Stanczyks FRI. AUG. 28 Erie Choir - jPhono1 - Secret Monkey Weekend

Erie Choir - “Erie Choir is almost an anagram of my name,” Eric
Roehrig explains with a slight chuckle. “ Roehrig characterizes
himself as “easily distracted," but "patient " is a better descriptor
for his songs and their lengthy gestation periods. The gorgeous
arrangements, the earwormy melodies, the layers of sly humor and
poignant observation in the lyrics—all of this comes from Roehrig’s
unwillingness to rush, to let the songs appear and dictate their
direction.

The Carrboro, NC-based songwriter came up in the Chapel Hill indie
rock scene, splitting lead duties in Sorry About Dresden with the late
Matt Oberst. Roehrig first started Erie Choir in the early 2000s as a
channel for his acoustic folk musings that didn’t quite fit with his
main band, but over the past 20 years, it’s morphed into a
full-throated, muscular rock and roll outfit. What began as a quiet
solo project gradually accrued trusted collaborators, slowly
solidifying into the longstanding lineup of today: Roehrig, fellow
Sorry About Dresden alumnus James Hepler, Bob Wall, Jack Watson, and
Ben Spiker.
http://eriechoir.bandcamp.com
A family band like no other, Secret Monkey Weekend returned with a
sparkling sophomore album Lemon Drop Hammer on June 6. Comprising
seasoned guitarist/vocalist Jefferson Hart and his stepdaughters Ella
(bass/vocals) and Lila Brown-Hart (drums/vocals), the North Carolina
trio’s harmony-heavy Beatles/Squeeze songwriting, charming lyricism,
and familial chemistry is channeled into 10 tracks helmed by revered
REM/Smithereens producer Don Dixon.
Secret Monkey Weekend (a name derived from a vintage Tiger Beat
magazine headline) began as purely organic family therapy, with no
plans for anything more. Yet by 2016 they were playing casual shows
and soon graduated to a busy calendar of club and festival dates.
Debut album All The Time In The World, also produced by Dixon,
followed in 2022. It’s a tale so remarkable that the trio is the
subject of Emmy-winning 2023 PBS documentary, Secret Monkey Weekend.
http://secretmonkeweekend.bandcamp.com

jPhono1 - From his early days drumming in The Comas, John Harrison has
grown into a consummate veteran of the N.C. scene. Between stints as
co-songwriter and bandleader in North Elementary he’s carved out a
prolific visual arts portfolio, and regularly shows in galleries
around the Triangle. Yet, like some kind of time warping wizard, John
regularly manages to turn out releases as Jphono1 both solo and with
his pals. It is in these two modes that John Harrison explores his
sonic space. At once as a solo astronaut galloping on horseback
through some stellar landscape, and also as the leader of a crew of
heady pirates sailing dusty vinyl seas. http://jphono1.bandcamp.com