Local Beat preview 10/1/10

Wow, has it really been a month and a half since I posted the last Local Beat preview blog?  With the enormous amounts of schoolwork and two jobs (plus all the amazing local music concerts I have been going to) I have not had much time to give to blogging recently.  I hope you forgive me.

This week on the Local Beat we have a full lineup planned out.

Greg Humphreys is coming on the show for the first hour. It has been a very long time since Greg has been on the show and you might recognize his other bands Hobex and Dillon Fence. However, Greg has been a prolific solo artist as well with two solo albums, one live album, and one duo album with Gibb Droll since 2008. His newest album, Realign Your Mind, is a more studio-recorded album than his last release Trunk Songs. Greg and I will talk about the album and play some tunes which you have not yet heard on WKNC.

Greg is also playing some live shows coming up so be sure to check those out as well:

• Oct 6: The Casbah, Durham, NC


• Oct 7: Visualite Theatre, Charlotte, NC


• Oct 8:  Grey Eagle Tavern, Asheville, NC


• Oct 9-10: Shakori Hills Festival


• Oct 16: Local 506, Chapel Hill, NC

Songs of Water has released my favorite album of 2010 so far with their output The Sea Has Spoken.  Songs of Water is a eight-piece group out of Greensboro, NC, and their newest release is mostly beautiful, harmonious instrumentals the meld through worldly genres varying anywhere from Celtic, Oriental, Latin, Americana, blues, tribal, flamenco, bluegrass, and everything in between. Rich, deep, and powerful, it's one of the most kickass local albums I have heard in some time, and I am happy to say they will all be cramming into our small studio to play some live tunes for us. If you are heading to Shakori Hills next week, be sure to check out this group as they play on October 7. Check out the great write-up they got on the Shakori Hills website:

From the woods of North Carolina comes Songs Of Water, an experimental musical fantasia based half in impressionism and half in realism. With a sound both ancient and modern, they dive into an ocean of exotic instruments to create their gorgeously contemplative instrumental vignettes. Utterly beautiful and meticulously presented, they draw deeply from the pool of World music including folk, Celtic, African, Middle Eastern, classical and jazz influences. Founded upon both composition and improvisation, no two performances are exactly alike.

A couple of the fellas and ladies from Minus Sound Research are coming in for the final hour of the show. Minus is an "art exhibition, now in its fifth year, featuring pieces from local North Carolina musicians. The artists will present their creative visions through sculpture, photography, drawings, serigraphy, woodwork and painting." Some new artists in the exhibition this year include:

• Billy Sugarfix (Billy Sugarfix)


• Casey Cook (Americans in France)


• Wendy Spitzer (Felix Obelix)


• Mac McCaughn (Superchunk/Portastatic)


• Casey Burns (The Nein)

The exhibition is running through the entire month of October at the Carrboro Arts Center and will be featuring artwork from participating artists from past and present exhibitions. Including the artwork be sure to check out the live music at the center on October 8 and 9 featuring: Shark Quest, The Kingsbury Manx, The Moaners, North Elementary, Organos, Free Electric State, Americans in France, & Birds and Arrows.



As always the Local Beat starts at 5 p.m. and runs through 8 p.m. every Friday evening on WKNC.  Listen live here and be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and ReverbNation!

EOT43 Hillsborough Street Festival 9/28/10

Sounds and interviews from the Live It Up on Hillsborough Street Festival, behind the scenes of recycling, Evan's viewpoint about Renee Ellmers, flooding rains in the forecast, campus events, a breakdown of the 4-0 start to the football season, cooking Ribollita with Mark, and the WKNC Mailbag.

http://interviews.wknc.org/eot/EOT43_092810.mp3

LBLB September 30—Luego and Schooner!

Come down to WKNC and Tir Na Nog's Local Beer Local Band to see LUEGO and SCHOONER! The show is FREE and starts at 10 p.m. Ages 21 and up.

Don't forget to visit our fancy new Local Beer Local Band Homepage for the Fall schedule for LBLB and to download a FREE MIXTAPE with one song from each artist playing this season.



LUEGO

"I cannot emphasize enough how the sincerity of Phelan's lyricism makes this album a cut above. If you can appreciate alt-country sounds like Wilco and Blitzen Trapper, you'll also appreciate Taped-Together Stories." -Tara Lacey, Performer Magazine

"Ocho thrives on trying more. Influences are a burden. Finally folding them until they're beneath your tunes rather than simply on top of them—which Luego does on Ocho—is an accomplishment that can't be understated."-Grayson Currin, The Independent

And some feedback of our own... "Ocho relies much more heavily on background harmonies and a thicker and deeper sound that is stacked with layer upon layer of grooviness and cool.  The bluesy ruggedness and heartfelt emotion of Phelan’s voice is still present but the album seems to be much more of a family affair and holds a certain friendly attire about it...."

SCHOONER

"...rarely has a sibling relationship created something this harmonious....swooning vintage pop, fuzzy Guided By Voices-ish rock and
woozy Sinatra/Hazlewood-like country for an overall effect that's equal parts dreamy, deadpan and doomed." -Rebecca Raber, CMJ

"This is the best, most balanced material by Schooner yet...Sonically, lyrically and structurally, Schooner supplies a perfect mix of apathy and anguish to these songs, and there's no better conduit for such than the voice of Reid Johnson.-Grayson Currin, The Independent

Tune in this Thursday, September 30 at 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. to hear a full interview with Luego! Schooner might show up too so listen in!! See you on Thursday, friends!

SoundOff10 Superchunk/Interpol

This week we talk about Superchunk's move to Warner Bros, Jack White's new triple decker record, and we review new albums from Superchunk and Interpol.

http://interviews.wknc.org/soundoff10.mp3

Local Beat recap 9/17/10

Because of SPARKcon on September 17 we were limited to only one hour once again for the Local Beat. However, that hour was dedicated to SPARKcon as editor of "The Word" Kestrel Lemen joined us to talk about the giant art festival. As many were, I was extremely overwhelmed by the massiveness of all the different sparks, but Kestrel broke it down one by one for us. Give the interview a listen below:

SPARKcon on the Local Beat 9/17/10

Arcade Fire brings mature, new sound

88.1 WKNC Pick of the Week 9/24, written by May F. Chung, WKNC deejay

Listening to Arcade Fire is like listening to an opera. There's a certain element of grandeur of popping in The Suburbs into the CD drive, an anticipation of knowing that whatever fills your ears for the next 63 minutes is something of high caliber. What do you expect from Arcade Fire, the band that has produced the beautifully wistful Funeral in 2004, and three years later, another genre-defying album entitled Neon Bible but tinged with notes of political intensity? You can hear the sweat of their performance. Win Butler, who has possibly the greatest name in indie rock, and his beloved, Régine Chassagne, both of whom form the backbone of the band, explore some of the themes that pervade most of the album, including its namesake.

Being a kid and growing up in the suburbs, then leaving and accomplishing great things before returning and discovering that everything you left behind—all the memories of innocence and heartbreak—has remained, patiently waiting, and as stoic as ever. The reverent nostalgia is evident in the lyric, "Now our lives are changing fast/Hope that something pure can last," from "We Used to Wait." Arcade Fire reflects on the neighborhood you grew up in (literally, as the new video for the song invites you to enter the address where you grew up and personalizes the video to your own childhood memories). The Suburbs is, in fact, a maturation of their last two albums. As the group comes to terms with adulthood, they still cannot help but wonder longingly over the days of kids when they used to dance under police disco lights (a reference to Funeral's "Laika"). "In my dreams we're still screamin' and runnin' through the yard," croons Butler in the title's opener. And yet, there's a sense of cynicism against the new youth raging for an art form they do not understand. In "Rococo," the group sings, "Let's go downtown and talk to the modern kids/They will eat right out of your hand using great big words that they don't understand." There is no inspiration in experimentation anymore. Everything is contrived, art is vapid and self-emulating. Butler continues to chant "Rococo" as the chorus and mutters, "Oh, my dear God, what is that horrible song?" But the statement itself invokes irony.

"Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)" is easily the best song of the album and neatly ties The Surburbs together. Everything we view as kids is gargantuan, including "Dead shopping malls [that] rise like mountains beyond mountains." If there's any showcase of Chassagne's beautifully hypnotizing voice, it is this song. "Sprawl II" is a component of "Sprawl I (Flatlands)," but both reflect on the same memory of the sprawl, or the home communities of the surburbs where all the houses that line up look the same. For Chassagne, it is a mountain, a childhood reserved for riding bikes and playing in parks. For Butler in "Sprawl I," it is a flatland, a miserable suffocation of civilized society. Is this the same band that used to crowd all their instruments (including a double bass, xylophone, glockenspiel, French horn, accordion, harp, mandolin and hurdy-gurdy) into the elevator as a delightful experiment? Apparently so. Instead of relying on the success of formula, Arcade Fire strives for a new, vibrant sound on The Suburbs, which serves, if nothing else, as a testament to their own greatness.

88.1 WKNC Pick of the Week is published in every Friday in the print edition of Technician, as well as online at technicianonline.com and wknc.org.

Top 20—WKNC's Top Albums of the Week 9/12

Each week, the WKNC music directors tally up spins for new releases and submit their top 10s to CMJ.

CMJ Radio 200 from WKNC’s Daytime Rock

	Artist	Album	Label
#1	J. RODDY WALSTON AND THE BUSINESS	J. Roddy Walston and the Business	Vagrant
#2	THIEVING IRONS	The Midnight Hum	Seabird
#3	GRASS WIDOW	Past Time	Kill Rock Stars
#4	CHIEF	Modern Rituals	Domino
#5	GOLD MOTEL	Summer House	self-released
#6	FRANKIE ROSE AND THE OUTS	Frankie Rose and the Outs	Slumberland
#7	TWIN SHADOW	Forget	Terrible
#8	CEO	White Magic	Modular
#9	SOMEONE STILL LOVES YOU BORIS YELTSIN	Let it Sway	Polyvinyl
#10	DARKER MY LOVE	Alive as You Are	Silver Hornet

CMJ RPM from WKNC’s Afterhours

	Artist	Album	Label
#1	CEO	White Magic	Modular
#2	TWIN SHADOW	Forget	Terrible
#3	!!!	Strange Weather, Isn't It?	Warp
#4	FOUR TET	Angel Echoes (Remix)	Domino
#5	BATHS	Cerulean	Anitcon
#6	BORGORE	Borgore Ruined Dubstep [EP]
#7	DREAMEND	So I Ate Myself, Bite by Bite	Graveface
#8	BLUE SKY BLACK DEATH	Third Party	Fake Four
#9	CROOKERS	Tons of Friends
#10	RUSKO	O.M.G.!	Mad Decent

Local Label Denmark Records' Denmark One Streaming and Available for Purchase Now

New local label Denmark Records, started by UNC-CH graduate and Vinyl Records creator Tripp Gobbel and NCSU graduate Logan Sayles, have just put out their first release, a split seven-inch between electro-soul duo ArnHao and the Flying Lotus-esqu Holygrailers. Entitled Denmark One, you can stream the seven-inch for free here and purchase a copy, including an expanded digital EP, here.

Both acts play Friday at Local 506 alongside Cex, The ExMonkeys, Casual Curious, and The Biters as part of the fifth annual Signalfest.

Banned Books on Mystery Roach: 9/25/2010

Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read is an annual American Library Association event observed during the last week of September.  Banned Books Week celebrates free and open access to information and intellectual freedom.  NCSU Libraries celebrates this annual event with Banned Books Soundwave,  a website offering sound clips of excerpts from banned books read by members of the NC State community including faculty, administrators, and students.

Marian Fragola, Director of Program Planning and Outreach for NSCU Libraries, will discuss Banned Books Week and the Banned Books Soundwave project on Mystery Roach.  We'll also listen to some banned songs and hear a few recordings from the Banned Books Soundwave project.  Should be a fun morning.

Tune in, Saturday 9/25/2010, 8-10am.

Talk to you then.

-La Barba Rossa

Signalfest This Weekend in Chapel Hill

Signal, the Southeast Electronic Music Festival, kicked off its fifth year last night with a hip-hop show at Cat's Cradle featuring Pac Div, Kooley High, King Mez, and others and continues through Sunday in various Chapel Hill and Carborro venues. The festival features a wide array of acts, both national and local, from many different subgenres, including Le Castle Vania, Cex, Sammy Bananas, Tittsworth, The Beast, The ExMonkeys, and WKNC's own Brooklyn Airlift.

Weekend passes for the fest are available for $40 today at the Ackland Art Museum from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., Tallula's starting at 10:00 p.m., and at Vespa on Friday night starting at 10:00 p.m. Individual tickets for each show will be available at the door of the venue the night of the show.

For more information on the festival, including schedules and past acts, check out their website here

The Wailers talk to KNC

Danglin', one of the lead singers of legendary reggae group The Wailers, took a few moments out of getting ready for their show at Cat's Cradle in Carrboro on September 24 to chat with me via email.

1) I saw that The Wailers were featured on the Solutions For Dreamers: Season 3 album with the song "A Step For Mankind."  How did they get involved in this project, and what does it mean to them to be a part of a humanitarian effort?

The Wailers have continued Bob Marley’s legacy and have done so since his death in 1981. His music speaks to us personally as it does to everyone around the world. The concerns then are the same concerns we have today, and this is the reason why we chose to record the song "One Step for Mankind" because it was our way of giving back. We have collaborated with the World Food Programme for a number of years. Last year we gave out thousands of shoes in Columbia to under-privileged kids. With this song, we are donating all the proceeds to the cause because hunger is such an epidemic around the world, and it is one of the simplest to overcome. It’s heartbreaking to know that a child dies from hunger every 6 songs. It made sense when we were asked to record the tracks for the Solution For Dreamers album because their focus was the same as ours.

2) In a time when musical styles are becoming increasingly more blurred and blended, what do The Wailers see as the state of reggae? Where do they see reggae going in the future?

Reggae music remains with drum and bass; it is the foundation of it and always will be— it’s also the heart-beat of the people. The vocals are always positive; it is political and leans towards change and equality. The drums and bass will always be the same. That is how reggae music is identified, and of course positive vibrations come from the vocals.

Reggae music expanding, whenever we do festivals we see such a wide age gap. From young people to people well into their later years come to dance and absorb the positiveness of our music. Reggae music will always survive because it is timeless, and the themes are universal. Everything is relevant to past, present, and future, and it’s forever expanding. So there’s no doubt whatsoever about it’s future. It’s evolving and merging with different genres like we did with "A Step," we brought together reggae and rap and have Dr Dre’s protégé Bishop Lamont on the song doing his flow with the rhythm and rhymes.

3) Have global events and globalism itself influenced their music?

The reggae music in the beginning was a medium of expression; it was a way for the public to know what is going on around them. Whatever goes on in the world, The Wailers will speak on it.  It is the music we provide that spreads awareness of world suffering and inequality. We are definitely the band to be expressing that.

4) After performing for millions of people all over the globe, what do The Wailers see as the pros and cons of performing in a smaller venue like Cat's Cradle?

Whether it’s 2 people in the audience or 20,000, with the positive vibrations we bring, it’s a fantastic feeling. The most important thing is the number of people who can feel the music to the core of their being. Seeing people dancing, getting vibed up on the music is exciting. We want the audience to appreciate it for what it is. It doesn’t matter how many people, what matters is the number of people who walk away and really get the positive message we are trying to share. Reggae music is about bringing people together to share a positive experience and walk away with 'good vibrations.'

5) Are there any important upcoming projects for the band?

The World Food Programme is the number one priority for the band. The Uprising Tour is starting in January. Those are the main projects in the works, but if you want to keep up with us and any new upcoming projects it’s best to go to www.wailers.com to keep track of the band and our whereabouts.

We are looking forward to coming to North Carolina and getting everyone vibed and singing along to all the song.

ONE LOVE to everyone and see you at the show.

EOT42 Shack-A-Thon 9/21/10

The Eye on the Triangle team went out to cover the annual Shack-A-Thon fundraiser on the NCSU Brickyard.  Also in this episode:  An interview with student body president Kelly Hook, the Gardening Minute, Restaurant Review, and analysis of NCSU's 3-0 start to the football season.

http://interviews.wknc.org/eot/EOT42_092110.mp3

Stone Temple Pilots reschedule Raleigh concert

Stone Temple Pilots have announced a change in tour dates for a handful of their upcoming shows, including two in North Carolina. Previously scheduled to play Tuesday, October 5 at the Raleigh Amphitheater, Stone Temple Pilots will now perform two weeks later on Tuesday, October 19. The October 6 show at Charlotte's Road Runner Mobile Amphitheatre will now be October 20. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club will still open for both Live Nation shows. All purchased tickets for the original dates will be honored for the rescheduled shows.

WKNC will also have tickets to the rescheduled show to give away the week of October 11.

Brett Harris to play in the Brickyard for Shack-a-Thon

Durham-based signer/songwriter Brett Harris will be playing a free live acoustic set this Thursday (9/23) at the WKNC shack in the Brickyard at NCSU.  The set will start at 7:30pm, and donations for Habitat for Humanity are greatly appreciated!



Shack-a-Thon is an annual fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity in which participant student groups build shacks on the Birkcyard to be consistently occupied by their members for the entire week.  The WKNC shack is located at the far west edge of the Brickyard. Parking will be available on Hillsborough Street and throughout campus.

(If you have flashlights or a lantern-- they will be greatly appreciated, as power cords are FORBIDDEN at Shack-a-Thon.)

This Week's Giveaways! Woah!

It's beginning to be my favorite time of the year— it's starting to cool off, classes are in full swing, and there are lots of LOCAL SHOWS!

This week, we have some giveaways for these local shows, including:

9/23: Jenny and Johnny at Cat's Cradle



9/25: James Dunn w/ Kennebec at The Pour House



10/26: Muse with Metric at The RBC Center

Other giveaways:

Movie tickets: Resident Evil: Afterlife at Crossroads Cary

CDs: Colour Revolt

Of course, to win these tickets, you must listen to WKNC.

For more information on local shows, check out our rock report.
Also, come out to Shack-a-Thon in the NCSU Brickyard Thursday, 9/23, for a free show by Brett Harris!

WKNC @ Shack-A-Thon

For those of you unfamiliar with the Habitat for Humanity annual tradition, Shack-a-Thon, it is a week-long fundraising event for Habitat for Humanity of Wake County. Campus organizations build a shack and live in it all week, 24/7, panhandling for donations to Habitat.

WKNC is present this year at Shack-a-Thon, providing publicity, T-shirt making, cornhole, and a concert by Durham local Brett Harris. He will be performing September 23 at 7:30 p.m. in the WKNC Shack/Stage.



Come and check out the awesome shack in The Brickyard near Bostian Hall!

Pictures will be up soon. Stay tuned to hear about all the shenanigans occurring this week. As always, listen to WKNC for updates, live streaming from Shack-a-Thon, and the best in independent music!

Local Beer Local Band Sept. 23rd

Come down to Tir Na nOg and WKNC's Local Band Local Beer night on Thursday 9/23 to see Veelee, Motor Skills, and Cassis Orange! As always there will be delicious local beer on tap. BY THE WAY the pub just recently got Big Boss's famous pumpkin ale, Harvest Time on tap... Yum yum yumm! The show is FREE and starts at 10 p.m. Ages 21+.



Veelee

"To put it plainly: Three Sides, the debut EP from Chapel Hill duo Veelee, joins Wood Ear's The Hard Way and Bowerbirds' Danger at Sea as recent short, self-made Triangle debuts that are alarmingly, stop-what-you're-doing-and-memorize-this good." - Grayson Currin, The Independent

My favorite local duo.  Matt and Ginger are the two sweetest musicians I know. If you didn't catch them at Hopscotch or at our LBLB day party last Friday, here is your chance! The hottest Raleigh sensation!

Motor Skills

"Motor Skills debuted last year with “Right as Hell,” one of several stunning surprises on the excellent North Carolina compilation, Hear Here: The Triangle. Pitting a skittering electronic beat reminiscent of late Radiohead against a steely-eyed, dark-lined anthem as addictive as anything Interpol has ever written, “Right as Hell” put Motor Skills high atop the must-watch list." - HopscotchMusicFest.com

With the addition of two new band mates, this poppy, electronic-ish group is sounding better than ever. Three cheers for these guys.

Cassis Orange

"The result of Cassis Orange’s ode to loneliness was a keyboard-laden four-track self-titled indie pop E.P., which upon being released onto an unsuspecting Internet, became a blogosphere sensation, garnering glowing reviews..." - The Fayetteville Feed

This is one of my new favorties in local music. Not sure where exactly these guys came from, felt like nowhere! But apparently they hail from Carborro, NC. This band does feature a member of Motor Skills but they both have their own unique songs. Check out Cassis Orange's track "Listen Heartbeat" on their myspace page. Awesome song, I hope they play it this Thursday!

I'll also be having Cassis Orange and Motor Skills at the station this Thursday for live interview.  Some music will be played... perhaps some giveaways?  Tune in 7-8 p.m. before you head out to the pub!

"Libraries" by The Love Language

88.1 WKNC's Pick of the Week, written by Drew St. Claire a.k.a. DJ SWITCH

When I was just a newborn, my mom would sit in this old rocking chair and cradle me while she sang her favorite Beatles songs, instead of the traditional lullabies. I’m guessing my dad’s renditions of Led Zeppelin didn’t quite make for good bedtime music. So, while I was listening to The Love Language’s newest release, Libraries, I couldn’t help but see a similar scene playing out in my mind—some trendy Triangle couple crooning this local band’s latest release to their little bundle of joy. It's just got that same kind of simple beauty to it.

A couple of years ago, the Love Language’s frontman, Stuart McLamb, was more likely to be found lying in a Raleigh back alley than rocking the big stage at the Hopscotch Music Festival. After a turbulent series of personal events, McLamb created a new band (The Love Language) and put out a self-titled album about his struggles. Libraries comes out just a year after that debut self-titled album and is a very solid follow-up. If the Love Language hasn’t proven themselves to be heavy hitters in Raleigh’s thriving indie rock scene yet, this album will certainly solidify them as such. The first track, “Pedals,” starts out with a quiet piano intro but then crashes into this rich melody with all sorts of layers to it. Those are going to be the keywords for Libraries: “rich” and “layers.” “A season for the both of us, a reason that rose off the coffin”—those are the first bold words from Stuart McLamb, the lead singer and guitarist. He has a bit of Morrissey (from the Smiths) in his voice, and it works well echoing out over the rich ebb and flow of the music. With those symphonic-like buildups and crashes from the instrumentation, I also got a pretty definite Arcade Fire vibe as well. That lovely riff running throughout “Pedals” sounds just like the outro from “Intervention,” but with a beautiful tragedy that is all its own. Another quick standout for me was certainly “Horrorphones.” This was The Love Language track WKNC included on the Hear Here compilation, which was reviewed by yours truly a few issues back. I still stand by what I said about this song back then—a melodic headtrip that’s equal parts I’m From Barcelona and the Beach Boys. Tracks like “This Blood Is Our Own” and “Anthophobia” give off an almost beach-vibe with their bending and sliding guitar solos. This underlying feeling became so pervasive to me that I checked out the band’s website and, sure enough, I see crashing waves and faded photos of wholesome girls in one piece bathing suits. Songs like these, and ones like “Blue Angel,” put me in what I think a 1950’s prom would have been like, but with a much more hip twist to it (and none of the embarrassment). The album closes out with “Wilmont,” which I assume is an allusion to the historic apartment building just down Hillsborough Street. Like the building it references, the song has plenty of heart and soul, made manifest by an acoustic intro and McLamb’s sincere lyrics, “I want you to be with me, ‘cause I’ve got a big heart to feed.” With songs like that, maybe it’s not too far-fetched for Libraries to become lasting lullaby material. Maybe one of those little babies will even grow up to write CD reviews of The Love Language’s next release.

88.1 WKNC Pick of the Week is published in every Friday in the print edition of Technician, as well as online at technicianonline.comwknc.org. and

WKNC's Top 30—Week of 9/6

Each week, the WKNC music directors tally up spins for new releases and submit their top 10s to CMJ.

CMJ Radio 200 from WKNC’s Daytime Rock

	Artist	Album	Label
#1	CEO	White Magic	Modular
#2	TWIN SHADOW	Forget	Terrible
#3	DARKER MY LOVE	Alive as You Are	Dangerbird
#4	SOCIAL STUDIES	Wind Up Wooden Heart	Antenna Farm
#5	REBEL SET	Poison Arrow	Silver Hornet
#6	GRASS WIDOW	Past Time	Kill Rock Stars
#7	J. RODDY WALSTON AND THE BUSINESS	J Roddy Walston and the Business	Vagrant
#8	RICKOLUS	Youngster	Circle into Square
#9	CHIEF	Modern Rituals	Domino
#10	SOMEONE STILL LOVES YOUR BORIS YELTSIN	Let it Sway	Polyvinyl

CMJ RPM from WKNC’s Afterhours

	Artist	Album	Label
#1	CEO	White Magic	Modular
#2	TWIN SHADOW	Forget
#3	!!!	Strange Weather, Isn't It?
#4	FOUR TET	Angel Echoes (Remix)
#5	BATHS	Cerulean	Anitcon
#6	BORGORE	Borgore Ruined Dubstep [EP]
#7	RUSKO	O.M.G.!	Mad Decent
#8	BLUE SKY BLACK DEATH	Third Party
#9	CROOKERS	Tons of Friends
#10	DEAMEND	So I Ate Myself, Bit by Bite	Graveface

CMJ Loud Rock from WKNC’s Chainsaw Rock

	Artist	Album	Label
#1	DEATH ANGEL	Relentless Retribution	Nuclear Blast
#2	CEPHALIC CARNAGE	Mislead by Certainty	Relapse
#3	ACCEPT	Blood of the Nations	Nuclear Blast
#4	BLIND GUARDIAN	At the Edge of Time	Nuclear Blast
#5	DAWN OF ASHES	Genocide Chapters
#6	MOSE GIGANTICUS	Gift Horse	Relapse
#7	ABSENCE	Enemy Unbound
#8	ABIGAIL WILLIAMS	In the Absence of Light	Candlelight
#9	KATAKLYSM	Heaven's Venom	Nuclear Blast
#10	LORDI	Deadache	The End

SoundOff9 Band of Horses/Magic Kids

We talk about this year's Mercury Prize winner, Morrissey's controversial comments on the Chinese, and review new albums from Band of Horses and Magic Kids.

http://interviews.wknc.org/soundoff09.mp3

EOT41 Bedbugs 9/14/10

This week we talked with NCSU urban entomology experts, featured our Wolfpacker of the Week, talked NCSU Football, and heard another installment of the Gardening Minute and the Restaurant Review.

http://interviews.wknc.org/eot/EOT41_091410.mp3

What should Hopscotch do differently next time?

I think we can consider last weekend's first annual Hopscotch Music Festival to be a runaway success.  Never before has the city of Raleigh had such an incredible musical event within the confines of downtown. The crowds were terrific (I have yet to hear of anything about someone getting out of hand with authorities), the venues were spectacular hosts, the bands were on point, parking was never a problem, and let's face it, besides a weak drizzle Saturday night the weather was terrific! You have to hand it to Greg Lowenhagen and Grayson Currin, as well the many volunteers and others who helped out for the spectacular organization and attention to detail the festival was able to achieve.  And while it is not set in stone that Hopscotch will continue, in most people's minds, especially those of the organizers, it certainly will.

So that begs the question, what things can be tweaked to make the festival an even better experience? I have a couple of small things that would have improved:

• Promote the day parties: In my opinion one of the best things about the festival were the numerous free day parties that took place across town. Unfortunately, these were not heavily promoted to the masses and for most out-of-towners they missed out. Friday night I was standing next to a group of festival goers who had driven eight hours for Hopscotch and they had no idea they had already missed out on two days worth of free music before the night even began. Instead they had stayed in their hotel rooms the entire day watching TV and waiting for the official Hopscotch to start. Saturday I caught them hopping around having a blast and they thanked me profusely for informing them of all the day shows going on.


• More options besides music: While this never bothered me since I am all about the music, I think it would be interesting if perhaps the festival has more attractions. Perhaps movie screenings, food discounts, daytime downtown museum/brewery tours, or a giant hopscotch game people have to follow from one venue to the next on the sidewalk? It would just be something extra to entice people who only care about maybe 4 or 5 bands to get a ticket and not feel bad about the price.


• Better schedule grid on pamphlets: Another minor concern was the grid on the schedule that was handed out to all concert attendees. The schedule was difficult to read and I know many complained about having a hard time knowing when certain bands were going to start. It wasn't too difficult but a better visual would have been better.


• Android and Blackberry app: Yeah yeah, I know iPhone's are king, but there are just as many if not more people in our area with smart phones containing android software and blackberry mobile devices. It would have been awesome to have had a Hopscotch app on my phone. Instead I had to rely on a calendar from GoGo Raleigh, which was nice, just not as nice.


• Social Media Incentives: With social media websites like Foursquare and Facebook getting involved with location based software, it would have added a little spice to let users going to the festival receive badges or maybe even some sort of prize for checking into certain spots, the most venues, etc. Not only is this a fun game for people attending, but it provides fantastic and free promotion for the event and venues hosting bands.

The complaints I have seem so trivial and minor that I hardly see the point in posting them.  What about you?  Do you have any comments or suggestions for the future of the festival?  Comment below!

Local Beer Local Band Thurs. Sept 16th

Thursday, September 16 is going to be the first Local Beer Local Band Night with WKNC's Alumni Mikey P. as official booking agent! Sorry for the late arrival of this blog for I believe I am still recovering from Hopscotch.  That does NOT mean that I will pass up free music at Tir na nOg Irish Pub for Local Beer Local Band Night! FREE, 21 and up, starting at 10 p.m.!  Inflowential and HaLo will be the main acts this Thursday night with Ill Digits controling the jams all night.  Local brewskies will be flowing from the taps!

Inflowential

"Inflowential successfully mixes blues, rock, hip-hop, and reggae to create music with broad appeal. Its kinetic live show has been a draw for fans."
David Menconi - The Raleigh News & Observer

"Inflowentia lslides comfortably across genre labels, using their live instruments and jazzy undertones to create tracks with an energy and power that feels fresh. A group with great promise..."
Aylin Zafar - Urb Magazine

HaLo aka MR. BEN READY

If you have heard Kooley High's new album, Eastern Standard Time, then you should recognize the up and coming rapper HaLo (pronounced like"Hah-Low") who is featured on several tracks. Connected to 9th Wonder and Kooley High's M.E.C.C.A. Records, HaLo is a witty, up-beat emcee who has arrived on the scene with the mission to delight, electrify and ignite seas of listeners. Currently collaborating with producers such as Foolery, The Sinopsis, and Khrysis, you'll be sure to hear more from this Raleigh rapper in the future.

Dj Ill Digitz

Once upon a time, Dj Ill Digitz hosted the Midnight Snack for WKNC. You should know him now for his work with Kooley High and his radio show on K 97.5 in his hometown of Raleigh NC. Digitz is one of the few deejays playing real hip hop on commercial radio waves. Here is a podcast he does for the station that features music you won't here on top 40 radio. They are kind enough to post it on their site for download and they are big supporters of both Digitz and Kooely High so big ups to K 97.5!!!



And!! Be sure to tune in Thursday from 7-8 p.m. to hear our beloved Mikey P interviewing our acts this week!

See you Thursday, friends.

Superchunk ticket giveaway Wednesday during Local Lunch

Local music badasses Superchunk will play at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University this Thursday (9/16).  Ray will be giving away a pair of tickets sometime during her show, so listen up!

Swanky Giveaways for this Week!

The local shows keep rolling, after a successful weekend of Hopscotch Musical Festival, and the upcoming SPARKcon, the Triangle is the place to be!

We have a lot of giveaways for you this week. You know what that means—listen to WKNC throughout your entire day and you could win tickets to:

9/15- Jay Clifford at Cat's Cradle



9/16 - Shooter Jennings at Cat's Cradle
The Small Ponds at The Pour House

9/17 - Holy Ghost Tent Revival at Lincoln Theatre

Old Ceremony at Cat's Cradle **CD release party!

Urban Sophisticates at The Pour House

9/18 - Billy Bragg at Cat's Cradle

Free Electric State at The Pour House

9/19 - Drive-By Truckers at Lincoln Theatre

JP Chrissie & Fairground Boys at Cat's Cradle

On-going  movie tickets—The American and Resident Evil: Afterlife at Crossroads 20 in Cary

Even if you don't win tickets, stay up to date on all local shows with our Rock Report!

Photos from the City Plaza at Hopscotch Music Festival

Downtown Raleigh Scenery

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

The Love Language

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

The Rosebuds

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Broken Social Scene

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

The XX Win the Mercury Prize

Every year the Mercury Prize is awarded to an act who is considered to have put out the best British album within the past year. This year, after much anticipation among British music aficionados, The XX have been declared the winner for their album XX. Facing a tremendous amount of competition from acts including Mumford and Sons, Laura Marling, and Paul Weller, The XX came out on top at the end of the wait.

After it was announced that The XX won the prize on September 7, band member Oliver Sim went on to say “Thank you so much, we’ve had the most incredible year." He later added, “Everyday we’ve woken up to something incredible.”

The XX now join a group of artists that include Klaxons, Franz Ferdinand, and Arctic Monkeys.

Citizens of the Empire self-released debut politically charged

88.1 WKNC's Pick of the Week 9/10

written by Sarah Hager, WKNC DJ

As I opened Citizen of the Empire’s self-titled and self-released debut, the CD insert caught my attention. Where the copyright information should be, I read, “No Rights Reserved.”

“We prefer to make our lives a work of art as opposed to ‘making a living’ from our art. Reproduce and distribute in any form by any means. Share with your friends and enemies alike.” I will say, after listening, I’ll be sure to do just that. The seven-track album starts off with a slow, ethereal guitar riff with subtle crash symbols. This track, entitled “Insurrection is Our only Weapon against the Machine of Alienation,” is a perfect way to get the listener ready for the remainder of the album. Citizens of the Empire seems to be a very politically-oriented band, giving links to Zeitgeist, among other online movies, as well as titling the tracks according to their views. I immediately realized I would get a fuller experience if I turned the music up and let it replace all other things I was thinking of. Closing my eyes, it was easy to lose myself in the music. The fourth track, “Power is not to Be Conquered, It is to Be Destroyed” is by far the strongest. It’s immediately up-tempo and forceful. Continuous riffs throughout make it fun and interesting for the duration of its six-minute length. “Everything We Possess will in turn Possess Us” is another example of exciting riffs, but this time sprinkled over the seven-minute track contributes to such a full-sounding post-rock song. The ending song, “We Pay for Our Lives with Our Deaths,” is a strong finish to the album. Its intricate guitar is weaved into enough vice that when the song finishes, all you want is more. I was surprised to learn Citizens only consists of three members—Andrew Carson playing drums, Patrick Seawell on bass, and Jacob West shredding guitar. This three-piece is from Minneapolis, MN. Citizens fits in perfectly with bands such as Mogwai, God is an Astronaut and Explosions in the Sky. While your mind won’t be blown to pieces, it will be fully satisfied by the instrumental rock laid out for listening pleasure.

"88.1 WKNC Pick of the Week is published in every Friday in the print edition of Technician, as well as online at technicianonline.com and wknc.org/blog."

My Morning Jacket guitarist’s solo debut a perfect record for fall

88.1 WKNC's Pick of the Week 9/3
By Charlie Burnett, WKNC DJ

Side projects by members of great bands tend to go one of two ways. Either they’re just as great as the actual band, like Wilco-offshoot Loose Fur, or bland and forgettable, like Mick Jagger’s entire solo output. Guitarist for country-rockers My Morning Jacket Carl Broemel’s debut solo record, All Birds Say, falls into the former category.

When performing with My Morning Jacket, Broemel can often be found flailing around the stage during up-tempo barn-burners, or adding texture to one of the band’s hazy ballads. For Broemel’s solo record, however, he trades in his electric guitar for an acoustic set of lilting country-folk numbers perfect for the segue into fall.

With a warm voice similar to My Morning Jacket lead-man Jim James, Broemel effortlessly works his way through breezy, relatively simple songs that, generally put, fall into the folk-rock genre.

The instrumental title track, “All Birds Say,” proves an apt starting point for the record. A sunny, classical, guitar melody eases up to a piano-bass-drums combo that gently fades into second track “Life Leftover,” a laid-back folk song about not taking for granted the short time we are given on earth.

Tucked into a dreamy country number called “Carried Away,” a subtly moaning lap steel guitar matches the weary chorus: “Don’t get carried away in the past, it’s not there/Don’t get carried away in the past, it’s not fair.” These lyrics are merely one example of the subtly poignant style of Broemel’s songwriting.

Elsewhere on All Birds Say, simple truths such as “Seems impossible to get ahead/When you are only making just enough,” from “Enough,” and the close detail of the gentle shuffling “On The Case,” with its descriptions of dusty, unfinished books and weeds “growing in beds by the water,” display Broemel’s lyrical prowess.

All Birds Say may disappoint some My Morning Jacket fans looking for another record of balls-to-the-wall, country-rock anthems and psychedelic balladry. Those willing to accept the fact that All Birds Say is a slower, more easy-going affair, however, will find a perfect fall record full of lilting, country-folk songs focused on the simple truths and nuances of everyday life.

88.1 WKNC Pick of the Week is published in every Friday in the print edition of Technician, as well as online at technicianonline.com and wknc.org.

Best Coast album features mix of romantic vocals and cynicism

88.1 WKNC's Pick of the Week 8/27
By Michael Jones, WKNC DJ

Every once in a while you stumble across a band that perfectly defines a specific type of music, and with Best Coast’s debut Crazy For You, they prove that they are one of those bands.

Best Coast has debuted with a stellar entry into a surfer rock genre that has seemed to dominate much of the indie rock music scene over the past year. The band has gone so far to describe their sound as a girl lying on the beach in the 1990s wearing a bathing suit from the 50s.

Best Coast is the musical collaboration between vocalist Bethany Cosentino, multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno and their touring drummer Ali Koehler. Coming out of Los Angeles, California, Best Coast has produced immense hype, recently being named the best new band of 2010 by the British publication NME, and are also set to play at this year’s Hopscotch Music Festival in downtown Raleigh this September.

The band kicks off their album just as you might expect. The starry-eyed, love-longing vocals of Cosentino come out in their best fashion with the track Boyfriend. Cosentino emphasizes her desire for a man and her contempt for another woman vying for his attention. “If I could only get her out of the picture / Then he would know how much I want him,” demonstrates her love for this guy she desires to return her love. Finally, toward the end of the fantastic track, Cosentino dives into some of the more dreamy elements of Best Coast when she thinks up a series of romantic and beautiful activities they would share.

The entire album is not compiled solely of sweet, romantic songs. The title track Crazy For You demonstrates Cosentino's push-pull tendencies toward her significant other when she delivers the lyrics, “I want to hit you then I kiss you / Want to kill you then I miss you.” Bordering on sentiments that reflect both insecurity and defiance, she is consistently second-guessing herself.

Best Coast is able to capitalize on their marijuana-influenced, beach pop tunes with their track The End. This slick entry into the album shows the appearance of being laid-back -- yet somehow worried -- about the relationships that Cosentino describes throughout the album.

Each track appears to be a unique entry into a specific feeling that the Best Coast is getting across in a way that creates diversity and breeds excellence. Songs like Goodbye demonstrate the band's ability to dip into the harshest areas of cynicism, while Bratty B shows that she can change in order to be with her loved one once again.

As the album comes to a close, Best Coast delivers track after track that show Cosentino second-guessing and coming to frustrating conclusions about wanting to be with this mystery man. However, she seems to acknowledge forces outside of her control are preventing them from being together.

At the end of the day, Best Coast’s Crazy For You provides a stand-out entry into a surfer rock genre that may seem oversaturated to some, and if hitting the top 40 for an independent band’s debut record proves anything, it is that they have the potential to be one of the next big names in pop.

88.1 WKNC Pick of the Week is published in every Friday in the print edition of Technician, as well as online at technicianonline.com and wknc.org.

EOT40 The Record 9/7/10

Jacob takes us to Duke University's Nasher Museum to tour their new exhibit on the record.

http://interviews.wknc.org/eot/EOT40_090710.mp3

Giveaways for the week!

This week is somewhat slow for giveaways, but golly gee, you'd better believe that next week we'll be back in the busy giveaway time!

Nevertheless, this week you could win tickets to see:

Kings of Leon w/The Black Keys & The Whigs at The Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion on September 13. What a LINE-UP!

*If you win, be sure to gloat to DJ Ones, he's a huge Whigs fan

The American (movie) at Crossroads Cinema

or a veritable smorgasbord of artist schwag (CDs, T-shirts, vinyls, etc)

As always, look out for local shows (with or without free tickets) at our rock report!

Remember, you can't win if you don't listen!

Follow me at Hopscotch!

Hello, WKNC fans, I am the staff photographer, Katie, a.k.a the Blog Lady because I also edit the blog, and I'm going to be at Hopscotch ALL WEEKEND taking photographs! Don't worry, my camera will be much nicer than that.

As frequently as I can, AT LEAST once a day, I will be uploading my photos onto Flickr and putting up slideshows on the blog! I'm going to try to hit as many venues and as many shows as I can throughout the entire event. I'll definitely cover the events put on by WKNC, and I'm especially excited for the smaller shows that will compile great local musicians from every music genre!

So be checking the blog daily for my photo updates, and if you have any special request of shows you'd like to see photos of, leave a comment on this post!

9/2 LBLB photos: A Farewell concert to Chris Tamplin

Photographs taken by WKNC staff photographer Katie Hill

Darien

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

The Houston Brothers

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Arcade Fire's music video uses Google Maps to a new level

I am always on the look-out for unique music videos, and typically, indie bands pull through with quality footage. However, Arcade Fire's new video for "We Used To Wait" trumps them all.

Chris Milk used GoogleChrome technology to create an interactive "experience" (because the term "music video" doesn't do it justice.)

This is how it works: You type in your childhood address. The video will load and when it is ready, a play button will appear. This interactive music video opens a variety of other windows throughout the song, allowing for the viewer to get swept up into the nostalgia.

Close your other browser windows, turn up your speakers, and enjoy.

KNC DJs Pick Their "Entrance Themes"

Not too long ago I sent the fine DJs the task of selecting their entrance theme. You may be thinking, "What is this crazy entrance theme you speak of DJ Ones?" The answer is quite simply this: your entrance theme is the song that would hypothetically play as soon as you entered a room. Below are the handful of responses that I received from DJs across most formats at the station.




Sweet Annie Rich

Robert Earl Keen - Whenever Kindness Fails

[youtube width="425" height="25"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz47SXpbYdw

DJ Elly May

Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks

[youtube width="425" height="25"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbJQT2eDseA

Agent Orange

Holy Fuck - Lovely Allen

[youtube width="425" height="25"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrtQEaeGaZY#t=18s

Filthy Rich

Kens' Theme from Street Fighter II - Guitar Version

[youtube width="425" height="25"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W98RFGgont0

Sweet Melissa

Mark Mothersbaugh -  Ping Island/Lightning Strike Rescue Op (The Life Aquatic Soundtrack)

[youtube width="425" height="25"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRibnHiuZkQ#t=01m03s

DJ Mensch

Hockey - Song Away

[youtube width="425" height="25"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjMHyq2vrQk

DJ Ones

Justice - Genesis

[youtube width="425" height="25"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThKNt-GY1ww#t=38s

Kojo

John Cage - 4'33

[youtube width="425" height="25"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUJagb7hL0E#t=0m40s

Iris G

Cee Lo - Fuck You

[youtube width="425" height="25"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAV0XrbEwNc&has_verified=1

Noobhammer

Sabaton - 40:1

[youtube width="425" height="25"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N534o7gETE0

The Blog Lady (the blog editor)


John Williams - Star Wars Theme

[youtube width="425" height="25"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjMNNpIksaI

DJ Mollypop

Apples in Stereo - Energy

[youtube width="425" height="25"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iaVEeTm3OM

N!cole

Starfucker - Rawnald Gregory Erickson the Second

[youtube width="425" height="25"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Z8oYH_bhnA

DJ Switch

Jeff Barry and Je'net Dubois - Movin' On Up

[youtube width="425" height="25"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9y4iXAso4I




What would your entrance theme be? Let us know in the comment section below!

Emerge: Fall into Fashion show featuring Kooley High

Whats up WKNC-ers! This is my first ever blog post, so don't crack on me for not being too blog-savvy... but here it goes:
Tuesday night (Well technically Wednesday morning) on Underground 88, I invited a group of three very intelligent and beautiful ladies, Lilu, Danielle, and Julie, as well as an equally awesome and talented young man, Troy Jaques, onto my midnight hip hop show to discuss their charity event being held on the 12th of September. Before I go any further,  here are the details for the event:

What: Emerge Fall into Fashion show and afterparty

Where: Mirage Night Club in Raleigh NC

When: September 12, starting at 8:00 p.m.

Why: Charity event, with proceeds going to Haven House Services

This group will be showing fall fashions from Dollface Boutique, Leluna Star, Julkee, and Zac Schell Designs. Not to mention for any of you local hip hop fans... KOOLEY HIGH will be performing right after the fashion show, as well as an after party for 21 and ups. Don't worry under 21-ers, the fashion show, sushi and Kooley show will be open to you as long as you are 18. These designers (three out of four NC state Alumni) have been working very very hard to provide you with an awesome event and some great fashion design; these people live for their art. They will also be present at First Friday presenting their work.

I'm a social work major, so I get real excited by charity events, especially one for a cause like Haven House. Haven house is a private, non-profit organization headed by a volunteer board and operated by local members of the community who are interested in helping the youth of our community when they are in difficult situations. They are funded mostly by the United Way, government grants and donations. The proceeds from this fashion show go to Haven House, and not to mention Kooley High's awesomeness will be present after the fashion show. And you get to look at cuties in cute clothes... and sushi. And summa dat bubbly if you're old enough. All for a good cause. What else could you ask for?

If you're interested, you can check out more information on www.emergefashionnc.com

It was a great pleasure working with these cats, and I'm real excited right now. :)

Turbo Fruits’ Jonas Stein Chats It Up With Elly May

Jonas Stein of Turbo Fruits called in this morning and took some time to tell me what the band's been up to and what's coming up in the future.  There were some technical difficulties in trying to get the phone interview set up correctly, but Jonas was gracious and patient enough to stick around. He announced that the band will be producing a series of 7" vinyl (and digital) collector's singles over the next year on their Turbo Time label. At the end of the series, they'll be releasing a full-length album of the singles. He also talked about the Bruise Cruise Festival the band will be playing in February. It's a  three day Caribbean cruise with a fantastic lineup of garage rock bands including Turbo Fruits, Black Lips, Vivian Girls, The Strange Boys, and more.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3P5QWOa7i9M

We also discussed more general topics such as whether Jonas felt that being based in Nashville had affected the band's sound. He said it was more about the environment (people, places, outdoors, etc.) than the city specifically itself, but he did say "if we were from California, we probably wouldn't sound the way we do." About touring, Jonas said it was "like going to war in a time of peace." I also asked whether there was a back-story for the unique video for "Naked With You." Apparently, it involved hunting down an unknown cute girl in Chicago at the last minute and her being willing to make a sexy but strange music video. I'd say it worked for the best.

Turbo Fruits will be playing tomorrow, Wednesday, September 8 at Local 506 in Chapel Hill.

MORE HOPSCOTCH HOPSCOTCH HOPSCOTCH

DAY PARTIES:

WKNC is sponsoring two day parties:

-Tir Na Nog's show featuring Cellar Seas, Veelee, Filthybird, Temperance League and A Rooster for the Masses (FREE noon-5pm Friday 9/10)

-The "Local Time" stage Sain front of the Raleigh Times featuring The Flute Flies, NAPS, The Loners, Maple Stave, Red Collar, Des Ark and The Old Ceremony. Our street team will be doing live broadcasts throughout the event. (FREE 11am-6pm Saturday 9/11)

Details about these and all the other day parties are available here.

FIVE STAR:
Thursday night at Five Star, WKNC Afterhours DJs (Hennessey, Jose Jose, Chocolate Rice and Brooklyn Airlift) will be spinning from 10:30at night until 2 in the mo'nin. Buy a club wristband, or risk it waiting in line, to attend.

The full Hopscotch schedule (minus the day parties) is available here.

STILL HAVE UNANSWERED HOPSCOTCH QUESTIONS?
Grayson Currin (festival curator) and Greg Lowenhagen (creative director) of the Independent Weekly will be this week's VIP(s) on Eye on the Triangle tomorrow night at 7pm. Comment on this post if you have any specific (or general, I guess) questions to be answered straight from the big-wigs themselves.

Local Beer Local Band Presents Hopscotch Day Party! FRIDAY Sept. 10

This Thursday night will be overrun with Hopscotch goers, therefore, WKNC and Tir Na nOg will be hosting our usual Local Beer Local Band Night on Friday, September 10 instead! New Raleigh and Aviator Brewing Company are also presenting.

There will be a total of FIVE, yes count 'em five!, local acts this week: Cellar Seas, Veelee, Filthy Bird, Temperance League, and A Rooster for the Masses.  All of these bands are WKNC favorites. It will be a great way to kick off your Friday night. Music starts at 12 .pm.

I plan to have Cellar Seas and Veelee in the station on Thursday from 7-8 p.m. so be sure to tune in for that!



Cellar Seas

Cellar Seas is made up of some of my favorite Raleigh people (a bartender, a dj, and frontman to another great band, NAPS). Slow indie rock with just a twinge of country. Plus, these men are all devastatingly handsome.

Veelee

Veelee is my number one favorite duo within our already amazing local music scene. Ginger and Matthew have some sort of power over me when I see them play. I can't stop smiling, and I want to dance but no one else is... so I don't. If this happens to you on Friday, please dance, and I will join you! Veelee will also be playing at 10:30 p.m. at The Hive the same day.

Filthy Bird

I'm always a sucker for a band with female vocals. The folks at the Pinhook said, “These guys are kind of a cosmic Americana western eastern totem spirit animal.” They also have a new record coming out in October, so I'm sure you're bound to get a sneak peak of what's on it at this show.

Temperance League

Harder garage rock with a retro feel. Their former band you might remember, Bruce Hazel & Some Volunteers.

A Rooster for the Masses

This band is too good.  You might have caught them Friday the 3rd at the Cave; if not, catch them this Friday! Their album review by Grayson Currin in the Independent Weekly said, "the Rooster still sings truth to power over angular guitar lines and hi-hat pulses, whether riffing on the downtown void King's Barcade left behind on 'No Party Downtown' (the band released Rojo there in 2006) or territorial tendencies on 'Headwaters.'"  Well thankfully, Kings is back, A Rooster for the Masses is playing music, and everyone will be happy.

So don't forget! Before you begin your Friday night Hopscotch adventures, head to the pub and check out all of these awesome bands. Plus, if you didn't get a Hopscotch ticket (There are only about 15 all-inclusive passes left as I write this!) you can still come to this daytime event!  See you there, with a day-beer in hand!

SoundOff8 Ra Ra Riot/Jenny and Johnny

This week we talked about the pending legal problems from Vampire Weekend, The X Factor banning Autotune, and we review new releases from Ra Ra Riot and Jenny and Johnny.

http://interviews.wknc.org/soundoff08.mp3

EOT39 Campus Safety 8/31/10

This week features an interview with John Barnwell of Campus Police about campus safety. Our Wolfpacker of the Week is Amber Smith, founder of the non-profit ME3.

http://interviews.wknc.org/eot/EOT39_083110.mp3

Turbo Fruits to slow down for an interview with WKNC

Nashville-based rock band Turbo Fruits will be calling in for a phone interview with me, DJ Elly May, around 10 a.m. on Tuesday, September 7. The interview comes before the band's performance at Local 506 on September 8. We'll be discussing the band's inspiration, their experiences on the road, where they're headed in the future, and how they feel about the state of indie rock. If there's a question you want answered, leave a comment and let me know!