Now that the year 2012 is coming to a close us here at WKNC look back at our top five albums of the year once again. Although we might not always agree on what is the most amazing, the love of great music not only kept us excited throughout 2012, but we look forward to the amazing music that it will bring as well. Take a gander at what are a few of the albums we loved throughout this year, as chosen by WKNC DJs. See you in 2013!

 

Sarahnade

1. Caspian – Waking Season
2. El Ten Eleven – Transitions
3. Spider Bags – Shake My Head
4. Pinback – Information Retrieved
5. Divine Fits – A Thing Called Divine Fits

 

C. Deuce

1. Yeasayer – Fragrant World
2. Alt-J – An Awesome Wave
3. Hundred Waters – Hundred Waters
4. Sweet Valley – Eternal Champ
5. Miike Snow – Happy to You

 

CMYK

1. Japandroids – Celebration Rock
2. Andrew Bird – Break It Yourself
3. Beach House – Bloom
4. The Mountain Goats – Transcendental Youth
5. Oceanics – Bright People

 

JKG

1. Dan Deacon – America
2. MAKE – Trephine
3. The Album Leaf – Forward/Return
4. Dads – American Radass (this is important)
4. El Ten Eleven – Transitions

 

Zaps

1. Father John Misty – Fear Fun
2. First Aid Kit – The Lion’s Roar
3. Bowerbirds – The Clearing
4. Lost In The Trees – A Church That Fits Our Needs
5. Jukebox the Ghost- Safe Travels

 

Seagull

1. DIIV – Oshin
2. Tame Impala – Lonerism
3. Ty Segall Band – Slaughterhouse
4. Mac Demarco – 2
5. Beach House – Bloom

 

DJ DiGiorno

1. Howler – America Give Up
2. Beach House – Bloom
3. Dirty Projectors – Swing Lo Magellan
4. Father John Misty- Fear Fun
5. Dr. Dog- Be The Void

 

DJ GRZA

1.  Flying Lotus – Until The Quiet Comes
2.  Andrew Bird – Break It Yourself
3.  Frank Ocean – Channel Orange
4.  Kendrick Lamar – good kid, M.A.D.D city
5.  Alt-J – An Awesome Wave

 

The Mattador

1. Grouplove – Never Trust a Happy Song (Released 2011)
2. Dr. Dog – Be the Void
3. Passion Pit – Gossamer
4. Cloud Nothings – Attack on Memory
5. Supreme Cuts – Whispers in the Dark

 

DJ Smitty

1. The Menzingers – On The Impossible Past
2. Red Collar – Welcome Home
3. Japandroids – Celebration Rock
4. Murder By Death – Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon
5. Hop Along – Get Disowned

 

DJ Ones

1. Andrew Bird – Break if Yourself
2. Tame Impala – Lonerism
3. Sharon Van Etten – Tramp
4. Dirty Projectors – Swing Lo Magellan
5. Grizzly Bear – Shields

 

DJ Salinger

1. The Avett Brothers – The Carpenter
2. Grimes – Visions
3. The XX – Coexist
4. Toro y Moi – June 2009
5. Oberhofer – Time Capsules II

 

Muta

1. GRiZ – Mad Liberation
2. Purity Ring – Shrines
3. Submotion Orchestra – Fragments
4. Badbadnotgood – BBNG2
5. XXYYXX – XXYYXX

 

May Day

1. Beach House – Bloom
2. Purity Ring – Shrines
3. The Walkmen – Heaven
4. The Helio Sequence – Negotiations
5. Oberhofer – Time Capsules II

 

Billy

1.Stripmines – Crimes of Dispassion
2. Oiltanker/No Tomorrow – Split LP
3. The Sword – Apogryphon
4. High On Fire – De Vermis Mysteriis
5. Mob Rules – The Donor

 

Walter-Ego

1. Dan Deacon – America
2. Death Grips – The Money Store
3. Spider Bags – Shake My Head
4. The Mountain Goats – Transcendental Youth
5. Dr. Dog – Be The Void

 

DJ Sweet D

1. Grimes – Visions
2. Purity Ring – Shrines
3. First Aid Kit – The Lion’s Roar
4. Andrew Bird – Break It Yourself
5. Grizzly Bear – Shields

 

Major Tom

1. Alt-J – An Awesome Wave
2. Cloud Nothings – Attack On Memory
3. Tame Impala – Mind Mischief
4. The Shins – Port Of Morrow
5. Beach House – Bloom

 

DJ ACORN

1. Micachu & The Shapes – Never
2. Daughn Gibson – All Hell
3. The Music Tapes – Mary’s Voice
4. Schoolboy Q – Habits & Contradictions
5. Murder by Death – Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon

 

Anastassia

1. Japandroids – Celebration Rock
2. Ty Segall Band – Slaughterhouse
3. DIIV – Oshin
4. Grass Widow – Internal Logic
5. Grimes – Visions

 

Spaceman Spiff

1.  Chromatics – Kill for Love
2.  Cloud Nothings – Attack on Memory
3.  Wild Nothing – Nocturne
4.  Grimes – Visions
5.  Divine Fits – A Thing Called Divine Fits

 

DJ CJ

1. Neil Young and Crazy Horse – Psychedelic Pill
2. Carolina Chocolate Drops – Leaving Eden
3. Steep Canyon Rangers – Nobody Knows You
4. Trampled By Turtles – Stars & Satellites
5. Old Crow Medicine Show – Carry Me Back To Virginia

 

ALASKA

1. Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra – Theatre is Evil
2. Sharon Van Etten – Tramp
3. White Lung – Sorry
4. Perfume Genius – Put Your Back N 2 It
5. La Sera – Sees the Light

 

DJ Mason

1. Lost in the Trees – A Church That Fits Our Needs
2. Beach House – Bloom
3. Death Grips – The Money Store
4. Grimes – Visions
5. Here We Go Magic – A Different Ship

 

Lost in the Trees had their album release show at Cat’s Cradle this past Friday, April 20. Brice Randall Brickford and The Toddlers were the two opening bands. The Toddlers are another side project band of Missy Thangs (The Love Language, Soft Company). Alongside Missy Thangs were Noah Dehmer, Ellis Anderson, and Nathan Toben. They started off with a galloping song and before the set was over I could swear that they were close to resurrecting Jim Morrison on stage. Dehmer’s voice sounded remarkably like the Lizard King himself and everyone seemed really into it.

When Lost in the Trees came out Christmas lights turned on around the stage and everyone knew it was about to be an extraordinary set. They started the set with “Walk Around the Lake,” which pleased everyone to hear a familiar tune right off the bat. Next up they began playing songs off their new album starting with what is probably the most popular song on the album, “Red.” The set list continued to build; all the songs and stage presence were very strong and evocative. Emma Nadeau, dressed in red with glitter on her face, seemed to effortlessly produce the most hauntingly beautiful vocals while she wasn’t playing her French horn. Ari Picker and Jenavieve Varga never hold back in their performances and that was definitely the case at this show. Ari’s fidelity to his songs resounds through his vocals that travel for miles, with a voice so emotionally pure you can tell what he’s singing isn’t forged. Jenavieve is a powerhouse violinist and it’s her performance that lets you know how meaningful the music is.

The apex of the show was their song “Garden,” which was played midway through their set right before they reeled in the rest of their songs. “Garden” is the most involved song off the new album and served as the perfect beginning to the end of their show. They then relaxed and played an old favorite, “Song for the Painter.” Before they began to play “Golden Eyelids,” Ari requested that everyone slow dance to the song to make it special. Specifically asking to recreate scenes from “Back to the Future 1 or 2, but not Back to the Future 3,” he said, laughing. For the encore they performed “All Alone in an Empty House.”  It was a spectacular show as always; I can’t imagine anyone could have walked away disappointed.

By Beth Moore.

The summer is here, and that means that the men are hot, hot, hot.

 

Two years ago, we had our list of hot women, and the temperature is now ripe for the opposite sex. Here are our list of the 88 Hottest Men in Indie Rock (we love you Jack White!).

 

1. Sufjan Stevens

 

Our WKNC djs had bellowing arguments and fisticuffs to put Sufjan Stevans on top.  Ever since he invited us to “Come on feel the Illinoise!”, his soft, luring voice only complimented his angelic  good looks. If only he felt the way about us as he does about the fifty states. And it doesn’t hurt that he played a cover of The Innocence Mission’s “Lakes of Canada” with a banjo ON TOP OF A ROOF! Could you get hotter than that? We didn’t think so.

2. Andrew Bird

There’s a reason why his last name is “bird”.

Andrew Bird is well versed in violin, guitar, and the glockenspiel. But his greatest instrument is that fabulous whistle. That croon could attract many an avian creature and delighted female alike.  His classic countenance combined with his folky and eclectic sound makes him number two on our list.

 

3. Phil Moore (Bowerbirds)

Moore comprises half of Raleigh favorites, The Bowerbirds.  Even though the band is very in-touch with Mother Nature (“In our Talons”; also both Moore and Beth Tacular currently reside in a trailer in the woods of Pittsboro),  this mountain man could not bathe for weeks on end and still be hot. Recently he has been sprouting a long ponytail, and he still looks prettier than most women.

 

4. Ezra Koenig (Vampire Weekend)

What band is Ezra Koening not in? He played saxophone for the Dirty Projectors, interned with The Walkmen, recorded with MIA and The Very Best, and provided vocals on Discovery’s LP, not to mention front.  A graduate of Columbia, Koening is intelligent enough  to woo you with talk about unnecessary punctuation and sweet enough to teach your little sister’s class room. What a pile of sugar, spice, and everything adorable.

 

5. Chris Chu (Morning Benders)

The lead singer of Morning Benders looks like me if I were a male, but that is not the sole reason he makes a top slot in our hot list. Plus he piled in massive amounts of musically inclined in the studio to record the Yours Truly Recording of the epic ”Excuses”.

 

6. Sondre Lerche

Countless Viking blood must have been shed to make this Norwegian hottie. So pale, so gorgeous. Only the warmth of his delicate voice will save you from the cold of his country.

 

7. Will Hackney (Midtown Dickens, Mount Moriah, Lost in the Trees)

I remember seeing the keyboard man in Mount Moriah and commented to myself, “Hot damn. That keyboard man is ridiculously attractive.” He was so attractive, it was ridiculous. As it turns out, the man behind the keys is actually the co-owner of Trekky Records and partakes in what seems like every single local band.

 

8. Christopher Bear (Grizzly Bear)

Despite the fierce moniker  of his last and band name, Christopher Bear has a baby face. I wish I had the right to bear his hands.

 

9. Kristian Matsson (Tallest Man on Earth)

With a voice like Bob Dylan,  the Tallest Man on Earth is actually of average height.  And he’s from Sweden! But that rough voice is only a front for his soft, story-spinning heart. I want to be the Queen of Spain.

 

10. Matt Berninger (The National)

That deep set baritone contributed the soundtrack to Obama’s campaign video and probably bedded a lot of women.

 

11. Paul Banks (Interpol)
My love for Interpol is for one of those bands that I will consistently love and support despite the fact that their recent releases have been subpar. One of the reasons for this is because of Paul Banks, his bilingual vocals, and his smashing attractiveness. I don’t think I can ever have enough of this Julian Plenti.

 

12. Damian Kulash (OK GO)

When OK GO toured Raleigh last year, Damian Kulash lauded Raleigh for the homeplace of his grandfather, the one who invented a species of beetle. His other grandfather invented the Fish Stick. Good genes apparently pour into this sex creature.

 

13. Andrew Vanwyngarden (MGMT)

This adorable cutie from MGMT looks so young and innocent, I feel almost shameful for putting him on this list.

 

14. James Blake

The cover of James Blake’s eponymous album is blue and distorted and basically obscures James Blake’s beauty. Why hide behind a blue blob, James Blake? Maybe he didn’t want his “pretty boy” countenance to be the deciding factor in his music, which is commendable, but it doesn’t hurt that he is  a’smokin’.

 

15. and 16. Flight of the Conchords (Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement)

In this New Zealand duo’s rap ballad, “Hiphopopotamus vs Rhymenoceros”, McKenzie and Clement proclaim that their “rhymes are so potent that in this small segment / [they]I made all of the ladies in the area pregnant,” which is a fairly accurate description.

 

17. Kele Okereke (Bloc Party)

Not only is he on our hot list, but last year, Kele Okereke  was named the

Sexiest Out Gay Male Artist by music website LP33. Quite an accomplishment. Kele is known for being very political in his songs, and we commend that kind of fortitude.

 

18. Johnny Flynn

He may be the Justin Bieber of Indie Rock, but Johnny Flynn is one promising hot young artist. He writes his own poetry, and cites Yeats and Shakespeare in his lyrics.  A man that well-versed deserves a spot in our hot list.

 

19. Robin Pecknold (Fleet Foxes)

The founder of Fleet Foxes has this shy, coy look about him, like an animal emerging from the forest about to be hit by a car. But when he opens his mouth, out bursts the love child of Crosby, Stills, Nash and / or Young. Not to mention that beard completes this fox’s face.

 

20. M. Ward

M. Ward is the Him of She and Him but don’t let Zooey Deschanel (#2 on our Hottest Women of Indie Rock list)  distract you from how hot he is. Take a gander at “Poison Cup” and his intense longing croon will win any girl over.

 

21. Carter Gaj (Max Indian)

Carter of Max Indian wore sunglasses during his performance in Double Barrel Benefit, and he is the only man who can pull off doing so at night. His cool attitude could only be the product of some magical force that drifted from Aphrodite’s sea foam waves.

 

22. Kevin Drew (AC Newman, Broken Social Scene)

A founding member of a Canadian supergroup, Kevin Drew has dated hot indie women, Feist and Emily Haines. We can tell why of course.  With talent like that, it’s hard to resist.

 

23 and 24. The Dodos (Meric Long and Logan Kroeber.)

A dodo is an endangered bird but “The Dodos” are two fetching men who rock out with the intensity of gods.

 

25. Thomas Mars (Phoenix, Air)

Mars is the baby daddy of Academy Award-winning director Sophia Coppola’s baby.  What a father. Here we have a lead of the Grammy-award winning French dance pop band Phoenix, and my, is he hot. I hope he runs into me with a lasso.

 

26. Spencer Krug (Frog Eyes, Sunset Rubdown, Wolf Parade)

27. Thom Yorke (Radiohead)

28. Alex Ebert (Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros)

29. Bon Iver

30. Jens Lekman

31. Ryan gosling (Dead Man’s Bones)

32. Matt Johnson (from Matt and Kim)

33. Brian Corum (Lonnie Walker)

34. Dan Whitford (Cut Copy)

35. Dave Monks (Tokyo Police Club)

36. and 37. Ratatat (Mike Stroud, Evan Mast)

38. Villagers

39. Ben Bridwell (Band of Horses)

40. Tunde Adebimpe (TV on the Radio)

41. Chris Keating (Yeasayer)

42. John Paul Pitts (Surfer Blood)

43. Patrick Stickles (Titus Andronicus)

44. Stephen Malkmus (Pavement)

45. Beck

46. Bill Callahan

47. Dan Auerbach (Black Keys)

48. Sam Herring (Future Islands)

49. Stu Mclamb (The Love Language)

50. Noah Lennox (Animal Collective, Panda Bear)

51. Julian Casablancas (The Strokes)

52. Wayne Coyne (Flaming Lips)

53. Jose Gonzales

54. Hamilton Leithauser (the Walkmen)

55. and 56. Seth and Scott Avett

57. Jack Beva (Foals)

58. Dave 1 (Chromeo)

59. Robert Schwartzman (Rooney)

60. Twin Shadow

61. Yoni wolf (Why?)

62. Owen Pallet

63. Calvin Harris

64. Chuck Chriss (Freelance Whales)

65. Alex Scally (Beach House)

66. Britt Daniel (Spoon)

67. Dougy Mandagi (Temper Trap)

68. Michael Angelakos (Passion Pit)

69. Patrick Phelan (Luego )

70. Win Butler (Arcade Fire)

71.Rostam Batmanglij (Vampire Weekend)

72. Ivan Howard (The Rosebuds)

73. J.Roddy Watson

74. Colin Meloy (The Decemberists)

75. Jack Penate

76. John Darnielle

77. Ari Picker

78. Brett Harris

79. Django Haskins (The Old Ceremony)

80. James Mercer (Shins, Broken Bells)

81. Conor Oberst

82. Ben Gibbard

83. Matt Voorhis (SNMNMNM / Rooster for the Masses)

84. Ash Bowie of Polvo

85, 86, and 87. The beards of Megafaun (Phil and Brad Cook, Joe Westerlund)

88. Jack White

 

After seeing the amazing lineup for Hopscotch, you have probably been trying to figure out how in the heck you will be able to see all the bands you want. Luckily, this festival takes place in downtown Raleigh, so all show are but a walk, a rickshaw, an R-line away.
They have released 14 new bands to the schedule and have added 3 new venues –White Collar Crime, The Union and Fletcher Opera Theater in Progress Energy Center. The show I am most excited about will be taking place in Fletcher Opera Theatre, featuring The Prayers and Tears, Bombadil, and Lost in the Trees. After checking out the schedule here, what show are you most excited about?

There are only a few 3 day passes left!

Friday, May 13th the crowd at Cat’s Cradle was anything but unlucky. The set was extended, putting in a second opener to Lost in the Trees. Due to the growling in my tummy I missed the first opener, The Towers. Instead, I ran over to Carrburrito for a bangin’ fish taco (and not the Urban Dictionary definition, so please don’t go there!) . Mmmmm. Oh, right, the show.

Upon my return, completely stuffed, the second opening band, The Toddlers, came on. This unsigned Chapel Hill band played loud rock music that was carried by the lead singer’s deep voice. I couldn’t quite put my finger on the depth of his voice; somewhere in-between Matt Berninger, of the National and Charlotte-based artist Benji Hughes.

By the time The Toddlers were halfway through their set, Cat’s Cradle was packed. Questions of “is this Lost in the Trees?,” were being answered with shouts and whispers from “This is the second band… I don’t think so” and “How could you think that?”, to “Hell yeah!”. Needless to say, there were some very new fans in the audience, and they were about to be blown away.

After two 45-minute opening sets, the long awaited Lost in the Trees made it to the stage. Ari Picker floated across the stage as he plucked at his guitar, while Emma Nadeu did her usual amazing thing playing about eleventy-billion instruments. Having seen Lost in the Trees about 5 times now, I can say that this show had a different feeling than others. It was more focused and less ethereal. The back-up instrumentals became harder, while Ari himself became more billowy. It was a difficult scenario to describe, but I have a feeling that their new record will have many of these elements. They played a few songs that will be on that new record; they display the same musical genius as in the other albums but the energy seems stronger. They played some Lost in the Trees staples like “Song for the Painter” and “Walk Around the Lake”, to which everyone sung along, even the people who in the beginning weren’t sure if they were The Toddlers.

Lost in the Trees is up to great things, and always worth seeing!

To state the obvious, we here at WKNC love music. A lot. We also love live music. A lot. Most, if not all, of us attend many concerts and music festivals each year. What follows are lists of some of WKNC’s deejays’ favorite shows of the year. They range from national to local acts, regular shows to festivals. Some (myself included) went to so many it was hard to narrow it down to five, so we listed ten. Some lists are in numerical order, others are not. Caribou, Future Islands, and the inaugural Hopscotch Music Festival were some of the most common favorites, among dozens of other acts. Check it out:

Synthesiser Patel (Daytime/Afterhours)

- Chromeo/A-Trak/Kid Sister/Theophilus London @ Congress Theater (Chicago)

- The National/Owen Pallett @ Raleigh Memorial Auditorium

- Metric @ Lollapalooza

- of Montreal @ Cat’s Cradle

- Born Ruffians/Winter Gloves @ Local 506

DJ Mensch (Daytime)

1. The National @ Raleigh Memorial Auditorium

2. Minus The Bear @ Lincoln Theatre

3. Max Indian @ Hopscotch Music Festival

4. Broken Social Scene @ Hopscotch Music Festival

5. The Rosebuds @ Hopscotch Music Festival

May Day (Daytime)

1. Broken Social Scene @ Hopscotch Music Festival

2. Camera Obscura @ Duke Gardens

3. Surfer Blood @ Cat’s Cradle

4. Yeasayer/Javelin @ Cat’s Cradle

5. OK  Go @ Lincoln Theatre

DJ Mollypop (Daytime)

1. Paul McCartney @ Sprint Center (Kansas City)

2. The Weepies @ Lincoln Theatre

3. Phoenix @ Koka Booth Amphitheatre

4. Crooked Still @ Casbah

5. The New Pornographers/Dodos/The Duchess and the Duke @ Memorial Hall (UNC-CH)

The Noobhammer (Chainsaw)

1. Scale The Summit/Devin Townsend Project/Cynic/Between the Buried and Me @ The Fillmore Charlotte

2. Sons of Liberty/Iced Earth @ 9:30 Club (Washington, D.C.)

3. Powerglove/Firewind @ Volume 11

4. Valient Thorr/Between the Buried and Me/Mastodon @ Lincoln Theatre

5. Boris @ Cat’s Cradle

Iris G (Daytime)

- Mumford & Sons @ 9:30 Club (Washington, D.C.)

- Ratatat @ MeetFactory (Prague)

Audity (Daytime)

- Active Child @ Hopscotch Music Festival

- Cassis Orange @ Duke Coffeehouse

- Veelee @ Duke Coffeehouse

- Old Bricks @ Kings

- Deerhunter @ Cat’s Cradle

Sarahnade (Daytime/Post Rock Block)

1. Trans-Siberian Orchestra @ RBC Center

2. Local Natives/The Union Line @ The Grey Eagle (Asheville)

3. Phoenix @ Koka Booth Amphitheatre

4. The New Pornographers/Dodos/The Duchess and the Duke @ Memorial Hall (UNC-CH)

5. The Temper Trap/The Kissaway Trail @ Cat’s Cradle

6. This Machine Kills Cancer benefit

DJ Ones (Daytime)

1. Phoenix @ Koka Booth Amphitheatre

2. The New Pornographers @ Memorial Hall (UNC-CH)

3. Broken Social Scene @ Hopscotch Music Festival

4. The Big Pink @ Cat’s Cradle

5. Sharon Van Etten @ Hopscotch Music Festival

DJ Hammerhead (Chainsaw)

1. Municipal Waste/Double Negative/Zeus @ The Milestone (Charlotte)

2. Overkill/Forbidden/Gama Bomb/Evile/Bonded By Blood @ Volume 11

3. D.R.I./Final Curse @ Amos’ Southend (Charlotte)

4. Nemesis/Chainsawdamy/Avalon Steel @ Tremont Music Hall (Charlotte)

5. Exmortus/Vektor/Final Curse @ Charlotte’s Underground (Charlotte)

The Blog Lady (Blog Editor/Staff Photographer)

1. The Avett Brothers @ Asheville Civic Center Arena

2. Lost In The Trees @ Cat’s Cradle

3. Mandolin Orange @ Troika Music Festival

4. The Rosebuds @ Hopscotch Music Festival

5. Chatham County Line @ Troika Music Festival

DJ Vice (Daytime)

1. Benji Hughes/The Old Ceremony @ Cat’s Cradle

2. Passion Pit @ The Fillmore Charlotte

3. The Avett Brothers @ Asheville Civic Center Arena

Just John (Daytime)

1. Caribou/Phantogram @ Governor’s Island (New York City)

2. Beach House @ Cat’s Cradle

3. Every Future Islands show

4. Joanna Newsom @ Carolina Theatre

5. Ponytail @ Siren Music Festival

The Cosmic Cowboy (The Church of Bluegrass and the Truer Sound)

1. John Prine @ Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival

2. Joanna Newsom @ The National (Richmond) and Variety Playhouse (Atlanta)

3. Cedric Watson and the Bijou Creole/Red Stick Ramblers @ Reynolds Industries Theater (Duke)

4. Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy @ Borque’s Social Club (Scot, LA)

5. Charlie Louvin @ Borque’s Social Club (Scot, LA)

DJ Elly May (Daytime)

1. Delta Spirit @ Cat’s Cradle

2. The Rosebuds/Megafaun @ The Pour House

3. Holy Ghost Tent Revival @ The Pour House

4. Minus The Bear @ Lincoln Theatre

5. Turbo Fruits @ Local 506

Lucretia (Chainsaw)

1. Eyehategod/Nachtmystium/Withered/Haarp/Stripmines @ Volume 11

2. Kreator/Voivod/Nachtmystium @ Jaxx (West Springfield, VA)

3. Slang/World Burns To Death/Devour/Stripmines @ Slims

4. Immolation/Vader/Abigail Williams/Lecherous Nocturne @ Volume 11

5. High On Fire/Torche/Kylesa @ Cat’s Cradle

6. Atakke/Parasytic/Devour @ Slims

7. Pentagram/Cough/The Gates of Slumber/Windham @ The Hat Factory (Richmond)

8. Alice In Chains @ Raleigh Memorial Auditorium

9. Hate Eternal/Cannabis Corpse/Malebolgia @ Volume 11

10. Glass Casket/Wrath & Rapture/Malebolgia @ Johnny & Junes (Winston-Salem)

Agent Orange (Daytime)

1. Broken Social Scene @ Hopscotch Music Festival

2. Yeasayer/Javelin @ Cat’s Cradle

3. Caribou/Toro Y Moi @ Cat’s Cradle

4. Annuals/The Light Pines @ Tir Na Nog

5. Ra Ra Riot/Givers @ Cat’s Cradle

Riff Raff (Daytime)

- Hopscotch Music Festival

- Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros @ Cat’s Cradle

- Veelee/Lonnie Walker/Future Islands @ Kings

- Beach House/Washed Out @ Cat’s Cradle

- Ludacris @ Reynolds Coliseum

DJ Kligz (Daytime/Local Lunch)

1. Hopscotch Music Festival

2. Future Islands/Lonnie Walker/Veelee/NAPS @ Kings

3. Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival

4. Beach House @ Cat’s Cradle

5. Caribou/Veelee @ Cat’s Cradle

Chuck (Daytime)

1. LCD Soundsystem @ Pitchfork Music Festival

2. Massive Attack/Jonsi @ MoogFest

3. The National @ Raleigh Memorial Auditorium

4. Wilco @ Durham Performing Arts Center

5. Caltrop/US Christmas/The Curtains of Night @ Nightlight

6. Titus Andronicus/Spider Bags @ Local 506

7. Deerhunter/Schooner @ Cat’s Cradle

8. Deakin @ Hopscotch Music Festival

9. GWAR @ Lincoln Theatre

10. These Are Powers/Lemonade/MNDR @ The Pinhook

What were your favorite shows and/or music festivals of the year?

It’s December, which means the Best of 2010 album lists are already coming out all around you. If you’re like me, this means going back through iTunes and Last.fm to see what was really listened to the most or has made that special impression on you since January. Being Local Music Director, I listen to much more local music than anything else and am finding that quite a few local albums have made their way into my list for this year.

The folks over at NPR Music have already put out their top 50 favorites of 2010 and the list includes most of the important albums released since January. I was excited to see North Carolina’s own Carolina Chocolate Drops on the list with their spring release “Genuine Negro Jig” alongside bands such as Arcade Fire, The National, and Sharon Van Etten.

Alongside the fifty chosen by NPR Music’s staff, music lovers everywhere are getting the chance to vote for their very own top albums of 2010. The results of the poll will be revealed during All Songs Considered on Dec. 14 and Carolina Chocolate Drops, Future Islands, and Lost In The Trees are all nominees. You can vote through the link below and listen on Dec. 14 for the results!

It looks like Neko Case will be bringing her brand of country-rock mixed with a mind-blowingly good voice to the Joseph M. Byron, Jr. Theater at the North Carolina Museum of Art later this summer. The show will take place Thursday, August 19 at 8 p.m. with doors at 7 and local orchestral-folk group Lost In The Trees opening. Tickets for the show are available here and you can check out the remaining summer concerts on the Museum’s schedule here.

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.

On Saturday night, little j and I ventured to the other side of the Triangle, Carrboro to catch local favorite Lost In The Trees in action at their CD Release Party at Cat’s Cradle. The band has recently signed with record label Anti- to rerecord their album All Alone In An Empty House. little j and I gave up the chance to see Inflowential for free in downtown Raleigh and hoped that our decision would not let us down. We didn’t have to worry about that because the show at the Cradle was a good time for both of us.

Local band The Strugglers started things off that night and we were both glad to have gotten to the show early enough to catch their performance. The Strugglers are local at heart, but are partly based in Washington D.C. for the time being, so catching them live in North Carolina is kind of tricky at the moment. The performance featured a nine-piece version of the band accompanied by a string quartet.

Old Bricks was next, giving a moving performance to the growing crowd at Cat’s Cradle. Live, the band sounds a lot different than what you hear on the recordings available. The sound is fiercer and contains even more emotion, if that is even possible. Old Bricks ended the set with a brutal beat on drums by different members of the band, and WOW was it a great end.

Lost In The Trees was the final band of the night and the obvious one everyone was waiting for. Combining old favorites with a couple of new, jazz-inspired songs accompanied by a guest tenor saxophonist, the band sounded pristine in the dark room at Cat’s Cradle. I think the only song I failed to hear was “Love On My Side”, but the good thing about a band being local is that you’re sure to catch them here again (Lost In The Trees is playing at TRKfest in Pittsboro on June 26.)

Over all, little j and I had a grand time going to Carrboro to catch some amazing local acts. Being caught in that freak thunderstorm after might be the only negative thing about Saturday night…

Earlier today Johnny Tunnell (of the Never) dropped by WKNC to chat about one of the newest music projects in the area: The Big Picture. Started up about two years ago between the Tunnell brothers (Johnny and Joah) The Big Picture remained completely unknown until recently. Adding some new members to the band, Heather Tunnell, Nick Radford (Annuals), Leah Gibson (Lost in the Trees), and Alec Ferrell the group is playing only their second gig ever tomorrow evening at the Nightlight in Chapel Hill.  The show starts at 9pm and the Physics of Meaning and Josh Mease are also playing.

Johnny and I chatted for awhile (this isn’t exactly a “Mini” exclusive, its almost 40 minutes long) but we did touch on the history of the band, the song writing, and an interesting way in which the band’s music will be released this summer.  I am not going to share all, you will just have to listen but included in this interview are three songs recorded by the Big Picture, as well as one Big Picture cover of a Future Kings of Nowhere song.  Take a listen:

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Many would call me a hopeless romantic.  I love to send letters and flowers to my girl and pamper her up when I can.  And while I am not a huge fan of Valentine’s Day and its pop culture marketing schemes,, I still feel the urge to go out and buy my sweetie some candy and flowers and make her a nice dinner to show her how much I care.  Another thing I like to do from time to time is make her custom mix tapes based around themes, as it was afterall music that brought us together.  Holiday mix tapes are usually the best and easiest and this Valentine’s Day will be no exception.

North Carolina is a hot pot for music and of course you are going to find some wonderful love songs tucked here and there.  If you had Valentine’s Day creep up on you from the back and take you by surprise today, and your significant other is a fan of local music, feel free to steal this play list as your own.  (You might even want to take it further and take your honey to see all of these artists the next time they play live.)

1. Tift Merritt: Another Country

2. Avett Brothers: I & Love & You

3. The Old Ceremony: God Said I Could Have You

4. Birds & Arrows: Honeymoon Song

5. Nola: Fall Into Me

6. Josh Moore: Rush Down My Spine

7. Benji Hughes: All You’ve Got To Do Is Fall In Love

8. Jeremy Blair From Effingham: I Do & I Don’t

9. Bombadil: Reasons

10. Whiskey Smugglers: Not Your Average Love Song

11. Brett Harris: I’m In Love

12. Mandolin Orange: Oh My Love

13. Stella By Starlight: As Good As It Gets

14. Tomahawks: Just Like One Another

15. Lost in the Trees: Love On My Side

16. Martha Ann Motel: Everything All At Once

Got more to share?  Comment below!

After looking back to the top 10 local albums of 2009 we have a whole new year and decade ahead of us.  Here is a quick blog of some local bands who are rumored to be coming out with an album in 2010:

• Bellafea plans to begin the recording process in June after just signing to Tizona.
• Billy Sugarfix will release his Sessions @ KNC album January 9.
• The Carolina Chocolate Drops are releasing the much awaited “Genuine Negro Jig,” on Feb. 23 through Nonesuch.
• Felix Obelix will finally put out the long awaited The Tick of
  the Clock, the Beat in the Chest in late February.
• Front Porch Sofa is working in the studio right now for a summer release.
• Lost in the Trees has been rumored to release new material in the fall.
• Mount Moriah is currently recording a new album set to be released by Tizona.
• Organos has its debut album set to be released in early February.
• Schooner is getting ready for a release in mid-February.
• Veelee has plans on releasing another short EP (they just ran out of hard copies of their Three Sides EP)
• The Whiskey Smugglers already have a new album in the works and plan to record in 2010.

Obviously this is not all of them, but as many as I could muster.  Got any more to add?  Comment below or shoot me an email: localmusic@wknc.org.

One of the greatest things about WKNC is our ability to partner with North Carolina State University campus departments. Way back in May, we were approached by Center Stage to help promote a new venture called Off-Center. Since we’re a little off-center ourselves, nestled way down at 88.1 on your radio dial, we were thrilled. No doubt Center Stage does an excellent job of bringing national acts to campus; check out the schedule for yourself. With the re-opening of Thompson Hall, though, came the unique opportunity to create something new.

We have long wanted to expand the Center Stage series to include artists for which Stewart Theatre might not be the best venue: young artists or ensembles early in their career, some of the many fine artists who call North Carolina home, and some of the hard-to-describe performances that may not attract huge audiences, but that our faithful patrons know can provide an evening of exhilarating entertainment.

Next weekend, Sept. 18 and 19, Center Stage launches its Off-Center series with Double Barrel Benefit 6 alumnus Lost in the Trees. The Chapel Hill-based ensemble is often described as a folk orchestra, but you need to see them for yourself to really understand their sound. Lost in the Trees perform Friday, Sept. 18 at 8 p.m. in the Kennedy-McIlwee Studio Theatre. We could not have chosen a better kickoff ourselves.

Raleigh’s ELM Collective, who plays Saturday, Sept. 19 at the same time and location, is groovy in a different way. The band boasts a global sound from four continents and a mission to blend culture through their music. Learn more about the band and flutist/physics professor Marco Buongiorno-Nardelli in the Winter 2009 Scope, a magazine from the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences.

Tickets for both shows are only $5 each for N.C. State students and can be picked up at the Ticket Central box office on the second floor of Tally Student Center. Members of the general public can enjoy Lost in the Trees and ELM Collective for $12-$15 each. Tickets can be purchased online, by phone at (919) 515-1100, or skip some of the processing fees by getting them in person at Ticket Central.