Durham, NC

The least obvious of North Carolina’s famed Triangle cities, Durham is doing its best to compete with neighboring Raleigh and Chapel Hill. With recent city renovations bringing in new businesses and a younger crowd, Durham is becoming a more and more welcoming place for musicians to live and play. Troika Music Festival, which has been around in some form for several years, has been drumming up attention for the music scene by booking smaller Durham acts alongside a few major national touring acts, bringing in crowds the small city rarely sees. New venues have been popping up and older venues are bringing in more musical acts, both local and regional. If you’re starting your tour in deep South cities like Atlanta, Durham is a prime location to stop in after touring through Charlotte (two hours) and then traveling further on to Richmond (two hours) and Washington, D.C. (two hours).

Guide to Gigging in New Haven

Book a Gig: Venues

Bull City Headquarters

723 N. Magnum St.

Durham, NC 27701

www.bullcityhq.org

A brand spanking new venue that will be turning nine months old this month, Bull City Headquarters is a welcome home for those looking for a drug- and alcohol-free space to play. From art resources to rock shows to exhibitions of many kinds, Bull City tries to pack as much creativity in its “big, empty room” as is possible. Shows are usually booked a couple of times a week (Thursday through Saturday), tend to be on the early side and are all-ages. Email bullcityhq@gmail.com for information and booking.

305 South Dilliard St.

Durham, NC 27701

www.305southdurham.com

This venue has been hitting some hard times as of late, but promises to make a full recovery and keep on booking shows and various performances. Run by the folks at Soundscripture Studios, the 5,000-square-foot space has a hefty stage with a strong PA ready for any type of music. As a headliner you’ll be expected to be able to bring 75-100 people, and as an opener over 20. Artists are paid a percentage of door tips. For booking, send a press kit to James Lee at the above mailing address and follow up with an email to booking@soundscripturestudios.com with your band name in the subject field.

MarVell Event Center

119 West Main St.

Durham, NC 27701

(919) 688-0975

www.reverbnation.com/venue/marvelleventcenter

Hosting mostly all-ages or 18 and over shows, MarVell’s live shows are concentrated primarily on Wednesday nights. The venue has only recently started booking more bands, as opposed to private parties and bigger events. Booking is fairly laid-back and open to all sorts of music, bands large or small. Recent shows have included performances by Spider Bags, The Heist and the Accomplice and Casta. For booking, email MarVellAlliance@aol.com or call (919) 208-1221.

Duke Coffeehouse

Crowell Bldg.

East Campus, Duke University

Durham, NC 27708

(919) 684-4069

www.duke.edu/web/coffeehouse

A popular hangout for students and local music lovers alike, Duke University’s coffeehouse brings in a great array of local and national talent, like Les Savy Fav, Bombadil and Dark Meat. With cheaper ticket prices for students and a BYOB attitude, the venue is guaranteed to have a great crowd. For booking, email dukecoffeehouse@gmail.com, and keep an eye out for “TBD” on the calendar, because that means the venue hasn’t found a band to fill the slot. “TBA,” on the other hand, means the band will be chosen by a separate agent.

Promote a Gig: Media

Independent Weekly

302 E. Pettigrew St., Suite 3A

Durham, NC 27701

(919) 286-1972

www.indyweek.com

Though this independent weekly newspaper is based in Durham, it serves for all of the Triangle area. With a comprehensive outlook on local, regional and national music acts, the paper does a great job of representing music coming in and out of the area. Email calendar submissions to calendar@indyweek.com before the prior Wednesday’s 5 p.m. deadline, or email music editor Grayson Currin at gcurrin@indyweek.com and be sure to include the date, time, street address, cost, contact information and a two-sentence description of the event.

Gear/ Repairs

Custom Light and Sound

2506 Guess Rd.

Durham, NC 27705

Local calls (919) 386-0011; National calls (866) 618-7721

www.customlightandsound.com

Serving all of the Triangle area from its Durham store, Custom Light and Sound has a large stock of consoles, amps, mics and more available for rent or sale. The store also has a repair service run by four full-time, factory-trained technicians, and they also offer a “Rush Service” of two to five days as well as emailed updates on the equipment’s status.

High Strung Violins and Guitars

116 Broad St.

Durham, NC 27701

(919) 286-3801

www.highstrungdurham.com

Offering various stringed instruments, from guitars to violins, for sale or rent, this 25-year-old store has moved to a larger space to offer more inventory as well as repairs on all stringed instruments. Bring your violas, ukuleles, cellos, mandolins and for work from this establishment’s reputable staff. Located right next to the Broad Street Café, High Strung also offers rental services and lessons in both acoustic guitar and ukulele playing.