Hopscotch is this weekend. Here are a few highlights, from Mipso to Armand Hammer.
The Hopscotch Music Festival takes over a dozen downtown Raleigh venues this weekend (and many more, if you count the unofficial day parties), as it has every September since the inaugural 2010 festival. Yet how does one navigate such a glut of live music? How does one balance massive experiences like a Flaming Lips show with the intimacy of seeing rising local bands in intimate rooms like Slim’s?
Some prefer to over-prepare, marking up their Hopscotch schedule printouts like a Connect the Dots game. Others select a few must-see shows, and otherwise just go where the spirit (or the crowd) leads them. Whatever your style, here are a few of our picks if you’re joining the crowds at this weekend’s music festivities in Raleigh.
Thursday, Sept. 6
H.C. McEntire
City Plaza, 5:50 p.m.
From her early days in scorching art-punk trio Bellafea to the indie Americana of Mount Moriah to her involvement with Girls Rock NC, H.C. McEntire has been deeply and inextricably involved in the Triangle music scene her entire adult life. Her solo album “Lionheart” is a collection of genteel, progressively minded country songs, all delivered with McEntire’s heart completely on her sleeve.
Sleep
The Basement, 11:30 p.m.
Sleep are the kings of stoner-metal. Consider: Their strongest song is a 66-minute ode to weed that opens with the line, “Drop out of life with bong in hand.” These heavy metal veterans cast a long shadow, from the output of related bands Om and High on Fire to their influence on loud music as a whole.
The Love Language
Lincoln Theatre, 12:30 a.m.
Hopscotch 2010 saw peppy indie-pop act the Love Language open for rap legends Public Enemy. In the years since, bandleader Stuart McLamb has played in a heavy metal band and moved from Raleigh to Los Angeles. His music has evolved apace, and Hopscotch 2018 brings a more nuanced, grown-up and hard-driving Love Language. The new “Baby Grand” is a remarkably diverse album, with songs ranging from bittersweet romantic pop to summery funk to even Deftones-esque crunch.
Friday, Sept. 7
Mipso
City Plaza, 5:50 p.m.
Mipso began as a collegiate bluegrass trio, but has evolved well beyond its origins after six-odd years of touring and recording (and after bringing in fourth member Libby Rodenbough, a skilled fiddler and songwriter). On 2018s appropriately named “Edges Run,” Mipso melds folk and pop influences into an intricate, catchy fusion.
The Revolution
The Basement, 12:30 p.m.
It may seem too good to be true, but this is real: The Revolution, formerly Prince’s backing band in the 1980s, reformed after the Purple One’s tragic passing and will appear at Hopscotch this year.
Armand Hammer
Neptune’s, 12:30 a.m.
In previous years, Hopscotch has boasted its share of worthy under-the-radar weirdo rap such as clipping, Open Mike Eagle and Cities Aviv. This year, look to Armand Hammer, the New York duo of emcees Billy Woods and Elucid, for quirky, almost avant-garde hip-hop that fans of Madlib and MF Doom should appreciate.
Saturday, Sept. 8
Boulevards
Red Hat Amphitheater, 5:30 p.m.
Jamil Rashad, who records and performs as Boulevards, is a funky, soulful dude. Though only in his 30s, he channels the smooth-yet-fierce sensuality of late ‘70s and early ‘80s R&B on albums “Groove” and “Hurtown, USA.” The Raleigh native (who has since relocated to LA) put on one of the most arresting, had-to-be-there shows of Hopscotch 2015. This year he’s on a larger stage, opening for Moses Sumney and Nile Rodgers & Chic. Knowing Rashad, he will certainly rise to the occasion.
Liz Phair
City Plaza, 7:15 p.m.
Liz Phair’s 1993 release “Exile in Guyville” was a landmark in feminist rock and roll. This year sees the album’s 25th anniversary (and a box set reissue) of this seminal record, but you can catch the artist herself at Hopscotch.
Ed Schrader’s Music Beat
The Basement, 10:30 p.m.
This Baltimore duo is unapologetically bizarre — and unapologetically human. On the latest record, “Riddles,” Ed Schrader’s Music Beat moved beyond its barebones floor tom and bass guitar soundscape and collaborated with electronic composer Dan Deacon, resulting in an existential crisis of an album that alternates between nightmare-pop ferocity and maudlin crooning.
Sarah Shook & the Disarmers
Lincoln Theatre, 11 p.m.
Fiery local country-punk bandleader Sarah Shook has risen through the rank and file on the basis of her don’t-give-a-bleep, no-filter songwriting and wide-open live performances. Latest album “Years” continues an excellent streak of catchy, brutally honest honky-tonk that gained national attention with its debut “Sidelong,” but that grew organically in humble Chapel Hill and Chatham County venues long before she had the attention of Rolling Stone.
Details
What: Hopscotch Music Festival
When: Sept. 6-8
Where: Downtown Raleigh. Multiple venues
Cost: Weekend passes: $199 general admission. $299 VIP. Single-day passes: $75-$89. Single-show passes: $35-$50. See festival site for specifics.
Info: hopscotchmusicfest.com
Headliner schedule
Thursday, Sept. 6
City Plaza: Gates open at 5:30 p.m.
5:50 p.m. HC McEntire
7:15 p.m. Real Estate
8:45 p.m. The Flaming Lips
Friday, Sept. 7
City Plaza: Gates open at 5:30 p.m.
5:50 p.m. Mipso
7:15 p.m. Thundercat
8:45 p.m. Grizzly Bear
Red Hat Amphitheater: Gates open at 5 p.m.
5:30 p.m. m8alla
6:40 p.m. DVSN
8 p.m. Miguel
Saturday, Sept. 8
City Plaza: Gates open at 5 p.m.
5:15 p.m. Zack Mexico
5:50 p.m. Speedy Ortiz
7:15 p.m. Liz Phair
8:45 p.m. MC50
Red Hat Amphitheater, Gates open at 5 p.m.
5:30 p.m. Boulevards
6:40 p.m. Moses Sumney
8 p.m. Nile Rodgers & Chic
This story was originally published September 4, 2018 at 7:03 PM.