Any good places in NC

[nicomax]

Hey everybody. I just moved to Durham (NC) and I'm looking for advice on any good places around. I know Charlotte has a good scene but it is 2 hours away.

Around here all seem to be rock and rap, so please let me know if you have any suggestions.

Best.

[Garrick]

Re: Any good places in NC

only place i know of is tonic... i honestly don't think you'll find too much else out there. there might be one other club.

ask greg pappanastos here on MS if he is even still a member. i haven't seen him post in a long time though. he plays at tonic alot and i'm sure he knows of other places around the area.

[beat_freq]

Re: Any good places in NC

there used to be a fairly lame club called Mars (i think) in raleigh...but you might see if it's still around/if the menu has improved. also, occassionally local djs will spin at the duke coffeehouse or on franklin street in chapel hill - i saw a few when i was in school, not too bad all things considered.

[greg pappanastos]

Re: Any good places in NC

yoooo. Still here. More of a lurker on this board.

Too bad you're in Raleigh. I'm playing in Asheville Sat. night, which is even further from you.

As far as Raleigh goes, I'm not too sure. The Office is a dance club you might try, but I don't know anything about it.

g-luck.

[Mixwell]

Re: Any good places in NC

I have this friend who is in Durham as well. I did lot's of research regarding the scene down in Charlotte last year, and discovered that they have a pretty dope vibe. Charlotte may be 3 hrs away from Durham, but Tonic is the place to be. I am amazed by their schedule, every month. They seem to pull in lots of talent, and their residents djs, including Pappanasty are fantastic.
I should be in NC in a couple of weeks, aand I plan on hitting Tonic. Hit me up if you are interested in meeting up.

Also, go check out www.spins.us
this board covers everything that is happening in the south.
I believe that PVD will be in Charlotte Sep 20th.

enjo, and don't forget to go to Tonic :wink:

[nicomax]

Re: Any good places in NC

Thank you guys for the information... I'll try to catch you at Tonic then.

Have a nice weekend you all.

[audiotherapy]

Re: Any good places in NC

i live in raleigh right now... and theres really nothing worth goin to around here...

all you get is top40, "hip hop", cheese shit and dnb. Charlotte is your best escape.

[cneill]

Re: Any good places in NC

Mythos in Charlotte occasionally has good acts. I saw Anthony Pappa there a couple of years ago. It's a great little intimate place. It was kinda like he played a private party and I happened to be there. There was a stint when GU djs played there once every month or two, but I don't know if this is still happening. I moved out of the Carolinas a while ago. Look it up, as well as Tonic.

[pimpmcknight]

Re: Any good places in NC

Used to live around Charlotte a year ago and saw PVD, Dieselboy, AK1200, and some other jungle DJ's at Mythos. Not sure about the Raleigh scene. I recently moved to Charleston, SC and I'm having the same problem as you finding a house music club. I'll have to check out that link. Good luck.

[greg pappanastos]

Re: Any good places in NC

Mythos in Charlotte occasionally has good acts. I saw Anthony Pappa there a couple of years ago. It's a great little intimate place. It was kinda like he played a private party and I happened to be there. There was a stint when GU djs played there once every month or two, but I don't know if this is still happening. I moved out of the Carolinas a while ago. Look it up, as well as Tonic.

Mythos has been closed for several months now.

The GU djs, including Anthony, were all brought to Mythos by Third Eye. Third Eye began doing all events at Tonic a couple years ago. Since then, we've had Zabiela, Pappa, Lawler, Howells, Burridge, Craig Richards, Lee & Craig together as Tyrant, Three, Jimmy Van M., Tyler Stadius, J. Tripwire, Doc Martin, Layo & Buschwacka, Steve Porter, Chris Fortier, Dave Seaman, Desyn Masiello, Luke Fair, Clive Henry, Phil K, Jon Lisle, Marques Wyatt, Miguel Migs, Bill Patrick, Hisham Samawi, Dennis Rodgers, Lusine, Behrouz, Gene Carbonell, Luis Diaz, Carl Finlow, Tipper, Derrick Carter, Chris Carter, Josh Wink,.....whew!!!!!! That's just the one's I can remember.

Right now Tonic is in the process of relocating, so the LUSH parties which brought all of these great djs is temporarily on hold.

The club is open right now, but not for major events.

I'm scheduled to play Friday night this week. Best to call the club at (704)347-2582.

[Kobe]

Interesting that this thread comes up right now. I'm getting fed up with the super expensive north east and me and a buddy of mine have been talking about Charlotte NC. Great to hear there is a scene down there!!

[rewing3]

I might be moving down there next spring if I can find a job. I waiting for my lease in my apartment to up in march. So I think after the holidays I am going to start looking for a job in the NC/SC area. So I might see some of you in Charlotte. Maybe.

[subdude]

Re: Any good places in NC

Another ex-UNC student here.

There was a place called wicked smile in raleigh for a while that was good, but I think it shut down years ago. Every other place that I ever went to in the triangle was kinda lame, the office in Raleigh, rhino club...Citysearch has a place called fluid and aura listed as lounges...

As a UNC student I was subjected to Players and college bars etc. I used to work at a place called Gotham that had more underground nights and gay events that sometimes had good music but I think its gone now also. There is a newer place called Element (never been) and a place called Go! that would have some small edm events. The Wine Bar in Chapel Hill and its sister restaurant Elaines are both good and that is where I go when I go back. I recommend finding a record store and asking about events (there was one called lost city in Chapel Hill.)

For those of you thinking about moving to Charlotte from the North East, I highly suggest visiting first and talking to other North Easterners who have moved there and hearing their experiances. My northern friends are extremely divided on whether they like it or not and most have moved back to the North East.

The reasons include typicall South vs. North stereotypes (this stuff matters to southern people and they act on the percieved differences), the lack of women willing to date northern guys, the overwhelming number of dudes in Charlotte (due to the all the banks there), general close mindedness, and that it was a small place with a small social scene that my friends burned thorugh in two months , etc.

My personal experiances tend to agree with the negative sides. If you are coming from a big city to Charlotte it is hard to take the club/bar scene and people there seriously. Many people there are not interested in meeting new people, as they went to High School in NC, College in NC (with friends from high school), and moved to Charlotte (with friends from high school).

I cannot tell you the number of times I walked into parties with over 50 people and been the only person who was not originally from Charlotte. And it always felt like people seemed to be annoyed that I was there (even though I was with a my girlfriend from Charlotte). Most of this is probably to blame on my sarcastic sense of humor, general abbrasivness, my (slight) NJ accent, and general manner, so take this all with a grain of salt.

There are good restaurants and a couple ok club/lounge/bars. Most bars/clubs there are primarily rock or band oriented or have top 40/hip-hop/cheese dance combo. Tonic is really good but is definately the exception. The location for Tonic, although really well managed and I think its a great place is/was a smallish place (so if you are imagining a superclub don't fool yourself). This is not a knock on it because I would rather hang there than most Atlanta clubs. But it is one of the few "clubs" I consider top notch in Charlotte.

As a guy, I would definately say it would be a great place to live if you had a serious relationship or were married, but would suck as a single guy.

That said it is a beautiful city, is affordable, and there are a lot of great things about NC in general...the beaches and towns like Wilmington, the mountains, lakes, and cool spots in Charlotte and Chapel Hill.

For those looking to escape the NE, you should consider Atlanta as an alternative to Charlotte. Many of the same issues but its just a larger town with more options and more people.

I would be happy to elaborate on all of this if it would be helpful for anyone so feel free to pm me.