This Thursday will be Chris Tamplin’s very last Local Beer Local Band Night. Tamplin was the orginal anchor in establishing a relationship between WKNC and Tir na nOg Irish Pub. He even won an Indie from Independent Weekly for starting and booking this event for about three years now. Tamplin is leaving the pub to pursue his dream of opening Motorco Music, a music venue in Durham. Therefore, since Tamplin is leaving, this week will be an extra special show!

This week, September 2 will feature music from all around North Carolina. First up is Asheville’s Darien will open the show with Charlotte’s The Houston Brothers filling the middle slot. Missy Thangs’ other great band Soft Company will be headlining! As usual this is a FREE show, 21 and up, and starts at 10 p.m.! See you there!

Darien

As a local artist who’s inspired by Irish music, there could not be a better act for Tir na nOg this Thursday. She plays the guitar solo and also sings/writes all of her own songs. Darien is an artist for the fans of bands like Rilo Kiley and Beirut. You’re going to love her.

The Houston Brothers

It’s good. I can’t seem to place who these two handsome men sound like… somewhere between Neutral Milk Hotel and Brian Eno. Check out their the link to their page for a full listen.

Soft Company

You might remember the leading lady from her other band, The Love Language. The Independent Weekly described their most recent album as full of “rich harmonies, layered keyboards and counterpoint guitars [that] slip and slide beneath each other.”

I will be having The Soft Company and another one of these acts at the station on Thursday at 7 p.m. so be sure to tune in. None of these acts are ones you will want to miss. I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my Thursday night than sending off Chris Tamplin with the help of a few local beers and these three amazing local bands!

Thursday August 26th is going to be the first LBLB for the Fall 2010 semester!  Come and unwind from your first week at school at Tir na nOg Irish Pub for Local Beer Local Band Night!  This weeks bands are Goodbye, Titan and Once and Future Kings.   FREE, 21 and up, starts at 10pm!

I will also be interviewing BOTH BANDS this Thursday from 7 to 8pm!  Tune in!

Goodbye, Titan

You can expect some wonderful landscape music from Goodbye, Titan.  If you enjoy listening to our Post Rock Block then you you absolutely love this weeks headlines for LBLB.  The Independent would say that this band is good for “fans of Mogwai and Explosions in the Sky.”  If that sounds like you, come on out!

Once and Future Kings

You might have caught Once and Future Kings last semester when they did a free show on Lee Field.  Well, now catch them indoors at Tir na nOg!   As quoted from their Myspace page, “Once and Future Kings blend hook-laden, anthemic rock with a twist of dystopian lyricism.Critics compare them to Radiohead or The Flaming Lips, but your mom might say The Beatles.”

See you this Thursday!!  And by the way,  I recommend a pint of Foothills Hoppyum IPA.  That’s what I’ll be having!

Local Beer Local Band Night is brought to you by WKNC and Tir Na nOg Irish Pub in downtown Raleigh. Each Thursday we have live local bands to entertain your ears, and the pub has local beers on tap to entertain your taste buds. These shows are always FREE and always 21 and up.This week we have The Moaners and The Spring Collection…

The Moaners

From Chapel Hill, these two talented ladies make up The Moaners. The Washington Post described their music as post-riot girl indie-rock blues band. This band will be loud and Melissa will be wearing sunglasses on stage. But honestly, any band who plays the saw is just fine with me.

The Spring Collection

The Spring Collection is a newly formed band made up of members from other local bands such as Bright Young Things and Hearts and Daggers. What does this group sound like? Well they like to say it is “60’s Garage and Mod with a late 70’s post-punk snarl…”

Should be an amazing show!  I will see you there!

And don’t forget… also on Thursday, July 29 I will be interviewing both of these bands on the air at 7 p.m.! So tune in for that!!

Love,

Audity

Last week, the Sajhammer and I were joined by some local guests to promote the Do Itcha Damn Self show at the Pinhook last Friday night. The premise for the event entailed taking some of your favorite local musicians and allowing them to perform on stage by themselves. Vocals, instruments, and abundant creativity were needed in order to play in sync and pull everything together.

Phil Cook and Catherine Edgerton. Photo by Elyse Hopple.

Phil Cook of Megafaun and Catherine Edgerton of Midtown Dickens were two major proponents in starting the inaugural event. We asked them various questions, such as the types of instruments they planned to use as well as the ideas that jump started Do Itcha Damn Self. Check out the full interview below:

Part I:

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.

Part II:

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.

If you’ve been in the Triangle for any number of years like I have, then you’ve likely seen Future Islands play. Their dark-wave synth dance music is addicting and the experience is an intoxicating modern take on Shakespeare. Their live performances never leave the crowd unsatisfied. Band members Gerrit Welmers, William Cashion and Samuel T Herring have moved the band from Greenville to Raleigh and most recently to Baltimore where they quickly became part of Dan Deacon’s artist collective, Wham City. However, the Triangle has been an important middle ground for Future Islands. Kind of like the lunch room in middle school where that delicate mix of young minds are eager to find other young minds, the triangle has provided this cultivation for collaboration.

I’ll sit down with the band Friday and talk about their voyage. Tune in to hear tracks from their discography and old favorites from their first project, Art Lord and The Self Portraits.  And if you have any stories or experiences from a Future Islands show that you’d like to share, please email them to kelly@wknc.org. We’ll take it to the airwaves with the band. They will be at the WKNC studio Friday for an on-air interview at 4 p.m. The band is touring in support of their recent release, “In Evening Air.” The release is their second LP and first on the Chicago Indie Label, Thrill Jockey.

Future Islands will be headlining at the Local 506 this Friday with additional acts: EAR PWR, Nuclear Power Pants, and Fat Camp.

Listen only on 88.1FM or streaming online.

Last week I had the chance to interview the guys from Hooray For Earth before they played at Cats Cradle in Carrboro alongside The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Surfer Blood (for a full run down of the show make sure to check out the post detailing the show here). We discussed their latest EP entitled Momo, future plans for a full length, how they all met each other, how they got the name Hooray for Earth, and much more. Below I have put the interview in its entirety so enjoy!

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.

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.

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.

Last Tuesday, June 1, I sat down with the guys from Free Energy who had fought their way through the terrible weather and traffic to make it to our studios on NC State campus to talk with us about a wide variety of topics. We discussed the process behind creating their debut album Stuck on Nothing, the role of LCD Soundsystem’s great James Murphy, their work with music videos, their current tour, and their plans for the future. If you missed on the live version of the interview you can listen to it in its entirety below!

DJ Ones (far left) with Free Energy

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

On Wednesday, June 2, before their performance in Carborro (which you can read all about here), I, DJ Ones, got the chance to sit down with bassist Davey Pierce from Of Montreal. In addition to speak about Of Montreal’s process behind creating a record, Davey gave us the scoop about their 2010 release. Davey also talked about the planning that goes in to creating the elaborate performances the band are known for and more. If you were late to listening to the interview, below it is posted in its entirety.

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.

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.

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.

I have another amazing privilege in getting the chance to interview Of Montreal tomorrow night at 5 p.m.! Of Montreal plays later that night at Cat’s Cradle in Chapel Hill, and you can hear their interview with me, DJ Ones, before you head out to the show.

Of Montreal

Of Montreal is the spectacular band from Athens, Georgia, whose career has spanned the better part of almost two decades. The band has released over ten full length albums with one more entitled False Priest coming sometime later this year. The band has reached growing levels of success over the past decade with their 2007 album Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? reaching number 72 on the Billboard Charts, and their 2008 release Skeletal Lamping reaching 38.

And if you have questions for the band leave, them in the comment section below or tweet them to @wknc881

A few hours before Kooley High performs at the Pour House for their farewell Raleigh show, Foolery and Charlie Smarts wanted to come in and chat about their hip-hop legacy in North Carolina as well as their expectations for their futures in New York. The band plans to continue to make new music up north, but not before they have a great send-off tonight which will include classic Kooley High tracks mixed in with some new surprises.

Kooley High's Charlie Smarts and Foolery with Special K and the Sajhammer

Listen to part of the interview here:

Part 1: Introductions

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.

Part 2: A Changing Environment

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.

I, DJ Ones, will have the privilege of interviewing Free Energy next Tuesday at 4pm right here on 88.1 FM. Remember you can always stream the interview live on WKNC.org/listen. The band will come in before their show at Local 506 alongside Jukebox The Ghost, and another KNC favorite Minature Tigers.

Free Energy

Free Energy is one of the fastest rising bands in the nation right now. Since the release of their debut album Stuck on Nothing, the band has gone from receiving high praise from Pitchfork, Uncut, and Spin, and they have been named one of the best new bands of 2010 by Rolling Stone.

After hearing their music on WKNC, make sure you check out their live interview before what is sure to be an excellent show at Local 506. Oh and if you haven’t heard them before, you could always listen to one of my favorite songs, “Bang Pop,” below:

In advance of their show tonight (Thursday), Heather McEntire of Mount Moriah and Brett Harris will be stopping by at 7pm.  I’ll be asking them the tough questions about new music and such, so be sure to tune in at 88.1FM or wknc.org/listen.

Here on NC State’s campus, the atmosphere is pretty dreary right now, with exams looming overhead like ash from Eyjafjallajokull. (Too soon?)  This being the week before dead week, we’re all accepting caffeine intravenously and stuffing our gourds with useless information that we’ll remember just long enough to take the test (before it’s gone again, forever!)

Carter Gaj of The Light Pines keeps hopes high with song and clapping as the band travels through desert terrain. (photo credit Kate Thompson)

But this Thursday offers a healthy reprieve from end-of-semester perils, with another great free Local Beer Local Band show featuring Kid Future and The Light Pines.

And what’s even better is that I’ll be interviewing both on Thursday evening from 7 to 8pm.

Kid Future has promised an in-studio performance, and The Light Pines may very well do the same, so be sure to tune in on 88.1 FM or at wknc.org/listen.

And I’d better see you out at Tir Na Nog with a local beer in your hand on Thursday night!

So So Def’s newest artist R&B singing sensation Dondria was a recent guest on “Saturday Night Soul and R&B”.In the compelling interview, Dondria discusses her rise to fame via youtube, her new albumDondria Vs. Phatfffat, new single “You’re The One”, her love for Chipotle and much more.

In case you missed it, check out the interview below and leave your thoughts.

To find about more about Dondria and to hear her music visit here or follow her on Twitter.

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.

Dondria discusses how she was discovered on youtube.
D

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.

Dondria discusses how she promotes her talent over her sexuality.

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.

Dondria discusses how social networking can benefit the industry.

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.

Dondria defines her definition of success.

“Saturday Night Soul and R&B” with host Mir.I.am airs weekly from 9 to 11 p.m.

Inflowential stopped into the WKNC studio last Friday to talk about their upcoming show at Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival, their first LP (on the way…), an imminent move, and to thank everyone they’ve ever met.

Inflowential

DJ Kligz and I had a grand time chatting it up with them and spinning some of their music, so have a listen below.

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.