The Local Beat Preview 2/24/12

Tonight's Local Beat will be starting at 5 p.m. while we showcase some brand new tunes by musicians from our state.

At 6 p.m. the interviews will be starting up as we welcome Justin Robinson & the Mary Annettes onto the program for the first time. Justin is a Local Beat alum (his old band the Carolina Chocolate Drops visited our studio before) so we will welcome him back with his new group to chat about the band and their new album, Bones for Tinder. Justin is a highly entertaining and knowledgeable interviewee so I greatly look forward to hearing his thoughts on a variety of topics.

At 7 p.m. we are bringing in local ambient group Oulipo to talk about the band. As many of you know, I have been following Oulipo for sometime now so I am thankful to finally have them on the program to chat about their music and work.

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!

Sweet Annie Rich's Top Five of 2010

It was a great year for Americana, as always.  I had a lot of favorites for this year, but for simplicity's sake, here's a top five (in no particular order) of the music I love:

Crazy Heart soundtrack



Jeff Bridges as a country singer?  You'd better believe it.  A good blend of contemporary artists, classic country, and some originals written for the movie by T Bone Burnett (and performed by Jeff Bridges and sometimes even Colin Farrell) make a great soundtrack that stands alone to perfectly complement the movie.

Justin Townes Earle - Harlem River Blues



Justin Townes Earle's latest effort doesn't have a single song I'd skip.  There's a wide range of musical stylings here, from the dark gospel sound of the title track, to the Elvis rockabilly of "Move Over Mama," to the singer-songwriter tradition of "Christchurch Woman."  Earle puts on a great live show, as well, and shouldn't be missed.

Broken Hearts and Dirty Windows



Most, if not all, of the singer-songwriters today owe something to the words of John Prine. For some reason, Prine has always flown under the popular radio radar, but he has a devoted following among listeners and fellow artists alike.  This compilation of covers is genius with unexpected artists like Bon Iver right next to Americana favorites like the Avett Brothers.  Standout tracks for me were the Josh Ritter cover of "Mexican Home" and the Avett Brothers version of "Spanish Pipedream."

Carolina Chocolate Drops - Genuine Negro Jig



This is the album that carried the Carolina Chocolate Drops from local favorites to national recognition.  Plays on NPR catapulted their status, and with good reason: this album updates bluegrass for a new generation, including a cover of the R&B song "Hit 'Em Up Style" that adds a whole new groove.

Twistable Turnable Man



Not many people realize that Shel Silverstein penned several of the old country classics of yesteryear. Perhaps the best-known is Johnny Cash's hit song "A Boy Named Sue."  This tribute album has a strong lineup (Todd Snider, My Morning Jacket, and Sarah Jarosz with Black Prairie, just to name a few), brilliantly covering the songs of a well-known wordsmith.

Local Favorites on NPR Music’s Best of 2010

It's December, which means the Best of 2010 album lists are already coming out all around you. If you're like me, this means going back through iTunes and Last.fm to see what was really listened to the most or has made that special impression on you since January. Being Local Music Director, I listen to much more local music than anything else and am finding that quite a few local albums have made their way into my list for this year.

The folks over at NPR Music have already put out their top 50 favorites of 2010 and the list includes most of the important albums released since January. I was excited to see North Carolina's own Carolina Chocolate Drops on the list with their spring release "Genuine Negro Jig" alongside bands such as Arcade Fire, The National, and Sharon Van Etten.

Alongside the fifty chosen by NPR Music's staff, music lovers everywhere are getting the chance to vote for their very own top albums of 2010. The results of the poll will be revealed during All Songs Considered on Dec. 14 and Carolina Chocolate Drops, Future Islands, and Lost In The Trees are all nominees. You can vote through the link below and listen on Dec. 14 for the results!

NPR Music: What Are Your Top 10 Favorite Albums of 2010.

It's not about getting gifts... its about GIVEAWAYS.

'tis the season!

WKNC is true to the holiday spirit-- here are this week's giveaways:

12/7: Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band @ Casbah



12/8: Buckshot Bluegrass Show @ Pour House

12/8: Jukebox the Ghost @ Casbah



12/9: Dance Revolution Party @ Lincoln Theatre

12/9 Stroke It Noel Night 1 @ Cat's Cradle (2 night Big Star tribute show)

12/10: Stroke It Noel Night 2 @ Cat's Cradle
12/11: Carolina Chocolate Drops @ Lincoln Theatre



12/11: Gene Ween (of WEEN) @ Cat's Cradle



12/11: Kooley High @ Pour House
12/12: Relient K @ Cat's Cradle



Remember, you have to listen to win!

Happy Holidays from WKNC!

Bonnaroo announces 2010 festival line-up

The line-up for this summer's Bonnaroo, an annual music festival which takes place in Manchester, Tennessee, has been announced. The festival will take place June 10-13, and tickets are on sale now.

The following artists have confirmed they will play during the three-day festival, including a couple North Carolina based artists. Here's the list:

Dave Matthews Band, Kings of Leon, Stevie Wonder, Jay-Z, Tenacious D, Weezer, The Flaming Lips with Stardeath and White Dwarfs perform "Dark Side of the Moon," The Dead Weather, Damian Marley & Nas, Phoenix, Norah Jones, Michael Franti & Spearhead, John Fogerty, Regina Spektor, Jimmy Cliff, LCD Soundsystem, The Avett Brothers, Thievery Corporation, Rise Against, Tori Amos, The National, Zac Brown Band, Les Claypool, John Prine, The Black Keys, Steve Martin & the Steep Canyon Rangers, Jeff Beck, Dropkick Murphys, She & Him, Against Me!, The Disco Biscuits, Daryl Hall & Chromeo, Jamey Johnson, Clutch, Bassnectar, Kid Cudi, Baaba Maal, Kris Kristofferson, Medeski Martin & Wood, The xx, GWAR, Dan Deacon Ensemble, Tinariwen, Wale, Deadmau5, The Melvins, Gaslight Anthem, Miike Snow, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Dr. Dog, They Might Be Giants, Punch Brothers, Isis, Blitzen Trapper, Blues Traveler, Miranda, Lambert, Calexico, OK Go, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Martin Sexton, Lotus, Baroness, Dave Rawlings Machine, Mayer Hawthorne and the County, Japandroids, Jay Electronica, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Ingrid Michaelson, The Dodos, Manchester Orchestra, The Temper Trap, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Big Sam's Funky Nation, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Tokyo Police Club, The Entrance Band, Local Natives, Brandi Carlile, Mumford & Sons, Rebelution, Diane Birch, Monte Montgomery, Julia Nunes, The Postelles, Lucero, Here We Go Magic, Hot Rize, Neon Indian, B.O.B, Needtobreathe.

According to Bonnaroo's Web site, there may be additional acts added to the line-up later.

Local Beat preview 9/4/09

Tonight on the Local Beat is going to be another three hours of musical goodness.  Check out the lineup for the show!

At 5pm Reid Johnson from Schooner is stopping by to talk about the band’s recent adventures and play some brand new tunes for us off of their upcoming “Duck Kee Sessions” EP that just hit the internet.  Schooner is also playing tonight at the Pour House alongside the Magic Babies & Starmount for what should be a killer show.

6pm is a huge thrill for me as I am bringing in one of my favorite local bands, and also one of the most elusive, the Carolina Chocolate Drops.  CCD is playing at the Cats Cradle tomorrow night for a rare local show that you are not going to want to miss out on.  I also think this may be their WKNC debut...

At 7pm Zach Terry of the Whiskey Smugglers and Liz Ross of Lafcadio are joining me in the studio to talk about next Wednesdays show at the Cats Cradle.  The show is a benefit to battle Multiple Sclerosis and Zach is playing solo, being joined by Lafcadio, The Tomahawks, and The Last of the Great Sideshow Freaks (The Old Ceremony’s Mark Simonsen's band).


So drop a line to the Local Beat, every Friday evenings from 5pm-8pm.  Listen on the air or listen over the internet!