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Storyline

Chapel Hill and Carrboro music scene

Cat’s Cradle, the ArtsCenter, Merge Records, WXYC, Local 506 and the bands that came through them.

In briefCat's Cradle opened in a small basement club near the UNC campus in 1969 and, after several moves, settled in Carrboro in 1993. With Merge Records, founded in Chapel Hill in 1989, and bands such as Superchunk and Polvo, the local scene drew national press in the early 1990s as a possible "next Seattle."

Read the 59 eventsAll storylines

313 works about Chapel Hill and Carrboro music scene are indexed here. 3 held at OCPL →

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Sparklehorse at the Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro, 2007
Sparklehorse at the Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro, 2007

In the chronology

Episodes in this history, in date order. Each has its own page.

StorylineThe Cat’s Cradle and the “Chapel Hill sound” of the 1990s1969–2020 · 35 events · The Cat’s Cradle opened in 1969, Merge Records was founded in 1989, and by 1992 Superchunk, Polvo, Archers of Loaf and the clubs of Franklin Street had national magazines asking whether Chapel Hill was the next Seattle. The Cradle moved to Carrboro in 1993, Ben Folds Five and the Squirrel Nut Zippers followed, and Merge’s anniversary festivals and the Cradle’s 50th year in 2019 marked a scene that outlived the label hunt.

Other events in this storyline, in date order. See these 59 dated events in the chronology →

  1. Kemp Nye opens Kemp's Phonograph Records on East Franklin Street Nye, who had worked for Milton Abernethy, opened a record shop in the store the Smiths' bookshop had just left. People: Milton Abernethy Place: Kemp's Phonograph Records, East Franklin Street, Chapel Hill · Also named: Kemp NyeBernard Lee Bryant Jr., Occupants and Structures of Franklin Street, Chapel Hill (1998; Chapel Hill Historical Society, 1999), scan p. 303
  2. Fire destroys Kemp Nye's record store on East Franklin Street Fire broke out about 9:30 p.m. in the rear of the two-story frame building on East Franklin Street that housed Kemp's record shop and Courts' Drug Company and gutted both businesses, with damage put at about $100,000. The condemned building burned again on July 11 and was torn down soon after. A Burger King later opened in a small store on the site. Place: Kemp's Records, East Franklin Street, Chapel Hill · Also named: Kemp Nye · Also mentions: East Franklin StreetBernard Lee Bryant Jr., Occupants and Structures of Franklin Street, Chapel Hill (1998; Chapel Hill Historical Society, 1999), scan p. 323 · Also: The Daily Tar Heel, May 8, 1966, p. 1; The Daily Tar Heel, September 15, 1966, p. 1; The Daily Tar Heel, April 13, 1967, p. 3
  3. The Cat's Cradle opens in Chapel Hill Cat's Cradle opened in 1969 as a tiny basement music club near the UNC campus, named for Kurt Vonnegut's novel. After moves within Chapel Hill it settled at 300 East Main Street in Carrboro in 1993, where it became a regular stop for touring acts. Place: Chapel Hill · Also mentions: Cat's Cradle, 300 East Main StreetChapel Hill Historical Society: Cat's Cradle, 300 East Main Street
  4. Town Hall tavern opens in the old Robbins department store Town Hall, run by Michael and Jeremy Strong with David Braten, former manager of the New Establishment, opened downtown in the building that had held Robbins' department store, with 330 seats and about 70 bands to choose from; by February 1973 it was the biggest tavern in town, and the Daily Tar Heel said it sold more beer than any other place in North Carolina. Managers of smaller bars such as the Endangered Species said its opening cut into their trade. Place: Former Robbins' department store, Franklin Street, Chapel Hill · Also named: Michael Strong, Jeremy Strong, David BratenThe Daily Tar Heel, February 5, 1973, p. 14
  5. Cat's Cradle reopens on West Rosemary Street Cat's Cradle, run by Marcia Wilson and Bill Smith, reopened by April 1973 on Rosemary Street in Chapel Hill and advertised that summer at 405½ West Rosemary Street. The club had been on Rosemary Street before, in rooms behind the Burger Chef, from at least 1970 until its landlord evicted it around the end of 1971, and it stayed closed for more than a year. The Chapel Hill Historical Society places its very first home in a small basement near campus. Place: 405½ West Rosemary Street, Chapel Hill · Also named: Marcia Wilson, Bill Smith · Also mentions: Cat's Cradle, Rosemary Street, West Rosemary StreetThe Daily Tar Heel, July 26, 1973, p. 4 · Also: The Daily Tar Heel, August 28, 1973, p. 32; Chapel Hill Historical Society: 300 East Main Street; Open Orange: Cat's Cradle; The Daily Tar Heel, March 25, 1971, p. 4; The Daily Tar Heel, November 7, 1972, p. 8; The Daily Tar Heel, February 5, 1973, p. 14; The Daily Tar Heel, April 9, 1973, p. 3; The Daily Tar Heel, November 21, 1988, p. 4; The Daily Tar Heel, September 1, 1983, p. 17; The Daily Tar Heel, September 28, 1983, p. 2
  6. Franklin Street's Town Hall tavern closes and reopens as the Cenergy disco The Town Hall tavern, a Franklin Street music bar since 1972 that had booked many unknown bands, was renovated in the summer of 1976 under new management after losing money and reopened as Cenergy, a private disco club with annual dues and separate Friday and Saturday clubs. Place: Franklin Street, Chapel HillThe Daily Tar Heel, August 30, 1976, p. 10
  7. Lloyd Street Studios incorporates in Carrboro's old town jail Eleven people who had rented Carrboro's former town jail, a small corner building with 18-inch walls, for $325 a month incorporated it as Lloyd Street Studios, a practice and recording space for local bands. By 1987 it had 25 stockholders and $14,000 in equipment and rented practice time for $35 a month; The Shake, Southern Culture on the Skids and The Smokin' Phones had recorded albums there, and The Connells had started out practicing there. Place: Former town jail, CarrboroThe Daily Tar Heel, February 23, 1987, p. 1
  8. Carmen McRae plays four sold-out nights at Stephen's...after all Jazz singer Carmen McRae, a protegee of Billie Holiday, sang to sell-out audiences for four nights at the Chapel Hill supper club Stephen's...after all. Place: Stephen's...after all, Village Plaza, Elliott Road, Chapel Hill · Also named: Carmen McRaeBlack Ink (Black Student Movement, UNC), April 29, 1982, p. 5
  9. Pegasus, a live rock club, opens at 128 East Franklin Street Pegasus, a club for live rock bands, opened at 128 East Franklin Street in the former Star Trax video-game parlor, a site where the Mad Hatter, Town Hall and Jasper's had all closed; the band Brice Street played to about 600 people on opening night. The club served beer only, put a lounge and game room on its lower level, and planned to set aside one night a week for local bands. Place: 128 East Franklin Street, Chapel Hill · Also mentions: Mad Hatter, East Franklin StreetThe Daily Tar Heel, August 24, 1982, p. 4
  10. Rhythm Alley opens in the former Cat's Cradle on Rosemary Street Rhythm Alley, a live music bar owned by artist and musician Judy Hammond, opened on August 4, 1983, in the Rosemary Street room that had been the Cat's Cradle, with Dave Olney and the X-Rays playing the first night. Hammond repainted the room, replaced its church-like pews with tables to widen the dance floor and booked music from bluegrass and Irish folk to rock and reggae, and the Red Clay Ramblers sold out two shows in August. Place: West Rosemary Street, Chapel Hill · Also named: Judy Hammond · Also mentions: Cat's Cradle, Rosemary StreetThe Daily Tar Heel, September 1, 1983, p. 17
  11. The Station, a bar in Carrboro's old depot, closes By the end of August 1983 The Station, a bar and restaurant with live music in Carrboro's historic railroad station on East Main Street, had closed, one of several Chapel Hill and Carrboro music clubs to shut in those years. Place: The Station, 201 East Main Street, CarrboroThe Daily Tar Heel, September 1, 1983, p. 17
  12. The Great Cosmic Croquet Movie premieres at Cat's Cradle Bob Landau's film The Great Cosmic Croquet Movie, a parody sports documentary on the Great Cosmic Croquet Tournament played in Chapel Hill since 1969, had its premiere at Cat's Cradle, followed by the Chapel Hill band the Socks. Place: Cat's Cradle, Chapel Hill · Also named: Bob LandauSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, October 23, 1984, p. 3
Show all 59 dated events
  1. Dexter Romweber of the Flat Duo Jets lives in the backyard shack he calls the Mausoleum At 19, the Flat Duo Jets singer and guitarist was living in a shack he had fitted out behind the Romweber family house in Carrboro, sleeping beside a coffin. The house itself, where his siblings Sara and Joe also played in bands, was known for practices and police noise complaints. Place: 108 Pine Street, Carrboro · Also named: Dexter Romweber, Sara Romweber, Joe RomweberThe Daily Tar Heel, October 2, 1985, p. 6
  2. Frank Heath buys Cat's Cradle David Robert and his partners sold the Chapel Hill club, then at 320 West Franklin Street, to Frank Heath and Richard Fox over the summer of 1986, and the new owners worked on its acoustics and seating before reopening it on September 9. Heath became sole owner in 1987 and still runs the club. People: Frank Heath Place: Chapel Hill · Also named: Richard Fox, David RobertNC Arts Council: Hip History: Cat's Cradle Is Still Rocking After 50 Years · Also: The Daily Tar Heel, August 28, 1986, p. 13
  3. The Rhythm Alley music club is sold to a Raleigh club owner Rhythm Alley, the small music club at 405 1/2 West Rosemary Street, was bought over the summer by the owner of the Brewery in Raleigh, who planned all-ages early shows and a private club later. Place: 405 1/2 West Rosemary Street, Chapel HillThe Daily Tar Heel, August 28, 1986, p. 13
  4. Cat's Cradle holds an all-day benefit for WXYC with a lineup of local bands From 2 p.m. to past midnight the Chapel Hill club presented Snatches of Pink, the Graphic, the Connells, the Swamis, Necessary Friction, Light in August, Other Bright Colors, Satellite Boyfriend, HEGE V and the Flat Duo Jets, with Rick Rock closing, to raise money for the student radio station. Part-owner Richard Fox, a former WXYC chief engineer, recorded the sets for a 90-minute cassette of two songs per band, plus two from Let's Active, to be sold to buy new equipment for the station. People: Frank Heath Place: Cat's Cradle, Chapel Hill · Also named: Richard Fox · Also mentions: WXYCThe Daily Tar Heel, November 10, 1986, p. 4
  5. The Skylight Exchange opens in the old Cat's Cradle building on West Rosemary Street Dennis Gavin opened the Skylight Exchange, a cafe and used book and record store with live music and no alcohol, in the West Rosemary Street building that had housed the Cat's Cradle for 14 years and then the Rhythm Alley club, cutting five skylights into the windowless room with co-owner John Howell. It grew out of Gavin's Fair Exchange store in Carrboro. Place: 405 1/2 West Rosemary Street, Chapel Hill · Also named: Dennis Gavin, John Howell · Also mentions: Cat's Cradle, West Rosemary StreetThe Daily Tar Heel, March 23, 1990, p. 6
  6. Cat's Cradle closes its club at 320 West Franklin Street The Cat's Cradle left 320 West Franklin Street when its lease ran out on September 1, 1988, after owner Frank Heath was told the lease would not be renewed and the rent would rise from $816 to $2,000 a month; investors planned to buy the building and turn the space into offices. Heath said he was looking for at least 2,000 square feet elsewhere. In January 1989 the Downtown Commission found the club temporary space in the vacant former Southern Bell building on West Franklin Street. People: Frank Heath Place: 320 West Franklin Street, Chapel Hill · Also mentions: Cat's CradleThe Daily Tar Heel, September 8, 1988, p. 16 · Also: The Daily Tar Heel, January 18, 1989, p. 1
  7. Merge Records is founded in Chapel Hill Mac McCaughan and Laura Ballance started Merge in Chapel Hill in 1989, the year they formed Superchunk, to put out their own band's and friends' records on 7-inch singles and cassettes. People: Mac McCaughan, Laura Ballance Place: Chapel HillUNC Libraries: Merge Records Collection, 1987-2012 (finding aid)
  8. Cat's Cradle opens at 206 West Franklin Street After its lease ran out on September 1, 1988, at 320 West Franklin Street, the small room known as the shoebox, the club held its grand reopening on February 10, 1989 at 206 West Franklin Street, its fourth location, where it stayed until 1993. People: Frank Heath Place: 206 West Franklin Street, Chapel HillThe Daily Tar Heel, February 15, 1989, p. 1 · Also: The Daily Tar Heel, January 18, 1989, p. 1; Chapel Hill Historical Society: Cat's Cradle, 300 East Main Street; Open Orange: Cat's Cradle
  9. Janet Jackson brings her Rhythm Nation tour to the Smith Center Janet Jackson played to more than 20,000 people in the Dean E. Smith Center on her Rhythm Nation 1814 tour, a two-and-a-half-hour show with fireworks and a live panther, after an opening set by Chuckii Booker and an introduction by MTV's Julie Brown. Place: Dean E. Smith Center, University, Chapel Hill · Also named: Janet JacksonBlack Ink (Black Student Movement, UNC), March 7, 1990, p. 8
  10. Superchunk releases its first album The Chapel Hill band, whose early singles had launched Merge Records, issued its self-titled debut album on Matador; Merge put out the band's later albums from Chapel Hill and Carrboro. People: Mac McCaughan, Laura Ballance Place: Chapel HillColumbia Magazine: Merge Records and the Explosion of American Indie Rock
  11. 24-7 Spyz open for Jane's Addiction in Memorial Hall The Black rock and funk band 24-7 Spyz, touring behind its second album, Gumbo Millennium, opened for Jane's Addiction in Memorial Hall. Black Ink's reviewer reported that the band kept the crowd moving through its whole set. Place: Memorial Hall, University, Chapel HillBlack Ink (Black Student Movement, UNC), November 19, 1990, p. 8
  12. Town manager cuts the Cat's Cradle's occupancy limit, then holds off enforcing it After the June 25 melee Town Manager Cal Horton cut the Cat's Cradle's occupancy limit from 558 to 212 under the ordinance requiring one parking space for every four occupants. At the July 8 Town Council meeting about 20 of the club's patrons opposed the limit, council member Art Werner called it inappropriate, and Horton agreed to hold off enforcing it while the Board of Adjustment heard the club's appeal; the council also turned down Horton's plan to let police enforce parking bans in private lots, which several West Franklin Street businesses had requested. People: Cal Horton, Frank Heath Place: Cat's Cradle, 206 West Franklin Street, Chapel Hill · Also named: Art WernerThe Daily Tar Heel, July 11, 1991, p. 3
  13. Nirvana plays Cat's Cradle Nirvana played the club's West Franklin Street room ten days after the release of Nevermind; Pearl Jam also played the Cradle in 1991, to about 100 people. Place: Cat's Cradle, 206 West Franklin Street, Chapel HillNC Arts Council: Hip History: Cat's Cradle Is Still Rocking After 50 Years
  14. Local 506 opens on West Franklin Street Glenn Boothe opened Local 506, an all-ages rock club for emerging and local bands, at 506 West Franklin Street and owned it for about a decade. Place: 506 West Franklin Street, Chapel Hill · Also named: Glenn BootheLocal 506: About
  15. Merge releases its first full-length, Superchunk's Tossing Seeds The Superchunk singles collection Tossing Seeds (Singles 89–91) was Merge's first full-length release and its first CD. People: Mac McCaughan, Laura Ballance Place: Chapel HillUNC Libraries: Merge Records Collection, 1987-2012 (finding aid)
  16. Polvo releases its debut album Cor-Crane secret on Merge The Chapel Hill quartet's first album came out on Merge in 1992, followed by Today's Active Lifestyles on Merge in 1993. Place: Chapel HillTrouser Press: Polvo
  17. Chapel Hill Town Council approves the Pavilion on Franklin on the Cat's Cradle site On July 6, 1992, the Chapel Hill Town Council voted 5 to 2 to grant a special-use permit for The Pavilion on Franklin, a five-story mixed-use building at West Franklin and Church streets on the site of the Cat's Cradle, and amended the town's transportation management plan to drop 154 of 185 required parking spaces in favor of trolley use, leased carpool spaces, bicycles and bus passes. Julie Andresen and Roosevelt Wilkerson voted no and former council member R.D. Smith warned that the lack of parking would hurt downtown. People: R. D. Smith Place: West Franklin and Church streets, Chapel Hill · Also named: Julie Andresen, Roosevelt Wilkerson · Also mentions: Cat's CradleSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, July 9, 1992, p. 4
  18. The Chapel Hill sound gains national attention Spin's December 1992 feature "Robbing the Cradle," its title a play on the Cat's Cradle, looked at Polvo and other local bands as record scouts hunted for the next big thing after Seattle. By January 1993 the Daily Tar Heel counted about six publications calling Chapel Hill the next Seattle, and Details and Time followed that year. Place: Chapel Hill and Carrboro · Also mentions: Cat's CradleNC Arts Council: A Look At The Indie Rock Music Scene In Chapel Hill (David Menconi, July 22, 2019)
  19. Entertainment Weekly asks whether Chapel Hill is the next Seattle A 1993 Entertainment Weekly article proposed Chapel Hill as Seattle's successor and questioned whether Superchunk wanted the role; Rolling Stone the same year floated Superchunk as the next Nirvana. People: Mac McCaughan Place: Chapel HillColumbia Magazine: Merge Records and the Explosion of American Indie Rock
  20. Squirrel Nut Zippers form near Chapel Hill Jim Mathus and Katharine Whalen, who had moved from Chapel Hill to a farmhouse in Efland, started the band in summer 1993, played their first show that November and signed with Mammoth Records in 1994. Place: Efland, Orange County · Also named: Jim Mathus, Katharine WhalenEncyclopedia.com: Squirrel Nut Zippers (Contemporary Musicians; Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Popular Musicians Since 1990)
  21. Details magazine profiles the scene as "Chapel Hill-billies" Details followed Spin with a February 1993 piece on the town's bands, and Time the same year named Chapel Hill as a possible alternative-rock boomtown. Place: Chapel HillNC Arts Council: A Look At The Indie Rock Music Scene In Chapel Hill
  22. Cat's Cradle closes its last Franklin Street location The owners of the building at 206 West Franklin Street sold to a developer, and the club scheduled its last show there for May 19; Frank Heath then spent about six months looking for a new site. People: Frank Heath Place: 206 West Franklin Street, Chapel HillPink House Forever (blog): End of a Franklin Street Era for Cat's Cradle (reprint of Indie-List Digest #31, May 15, 1993) · Also: The Daily Tar Heel, May 20, 1993, p. 3; The Daily Tar Heel, October 19, 1993, p. 1
  23. Archers of Loaf release their debut album Icky Mettle The Chapel Hill band's first album came out on Alias Records; Merge later reissued it with bonus material. Place: Chapel HillArchers of Loaf (Bandcamp): Icky Mettle (Reissue)
  24. FGI marketing firm moves into the former Cat's Cradle building on West Franklin Street FGI, an advertising and marketing firm needing about 25,000 square feet, moved from Eastowne Drive to 206 West Franklin Street, the former Cat's Cradle nightclub, over Thanksgiving weekend and planned to open there on November 29. Council member Joyce Brown said the town had encouraged the move by leasing the firm 100 spaces in a nearby lot for three years, and the firm added lighting and a night guard amid concern about crime on West Franklin Street. Place: 206 West Franklin Street, Chapel Hill · Also named: Joyce Brown · Also mentions: Cat's CradleSearch the index · The Daily Tar Heel, November 23, 1993, p. 3
  25. The Cat's Cradle moves to Carrboro After about six months dark, the club reopened on November 29, 1993 in the former Nice Price Books space at 300 East Main Street in Carrboro, next to Vis Art Video, a standing-room hall holding about 750. The Jesus Lizard, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and Brickbat played the grand reopening. People: Frank Heath Place: Carrboro · Also mentions: 300 East Main StreetNC Arts Council: Hip History: Cat's Cradle Is Still Rocking After 50 Years · Also: The Daily Tar Heel, November 22, 1993, p. 3; The Daily Tar Heel, January 7, 1994, p. 5; The Daily Tar Heel, December 2, 1993, p. 10
  26. Grateful Dead fans rally against the chancellor's refusal of a Smith Center return The Bring Back the Dead group rallied against Chancellor Paul Hardin's December 10 refusal to let the Grateful Dead play the Smith Center again: about 20 fans demonstrated in the snow in the Pit on February 2, and about 40 gathered in the rain at the Franklin Street post office on February 5. Organizer Brian Felstein called the campaign an educational project and planned Saturday rallies until March 29; the Daily Tar Heel reported that Hardin's house had been spray-painted with 'Dead Rules' after his decision, which Felstein said he did not condone. Place: The Pit, UNC, and the post office, East Franklin Street, Chapel Hill · Also named: Brian Felstein, Paul Hardin · Also mentions: Franklin Street post office, Smith CenterThe Daily Tar Heel, February 7, 1994, p. 3
  27. Orange County commissioners approve fireworks for a Rush concert at the Smith Center Meeting in Carrboro on February 15, the county commissioners voted unanimously, on Stephen Halkiotis's motion seconded by Verla Insko, to grant a pyrotechnics permit for the band Rush's March 6 concert at the Smith Center under a permit policy adopted January 18. In December the board had refused a permit for Janet Jackson's January 8 show, which was then cancelled; this time Fire Marshal Mike Tapp agreed to demonstrate the effects to Halkiotis beforehand and could halt them during the show. Place: Dean E. Smith Center, UNC, Chapel Hill · Also named: Stephen Halkiotis, Verla Insko, Mike Tapp, Janet JacksonThe Daily Tar Heel, February 16, 1994, p. 3
  28. Grateful Dead fans hold a forum at Chapel Hill Town Hall to press for the band's return About 40 people attended a Bring Back the Dead forum at Town Hall on fans' conduct and concert logistics after Chancellor Paul Hardin rejected a 1994 Smith Center concert as conflicting with Bicentennial events; no town or University officials came. Place: Chapel Hill Town Hall, Chapel Hill · Also named: Paul Hardin · Also mentions: Smith CenterThe Daily Tar Heel, February 22, 1994, p. 3
  29. Weaver Street Market begins its Thursday After Hours music and tasting series The Carrboro grocery's weekly evening series of live music, grilled food and beer and wine tastings started indoors with about 20 people and by summer drew more than 1,200 on some nights to the lawn in front of the store at Carr Mill Mall, running through October. Mayor Eleanor Kinnaird pointed to such events in calling Carrboro a center of arts and leisure. People: Ellie Kinnaird Place: Weaver Street Market lawn, Carr Mill Mall, Carrboro · Also mentions: Carr Mill MallThe Daily Tar Heel, September 8, 1994, p. 5
  30. Merge Records has its office in Carrboro Merge Records had its office in Carrboro on Main Street, a few steps from the Armadillo Grill, where Mac McCaughan and Laura Ballance ran the label. Merge had started in Ballance's spare room in Chapel Hill, and in 2001 McCaughan and Ballance bought a building in downtown Durham for it. People: Mac McCaughan, Laura Ballance Place: 120 East Main Street, CarrboroThe Daily Tar Heel, September 8, 1994, p. 5 · Also: The Daily Tar Heel, December 1, 1994, p. 13; Columbia Magazine: Merge Records and the Explosion of American Indie Rock; Open Orange: Merge Records
  31. WXYC makes the first internet radio simulcast WXYC streamed its radio broadcast over the internet on November 7, 1994. People: Paul Jones Place: Chapel Hill · Also mentions: WXYCUNC · Also: The Daily Tar Heel, December 7, 1994, p. 1
  32. Ben Folds Five release their debut album The piano trio, formed in Chapel Hill around 1993, issued its self-titled first album on the independent Caroline label, then signed with Sony's 550 Music, which released Whatever and Ever Amen in 1997. People: Ben Folds Place: Chapel HillEncyclopedia.com: Ben Folds Five (Contemporary Musicians; Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Popular Musicians Since 1990)
  33. Squirrel Nut Zippers release Hot on Mammoth Records The band's second album and its single "Hell" reached the national charts during the swing revival, and Hot went platinum. Place: Carrboro (Mammoth Records)Encyclopedia.com: Squirrel Nut Zippers (Contemporary Musicians; Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Popular Musicians Since 1990)
  34. Ben Folds Five record Whatever and Ever Amen at Folds's Chapel Hill home After a summer on the Lollapalooza tour, the band recorded its second album in the small living room of Folds's Chapel Hill house with producer Caleb Southern. The album went on to sell more than a million copies. People: Ben Folds Place: Chapel Hill · Also named: Caleb SouthernSearch the index · Encyclopedia.com: Ben Folds Five (Contemporary Musicians; Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Popular Musicians Since 1990)
  35. Disney buys Carrboro's Mammoth Records The Walt Disney Company announced its purchase of the Carrboro-based independent label for about $25 million, and founder Jay Faires signed a long-term employment contract. Place: Carrboro · Also named: Jay FairesD23: Mammoth Records
  36. Le Tigre plays the Cat's Cradle The New York band Le Tigre, fronted by Kathleen Hanna, played the Cat's Cradle with the electro-pop groups hey willpower and Lesbians on Ecstasy opening. Lambda noted the band had toured eight times, often stopping in Chapel Hill. Place: Cat's Cradle, Carrboro · Also named: Kathleen HannaLambda (Carolina Gay and Lesbian Association, UNC), February 2005, p. 10
  37. Merge Records marks its 20th anniversary with the XX Merge festival The label held four nights at Cat's Cradle and a finale at UNC's Memorial Hall, with film screenings at the Ackland Art Museum and a free show at the Orange County Social Club in Carrboro. People: Mac McCaughan, Laura Ballance Place: Cat's Cradle, Carrboro; Memorial Hall, Chapel Hill · Also mentions: Ackland Art MuseumINDY Week: Merge Records turns 20
  38. First Big Star's Third concert is staged at Cat's Cradle Stamey served as musical director for a live staging of Big Star's 1975 album Third, which debuted at Cat's Cradle in Carrboro before later shows in London and at South by Southwest in 2012. People: Chris Stamey Place: Cat's Cradle, CarrboroSearch the index · UNC Libraries, Southern Folklife Collection: Chris Stamey Collection, 1975-2006
  39. Cat's Cradle opens the Back Room The club added a second room holding about 200 people beside its main hall at 300 East Main Street. People: Frank Heath Place: 300 East Main Street, CarrboroChapel Hill Historical Society: 300 East Main Street (Cat's Cradle)
  40. Merge Records holds its 25th anniversary festival in Carrboro Merge marked 25 years with a festival built around Cat's Cradle, ending with an outdoor show in the club's parking lot that organizers expected to draw about 3,000 people after the indoor nights sold out. Passes were sold through the Cat's Cradle website. People: Laura Ballance, Mac McCaughan Place: Carrboro · Also mentions: Cat's CradleSearch the index · INDY Week: Working for you: Merge Records at 25
  41. Frank Heath tells the Carrboro Board of Aldermen that the Cat's Cradle has outgrown its building At the second public hearing on a proposed arts and innovation center and hotel at East Main Street, Heath said the Cat's Cradle and the ArtsCenter were both too big for their buildings and that expansion had become urgent. He called it a dilemma for a small town with two successful arts organizations. People: Frank Heath, Lydia Lavelle Place: Carrboro · Also mentions: ArtsCenter, Cat's CradleSearch the index · Chapelboro: Cat's Cradle Owner to Carrboro BoA: Growing Arts Scene Presents 'Dilemma'
  42. Merge Records holds its 30th anniversary festival at Cat's Cradle and in Durham More than 30 acts from the label's roster played MRG30 over four days. The Carrboro nights were at Cat's Cradle, where Superchunk closed the Thursday bill at midnight, and the opening night and after party were in Durham. Fans held a potluck and kickball game at Wilson Park in Carrboro on the Friday. People: Laura Ballance, Mac McCaughan Place: Carrboro · Also mentions: Cat's CradleSearch the index · BrooklynVegan: Merge Records 30th Anniversary Fest begins (final lineup, set times, and a Spinanes reunion)
  43. Cat's Cradle marks 50 years with an anniversary concert series The "Cat's Cradle Turns 50" series put 50 acts on stage over six nights at the Carrboro club. People: Frank Heath Place: Cat's Cradle, CarrboroNC Arts Council: Hip History: Cat's Cradle Is Still Rocking After 50 Years
  44. Cat's Cradle plays its last shows before the pandemic shutdown Destroyer played the main room at 300 East Main Street on March 11, 2020, and Songs From the Road Band played the Back Room on March 13, the club's last shows before COVID-19 closed it. Heath said he began rescheduling on the night of March 11, when the NBA suspended its season, and the March 14 shows were cancelled. People: Frank Heath Place: Cat's Cradle, Carrboro · Also mentions: 300 East Main StreetSearch the index · Chapelboro: Venues in a Pandemic: Cat's Cradle
  45. North Carolina musicians release Cover Charge to benefit the Cat's Cradle Twenty-five North Carolina acts, among them Superchunk, the Mountain Goats, Tift Merritt and Iron and Wine, recorded cover songs for an album to raise money for the closed Carrboro club. Musician and UNC professor Florence Dore organized it, and Heath said presales were running better than expected. People: Frank Heath Place: Carrboro · Also named: Florence DoreSearch the index · ABC11: Cat's Cradle: North Carolina musicians team up for fundraising album for beloved Carrboro music venue
  46. The ArtsCenter moves to Roberson Street The ArtsCenter opened its new home at 400 Roberson Street in downtown Carrboro with a parade and ribbon-cutting on August 26, 2023, after moving from 300 East Main Street. The renovated former office building, nearly 18,000 square feet, added a larger ceramics studio, maker spaces, a black-box theater and a youth education center. Place: Carrboro · Also mentions: The ArtsCenter, 300 East Main Street, Roberson StreetSearch the index · Chapelboro: The ArtsCenter Opens, Celebrates its Upgraded Home in Downtown Carrboro (August 28, 2023)
  47. Merge Records marks 35 years with four shows at Cat's Cradle Merge celebrated its 35th anniversary with four shows at Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, the club that had held its earlier anniversary festivals, in the same year the label was named to the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. People: Laura Ballance, Mac McCaughan Place: Carrboro · Also mentions: Cat's CradleSearch the index · WUNC: These are the essential Merge Records albums to know as the Durham label celebrates 35 years

Places in this history

Buildings, schools, churches and other sites named in the dated events on this page, the most often named first. The map shows the 5 with a known location.

Map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Site locations from the N.C. State Historic Preservation Office survey, Open Orange, Orange County GIS, OpenStreetMap and a few other published sources named on each site’s page; town and community pins show approximate locations.

  • Cat’s Cradle Businesses, mills and venues · Chapel Hill · 26 events here
  • Dean E. Smith Center University buildings and grounds · Chapel Hill · 3 events here
  • Memorial Hall University buildings and grounds · Chapel Hill · 2 events here
  • The ArtsCenter Libraries, museums and media · Carrboro · 2 events here
  • WXYC Libraries, museums and media · Chapel Hill · 2 events here
  • Ackland Art Museum University buildings and grounds · Chapel Hill · 1 event here
  • Stephen's...after all Businesses, mills and venues · Chapel Hill · 1 event here

All places and the county map →

Indexed works

Related works found in catalogs and archives across North Carolina. Each links to the institution that holds or provides it.

Filter these works by material, period, or place. Counts refer to works, not individual copies. A work may appear under more than one period or place.

Material

Periodicals 5Histories 4Photographs & portraits 2Biography 1Exhibition catalogs 1

Period

20th century 321st century 1

Place

North Carolina (statewide) 250Carrboro 207Chapel Hill 135Orange County 1

A Really Strange and Wonderful Time

Maxwell, Tom · 2024 · Hachette Books

Tom Maxwell's 2024 account of Chapel Hill's alternative rock scene in the 1990s, set against North Carolina's longer musical history. Maxwell writes as a musician who played in that scene, and the book follows the bands, clubs and labels that drew national attention to the town. Subjects include alternative rock music, Chapel Hill, 1991-2000, history and criticism. Published by Hachette, 310 pages with plates.

Included because: Catalog heading in the NC Cardinal record: Alternative rock music -- North Carolina -- Chapel Hill -- History and criticism.

✓ Held at OCPL · 780.903 MAXWELL NC Cardinal Duke UNC Chapel Hill PL Durham

A Dream About Lightning Bugs: A Life of Music and Cheap Lessons

Folds, Ben · 2019

Singer and songwriter Ben Folds (born 1966), whose band Ben Folds Five came together in Chapel Hill, looks back on his life in music. Chapters cover his music teachers and 'cheap lessons', a stretch in Nashville, the band's first albums and the music business, 'Rockin' the suburbs', going solo, and the years after a low point, told through anecdotes and working advice. Published in a first edition of 2019, 311 pages with illustrations.

Included because: The record names this subject alongside a heading for the county or its towns.

✓ Held at OCPL · BIO FOLDS FOL Duke NC Cardinal Durham Chapel Hill PL

Our Noise: The Story of Merge Records, the Indie Label That Got Big and Stayed Small

Cook, John · 2009 · Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill

John Cook's history of Merge Records, the independent label that Mac McCaughan and Laura Ballance of Superchunk built in Chapel Hill. Chapters follow the label year by year from 1987 to 2009 and pause for profiles of Butterglory, Neutral Milk Hotel, the Magnetic Fields, Spoon, Lambchop and the Arcade Fire, ending on how it managed to stay small. Advance reading copy of the first edition, published in Chapel Hill in 2009, 289 pages with twelve pages of plates.

Included because: Catalog heading in the UNC record: Merge Records.

✓ Held at OCPL · 338.761 COOK UNC Duke NC State NC Cardinal Durham Chapel Hill PL Library of Congress

2015 WXYCzine.

2015

A 2015 zine produced by people at WXYC, the college radio station in Chapel Hill.

Included because: Catalog heading in the UNC record: WXYC (Radio station : Chapel Hill, N.C.).

UNC

Late century dream : movements in the US indie music underground.

2013

Essays on the American independent music underground, edited by Thomas Howells according to the colophon and published in London in 2013. The essays include the history and criticism of alternative rock in Chapel Hill. Of interest to readers following North Carolina music of the late twentieth century.

Included because: Catalog heading in the UNC record: Alternative rock music -- North Carolina -- Chapel Hill -- History and criticism.

UNC

What did you expect? : the Archers of Loaf live at Cat's Cradle

2011 · MVD Visual

Concert film of the Archers of Loaf recorded at Cat's Cradle in Carrboro on August 19 and 20, 2011, released on a single videodisc running 89 minutes in color with sound. Extras include six additional songs, four interviews with the band and a trailer. Topics include rock concerts in Carrboro and rock music of the 2010s.

Included because: Catalog heading in the UNC record: Archers of Loaf (Musical group).

UNC
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The Merge Records companion : a visual discography of the first twenty years

Merge Records · 2009 · Merge Records

Visual discography covering the first twenty years of Merge Records, the independent label founded in Chapel Hill, published by the label itself in 2009. Album covers and catalog listings make up the substance of it, and the spine carries the label number MRG353. Topics include the sound recording industry in Chapel Hill and catalogs of album covers.

Included because: Catalog heading in the UNC record: Merge Records.

UNC

The artist as a collaborator in the community : working with Latino youth in Carrboro, North Carolina

Almirall, Katie R. · 2007

Katie R. Almirall's senior honors thesis statement, written to accompany her exhibition in the Center Gallery of the ArtsCenter in Carrboro from April 2 to 28, 2007. Twenty one leaves with illustrations, describing collaborative art work with Latino young people in the town. Topics include community arts projects and Hispanic American youth in Carrboro.

Included because: Catalog heading in the UNC record: ArtsCenter (Carrboro, N.C.) -- Exhibitions.

UNC

A calendar of events for ...

ArtsCenter (Carrboro, N.C.) · 1995 · The ArtsCenter

Event calendars issued by the ArtsCenter in Carrboro, recorded from 1995 and printed in illustrated volumes at 35 centimeters. The title varies from issue to issue. The series gives dates and listings for the center's performances and classes.

Included because: Catalog heading in the UNC record: ArtsCenter (Carrboro, N.C.) -- Calendars.

UNC

Chapel Hill young rock.

1994 · Cane Man Films

Video compilation of seventeen music videos by Chapel Hill area bands, directed by Norwood Cheek and released by Cane Man Films of Carrboro in 1994, with clips of local figures cut between the songs. Running an hour and seven minutes on VHS, it documents the Chapel Hill alternative rock scene of the early 1990s. Subjects include alternative rock and popular music in Chapel Hill.

Included because: Catalog heading in the Duke record: Alternative rock music -- North Carolina -- Chapel Hill.

UNC Duke

Government funding of the arts : how funding affects arts programming

Bish, William · 1992

William Bish asked in 1992 how government funding shapes arts programming, drawing on the ArtsCenter in Carrboro, and considering arts fundraising in the town and across North Carolina. A typescript of 66 leaves, closing with a bibliography on leaves 65 and 66.

Included because: Catalog heading in the UNC record: ArtsCenter (Carrboro, N.C.).

UNC

WXYC scene.

1991 · WXYC

Periodical issued by WXYC, the radio station in Chapel Hill, from 1991. Three volumes, 22 centimeters.

Included because: Catalog heading in the UNC record: WXYC (Radio station : Chapel Hill, N.C.).

UNC

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Picture: Sparklehorse at the Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro, 2007. CC BY 2.0. Photograph by broma; via Wikimedia Commons

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