A Seasonal Double Bill: Southern Culture on the Skids and Dallas Tetnus Bring Holiday Heat to Cat’s Cradle

CARRBORO — Despite the briskness in the air, Cat’s Cradle felt warm with hometown enthusiasm last Saturday night as fans packed in for a holiday show.

Dallas Tetnus set the tone before longtime favorites Southern Culture on the Skids took the stage.

The night blended the season’s festive spirit with loud guitars, good humor, and a crowd of boomers mixed with younger fans.

Santa hats and reindeer antlers were a common sight, with the house playing alternative holiday tunes.

Most shows at Cat’s Cradle are general admission; there’s a full bar, a raised stage, and the main room has a capacity of 750. (Read below about the venue’s upcoming new second location.)

Opener

All photos and composites by Pamir Kiciman

The vocalist for Dallas Tetnus screamed, “Welcome to the Christmas Party!” and they launched a high-energy set.

Washed in a lighting scheme of pinks, bubbles, and smoke machines running throughout, the Raleigh-based band boasts an in-your-face, guitar-heavy sound loaded with distortion.

Decked out in customary white suits, band members sometimes got lost in the smoke and bubbles. Their sound was undeniable as they cranked out ’70s-style 4/4 rock with an updated hard edge.

Formed in 2022, Dallas Tetnus members have collectively played in well-known bands and released their first album, Welcome to Dallas Tetnus, in 2024. 

Greg Clayton (rhythm guitar and vocals), Billy Alphin (drums),
Danny Kurtz (lead guitar) and David J Wright (bass guitar)

Main Act

The first thing Mary Huff, who plays bass for Southern Culture on the Skids (SCOTS), did was to take off her red sequined holiday jacket and throw it into the crowd.

The fan who caught it wore it the rest of the night and later danced on stage, lobbing fried chicken to anyone who could catch a piece midair.

It’s one of the antics that can happen at a SCOTS show. Both celebrating and pokin’ fun at the South, they’ve been a popular staple of the Chapel Hill music scene and national tour circuit for decades, with several albums under their belt.

The three-piece band knows exactly how to connect to an audience. At various points, wigs, mini skirts, belts, and drumsticks were flung into the crowd.

The fun factor is dialed up, but the music is no joke.

A tightly locked-in and rhythm-driven roots rock band at its core, SCOTS layers kitschy influences of rockabilly, surf, garage rock, and country, with some swamp for good measure, all Southern-fried and tongue-in-cheek.

It’s the solid musicianship that allows for these humorous forays.

Dave Hartman has an unusual drum setup, which he played standing up with full force and precision, finding mad circular rhythms on a limited kit and unerringly driving the band’s sound. 

Rick Miller (also on vocals) is an unassuming shredder on guitar. Saturday night’s set included extended instrumental segments, giving Miller the room to show inventiveness with notes he finds on the fretboard. An encore piece had him on the floor at his guitar pedals, producing intense sounds and expanding the band’s sonic range.

Mary Huff (also on vocals) brought the party with her sassy bass lines and beehive. She laid down the swamp in the songs and engaged with fans directly. In instrumental parts, her playing, together with Hartman, turned the experience into a hypnotic stew, punctuated by Miller’s licks.

For the latter third of their set, the bass player of Dallas Tetnus contributed on trombone.

The music, filled with regional Americana, rolling rhythms, and twangy guitar riffs, was a perfect dance party for the holiday season.

Cat’s Cradle News

After opening in a basement that held only 30 people in 1969 and growing in capacity with every new location, the area’s leading and renowned concert venue is ready to welcome the public in a brand-new second location.

Known locally as “the Cradle,” the club has occupied its current location since 1993 and has a total capacity of about 950 across two rooms.

The new Brewer Lane location in Carrboro will have an occupancy of 1,200 and include five bars, mezzanine-level seating, and more than 4,000 square feet of standing room.

It will operate alongside the Main Street spot and accommodate larger bands, with room for further expansion and parking.

Having survived troubling times in its 55-year history, Cat’s Cradle plans to operate both locations simultaneously and has future-proofed itself for any eventuality, depending on how Main Street Partners continues to develop the strip mall at 300 Main Street.

Pamir Kiciman is an artist who writes about a range of the arts and the creative process. This reporter can be reached at: Information@TheLocalReporter.press.