Yep, you read it right! WKNC will have the great pleasure of premiering two brand new songs by local favorites Lonnie Walker and Future Islands from their split 7″ coming out this November. We are the very first ones to have the tracks, so you’ll just have to tune in to the Local Lunch this Wednesday to hear them (and trust me, they rock).

The one and only DJ Ray will be unlocking the treasure chest of two brand new singles to rock you through the next week and a half until we get to see both bands live at Hopscotch! Are you as excited as I am?!??

The Hopscotch Music Festival has now become synonymous with headliners: Broken Social Scene, Public Enemy, and Panda Bear. However, the Triangle’s largest music festival features plenty of local acts. That’s why every Friday for the next few weeks, Special K will be getting back to North Carolina’s musical roots by keeping spins local and giving away Hopscotch festival wristbands to lucky callers during the Local Lunch (12pm-1pm).

Listen only on 88.1FM or streaming online during Local Lunch for your favorite local Hopscotch bands like The Rosebuds, Bowerbirds, The Love Language and many more! For the full line-up of Hopscotch bands, visit their website here.

Are you a fan of the Local Beat on 88.1 WKNC?  If so, feel free to head on over to the following two websites to show your love:

• The Local Beat ReverbNation page is the home to all live songs aired on the Local Beat.  All songs are free to listen to and download and new ones are being added each week.  We are currently working on adding live songs from older interviews and new songs are being updated as often as possible!  Join the mailing list for special updates and also, feel free to add widgets and playlists to your blog or home page!
• The Local Beat Facebook Fan Page is brand new.  Show your support for the show to all of your social networking friends and check out the page for upcoming photos, videos, and blog updates.  (Also, while you are on Facebook, feel free to become a fan of the Local Lunch and Eye On The Triangle.)

Unfortunately it is time for me to leave the air waves, and make way for a new generation of local music gurus.

In order to celebrate my time at WKNC, I will be doing a special 2 hour session of Local Lunch on Thursday, August 27th starting at 11am. I will be joined in studio by DJs Liztopia and Cantona to debut some new music, hype up the Hear Here! CD Release Concert (this Saturday at Cat’s Cradle), give away some tickets and keep you on top the weekend’s concert listings.

So tune in at WKNC 88.1 FM or skip your browser over here starting at 11am for a dinner portion of Local Lunch.

As we make our way to the Hear Here CD release show Aug. 29 at Cat’s Cradle (also my birthday!), listen to 88.1 as our top-notch Local Lunch crew debut songs from the 17-track compilation. This Friday, Aug. 14, Mikey P and guests Mike Robinson from Terpsikhore and BJ Burton from Flying Tiger will unleash Kooley High’s “Can’t Go Wrong” and Lonnie Walker’s “Feels Like Right.” The freshness will continue through next week, so stay tuned. Local Lunch airs Mon-Fri from noon to 1 p.m.

Exciting stuff happening on both the Local Lunch and Local Beat today.

First, the Local Lunch: our good friend BJ Burton from Flying Tiger Sound Studios is coming by to DJ with Mikey for today’s Local Lunch.  He’s bringing with him exclusive local tracks “that no one’s ever heard before”:

Rosebuds

“Second Bird of Paradise” by The Rosebuds

Lonnie Walker, c/o http://www.terpsikhore.com/

“Seasons” by Lonnie Walker

I don’t know exactly what Mikey and BJ’s plans are, but those songs will be presented to the world for the first time during the Local Lunch today.

Hopeline Benefit at Tir Na Nog: Lonnie Walker, On Photon, Hammer No More the Fingers, I Was Totally Destroying It, The Future Kings of Nowhere

Then, looking ahead to the Local Beat, we’ll be chatting with Shayne from The Future Kings of Nowhere about playing the Hopeline Benefit show at Tir Na Nog tonight, about moving to New York, and about some of his memories from time spent in the Triangle.  He’ll be performing several new songs in studio, as well.

And, of course, we’ll be spotlighting some of the AWESOME new local music that’s been released locally.  Good stuff all around.

Summer is upon the students of NC State, which means some of us are graduating or going away ’til the fall.

But don’t worry, Local Lunch will still be going strong all summer. We’ve gotten our hands on some awesome new releases from local favorites, and I personally look forward to exploring local hip hop and hard rock/metal acts.

So to all of us that call the Triangle home 365 days a year: Life doesn’t end in May and start up again in August, so why should our music?

WKNC Represent

Rich of The Pneurotics came into the Local Lunch on 3/12/09 for a quick interview, live performance, and debut of brand new material.

The Pneurotics played with Pink Flag, River City Ransom, and The Dry Heathens at The Brewery last night (3/12/09).

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.

Tune in Thursday, March 12th at noon as DJ Murdoc interviews The Pneurotics on Local Lunch.

Chapel Hill based The Pneurotics, will be playing at The Brewery with River City Ransom, The Dry Heathens, and Pink Flag Thursday night at 8pm.

Look for Murdoc’s Local Music Picture Blog later this week for coverage of the event.

If you dig good music, good performance, good art, or if you have a pulse, you’d do well to check out WKNC’s Local Lunch Wednesday, 2/25, through Friday, 2/27.   Right at the top of the 12:00 hour on each day, we’re airing each piece of a three-part serial of vocal enactment on top of The Never’s masterful album “Antarctica.”  This is merely a precursor to the event of interest, a theatrical performance of the concept album, released in 2006.

From the band’s website:

The Never has been touring for the last 3 years promoting “Antarctica, A Storybook Record,” a concept album and fully illustrated 50-page storybook. They are currently working to finish their new record to be released on Trekky Records in March, 2009. This event will be a culmination of both works.  The Never is dedicated to the betterment of  community through arts and music and has performed at schools/universities, libraries, theaters, and outdoor festivals over the last few years in order to achieve that.

Missed today’s part 1?  You’re in luck: the performance will be aired in its entirety on the Local Beat Friday, which usually runs from 5:00-8:00.  We will be preceded by NC State baseball, though, so tune in a little before 6:00 to catch the complete piece.

Where can you learn more, you ask?  Head over to the Never’s website for more information.  And, of course, keep it locked on the Local Lunch and the Local Beat.

On 1/22/09, Colossus band members  Sean Buchanan and Bill Fisher dropped in during Local Lunch for a quick interview.

The day started off with Colossus's Sean Buchanan and Bill Fisher stopping by the studio for a quick interview and exclusive debut of two tracks from their next album.

Colossus brought WKNC a belated Christmas gift in the form of 2 exclusive, not yet released, songs from their next album that is set to hit the streets in a few months. Colossus played at WKNC & Tir Na Nog’s Local Beer, Local Band on Thursday, January 22nd, with Double Barrel Benefit 5 alumni, Tooth.

Check out Murdoc’s Picture Blog and exclusive review of Colossus’s next album!

You can listed to the songs Kill More Better and The Mountain in the interview 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.

At first, I thought I would try something else for this week’s post…so I forgot my camera at home and went speeding off to Tir Na Nog’s first metal night featuring Tooth and Colossus. Thankfully my brother came through for me and brought his camera (but he didn’t get there until Tooth’s last song). So grabbed the camera from him and snagged as many good shots as I could.

Being a DJ that started out wanting to be a part of the WKNC Chainsaw Rock crew, Tir Na Nog’s first metal night really got my blood pumping. If you sadly missed this show, then you missed one of the most awesome Local Beer, Local Band nights ever. This may have been one of the slightly more tame metal shows I have attended (since it lacked blood, boobs, and a mosh pit), but it was one of my favorite Local Beer, Local Bands none the less.

Tooth: Durham based Tooth released their EP Animality just before playing at WKNC’s Double Barrel Benefit 5 last year, and have been spreading their punk metal style around the Triangle since.  According to their bassist, Ryland Fishel, the band has been working on their second album and have recorded some tracks that are set to be released on vinyl soon.

Tooth's front man JME Guptill, and bassist Ryland Fishel. No that isn't a reflection of camera flash, it is Ryland building up an energy blast for the last song of their set.

Richard James on Guitar and Noah Kessler on Drums

Ben Wilson on guitar and Ryland Fishel on bass.

Tooth's Hollerer, JME Guptill, as the face of horror.

Tooth's big finish

Colossus: Raleigh based metal at its finest. Colossus mashes elements of thrash metal with power metal elements to create hard rock masterpieces. Colossus singer, Sean Buchanan, and guitarist, Bill Fisher, dropped by WKNC’s Local Lunch for a quick interview and to debut two tracks off of their upcoming album that is yet to be named. WKNC also received an exclusive advanced copy of the album to review and play.

The day started off with Colossus's Sean Buchanan and Bill Fisher stopping by the studio for a quick interview and exclusive debut of two tracks from their next album.

Bill's skill is only matched by the intensity of his facial expressions.

Nicky Nixon shredding an awesome solo that made the strings burn, hence the look on Sean's face.

Benjamin Smith (drums) broke his snare not long after this picture was took. They borrowed one from Tooth to finish the show.

Guitarist Nicky Nixon and Bassist Rylan Wilshire during Colossus's new single, Kill More Better. Killer More Better is based off of the Max Brooks book, World War Z.

The only thing missing from the end of this show was pyrotechnics. However, it did feature the giving of one the most awesome contracts ever.

Click any picture to view the full gallery.

Click here for the WKNC review of Colossus’s next album.

Click here to listen to the Local Lunch interview with Colossus.

Local metal act Colossus is at it again with another very solid CD release. Colossus’s thrash metal music mixed with power metal lyrics combines to produce a 5 track record about killing zombies, cannibalizing one’s fallen enemies, and kicking ass. The album is full of awesome guitar solos, and hardcore headbanging. The album is yet to be named, but it is well worth putting on your list of CD’s to keep an eye out for in the coming months.

Colossus singer Sean Buchanan and guitarist Bill Fisher dropped into the WKNC studio last week for a quick interview and to debut 2 new singles from the upcoming album. Click here for a taste of metal awesomeness.

Colossus will be bringing metal mayhem to Local Lunch on Thursday, January 22nd, for an interview.

Colossus’s Rylan Wilshire & Sean Buchanan will be in studio for the interview at around 12:30pm. Afterwords, Colossus will be playing with WKNC Double Barrel Benefit 5 alumni, Tooth, at WKNC & Tir Na Nog’s first Local Beer, Local Band that will feature Metal music.

For more details about the show, check out the WKNC Rock Report, and don’t forget to tune in for the interview!

Colossus... And The Rift Of The Pan-Dimensional UnderGods

Today at 12:20, Local Lunch will have its first interview of 2009 with Durham based singer/song writer, Brett Harris.

Brett Harris will be playing at WKNC & Tir Na Nog’s Local Beer, Local Band Night tonight starting at 10pm with The Jackets and members of Bright Young Things.

For information about more great shows, check out the WKNC Rock Report.