Laugh Your Way Through Every Weekend with Live Laughs at the Longbranch!

There's a new comedy club in town, inside the Longbranch in Raleigh for live stand up comedy nights every Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.  Last night, (8/15) was the first night, and our colleague Phil Johnston, who loves stand-up, tells us his take on the night.

What an amazing event last night. Having never seen a local comedy show before, I was more than excited to be in the crowd for Live Laughs at the Longbranch. Being an avid stand-up comedy fan, my expectations were high.  Leroy Seabrooks and Jerry Caroll, The Willow Spring Wildman, were certainly entertaining, but when feature act Jay Bliss took the stage it set the tone for the night.  My expectations were met and and the room came alive with laughter. 

Headlining the night was Carl Andrews. A comedian that will not only mystify you but also make you laugh. The clever antics combined with his magic will leave you guessing and laughing at the same time.

Hosting the event was longtime local comic Frank King. Frank not only brought us incredible talent but local talent. If you have never experienced local comedy, now is the best time to visit Live Laughs at the Longbranch.

Live Laughs at the Longbranch is every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night, and tickets for all shows are only $10!!!  For information and tickets, click here:  More Funny Less Money

Kayaking Down the Neuse: Who Knew?

I grew up at the beach, and have always kayaked on rivers that led to the bay, in the bay, or seen people kayak in the ocean.  It just always seems like such a "beach" thing to do.  I know that's naive and silly, but I never once thought about finding a place near us in the Triangle where we could kayak.  You know, 'cuz we're not at the beach, right?

The truth is, the Triangle is filled with lakes and rivers and great places to paddle and see nature.  So, this past weekend for my birthday, my fiance booked us a trip to kayak down the Neuse River--not at the beach, but just 10 minutes from home.  Paddle Creek in Wake Forest is where we went.  You pay the fee to rent the kayak (something like $40) and they take you down to a put-in point, then meet you on the other end.  It was perfect!  They're friendly, the price is great, they give you a ride to and from your car.   So, I strapped on my life jacket and hit the river.

I am ready.  Let's do this!

The Neuse is perfect for a lot of reasons.  I've kayaked quite a bit, but this was my step daughter's first time in one by herself.  She was a pro--and it was perfect for her because it's not like the Neuse is full of rapids this time of year:

Her biggest obstacle was a tree.  Not scary at all, right?

She kept telling us how peaceful it was, and how fun it would be if she were to come back with a friend and rent a tandem.  And she was right:  it WAS peaceful.  There were lots of folks in our group on Sunday afternoon, but we didn't stay with them, nor did we need to.   It was just the four of us and nature.  How can you go wrong? There were fish and turtles and snakes and all kinds of fun things to see.    My 7 year old step son gave it a big thumbs up.

Thumbs up to kayaking, a BIGGER thumbs up to jumping in the river and getting soaked.

I can't believe I was naive in thinking that there weren't kayaking places near us.  And now, we've decided to buy kayaks of our own--we want to commune with nature and get out on the water as much as possible.  Of course, we'll need the folks at Paddle Creek to pick us up!


Check out Paddle Creek here.  Go get on the river!  See snakes and turtles and fish for yourself.  Or, just put your feet in the water.  It's what I did.  Best. Birthday present. EVER.


Alli 

Like Alli Morgan on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.

Matchbox Twenty and Goo Goo Dolls Review

I can't take credit for this pic: I was too busy singing along.  Thanks to Dave Rose at Deep South for the shot.

I love seeing lots of people at an amphitheater for a concert.  There's something about the energy that's in a large crowd that just energizes me.  That's why I was so glad to see as many people as in the pic above at the Matchbox Twenty/Goo Goo Dolls show last night at Walnut Creek Amphitheater. 

Goo Goo Dolls, courtesy Lee Odom

I've seen the Goo Goo Dolls several times throughout my career and I'll be honest with you:  I was wary going in.  I'm usually pretty bored by them.  At this show, I wasn't bored, HOWEVER it's not like this was a ground breaking rock and roll show, either.  Lead singer Johnny Rzeznik sounded pretty good to me; a colleague of mine said he felt that John's voice was off and not so great, but I disagree.  Rzeznik's always had that scratchy thing going on, and I thought they were spot on.  The Goos played about an hour and a half set, and spanned their hits like they were supposed to, played their latest single like they were supposed to, talked to the crowd every now and again, just like they were supposed to.  They are a tight band, good at what they do.  I'm just never overly impressed by them.

Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty, courtesy Lee Odom

  As for Matchbox, I haven't ever seen them and I have an affinity for them.  I loved their first album, "Yourself or Someone Like You;"  and I played a lot of their songs when I worked at an Alternative station back in the late 90s.  Matchbox Twenty's stage set up was pretty awesome, as you can tell by the pic above, plus the stairs lit in different colors as well.  They played all the hits, Rob Thomas acknowledged his band member from Raleigh, and talked about being Carolina people.  The band itself sounded pretty good, everyone seemed to be having fun and it was a pretty good singalong night.  Which, I'll be honest with you:  I love a good singalong night.  It's why I love those 90s tours that have been happening the past few summers--you always know a song.  And, while Matchbox played a few unfamiliar songs to me, I knew most of their stuff from "3 am" and "Long Day" to "Let's See How Far We've Come."

While neither band really puts on a show that is going to light the world on fire, it was still a great performance from both.  In a day and age where it's tough to pull a large crowd for what is largely a rock show, it was great to see so many people out last night, feel their energy, sing along, and have fun on a Wednesday night. Plus, it was almost like old home week because I saw so many of YOU there, too!  I'd do it again in a heartbeat. When's the next show?  I'm in.


Alli

Like Alli Morgan on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.

Guest Blog: Great Clips Great Seats Sheryl Crow Review

Radio 96.1's guest blogger is Susie Potter, grand prize winner of the Sheryl Crow contest.  She won the Great Clips Great seats in the front row, got to meet Sheryl, and reviewed the show for us.  Here's what Susie has to say:

It’s been twenty years since Sheryl Crow released her (official) first album, Tuesday Night Music Club, but her high-energy performance style at DPAC’s intimate concert on August 3 proves that she’s still got what it takes to pack a house and keep a crowd on its toes. Clad in teeteringly-tall heels, a sleeveless white blouse, and some rocking red pants, Crow bounced onto DPAC’s stage, looking young and effortlessly cool. She wasted no time launching into her hit, “Steve McQueen,” after only the briefest of introductions. Complete with a glittering red, white, and blue guitar slung over her shoulder, sun-streaked blonde curls swinging as she moved to the music, and four guitar players on stage, Crow looked the very picture of Americana.

For her second song, Crow chose “All I Wanna Do,” arguably her biggest hit. She performed in sing-a-long style, which the audience happily obliged, before moving onto other favorites, including “My Favorite Mistake” and “The First Cut is the Deepest.” The night offered up some new hits too, however, and even featured some harmonica playing from Crow. Also enjoyable were her friendly asides to the audience. Crow celebrated the fact that she has a song in the kids’ movie Cars (“Real Gone”), and explained that the line in her song “Shotgun,” which advises listeners to “drive it like it’s stolen and park it like it’s rented,” comes from something her father used to say to her.

 The night was a perfect mix of classic Crow songs, new hits, and intimate, friendly banter that both long-time fans and new Crow enthusiasts could enjoy. Backed by a stellar band, DPAC’s always crystal-clear sound quality, and the smooth opening-number sounds of up-and-comer Weston Burt, Crow put on a truly unforgettable show. This reviewer, in particular, will always remember it, thanks in large part to the awesome fist-bump she got during “Soak up the Sun.”

Guest Blog: Mark Arsen's Whitesnake Concert Review

 Our buddy and co-worker, Mark Arsen loves all things rock 'n roll.  He's took in David Coverdale and Whitesnake's show Tuesday night at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts.  Here's his review:


Whitesnake concert review - Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts 
Raleigh, N.C. 7-30-13
By: Mark Arsen

I've been fortunate lately to have seen several of my all-time favorite rock bands in concert so when it came time to see Whitesnake, a band I've enjoyed hearing and playing their songs on the radio over the years but not what I would consider one of my faves, I was ready to contrast and compare.

First off, for an 80's heavy metal front-man who's nearly 62, David Coverdale definitely looked the part Tuesday night at Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts in Raleighwood.  When you make your bank screaming-out arena rock style vocals from the decade of decadence, it helps if you still have the BIG Hair to go with the big tunes, and Mr. Coverdale does. Unfortunately not too many elder singers can hold-on to the vocal range they had in their youth and Coverdale's voice became increasingly gravely by mid-show.

That brings me to my next observation. The band, featuring Raleigh born guitarist Doug Aldrich, Winger axeman Reb Beach and legendary Whitesnake drummer, Tommy Aldridge was strong from the start of the show, playing a good variety of Snake tunes from the bands 35 year catalog, including"Give Me All of Your Love" and "Love Ain't No Stranger" but roughly 25 minutes in, they went into "solo mode", to me that's a momentum killer.  First, it was a dueling guitar solo "Pistols At Dawn" between Reb & Aldrich that lasted far too long followed by the ubiquitous drum solo although when it's the incredibly talented Tommy Aldridge behind the kit, I'll cut 'em some slack.

After the solo intermission and some funny interaction between the audience and Coverdale over a cup of North Carolina apple juice, Whitesnake played a newer tune, the title track from 2011's "Forevermore" and dedicated it to the fans, that was cool but then strangely, the band whipped through a medley of Whitesnake album favorites, "Slide It In / Slow An' Easy / Bad Boys & Children of the Night".  As much as tickets cost these days, we get a medley of hits from the headliner?  Fortunately, WS played a full rendition of "Here I Go Again" followed by a staple of the headbanger hall of fame, "Still of the Night".  

Overall, it was a strong performance from an aging 80's war horse, just cut the solo length and dump the medley next time to make it a "4-Horn" show.



"Mark Arsen's Metal Meter" - 3.5 Horns-Up!