English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys returned to Raleigh tonight, Oct. 12, and performed at Disco Rodeo. The band visited the venue April 2010, but this year brought along Smith Westerns to open.

Chicago-based Smith Westerns released their sophomore album earlier this year. Since then, they have played with TV on the Radio, Cults and Yeasayer,  in addition to international festivals including Austin City Limits Music Festival, Fyf Fest, Leeds Festival, Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo. The guys were dressed like they were straight out of “Dazed and Confused,” and the smiley face-patterned banners behind them just reinforced this thought. They were fun – I sang along and danced. Their hair flew in their face as they strummed popular singles like “Weekend,” “Smile” and “Still New.”

During the 30-minute set change, I scanned the crowd. Unfortunately, this took away a lot from the show. I was behind a young fist-pumping boy and constantly trying to hold on to my standing room, only with mild success as chains of high schoolers tried to squeeze by. The musically-oblivious bystanders seemed to give more applause at times for the roadies doing soundcheck than the Smith Westerns received, but that may have been in my head.

Arctic Monkeys perform last year

A hooded figure in a golden mask finally came out on stage and hit notes on a keyboard to set the mood for the show. The lights reflected gold beams off the mask into the crowd. The rest of the band came out on stage and began their first song with a blast of energy and great reaction from the crowd. One thing I instantly picked up one is that an Arctic Monkeys show’s core is the strobe light – which is amazing, unless you have epilepsy. Luckily I do not, so I could stay. A bit theatrical at times, the band performed with special effects like lights, flashes and smoke. One of my personal favorite moments is when they paired a past-picking guitar riff with an intense strobe-light-only light show. It created the illusion that electricity was coming from Alex Turner and his guitar and filling the room. The crowd went especially crazy for “Fluorescent Adolescent” and “Brick by Brick.” At about 10:15, they played their “last song” and went off stage while the crowd chanted their name and screamed with approval of the show.

On Monday, Oct. 12 at King’s Barcade, Make, The Proselyte and Thou played an excellent show. Put on by Primitive Ways this show was heavier than any other that has come through Raleigh in a while.

Make

Hailing from Chapel Hill, Make was a great opener for this show. Heavy, sludgy doom that had a bold psychedelic flavor; Make produces some very excellent metal. Support local music and check these guys out here: Make

The Proselyte

A nice addition from Cambridge, Mass., The Proselyte bridged the psychedelic feel of the show to a strangely happy yet still dark feeling. These guys brought some great metal to Raleigh, and it was very enjoyable to watch. I’ve never seen a drummer sing and drum so quickly. A very excellent band; both of their releases have been highly rated (Sunshine (2011) and The Proselyte (2007)). Check them here: The Proselyte.

Thou

Holy Dio. This is probably one of my favorite bands that I have seen in 2011. Coming up from Louisiana, these guys played on the floor and had one of the most energetic shows I’ve been to in awhile. I couldn’t get many pictures so you’re just going to have to regret not getting your eardrums covered in the sludgy, heavy goodness that is Thou. This five piece really blew me away with their show. I must admit two things helped; one, their excellent blog that allowed me to download their music and two, they played a kick-ass cover of Black Sabbaths Into the Void. Gnarly, dude.

Overall, as I have previously stated, this was and probably will be one of my favorite shows of 2011. It was heavy and covered in slimy, doom-y sludge. Good job to Primitive Ways for really knowing how to book a good lineup and to the bands, Make, The Proselyte and Thou, for giving Raleigh an excellent Monday night.

-It

The Black Keys are set to follow up their Grammy-winning album Brothers with El Camino, which will be released Dec. 6 in the United States.

However, their announcement was not without some hijinks. As originally posted by Rock it Out!, the Ohio duo released a video showcasing a van salesman; at the end of the video the release date, a website, and The Black Keys are all connected.

It does not stop there. The website wannabuyavan.com instructs you to call (330) 510-1206, which ultimately leads you to message recorded by drummer Pat Carney about the van he is trying to sell. Unfortunately, this line is almost always busy.

Update: Since this morning’s original information was released, more details have come out about the new album including the cover art and the track listing, which is below. The first single of the new album is titled “Lonely Boy,” and will be released on Oct. 26.

El Camino:

01 Lonely Boy
02 Dead and Gone
03 Gold on the Ceiling
04 Little Black Submarines
05 Money Maker
06 Run Right Back
07 Sister
08 Hell of a Season
09 Stop Stop
10 Nova Baby
11 Mind Eraser

1. Absu – Abzu (Candlelight)

2. Anthrax – Worship Music (Megaforce)

3. Nachtbult – Antik (Napalm)

4. Mastodon – The Hunter (Reprise)

5. Thulcandra - Under a Frozen Sun (Napalm)

6. Machine Head – Unto the Locust (Roadrunner)

7. Warbringer – Worlds Torn Asunder (Century Media)

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

9. Hatesphere – The Great Bludgeoning (Napalm)

10. Chimaira – The Age of Hell (eOne)

From the genesis of N.C. State’s radio in 1922 to the first broadcast on WKNC 88.1 FM with a 10-watt transmitter to current day 25,000-watt WKNC, Raleigh has been privileged to have a radio station dedicated to providing an alternative to mainstream radio. Oct. 9 marked 45 years of WKNC and to celebrate we are giving you, fellow listeners, the chance to come out and party hardy with a FREE show on Friday, Oct. 14.

Kings Barcade and Diggup Tapes will host the big event where Stu McLamb from The Love Language, Lonnie Walker, Juan Huevos, and Hidden Cat will fill your sound holes with pleasing and body moving vibes. Stu McLamb will be opening with a solo cover song performance and YOU can help choose the songs. Check out the Facebook Event and leave suggestions in the comment portion.

The early bird gets the worm at this event as WKNC will be giving away party favors to the first 20 guests! The cake is also not a lie at this birthday bash as it will be ready and waiting for your consumption as well as screen printed T-shirts for purchase.

All the cool kids are going to this happenin’ soiree, so be cool and come celebrate WKNC’s 45th birthday!

On Friday, Oct. 7, I made my way up to Motorco Music Hall in Durham for the opening reception of Minus Sound Research. I’ve never been to MSR or Motorco before (actually, this was my first show for WKNC, hooray!) so I had no idea what to expect. MSR is an annual art exhibition featuring artwork by local musicians. It started in 2006, and different artists are featured every year. The art shown is specifically created for MSR, so each year is a unique experience.

The sweet Motorco sign at sunset. Photo by Caitlin Zanga.

After making my way through the parking lot that was I-40, I finally got to the show. People were milling around outside drinking beer, playing foosball, and eating food from the food trucks outside. Inside the building, which looks like it used to be a car garage, people were checking out the artwork on the walls and watching two women perform some sort of slow-motion body art. It was interesting, and received a few skeptical looks from the crowd.

Slow-motion body art at MSR. Photo by Caitlin Zanga.

Unfortunately, I got to the show so late that I completely missed Inspector 22, the first singer to perform. Birds and Arrows started playing at about 7:30 p.m., and although the acoustics weren’t that great, people were really enjoying their music. The lead singer, Andrea Connolly, had a voice that could sing softly in one line and powerfully in the next. Her husband (who I could totally tell was her husband, even before she introduced him to the crowd, because they had such great chemistry on stage), Pete Connolly, joined in for backups and harmony. What really made them stand out was the cello player, Josh Starmer, who added a lot of depth to their music. Throughout their set Andrea made eye contact with the audience and was all smiles; you could tell they loved being on stage.

Birds and Arrows performing at MSR. Photo by Caitlin Zanga.

There were other artists performing afterward, but I unfortunately had to leave early.

The MSR exhibit runs until Dec. 3, and even though it’s a small collection, I would check it out if you’re in Durham.

A wall of artwork at MSR. In the background you can see someone eating one of the exhibits--canvas with caramel popcorn and edible glue. Photo by Caitlin Zanga.

WKNC DJs were on the scene for Shakori Hills Music Festival, a rollicking four days of music, art, and family-filled fun on the euphoric hills of Chatham County.

RELAX

The night started off slowly at Lincoln Theatre on Tuesday, Oct. 4. Greeted by the musical stylings of Insane Clown Posse and a technicolor beach scene emblazoned with the mandate “RELAX,” the pockets of young folk scattered throughout the venue seemed unsure of how to proceed. From the chatter, I gleaned that most knew at least one of the acts was but few knew all three, myself included.

Despot getting his heart rate up.

A fairly short, red-headed man with a wholly acceptable beard took the stage in the form of Despot just after 9 p.m. to the crowd’s mild interest. People pushed forward a bit. There were some heads nodding and a few brave souls mouthed lyrics but everyone else was still waiting for the show to start.

I had never seen Despot perform before and I thought he had a good presence on stage. He came across as a little spaced out at times, but his delivery was clean and he was genuinely funny between songs. At one point he set his mic down and attempted to lead the crowd in some light aerobics, which I felt was a refreshing change of pace from the usual hands-in-the-air nonsense. Near the end of his set he announced: “This next song was written in a remote cabin in your state during a schizophrenic freak out. You should be proud!”

Danny Brown was clearly more of a crowd favorite. He and rapper friend/acting hype-man Dopehead (who seemed to be doing his level best to eat the microphone while he was rapping) got those proverbial hands in the air with nonchalant delivery and more bass than the audience knew what to do with. Brown himself was all swinging arms and shrugging shoulders bound up in the best exotic fish Hawaiian shirt I’ve seen in a while. He was obviously enjoying himself, so I had no problem following suit.

Danny Brown and Dopehead engaging in thoughtful discourse with the audience.

Next up: Das Racist. The joke rap/weed rap/whatever rap trio was obviously who everyone was waiting for. Suddenly Lincoln Theatre seemed a lot more crowded. Maybe not Hopscotch crowded, but space was definitely at a premium within spitting distance of the stage.

Heems

Heems started off by claiming that they were Skrillex and introducing almost every song as “another dubstep banger.” Their set drew pretty heavily from the group’s first non-mixtape release, Relax, but there were quite a few classics sprinkled in (notably, “You Oughta Know,” “Rapping 2 U,” and “Who’s That? Brooown!”). Lakutis, who had been DJing/cuing music and samples via laptop for all three acts, even took up a mic to perform a song from his own upcoming release.

Kool A.D. rapping to someone's mom.

At one point the audience was asked to throw any old non-smart phones they had onto the stage. Someone actually threw an old flip phone up and Kool A.D. proceeded to call that person’s mother and rap his verse to her in the next song.

Danny Brown and Despot came back out for an all-star rendition of “Power” near the end of the set. Kool A.D. took a few stage dives. Lakutis triggered that air horn sample (you know the one) a few hundred more times. It was a fun set. I caught up with Dapwell after the show for a few minutes in which I told him that Atlanta was a 30-hour flight from Raleigh and he told me about a new auto-tune pedal they’re going to work into the set. I borrowed Heems’ charger when my phone died and he didn’t really mind.

On Oct. 5 I had the pleasure—nay, the honor—of seeing the amazingly eccentric and talented experimental freak folk band tUnE-yArDs with opening act Pat Jordache at Cat’s Cradle. I was so excited about this show that I got there an hour and a half early with fellow DJ Salt Water Jaffee and ran to the stage to post up front and center so I could be as close as possible to my queen, my goddess, Merrill Garbus.

I was a little apprehensive when the first person to come on stage for Pat Jordache was a man who was all ribs and muscle in nothing but a pair of overalls and gold chains: no shirt or shoes. He sat down behind the 10+ drum set and began playing. His talent and obvious passion for banging stuff blew my mind. A few seconds later the second drummer came out and began beating the crap out of a tom tom and a snare. Then out came the guitarist, crutching along with a hurt foot. Jordache, front man/bassist/keyboard extraordinaire with a haircut not grown in the U.S., was the last to appear and began to serenade us with his deep, throaty cooing against heavily present bass, brain rattling drums, and airy guitar. The band is kind of New Wave, somewhere between Joy Division and Fleet Foxes.

Jordache was the perfect warm-up act for the insanity that arose when Garbus stepped on stage with her painted cronies in color blocked clothing.

If you’ve never heard of tUnE-yArDs, you’re missing out. It is everything I’ve ever asked for from the music gods: powerful, loud, tribal, catchy, sexual, dance-y, eccentric, and a downright good time. The band is most famous for live vocal and percussion looping, strong melodies, and Garbus’ insanely African-influenced singing style and inhumanly wide vocal range. I melted into the monitor I was leaning against out of sheer amazement when she hit her high notes in the song “Powa.” Such a loud and powerful sound is strange coming from Garbus, the close-to-five-feet-tall howling singer with half of her head shaved and colorful paint on her face. She was constant smiles and giggles with a few funny faces thrown in.

One of the most enjoyable parts of the show was not how much fun I and the rest of the audience were having as we “worked it out on the dance floor” (Garbus herself commented on how insane the crowd was), but how much fun the band was having. While Garbus was cheerily strumming on her be-stickered ukulele, the two saxophone players jumped around banging pots and pans and danced like hunchbacks at a disco. The bassist was the epitome of cool on the opposite side of the stage, bopping along and slapping his bass. But when he stepped up to the microphone for a bit of a vocal solo, the crowd went nuts, which shows the love the fans hold for tUnE-yArDs is not just rooted in the front woman, as is commonly the case, but in every single member that contributes to the masterpieces that are every song they release.

Throughout the show I noticed that almost all of my fellow audience members new the words to every song she played. It wasn’t a case of everyone knowing the words to “Gangsta” or “Bizness” but not “You Ves You” or “My Country.” I can honestly say that this is the first show I’ve been to where the people that were there truly wanted to be there more than anything else in the world. I’m sure they will agree with me when I say that this concert was not just another show; it was a spiritual experience.

~Hurricane Julia

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

2. Cant – Dreams Come True (Terrible)

3. Mogwai – Earth Division (Sub Pop)

4. Sleep Over – Forever (Hippos in Tanks)

5. Veronica Falls – Veronica Falls (Slumberland)

6. Megafaun – Megafaun (Hometapes)

7. Drums – Portamento (Frenchkiss)

8. Weekend – Red (Slumberland)

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

10. St. Vincent – Strange Mercy (4AD)

11. Wilco – The Whole Love (Anti)

12. Blitzen Trapper – American Goldwing (Sub Pop)

13. Apparat – The Devil’s Walk (Mute)

14. Toro y Moi – Freaking Out (Carpark)

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

16. Wu Lyf – Go Tell Fire To the Mountain (L Y F)

17. Wild Flag – Wild Flag (Merge)

18. Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks – Mirror Traffic (Matador)

19. Blood Orange – Coastal Grooves (Domino)

20. CSS – La Liberacion (V2-Downtown-Cooperative)

21. Tasseomancy - Ulalume (Out Of This Spark)

22. Wooden Shjips – West (Thrill Jockey)

23. I Break Horses – Hearts (Co-op)

24. Iceage – New Brigade (Dais-What’s Your Rupture)

25. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Hysterical (Self-Released)

26. Hella – Tripper (Sargent House)

27. Jens Lekman – An Argument With Myself (Secretly Canadian)

28. Pepper Rabbit – Red Velvet Snowball (Kanine)

29. Jacuzzi Boys – Glazin’ (Hardly Art)

30. Mister Heavenly – Out of Love (Sub Pop)

Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, Des Ark will be postponing the band’s in-studio performance on Oct. 5 to a future date.

No worries though, as the band will still be performing at Shakori Hills this upcoming weekend (Oct. 6-9)!

North Carolina is on point with fall music festivals – in September, Raleigh hosted Hopscotch Music Festival. This weekend, Pittsboro will have Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival. At the end of the month, Moogfest will reign in Asheville.

Moogfest, named for Bob Moog, the inventor of the Moog synthesizer who was a research professor at UNC-Asheville, is back for its annual music festival during the weekend of October 28 – 30.  Different venues across Asheville’s downtown will host The Flaming Lips, STS9, Passion Pit, TV on the Radio and many more.  In addition to a packed lineup, there will also be artists in panel discussions, question and answer sessions, and workshops.  One thing I’m particularly excited about is the opportunity, in honor of Moog himself, to try out a variety of Moog instruments. There will also be visual art exhibitions, installations, and film screenings.

WKNC has two pairs of weekend passes to give away for this event – but it will take a little luck! Each day until October 21, one WKNC DJ will do a giveaway to get a listener put into a drawing the tickets. During Local Lunch on October 21, DJ Kligz will do the drawing live on-air and announce the recipients of the weekend passes.

Go ahead and put our studio lines on speed dial so when the WKNC DJ asks for it, you’ll be ready to win!

(919) 860-0881 or (919) 515-2400

Male Bonding at the Brudenell

Consider this an introduction, partly because many of you may have never visited nor even heard of the lovely Brudenell Social Club. The main reason for this is because it is in Leeds, England, where I, DJ Ones, am currently stationed for my year on exchange. I found myself looking for great music clubs in this fine city and stumbled across the Brudenell Social Club, where I learned that KNC favorite  Megafaun had played a handful of days before my arrival in the U.K. When I heard that Male Bonding would be playing a couple of days later on Oct. 1, I grabbed a new friend with a funny accent and headed over to the Brudenell.

After the doors opened at 7:30 p.m. and four local bands played with mixed reactions from the crowd, Male Bonding finally took the stage in this modestly-sized baseball field-shaped club.

Coming off of the release of their new, cleaner sounding album Endless Now I wondered how their new material would translate to the scruffy sound of their live shows. The show itself highlighted the best of this relatively new band’s already impressive two albums. A mixture of sounds from their previous two records leaned towards the fulfilling and more abrasive rock sound of their debut Nothing Hurts. This combined with the scrappy tracks of their debut produced a cohesive and enjoyable rock experience.

About halfway through the set I realized what was at the heart of some of their best material: the percussion section. From the visceral bass introduction to songs like “Weird Feelings” to the faster drums of “Year’s Not Long,” the sound came across with both style and substance. Fast-paced, upbeat, and to the point, Male Bonding put on one hell of a live show filled with few breaks and constant excitement.

It was with the last song, “Year’s Not Long,” that ended the night on a high note. Male Bonding provided a set full of controlled chaos: a fine balance of frantic instrumentals and cohesive songwriting. The sound in the Brudenell was great, Male Bonding was a bottle of energy, and their set was satisfying and memorable as a first for myself in the U.K.

The poetic guitar riffs of Fang Island resonated through the air and walls of Cat’s Cradle as we (Da Bear, Hot Tamale, MayDay, and Sarahnade) rolled up to the club. The energy of Fang Island was contagious, as the crowd danced and continuously banged their heads. Fang Island consists of three electric guitar players, a drummer, and bassist. Their skill on guitar was evident as they passed the lead lines from player to player, each player equally capable of shredding on guitar at incredible rates. The crowd responded most vehemently when the band broke out into their song “Daisy.” They were a great opening band to prepare the crowd for The Joy Formidable.

The Joy Formidable, hailing from Wales, contains only three members but their stage presence and performance was not indicative of this basic setup. The front woman, lead vocal, and electric guitar, Ritzy Bryan, was seemingly innocent and coy when not playing but turned into a fierce and erratic musician upon the start of the first song. With wide eyes she communicated intensity to the crowd. Their music was surprisingly thick and layered for a three-person band. It was all encompassing but not overwhelming.

The largest reaction from the crowd came during “The Greatest Light is the Greatest Shade.” They continuously made strong efforts to connect with the audience and were very appreciative of the support given. The concert gained momentum throughout and finally climaxed during the last song in a whirl of energy including thrown drum sticks, distorted guitars, and a semi-destroyed stage. The crowd brought them back on for an incredible encore of one last 10-minute song. When finished the band and crowd seemed truly exhausted and satisfied by the inconceivable performance.

Da Bear, Hot Tamale