couture, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, Danny Trejo, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. It may be a random hodge-podge of action stars, but I’ll still see it.

Dive TV

By Anna Norris | April 4, 2010

Monsters of Folk kicks off Dive TV this week with a video for their heavy self-titled album track, "Dear God." The video itself is appropriately grandiose, zooming in from the stars all the way to the inside of a hand. Maybe I would have paid more attention in my high school Biology class if the educational videos had looked like this:

Reel Deal: "Kill Bill: Vol. 3"

By Rocco Giamatteo | April 1, 2010

Near the end of “Kill Bill: Vol. 2,” after slaughtering countless villains by chopping off their heads, plucking out their eyeballs, ripping out their entrails, and stabbing at their faces, The Bride (Uma Thurman) shoots a stoic, bloodthirsty gaze at Bill (David Carradine) and says, “You and I have unfinished business.” Bill responds in a fierce whisper, “Baby, you ain’t kidding.” I’m very happy to report that director Quentin Tarantino and Uma Turman have some unfinished business. The director recently confirmed rumors that “Kill Bill: Vol. 3” was in the works, revealing to an interviewer on an Italian talk show that “the Bride will fight again.” But, much to the disappointment of Tarantino fans across the world, he plans to wait until 2014 to begin production.2014… as in four years from now… Dammit! Tarantino explained of the four-year wait: "Two reasons: One, I think me and Uma needed a ten year break. And the second one, I love the character and I think she deserves ten years of peace. She deserves ten years of no fighting, she deserves ten years with her child Beebe. I put her through a lot in those first two movies and I just want her to have a nice peaceful life for ten years."

5 Questons: Cassis Orange

By Elizabeth Byrum | April 1, 2010

It’s a sweet Japanese cocktail and karaoke music that fuel the inspiration behind Cassis Orange, whose music combines swirling electro and optimistic twee. A one-woman project for now, Autumn Ehinger channels her energy into songs that bound with infectious hooks and cross-culture influence. Cassis Orange plays The Pinhook in Durham on Thursday, April 8 with Butterflies and Wood Ear. The show starts at 9 p.m.and costs $5. In anticipation of her return to the Triangle this summer, Diversions Staff Writer Elizabeth Byrum asked Ehinger five questions regarding the birth of Cassis Orange.Diversions: What is the story behind the name Cassis Orange and why did you choose it?Autumn Ehinger: It’s actually the name of a cocktail drink in Japan and it is really good and I like it a lot. I used to live in Japan, so I drank a lot of because it is really popular in karaoke booths. I think the music, is a lot of times just me by myself, so I kind of feel like it’s appropriate to think of a karaoke kind of sweet, girly alcoholic drink.

Dive Party incorporates MGMT listening event

By Jordan Lawrence | March 31, 2010

It's our quest to make each Dive Party, the celebration of local music we put on once a semester, more special than the last. Well, if an absolutely stacked bill wasn't enough to make our quickly approaching shindig seem out of the ordinary, we're about to sweeten the deal.The April 9 party at Local 506 will also be an official listening event for Congratulations, the new album from hot shot electro-pop outfit MGMT. The new LP will be playing between sets, and we'll be raffling off lithographs and advance copies of the album before it drops on April 12. The album is currently streaming in its entirety at whoismgmt.com.Also on tap for next Friday's show are sets from Luego, The Beast, The Dirty Little Heaters and a solo performance by Red Collar's Jason Kutchma. Show starts at 9:30 p.m., so make sure you get out early to avoid missing any of the great music and goodies we have in store.Nine days and counting.

The Movie Trail for Mar. 30

By Mark Niegelsky | March 30, 2010

George A. Romero is inarguably a legendary horror director, but from the looks of things, even legends get their budgets slashed. The new red-band trailer for his latest “…of the Dead” installment, “Survival of the Dead,” makes this abundantly clear, with its cut-rate special effects, hammy acting, and lack of any major stars. 2005’s “Land of the Dead” was a decidedly big-time affair, featuring Dennis Hopper and John Leguizamo, but things took a turn back towards the low-budget roots of “Night of the Living Dead” with “Diary of the Dead” in 2007. I’d be entirely dismissive of “Survival of the Dead” if a 2 AM viewing of “Diary of the Dead” on HBO hadn’t convinced me that Romero still has some tricks up his sleeve. He’s still the father of the zombie apocalypse genre, so check out the trailer for his latest below.

Music News Monday: March 22-28

By Elizabeth Byrum | March 29, 2010

1. The collective known as Gayngs, a group lead by Ryan Olson with members from Megafaun, Bon Iver and The Rosebuds and rapper P.O.S. has released it’s first song, the opening track from upcoming debut album, Relayted. The track is called "The Gaudy Side of Town." The album is set to be released on May 11, but starting on April 20 if you pre order the album, it will be available for immediate download. Check out the band’s new symbol above. (via trianglemusic.blogspot.com) 2. The Independent Weekly has added another name to September’s lineup for the Hopscotch Music Festival. Fucked Up is now confirmed along with six other acts. Between now and September, the Weekly is working on adding around 100 more acts for the 3-day festival which will be held Sept. 9 - 11. (via Twitter) 3. The New Pornographers will begin a tour in June in support of their upcoming May 4 release and will be stopping at Memorial Hall at UNC on June 25. Tickets are on sale now for $22 or $25. Supporting the Pornographers are The Dodos and The Dutchess And The Duke. (via trianglemusic.blogspot.com) 4. T.I.’s back! The rapper’s prison sentence ended, after he served a total of 10 months for illegally purchasing weapons. Although he is no longer incarcerated, T.I will have to serve 23 more days of confinement at home, which involves a curfew of 11 p.m. And down the road, he still has a few years of probation and hours of community service. T.I. is working on his comeback record, having already released a new song titled “I’m Back.” (via Pitchfork)

Dive TV for Mar. 29

By Anna Norris | March 28, 2010

The first video this week is a super retro-looking one from A Place To Bury Strangers for their song "Ego Death." From the strobe lights, to the pixellated effects, to the heavy-handed attempts at looking badass by giving us shots of gargoyles, and deserted graveyards, A Place To Bury Strangers manage to use everything that's bad about 90s rock music videos and make it look cool:

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