Cat's Cradle

Located just minutes from the UNC campus, Cats Cradle is a great place to listen to live music from a wide array of bands. Cats cradle has concerts every week for a pretty low price. The only thing I would change about the place is to make it bigger so it is not as cramped. Other than that, I highly recommend Cats Cradle to anyone in the chapel hill area looking for some high quality live music.

Cats Cradle is one of the liveliest places in Carrboro. Its straight down the street from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and runs concerts daily by both non-famous and famous bands. Tickets are usually cheap, running from $10 to $30 dollars. They even give local bands to opportunity to book performances there. I saw the All American Rejects here and it was great, the place amplified the sound very well, and the place was also very lively. Its a great place for those students at University of North carolina to rock to music, from country to pop to heavy metal.

I have seen everyone from a Ska band to Edwin McCain play at the Cat's Cradle. You may even see some local talent. The crowd is generally laid back and music savvy. Get there early because parking is scarce.

Cat's Cradle plays host to a wide variety of musical acts all throughout the year. I have seen everyone from Edwin McCain to a completely obscure Indy Jazz fusion group there. The venue is large enough to hold a decent size group, but small enough so that all shows feel like you are watching with a hundred of your closest friends. Like most small music venues, it is smoky and loud, it is hard to find a seat sometimes, but all of that does not matter when the music is good and your friends are having a good time.

Cats Cradle is a great venue to catch a show at. Typically the marquee will list smaller indy bands, but there have been a few better-known musicians I have seen here as well. The actual establishment is rather small and can get pretty crowded, but it is non-smoking which makes the closeness more bearable. On the positive side you can get pretty close to the stage and it makes the whole show a lot more interactive.

Cat's Cradle is definitely my favorite place to hangout in the greater Triangle area. How many venues out there have shows at least 4 days a week--and not just any live music shows, these are GOOD shows. Cat's Cradle has helped launch the careers of many recording artists and is a frequent spot on even bigger bands' tours. If you like music, someone you like will be playing here THIS month, I guarantee it.
Most of Cradle's shows' extraordinarily reasonably priced tickets (usually about $10) can be bought through etix, which is superhandy, and the Cradle is one of the few venues in the southeast featured on Emusic, where live performances are recorded and made available online.
As with any club, the bathrooms aren't immaculate, but there's plenty of juicy gossip on stall doors. The stage area is plenty large and you can get a decent view from most areas of the venue. I recommend the left side facing the stage where you can stand on benches in case of a particularly beautiful performer. It's also easy to meet performers after the show, as Cradle staff are relatively easygoing. Don't get in the way of cleanup, though. It'd be nice to stay on the good side of those who work there, if you'd really like some autographs!

I think the cats cradle is hands down one of the best places in the state to see small bands. They have a variety of different acts come through year round, the staff is always nice, and the music sounds great.

Come prepared to stand, there is very limited bench seating, and come prepared to walk...parking is scarce if you arrive close to a show time, and the businesses that share a parkinglot with the cradle will have you towed if you aprk ina space designated for their use.