Triangle music blogs keep me plugged into the local music scene

In the past month, I’ve seen two of my favorite bands on stage in the Triangle: The National at Lincoln Theatre and The Decemberists at Progress Energy Center. I bragged about the awesomeness of the shows on my facebook page and one of my friends asked me how I find out about all these cool concerts. I told him, he needs to read Triangle music blogs.

I don’t want you to miss out on cool shows or find out about them too late to buy tickets. So here are some of my favorite Triangle music blogs:

* Triangle Music: Bloggers Kevin and Valerie are pretty quick to post concert announcements, they attend most of the major (and cooler) shows and provide commentary, photos and videos afterward.

* Mann’s World: No show is too small for Blogger Karen Mann, who does a great job keeping readers up-to-date on local music, complete with reviews and videos. She also links to relevant local music news. If you want to learn more about the Trianlge music scene, this is an excellent place to start.

* Music.MyNC.com: My co-worker Jake Seaton found a way to take advantage of working at a TV station. He invites local bands and touring acts into NBC17 Studio B and records a live session with them, posting it in full on the music blog he created. He’s also pretty quick to post concert announcements and local music news. Jake is responsible for this beautiful slideshow from The National concert.

* Scan (the Independent Weekly’s music blog): I don’t always agree with their reviews, but some of the best written music commentary in the Triangle can be found here.

* WKNC 88.1 blog: The blog for N.C. State’s student-run radio station is relatively new, but continues to be loaded with a pretty diverse mix of music news, promotions and randomness.

Unfortunately, I don’t have tickets to any upcoming concerts, so it’s time to check the local listings and pick out what I can afford. Let me know if I left out any music blogs that you love.

Here’s how much fun we had at the 30THREADS Blogger Bash at DPAC

One of the coolest feelings is meeting someone you follow online in real life. You get a rush from recognizing the face behind the words you’ve been reading on their blogs, in their tweets, their websites, etc. I got to experience that rush over and over again last night at the 30THREADS Blogger Bash at Durham Performing Arts Center.

The bash was a chance for us bloggers, picture takers, Tweeters and the people who love us to come together and mingle, eat incredible cheeses and raspberry brownies (My belly thanks you DPAC and Durham Catering). DPAC also graciously gave away tons of cool prizes, including dinner at Revolution, tickets to Legally Blonde, The Color Purple and the world premiere of Cirque Dreams Illumination.

We gathered on DPAC’s stage and listened to the soundtrack of Wicked while networking, sipping beers and touring the theatre. It was exciting to see a lot of new faces, bloggers who didn’t make it to previous bashes. Among my highlights from the bash:

* DPAC officially launched its own blog called DPAC Spotlight. It’s going to be run by their assistant marketing director, Rachel Gragg, who is also the voice on the @DPAC Twitter account. I knew about this ahead of time because my boyfriend’s company, This Is Beautiful, designed the site, so it was tough keeping my lips sealed in the days leading up to the event.

* I finally got to meet @JayDolan, one of my funniest tweeps who will someday soon have a big break in his singing and acting career. His tumblelog usually has something on it that makes me smile. Here’s my all time favorite post from his blog.

* I got to chat with my newest contact Steve Burnett. He posted some pics from his DPAC tour on Twitter. This one is INCREDIBLE.

* I met @Shawnf for the first time, which was cool because I feel like I’ve known him forever because I’ve been following his blogs and Twitter updates for over a year. He’s in the security business and this guy truly gets social networking and how to make it work for your industry.

* I met Rebecca, the foodie behind the Triangle restaurant review blog The Gourmez. I could tell her and her husband Ben are pretty hip (even if he doesn’t blog). She blogged about last night’s events here.

* Durham blogger Phil Marsosudiro made it out, which is a miracle because there’s something about the universe that always pulls him out-of-town when blogger events are happening. He went on the DPAC tour and photographed the autograph wall that is starting to develop. It includes signatures from Bill Cosby and Topol.

* Frozen food vlogger Greg Ng was there, and he gave me some of his cool, new Freezer Burns vinyl stickers.

* @Jazzychad, the creator of TweetGrid, showed up a little late (he got lost), but it was all good because he was rocking a vest and a newsboy cap.

* Also, my friend and fellow blogger Andrea drove all the way from Mebene to meet the bloggers she reads on 30THREADS. She blogs about dogs on her blog, Dogs & Randomness.

* I met Valerie from Triangle Music, which was cool because her and I are meeting next week to work on a cool project, so now I know what she looks like (and she’s just as adorable as the pics on her Tumblelog).

* And, of course, I was pleased to see some of the staple Durham bloggers make it out including Barry from Dependable Erection, Lenore from Eclectic Glob of Tangential Verbosity, Joe from Fallout Shelter.

I got to meet and say hello to so many others too. Please list your blog URL if you were there but not mentioned in this blog post. I’m sorry I didn’t give a shout out to everyone, but you know I love you Triangle Bloggers.

Get on stage at DPAC Thursday at 30THREADS Blogger Bash

Don’t forget the 30THREADS Blogger Bash at Durham Performing Arts Center is Thursday, April 9.

Here are three reasons why you should plan to go to the 30THREADS bash:
1. The party will be on the stage at Durham Performing Arts Center. So you’ll get a chance to live out any on-stage fantasies (well … sort of … I mean nothing too weird please).

2. There will be DPAC ticket giveaways.

3. You’ll get to mingle with all the fabulous bloggers whose blogs you troll. You can see if they really look like their avatars.

One final detail. Since the party will be on the stage, Please use the Mangum Street entrance!

Looking forward to seeing you IRL!

The fun starts with a 6:30 cocktail hour (cash bar) but you can drop in anytime between 6:30 and 9 p.m.

Special thanks to DPAC for taking the time to arrange this event for us.

Questions? Ask away.

Here’s what you need to know about the Raleigh Twestival

If you’re on Twitter, you’ve probably read something about the Raleigh Twestival. Details about it have been leaking out under the hashtag #RalTwestival for some time. Here’s what you need to know and why you should go.

What’s the point of Raleigh Twestival?

The Raleigh Twestival is the Triangle’s version of a fundraising event that will be hosted on the same night by Twitter communities in appx. 160 cities worldwide. The goal is to raise money for “Charity: Water” an organization that works to provide access to clean water in developing nations.

When and Where?

The party/fundraiser is from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday Feb. 12 at Edge Office in downtown Raleigh. This is the same cool space where we had the 30THREADS launch party and the most recent Triangle Tweetup.

What will the fundraiser be like?

Um, super fun! Among the highlights:

* The new Raleigh brewery Lonerider Brewing Company will be pouring its hefeweizen, Shotgun Betty, which must be pretty good b/c it received a favorable review on always-picky New Raleigh.

* A video booth where you can record a message to be posted on MyNC and the Twestival blog.

* A silent auction/raffle that includes items from local social media firms, giftcards, and a cute handcrafted Twitter necklace that I made especially for the event.

* A chance to socialize with all the Triangle Tweeps you’ve been following online, but missed at the Triangle Tweetup.

How much are tickets?

Tickets are $11.40 if you buy them in advance or $14 if you buy them at the door. All of the proceeds go to “Charity: Water.” If you can’t attend, but still want to show your support, you can make a $5 donation (or more) via the Raleigh Twestival website.

But I just went to the Triangle Tweetup two weeks ago, why should I pay to go to this?

The Triangle Twitter community has grown a lot in the past two years. It includes people of all different ages, professions, backgrounds and more. Tweetups usually have presentations and not enough time to socialize. This entire event will be a chance for you to socialize and network with all those new tweeps who you didn’t have time to meet recently. All the money goes to charity and it includes beer and food, so really it’s a great bargain.

I think Twitter sounds stupid, should I go anyway?

Absolutely. While this event is targeted toward people who already use Twitter, it’s not exclusively for Twitter users. So consider attending to meet an interesting cross-section of Triangle residents who appreciate the Internet (this does not mean we’re all geeks who blog in our pajamas). Also, this is a great event where single women can meet men and vice versa (so say my single Twitter friends). You may even leave the event convinced that you should join Twitter before it turns into the MySpace of the Internet.

I’m @GinnySkal, and this was your public service announcement about Twitter and Charity: Water. For more details, follow @RalTwestival on Twitter. If you have any questions, leave them in the comments section and I’ll try to get additional information to you.

Triangle bloggers know how to enjoy a bash

I’m still buzzing from last night’s 30THREADS blogger bash and it has nothing to do with the beer that was flowing.

I’m finding that when Triangle bloggers and Tweeple get together, there’s a certain energy that envelops the room. Faces light up with recognition when bloggers or Tweeple are recognized from their avatars. Bloggers connect with their readers, stories and ideas are exchanged, occasionally interrupted by a handshake or a hug from someone who feels like they already know you.

I connected with some bloggers I already knew, but I also met some whose words and photos I’ve been admiring for months. A brief recap, with apologies for the many moments I can’t squeeze in.

* Met Jeni, the Durham blogger behind I found happy. Turns out we both used to work at The Herald-Sun, so we briefly shared our war stories.

* Noshed on some tasty wings with @RobertFischer, a Durham blogger who reminded me of some funny advice I offered during one of our live Threadcasts. Apparently, I had declared my love for buffalo chicken wings, but warned that if you want to impress someone during a lunch meeting it’s better to order the buffalo chicken salad because it’s easier to eat. Haha. That so sounds like something I would say. (Robert is the one talking in the photo on the left).

* Reminicsed with Lenore about the days when Broad Street Cafe (the venue for our bash) was the funky Ooh La Latte.

* Met some of the anonymous folks behind one of the best Durham food blogs, Carpe Durham.

* Finally had a chance to congratulate Kevin Davis in real life on the recent redesign of his popular Bull City Rising blog. Also caught up with Valerie and found out some of her exciting future plans for We Love Durham.

* Immediately recognized Leandra and Eric, a Durham wine-loving couple I feel like I already know because of their well-written blog.

* Shook hands with a recently-blogged about High School Musical Build-a-Bear and met Jeff Cohen’s two precocious children. Check out this photo that Grace took with her dad’s Nikon D40X.

Other people I met/reconnected with included:

* Paul from That’s No Bull.

* Kate, Jill and Jake, who are among the folks building Raleigh Public Relations.

* Ellen from CoookingEatingDurham.

* Local comedian Larry Weaver.

* Barry Ragin from Dependable Erection (probably not what you think, get your mind out of the gutter).

* Rachel Nabors, a local cartoonist, web designer and overall stylish chick.

And many more.

It was a fabulous evening, filled with new connections and lots of smiles. I think Anora McGaha summed it up well when she wrote this on my facebook wall today:

The bash was amazing. The buzz in the Broad Street Cafe side area was intense, could have lit up half a city.

Thanks to everyone who came out. Hopefully we’ll have another chance to reconnect soon. If you were there and I didn’t list your blog above, please give yourself a shout out in the comments section.

The Triangle is definitely an outstanding hub for social media.

30THREADS Blogger Bash is Tuesday

It’s time for another 30THREADS Blogger Bash.

Make plans to pop by the Broad Street Cafe in Durham anytime between 6 and 9 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7.

The informal bash features light snacks and beer and, of course, a chance for me to meet you. If you’d like, bring a friend. Even if they don’t blog. It’s cool. We like new people.

So here’s what you do. Drive, walk or bike over to Broad Street Cafe. Open the door. Walk over toward the group of bloggers/blog readers (despite stereotypes, I doubt anyone will be wearing pajamas). Smile. Say hello. Grab some snacks. Get some beer (or soda, or water). And wait to be wowed by someone fabulous. There will be an interesting mix of folks, so it will be challenging not to meet one intriguing person. Find out how you can guest blog for 30THREADS. Chat with me a little. Say goodbye. Leave with a smile. Go home and watch the debate.

See, doesn’t that sound so easy and fun?

For more details, check this out.

You’re invited to a blogger bash!

I’m organizing a blogger bash with my friend and co-worker Wayne Sutton, and you’re invited. Here’s the deal. We want to meet and mingle with everyone who blogs and/or reads blogs in the Triangle.

So we’re inviting you all to a blogger bash from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, July 30. The bash will be at Edge Office, an awesome showroom in the heart of Raleigh’s Glenwood South, 400 Glenwood Ave.

And it really will be a bash! Big Boss Brewing Company will be on hand to serving the delicious Angry Angel, a pale German-style Ale. There will be some tasty BBQ from The Pit, a Raleigh restaurant that is so good it was recently featured on the Today Show.

The BEST PART is that Wayne and I will have an exciting announcement that you won’t want to miss.

So, even if you can only drop by for a little bit. Please do so. I’d love to meet you. And remember, you don’t have to blog to attend.

If you know you’re coming, drop me an e-mail or post a comment so I know to expect you. But if you’re like me, and it’s hard for you to plan that far in advance, then just show up. Just be sure to flag me down and say hello if you make it.

Blogging, Big Boss and BBQ, oh my.

A tour of the Durham food blog scene

If you’re looking for some restaurants to try out, your best bet might be to explore the Durham food blog scene. Every time I catch up on these in my reader, I’m always left hungry and eager to head over to the Bull City for a meal.

On the Carpe Durham blog, you can see mouth-watering inspiring photos of the scallion pancake, beef congee and the spicy dry bean curd with shredded pork ordered off the “secret menu” at China Palace, aka Magic Palace.

On Delicious Durham, you can find out whether the famous Nana’s really lives up to its reputation. You can also find out how to put local peaches to tasty use by following Kelly’s peach crisp recipe or find out how you can blend your own peanut sauce to pour over stewed collards or as a standard satay sauce.

Over at Eat at Joe’s! you can vote on the best place to grab a burger in Durham. Or save the Google map he created highlighting the “Ethnic Grocery Trail.”

But wait, there’s more.

The Newlyfeds, a Durham couple with a passion for cooking who explore Durham’s dining scene, explain why you just have to go to Chubby’s Tacos on Ninth Street.

Another Durham couple reviews two downtown establishments, the newly-opened Five Points Cafe and Rue Cler on their blog: CookingEatingDurham.

And you must check out Lenore’s blog called Eclectic Glob of Tangential Verbosity. It’s not a straight food blog, but as an epicurean, you can always count on Lenore to post beautiful pictures and descriptions of her frequent dinners out (all these photos are courtesy of Lenore’s Flickr). Here’s a sample from her latest post on Serena Restaurant and Bar:

I ordered the gnocci, which I’d been looking forward to after examining their menu on-line about a week ago. It had applewood smoked bacon, dried cherries, loads of garlic, spinach, a thin slice of parmesan and potato gnocci pasta. It came with a piece of garlic bread. It sounds perfect, right?

Find out if the gnocci was a delicious as it sounds.

I’m sure there are several other Durham & Triangle-area food blogs, if you know of some that I’ve left out, please clue me in.

Ginny from the Blog gets a makeover

I took my blog to the stylist, resulting in the changes you see here. I’m jazzed about the new design, which is a little cleaner than my previous three-column blog. I’m still having a few things tweaked, but this is pretty much what my blog will look like for the near future.

You’ll notice the featured photo to the right, which I hope to swap out every day or so. If you click on the photo it will take you to my Flickr page, where you can see even more of my photos. Below the photo is the featured video, which will likely be a video that I’ve already included as part of a blog post, but you never know. Special thanks to Wayne Sutton and Graham Hensley for all their help.

I’m working on updating my blogroll, which somehow got lost in the shuffle. My Twitter widget doesn’t work yet either, but hopefully it’ll be fixed soon.

Other than that, I’m open to suggestions. Hope you like the new look.

I’m not going anywhere …

But my hosting is. We’re in the process of upgrading hosting of my blog, so it’s slightly possible that ginnyfromtheblog.com may go dark sometime during the next few days. If it does, don’t freak out. Don’t call my boss and say: “Dude, where’s Ginny from the Blog.” Instead, just wait patiently or access it by typing http://blogs.wncn.info/gskalski into your browser.

Thank you kindly. Most Sincerely, Ginny.