Cranes, shiny new buildings, and official venues for music. This is Durham now.
I have lived in Durham for almost 30 years. I am not a native; I don’t even think I can call myself a “Durhamite.” What I can tell you and what I have to offer is some history in local music and arts.
Joe and Jo’s, Mr. Shoe, La Salamandra, Amano Paper, and Captured Live were some of the spaces where musicians put on shows. Some of these places were cramped, dank, and dark. Others were retail stores with owners who supported the arts and saw a connection between creativity, the community, and making a living. All these spaces captured sounds from a time when Durham was on the fringes of the triangle music scene. People from Chapel Hill and Raleigh wouldn’t come to Durham during the day, and especially not at night (a story for another day).
It was as if there were an invisible wall around Durham. People on the outside had no desire to cross the wall, and those in Durham began to create, perform, and put on shows wherever they could get permission, and often where no permission was granted. There was a tight-knit community of bands, a community that came together and supported one another.
Right now, I want to focus on some of the people who were here, creators, accelerants, and ignitors who helped birth the Durham music scene. I am also including some people who ended up here because the flame of others drew them in.
You may know and even remember some of the heavy hitters of the time, but I won’t delve into them now. I want to start with the unsung players who influenced what was to come and helped shape the positive community at that time.
Mark Cunningham could be found at Satisfactions Pizza — which locals referred to as “Sats” — pouring beer into scratched, fogged plastic pitchers. Sharp-tongued, kind-hearted, and an artist who is talented in both the visual and auditory arts.
When Mark would finish his shift at Sats on a Saturday night, he would come out of the kitchen with pots, spatulas, spoons, and any other noise-making tool he could find. People would show up with acoustic guitars, sing songs while being accompanied by a tin pan, and kitchen percussionists. I have never seen anything like this before, either coming to Durham or since Sats closed and Mark went on to tend bar at Geer St Garden.
Mark called the midnight gathering “Midnight Gladness”, which he later named his band. They still perform from time to time, and Mark still brings the energy and enthusiasm he did 25+ years ago.
Then there’s the Brainbows, aka pure indie post-punk happiness. I didn’t know the members or their backstories all that well. What I do know is that they rocked, inspired, and were a joy to see live. I would love to see them play again.
The following songs came from a WXDU live show, where Ross Grady always did a fantastic job. He’s worth a book full of stories that helped shape the local scene in his own right.
While attending the Blank Tapes benefit for Frog Hollow the other weekend, I ran into a member of Veronique Diabolique. I was already working on this piece, so this was a super timely meeting.
Veronique Diabolique was a band made up of Duke alumni and Scholars. At the time, Duke students did not often roam around Durham; instead, they would frequently take a Duke bus to Chapel Hill for entertainment. Having a band that went to Duke and had a member who worked there was amazing. Performances by Verinique Diabolique were outstanding, and all in French!
Rob and Eleni are Beloved Binge. They moved to Durham from the Pacific Northwest. They arrived in Durham, embedded themselves in the scene, helped other bands, played their hearts out, and were always having fun. I got to see them live many, many times and always enjoyed their sets. They played until it felt like the wheels were going to fall off, then they would pull it back together and do it all over again, all in one set.
After doing so much for the Durham scene, they headed to Philly and now live, play, and release monthly songs in Greece!
This is not meant to be a “I wish it were the same” story, but a shout-out to all those bands you may not know. Artists who shaped Durham and opened doors to usher in the thriving music scene we know and love today.
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