In assistance with New Raleigh, this week WKNC and Tir Na nOg are proud to present The Big Picture, Gray Young, and Fan Mondine.

Remember all those promises I made to you the first week of the new year? Such as “more emphasis on beer”? Well we are kicking off the Brewer Series. The brewer series is a way that we can focus on the great craft beer that is created in North Carolina. On the second Thursday of each month a NC brewery is going to release a limited series or their seasonal draft. We are also working to feature other local businesses within our community. This month’s feature: Fullsteam Brewery’s Raleigh release of First Frost featuring hand-picked NC persimmons plus confections from South Durham Confection Company that will complement the brews.  As always, this is a FREE SHOW!! 21+

The Big Picture

One of the newer local bands, The Big Picture is absolutely a band to be reckoned with!  The band “Started up about two years ago between the Tunnell brothers (Johnny and Joah) The Big Picture remained completely unknown until [around May 2010]. Adding some new members to the band, Heather Tunnell, Nick Radford (Annuals), Leah Gibson (Lost in the Trees), and Alec Ferrell.” – DJ Caid

Gray Young

“Raleigh’s Gray Young (who, for the record, use vocals, but in a largely textural way) makes its anthems say a lot in very little time, and such careful editing and composition amps the intensity.” -The Independent

Fan Modine

Their myspace page says that their music sounds like “a train leaving a station.”  I like these guys.

Can’t wait for Thursday. I’m going to drink yummy First Frost and chow down on delicious savory biscuits from South Durham Confection Company and devour a $5 cheeseburger from the pub. I get mine medium rare with all vegetables possible, including carrots, and goat cheese.  Thanks New Raleigh, Fullsteam, and Tir Na nOg! See you soon!

**No interview this Thursday due to a Women’s Basketball game.  GO PACK!

Last night, Friday November 6, was the second night of three for Troika Music Festival in Durham, NC. As of this moment, I have watched and photographed 11 bands, and tonight I’ll photograph 6 or 7 more. It’s been an incredible journey for me thus far. First of all, I’ve never driven in downtown Durham, let alone in the dark and in the rain. So the musical rewards were that much more delicious after I circled miles of blocks countless times.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

I’ve been blown away by the epic sounds of Old Bricks in the tiny space of The Pinhook. They radiated so much joyous energy for the creation of music, I have a feeling they forgot we were all standing there listening. I don’t typically like bands that are more noise-based and less lyrical, but they touched a part of my soul.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Later, I sat on the stage next to Django Haskins of The Old Ceremony as he played acoustic guitar standing on the top of a chair because the sound system gave out, and he wanted to make sure everyone could here and see. He entranced the entire audience with his raw voice, honest lyrics,  and witty jokes, mostly making fun of himself. He has a list of over a hundred songs that he was sporadically picking from, and he shared with us the back story to The Old Ceremony most recent release, Wither on the Vines, and he sang a song that he wrote for a girl-rock band in New York.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

I was introduced to a new band that had my calves sore I was bouncing around so much. Onward, Soldier has one of the most talented groups of local musicians I’ve probably seen. The lead singer, Sean, has a soft face with an innocent air, but he plays and sings with such intensity, you’d think he was 6’6. I expect the drum to fall through the stage he was rockin’ so hard, and the second guitar ripped with fingers of gold. There’s no better way to instill love in an audience than to show your own love in the making of music. They had so much energy, such happiness, I was completely taken by their performance.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

But out of the eleven bands I have thus far seen, nothing can compare to the performance of Mandolin Orange. The male/female duo step onto the stage of Fullsteam Brewery with a fiddle, two guitars, and a mandolin. Their presence truly speaks to the power of music that has nothing to do with sound or technique. They made me believe them. I believed in the beauty of the fiddle and the simplistic elegance of an acoustic guitar. I believed that two vocal harmonies singing just the right words could transform a room into a sanctuary. Andrew has a calming presence with long curly hair, but his voice resonates with a deep, slightly twangy serenity. Emily is infallibly beautiful, but nothing in comparison to her radiance while holding a fiddle. This is the duo to watch, and I know I’ll be looking out for their next show.

I will be perfectly happy if I never listen to another band from outside of North Carolina. This state is overflowing with talent in every genre, and I’m so grateful to be a part of it.