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Area citizens
felt the heat Friday night with an energetic and powerful performance
at Cat's Cradle from local up-and-comer, Roman Candle.
Riding a wave of success from the June 22 release party of The
Wee Hours Revue, Roman Candle is fast becoming the town's new
"it" band, evoking comparisons to acts of Chapel Hill's
indie heyday.
The band's buzz made for a packed house, and those who arrived
early for the show were met with a knockout surprise from opening
act, The Whigs.
The Athens, Ga., three-piece worked the crowd to a crescendo
of excitement with a rock 'n' roll frenzy that shined through
tracks such as "Technology" and "Violet Furs",
setting a tone of wild intensity that would last throughout
the night.
Roman Candle arrived on stage afterward to an eager and responsive
crowd that brimmed with hometown love and offered up a string
of its best songs to fill the audience's appetite.
The group's remarkable passion for music played through every
drum beat and guitar slap on a set list that drew heavily from
its new CD. "You Don't Belong to This World" was a
crowd favorite that had nearly everyone moving and shaking.
However, one of the show's highlights came not from a recorded
favorite, but from the live-only "Why Modern Radio Is A-OK."
"Modern Radio" has front man Skip Matheny hating on
"high school emo band(s)" and reminiscing about the
good old days when "a pop song used to be a powerful thing."
From Bob Dylan to Neil Young, the artists of Matheny's lyrics
run like an exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
But Matheny does more than drop names and completes with ease
what so many other artists fail immensely to do. He actually
draws upon those acts of his past, with Dylan's lyrical artistry,
John Lennon's charisma and Johnny Cash's bravado all to be found
with him on stage.
As stunning as it might be to watch Matheny's power in front
of an audience, the true pleasure of his performance is in the
smile he flashes through every few notes.
With brother Logan on drums and wife Timshel on keys, Matheny
was clearly at home on stage. His love for music and the even
greater love of his band seem to be the very power that keeps
him afloat.
And by no means is this Matheny's show. As apparent with the
acoustic encore piece, "13 By Big Star", the dynamic
that Roman Candle carries on stage is a pure joy to watch.
With Matheny on guitar and the rest of the group providing vocals
by his side, it became clear that this band is a family, no
matter the relation.
And after a night of watching Roman Candle's talent burn bright,
you realize that a pop song still can hold just as much power
as it used to.
Contact the Diversions
Editor at dive@unc.edu.
__________________________________________________
From "The Daily Tarheel
June 22, 2006
"Local
Band Celebrates Long Awaited Album"
by Beth Dozier
With a long-awaited record being released this week and two
more in the works, Chapel Hill rock quintet Roman Candle is
burning bright.
The band will perform songs from its newest record, The Wee
Hours Revue, at its Cat's Cradle album release party 8 p.m.
today.
The group will be joined by fellow Chapel Hill group The Old
Ceremony and special guest Caitlin Cary.
"The idea is that we're going to play every song from our
record and some new stuff," said drummer Logan Matheny.
"We are going to have a couple of little surprises and
bring in some new instruments, do some slightly different arrangements."
The Wee Hours Revue is the culmination of a re-recording and
revamping of Roman Candle's 2002 release, Says Pop. The process
allowed the band to work with producer Chris Stamey, who has
collaborated previously with alt-country stars Ryan Adams and
Tift Merritt.
"Stamey
seems to us to be the godfather of the whole Chapel Hill music
scene," said Skip Matheny, who plays guitar and sings for
the band.
"They ought to name a wing of a music library after him."
The band finished material for The Wee Hours Revue in 2003,
and the album's release has been a long time coming.
Says Pop - released on Outlook Music - was met with critical
praise. But a move to Hollywood Records resulted in a delay
of the release of The Wee Hours Revue, which was shelved for
about two years before the band signed with V2 - home to The
White Stripes and Elbow - in August 2005.
Roman Candle was formed in 1998 by then-UNC students Skip and
Logan Matheny. The brothers were soon joined by Skip's wife,
Timshel, who plays Wurlitzer and farfisa electric organs.
Jeff Crawford and Nick Jaeger (bass and guitar, respectively)
later completed Roman Candle.
Despite the long wait, the band has built a sturdy fan base
in the Triangle and elsewhere.
The group even has its own Facebook group - "Roman Candle
Melts Your Face" - begun by a few UNC students.
"The thing is, we can't be held responsible for any rumors
that make it to that space," Logan Matheny said jokingly.
"I've seen (one of the group's founders) several times
outside my window before, and we know he's peeking."
The long wait between records gave Roman Candle a chance to
cultivate its sound and its support, and it also presented the
group with ample time to write more material.
The band has been working on a concept album - tentatively titled
Songs for an Empty Room - and also has written material for
another record.
"It was a creative project for us to get something done,"
Timshel Matheny said about the upcoming concept album.
"You don't know if you can do something twice. This second
record was just like, 'Let's just pretend we're kids and we're
making this for ourselves.'"
Timshel said writing new songs allowed Roman Candle to actively
take control of its material while circumstances stalled The
Wee Hours Revue.
"We just wanted to be aggressive about claiming something
for our own," she said. "It was our attack against
having to wait that long."
Even though it's the culmination of a long wait, the release
of The Wee Hours Revue clears the way for new things for Roman
Candle, Timshel says.
"We're excited about this record coming out so we can work
on the next one and move forward."
Time: 8 p.m.
Date: Today
Location: Cat's Cradle
Info: catscradle.com/schedule.html
Contact the A&E Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.
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