Anyone can be in a college band. But not anyone can keep it pushing past the days of house show bookings and “Valerie” covers. When Harvey Street kicked off five years ago at an NC State frat party, they played with an array of members and barely had a band name. But it didn’t matter—fans still hold great stake in grainy Snapchat videos and memories of that first performance.
Now, post-grad, Harvey Street has performed relentlessly across the U.S., headlining four tours and opening for indie and alt-country frontrunners like Futurebirds, Flipturn, Winyah and The Stews.
“Our current booking agent reached out to us in late ’23, early ’24 and asked ‘hey, you guys wanna book a tour?’” says drummer Josh Burgess of their post-college career. While the first round of shows—particularly the performances further away from Oak City—were “really, really rough,” the band maintains it’s the only way to cut your teeth in the music industry.
“Sometimes you are only playing to ten people, but what made us realize it’s going to work for us is when those ten people started enjoying themselves,” adds guitarist Jackson Reed. “It’s hard to win over an empty room, so when you start doing that, it’s a good sign good things are coming.”
Finn Ulrich, bass; Josh Burgess, drums; Jackson Reed, guitar; Jerome Bermudez, vocals and guitar; Erich Kronschnabel, keyboard
Harvey Street is all over the map in more ways than one. The band finds musical influences and idols everywhere, including in each other: “I wake up every day and try to be more like [vocalist] Jerome,” jokes Reed—but the allure of Peach Pit’s sound seems to drown out the rest.
Sonically, the Vancouver indie-rock band’s influence is already evident in Harvey Street’s guitar work, and vocalist and guitarist Jerome Bermudez maintains he’s trying to lean more into Peach Pit’s songwriting style—detailing strangely specific events invoking largely relatable emotions. “That’s something I am trying this time around with new songs,” Bermudez notes. “How can I be more specific, yet still general enough?”
Continuing in their usual style, the fivesome is unwaveringly hitting the road again across the Southeast after a quick Raleigh pit stop for a Live After 5 performance at Moore Square—finishing out the year with a final hometown(esque) show at Cat’s Cradle Dec. 3. But regardless of where they go, it’s clear Raleigh rides hard for Harvey Street.
RM talks Tweedy,writing and the scene with the Raleigh rock band.
When Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy penned “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” on acclaimed record Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, he unknowingly penned a Raleigh band into the city’s history books.
Alt-country group American Aquarium lifted their name from the opening line of the experimental rock track, launching a project that would eventually grow into a vast discography and 20+ years of live performances—garnering millions of ears, including the fans who now flock to the band’s annual Roadtrip to Raleigh, a three-night run at Lincoln Theatre kicking off Feb. 5.
“[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot] changed my life,” says frontman BJ Barham. “It changed how I viewed music and songwriting—it changed the way I viewed everything. It was a very easy decision to name the band American Aquarium—and, thankfully, 20 years later, Jeff Tweedy has not sued me, so I think he’s OK with it.”
Despite borrowing the Tweedy ref, the NC native doesn’t pursue the same abstract songwriting approach. While some American Aquarium tracks dip into conceptual narratives, Barham maintains their lyrics consistently draw from personal experience.
“If you put a piece of yourself in every song, every single time you sing it, you’re being honest with the audience,” Barham tells RM. “You can play it every night for 20 years and still have people believe you.” It’s an MO that serves the band well. Read: 16 albums in just two decades.
Still, the writing process doesn’t run on a fixed schedule—and results aren’t uniform. Barham says he will go a year without writing a song. “I make observations,” he explains. “I write down one-liners, songs and titles… nonsense I’ll overhear a couple talking about in Lincoln, Nebraska. Then I put all the observations down on the table and start drawing correlations. The songs present themselves.”
Barham isn’t sure a band like American Aquarium would find success in Raleigh today—and notes even they struggled in their own hometown early on.
“We’re not the math rock band, we’re not the indie punk band,” says the NC State grad. “We’re songwriters. For the first 10 years of our career, it was really hard to build something substantial in Raleigh—meaning bigger than The Pour House. We were selling out The Pour House every two months, but around the country, we were growing into larger theaters—we just weren’t growing in Raleigh.”
Enter Roadtrip to Raleigh. The band’s three-night run at Lincoln Theatre draws fans from all over the country for a hometown romp—and has consistently sold out over the decade.
“We take a lot of pride in where we’re from and where we got our start,” says Barham. “It’s always so nice to be able to come back home, bring all of our friends from around the country and show off how great Raleigh is.” So whether you’re a Raleigh native or Roadtrip regular, the road ends in the City of Oaks. lincolntheatre.com
Boy Named Sue’s recent EP is holding its own in the Raleigh music scene.
Finer Things by Boy Named Sue Listen if you like: Oasis, Joyce Manor, Violent Femmes
Continuing to cement themselves as a staple name in Raleigh’s music scene is rock group Boy Named Sue with their most recent release, Finer Things.
The Raleigh-based foursome formed in 2021 and has been turning out new music ever since. Writing and recording one well-produced album in four years is a feat for many artists—adding to their three albums and several EPs without sacrificing the quality in this quantity.
Mastered by Raleigh’s own Max Gowan at Found After Dark and released last fall, Finer Things displays a clear maturation from the group’s previous releases, but the lighter-hearted EP is still reminiscent of their same blended punk-rock sound. Consistently and refreshingly uncomplex lyrics lead the listener with unfettered vocals backdropped by grittier instrumentals. All the same, the record isn’t afraid of genre subversion.
Although the main elements of the EP lean far into both rock and emo, Southern sounds can be heard loud and clear—even apart from the opening track titled “CAROLINA SUMMER.” A faint whistle in the background, an occasional taste of a twangier guitar and hints of blues still shine through the punk sound as clear influences of the Carolinas.
And the album’s cover art tops off its contents by reiterating this combination of influences and genres—black high-tops seemingly carelessly tossed over the powerlines against a grainy blue sky mixes a vanguard of punk tastemaking with views of the South.
In short, Finer Things will make you both feel like you just emerged from the beer-soaked ecosystem of a house show and ran across a field amid a Carolina summer (!).
Following a four-year hiatus, Jack the Radio is back.
It’s the Raleigh rock scene’s dream come true. Jack the Radio is back with a new album and a collab beer with Trophy Brewing—a Helles lager with 100% NC Pilsner malt dubbed Jack the Radio Fast Fun (a nod to their 2023 single). After a four-year hiatus, the roots rockers are set to drop Under Lonely Light June 21, with a release show slated for June 22 at The Pour House feat. Fancy Gap, a comic release and vinyl fresh off the presses.
We caught up with half the group, George Hage and Danny Johnson, ahead of their tunes and brews release. Time to “tell everyone around!”
Why the hiatus?
We never stepped away from music, but there were a lot of steps taken as we maneuvered the twists and turns of the past few years, which have been a journey leading to a lot of introspection—and deeper and sometimes darker lyrics.
George Hage
How does the brew play on the vibe of “Fast Fun?”
This is our second collab with Trophy Brewing, and we’re superlucky to call co-owners Chris [Powers] and Woody [Lockwood] friends and supporters. We chatted with them about the vibe of the song and pitched some general targets (light and summery), but part of the fun is putting it in the hands of the professionals and seeing where they land! Fast Fun really fits the feel of the song as an upbeat summertime groove.
Danny Johnson
Your biggest inspiration?
I’m equally inspired by the music I listen to and the gear I have available. Mike Viola’s American Egypt didn’t really guide my engineering or mixing, but as an album full of unexpected twists and turns, it did constantly remind me there are no wrong sounds—as long as we’re serving the song.
Danny Johnson
I’ve tried to push myself to be more vulnerable when sharing my words and voice. I can attribute some of that to long hours listening to Tom Petty. He is a master of delivering genius in a clear and simple way.
George Hage
Any advice for local aspiring creatives?
Don’t wait for permission. Get out and go to shows and events—and see the amazing art and artists we have in the community. Create the art you want to see.
George Hage
*Responses have been lightly edited for space and clarity
A new duo has the keys to Raleigh’s oldest music venue.
Say hello to the Slim’s you used to know! The storied Downtown Raleigh music venue/dive bar is now under new ownership, thus ushering in its next era while keeping its OG character. Meet Amber Turner and Bill Johnson, the duo breathing new life into the 25-year-old outpost and adding a positive vibe as the bar looks toward the future. And despite the alleged staff exodus last fall, rest assured, the drama is done.
Taking the helm this spring, the pair obtained the sacred keys by appealing to the owners’ intent to safeguard the fundamental history and culture of the space as they prepared for retirement.
“It’s a dive bar,” Johnson maintains. “We are not looking to modernize or change it—we want to nourish and bring it back [while] making it a homebase for local musicians and artists.” Essentially, the goal is to keep things at the spot consistent with the standards of an old-timer who’s been visiting since its inception, throwing back the vibes to “feel like the Slim’s of 10 years ago.”
That said, one way the newly minted owners are seeking to elevate the local music scene is through giving young or up-and-coming artists space—and a stage—to shine. And there’s lots of local musician love to go around. Currently, Slim’s has 50+ artists slated during the month of May (s/o to the staff and a smattering of locals who helped curate the stacked lineup!), with more looking to snag a spot on the calendar soon.
All in all, there’s much to look forward to as Slim’s steps into a new moment while maintaining its core essence. “In the long run, it felt right,” says Johnson of acquiring the venue. “The place deserves some nurture, love and community.” Here’s to another 25 years! slimsraleigh.com
