If you were up and going strong at 10 a.m. on Saturday, congratulations! Molly and Tenbrooks surely weren’t. If you were interested in what was played, take a look:

Sierra Hull — Don’t Pick Me Up
The Honey Dewdrops — Stomping Ground
Chris Pandolfi — Wichita Stomp
Abigail Washburn — City of Refuge
The Biscuit Burners — Take Me Home
Sarah Jarosz — My Muse
Chatham County Line — Bacon in the Skillet
Chris Thile and Michael Daves — Blue Night
Julie Elkins and David Thompson — Carolina Is Gone
Bearfoot — Midnight in Montana
David Rawlings Machine — To Be Young (Is to Be Sad, Is to Be High)
Dom Flemons — Po’ Black Sheep,Gwine Dig A Hole
Norman Blake — The Weathered Old Caboose Behind the Train
Samantha Crain — The Last Stanchion Goes Belly Up
David Grier — Impulsive
Cornmeal – Raging River

BREAK

Billy Bragg and Wilco — Hot Rod Hotel
Gillian Welch — Caleb Meyer
Black Lillies — two Hearts Down
Drive By Truckers — God Damn Lonely Love
Johnny cash — Big River
Jerry Reed — Aunt Maudie’s Garden
Townes Van Zandt w/ Willie Nelson — No Place to Fall
Chet Atkins — A Taste of Honey
Muddy Waters — Sugar Sweet
Son House — Death Letter Blues
Howlin’ Wolf — California Blues
David Jacob-Strains — Come On Im My Kitchen
Bob Dylan — John Wesley Harding
Vince Gill — The Strings That Tie You Down
The Everybodyfields – Medicine Girl
Loose Fur – The Ruling Class
Whiskeytown – 16 Days

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween! If you have any requests feel free to e-mail americana@wknc.org

The single for The Black Keys’ next album El Camino has been released online by the band. The video features a very enthusiastic listener dancing along to the lyrics to the song, not unlike how many of us DJs at WKNC dance in the studio. El Camino is set for release Dec. 6.

1. I Break Horses – Hearts (Co-op)

2. Cant – Dreams Come True (Terrible)

3. Widowspeak – Widowspeak (Captured Tracks)

4. Alias – Fever Dream (Anticon)

5. Various Artists - GRPTPS vs. PTLCK (Grip Tapes)

6. Young Man - Ideas of Distance (Frenchkiss)

7. Soley – We Sink (Morr)

8. Sugarplum Fairies – The Images We Get (M-M)

9. Sleep Over – Forever (Hippos in Tanks)

10. Zola Jesus - Conatus (Sacred Bones)

11. Veronica Falls – Veronica Falls (Slumberland)

12. St. Vincent – Strange Mercy (4AD)

13. Weekend – Red (Slumberland)

14. Memoryhouse – The Years (Sub Pop-Arcade Sound)

15. Fool’s Gold – Leave No Trace (Iamsound)

16. Megafaun – Megafaun (Hometapes)

17. Drums – Portamento (Frenchkiss)

18. Youth Lagoon – The Year of Hibernation (Fat Possum)

19. Wooden Shjips – West (Thrill Jockey)

20. Body Language – Social Studies (Om)

21. Wilco – The Whole Love (Anti)

22. Wild Flag – Wild Flag (Merge)

23. Patti Smith – Outside of Society (Columbia)

24. Wu Lyf – Go Tell Fire to the Mountain (LYF)

25. Blitzen Trapper – American Goldwing (Sub Pop)

26. Scott Solter – One River (Hidden Shoal)

27. Apparat – The Devil’s Walk (Mute)

28. Pack A.D. – Unpersons (Mint)

29. Neon Indian – Era Extrana (Mom and Pop)

30. Exitmusic - From Silence (Secretly Canadian)

On Oct. 23, Cat’s Cradle was the place to be for Triangle hip-hop fans. 9th Wonder and Phonte were performing in addition to The Away Team, Rapsody, HaLo, and Median. The night even featured a surprise performance by King Mez. Not performing, but seen, were Actual Proof and Nicolay, producer from The Foreign Exchange. It was an obvious N.C. family affair.

The first half of the night was DJ’ed by Justus League’s DJ Flash, who scratched over performances by HaLo, Median, and The Away Team. All performed some of their newest material. Sean Boog impressed the crowd with his dexterity and entertained them with his antics.

Rapsody was on stage next, and DJ Flash was replaced with 9th Wonder. Rapsody inundated the crowd with her motto, “culture over everything,” and thanked the crowd for supporting her newest album, Thank H.E.R. Now. Rapsody had a solid performance, rapping to both her composed tracks and off the dome on beats created by 9th Wonder. Jamla R&B singer Heather Victoria came out and helped with the performance.

Following her, and introduced with accompanying Star Wars music, was Phonte. He performed some of the tracks off of 9th Wonder’s The Wonder Years album; “Band Practice Pt. 2” was performed by both him and Median. This was later followed by “The Life of Kings,” with King Mez, toward the end of the show. “The Life Of Kings” was one of the few new tracks from Charity Starts At Home that he performed.

9th Wonder and Phonte are getting older, but have shown they can still put on a hell of a show. It’s nice to see that their music has matured along with them. During the show, Phonte took a moment to talk about their dramatic feud and mentioned how special it was that they were now performing together. Both have new albums out that are worth a listen.

Phonte twitpic'ing the event while on stage

I know why Minus the Bear is celebrating their Tenth Anniversary Tour: because they are amazing performers. Their show at Lincoln Theatre on Friday, Oct. 25, was incredible.

I arrived to the sold-out show with a few friends right before Minus the Bear started. Thanks to some skill we scurried our way to the front and waited in anticipation. Minus the Bear came out and started with a bang. In celebration of their tenth anniversary they played the entire Highly Refined Pirates album and a few new songs. Even though I was not familiar with this album, they did not disappoint. They had amazing stage presence and were all in sync with each other in a way that seemed effortless. In combination with their epic lights, I got that show “high” people talk about.

I was happy to be near the guitarist because his performance was just as admired as the lead singer. You can distinguish a Minus the Bear song by its signature guitar sound and the guitarist, Dave Knudson, was brilliant. But like I said, the entire band was brilliant. It’s safe to say that I am never missing a Minus the Bear show, if they come around again.

On Saturday, Oct. 8, I had the pleasure of attending the 2011 Teen Summit in Shelby, N.C. The Teen Summit is an annual event founded by Pat Houston with the purpose of helping “rebuild, restore and repair” the youth. I attended the powerful and much needed summit last year, but this year there was a special guest, the iconic and legendary Whitney Houston.

I had the opportunity to interview Houston briefly regarding her parenting style and the importance of being and having a mentor. I work in radio and was prepared to record the audio, but Houston and her team were uneasy about it and understandably so. Instead, I suggested doing it old-school with a paper and pen and all systems were a go.

_______________________

The interview:

On how proud she is of sister-in-law Pat Houston for the wonderful work she is doing for the teens:

“My brother was smart for choosing her. I know her as a woman of God, a mother, sister, a wife.” Whitney also went on to explain how she had an instant connection with Pat and expressed how much she loves her and supports her in all of her endeavors.

On encouraging the youth if they go astray:

“I believe that young people will make mistakes and when they do, don’t turn them away. We don’t want them to go to others because you don’t know what they might get from someone else.”

On proactively parenting:

“Keep an open eye. Let them know they can always come home. Keep telling them about the dangers. Love can cover a multitude of sins.”

When asked about those who may not have anyone to look up to:

“The FATHER I know didn’t leave me and will send you a mentor.”

She also went on to say that you are never too old to have a mentor and that if you need one, God will send one in your direction. She also elaborated that Kim Burrell was a God-sent mentor to her.

I told Houston that I see certain traits in Bobbi Kris that I also see in her including her zest for life, no nonsense attitude and spiritual nature. She smiled in agreement and insisted that she made sure to instill in her daughter “compassion, church, faith and hope.”

Houston also discussed adopting a son, Nicholas, over five years ago and the struggles of single parenthood. She also stressed the importance of parents being parents to their kids and not just their friend. She believes that you must set firm boundaries and enforce them.

That was all the time that we had. It was short and sweet, but I do not think this is the last I have seen of Houston. We will meet again. What a privilege to have met and interviewed someone I hold in such high regard. It was one of the crowning achievements in my life.

Interview wrap up and overall thoughts of Whitney Houston:

I have to say that Houston was very gracious, polite, humble and down to earth. She didn’t need a big fuss to be made about her. Her demeanor was quiet and unassuming, but her presence was strongly felt. She is very beautiful and her spirit is uplifting to be around. Anyone who is a fan of Whitney Houston knows that she is not a fan of interviews, but for her to say to me, “I don’t want to disappoint you,” while figuring out another way to conduct the interview instead of rejecting me altogether was very thoughtful.

– Other Whitney tidbits–

• I told her that her fans are loyal and love and pray for her. I also told her to never feel like people don’t care; she then looked at me, smiled and said, “Oh, I don’t feel that way at all, I know.”

• She is working on Sparkle, a movie loosely based on the story of the Supremes. She left the set in Detroit to come and had to return later that day.

Watch the video of Pat and Whitney Houston presenting Kim Burrell with the Ambassadors Award for her continued work with the Teen Summit.

Below is the extended audio of the above clip where Whitney and Pat introduce Kim Burrell. This also features Kim’s speech and a live performance. Excellent quality.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

My signed lanyard and T-shirt

Special thanks to Nippy Inc., Lynne, Ulysses and Pat Houston

Check back for Part Two of the Teen Summit wrap up, which will summarize the event as a whole and also feature an exclusive interview with Quinton Aaron of The Blind Side. In case you missed my exclusive photos, click here.

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It’s that wonderful time of year again. The leaves are changing, the temperature is dropping, and FREE music is played on Harris Field. That’s right, Fridays on the Lawn has returned.  WKNC has again teamed up with our friends in the Union Activities Board and Student Government to bring some of the finest local bands to campus, totally free and complete with fringe benefits!

This year’s show, like the dozen or so before it, will be held on Nov. 4 at 6:30 p.m. featuring none other than Skylar Gudasz and the Ugly Girls as well as Lizzy Ross Band. You may know Lizzy from her recent interview on The Local Beat.  Skylar and those ugly girls may seem familiar after the Arbor Ridge Studios Hopscotch Day Party.  If you missed those two awesome chances to hear them, you definitely shouldn’t miss Fridays on the Lawn!

Design for the Trucker Hats (design by Julie Alvarez)

And how could we call it one of the best events on campus without FREE STUFF? Thanks to our super duper awesome sponsors at Chubby’s Tacos and Ultimate Entertainment, free tacos and trucker hats will be available for the reaping. Various other prizes like CDs, concert tickets, T-shirts, and more will also be up for grabs.

Any and all are welcome to this Friday of fun — so grab your jacket, a quilt, and some friends and get your buttocks out to Friday on the Lawn!

On Halloween night, 8-9 p.m., WKNC will rebroadcast our adaptation of the Mercury Theatre production of H.G. Wells‘ War of the Worlds.  This performance was originally done live on the air Halloween night in 2009.

Damian Maddalena (aka: La Barba Rossa), host of WKNC’s Saturday morning 60s and 70s program, Mystery Roach, formed the Two Cabbage Radio Players in 2009 in order to present this science fiction classic.  The Two Cabbage radio players adapted the original script, adding local flavor and some modern updates.

The Two Cabbage Radio players are made up of former and current WKNC staff, as well as members of the local community.  Along with Damian Maddalena are WKNC staff members Alex Steinbaugh, Caitlin Cauley, Jacob Downey, Liz Cervantes, and Mike Gray, physics graduate student Dave Fallest, Magic Babies keyboardist Brandon Whitesell, AV Geek Skip Elsheimer, and Foley sounds by local musician Brian Donohoe.

The re-invasion will air at 8 p.m. on Oct. 31. Celebrate Halloween with the sounds of the Triangle’s destruction, only on 88.1 FM or streaming online.

Click here to visit the Facebook event page.

“This in no way a return to basics; it is an example of how to successfully tackle the complex.”

If there was one thing Alan Palomo would have to answer to with his second album as Neon Indian, it would be the huge amount of hype and acclaim from his 2009 debut Psychic Chasms. The Texas-based musician, coming off of rave reviews and praise, also had the distinct problem of being grouped among a handful of musicians making similar, yet compelling music. All this combined did not necessarily make it easier for Palomo and company to make a successful second album.

With labeling and comparisons easy to make in a market of music that includes a wide range of rising musicians including Toro y Moi, Washed Out, and well-established artists like Caribou, they had to make an album that was different from an ever-growing crowd of talented musicians and grounded favorites, yet true to the essence of their sound.

In the face of this diversity, Neon Indian was able to answer with one of the most compelling synthpop albums of the year in Era Extraña.

The art of mixing layers of synthesizers is one of the distinguishing factors of this album. Delicately placed and perfectly timed, the ability that Neon Indian has in execution in an area that could have easily been cluttered is one of the more admirable qualities of the record. The expertise of placement lays in the fact that Neon Indian is able to get these really poppy, intricate patterns of synthesizer without being cluttered or ruining their sound.

The best example of how this execution works so masterfully comes within the track “Polish Girl.” The track is able to build upon itself, adding diversity and spouting with moments of colorful synthesizer that shoot from the heart of the track itself. On top of this includes subtle moments that add rhythmically and effectively to the overall track.

With all this in mind it’s also necessary to point out the amount of variation that Neon Indian goes through from track to track. From glittery synth tracks like “Polish Girl” to grittier, harder sounds like “The Blindside Kiss,” Neon Indian demonstrates how they are able to change up their sound while keeping the essence of their synthpop intact.

Much of the credit of this album is in response to how Palomo’s harmonic arrangements hold this collection of wild songs together. It is his effort as a singer that has the impact of charging this coherent sound forward.

Coherence is a big part of the story of this album. Though it is able to change, the album still holds onto its original focus. This not only keeps it compelling to listen to, but it gives the listener a sense of anticipation on how Neon Indian will go about making the next track different.

This in no way a return to basics; it is an example of how to successfully tackle the complex. At its core, it’s a rewarding, fun, electro-pop record that leaves much to the imagination, and demands its listeners to hold on for what is coming up next.

At 23 years of age, Palomo is creating complex musical arrangements at a level that seem way beyond his years. Throughout Neon Indian’s sophomore release, they are able to tackle the hype of their previous success, and leave the listener wondering what the boundaries of such a young act are.

-DJ Ones

I like turtles…

On Thursday, Oct. 20 at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, These United States was the opening band for a packed house. They consist of a drummer, acoustic, two electric, and bass guitar (sometimes keys). They were a high energy alt-country band that kept the audience prepped and psyched for what everyone came to see: Trampled By Turtles.

TBT came out playing. Their insightful lyrics and skillful instrumentation across the band led to a truly awesome show. Trampled By Turtles cannot be exactly classified as a true bluegrass band but rather a mix of genres, incorporating indie, folk, and bluegrass. Their style of music is applicable to all audiences and was very evident in the eclectic nature of the crowd. The crowd especially responded to “Victory” and “Codeine” before they ended their set with “Wait So Long,” which was truly the climax of the show. The audience sang along with every word. After cancelling their show in Carrboro a year ago, this show was long-awaited and met all expectations.

Wednesday night, The Rosebuds return home to the triangle to play a show at Carrboro’s Cat’s Cradle, alongside recent Merge Records signee Hospitality and Mount Moriah front woman Heather McEntire.

I got to Cat’s Cradle right before Hospitality started its set. The band has recently signed to Merge Records, with their debut album set to release January 31 of next year. I wasn’t able to catch them at Hopscotch, so I was excited.  Amber Papini, one of the four members, led vocals. Despite saying she was from New York, her voice had some hints of British every now and then. Each song in the their set was a little better than the last. I can definitely see how they fit into the Merge family – I’m looking forward to hearing more from them in January.

The Rosebuds tried to make the show into somewhat of a theme party, posting this on Twitter earlier in the week:

Some of the fans got the memo, myself included, and were donned in glitter-fabulous homemade shirts. Others had made their own, sans glitter, consisting of hand-drawn rosebuds and a head shot of a “nice fox.”

My friend and I snagged a spot front and center. Kelly came on stage and shook some of the fans’ hands before starting the set, which consisted of old songs from as early as “The Rosebuds Make Out” to their newest “Loud Planes Fly Low” released earlier this year. The band, who has been on tour since June, mentioned a few times how good it felt to be back in the triangle. I could see why – not only did the crowd show love for their hometown favorites and effortlessly sing along to every song, but fellow local bands came out as well to show their support. I saw members of Superchunk, Bowerbirds and Lonnie Walker enjoying themselves in the crowd. Ivan also pointed out his sister  mid-set and thanked her for coming out

to the show. The chemistry between the audience and The Rosebuds made the show amazing. If you’ve seen them before, you are aware that this band is one of the best out crowd interaction – encouraging clapping, singing, dancing, and even conversation. The last encore song, “Nice Fox,” was significantly better live. Kelly told the story behind the song and the audience sang the hook (“and it don’t mean nothing at all” ).

WKNC has a Paranormal Activity 3 “Survival Kit” up for grabs (treat) but you have to do a little something (trick).

The survival kit includes a cauldron, batter-operated candle, Frightmare CD, bloody Mary mix, picture frame, and ouija board – a pretty awesome way to kick off your Halloween-inspired festivities after getting inspired by Paranormal Activity3.

Paranormal Activity 3 "Survival Kit"

But how do you enter?

Be on the lookout on our Facebook page – we’re having a costume contest! When we ask for it, post on our Facebook wall your best “literal band name” costume.  Here are some examples of what we’re looking for:

"Miniature Tigers"

"Tennis"

"Neon Indian"

Then on Thursday, October 27 the picture with the most “likes” at 3pm will win! The two runners-up will win a Paranormal Activity 3 hat and movie poster.

Good luck and have fun!

Monday night at Kings Barcade, Givers visited Raleigh with two special guests, hometown friends imagineIAM and Michigan-based Lord Huron.

imagineIAM has a very unique sound – big on drums and everything you can do with them. This was their first tour, so the crowd and other performers that night joined in on the excitement.

imagineIAM's set list

Lord Huron joined the stage next. They mixed indie pop with folk elements, creating an interesting sound. I hadn’t heard of them before, but it’s a band I would love to revisit. With ukuleles, guitars, shakers and drums, the band’s last song was fitting – “When Will I See You Again.”

Givers took the stage around 11p.m. Their first full-length studio album, “In Light,” was released June 2011. I fell in love

 with the 51-minute album immediately. When I heard they were coming to Raleigh I couldn’t wait. The indie pop band from Lafayette, Louisiana is a five-piece that plays about twice that number of instruments on stage. Tiffany Lamson banged on drums with a uke on her back and dabbling with a fringe-laced xylophone on some songs. Taylor Guarisco, the other main vocalist, danced spaztically around on stage, jumping, kicking, and shaking his booty. The band had great

 chemistry – they joked around with each other during and between their upbeat songs. Everything sounded just as good, if not better, than the recordings on the album. The vocals were amazing, and seeing how the music was made was something I wasn’t expecting. Drummer and vocalist Kirby Campbell kept complex and interesting beats all night, Nick Stephan switched instruments every few songs (flute, saxophone, keyboard), and bassist and guitarist Josh LeBlanc danced around alternating between the two.

 

Setlist for Givers

Out of all of the bands that had an excellent 2009, French songsters Phoenix had a breakout year with their album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. Now their 2009-10 world tour has become the subject of a new documentary chronicling the band’s trip across the globe. That documentary, which is titled From a Mess to the Masses, is directed by Antione Wagner, who was also responsible for the music video of the single “Lisztomania.” You can watch the entire documentary below.

On Oct. 28, Moogfest 2011 will officially begin in beautiful Asheville, N.C. The festival, now in its second year, brings together artists from across the electronic and experimental music spectrum to celebrate the legacy of synth pioneer and music technology visionary Bob Moog. From musical legends such as Suicide, Tangerine Dream, and Terry Riley to up-and-comers CANT, Oneohtrix Point Never, and araabMUZIK to Amon Tobin‘s elaborate and visually stunning ISAM show, the three-day festival truly provides something for every ear. In the days leading up to, during, and after the festival check back regularly to the WKNC Blog for various Road To Moog features, including interviews with artists playing the festival and reviews and photos from the festival.