This past weekend the promotions team at WKNC ran a table at Artsplosure.  The two day event at Moore Square in downtown Raleigh was celebrating its 31st year of free art and concerts, and WKNC was on hand to support the music on the North Carolina Stage.  One of three stages set up for the event, the North Carolina Stage featured music from a variety of genres including jazz, zydeco, hip-hop, and even mariachi.

The Explorers Club from Charleston, SC gave the final performance at the NC Stage on Sunday. Photo by Charles Rex Arbogast.

WKNC gave out koozies and stickers and took donations in support of the Visual Art Exchange for copies of the local music compilation, Hear Here.  The event was a great success and helped show why Raleigh is such a great town for art and music.  Stay tuned to the promotions blog for where WKNC will be next!

Friday night, WKNC promotions team members headed out to DesignBox Gallery in downtown Raleigh in order to provide a presence at the PBaRt Show and Concert, part of Raleigh’s First Friday.  The event was a partnership between Pabst Blue Ribbon and Paul Friedrich, during which local music and other art were showcased.  Kellie Ann Grubbs, Monologue Bombs, and Lake Inferior all took turns putting on amazing performances while artists created new works and the WKNC team got the word out about our great programming and support for local creativity.

Tommy Boy and Molly Pop help get the word out

WKNC coozies were especially popular during the evening, but the promotions team also gave away t-shirts, stickers, and Hear Here compilation CDs with all proceeds going to the Visual Art Exchange.  Everyone had a great time and the event seemed to be a great success.

Catch the WKNC promotions team out and about again downtown next weekend, May 15 and 16 at Artsplosure in Moore Square!

Are you tired of doing laundry on-campus?  Are you too busy with finals to do laundry?  Are you just too lazy to do laundry?  Well, WKNC’s here to help you out!  All week during finals we’ll be giving away band and movie t-shirts to help keep you clothed during these stressful times.  Here’s what’s up for grabs:

One of our women's Annuals t-shirts

Annuals, red, women’s XL (7)
Annuals, black, men’s XL (1)
Annuals, black, women’s L (2)
Skullbuckle, black, men’s L (1)
Skullbuckle, black, men’s S (1)
Skullbuckle, black, youth S (1)
Blister, olive, men’s L (1)
Blister, dark olive, men’s XL (1)
Cobalt and the Hired Guns, tan, men’s L (1)
Legion movie, white, men’s L (1)
Legion movie, white, men’s XL (5)
Angels & Demons movie, white, men’s S (1)

Tune in and when the DJ asks for it, be the correct caller to win one of these fabulous fashions for your wardrobe!

As most of you know, the spring edition of Shakori Hills Grassroots Music Festival (April 22nd-25th) is rapidly approaching. For those of you who don’t know about the festival, Shakori Hills is a four day experience, which exhibits various dance, art, and music. With over 50 bands performing on four stages,  we wanted to give you a taste of some of the talented acts of the festival. Due to various N.C. State baseball games interrupting the much beloved Local Beat during April, we’ve asked some of our favorite Shakori Hills musicians to join us in the WKNC studio earlier on Friday afternoons for the remainder of the month.

Take a look at who’s dropping in:

This Friday — April 9th, 2010

Inflowential

Inflowential (1-2pm w/ DJ Mick and DJ Kligz)

Bowerbirds

Bowerbirds (2-3pm w/ DJ Mick and DJ Kligz)

–

Friday — April 16th, 2010

The Beast

Gar Del

The Beast and GarDel w/ Special K 2 to 3 p.m.

–

Friday — April 23rd, 2010

Photo by Ryan Hebert

The Honeycutters (11am-12pm w/ DJ Kligz)

If Fridays weren’t already your favorite days of the week, then hopefully WKNC will change that with these great interviews. Be sure to tune in online or at 88.1FM. Also, check out our spring Fridays on the Lawn concert this Friday on Harris Field at N.C. State featuring local bands Aminal and Bright Young Things. The show is free and so are the t-shirts and pizza. Don’t you just love Fridays?

Whether your first experience with Phoenix has been hearing their 1901 track on the Cadillac Crossover commercial or if you’ve stuck with the band since their debut album United, it is undeniable that the French band has set their mark with their eclectic and synthesized sound. Formed in 1999, the group got their start touring in French bars doing Hank Williams and Prince covers and has since released four albums. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix was released in 2009 and received recognition on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart in January 2010 and won Best Alternative Album at the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards.

Phoenix

This week WKNC will be giving away tickets to their show on June 11th at the Koka Booth Amphitheater in Cary before they go on sale! When the deejay announces it, be the correct caller to win a pair of tickets to the show. Listen only on 88.1FM or streaming online.

And don’t fret if you don’t win this week, because daytime deejays will also be giving away pairs of tickets next week too!

One of the first local bands I was ever introduced to and also one of the most influential in our area, Bellafea has been gradually building quite a following since their first split 7″ with Des Ark back in 2005.

Though often overlooked by local indie pop groups with a more comfortable sound, once you see this threesome live you will forever be forced to compare every live show to the raw energy, hardcore attitude, and head-bobbing punch you in the mouth feel that they electrify your ears with.  No North Carolina band rocks harder, plays louder, and gets in your face as Bellafea does.

It is strange that such force comes from such a petite lady.  You might have seen Heather McEntire playing solo from time to time sitting in a chair strumming her acoustic without a microphone or amplifier, her voice barely breaking a whisper as she is surrounded by an attentive audience, entranced by her angelic voice.  Perhaps you have heard her from her side projects Un Deux Trois or Mount Moriah as the sweet sounding front lady of the two soft folky pop groups that has everyone’s ears buzzing.

But with Bellafea the shy placid persona falls off her and is replaced by an alter-ego of sorts, a powerful and inflamed diva whose personal demons come out in the form of a woman possessed, obliterating her guitar while bursting into her lyrics with a post hardcore attitude.  Along side Heather is Eddie Sanchez (also in Fin Fang Foom and Death Came Down the Mountain) whose blistering and electrifying bass playing ignites the crowd.   Always jumping, banging, and seemingly tearing his bass apart, he is the fire that ignites the group and transcends them into the local punk gods that they are.  Add on to that Nathan Buchanan’s crushing drums and pounding beats and you have a remarkable live act that sends your mind into a whirlwind of loud music madness that is sure to get your head rocking and your feet moving.  They are not a band you want to miss live.

Bellafea will take the stage for night one of Double Barrel Benefit 7 on Friday, February 5 at The Pour House along with The Light Pines, Veelee,, and Max Indian.

For the complete Double Barrel schedule and ticket information, click here.

December means many things: cold weather, final exams, continuous holiday music pretty much everywhere, and new ticket giveaways!

Here’s what we have this week:

Ex-Monkeys @ The Pour House Wednesday, December 2

Ex- 2Monkeys. Photo by ross grady

Viva Christmas feat. Los Straitjackets and El Vez @ Cats Cradle Wednesday December 2nd

Los Straitjackets

American Aquarium @ The Pour House Saturday December 5th

American Aquarium. Photo by Amy Schlatter

Southern Culture on the Skids @ Cats Cradle December 5th

Southern Culture on the Skids

Listen only on 88.1FM or streaming online for your chances to win!

As you might have attended or at least heard about, the UAB’s All Night Bash was Thursday, November 5 from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m.  There was carnival foods galore: sweet corn, turkey legs, corn dogs, french fries, lemonade, candied apples, and funnel cakes.  All the food was delicious.  There were at few inflatable things to do including basketball and an obstacle course.  And there was a mechanical bull that was in non-stop motion all night.

Us KNCers had cornhole as our game for the bash.  Our table was constantly busy as people wanted to challenge either Cioffi or one of their friends to a friendly game of cornhole in exchange for either cds, WKNC koozies, WKNC stickers, or some tickets that could be traded in at the All Night Bash prize table.

Perhaps our most famous game players were Dr. Stafford and Mr. Wuf.  Both were winners at our booth (just like everybody else who visited).  Overall the night was a huge success.  It is always fun to have a bunch of KNC kids together to play silly games.  Big big thank you to all who volunteered to help and more thank yous to all of you who came to visit us!  We hope to do stuff like this more often!

Here’s the shows featured this week. Be sure to tune in Monday through Friday for chances to win!

Dinosaur Jr playing  (TONIGHT) Mon, Apr 27 @ Cat’s Cradle

Dinosaur Jr

The Kills playing Tues, Apr 28 @ Cat’s Cradle

The Kills

Reverend Horton Heat playing  Fri, May 1 @ Cat’s Cradle

Reverend Horton Heat

As finals rapidly approach, and “Dead Week” proves to be much more lively with work, students are in need of some R&R before hitting the books. Luckily, Earth Day seems to offer some salvation. Starting at 6pm on this Friday (April 24th), Annuals, Lonnie Walker, and Cougar Magnum will be rocking Lee Field (located behind Sullivan and Lee residence halls) to raise awareness for Earth Day.

Annuals

Doors open at 5 p.m. and the show is scheduled to last until 11 p.m. This event is only open to N.C. State students and their guests (one guest per student and guests must have a valid student ID). While you wait for the show to start, be sure to check out the WKNC table which will be showcasing awesome merch such as Double Barrel Benefit 6 shirts, WKNC logoed shirts, koozies, and buttons.

For more information about Earth Day, check out the Web site. Also be sure to stop by the Energy Fair which will take place on NC State’s Brickyard- Wednesday April 22nd. More than 60 vendors will be taking part in NC State’s 2009 Earth Day which will feature the EcoCAR Challenge and the FREEDM Center’s hybrid car.

WKNC has more tickets this week to giveaway. Check out what the deejays will be distributing during the daytime rock formats:

Left Outlet playing @ The Pour House Thursday April 23rd

American Aquarium playing @ The Pour House Saturday April 25th

Toubab Krewe playing @ Lincoln Theatre Saturday April 25th

Listen on 88.1 or streaming online

Sneak Peek for next weeks giveaways:

Dinosaur Jr – Mon, Apr 27 @ Cat’s
The Kills – Tues, Apr 28 @ Cat’s
Reverend Horton Heat – Fri, May 1 @ Cat’s

The Promotions Team here with another chance to win Kings of Leon & The Walkmen tickets. Both bands are making an appearance at the Booth Amphitheatre in Cary on April 28th. WKNC has been approved for 10 pairs of tickets and we’re going to give them away up until Friday April 24th.  Stay tuned all week for your chance to win.

Kings of Leon

That’s right. We worked our WKNC magic and managed to score extra ticket giveaways for the Dave Matthews Band and Avett Brothers show at Time Warner Cable Pavilion at Walnut Creek April 22nd.

Here’s the catch:

At some point during this week, the daytime deejays will say the lyrics to an Avett Brothers’ or DMB’s song and you must complete the phrase.

Know the rights words, be the first caller, and you’ll find yourself on your way to a great show!

Dave Matthews Band

The Avett Brothers

In addition to the Shakori Hills giveaways this week, we have other shows we’re giving free passes to that you might want to check out:

The Design w/ Sun Domingo playing @ Lincoln Theatre Thursday April 9th

The Design

Bombadil w/ Benji Hughes and Lost in the Trees playing @ Lincoln Theatre Friday April 10th

Bombadil

Urban Sophisticates w/ O Period playing @ Lincoln Theatre Saturday April 11th

Urban Sophisticates

Nappy Luv 7.5 Hosted by Amanda Diva featuring 9th Wonder playing @ Lincoln Theatre Sunday April 12th

Hosted by Amanda Diva

Break out your chain belts, leather vests, and peace symbols and join WKNC at the Shakori Hills Grassroots music festival on Saturday April 18th. We’ll be broadcasting live all day and to celebrate, we’re giving away 5 pairs of day passes for the festival this week. Make sure to tune in for your chances to win and don’t forget to check out the live interviews with some of the performing bands.

The Line Up:

Wednesday April 8th, DJ Chuck will be kickin’ it with Holy Ghost Tent Revivial from 1-3pm

Monday April 13th, DJ Special K will be hanging with the guys from Butterflies from 4-5pm

Interviews with Lost in the Trees, New Familars, and The Old Ceremony are TBA