Don't recall if you posted a report on this show but I'd love to hear what you thought of it. As much of a fan of the Old 97's as I am, I've had to pass on some of their more recent visits to the area. When they return to the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro next month with Salim Norurallah in tow I may find myself in a similar predicament as there's a whole slew of concerts happening around that same time that will be vying for my attention including Sharon Van Etten, Steve Forbert, Kathleen Edwards, Southern Culture On the Skids and A.C. Newman (New Pornographers). I'd love to see them again, especially since they'll be celebrating the 15th anniversary of Too Far To Care by playing it in it's entirety (of which I'm sure you're more than aware). As for Those Darlins, I saw them headlining a show at the Local 506 in Chapel Hill a few years ago that I thoroughly enjoyed.
As for the last show I attended it was a house concert out in Wake Forest yesterday afternoon that served as a fundraiser for the upcoming documentary on the North Carolina music scene circa 1978-1990 called Bring It On Home which is named after the Arrogance song of the same name. For those not familiar with Arrogance, they count among their members one Don Dixon who is more well known in most music circles as the producer of albums by R.E.M., the Connells, Guadalcanal Diary, the Smithereens, Hootie and the Blowfish and tons of others. Dixon has also had his songs covered by the likes of Joe Cocker ("The River") and is also a well known session and touring musician. These days, in addition to touring with his wife Marti Jones he also serves as the bass player in Mary Chapin Carpenter's touring band. Performing at yesterday's house concert was Robert Kirkland, another member of Arrogance who also at one time fronted a band called Kick the Future, his wife Debi (from a local band called Molly Bond), Jeff Hart (from the Ruins, the Hanks, Brown Mountain Lights and many others), Holden Richards (One Plus Two, the Swamis) and George Huntley (the Connells). While I enjoyed everyone's songs immensely, it was George Huntley who really got my attention. Even though I'm a longtime fan of the Connells it wasn't until yesterday that his contributions to that band really dawned on me. Not just as a guitarist but also as a vocalist and songwriter. After 17 years with the Connells he retired from the music business and now runs his own real estate business in the Triangle area (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill). Following the show he thanked the organizers (filmmakers Herb Campell and Mike Allen) for luring him out of retirement and even expressed some interest in playing some more shows. That was literally music to my ears and I truly hope it comes to fruition as he is one of the areas most gifted musicians. The Connells still record (they're presently working on a new record) and tour but without George Huntley (as well as drummer Peele Wimberley), it's just not the same. I doubt we'll ever seen Huntley return to the fold or to touring and recording full time but hopefully some area shows will be in order.
At present, the filmmakers behind Bring It On Home have 10 days left to meet their goal and are still close to $10,000 away from reaching it. I know there's not a lot of fellow fans of the North Carolina music scene on this board but if you are out there, I'm sure they would greatly appreciate any contributions you are able to make. To learn more about Bring It On Home and how you can help, please take a few moments to check their Kickstarter page which you can find here.