Over these next two weeks Local Band – Local Beer will be doing a special giveaway for World Beer Festival!  Winners will receive two tickets for the festival that takes place on October 8th!  There will be two giveaways TONIGHT and two next week – that gives you four chances to win!

The festival features over 300 beers from 100 different breweries, music by local bands, and education sessions by industry experts!

The festival will take place October 8th at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

To win, come down this week or next (or both) to Local Band – Local Beer.  This weeks artists are Cellar Seas and The Toddlers, next week features Temperance League, The Demon Beat, and the P-90′s.

Local Band – Local Beer is held every Thursday at 10pm at Tir Na NOg in downtown Raleigh!

Come and win!

1. Anthrax – Worship Music (Megaforce)

2. Chelsea Grin - My Damnation (Razor and Tie)

3. Absu – Abraxas Connexus (Candlelight)

4. Textures – Dualism (Nuclear Blast)

5. Chimaira - The Age Of Hell (eOne)

6. Opeth – Heritage Sampler (Roadrunner)

7. Hatesphere – The Great Bludgeoning (Napalm)

8. Kittie - I’ve Failed You (eOne)

9. Kyng – Trampled Sun (ILG)

10. Slot – Break the Code (Neurodisc)

Photography by WKNC Photographer Katie Hill

Jack the Radio

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

What to say about the Fleet Foxes concert? I don’t think I have ever been that wet in my entire life. There was a torrential downpour the entire concert, or what there was of a concert.

I arrived at the Raleigh Amphitheater toward the end of The Walkmen, the opening act. At this point the rain was fairly mild and I had a rain jacket and a towel so I was prepared. By the time Fleet Foxes started, the downpour began. They began by playing songs from their new album, Helplessness Blues. The rain made for a unique atmosphere. People wearing trash bags, people without shirts or shoes. Everyone was soaked. But people made the most of it, and at one point there was a parade of fans dancing and singing through the venue in the rain.

I enjoy all of Fleet Foxes’ albums but I have a special connection to their self titled album, so when they started playing songs from that one I was in bliss. They played “Your Protector” and “Ragged Wood.”  Then suddenly, in the middle of “Ragged Wood” a speaker blew out. Fleet Foxes tried to continue playing but they had to stop. Then they said they had to take a break until the storm passed. So in the downpour we waited in limbo, not knowing whether the storm was going to pass at all. At that point, my rain jacket and dress were soaked through and I was dripping water. The storm started to get the best out of some people and fans began to gradually trickle out. My friends and I were stubborn and did not want to be defeated by Mother Nature, so us and other fans just stood in the rain hoping it would let up so we could hear some Fleet Foxes.

Fleet Foxes had to cover up all their equipment and were also just standing on the side of the stage hoping the storm would pass. After a while, the rain let up but they announced that they had to wait for the lightning to stop in order to play. Looking up at the sky I saw that there was lightning every five seconds or so, so it did not seem hopeful. A tech guy then came up to a microphone and stated that another storm was coming so Fleet Foxes would not be able to play again. The lead singer of Fleet Foxes then came onto the microphone and explained that they were sorry and if they could play, they would. He also complimented us Raleigh fans on being awesome for standing through the storm. He claimed they would try to make it back to Raleigh soon, and he sounded sincere.

Later on their Twitter they wrote “Raleigh: you were the most amazing audience we’ve ever had the honor to hang with, sticking it out in that crazy storm tonight.” And “Seeing you people in Raleigh tonight made me more proud to be a part of this than any other thing we’ve done. #thankyou #fucknature”

So in the end, the Fleet Foxes concert was definitely an experience, although the experience didn’t include as much music as I had hoped for.

This evening on the Local Beat we are having another jam-packed show with three hours of local music goodness.

One of my favorite bands in the area, Mandolin Orange, is starting off the program at 5 p.m. to chat about their new double album that is being released at Cat’s Cradle on Saturday, Sept. 24. The album is entitled Haste Make/Hard Hearted Stranger and was recorded at two different studios in the past year. According to their website,

“Haste Make was recorded with Jeff Crawford and James Wallace in winter 2010/2011 at Arbor Ridge Studios West in Franklin, NC and at Arbor Ridge Studios in Chapel Hill, and was produced by Jeff Crawford and Mandolin Orange. Hard-Hearted Stranger was recorded in summer 2011 at Rubber Room Studios in Chapel Hill and features Andrew and Emily alone, produced by Andrew Marlin.”

The Tenderfruit are opening for Mandolin Orange at 9 p.m. and tickets are only $10.

I will try to coerce Emily and Andrew to play some live tracks for us on the radio so you don’t want to miss out on that treat.

6 p.m. brings in ’80s Chapel Hill dream poppers, The Veldt, who are playing a show at the Southland Ballroom this evening at 9:30 p.m. You might remember these guys from their amazing 1994 release Afrodisiac or the follow up LP in 1998, Love at First Hate (or maybe you don’t). Regardless, they are local legends and it is going to be an absolute thrill and honor to have them on the Local Beat, especially since they rarely ever perform live. We will be talking about the history of the band, their scene, their connection to CBS’s hit show, Survivor, and all things in between. Doors at the Southland Ballroom are opening at 8 p.m. with music starting at 9:30. Brooklyn-based Your 33 Black Angels and Chapel Hill group 100 Yorktown are starting the show and tickets are only $10. In addition, the band is encouraging everyone to film the concert and email the footage to theveldtrocks@gmail.com for an upcoming DVD.

The last hour of the program will feature yet another local music festival, our fourth on the program in the last three weeks. Sara Waters, co-coordinator of Shakori Hills Grassroots Music Festival, is stopping by to chat about this fall’s festival, which will take place October 6-9 in the woods and fields of Pittsboro, N.C. Shakori Hills has long been a staple in central North Carolina, with two festivals each year. We are going to play music from bands and musicians featured at this fall’s event. Sara and I are also going to talk about the history of Shakori Hills, some fun things going on at the festival this year, and be giving away free tickets. You don’t want to miss this final hour.

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!

Photography by WKNC Photographer Katie Hill
A fantastic ending to a fantastic weekend!
(see if you can find the photo with the surprise celebrity!)

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

1. Anthrax – Worship Music (Megaforce)

2. Chelsea Grin – My Damnation (Razor and Tie)

3. Absu - Abraxas Connexus (Candlelight)

4. Arkona – Solvo (Napalm)

5. Chimaira - The Age of Hell (eOne)

6. Opeth – Heritage Sampler (Roadrunner)

7. Mastodon – Black Tongue (Reprise)

8. Kittie – I’ve Failed You (eOne)

9. Textures – Dualism (Nuclear Blast)

10. Dirge Within – Absolution (Big Time)

What happens when you mix the wide-ranging audience of podcast with the insanely powerful, heavy, and brutal forces of Metal? Well, the Mistress of Destruction and I have our own ideas about the chaos and anarchy that could ensue! Just remember, it is up to those who subject themselves to the ridiculously awesome DeathPod to misbehave themselves. At least, that is what our undead legal department in tattered suits advised us to disclaim.

Originally, the Mistress of Destruction came forward with the idea to promote a Chainsaw podcast that contained many regional bands that were either unsigned or belonged to smaller labels. The goal of the DeathPod is to bring forth metal music that absolutely destroys the local scenes, in addition to allowing listeners to headbang on the job, in the middle of class, or while rocking children to sleep.

With that goal in mind the Mistress and I set off, and after many grueling, gory, and archaic nights our first DeathPod was weaponized and ready to be unleashed upon the masses.

We proudly present:
RBT from Raleigh, N.C.
Coils Of The Serpent from Boone, N.C.
Escher from Raleigh/Durham, N.C.
Akris from the Washington D.C. area.
Lions Of Tsavo from Austin, Texas.
Bridesmaid from Columbus, Ohio.

So why wait? Go ahead and listen to the DeathPod.

If you are a fan of a band or are a member of a band that wants to get involved, then please post on the Facebook page or get in contact with the Cannibal at chainsaw@wknc.org.

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There’s lots of exciting shows to look out for this month – and we’ll have giveaways to most of them!

9/21 – Wild Beasts and Bobby @ Cat’s Cradle

9/22 – Matt Pond and Rocky Votolato @ Kings Barcade

9/22 – Bassnectar with Two Fresh and DJ Laura @ Ritz Theatre at Disco Rodeo

9/22 – Megafaun and Perry Owen Wright @ Cat’s Cradle

9/22 – The Head and the Heart, Thao with the Get Down Stay Down, The Devil Whale @ Lincoln Theatre

9/23 – Widespread Panic with DJ Logic @ Raleigh Amphitheatre

9/23 – The Antlers with Yellow Ostrich @ Kings Barcade

9/24 – Mandolin Orange Record Release Party @ Cat’s Cradle

9/27 – Wilco with Nick Lowe @ Raleigh Amphitheater

It’s one of my favorite weeks of the fall semester – Shack-a-thon! Shack-a-thon is a week-long event, running from Monday, September 19 at 8:00am – September 23 at 5:00pm. Student organizations build a shack in NC State University‘s Brickyard and live in it for the remainder of the week, with the goal of raising money for Habitat for Humanity. Last year alone, more than $17,000 was raised.

WKNC has teamed up with the rest of Student Media to host the Student Media Bamboo Shack (you can even check in on foursquare!).  Constructed out of bamboo, zip ties, WKNC banners and biodegradable polyurethane, our shack is one of the most environmentally friendly shacks that has been built. Each organization came up with their own set of activities to fuel donations. Student Media, for Habitat donations, will be doing photoshoots (thanks Technician!), musical instrument lessons (guitar, accordion, harmonica and singing saw), bake sales and raffling off prize items. These prize items include gift cards, T-shirts and pair of tickets to see Widespread Panic this weekend. The drawings will be held Friday, September 23 at noon.

I was so excited when I heard Bassnectar was planning to come to Raleigh. I saw Bassnectar at Bonnaroo this summer, and it was one of the best performances I saw all weekend. There were the “classic” Bassnectar songs, like “Basshead” and “Magical World,” along with remixes of everything from punk music to pop. The light show was mind blowing – it just perpetuated the crowd’s energy. Long story short, this is a show not to miss (unless you have an exam Friday morning, like me).

Bassnectar will play the Ritz Theatre @ Disco Rodeo on Thursday, September 22nd. Two Fresh and DJ Laura will be opening.

Bassnectar Crowd

Tune in during Afterhours this week to win a pair of tickets to the show. Request lines are (919) 860-0881 and (919) 515-2400. Just be the correct caller when the DJ asks for it.

Walking up to Cat’s Cradle, I went to the front door like always…but I was redirected around to the side of the building.  After waiting 40 minutes after the doors were supposed to open, the crowd was let in.  What I walked into was not the Cat’s Cradle I was expecting: everything was gone.  I was standing in a massive open space, with only the soundboard sitting between the stage and bar.  At first it felt like the building was remodeled after an outside festival stage.  To be honest, I was unsure what to think.

After the initial shock upon walking in, I found a spot and waited for the first band, Papa, to start.  As the band began their short set, I realized that the design of the venue was not the only thing that had been revamped; the sound that came through the monitors was clear. Really clear. After some bad concert experiences, I have trained myself not to expect too much from the sound system at Cat’s Cradle, so it is an understatement to say I was pleasantly surprised to hear each instrument loud and clear!

Papa has a characteristically 50′s sound they share, to some extent, with both Nobunny and Girls.  The reverb-y Jaguar, complimented by bouncy piano chords and rolling drum patterns, has become something of a staple in indie music recently.  Each member of the band played well and the singing was solid, but there was something missing from the equation.  The melodies often sounded a little forced and overly poppy; the crowd seemed to enjoy their set though, so it may just be me.  I see a lot of potential in Papa, especially if they work on writing songs that don’t confine so strictly to pop’s barriers.

After Papa had finished and packed up their equipment, Nobunny began to set up their instruments along the front of the stage.  I learned beforehand that their show was a little intense, but I was still surprised when the lead singer walked out wearing only a dilapidated bunny mask, half of a jacket, a metal-studded leather belt-vest, and briefs (something like this).  Yep, no pants.  He put on his guitar and proceeded to go absolutely insane.  I’m talking about yelping lyrics that may or may not have any meaning at all, while strumming hard enough to induce an aneurysm.  The band excited a large part of the crowd standing towards the front of the stage, but as I looked behind my spot somewhere in the middle, I saw a lot of faces that weren’t buying into the whole spectacle of it all.  I guess you were either really into the act or not.

As soon as Girls stepped onto the stage, the crowd gave them a serious amount of applause; I was pretty startled by how loud the cheering was.  They started off their set by playing a bunch of songs from Album, their 2009 release.  Chris Owens was friendly, talking about how he was trying to change up their setlist for each show on the tour.

Coming in with a few upbeat songs from the Broken Dreams Club EP, the sound started to really hit me…and once they came in with Vomit, the single from their new album, Father, Son, Holy Ghost, I freaked out.  After the fourth-or-so verse, the band went into an intense, abstract noise jam, one of my favorite concert moments of the year so far.

After a few more cuts from the new album, the band left the stage to a stream of cheers for an encore.  There was an even a chant: “GIRLS! GIRLS! GIRLS!” that went on for a while.

The band came out for another amazing five or six songs; Chris said they played every song they knew.  This included a loud rendition of my favorite Girls’ track, Morning Light.  Towards the end of the encore, there was even a disclaimer from Chris to local media: he did not want to see a review stating that the set fell apart at the end, as they were playing an unrehearsed version of another new album track, Just a Song.  I can honestly say that the hour and forty-five minute (!) set did not fall apart, nor did it drag on as some long sets do.  I could tell the band was having a lot of fun, which made it great for the audience as well.

By the end of the show, the newly deconstructed Cat’s Cradle didn’t feel weird anymore.  I can’t wait to go to another show there!

-John

The band WHY?, set to play with Serengeti September 24 at The Artscenter, will not be able to play their show due to an injury of a band member.

WHY?

It seems as if September is the month of festivals in our area. Following Hopscotch last weekend is SPARKcon in downtown Raleigh this weekend, and the following weekend is the Carrboro Music Festival in Carrboro. With Hopscotch out of the way we now have time to cover these longtime favorites in our area.

At 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 16, I will be joined by Gerry Williams, the coordinator for the 14th annual Carrboro Music Festival. The CMF has a long tradition and was one of the first music festivals in our state, starting before Hopscotch, Troika, Artsplosure, and SPARKcon, when it was called The Fete De la Musique. In 2002 the festival changed its name to what it is today but the goal remains the same: feed music to the masses. The event is taking place on Sunday, Sept. 25, and will feature 180 different acts at 25 venues. Join Gerry and me as we look to the past and the future at this great event.

At 6 p.m. musicSPARK organizer Stephanie Brinson is stopping by to chat about the SPARKcon art festival in downtown Raleigh. SPARKcon began six years ago and musicSPARK has been one of the central SPARKs throughout its duration. It started Thursday night and will continue through Sunday evening. This year’s musicSPARK is free for the first time and is very different from previous SPARKs. Listen in with Stephanie and me as we chat about this year’s event.

Continuing on with the SPARKcon trend at 7 p.m., I will be joined by Nikhil Shah of Locus Recordings, a start-up record label from Raleigh. Nikhil is providing the music for “Wear What You Are,” one of the fashion shows of fashionSPARK  happening on Friday evening. This one will mainly exhibit Raleigh Denim, which will be featuring 17 new “looks” in City Plaza at 8 p.m. Nikhil is also providing the music mixtape for the afterparty at the Flanders Art Gallery, which will be following the fashion show. The afterparty is from 9 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

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!

Tuesday night was awesome!

As I walked into Lincoln Theatre, I told the door man I was on the list.  He couldn’t find my name.  Needless to say, I was worried I was not going to get to see the show.  He went to talk to someone and a few minutes later, everything was worked out and I pushed past the bar to a large crowd.

Wye Oak was a few songs into their set as I moved toward the front. I saw them already in July, outside Lincoln Theatre during DejaFest, so I had high hopes: I was not let down. Jenn Wasner, the lead singer and guitarist, pushed through some heavy riffs while maintaining her subdued, low-key vocals.  All the while, Andy Stack effectively played drums and keyboard, turning out an ambidextrously awe-inspiring performance.

As they concluded their set, a team of techs bustled around for 30 minutes, setting up instruments that spanned the entirety of the (well-sized) stage.

Okkervil River excited the huge crowd, as they were the reason a majority of the concert-goers paid for the show!  As the band started, I was taken aback.  I was not expecting the fullness of sound to hit me, and the crowd liked it too.  As the set waned on for over an hour, Will Sheff’s voice started to wear down both him and the crowd.  The middle of their performance was mediocre, as it included a mini acoustic set of pretty boring folk, but a second wind came as the entire band condensed on the stage.

Will Sheff, lead singer of Okkervil River, with his signature verbose lyrics.

Second or third to last, the band played their biggest hit: Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe.  Attempting crowd interaction, the band enticed the audience into an 8th-note clap; it was really fun at first (the stereo effect it created was astounding), but it wore on for the audience.  The last few songs were solid, with the band playing their instruments in lengthy outros that were pretty interesting.  I had to get home after they finished, so I can’t report on the presence of an encore, unfortunately.

Essentially, Lincoln Theatre probably has the most professional ambiance of any area club, which is fantastic.  Add to that great music presented by Cat’s Cradle and you have the perfect setup.

-John