WKNC's Guide to New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve is always a very important night. It signifies the end of one year and the beginning of the next. It's a huge responsibility to make sure that you end 2012 on a good note and bring in 2013 in the best way possible. So how do you do this sans Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve? Well WKNC is here to help you make the best decision. This New Year's Eve seems to have something for  everyone in the Triangle. From salsa to jazz, hip hop to indie rock; this New Year's Eve seems to cover all the bases. With so many great options, it's hard to go wrong.

The biggest event of this year is without a doubt New Year's Jazzin' Eve with Art of Cool at the Cotton Room. The headliner of this event is the incredible hip-hop duo The Foreign Exchange. The Foreign Exchange features Raleigh-native rapper Phonte (formerly of Little Brother) and famed Dutch producer Nicolay. This show also features some amazing jazz by the Al Strong Quintet, Marcus Anderson, and Yolanda Rabun along with special guest DJ Apple Juice Kid.  There will also be a special performance by Toon and The Real Laww who were most recently seen bringing down the house at Tir Na nOg for Local Band Local Beer several weeks back.  This event is complete with a chicken-and-waffles breakfast buffet.

If this event doesn't seem quite your speed, Kings Barcade and Neptune's Parlour in Raleigh are hosting New Year's Eve Double Decker Debauchery. This event features DJ sets by Jon Yu, Sean McKee and Michael Perros.  It also includes your customary champagne toast and countdown to midnight, followed by an anything but normal full band set from The Lollipops.  The Lollipops rocked like it was their last moments on earth at Local Band Local Beer's End of the World Party at Tir Na nOg and you can expect much of the same here.  If you haven't seen these guys yet, I can think of no better way to ring in the New Year.

Some other notable events around the Triangle include the Salsa Party at Cat's Cradle in Carrboro featuring Orquesta GarDel & DJ Keith Ward; the Dance Party at The Pinhook in Durham with DJs Shahzad, Treee City, Trademark, and Queen Plz; and the North Carolina Symphony in Meymandi Concert Hall in Raleigh conducted by Jeff Tyzik with special guest drummer Dave Mancini.

With so many great opportunities all around the Triangle, there is no bad way to spend New Year's Eve.  Whether you are rocking with The Lollipops at Kings or watching the acorn drop in City Plaza, you can be assured that you will have a great New Year's Eve.  Check out the full list of events in the Triangle below to find the best event for you.

Raleigh
Kings Barcade & Neptune's Parlour - The Lollipops & DJs Jon Yu, Sean McKee and Michael Perros
Meymandi Concert Hall - North Carolina Symphony conducted by Jeff Tyzik with Dave Mancini on drums
Tir Na Nog - U-Phonik & Wake & District Pipes & Drums
The Pour House Music Hall - Barefoot Manner & The Morning After
Berkley Cafe - GruvGlu LOOPED w/ MCLC, Matic, Special Blend, Severe & Outburst, AudioRush & Xander, Beastmode, Noisydrums, Andrew Cappaletti, Tyler Buck Vs. Bassik, Zom-B, Trizzak, Jordan Clark, SeanEboy & Shuhandz & Roudee
First Night (downtown) - Delta Rae, Jonathan Scales Fourchestra, Saints Apollo, and many more
Deep South the Bar - Hanks for the Memories w/ Hank Sinatra & Debonzo Brothers
Lincoln Theatre - Revolution Raleigh w/ DJ WOBBLE Factory / Vertical & DJ FM
Southland Ballroom - Cry Wolf & Unlimited Gravy

Durham
The Cotton Room - The Foreign Exchange, Al Strong Quintet, Marcus Anderson, Yolanda Rabun, DJ Apple Juice Kid, & Toon and The Real Laww
The Pinhook - Dance Party featuring DJs Shahzad, Treee City, Trademark, & Queen Plz with appearances by Toon and the Real Laww
Motorco Music Hall - The Wusses & The Pusses
Broad Street Cafe - Hog, B Side Project, Spiralfire, & JKutchma
Casbah - Peter Lamb and the Wolves & Kate McGarry

Chapel Hill/Carrboro
Cat's Cradle - Salsa Party with Orquesta GarDel & DJ Keith Ward

S. Gold to Visit 88.1FM WKNC Tonight at 9:30pm

Raleigh native, S. Gold, will be dropping by the studios of 88.1fm WKNC for an interview with Mir.I.am tonight, December 29th at 9:30 pm. S. Gold has been making waves in the rap industry since 2003 as part of LAZRSO Records and recently released a new mixtape, The Storm.

Check out the latest video off The Storm, 'Say Hey.'

Find out more about S. Gold:

Bandcamp | Twitter | Facebook | ReverbNation | Email| EargasmEntertainment | Youtube

WKNC DJs pick the best albums of 2012

Now that the year 2012 is coming to a close us here at WKNC look back at our top five albums of the year once again. Although we might not always agree on what is the most amazing, the love of great music not only kept us excited throughout 2012, but we look forward to the amazing music that it will bring as well. Take a gander at what are a few of the albums we loved throughout this year, as chosen by WKNC DJs. See you in 2013!

 

Sarahnade



1. Caspian - Waking Season
2. El Ten Eleven - Transitions
3. Spider Bags - Shake My Head
4. Pinback - Information Retrieved
5. Divine Fits - A Thing Called Divine Fits

 

C. Deuce



1. Yeasayer - Fragrant World
2. Alt-J - An Awesome Wave
3. Hundred Waters - Hundred Waters
4. Sweet Valley - Eternal Champ
5. Miike Snow - Happy to You

 

CMYK



1. Japandroids - Celebration Rock
2. Andrew Bird - Break It Yourself
3. Beach House - Bloom
4. The Mountain Goats - Transcendental Youth
5. Oceanics - Bright People

 

JKG


1. Dan Deacon - America
2. MAKE - Trephine
3. The Album Leaf - Forward/Return
4. Dads - American Radass (this is important)
4. El Ten Eleven - Transitions

 

Zaps



1. Father John Misty - Fear Fun
2. First Aid Kit - The Lion's Roar
3. Bowerbirds - The Clearing
4. Lost In The Trees - A Church That Fits Our Needs
5. Jukebox the Ghost- Safe Travels

 

Seagull



1. DIIV - Oshin
2. Tame Impala - Lonerism
3. Ty Segall Band - Slaughterhouse
4. Mac Demarco - 2
5. Beach House - Bloom

 

DJ DiGiorno



1. Howler - America Give Up
2. Beach House - Bloom
3. Dirty Projectors - Swing Lo Magellan
4. Father John Misty- Fear Fun
5. Dr. Dog- Be The Void

 

DJ GRZA



1.  Flying Lotus - Until The Quiet Comes
2.  Andrew Bird - Break It Yourself
3.  Frank Ocean - Channel Orange
4.  Kendrick Lamar - good kid, M.A.D.D city
5.  Alt-J - An Awesome Wave

 

The Mattador



1. Grouplove - Never Trust a Happy Song (Released 2011)
2. Dr. Dog - Be the Void
3. Passion Pit - Gossamer
4. Cloud Nothings - Attack on Memory
5. Supreme Cuts - Whispers in the Dark

 

DJ Smitty



1. The Menzingers - On The Impossible Past
2. Red Collar - Welcome Home
3. Japandroids - Celebration Rock
4. Murder By Death - Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon
5. Hop Along - Get Disowned

 

DJ Ones



1. Andrew Bird - Break if Yourself
2. Tame Impala - Lonerism
3. Sharon Van Etten - Tramp
4. Dirty Projectors - Swing Lo Magellan
5. Grizzly Bear - Shields

 

DJ Salinger



1. The Avett Brothers - The Carpenter
2. Grimes - Visions
3. The XX - Coexist
4. Toro y Moi - June 2009
5. Oberhofer - Time Capsules II

 

Muta



1. GRiZ - Mad Liberation
2. Purity Ring - Shrines
3. Submotion Orchestra - Fragments
4. Badbadnotgood - BBNG2
5. XXYYXX - XXYYXX

 

May Day



1. Beach House - Bloom
2. Purity Ring - Shrines
3. The Walkmen - Heaven
4. The Helio Sequence - Negotiations
5. Oberhofer - Time Capsules II

 

Billy



1.Stripmines - Crimes of Dispassion
2. Oiltanker/No Tomorrow - Split LP
3. The Sword - Apogryphon
4. High On Fire - De Vermis Mysteriis
5. Mob Rules - The Donor

 

Walter-Ego



1. Dan Deacon - America
2. Death Grips - The Money Store
3. Spider Bags - Shake My Head
4. The Mountain Goats - Transcendental Youth
5. Dr. Dog - Be The Void

 

DJ Sweet D



1. Grimes - Visions
2. Purity Ring - Shrines
3. First Aid Kit - The Lion's Roar
4. Andrew Bird - Break It Yourself
5. Grizzly Bear - Shields

 

Major Tom


1. Alt-J - An Awesome Wave
2. Cloud Nothings - Attack On Memory
3. Tame Impala - Mind Mischief
4. The Shins - Port Of Morrow
5. Beach House - Bloom

 

DJ ACORN



1. Micachu & The Shapes - Never
2. Daughn Gibson - All Hell
3. The Music Tapes - Mary's Voice
4. Schoolboy Q - Habits & Contradictions
5. Murder by Death - Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon

 

Anastassia



1. Japandroids - Celebration Rock
2. Ty Segall Band - Slaughterhouse
3. DIIV - Oshin
4. Grass Widow - Internal Logic
5. Grimes - Visions

 

Spaceman Spiff



1.  Chromatics - Kill for Love
2.  Cloud Nothings - Attack on Memory
3.  Wild Nothing - Nocturne
4.  Grimes - Visions
5.  Divine Fits - A Thing Called Divine Fits

 

DJ CJ



1. Neil Young and Crazy Horse - Psychedelic Pill
2. Carolina Chocolate Drops - Leaving Eden
3. Steep Canyon Rangers - Nobody Knows You
4. Trampled By Turtles - Stars & Satellites
5. Old Crow Medicine Show - Carry Me Back To Virginia

 

ALASKA



1. Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra - Theatre is Evil
2. Sharon Van Etten - Tramp
3. White Lung - Sorry
4. Perfume Genius - Put Your Back N 2 It
5. La Sera - Sees the Light

 

DJ Mason



1. Lost in the Trees - A Church That Fits Our Needs
2. Beach House - Bloom
3. Death Grips - The Money Store
4. Grimes - Visions
5. Here We Go Magic - A Different Ship

 

EOT111 Best of 2012 12/11/12

This show took some time to showcase our best segments of the 2012 calendar year!

Grant Buckner spent his spring break in Chicago, working with residents in some of Chicago’s poorest neighborhoods. Here is his report from the March 19th episode.

Liberty in North Korea is an advocacy group that travels the country on behalf of the oppressed people of North Korea. Here is Deondre’s story from March 27th.

The North Carolina State Rocketry team competed in a National competition to get a rocket one mile into the air. Some listeners might remember Nick Savage. Here is the conversation he had with the team from the April 10th episode.

In that period just after the peak of Summer, right before the hush of Fall creeps over campus, you can always count on the farmer’s market opening up for the first time. The first time you see it open, you know the school year has begun. Here’s Gene Zhirnov from August 28th.

Last August, the world lost a great pioneer in Neil Armstrong. Here from the August 28th episode, is Andrew Eichen’s reflection.

Last August, N.C. State tried to break a North Carolina record by donating one thousand, two hundred, and fifty pints of blood in honor of North Carolina state’s one hundred and twenty fifth anniversary. Although the university ultimately fell short of its goal, Jake decided to record the experience of giving blood for the first time.

http://interviews.wknc.org/eot/EOT111_121112.mp3

Abuse. Winter Mini-Tour Write-Up

For three days I hit the road with Raleigh's own Abuse., a vicious hardcore act that plays brutal power violence with no time left between songs - just a stripped down, speedy hellstorm of chaos. Being one of my favorite Raleigh bands, I knew I had to hit the road with these dudes once they announced that they would be going on a 3-day mini-tour over winter break. The dates were announced: the dudes would first play in a basement in New Brunswick, New Jersey, another basement in West Philly, and a record store in DC by the name of Smash Records. After the out-of-town dates, they would play a homecoming show at The Berkeley Cafe.

The first day we woke up at around 8AM and filled up the van the guys had borrowed from a friend. After 2 1/2 hours of listening to nothing but black metal and hardcore, we were in Richmond. Richmond, being an awesome place for records, was a stop we had to make on the 9 hour trip to Jersey. After scoring a bunch of sick finds, we were back on the road.

Making hardly any stops, we took on the next 6 hours of the trip and landed ourselves in a residential area by a university in New Brunswick. The guy who lived at the house helped us bring in all the gear and get familiar with the house. The bands that played that night were Godswallower (NJ), Loose Ends (NJ), and Abuse. Moving between the merch table and the show room, I was able to catch most of the sets. Godswallower played a nice mix of blown-out grind and heavy doom. Not bad at all for a first show! Loose Ends was a local hardcore act that drew in a lot of local ragers. Abuse.'s set was super tight and brutal. Considering the show was in a basement, the sound was pretty good!

After the show in NJ, we went and got some of the most delicious (and cheapest!) Mexican food I've ever had with a friend who had been selling records out of his distro at the show. He was nice enough to let us stay at his swanky apartment and use his shower. He kindly sold me an awesome old Green Day EP. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time to flip through his extensive record collection - we had to get up early the next morning to go to New York City.

Although there were no Abuse. dates in NYC, we found it necessary to go since 2 of us had never been before. Driving in Jersey was difficult, but finally we made it to a small parking lot by the Newark train station where we could park for 12 dollars for the whole day. After much confusion, we managed to make it on the train to Brooklyn from Newark. Though cold and drizzly, we all managed to have a great time in NYC. We went to Generation Records, Trash and Vaudeville (some "punk" store we had heard about on TV that we wanted to visit for laughs), Times Square, and a whole bunch of other places in the city. Times Square was incredible - I found myself constantly taking pictures, not caring at all that I looked like the biggest tourist ever. We took a bunch of funny pictures, one being a picture of all of us in Times Square with the Marines. A friend commented on the picture when it was posted on Facebook: "The few, the proud... Abuse".

Abuse. , Me, and The Marines

This LED-flag in Times Square was SO bright that it sucked all the light out of the picture - this was taken outside in the middle of the day!

We made it out of the city at around 3:30 PM so that we could make it to the Philly show. Although we didn't see Fresh Prince, we did manage to have a great time at the show. It was in a basement with a bunch of awesome local bands: Callous, Congenital Death, and Bad Side. Callous played grimy sludge, Bad Side played fun hardcore punk, and Congenital Death had a great mix of crushing female screams and speedy fastcore. The crowd turnout and reaction were both GREAT and I can honestly say it was (crowd-wise) the best night of the tour. After the show everyone came up from the basement and danced to Funkadelic. I would definitely like to go to Philly again, especially since by the time we had arrived there that afternoon it was too dark to get a good look of the city.

Click here if you want to watch the full set from Philly!

After Philly, we had plans to stay at a friend's house in D.C. 2 1/2 hours later, we finally made it to D.C. and crashed immediately. We had plans to see a little bit of D.C. and take a look at the record stores in Baltimore the next morning. Waking up at about 10 AM, we headed straight to Sticky Fingers Bakery after having a nice chat with one of the dudes who lived at the house. I got myself a delicious quesadilla while the other dudes had some bagels. Sticky Fingers is definitely a must-stop in D.C. for vegeterians and vegans!

After getting a bite to eat, we made our way to Baltimore to check out Celebrated Summer Records. To say I was astounded by their selection in vinyl is a total understatement... From new releases to the rare record you always wanted but could never find, Celebrated Summer has it. Shout out to the owner for having the coolest record store ever and to the super nice employee for giving us the inside-scoop on the Baltimore music scene.

Spending most of the day in Baltimore, we tried our best to beat traffic so that we could make it to the D.C. show at Smash Records. On the bill was Vile Faith (a bunch of cool high school kids playing their first show) and raging hardcore act Human Shield. The turnout was great and we had the opportunity to check out the records. Alex, Abuse.'s vocalist, got a superb copy of Bathory's "The Return...", which I was (and still am) extremely jealous of. Human Shield's drummer got Morbid Angel's "Domination" - also an awesome find! Smash Records is definitely one of my favorite places to go to whenever I visit D.C., so I was glad to know that the show was there. The set Abuse. played at this show (music-wise) was definitely my favorite of the whole tour. It was nothing but pure, hateful hardcore. I shamelessly raged from behind the merch table. The dudes who lived at the house we had stayed at the night before were kind enough to let us stay the night again. After the show we got food and chilled.

The next morning we left bright and early at about 7AM because the vocalist had to make it to work by 2PM. In addition to that, Abuse. also had the homecoming show that night with touring bands Recide (TX), Breakout (TX), Manic (GA), and Desist (local ragers, first show!). The show that night was awesome! The touring bands were super nice guys. I missed Manic the last time they came through Raleigh... that was definitely a mistake. Recide, Breakout, and Manic were some of the best hardcore punk bands I've seen in a long time. Desist put on a great show as well. I can't wait to go to future shows with them on the bill.

To round things up, I had an incredibly fun time being sweaty in a van with 4 other guys for 3 days. Abuse. are the coolest guys ever and I am very thankful to have been their merch guy on this tour. Thanks to everyone who gave us a place to stay, the other bands that played, and of course the people who came out to the shows. We had the best time going up north and being treated with superb hospitality. Thank you so much.

-Possessed

Double Barrel Benefit 10 Artists Announcement Coming January 4

We here at WKNC are incredibly excited about the tenth anniversary to our Double Barrel Benefit series, our biggest fundraiser of the year. Each year, we ask artists from all over the area if they are available to help us by providing the triangle with two nights of amazing music. This year will be no different. Double Barrel Benefit is set to take place February 1 and 2 at the Pour House Music Hall in downtown Raleigh, and we would like to invite everyone to come, enjoy some amazing music, and help us stay afloat for another year.

For those anticipating who will be playing this year (get excited, I've seen the lineup, and it looks awesome), we will be doing an official rundown of all eight artists this year during the Local Lunch on January 4. Mark your calendars! Join us from Noon until 1 p.m. on January 4 to celebrate the awesome artists that are playing this year's event.

Afterhours Reunion Show 12/27

DJ Steve Brown and DJ Ben Thomas will be taking over the airways December 27 from 6pm to midnight to play techno, ambient, electro, IDM, and cinematic sounds capes. These two legendary DJs were the originators of Afterhours back in 1997. This year will be the 15th reunion show!

I had the pleasure of helping host the reunion show last year. These guys really have the radio and music experience to make an interesting and enjoyable show. If you want a break from the four-on-the-floor dance beats and want some cerebral electronic tracks, these six hours are for you!

Happy holidays,

Muta

Show Review: Local Band Local Beer - Toon & The Real Laww

Toon & The Real Laww

This week's Local Band Local Beer was an awesome yet insanely odd one.  First off, any time I get the chance to see live hip-hop I'm naturally going to jump all over it, it's just an incredible experience through and through...especially when you've got a live band joining in as well.  Toon & The Real Laww were joined by The Band (not that that The Band), comprised of members of LiLa's rhythm section and a keyboard player that was twerking like his life depended on it, the combination of a live band with the booming bass brought by DJ Shahzad was what made Thursday night at Tir Na Nog truly special.  While the crowd was filled with an abnormally large amount of bougie folks dressed to impress, that didn't stop the crowd from raging like nobody was watching.

Toon & The Real Laww have been building up quite the reputation for themselves, drawing a lot of attention from a heavily acclaimed Hopscotch set and various other local performances, the group is swiftly being mentioned with names like Kooley High, King Mez, and The Beat in terms of top local rap artists.  Toon's clever lyricism and wordplay bounce perfectly off of the precision and finesse of The Real Laww's flow.  Both have bukus of charisma, engaging in practically every audience member in arms reach, and often times a few more.  From free styling with the aid of a few words written by crowd members to the massive amounts of crowd participation, Toon & The Real Laww were an engaging and exciting act, a fantastic to spend a study-filled Thursday.  While the dance party continued on after the set, the dense crowd gave me no room to cook in so I unfortunately had to bounce.

 

Snyp Luciano to Visit 88.1FM WKNC Tonight at 9:30pm

Snyp Luciano will be dropping by the studios of 88.1fm WKNC for an interview with Mir.I.am tonight, December 8th at 9:30 pm. Snyp has been making waves in the rap industry since 2005 as part of Monopolie Records and recently released a new mixtape, The Worst Nightmare.



Find out more about Snyp:

Youtube | Twitter | Facebook | ReverbNation |

Email: Roundtablemusicgroup@gmail.com

Check out the latest video from Snyp, 'Carry Me Home,' off The Worst Nightmare.

EOT110 Human Trafficking 11/27/12

Nubian Message is the premier African American student newspaper here at NC State. And this year, it turns twenty! Jake recently sat down with the newspaper’s editor Kierra Leggett to discuss the newspaper’s history and future.

It’s always important to promote local music, and WKNC is particularly good at that. This week, Grant Buckner spoke with the local band, Eagledown.

Modern slavery is a topic that perhaps many don’t dwell on too often, but it is a problem. And not just abroad. If you know what to look for, you can sometimes find slavery right here in North Carolina. Gene Zhirnov has more.

We're at the height of flu season right now, and  as is often the case with large groups of people spending lots of time near each other, it can often be easy to get sick, and getting over an illness is not fun, as Deondre’ can attest to. It got him thinking, how can one safeguard against getting sick, or what should you do if you fall ill? With exams around the corner, that’s the last thing anybody needs.

http://interviews.wknc.org/eot/EOT110_112712.mp3

Show Review: O'Brother bring an ear-ringing, bangover inducing show to Kings

It's been over three years since O'Brother played in Raleigh and two since I've seen the mind-blowing post-punk-rockers put on their dazzling live show.  In those past few years the band has been busy playing sold out shows with the likes of Manchester Orchestra and Thrice all over the continent, but alas the Georgia based group is finally making their way out on a headlining tour for the first time in what feels like ages.  Since my last encounter with the O'Bros the band had put out a highly acclaimed debut full-length and signed to Triple Crown Records, a wonderful feat for a band I once sat cross legged for along with fifteen or so others in my hometown of New Bern.  These years of busting their asses on the road and in the studio have clearly payed off though, the band practically up-ended their old style of melodic post rock to a far heavier end of the spectrum, turning what used to be subtle nuances towards a heavy influence has now morphed into a barrage of fast paced, in-your-face post-punk with the occasional yet breathtaking melodic break.  I was anxiously awaiting this show, and having last seen the band as they were beginning to play out with their Beneath Your Garden Window material , I wasn't quite sure of what to expect from this set.  Plus opening act Harvard (or their newer, vowel-less name HRVRD) has been a band on my radar for quite some time and was just coming off of the sold out opening spot for fun. at The Ritz this past Thursday, making this the perfect chance to check out a band that I may be becoming very familiar with soon.

The night started off with the Raleigh locals of Octopus Jones, a band whose work I'd skirted around before checking out the end of their set here at Kings.  While the band brings a fun and upbeat blend of psychedelic surf rock with punk rock undertones, the melodies and lyricism seemed a bit lacking and couldn't really hook in this listener.  Vocalist and guitar player Danny Martin was doing a great job of hamming it up on stage though, adding to the quirky and upbeat vibes given off by the bands self-described "spank-wave boogie".  I only got to catch the last four songs from Octopus Jones before it was onto HRVRD and one step closer to seeing the o'bros!

HRVRD

Before I delve into HRVRD I must admit that I've got a thing against bands without vowels in their name, and while I've embraced a select few thus far (SBTRKT and TNGHT being glaring standouts), I'm always a bit apprehensive to check a band out...especially if they used to have a name that didn't read like a sixth graders notebook cover.  Personal grudges aside, whatever changed about this band when they became HRVRD worked wonders for them, the Charlotte outfit used to give off a larger pop influence than the experimental and haunting tunes that were on display at Kings.  Thought vocalist Jesse Clasen was coughing throughout damn near every song and informed the crowd of his sickness, his vocals were still soaring through the invigorated crowd at Kings.  When I saw Clasen pull out a trumpet after already wowing me with the band's overwhelming live presence I became enamored in this act.  After I saw their use of vocal loops I was sold.  HRVRD combined elements of punk, pop, and experimental music to create a compelling product that's accessible by fans of Manchester Orchestra or Circa Survive alike.  And make no mistake, I've long grown out of the high pitched vocals and chuggy yet melodic guitar thing...the Circa Survive ship never came to port for this fella, but HRVRD have taken that sort of approach and turned it into an intriguing blend of styles that mesh together perfectly.

Sickness aside HRVRD could have easily stolen the show if it weren't for me being such a fanboy of O'Brother.  As soon as the band took the stage I drew myself uncomfortably close despite their live shows being notoriously loud and known to induce "bangovers" by many attended.  Well consider me a bangover statistic, because when the band opened with an old favorite, "Ascension" I was thrust right back into my high school days of losing myself in the same ambient yet ear rattlingly heavy anthem.  The band smoothly transitioned into "Lay Down", the track that marked the beginning of a heavier phase of O'Brother, filled with throaty shouts and heavily distorted guitars but juxtaposed with softer, melodic bridges.

O'Brother

The rest of the show can only be described as painfully awesome, the band was so loud that it was hard to discern much of Tanner Merritt's vocals, even when he was screaming into the microphone.  This volume issue can be a bit of a draw back with a band like this, while their live presence lies heavily in the physicality of their music (you can pretty much feel the bass in your chest, it's fantastic!) the band's lyricism is arguably just as strong.  With a separate floor tom to add depth to the band's already powerful rhythms along with their DIY lighting setup consisting of string lights run over all of their equipment, the on-stage ambience is an equally compelling aspect of the band's performance.  To summarize it, it's all great.  While the mixing at these shows could be a bit better to bring out Tanner's vocals, it's hard to nitpick at a show that leaves the listeners so speechless.  While I miss the melodic side of O'Brother, this band has tread into new territory with their latest releases and their intensity and talent conveys just as strongly through shouts in spurts as it did through their tamer releases.  O'Brother is an absolute powerhouse of an act both on stage and in-studio, but nothing compares to seeing these gentlemen perform live, and Sunday proved just that.

 

 

Insect Minute - Social Insects

Our resident entomology expert Heather Campbell brings us another Insect Minute. This week's topic: social insects.

If you would like to find out more about social insects visit the museum’s website at insectmuseum.org where you also find information about our museum and read our blog where we talk about interesting stuff going on in the world of entomology.

http://interviews.wknc.org/InsectMin11_SocialInsect.mp3

Show Review: Ponderosa brings their southern psychedelia to Kings

Ponderosa

I've only recent caught on to the wonderful music that Ponderosa is putting out.  Based out of Atlanta, Ponderosa aren't afraid of wearing their influences on their sleeves and adding subtle twists to their sounds to create something that's unique in its own sense, but still straddling close to home base.  It'd be easy to say that they're a My Morning Jacket/Band of Horses knock-off because quite frankly they've got astounding amounts of similarity, guitars that are laden with delay and reverb and equally ethereal vocal melodies driven home by powerful harmonies.  However, if your only drawback is sounding too much like another stellar band then my opinion is that you're doing something right.  Studio recordings can warrant these comparisons, but when it comes to live shows Ponderosa brings an intensity that supersedes these expectations.

The show kicked off with a local act, The Cousins.  I went into this show blind to their music and not knowing what to expect, and while the band was incredibly tight for it being one of their first shows together, the tunes just weren't really up to par for the kind of night I was expecting at Kings.  While I'm not saying lineups need to be cookie-cutter and a band should sound like their headliner, I certainly wasn't expecting a Diet Drive By Truckers.  The Cousins combined the grit and intensity of southern driven indie rock tunes with classic rock sentiments of clean electric leads that glide in and out with the rise and fall of their mostly static melodies.  While they certainly filled the room with energy and excitement, I just couldn't get into their music.  They did it in for me when they pulled out their Merle Haggard, "Long Black Veil" cover...and maybe that's just because I've been spoiled to a personal treat of watching Mandolin Orange cover the tune with Josh Oliver and Josh Moore, but their modern-classic rock take on the country classic just did nothing for me.  There's definitely promise within the band, but the songwriting and composition needs a bit of improvement before I go singing any praises.

Ponderosa

Ponderosa on the other hand provided exactly what I'd hoped for from their live performance.  Their full length, Pool Party has been my morning soundtrack for the past few months and I must say that they're a band that puts it all into their live performance.  While their studio recordings are equally dynamic, still capable of evoking strong emotion and nostalgia, their live show exudes a sense of dedication and passion that can only be felt inside of a venue.  Ponderosa delicately lays out beautiful southern imagery through an echoed indie rock lens that makes for a joyous listening experience.  Tracks like "Pool Party" draw on teenage experiences of fading memories, taking the listener back to the humid summer nights that make up the life of southern youth.  "Find a bed and never sleep/Awake at night and steal the sheets", Ponderosa's simplicity is oftentimes the reason that you can connect so deeply with this band, they've taken away all of the filters that can be found within a songwriter's approach and the result is a beautifully honest and relatable record.

While they made a bold leap from the blues driven tunes found in their debut, the new loud/soft/loud psychedelic sound that they've adopted fits them perfectly.  Vocalist Kalen Nash is capable of soft spoken melodies that sweetly fill the airwaves or a startling shout that matches the sudden intensity of tracks like "Navajo'", which boasts a booming chorus and low-key verses.  Ponderosa left my floored, they're a stellar band that has truly re-invisioned themselves between releases, something that was made evident when they came out for an encore of older tunes.  While the tracks were far more blues driven, they contained equal amounts of intensity and honesty.  Ponderosa is a band that can package themselves however they wish, but the passion and talent will always bleed through no matter what.  And that's what makes the mark of a fantastic live band, a title that Ponderosa can proudly wear upon their chests.