This week you can win SO much from WKNC, you’re robbing yourself if you don’t listen for a chance to win.

7/27 – Josh Ritter @ Cat’s Cradle
7/27 – Lucinda Williams @ North Carolina Museum of Art
7/28 – Paleface and Peter Holsapple @ The Pinhook
7/30 - Jolie Holland @ Local 506
7/29 – Revolution Raleigh @ Lincoln Theatre
8/3 – Rockstar Mayhem Festival ft. Kingdom of Sorrow, All Shall Perish, Godsmack, Megadeth and Disturbed @ Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek
8/3 – Gillian Welch and David Rawlings @ NCMA

Need more than music to satiate your artistic pallet? Well, WKNC has more than music giveaways! Running from 8/5 to 8/7 – Paperhand Puppet Intervention’s “The Serpent’s Egg” (plus limited edition poster!) @ Forest Theatre in Chapel Hill. Plus there’s merch from Dim Mak and the Captain America movie.

I had the opportunity to acquire tickets to the Josh Ritter concert on Tuesday, May 11 at Carolina Theatre in Durham, NC through the amazing giveaways on WKNC.

We sat on the balcony level, which only somewhat took away from the concert’s intimacy, something I have grown fond of in some of the Triangle’s smaller venues. I knew the night would turn out well as I sat down and found the pre-show music to be Spoon‘s Transference. The opening was an adorable 3 person folk group called  Dawn Landes and the Hounds, which I found out to be Josh Ritter’s wife’s band. Their pieces were upbeat and about memories, love and lollipops. They were all too excited to show off their new toy, those awesome bells you can play with your feet! I, along with the rest of the full house, really enjoyed their music and the energy they exuded.

Interesting fact about Josh Ritter — he went to Oberlin College (a school I applied to!), intending to major in neuroscience. Instead, he changed his major to American history through narrative folk music. He certainly practiced what he learned in that small Ohio liberal arts college at his show Tuesday night. Songs about war, radio, old men, and stories of the stars filled the air. Ritter and the Royal City Band kept the crowd pleased, whether it be with mournful ballads like “Folk Bloodbath”, to more upbeat and borderline rock numbers, to the Josh Ritter I know and love with “To The Dogs or Whoever” and “Good Man.” No matter the genre of choice, the crowd was extremely responsive to the 5 person band. My only complaint is with the band playing background music at parts– clearly providing musical sounds not produced by any member of the band at that time.

Josh Ritter and the Royal City Band kept a consistent pace of music, usually allowing themselves one slow song and two upbeat folk or twanging southern rock. There was a different feel as Josh Kaufman, of The Hounds, recited Edgar Allen Poe’s Annabel Lee to a background of contra bass and steel guitar as provided by The Royal City Band as a set up for the Josh Ritter song “Another New World”. In between songs Ritter kept up a jovial banter for the audience– discussing mustaches, Baby Spice, and his need to brush his hair.

As Ritter left the stage, the crowd of course demanded more. Ritter then played a three part encore consisting of a song dedicated to Matt Douglas of The Proclivities, a love song that included all members of The Hounds and The Royal City Band behind the musical couple, Josh Ritter and Dawn Landes, and of course, “Harrisburg”.

All in all, Josh Ritter and the Royal City Band put on a great show. The crowd loved them, and all of the members of both bands seemed to rightfully enjoy themselves too.

I was able to see Josh Ritter on Saturday night at Cat’s Cradle and the show was amazing! The crowd had a lot of energy, and so did he. If you weren’t able to catch the show, check out this recording from the Internet Archive.

Check it out! WKNC is always giving away tickets to great shows around the Triangle area and this summer is no exception! Here are the shows that WKNC is giving away tickets for during the rest of May:

The Old Ceremony

The Old Ceremony @ Cat’s Cradle – Saturday, May 23rd

Isis

Isis with Pelican and Tombs @ Cat’s Cradle – Friday, May 29th

Josh Ritter

Josh Ritter with The Proclivities and David Shultz & The Skyline @ Cat’s Cradle – Saturday, May 30th

Kennebec

Kennebec with Love Colt @ The Pour House – Saturday, May 30th

Be sure to listen in for your chance to win tickets!! And don’t forget to check out WKNC’s Rock Report for a complete list of local shows around the Triangle!