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It is Friday night and there’s no excuse

Live music fans in the capital city will soon find themselves debating over something more controversial than the Confederate battle flag and gay marriages. Where to go on the night of Friday, Aug. 10?

Stories and Photography by Sean Rayford

They’ll be hammering about it over stouts at the Hunter Gatherer, tacos on Tuesday night and text messages will be bouncing off satellites and back down to Columbia at a rapid pace. Oh, and MySpace will crash after new record amounts of messages and comments.

Colour Revolt and Manchester Orchestra at New Brookland Tavern or American Aquarium and Due East at The Whig? And then they’ll be the ambitious ones attempting to make it to at least portions of each show. Wherever you end up that evening you’ll be served up a pitcher of the South’s most up-and-coming musicians.

Colour Revolt, Manchester orchestra, eric Skelton, all get out fri. aug. 10 - New brookland tavern - 7 pm It was getting late on a Spring night last year in Oxford, Mississippi and Burns Out Bright’s Bryan Taylor had left what was described as ‘the biggest porcelain present of all time’ in the bathroom where the gentlemen from Colour Revolt called home. Or at least it was there home while attending classes at Ole Miss.

Taylor rounded everyone up on tour from Columbia to see his masterpiece which would eventually spawn M&M eyes while smoking a cigarette. And then it was left for the Rebels to find the next morning. Hey thanks for letting us crash on your floor.

Essentially, that was my introduction to the band that recorded an E.P. using pantyhose, cardboard boxes and broomsticks just a few days after the Katrina catastrophe that would become one of my favorite records of the last five years.

The crudeness of course lended to the process, booking a summer tour with pop-punk monsters Brand New and being named as a Spin.com band of the day.

Yes, Colour Revolt is one of those ‘buzz’ bands and everyone is sitting around wondering when they’ll catch fire. Featuring angellic vocals and charming arrangements that are near close to perfecting the loud/soft dynamic they’ll be attracting a few metal and hardcore kids even though the are most easily described as an indie rock band.

Last December the band unassumingly wandered into New Brookland Tavern and delivered one of the most memorable performances in the last few years.

The guys have recovered from a stolen van incident in Texas and should be bringing some new tunes to inspire the crowd.

Warm up those pipes though because they’ll be a giant campfire sing-a-long for those older tunes. “It’s a circus.”

Due east, American Aquarium fri. aug. 10 - The whig - 10 pm

If honest alt-country/southern rock was worth a million bucks in this town, Columbia’s Due East would have like 2.37 million dollars. And of course they’d still be playing the Whig on a Friday night.

Or If Lucero was more about lawn chairs and porches with an Appalachian influence and Ben Nichols had a soothing voice then you’d be listening to Due East.

Whatever the case you’ve got one of Columbia’s most promising acts of any genre. Due East is a band where you’d be proud of their success in their self-described Y’allter-native scene Rolling down from Raleigh and the Research Triangle will be American Aquarium who will add to the healthy dose of roots.

American Aquarium is no stranger to the American landscape crisscrossed the United States busting out 20-plus hour drives between gigs at times.

It’s no surprise then when I say this Raleigh group is prime for Truckers, travelers, wanderers and explorers. Catch them in this intimate venue while you can.