The Local Beat Preview 1/20/12

This week on The Local Beat we only have one guest to welcome. At 6 p.m. Jeff Crawford of Arbor Ridge Studios is coming on to chat about a new project. In addition to being active in over five dozen bands (only a slight exaggeration) and heading popular local recording studio Arbor Ridge Studios, Jeff is also the music director at The Gathering Church in Durham. The Gathering Church has been meeting since 2009 at Creekside Elementary School and has become well known for its worship services with Jeff's musical talents taking stage. In 2010 the church released Christmas Nights: Music From The Gathering Church to great fanfare. Now, just a little over a year later, a new album is being released: Hymns From The Gathering Church. The album features a plethora of well-known local artists performing their takes on traditional Christian hymns.  Phil Cook (Megafaun), Heather McEntire (Mount Moriah), Seth Kauffman (Floating Action), Mandolin Orange, Skylar Gudasz, Ryan Gustafson, Brett Harris, Nick Jaeger (The Tomahawks), Mark Simonsen (The Old Ceremony), and James Wallace all contributed to the record.

Join Jeff and I on The Local Beat as we take a listen and chat about this new album.

As always, the fun starts at 5 p.m. and will last until 8 p.m.! Be sure to follow the Local Beat on Twitter or Facebook and download tons of free local music on our ReverbNation page!

A Safe Haven with Arbor Ridge Studios, Shuffle Magazine, and WKNC

Arbor Ridge Studios of Chapel Hill has put together a day party for Hopscotch - but this isn't any day party.  Titled "Saved Haven" and presented in conjunction with Shuffle Magazine and WKNC, the party will present local bands at Tir Na NOg on Friday, September 9 from 12-5 p.m.  Oh, and the bands will be paired together on stage.

That's right, instead of a set of just Mandolin Orange, it'll be a set of Mandolin Orange and Josh Moore.  Not just Luego, but Luego and Wylie Hunter and the Cazadores.

The live collaborations are (in reverse order of appearance):

• Mandolin Orange/Josh Moore


• Birds and Arrows/Skylar Gudasz and the Ugly Girls


• Jeff Crawford/Brett Harris


• The Tomahawks/Schooner


• Luego/Wylie Hunter and the Cazadores

Sounds amazing, right?  Can it get any better?  Yes.  While all of this magic is going on, Arbor Ridge is giving listeners a sneak peak into what's been recorded recently at their studio.

It's a 2-in-1 day party - collaborations + listening party - and it is a must for Hopscotch.

Local Bands (together), Local Studio, Local Magazine, Local Station, Local Pub

12-5pm, Tir Na nOg, September 9. It will be beautiful.

Brett Harris and The Tender Fruit LBLB July 14

Beat the July heat by cooling down with a nice cold North Carolina brew this Thursday, July 14 at Tir Na nOg. You'll want to double check their selection when you get there, but feel free to scope out their beer menu in advance.

For the local band part of the equation, this week features Brett Harris and The Tender Fruit. Durham-based Harris has been on the scene since 2007 and hooked up with WKNC in September 2010 to play during Habitat for Humanity's annual Shack-a-thon on the NCSU Brickyard. He also stopped by our studios earlier that year to talk with Adam Kincaid during "The Local Beat." Our friends down the hall at Wolf TV graciously recorded that performance, available for your review below.

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/11149502[/vimeo]

WKNC fans will also recognize The Tender Fruit from their February 2010 performance at Double Barrel Benefit 7 and November 2010 Fridays on the Lawn show with The Tomahawks.

Local Band Local Beer is a weekly collaboration between WKNC and Tir Na nOg. It starts every Thursday after 10 p.m. and is free and 21+. Coming up:

• July 21 - Birds and Arrows, Free Electric State and Gray Young


• July 28 - Nests and Lilac Shadows


• August 8 - Big Picture and Kid Future

Hank Sinatra headlines benefit concert for familes of tornado victims

For years, Tir Na nOg Irish Pub has hosted events to benefit local organizations like Hopeline, The Haven animal shelter, InterAct and countless others. Just Thursday they collected donations of food and $960 in cash for the Triangle chapter of the American Red Cross to help those affected by the tornadoes that ravaged Raleigh and other parts of the state April 16. The nOg Run Club also raised $600 on April 18 for the Triangle Red Cross.

Ten musicians/bands will grace the Tir Na nOg stage Tuesday to help raise money for burial costs and other necessities for the families of four children who were killed after a tornado hit the Stony Brook North Mobile Home Park - just five miles from the Pub. There is no cover charge for the event, but donations are strongly encouraged. According to a statement on the Tir Na nOg Web site, the restaurant will also be honoring storm victims and volunteers with free hamburgers (donations encouraged for all others).

The event begins at 5 p.m., with music to start at 5:30 and follow this schedule:

5:30 p.m. - Stella Lively
6:00 p.m. - Brett Harris
6:30 p.m. - Richard Bacchus
7:10 p.m. - This House on Fire
7:50 p.m. - Jack The Radio
8:30 p.m. - Maldora
9:10 p.m. - Anitbubbles
9:50 p.m. - The Olympic-Ass Kickin Team
10:30 p.m. - A Rooster for the Masses
11:10 p.m. - Hank Sinatra

If you are unable to attend this event, there are a number of other way to help tornado victims. From now until May 20, IndieNC is sponsoring an online fundraiser to benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of Wake County. The Pour House has scheduled a two-night "We Are Raleigh" benefit for the Triangle Red Cross May 25 and 26, with details and performers to be announced. If you know of any additional benefit efforts, please post them in the comments below. You can also visit the City of Raleigh Web site for information on where to give and get help.

Full disclosure: WKNC and Tir Na nOg have been partners since March 2007 to present the weekly Local Beer Local Band free concert series.

The Pinhook's Second Great Band Swap

This Thursday through Saturday, December 3-5, The Pinhook in Durham will be hosting The Great Band Swap—based on a 2007 concert.

The format: three nights, four local bands a night, and every artist must cover at least one song by one of the other three artists that night.

The Pinhook website (http://thepinhook.com/) provides the following line-ups and descriptions

Thursday, December 2 features the anthemic punk rock of Pink Flag, the soulful, old-school pop of Brett Harris, the classic-rock hooks of The Pneurotics, and the shambolic majesty of Dry Heathens. The WXDU deejay team.

Friday, December 3, local legend Billy Sugarfix leads the way with his whipsmart catalog of charming, confessional pop. Juan Huevos brings ebullient homemade hip-hop, and Durham duo Joy In Red squares off with Raleigh art-garage outfit Antibubbles. Deejay sets will be provided by WXYC.

Saturday, December 4 is the wildest bill, hitting most of the genre extremes in indie rock. Cassis Orange provides distilled electro-pop with a subtle Japanese edge. Mosadi Music is hard-edged, political hip-hop with searingly tight live instrumentation. HOG takes heavy-metal and stretches into psychedelic dirges and molten, fleet fingered hooks. And Embarrassing Fruits channels the finest guitar rock of the past 20 years, mixed with lyrics about girls, partying, and small-town ennui. The WKNC crew will spin records.

As listed, after the performances local college radio stations WXDU (Duke University), WXYC (The University of North Carolina), and, of course, WKNC (North Carolina State University) will provide the music by deejaying.  I will be representing the station with my co-host and valiant General Manager of WKNC 88.1. It should prove to be a most interesting and entertaining local happening each night and overall, and may earn a status as an annual event.

--> GIVEAWAYS!

This week we've got some golden giveaways on WKNC!

Be the right caller when the DJ asks for it and you could win tickets to:

10/27: MiMOSA at Lincoln Theatre

10/29: Jason Isbell at Casbah

10/30: Blonde Redhead at Cat's Cradle



10/30: Howlies at Slim's

10/30: Mantras at the Pour House

10/31: Caribou at Cat's Cradle



10/31: Marxtravaganza (featuring Bright Young Things, Tomahawks, Brett Harris, and more!) at Slim's

annnnd

11/3: MGMT at Raleigh Memorial Auditorium



Remember, you have to listen to win!

LIVE at Tir Na nOg! LBLB October 14!!!

Come down to WKNC and Tir Na Nog's Local Band Local Beer on Thursday, October 14 to see AMINAL, BRETT HARRIS, and THE HONORED GUESTS! The show is FREE. Ages 21 and up. 10 p.m.

Don't forget to visit the fancy shmancy new Local Beer Local Band website! Loaded with show schedules and a download-able mixtape!



Aminal

"If pop music is a wild animal, then this Chapel Hill trio’s domesticated it, teaching it to sit up, roll over and lay in their lap. Their songs amble with unhurried grace and purr with ineffable charm. Frontman Patrick O’Neill has a gift for vocal melodies that insinuate themselves into your confidences so completely that, after a couple of listens, you’re ready to buy them a round of drinks. The songs boast a woozy ebb and flow fueled by a vibrant rhythm section that’s capable of unspooling the sound with the measured skill of a master angler loosening and locking his reel."

- Hopscotch Music Festival

You might have missed these guys at Hopscotch because they were playing at the same time as Best Coast. No worries, catch them this Thursday!

Brett Harris

"...equal amounts of jangle and drift, pop and pontification, like a Nick Lowe and Randy Newman acolyte dreaming in FM ballad Technisound."

-Grayson Currin, Independent Weekly

"...Durham's version of Paul McCartney."
-Zach Hanner, Shawna Kenney & John Staton, Wilmington Star News

Brett Harris recently played on NC State campus for Shack-a-thon. A week-long camp-out to support Habitat for Humanity.

The Honored Guests

"Perfection is better in concept than practice, as most anyone who's lived with a perfectionist will tell you. It nearly brought down the Chapel Hill band The Honored Guests until they learned to scale their ambitions and expectations to a place where the means of playing music were as important as the ends of making the perfect record.

That struggle is encapsulated not only in the title of the Guests' third album, Please Try Again, but also in the songs themselves. Sure, the album suggests The Flaming Lips' Soft Bulletin with its richly layered songs, oddly shaped and resolutely catchy arrangements and dreamy countenance. But rather than being infused with hope, Please Try Again comes shadowed by a sense of frustration and dissipation, tracing a psyche at war with itself." - The Independent



All of the above bands will be in the station this Thursday from 7-8 p.m. for an interview. Tune in!

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!

5/20 LBLB Photos

Photographs taken by WKNC photographer Katie Hill

Mount Moriah

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Brett Harris

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

LBLB Preview: Mount Moriah and Brett Harris

In advance of their show tonight (Thursday), Heather McEntire of Mount Moriah and Brett Harris will be stopping by at 7pm.  I'll be asking them the tough questions about new music and such, so be sure to tune in at 88.1FM or wknc.org/listen.

Local Beer Local Band for May 20

Looking for great local music? You never have to look further than Thursday nights at Tir Na Nog Irish Pub for Local Beer Local Band. This Thursday, May 20, WKNC and Tir Na Nog host Durham's Brett Harris, Mount Moriah from Chapel Hill and Raleighites Jack the Radio. As always, the fun starts at 10 p.m. and it's free.

The show poster isn't one of ours, but it's damn good.

Local Beat recaps: 3/26, 4/2, 4/9

Every now and then, I am reminded that I am student by a sudden kick in the groin from copious amounts of schoolwork and I am down for the count for a little while.  That has recently happened to my Local Beat producers and me who have spent the last three weeks either out of town or slaving through text books and notecards trying not to completely fail at graduating on time (I myself am already a year behind).  Because of this we want to apologize for running about four weeks behind schedule with our weekly Local Beat podcasts.  Fortunately, instead of having 12 interviews to edit, we have only missed three, and here they are below (also, check out the ReverbNation player at the bottom of the post to listen to and download all the songs played live):

March 26: Brett Harris
March 26 was the first live Local Beat I had been able to do in a month because of NC State Baseball broadcasts and Durham rock/pop singer Brett Harris dropped by for what turned out to be one of my favorite interviews in a long while as we talked about his brand new album Man of Few Words, an LP that could possibly break my top 10 for the year.  We talked in depth about the recording of the album, the multitude of artists that assisted him in recording, and compared everything to his past couple of EPs. Brett played two live tracks for us that you can watch in the videos below and download in the ReverbNation player at the bottom of the page.   Brett released the album at the Nightlight on April 2nd with Luego and Bright Young Things for what turned out to be an amazing show.  Check out our conversation:
Brett Harris on the Local Beat 3/26/10



The Local Beat w/ Adam Kincaid: Brett Harris "Unspoken (Live)" from Wolf TV on Vimeo.



Local Beat w/ Adam Kincaid: Brett Harris "Man of a Few Words (Live)" from Wolf TV on Vimeo.

April 2: Free Electric State
One of the hottest bands in North Carolina graced my program three weeks ago.   Free Electric State is blowing up in the local press and media for their blazing rock n' roll live shows and the hype surrounding their debut LP following in the heels of their first two song demo from '09.  And though FES is a relatively new band, most of the members are not knew to performing or songwriting and it certainly shows with this latest output.  We spent the hour talking about Caress and the differences in the band now from a year ago.  We also touched on the recording process and Duck Kee Studios and the involvement of Churchkey Records who is releasing the album.  The album release party was April 16th at the Pinhook with Beloved Binge and A Rooster For The Masses although the album itself will not be released until April 27th.   Take a listen to the interview below and also watch the newest muisc video for the song "6 is 1" from Caress as well:
Free Electric State on the Local Beat 4/2/10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6tImE9irIM

April 9: Mandolin Orange
Every now and again I hear a record that I cannot for the life of me stop playing and Mandolin Orange's recent release Quiet Little Room is just one of those.  Soft, quiet, simple, and yet catchy and beautiful all at the same time,  Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz really outdid themselves on this debut full length.  Following their locally acclaimed debut EP they put out this past year Andrew and Emily spent late nights alone in the studio mastering and perfecting Quiet Little Room with Andrew's songwriting skills and Emily's finishing touch.  The couple came in to chat about the new record and the past year, but mostly to play plenty of songs for me and you.  Listen in below and be sure to check out the album release party coming up the May 1 at the Local 506 with friend Big Fat Gap and Ryan Gustafson:
Mandolin Orange on the Local Beat 4/9/10

Local Beat preview 3/26/10

The Local Beat will be back tomorrow night for the first time in a month!  The show will be short, however, as our NC State Baseball team begins a three game series against Miami starting at 6:30 p.m., broadcasting beginning at 6:00 p.m.  Durham native Brett Harris will be joining me for the only hour of the show to chat about a new album that he is preparing to release.

Be sure to tune in at 5:00 p.m. for the Local Beat and Brett Harris!

Local Valentine's Day playlist

Many would call me a hopeless romantic.  I love to send letters and flowers to my girl and pamper her up when I can.  And while I am not a huge fan of Valentine's Day and its pop culture marketing schemes,, I still feel the urge to go out and buy my sweetie some candy and flowers and make her a nice dinner to show her how much I care.  Another thing I like to do from time to time is make her custom mix tapes based around themes, as it was afterall music that brought us together.  Holiday mix tapes are usually the best and easiest and this Valentine's Day will be no exception.

North Carolina is a hot pot for music and of course you are going to find some wonderful love songs tucked here and there.  If you had Valentine's Day creep up on you from the back and take you by surprise today, and your significant other is a fan of local music, feel free to steal this play list as your own.  (You might even want to take it further and take your honey to see all of these artists the next time they play live.)

1. 
   
   
   

   Tift Merritt: Another Country

   
   


2. 
   

   Avett Brothers: I & Love & You

   
   


3. 
   

   The Old Ceremony: God Said I Could Have You

   
   


4. 
   

   Birds & Arrows: Honeymoon Song

   
   


5. 
   

   Nola: Fall Into Me

   
   


6. 
   

   Josh Moore: Rush Down My Spine

   
   


7. 
   

   Benji Hughes: All You've Got To Do Is Fall In Love

   
   


8. 
   

   Jeremy Blair From Effingham: I Do & I Don’t

   
   


9. 
   

   Bombadil: Reasons

   
   


10. 
    

    Whiskey Smugglers: Not Your Average Love Song

    
    


11. 
    

    Brett Harris: I’m In Love

    
    


12. 
    

    Mandolin Orange: Oh My Love

    
    


13. 
    

    Stella By Starlight: As Good As It Gets

    
    


14. 
    

    Tomahawks: Just Like One Another

    
    


15. 
    

    Lost in the Trees: Love On My Side

    
    


16. 
    

    Martha Ann Motel: Everything All At Once

    
    

Got more to share?  Comment below!

Tift Merrit: Another Country
Avett Brothers: I & Love & You

The Old Ceremony: God Said I Could Have You
Birds & Arrows: Honeymoon Song

Nola: Fall Into Me

Josh Moore: Rush Down My Spine
Benji Hughes: All You've Got To Do Is Fall In Love

Jeremy Blair From Effingham: I Do & I Don’t

Bombadil: Reasons

Whiskey Smugglers: Not Your Average Love Song

Brett Harris: I’m In Love

Mandolin Orange: Oh My Love

Stella By Starlight: As Good As It Gets

Tomahawks: Just Like One Another

Lost in the Trees: Love On My Side

Martha Ann Motel: Everything All At Once

New Local Albums on WKNC in May!

Even though May is just beginning, 2009 has proved to be one of the best musical years in the Triangle and North Carolina in my memory. As the new Local Music Director at WKNC, my mailbox has been flooded with tons of music from all around the state and our community. This blog will highlight some of the newest local material you will hear on WKNC.

Bombadil- Tarpits & Canyonlands:
While this album is not set to release for a couple more weeks, Bombadil was kind enough to leave WKNC with a copy a little while back. Needless to say, after my first listen to Tarpits & Canyonlands, I knew this would become an instant classic in our area. After the second listen through, I grasped that it was indeed a musical masterpiece. After my eighth listen I realized it was the best album I have heard in the past six years, local or not.
This is the third release by Bombadil, a band out of Durham, North Carolina, in three years and by far their best output. Bombadil is well known for its generally upbeat folky and lyrically witty sounds, backed by instrumentation that carries the listener to a grassy field filled with barefoot serfs tipsy on bootleg mountain whiskey and rum. Or, as a review of their first album by ex-WKNC DJ Big Fat Sac more blatantly put it, "It sounds like a bunch of hobbits in Durham got together and made folk music." Tarpits & Canyonlands does not stray far from this unique sound, but a definite sense of maturity is noticeable as compared to their 2008 release A Buzz, A Buzz. And while Bombadil delightfully keeps their catchy and original sonic personality within the music that has made them so popular, the main themes delve deeper into more serious and somber issues such as marriage, relationships, and growing old. Many songs reflect a more somber tone and feature unaccompanied harmonies unlike previous releases (such as "Reasons", "Cold Runway", & "Marriage"), while others retain that familiar goofiness and playful innocence of their first release ("Oto The Bear", "Laurita", & "Malaysia"). Even still some of the more stand out tracks such as "I Am", "Sad Birthday", "Needless to Say", and "25 Daniels" offer a new glimpse into Bombadil's creative genius.
Bombadil has certainly grown up the past three years and become one of the premiere bands to see and hear not only around these parts, but elsewhere as well. Be on the lookout for this album to receive massive attention from our DJs.

Lonnie Walker- These Times Old Times:
Another yet to be release album has made its debut on WKNC this month. Lonnie Walker, a local favorite from Greenville has slowly been gaining in popularity as noticed by their pick in the N&O's Great 8, and as a choice for WKNC's own Double Barrel Benefit 6. If you have never heard their material before, picture a hardier Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks with intense vocal outbursts and crushing guitar. This is their debut release and features several new editions of songs already in WKNC rotation from their demo album. Popular tunes such as "Wider Than White," "Summertime," and "Pendulum's Chest" stand out as ferociously better than their original counterparts while newbies such as "Grape Juice". "Back Home Inside With You", "Ships", and my personal favorite "Crochet" make a stand as a mark of growth within their work. These Times Old Times certainly deserves the attention this band has been getting.

Roman Candle- Oh Tall Tree In The Ear:
It's hard to believe this is only the second full length album by this former Chapel Hill band (now based in Tennessee) but it doesn't miss a beat. In comparison to their first album it is remarkably similar, yet better at the same time. Oh Tall Tree In The Ear features the same poppy lyric style and musicality but manages to come off as wittier, catchier, and seemingly more developed.

American Aquarium- Dances For The Lonely:
This album has been in rotation for a couple of weeks now but is worth mentioning. Meet Bruce Springsteen the second with even more of that down to earth heartland rock. Luckily, this is not a bad thing and tunes such as "Katherine Belle" and "Louisiana Beauty Queen" keep your foot tapping for more. Dances for the Lonely has a solid country/southern rock groove that will be a staple on WKNC for some time.

Many other new tracks you will hear on WKNC this May include some older tunes that were either overlooked or not brought to our previous attention.  These include:
Aminal- A Face To Fight
Aminal- A Will To Fight
Brett Harris- Side Two EP
Brett Harris- Yesterdays News
Connells- Darker Days (yes, this album is from 1985, but it completely kicks ass!)
Kickin Grass Band- The Kickin Grass Band
Lemming Malloy- The Return Of The Norfolk Regiment
Luego- WKNC Sexclusive Pre-Sampler
Our Velvet Revolution- Our Velvet Revolution EP
Silver- +/-
Stars Explode- The Stars Explode
Water Callers- Springboard
Waumiss- Waumiss LP

And More!

Murdoc's Local Music Picture Blog 2

Welcome back to the Local Music Picture Blog!

This week is another showcase of Local Beer, Local Band featuring The Jackets and Brett Harris.

The night got kicked off with The Jackets performing their fourth live show. The Jackets describe themselves as a "high powered electric harmony quartet" and is comprised of Roger Gupton, Evans Nicholson, with John Teer and Chandler Holt from Chatham County Line.

 



 



 





 



 

After the break, Brett Harris got his set kicked off. Brett Harris is a Durham based singer/song writer who plays with members from Bright Young Things. Brett dropped by The Local Lunch eariler in the day for a quick interview. Brett Harris has released two cds in the past year, and is about to start recording for his third.

 



 



 





 



 

Click on any picture to view the full gallery

Brett Harris Interview Today at 12:20

Today at 12:20, Local Lunch will have its first interview of 2009 with Durham based singer/song writer, Brett Harris.

Brett Harris will be playing at WKNC & Tir Na Nog's Local Beer, Local Band Night tonight starting at 10pm with The Jackets and members of Bright Young Things.

For information about more great shows, check out the WKNC Rock Report.