Don’t stop now! I know you were out all last weekend at Double Barrel Benefit and the weekend before that at Moving Island but you CANNOT stop now! There will be a record release show for DiggUp Tapes on February 10 and 11 at Kings Barcade in Raleigh. Don’t miss the fun and there will be singles and box sets available!!

Thursday night lineup:

Arbor Myst (Multimedia set with help from Bubbly Mommy Gun from Athens, GA),

NAPS (Electronic Set),

Birds of Avalon (Experimental Set)

Whatever Brains (New Wave Set)

Friday Night line up:

Bubbly Mommy Gun (featuring a bunch of Athens dudes plus members of Quiet Hooves),

Fat Camp (from Charlotte),

Embarrassing Fruits and

Lonnie Walker

Show is going to be awesome! DiggUp Tapes will be releasing DiggUp Tapes Cassingles Vol 1 on FEB 15!  But remember, you can get your copy early at the Kings show!!  Twelve of DiggUp’s favorite bands on 6 tape splits. Featuring Whatever Brains, NAPS, Lonnie Walker, Birds of Avalon, Veelee, Motor Skills, Gross Ghost, Yardwork, Embarrassing Fruits, Fat Camp, Arbor Myst (Ben Clack formerly of Dark Meat) and the Snails (Featuring Members of Future Islands). The label was created by the two most attractive men in Raleigh. And they’ve created the most attractive compilation of the year.

DiggUp Tapes itself is currently working with 5 artists:  Lonnie Walker, NAPS, Arbor Myst, Nests, and Nieces and Nephews.

“Raleigh songwriter Brian Corum, who through his band Lonnie Walker will soon be, if there’s any justice, a bonafide Avett-level hero of independent music in the Old North State, created DiggUp Tapes last year with longtime friend Nathan Price. Their plan was simple: promote quality music in danger of being overlooked. Keep the focus local. Do it with rare but affordable tapes and vinyl LPs that have a keepsake quality.

DiggUp’s catalog thus far has featured bands in which Corum and Price are involved (Lonnie Walker, NAPS, Felix the Drum Machine), but the pair was ready to up the ante on an ambitious new project. The Cassingles collection is meant to be a document of North Carolina’s current underground music landscape, uniquely presented as a 12-song compilation divided over six two-band “split” cassettes. Each split has its own artwork, and the tapes can be purchased separately or as a set of six in special packaging.

The 12 artists who contribute exclusive tracks for Cassingles arrive at different stages of development and notoriety, but none is too far removed from humble origins or DIY spirit.

“Cassingles loudly declares that the Triangle’s independent music scene can stand up to any in the country. And while you don’t have to dig nearly as deep as before to find worthwhile music in North Carolina, sometimes having things wrapped up in a nice little package doesn’t hurt. “– Coby Mangum

you can listen here.

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.

Come down to WKNC and Tir Na Nog’s Local Band Local Beer on Thursday 11/18 to see Embarrassing Fruits, Kid Future, and Americans In France! The show is free! 10 p.m. 21+.

Embarrassing Fruits

These guys played on NCSU’s Harris Field for the first installment of Fridays on the Lawn this semester.  I thoroughly enjoyed their show. On the one hand, they sang a song about conspiracies and on the other, something so love sick my heart ached. My favorite line? something like, “I want to be the one to kill spiders for you.” Oh please, Embarrasing Fruits, if you kill spiders for me there will be no Long Distance Breakup Summer.  Promise.

Kid Future

Seriously the sexiest new band to hit the Raleigh scene.

“The three-dude Kid Future is an upstart in the most absolute sense, having played about a dozen shows and released only a handful of rough recordings online. Those tunes are keyboard-and-guitar gestalts, given to verses and hooks that look to serve the mood, not themselves. Think The National in the basement with drum machines and synths.” —Grayson Currin, The Independent

Americans In France

“Though they’re a little more Black Flag than Buddy Holly, there’s a sloppy, rudimentary straightforwardness to Americans in France. That’s not to call their debut, Pretzelvania, simplistic, though. Actually, the Chapel Hill trio plays with a great deal of skill, shifting styles (punk, post-punk, ballad, droning space rock, peppy rave-ups) with the precision of an Indy car shifting gears coming out of a caution flag. But their ragged, kitchen-sink experimentalism is far from pretentious, striking a playful, clowning tone that doesn’t take itself too seriously.” —Chris Parker, The Independent

All three bands (hopefully!) will join me at the station this Thursday at 7 p.m. It will be a cozy interview.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Good afternoon!

We have some great giveaways that are going like HOT CAKES!

October 21: The Love Language at Kings

The Love Language at Local 506, courtesy of Mike Gray

October 22: Goner at Kings

October 23: Airiel Down at Lincoln Theatre

October 23:   Gray Young at The Pour House

Chas and Dan Gray Young in the WKNC Studio

October 23:  The Moaners w/ Embarrassing Fruits at Kings

October 24: Small Black at Kings

October 26: Muse w/ Metric at the RBC Center

Metric (courtest of creative commons)

Remember, you have to listen to win!

WKNC has again teamed up with our comrades in the Union Activities Board and Student Government to bring great live music to campus.

This Friday, October 15th, has local acts Birds and Arrows and Embarrassing Fruits performing on Harris Field (at the corner of Dan Allen Drive and Cates Avenue).  The show starts at 6:30 and is FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC so bring your friends, maybe a blanket and a picnic basket, and come experience some awesome locally-grown musical talent.

P.S. There will also be some free grub for early-comers!

Norkus will also be discussing the band’s recent album release of Frontier Justice which came out last month. The Chapel Hill band will be performing around 11 p.m. For the full band schedule, please visit the Shakori Hills website. Please listen in on the conversation only on 88.1FM or streaming online.

Saturday, at the Piedmont Biofuel facility in Pittsboro, was the third annual TrkFest put on by Trekky Records.  TrkFest has quickly become one of the most important local music events in the area and a group of WKNC folk made it out in full force.  It was terribly hot and humid outside while the sun was out, but not one single person complained, and I believe everyone had a fantastic time.  I was lucky enough to sit next to Rich and Mimi McLaughlin of the Pneurotics, and we had a fine view of both stages.

We missed Vibrant Green and Ezekiel Graves but got there just as Yardwork started up, and those guys put on a fantastic set to start our day.

After a excruciatingly hot but fascinating tour of the entire Biofuel center, we caught the last half of Ryan Gustafson’s set.  I have seen Ryan about six times now, but this was only the second with a full band, and he was awesome, as usual.

We had to escape the heat, so we headed into the shade during the Butterflies set.

Veelee went on next.  Their sound has evolved so much in the past year while still keeping with their same general style.  One song that stuck out to me was a new track named “T’morrow;” that was the first in their set.

Mount Moriah went on next and, as usual, played an incredible set.  I cannot describe how much I love this band and how excited I am for their new album to come out.

Midtown Dickens played one of my favorite sets of the evening.  Megafaun came on for a couple of songs, and Kym and Catherine are always entertaining but even more so for this event.  Fun, outgoing, and fresh is the best way to describe them.

It has been awhile since I saw Embarrassing Fruits play, but with a new album in the works, theses guys were as tight as ever as expected.

Hammer No More The Fingers has never been anything but a pleasure to see.  They are one of the most technically sound and entertaining groups in the area.  For a couple of songs they brought up Drew Anagnost and Leah Gibson from Lost in the Trees on the cellos and Brad Cook of Megafaun jumped on bass.

Lost in the Trees literally blew the crowd away playing second to last.  I was surprised that they could cram onto the smaller of the two stages, but it ended up being truly magical.  I feel like every time I see them live they sound different, which is always refreshing.

Megafaun ended the show as they always do: reeling the crowd in with their unique charisma and then putting them into a manic frenzy with their exceptional live performance.  I took several videos of the group playing some brand new songs with a variety of different musicians, all off of their upcoming album, but the sound quality came out too poor to post them.  Needless to say, every time I see Megafaun play, they retake the top of my list of local bands.

It has been longer than a month since we have had a live Local Beat, and, since February, we haven’t had a full, three hour show (mostly due to NC State Baseball).  I have spent the past month recovering from throat surgery and also doing some summer traveling, but it is finally time to get back into the amazing local music scene here, and tonight’s show is going to be one for the ages.

We are dedicating the first two hours to Trekky Records and their kickass annual summer event TrkFest.  The event happens tomorrow, June 26, and this year there will be two stages of live music as well as the usual crafts, food, and beverages including:

• Pants-off Dance-off
• Coffee Sack Race
• Cool Kids Yoga Session
• Musical Chairs Cake Walk
• Sprinklers and Water Things
• Tour of Piedmont Biofuels
• Free Haircuts
• Shadow Puppets
• Bliss Tent

I know I am going to get a haircut that I so desperately need and jam out to my favorite local musicians that include:

• Megafaun
• Lost in the Trees
• Hammer No More The Fingers
• Embarrassing Fruits
• Midtown Dickens
• Mount Moriah
• Veelee
• Butterflies
• Ryan Gustafson
• Yardwork
• Ezekiel Graves
• Vibrant Green

This is the 3rd annual TRKFest, and tonight, on the Local Beat, we will be chatting about all of the old and new things about the festival, the bands, and hearing some live music from some of the performers tomorrow.

At 7 p.m. my favorite local band Bombadil will be dropping by for what is the first time in well over a year.  As many of you may know, Bombadil has been on recent hiatus as some of the members have moved away and Daniel Michalak has been dealing with some health problems. With that said, this is their first interview as a group in quite some time, and one of the first since their Tarpits and Canyonlands hit the streets back in 2009  (If you remember, the album was my #1 album of the year).  The entire band is going to try to make it and and perhaps play their first live music together since last summer. It is seriously going to be awesome.

Photos by WKNC photographer Katie Hill

White Tiger and the Bed of Roses

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Colossus

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Come down to WKNC and Tir Na Nog’s Local Beer Local Band Night on Thursday, June 24 to see Trekky Records’ Embarrassing Fruits, Charlotte natives Yardwork, and Raleigh’s Whatever Brains! The show is FREE! Starts at 9:30 p.m.  Plus, there are mighty yummy local beers on tap.  I think I will hit up Big Boss Diablo this Thursday…

EMBARRASSING FRUITS
http://www.myspace.com/embarrassingfruitsband

“Over a breezy melody, lazily strummed chords and cymbal splashes, frontman Joe Norkus recounts fond memories of poolside dances and conversations about coffee with the girl he’s met on the corner. When lightning hits their town and Jesus Christ comes down for a visit, the people scatter—except for Norkus and his summer affection. Hell, they’re even making babies while the town burns.”
—Spencer Griffith, Independent Weekly

Read more:http://www.myspace.com/embarrassingfruitsband#ixzz0rE6MxOh7

YARDWORK
http://www.myspace.com/yardworknc

Yardwork is a sick band hailing from Charlotte, NC.   Listening to them while I write this blog, I’d say they are wonderful, catchy and happy, songs to rock to.  A friend of mine is buddies with the band, so of course all of us are going to be there!

WHATEVER BRAINS
http://www.myspace.com/whateverbrains

Whatever Brains is loud.  So loud and so awesome.  They have real talent turned up as high as the volume knob can go.  If they have T-Shirts for sale at the nOg, I recommend the hamburger one.

“Whatever Brains is, allegedly, a punk band gobbing guitar fuzz on songs paced like they were penned by a kid with ADHD and no meds.”  -Independent Weekly

At 3 p.m. Friday, I will be interviewing Once and Future Kings about their show with Embarrassing Fruits on Saturday, April 17 on Lee Field on NCSU campus.  The event is  in celebration of the upcoming Earth Day. Embarrassing Fruits play at 6 p.m. and Once & Future Kings go on at 7 p.m.

Next, I will interview Mor Aframian at 4 p.m. Friday.  We will be discussing the Redress Raleigh event which takes place Saturday, April 17.  Redress Raleigh is an ecologically conscious and forward thinking fashion show that challenges designers to think about impact on the environment in the development of their concept. Redress aims to showcase eco-friendly designers with accessible and innovative collections as well as showing that “green” is in all aspects of life, including fashion. The clothing selected for this show will have a strong emphasis on eco-friendly design. Eco-friendly can be in the form of recycled or remanufactured garments, as well as using eco-friendly fabrics and production processes. The focus of Redress Raleigh is to promote wearable eco-fashion, meaning fabrics and textiles that would be commonly found in clothing articles, rather than non-clothing items such as cardboard, paper, plastic, etc.  This year’s show will be held on Saturday, April 17 from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. at the Flander’s Art Gallery, 302 South West Street, Raleigh.

Gonna be in town over the winter break? Entertaning guests? Wondering what to fill all that free time with?

Go with live music, of course!

Below are my  recommendations for shows between December 17 to January 11 (N.C. State’s Winter Break)

December 17:

Who: Sea Legs & Old Bricks

Where: WKNC’s Local Beer Local Band atTir Na Nog Irish Pub in Raleigh

I must say it, these are actually two of my favorite local bands. Both bands are new to the scene but I predict they will have quite a name for themselves by this time next year. Catch um while their new so you can be the cool guy who knew them when they were the little people.

December 18:

Who: Fin Fang Foom, Free Electric State, Gray Young

Where: Pinhook in Durham

If you haven’t yet been to the Pinhook, this is your excuse. Not only is it one of my favorite places to drink, they have a killer patio, these local bands are all worth seeing.

December 19:

Who: Holiday Honky Tonk and Burlesque Show

Where: Local 506 in Chapel Hill

Say whhhat? I get to see The Whiskey Smugglers, The Pneurotics and Gambling the Muse all while Miss Mary Wanna puts on a burlesque performance…. I’m sold.

December 20:

Where: Nightlight in Chapel Hill

What: Nightlight Holiday Craft Fair from 2 to 6 p.m.

Okay, so it’s not music. Think of it this way though, its local art and any local art that is presented to me will get a moment of my time. Stop by, especially if you haven’t checked everyone off your shopping list yet.

December 21 to 24:

It’s my birthday week so I would love to celebrate with some tunes! Unfortunately, the world seems to shut down around these dates, I’m not sure why. If YOU want to serenade me happy birthday feel free to find me at one of these shows!

The Cave in Chapel Hill is holding an all day open swap December 22 and 23. You can buy and trade your doodads. Sounds like fun!

December 25:

Where: The Pour House in Raleigh

You can celebrate Christmas day along with Terry Anderson, who will be celebrating his birthday as well. He brings his band, The Olympic Ass Kicking Team to the Pour House. You know there isn’t much to do after the family is done opening gifts and eating food so bring them to sing along!

December 26:

What: The Merch Holiday Party

Where: Local 506 in Chapel Hill

The Merch is a local screen printing and design business whose logos are plastered all over the triangle. They are huge supporters of local music and we love that!  Not sure what the night entails but it should be something great! The party starts at 10pm

December 31st:

Downtown Raleigh

First Night Raleigh

Ring in the new year right! Surround yourself with the amazingness this town has to offer. First Night is offering performances by The African American Dance Ensemble, Crucial Fiya and the Annuals (plus a million other amazing things to see and do). While your downtown don’t forget to stop by Slims to see A Rooster for the Masses.

OR

New Years Eve Party at Local 506 in Chapel Hill

Violet Vector and the Lovely Lovelies, The Love Language and the Dirty Little Heaters share the stage to help you ring in the new year!

January 1:

HAPPY NEW YEAR!  there isn’t much going on this week so make sure to rest up for next week because it is jam-packed with shows to witness!

January 6

Where: The Pour House Music Hall in Raleigh

Who: The Ex-Monkeys are spinnin in downtown Raleigh this night. Great to see if you’re in the mood for a different kind of electronic music to dance too.

January 7

Where: Tir Na Nog Irish Pub in Raleigh

IT BEGINS! RALEIGH UNDERCOVER STARTS TONIGHT!!

This a weekend all local music lovers should look forward too! Your favorite bands will cover the bands that have inspired them. Last years performances  included Valient Thorr covering Parliament Funkadelic, Hearts and Daggers covering The Beastie Boys and Embarrassing Fruits as Pavement. Make sure to be there for at least one night this weekend!

January 8:

Where: The Pour House Music Hall in Raleigh

Who: Your favorite local artists Lonnie Walker, Megafaun and The Rosebuds are all joining together to put on one amazing show. The night will be a prom theme and fun for everyone! If you can’t make it out on the 8th, no worries, Megafaun and The Rosebuds will be performing again, same place same time, only this time the amazing Hammer No More the Fingers will be joining them.

January 9:

Where: The Nightlight in Chapel Hill

Who: Midtown Dickens takes the stage with Joe Romeo and the Orange County Volunteers. Midtown Dickens is a group that consistently keeps a smile on my face. They are a joy to watch and with this year’s release of Lanterns, you wont be let down.

Also right down the street North Elementary will be playing at The Local 506. A classic local group that is worth the short walk!

That is it for now!

The new year seems to be starting out well here in the Triangle!

Tonight on the Local Beat looks to be a good time with three fantastic interviews lined up.

At 5pm, Carrboro natives Veelee will be joining me to promote their show this evening at the Local 506 with Free Electric State and Embarrassing Fruits.  The show at the 506 tonight starts at 9:30pm and tickets are $7.  They will also be playing some tunes live on the air which you will not want to miss.

At 6pm Hailey Queen of the Coalition to Unchain Dogs will be joining us at WKNC alongside Sara Bell of Durham based folk rock band Regina Hexaphone to discuss tomorrow’s third annual Music For Fences in Durham Central Park. Regina Hexaphone will be playing alongside Rey Norteno, The Kinksmen, and Superchunk.  The show is from 4pm-10pm, $8 in advance and $10 at the door.  All proceeds from the show benefit the Coalition to Unchain Dogs, which is a non-profit organization set up to raise money to build fences for chained dogs.

The last hour of the show is dedicated to Midtown Dickens who are having an album release party for their new record Lanterns, tonight at the Duke Coffeehouse with Mount Moriah and Des Ark (the show starts at 9pm and is FREE).  Founding members of the band Kym Register and Catherine Edgerton are coming in to talk about the creation of Lanterns, gossip about their new band members, and recollect the past 2.5 years since their last album release.  We will also be performing live unreleased tracks from the album as a sneak preview of whats to come this evening in Durham.

So tune into the Local Beat this evening.  5pm-8pm every Friday!  If you don’t have a radio or are out of the area, listen online!

It’s hard to believe 2009 is half over.

There have been tons of albums out in months one through six that our DJs have released over the airwaves, some of which resulted in countless requests and songs that got stuck in our heads for days on end. It’s hard to narrow them down, but a few of the WKNC music directors have made their picks for the top five albums of the year so far in their respective formats.

Local Music Director Adam Kincaid selected…

Bombadil's Tarpits and Canyonlands

1. Bombadil: Tarpits & Canyonlands
2. Colossus: Drunk On Blood
3. The Love Language: The Love Language
4. Lonnie Walker: These Times Old Times
5. Embarrassing Fruits: Community/Exploitation

With honorable mentions for…

Americans in France: Pretzelvania
Hammer No More The Fingers: Looking For Bruce

Disagree with Adam’s picks? Send him an email and let him know which albums you would have chosen.

Daytime Music Director Jenna St. Pierre selected…

Cotton Jones' Paranoid Cocoon

1. Cotton Jones: Paranoid Cocoon
2. Dirty Projectors: Bitte Orca
3. Animal Collective: Merriweather Post Pavillion
4. Harlem Shakes: Technicolor Health
5. Screaming Females: Power Move

With honorable mentions for:

Akron/Family: Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free
Phoenix: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Are there albums you think should have been on the list? Email Jenna to discuss.

Underground Music Director Damion Sledge chose…

Saigon and Statik Selektah's All In a Day's Work

Saigon and Statik Selektah: All in a Day’s Work

If you have Underground albums to add to the list, email Damion.

Stay tuned for the next six months of albums on WKNC, and we’ll see which ones come out on top in December!