Words to Music: Songwriters Up Close at Deep Dish Theatre

Chapel Hill’s Deep Dish Theater will host its third “Words to Music: Songwriters Up Close” event on Friday, October 2, at 8 PM. The special series showcases intimate acoustic performances and engaging conversation about the songwriting process with area musicians who defy the stereotypical singer-songwriter tag. This installment will feature three unique talents of the local music scene, one of which might be called a veteran; the others more aptly described as young upstarts.

Django Haskins moved to the Triangle in 2002 after long stints in Brooklyn, China and Gainesville, Florida. A long-time active participant in the local music scene, in recent years he’s devoted most of his time to writing and performing with The Old Ceremony, who tour the U.S. and Canada and are just finishing their fourth album. Django is also a history buff and is working on his first non-fiction book about 1890s-1920s New York. http://www.theoldceremony.com

Stuart McLamb is the lead singer and songwriter for one of the area’s current “buzz bands,” the Love Language, who are close to signing a deal with legendary Durhambased label, Merge Records. He recorded the band’s debut album entirely on his own, using a decidedly homegrown approach, resulting in a record that eventually garnered glowing praise from major music press outlets such as Rolling Stone and Spin, who called the record, “...a casually stunning work of one-man-band lo-fi indie pop.” http://www.myspace.com/thelovelanguage

Missy Thangs is also a member of the Love Language, holding down the role of keyboardist and vocalist. But she has made a name for herself in recent years with her own project, Soft Company, who one local critic referred to enthusiastically as “like a loose southern reincarnation of early-70s Roxy Music.” Missy’s charisma is palpable both on-stage and off, and her approach to songwriting refreshingly original. http://www.myspace.com/softcompany

Doors at the 72-seat Deep Dish Theater, located in University Mall, will open at 7:30pm, with the show starting promptly at 8. Admission is $12. To purchase tickets, call the Deep Dish Box Office at 968-1515 or go online at www.deepdishtheater.org.