Meredith Monk breaks down music to the level of the cell. BY JUSTIN TORNOW

Meredith Monk & Vocal Ensemble PHOTO BY JULIETA CERVANTES

Cell Theory The infinite compassion of Meredith Monk’s Cellular Songs

BY JUSTIN TORNOW music@indyweek.com

Meredith Monk is world-renowned for her interdisciplinary explorations of the voice as an expressive, mostly nonverbal instrument. Her six-decade body of work integrates music, movement, and visuals in deeply poignant performances. Cellular Songs, her celebrated concert with her vocal ensemble, explores the activity of the fundamental element—the cell—to present an alternative template for human action and interaction. In a way, the piece grew out of On Behalf of Nature, which Monk spent some time developing at Duke University. Before Monk brings the concert to Carolina Performing Arts on March 5, we spoke with her about the piece’s genesis and process and how they connect to the foundation of human values that permeate her work.

INDY: On Behalf of Nature is sort of a precursor to Cellular Songs, right? I have heard you draw parallels between cells in music, the human body, and the universe, and it seems like these correlations would provide lots of layers and textures. MEREDITH MONK: Oh yes, of course. Many of my pieces are inspired by nature, but Cellular Songs is very concerned with the ecological situation of the Earth. Even the way we made the piece, we were thinking from an ecological point of view: For example, if you have all these costumes and then they sit in storage somewhere, how could you make a piece that doesn’t leave a footprint?

Basically, we recycled our own personal clothing, and then Yoshio Yabara, our costume designer, patched together all these pieces to create the costumes. We even did an exhibit in the lobby, where he did drawings of each of our costumes, and we each wrote about what the pieces of clothing had been. This was all very close to the Claude Lévi-Strauss concept of bricolage, about taking something ordinary and repurposing it. I knew that, because my work is largely nonverbal, I wasn’t going to be able to make a piece that says, “Please don’t use plastic” or be specific or overtly political. In a way, On Behalf of Nature was a kind of elegy, suggesting what is at stake if we don’t adjust. I thought it could be helpful to make people look at things or listen to things differently when they were in nature. In On Behalf of Nature, I wanted to use music and gesture to suggest the rhythms, the energies, the motors of nature—not reproducing or illustrating but evoking. Cellular Songs

extends that concept deeper into the organism, breaking reality down into the fundamental unit of life, the cell.

When I started working on the piece around 2014—just working at the keyboard, I didn’t know it was “the piece” yet—I was laying these very intricately woven vocal layers. I picked up a book called The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee. The book is basically on the history of cancer, going all the way back to ancient times. What struck me was his description of the intelligence of a cell, and how the processes are so complex and interdependent. It’s a very cooperative situation. When you multiply that by billions to make up these miracles—our instruments, our bodies—the cells have got to cooperate.

So I started thinking, “Isn’t this an incredible metaphor for what’s going on in our society?” I think I was already sensing what was coming up in the political realm: the patriarchal energy, a feeling of compression rather than expansion, limitation rather than openness, greed instead of generosity. I felt like it could be really interesting to make an abstract, poetic piece in response to these energies.

Without having to be explicit about it. Yes, exactly. It’s all in there, though: In Cellular Songs, we’re offering an alternative that’s generous and kind and codependent instead of cruel. We were asking, “What does that look like? Showing kindness instead of cruelty, generosity instead of greed, collaboration rather than competition?” I was determined to have those values be all be part of the process itself. In a weird way, just the way we behave with each other becomes the subtext of the music and the gesture.

How do we make our process itself feel energetically generative for the people who are making it? That’s become more important to me, the more desperate that things feel in the world around us. Exactly! I think this piece is a template for the possibility of human behavior, but also what you’re talking about in terms of the process. You can’t put your finger on it, it’s not delineated, but you can feel it. It becomes part of the energetic atmosphere of the performance. And you’d never get to those states if that hadn’t been your process. You know what I mean? Yes! I’m nodding vigorously! Another thing that started with On Behalf of Nature and really came into focus on Cellular Songs is that, because my music has become so complex, I have to figure out a way to simplify the movement and gestural aspects. And it scared me, feeling like, “Oh my god, would this be too simple?” Because we live in a very visual culture, and as soon as you put movement to music, the music becomes accompaniment.

So my question was, how do I make it so that the music is actually the continuity and the core, and then any other elements become so transparent that you still can perceive the complexity of the music? The audience in Chapel Hill should know that the foreground of our Cellular Songs concert version is the singing—don’t expect that the movement will be the foreground. But as you’ll see, it’s still very embodied. And there’s humor. Why can’t a piece include tragedy and comedy and everything, all in one? Some of the most brilliant pieces I’ve seen like this are films. Roberto Rossellini’s The Open City is about horrifying times in WWII during the occupation, but there’s such a funny scene in that film. And I think you have to have that kind of release when you’re doing something that deep.

It’s like you get so full with all the trag edy, it’s nice to have the opportunity to drain a little bit so that you have some room to feel deeply again. Yes, and speaking of these layers, right now I’m making the album of Cellular Songs, and I’m rewriting a little bit. I’m bringing other instruments in so that you can get as full of an experience aurally as you would get seeing it live. You know, since we can’t dance on an album! [laughs]

An essay you wrote had a huge impact on me, specifically the kind of language you used around process. You used the word “multi-perceptual.” Yeah, I like it better than “interdisciplinary.” Artists should attend to a variety of ways a work can be perceived. I say this to my students at Harvard, especially electronic composers: “How do you want this to be seen? Take into account that we also have eyes!” And with dance students, it’s good to talk about how you want the dance to be heard and the possibilities of perception in terms of the vantage point of the audience.

Does this relate to your idea of cells taking on so many different forms in Celluar Songs ? Definitely. The main thing is that reality is always changing, microscopically or in the universe. So that sense of fluidity is some thing that I was really going for.

Can you speak to how Buddhism impacts your work? Stillness, silence, fluidity of time and space, and presence are central in my work. After encounters with Buddhism at Naropa University in the 1970s, I was very struck by the correspondence between my aspirations as an artist and these Buddhist principles.

In the old days, I never talked about it, because no artist, especially intellectuals, wanted to talk about spirituality. It was like, “ew, gross, new age, yuck.” But now I really don’t care. I’ve made the commitment to do work that is of benefit to sentient beings, and that’s nothing to be ashamed about in this world. If it’s sentimental, it doesn’t mean it’s not intellectually rigorous. There’s a misunderstanding about Buddhism that when you start practicing meditation everything is going to be nice-nice-nice. But it’s actually the opposite. As Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche would say, it’s like you’re hunting on the edge of a very sharp knife. You’re going into both darkness and light as you’re getting to know your own mind.

When you’re confronting impermanence, you’re dealing in your suffering deeply. It feels like you’re doing some light psychotherapy on yourself at times. You could say that Buddha was the greatest psychologist that ever lived, that he cataloged every human neurosis and variation of human twistedness 2,500 years ago. But the difference is that, in the strictly psychological world, a lot of it

is pretty self-centered. They’re healing a person, but what’s missing is that next step of compassion towards the other. That’s a limitation of the Western tradition of psychology.

In your process writing, the decentering of the ego is always in there. My mentor used to say, “The work is going to tell you where to go.” Absolutely, that’s it! And the other part of it is the beginner’s mind. Go into each process with no expectations, and that allows you to listen to the work when it’s telling you what it wants. W

Fri 3/6 Karen Novy with Neville’s Quarter Sat 3/7 Gnarly Blue with Michael Paris Fri 3/13 Dead Souls Gothic Lounge 9pm Sat 3/14 Alice Osborn

Sun 3/15 Triangle Songwriters Competition 2pm

Music Performed from 6pm to 10pm Beer & Wine Served Daily Timberlyne Shopping Center, Chapel Hill 1129 Weaver Dairy Rd • specialtreatsnc.com

SA 3/7 @CAT’S CRADLE BACK ROOM TYLER RAMSEY W/ROB NANCE

TH 3/5 @CAT’S CRADLE MOLLY TUTTLE W/OLIVER HAZARD

FR 3/6 @MOTORCO ELLIS DYSON & THE SHAMBLES W/DOWNTOWN ABBY &THE ECHOS

723 RIGSBEE AVENUE • DURHAM, NC 27701

RECENTLY ANNOUNCED: The Lemon Twigs, The Sounds, Todd Barry

LITTLE PEOPLE/ FRAMEWORKS Yppah Cat’s Cradle presents ELLIS DYSON & THE SHAMBLES Downtown Abby and the Echos Fifth Annual Rock Roulette: A Benefi t for Girls Rock Duke Science & Society presents Periodic Tables: Pet Tabbies, Not Tigers

LEE FIELDS & THE EXPRESSIONS Durty Dub’s Tribute to Charley Pride (with Phil Cook)

2nd Annual Bull City Lip Sync Battle

Cat’s Cradle presents POST ANIMAL TWEN WKNC presents AGAINST ME! Stef Chura / Museum Mouth WKNC presents ASGEIR Khushi MDOU MOCTAR 75 Dollar Bill

SOLD OUT

COMING SOON: Tiny Moving Parts, Laura Marling, Dance With The Dead, Magic Sword, Black Atlantic, Caspian, Deafheaven, Vundabar, Shannon & the Clams, Kevin Morby, Sebadoh, Okilly Dokilly, Harley Poe, Oso Oso, Prince Daddy & The Heyena, CBDB, Napalm Death, Fu Manchu, Neil Hamburger, The Cybertronic Spree, Diet Cig, Stephen Lynch, Risk!, Greer, Nile

CAT'S CRADLE TH 3/5 MOLLY TUTTLE W/OLIVER HAZARD ($20/ $23) WE 3/11 DESTROYER W/NAP EYES ($20/$23) SA 3/14 RADICAL FACE W/AXEL FLÓVENT ($25/$28) WE 3/18 WHITE REAPER W/YOUNG GUV, BUDDY CRIME ($15/$17) SA 3/21 BEST COAST THE ALWAYS TOMORROW TOUR W/MANNEQUIN PUSSY ($25/$27) TU 3/24 PORCHES W/SASSY 009 ($16/$18) TH 3/26 REBIRTH BRASS BAND ($20/$23) FR 3/27 WUNC MUSIC PRESENTS SOCCER MOMMY W/ TOMBERLIN ($18/$20) SA 3/28 ANTIBALAS ($18/$22) FR 4/3 SHOVELS & ROPE W/INDIANOLA ($25/$28) TU 4/7 ATERCIOPELADOS AND LOS AMIGOS INVISIBLES ($32/$35) WE 4/8 STEPHEN MALKMUS W/QAIS ESSAR & THE MAGIK CARPET ($20/$23) FR 4/10 BROTHER ALI - OPEN MIKE EAGLE, DJ LAST WORD ($18/$20) MO 4/20 REAL ESTATE ($25/$28) WE 4/22 CRANK IT LOUD PRESENTS: NOTHING, NOWHERE. W/DANGER INCORPORATED, RO RANSOM, BOGUES ($18/$22) MO 4/27 WAVVES KING OF THE BEACH 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY USA TOUR W/SADGIRL ($22/$25) TU 4/28 47 SOUL ($20/$23) WE 4/29: 100 GECS (ON SALE 3/6) SA 5/2 GUIDED BY VOICES ($30/$35) SU 5/3 THE RESIDENTS ($30/$35) MO 5/4 STEREOLAB W/DERADOORIAN ($35/$38) TU 5/5 ANDY SHAUF W/ FAYE WEBSTER ($18/$20) SA 5/9 POOLSIDE ($20/ $25) SU 5/10 GREG DULLI W/JOSEPH ARTHUR ($33/$38) MO 5/11 BARNS COURTNEY W/WILDERADO, CHAZ CARDIGAN ($22/$25) TU 5/12 JOJO GOOD TO KNOW TOUR ($30/$33) WE 5/13 BOB SCHNEIDER (SOLO) ($20/$23) TH 5/14 YOLA WALK THROUGH FIRE WORLD TOUR W/AMYTHYST KIAH ($20/23) FR 5/29 HANK, PATTIE & THE CURRENT W/DIRTY GRASS PLAYERS ($12/$15) FR 6/5 24-7 SPYZ ($15) SA 6/6 BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB W/LIZA ANN ($32/$35) TH 6/11 BAYSIDE W/SENSES FAIL, HAWTHORNE HEIGHTS, CAN'T SWIM ($25/$29) MO 6/15 THE GROWLERS ($30) SU 7/26 BUILT TO SPILL ($25/$29) SA 8/8 WEYES BLOOD W/ANA ROXANNE ($17/$20) SOLD OUT MO 9/18 ADHOC PRESENTS BIKINI KILL ($29.50/ $35) FR 9/21 ADHOC PRESENTS OH SEES W/ MR. ELEVATOR ($25/$28) FR 10/2 SLEAFORD MODS ($23/$26) TU 10/27 THE AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT $25/$28 (ON SALE MARCH 6) SA 11/14 HOODOO GURUS ($25/$28) CAT'S CRADLE BACK ROOM WE 3/4 J RODDY WALSTON (SOLO) W/PALM PALM ($15) FR 3/6 SIR WOMAN (KELSEY WILSON OF WILD CHILD/ GLORIETTA) ($15) SA 3/7 TYLER RAMSEY W/ROB NANCE ($15) SU 3/8 DAN RODRIGUEZ W/MIKE RAMSEY ($15) TU 3/10 PHANGS W/90’S KIDS, LOWBORN, SEASONS ($12/$14) WE 3/11 HEART BONES W/COLD CREAM ($10/$12) TH 3/12 SONG TRAVELER'S WRITERS NIGHT BARRY GRAY, KARYN OLIVER, WYATT EASTERLING FR 3/13 SONGS FROM THE ROAD BAND W/BIG FAT GAP ($12/$15) SA 3/14 VERSUS W/SUNNY SLOPES ($15) SU 3/15 CALL ME KARIZMA W/CYRUS, MXRCUS ALEXIS, STICKY ARROW ($15/$18) MO 3/16 GRADUATING LIFE W/KING OF HECK TU 3/17 BAMBARA W/BLACK SURFER, GRAY YOUNG ($10/$12) FR 3/20 THE OLD CEREMONY W/REESE MCHENRY ( $10/$12) SA 3/21 MELLOW SWELLS ALBUM RELEASE SHOW W/RODES AND POCKET ENVY ($7) TU 3/24 STEVE GUNN, MARY LATTIMORE, & WILLIAM TYLER ($20/$22) TH 3/26 CONSIDER THE SOURCE W/EMMA'S LOUNGE ($10/$12) SA 3/28 LAUREN SANDERSON - MIDWEST KIDS CAN MAKE IT BIG TOUR SU 3/29 THE JACKS W/THE CUCKOOS ($10) MO 3/30 VILRAY ($12) TH 4/2 VAGABON W/ANGELICA GARCIA ($14/$16) FR 4/3 HONEY MAGPIE ALBUM RELEASE W/RODES AND ENO RIVER RATS ($8/$10) SA 4/4 CHERRY POOLS W/JET BLACK ALLEY CAT, SMALL TALKS, MOBS ($13/$15) SU 4/5 CALEB CAUDLE ALBUM RELEASE TOUR W/WILD PONIES AND DAWN LANDES ( $15/$20) MO 4/6 MIGHTY OAKS ($12/$14) WE 4/8 VETIVER ($15/ $18) TH 4/9 THE NATIONAL PARKS ACOUSTIC SET ($12/$15) FR 4/10 MATTIEL ($10/$12) 4/12 JACUZZI BOYS W/ THE COWBOYS ($13 / $15) SOLD OUT

WE 3/11 @CAT’S CRADLE DESTROYER W/NAP EYES

SA 3/14 @CAT’S CRADLE RADICAL FACE W/AXEL FLOVENT

TU 4/14 ALLAN RAYMAN ($22/$25) WE 4/15 BENT KNEE ($15) TH 4/16 INDIGO DE SOUZA W/ TRUTH CLUB ($10/$12) FR 4/17 AN EVENING WITH JILL ANDREWS ($14/$17) SA 4/18 JOHN CRAIGIE W/HONEYSUCKLE ($12/$15) MO 4/19 DYLAN LEBLANC ($14) TU 4/21 KATIE PRUITT W/WILLIAM PRINCE ($10) SU 4/26 SAMMY RAE & THE FRIENDS ($12/$15) FR 5/1 KEVIN KRAUTER W/WHY BONNIE ($10/$12) WE 5/6 MAPACHE SA 5/23 FRANCES QUINLAN ($16/$18)

NC MUSEUM OF ART (RAL) SU 4/26 BRITTANY HOWARD (OF ALABAMA SHAKES) W/ NU MANGOS ($35-$60) ARTSCENTER (CARRBORO) TU 3/24 JAMES MCMURTRY W/BONNIE WHITMORE ($22/$25) MOTORCO (DUR) FR 3/6 ELLIS DYSON & THE SHAMBLES W/DOWNTOWN ABBY AND THE ECHOS ($10/$12) TU 3/17 POST ANIMAL W/TWEN ($15/$17) WE 3/25 TINY MOVING PARTS W/BELMONT, CAPSTAN, JETTY BONES ($18/$22) TU 4/14 DEAFHEAVEN W/INTER ARMA, GREET DEATH, ALL YOUR SISTERS ( $25/$28) FR 6/5 DIET CIG W/SAD13 ($15/$17) THE RITZ (RAL) CAT’S CRADLE AND LIVE NATION PRESENT TU 6/16 CAR SEAT HEADREST W/TWIN PEAKS HAW RIVER BALLROOM TU 3/24 JOHN MORELAND W/S.G.GOODMAN ($15/$18) MO 4/20 SHARON VAN ETTEN W/JAY SOM ($28/$31) FR 4/24 WAXAHATCHEE W/OHMME ($18 ADV/ $20) FR 5/1 TENNIS W/MOLLY BURCH ($18/$20) SU 5/3 SNAIL MAIL W/ HOTLINE TNT ($20 / $22) SU 6/21 GREGORY ALAN ISAKOV W/ CHE APACHE ($36) MO 6/22 GREGORY ALAN ISAKOV W/ CHE APACHE (36) THE CAROLINA THEATER (DURHAM) WE 4/15 ANGEL OLSEN W/MADI DIAZ ($32.50/$35) TH 4/30 BEN GIBBARD ($32.70+) DPAC (DURHAM) TH 8/27* CODY KO & NOEL MILLER TINY MEAT GANG - GLOBAL DOMINATION ($24.50+) *rescheduled from april FLETCHER HALL (RAL) TH 5/14 BRUCE COCKBURN ($37-$50) SOLD OUT SOLD OUT

DOWN THE ROAD* *Be on the lookout for these big

names coming through the Triangle

The Lumineers play at Walnut Creek Amphitheatre on Tuesday, June 2. PHOTO BY DANNY CLINCH

Mar. 12 Billie Eilish PNC Arena, 7:30 p.m., SOLD OUT

Mar. 13 Omarion, Bow Wow, Ashanti, Ying YangTwins, Lloyd, Sammie, Pretty Ricky, SouljaBoy PNC Arena, 8 p.m., $60+

Mar. 20 Michael Bublé PNC Arena, 8 p.m., $65+

Mar. 21 Best Coast Cat’s Cradle, 8 p.m., $25–$27

Mar. 27 Soccer Mommy Cat’s Cradle, 8 p.m., $18–$20

Mar. 30 Mandy Moore DPAC, 8 p.m., $30+

Apr. 2 Vagabon Cat’s Cradle, 8 p.m., $14–$16 Apr. 18 JimmyBuffett, TheCoralReefer Band Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, 8 p.m., $82+

Apr. 22 Lake Street Dive DPAC, 7:30 p.m., $35+

May 12 JoJo Cat’s Cradle, 8 p.m., $30+

May 24 Ozuna PNC Arena, 8 p.m., $40+

Jun. 2 Local Natives Red Hat Amphitheatre, 6:30 p.m., $25+

Jun. 2 The Lumineers Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, 7 p.m., $35+

Jun. 19 Nickleback Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, 6:30 p.m., $25+

Apr. 15 Angel Olsen Carolina Theatre, 8 p.m., $31+

Jun. 20 The Doobie Brothers Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, 7:30 p.m., $30+

Jun. 23 Alanis Morissette Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, 7 p.m., $55+

Jul. 4 The Black Crowes Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, 8 p.m., $29+

Jul. 10 Thomas Rhett Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, 7:30 p.m., $44+

Jul. 11 Tedeschi Trucks Band Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, 6:30 p.m., $45+

Jul. 24 Dave Matthews Band

Aug. 8 ChrisStapleton Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, 7 p.m., $40+

Aug. 10 Journey, The Pretenders Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, 7 p.m., $35+

Aug. 25 Goo Goo Dolls Red Hat Amphitheatre, 6:30 p.m., $25+

Aug. 30 The Black Keys Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, 7 p.m., $61+

Sep. 9 KISS Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, 7:30 p.m., $40+

Sep. 12 Maroon 5, Meghan Trainor Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, 7 p.m., $50+

Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, 7:30 p.m. $46+

Aug. 1 Harry Styles PNC Arena, 8 p.m., $36+

Sep. 18 Bikini Kill Cat’s Cradle, 7 p.m., SOLD OUT

A pay-what-you-can cafe.

A Place at the Table provides

community and good food for all regardless of means. We are serving everyone. We believe that all people deserve dignity to eat in a restaurant and have a healthy, affordable meal. Wherever you may come from, you are welcome to dine with us. We hope you will.

pick

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4–FRIDAY, MARCH 6 Leyla McCalla: Breaking the Thermometer to Hide the Fever Radio is evanescent, and what it documents can be equally fragile. Radio Haiti-Inter was that country’s first independent station to primarily broadcast in the people’s tongue, Haitian Creole. Its uncompromising coverage of decades of social and political upheaval from the 1970s through early 2000s, and earned repeated death threats—and a total of ten years in exile—for journalist Jean Dominique before his assassination in 2000 and the station’s closure in 2003. Carolina Coffee Drops co-founder Leyla McCalla has spent two years listening to and researching the voices in the station’s archives, probing three generations of her family’s own history of activism in Haiti, and writing songs that examine the intrepid spirit of those who’ve fought political oppression on the island nation. The result—her collaboration with devised theater creator Kiyoko McCrae, choreographer Jeremy Guyton, and projection designer Kyle Sheehan—is a multidisciplinary performance piece that probes what it means to be Haitian. —Byron Woods

Von der Heyden Studio Theater, Durham 8 p.m., $25

Breaking the Thermometer to Hide the Fever

PHOTO COURTESY OF DUKE PERFORMANCES

32 March 4, 2020 INDYweek.com THURSDAY, MARCH 5 Molly Tuttle A virtuosic flatpicker and two-time winner of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Guitar Player of the Year award, Molly Tuttle has been honing her skills and developing her own style since she was eight years old. Her percussive clawhammer stylings are the result of her early experiences playing the banjo, while her dreamy Americana songwriting takes inspiration from her adopted hometown of Nashville. Indiefolk trio Oliver Hazard open. —Josephine McRobbie Cat’s Cradle, Chapel Hill 8 p.m., $20–$23

THURSDAY, MARCH 5 The Wailin’ Jennys For close to 20 years, Canadian trio The Wailin’ Jennys have been stalwart vocal harmonizers and touring folkies. Through several planned hiatuses, they’ve always come easefully back together, most recently to interpret songs by artists like Warren Zevon and Paul Simon for their 2017 album Fifteen. As Heather Masse puts it, “I was astonished when we all started singing together (in) that it felt like I was singing with my sisters.” The concert is presented by PineCone, the Piedmont Council of Traditional Music. —Josephine McRobbie Duke Energy Center for Performing Arts, Raleigh 7:30 p.m., $32+

FRIDAY, MARCH 6 Max Gowan Max Gowan cut his teeth as a guitarist in Raleigh, playing in a slew of teenage indie-rock and metal bands, but it was his collegiate time in Washington, D.C. where he truly came into his own as a songwriter. Recorded in homes across both D.C. and Raleigh, 2019’s Bygones serves as an amalgamation of both experiences. Throughout the album, Gowan coos visceral lyrics in a Elliot Smith hush over arpeggiated guitar plucks, keyboard interludes, and lo-fi soundscapes. Durham’s Blanko Basnet and Raleigh’s LioneR open. —Sam Haw

Kings, Raleigh 9 p.m., $10

SATURDAY, MARCH 7 Black Surfer Barely a year old, Raleigh’s Black Surfer already graced the 2019 Hopscotch lineup and now drops RUN IT BYKE—its second EP of eighties influenced post-punk—at this Saturday release show. Soaked in reverb and shoegaze shimmer, the sextet weaves lush textures around anxiety-ridden rhythms, with vocals alternating between a sneer and melancholic croon. At times both dark and dreamy, Raleigh stalwarts Jenny Besetzt are like Black Surfer’s moody older brother, while No One Mind adds bustling psych-pop trips. —Spencer Griffith The Pour House Music Hall, Raleigh 9 p.m., $7–$10

The Wailin’ Jennys play at the Duke Energy Center for Performing Arts on Thursday, March 5. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ARTISTS

Wed. 3/4 The Bailsmen Wake Forest Listening Room, 7 p.m. $10. The Cowboys Neptunes Parlour, 10 p.m. $10. Duke Symphony Orchestra, Jeffrey Brown Duke Campus: Baldwin Auditorium, 7:30 p.m. Leyla McCalla Rubenstein Arts Center - von der Heyden Studio Theater, 8 p.m. $25. The Minks, Reality Something, Hey Champ! The Pinhook, 8 p.m. $10-$12. Lord Nelson, Driscoll Kings, 8:30 p.m. $10. Postmodern Jukebox Durham Performing Arts Center, 7:30 p.m. $40+. Severed Fingers, Bless Your Heart, C. Albert Blomquist, Mara Thomas The Cave Tavern, 9 p.m. $5 suggested. Soulfly, Sergio Michel, X-Method, Systemhouse, Suppressive Fire Pour House Music Hall, 7:30 p.m. $25-$30. Joe Jack Talcum, Coolzey, DJ Halo Local 506, 9 p.m. $10-$12. Wake County Public Schools: Pieces of Gold Memorial Auditorium, 7 p.m. $17-$37. J Roddy Walston, Palm Palm Cat’s Cradle, 8:30 p.m. $15-$18. Zac Brown Band PNC Arena, 7 p.m. $36+.

Thu. 3/5 Ancient Ethel, Weird God The Cave Tavern, 9 p.m. $5 suggested. Big Head Todd And The Monsters, Los Colognes The Ritz, 7:30 p.m. $18-$25.

Don’t miss your favorite band in town.

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Destroyer makes a stop at Cat’s Cradle on Wednesday, March 11. PHOTO COURTESY OF CAT’S CRADLE

Che Apalache, Honey Magpie Kings, 8 p.m. $15. DJ Slime-A-Rita: K-Pop Deluxe Ruby Deluxe, 8:30 p.m. $10. Fruit Snack, Shitkid, Huffer Slim’s Downtown, 9 p.m. $10. Little People, Frameworks, Yppah Motorco Music Hall, 9 p.m. $15-$18. Leyla McCalla Rubenstein Arts Center - von der Heyden Studio Theater, 8 p.m. $25. Meredith Monk & Vocal Ensemble UNC Campus: Memorial Hall, 7:30 p.m. $27. Slick Ride The Kraken, 8 p.m. The SteelDrivers Carolina Theatre, 8 p.m. $30-$35. Texoma, The New Aquarian, Hereaux Pour House Music Hall, 9 p.m. $5. Paul Thorn Blue Note Grill, 7:30 p.m. Molly Tuttle, Oliver Hazard Cat’s Cradle, 8 p.m. $20-$23.

Fri. 3/6

Bill and the Belles Wake Forest Listening Room, 7 p.m. The Bleeding Hearts, The Girls, Bad Mother Pour House Music Hall, 9 p.m. $5-$10. Marc Broussard, Jamie McLean Band Haw River Ballroom, 8 p.m. $20. Cash Unchained Lincoln Theatre, 8 p.m. $12-$17. Chanticleer Duke Campus: Baldwin Auditorium, 8 p.m. $25. Doug Prescott Band Blue Note Grill, 9 p.m. $8.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11 Destroyer Destroyer’s music is not particularly precious or relateable, but something about it feels familiar, like graffiti you once saw scrolled somewhere, sometime. Across thirteen albums, his dry, dreamy indie-rock flickers between nonsensical pop anthems and cerebral thirteen-minute tracks that are what I’d feel comfortable calling “disco treats.” He’s a weirdo, sure, but on the heels of his glamorous, inscrutable latest album, Have We Met, the Merge artist reminds us that even when his songs trace the outskirts of comprehension, he still has us in a perfect trance. With Nap Eyes. —Sarah Edwards Cat’s Cradle, Chapel Hill 8 p.m., $20–$23

Eight Point Star, Elkhorn, Tallulah Cloos Nightlight, 9 p.m. $10. Ellis Dyson & The Shambles, Downtown Abbey & The Echos Motorco Music Hall, 9 p.m. $10-$12. G Herbo The Ritz, 8:30 p.m. $13-$99. Max Gowan, Blanko Basnet, Lioner Kings, 9 p.m. $10. The Kinston Trio Sharp Nine Gallery, 8 p.m. $20. Leyla McCalla Rubenstein Arts Center - von der Heyden Studio Theater, 8 p.m. $25. Lorrie Morgan Rhythms Live Music Hall, 7:30 p.m. $35. North Carolina Symphony Pops Series: A Rodgers and Hammerstein Celebration Meymandi Concert Hall, 8 p.m. $20+. O.A.R. Carolina Theatre, 8 p.m. $50-$60. Sir Woman Cat’s Cradle Back Room, 8 p.m. $15. Splintered Reality, Hollow Intent, HeadTrip Trauma The Maywood, 9 p.m. $10. Violent Life Violent Death, Iron Price, Gloves Off, Unitl I Bleed, All Cut Up and Through All This Time Local 506, 7 p.m. $9-$12. Werk’n Lunch NorthStar Church of the Arts, 12 p.m. Will McBribe Group The Station, 8:45 p.m. Gray Young, Youth League The Pinhook, 8 p.m. $8.

Sat. 3/7

Jason Adamo Pour House Music Hall, 5 p.m. Black Surfer, Jenny Besetzt, No One Mind Pour House Music Hall, 9 p.m. $7-$10. Cultus Black, Attracting The Fall, Discerner, The Silencing Machine The Maywood, 8:30 p.m. $8. Florence Dore The Station, 8:30 p.m. Fifth Annual Rock Roulette: A Fundraiser for Girls Rock NC Motorco Music Hall, 7 p.m. Donations accepted. IAMDYNAMITE, Ancient Ethel, Solar Bear Slim’s Downtown, 9 p.m. $5. International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella South Semifinal Carolina Theatre, 7 p.m. $24-$32. Charly Lowry Pour House Music Hall, 3 p.m. Minka, Big Break, The Moon Unit, Blue Frequency The Cave Tavern, 9 p.m. $5 suggested. North Carolina Symphony Pops Series: A Rodgers and Hammerstein Celebration Meymandi Concert Hall, 3 p.m. & 8 p.m. showtimes. $20+. Jonathan Parker Wake Forest Listening Room, 7 p.m. Popa Chubby Blue Note Grill, 8 p.m. $15-$20. Tyler Ramsey, Rob Nance Cat’s Cradle Back Room, 8 p.m. $15. Molly Stevens The Cary Theater, 8 p.m. $20-$25. Through the Tall Woods, The Challenged, Dirty Weekend, Few Good Things Local 506, 8:15 p.m. $8. The Vegabonds, Night Years Lincoln Theatre, 7 p.m. $20-$50. Koe Wetzel The Ritz, 8 p.m. $20.

Sun. 3/8

430 Steps The Cave Tavern, 9 p.m. $5 suggested. Sam Burchfield, Proxima Parada, Little Bird Pour House Music Hall, 8 p.m. $10-$15. A Celebration Of Eddie Taylor Kings, 2 p.m. Donation suggested. Cliff Wheeler Band Pour House Music Hall, 1 p.m. DJ Glenkoko: XXXMAS Party Ruby Deluxe, 9 p.m. The Hails Pour House Music Hall, 3 p.m. Joe’s Cousin, Eyeball, Morning Bells, Glass Mansions Tin Roof, 8 p.m. Dwayne Jordan, Skewed Duo Nightlight, 8:30 p.m. $10. Lemon Sparks, Secret Monkey Weekend The Station, 8:30 p.m. Lillian Chase & the Deadpan Stringband NC Museum of History, 3 p.m. Reservation required. Reese McHenry, The Trousers, Patty Hurst Shifter, Countdown Quartet & Crashomrock Slim’s Downtown, 6 p.m. Rare Creatures Pour House Music Hall, 5 p.m. Dan Rodriguez Cat’s Cradle Back Room, 8 p.m. $15. Zephyr Ensemble Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 3 p.m. $20.

Mon. 3/9

Carinae, Charlie Paso Neptunes Parlour, 8:30 p.m. $10. In My Life: Beatles Tribute Fletcher Opera Theater, 7:30 p.m. $35-$65. Terror, Kublai Khan, Magnitude, Restraining Order Local 506, 7 p.m. $18-$20. That 1 Guy, Barefoot Wade Pour House Music Hall, 9 p.m. $15. Wizard Apprentice The Cave Tavern, 9 p.m. $5 suggested.

Tue. 3/10

The Bones of J.R. Jones, Jarrod Dickenson Pour House Music Hall, 9 p.m. $10-$12. Cindy Cane, Hnry Flwr The Wicked Witch, 8:30 p.m. Crunk Witch, Smoke From All The Friction, Flood District The Night Rider, 7:30 p.m. Good Morning Bedlam The Cave Tavern, 9 p.m. $5 suggested. The Guilty Pleasures The Station, 7:45 p.m. The Nude Party, Boa Kings, 8:30 p.m. $15-$20. Phangs, 90’s Kids, Lowborn, Seasons Cat’s Cradle Back Room, 8 p.m. $12-$14. Silver Skates Arcana, 8:30 p.m.

Wed. 3/11

Cygnus X-2 Pour House Music Hall, 8 p.m. $10. Destroyer, Nap Eyes Cat’s Cradle, 8 p.m. $20-$23. DJ Jess K: Lilith Flair Ruby Deluxe, 9 p.m. $5. Governance, CEVRA, Tescon Pol Neptunes Parlour, 10 p.m. $10. Heart Bones, Cold Cream Cat’s Cradle Back Room, 8 p.m. $10-$12. North Carolina Street Heat Pour House Music Hall, 1 p.m. Slump, Zaat, Seanmustache, B.L.E.W The Night Rider, 7 p.m. Donation suggested. The Veldt, Micah Gaugh Slim’s Downtown, 9 p.m. $5.