Carrboro will be rocking this Valentine's Day to Chapel Hill band the Old Ceremony.
The band will play at Cat's Cradle Saturday in celebration of the February 24th release of their third album of mellow, vocal-driven rock music, Walk on Thin Air.
But don't be discouraged if you have yet to find that special someone, because even the Valentine's-phobic will enjoy the festivities.
"A Valentine's-themed show was something that we felt really strongly about avoiding," Old Ceremony frontman Django Haskins said. "We're going all out with decorating the Cradle and trying to make it a whole sensory experience so people can come whether they love or hate Valentine's Day."
The pop-noir band has been a Chapel Hill staple since getting a regular gig at the West End Wine Bar in 2004 and have remained loyal to the Triangle area. Continuing the local theme, Chapel Hill band Roman Candle will open the show.
"I love Durham," Haskins said, who moved here from New York City. "There's more physical, mental and psychological space to create, and I find that that's really helpful in the creative process."
After two studio albums and four years of touring the East Coast, the Old Ceremony returned to the Triangle to find inspiration for their third album.
Over the course of two years, the band recorded Walk on Thin Air at Durham's Studio M.
"This new record is very layered, but a bit darker," Haskins said. "We're trying to make it a complete kind of journey, rather than having random songs. We tried to think of it as a whole album rather than something to shuffle on your iPod."
Haskins attributes the depth of the new record to the unique dynamics of the band. In addition to singer/guitarist Haskins, the band consists of bassist Matt Brandau, drummer Dan Hall, vibraphonist/organist Mark Simonsen and violinist/keyboardist Gabriele Pelli. With such a wide range of instruments, the Old Ceremony could explore a range of musical styles on their latest album.
"We did a lot of experimenting with [the record], and now we're particularly excited to finally bring it out to people," Haskins said.
While Duke students may have other plans for the evening, Haskins hopes that Durham's side of the Triangle will try to come out to the show.
"This would be a great introduction to what's been going on here for a while," he said. "The Cradle's the best place in the area to see a rock show and I encourage [students] to take the drift."
The Old Ceremony album release party is Saturday at the Cat's Cradle, 300 E. Main St. in Carrboro. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. Roman Candle will open.
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