Hey guys! If you like listening to WKNC and free stuff, listen up!

This week on WKNC, we are giving away:

Artist schwag, consisting of signed CDs and vinyl records from artists like Annuals, The Ettes, and even Iron Maiden.

If you want to laugh your face off, we have a few tickets left to see comedian Demetri Martin at Memorial Auditorium on Saturday, September 11.

Demetri Martin from wikimedia

If you’re looking for something sweet (and free) to do over labor day weekend, you could win tickets for:

September 3: Autolux w/Gold Panda at Cat’s Cradle

September 4: Little Brother at Cat’s Cradle

Man Will Destroy Himself at The Pour House

In addition to these shows, you could win tickets to Takers at Crossroads 20 in Cary (not eligible for weekend movies, sorry!)

Carla Azar of Autolux at the LA Weekly Detour Music Festival courtesy of wikimedia

These giveaways are going like hot cakes, so keep your ears peeled to 88.1 The Revolution and be the correct caller!

Vampire Weekend will be playing with special guest Beach House at the Raleigh Amphitheatre on Sunday, October 17 in support of their new album Contra. Tickets go on sale at Livenation.com on Friday, August 27, but WKNC has them now.  Just be the correct caller when the DJ asks for it, and you could win!

Wanna go so Sound Tribe Sector 9 at their August 25 show at The Raleigh Amphitheatre? Well, you can get tickets now at Livenation.com or be the correct caller when the WKNC DJ asks for it, and you could win tickets!

Stone Temple Pilots and special guest Black Rebel Motorcycle Club will be playing at The Raleigh Amphitheatre, Tuesday, October 5. Tickets go on sale at Livenation.com on August 20, but you can get them here now. Just be the correct caller when the DJ asks for it to win.

Surprise! KNC has a pair of Hopscotch tickets to give away to the best beach costume, so pull all the stops and show us your best beachwear tonight (8.6) at Jibarra. The party starts at 10; check out the facebook event for full details.

Photo by Hathir Pfau

The Luego show, which had originally been scheduled for this Saturday, July 31 at Slim’s Downtown, has been moved back to August 13. Those who won tickets for the show will have their names on the list for the new show date. Also, with the changed date, Cary Ann Hearst has been added to the lineup. Proof that change is not always a bad thing…

Cary Ann Hearst joins Luego for their 8/13 show - photo by Sara Poe

Did you miss the chance to win Barenaked Ladies with Ben Kweller tickets? Well, we still have tickets for their show July 31 at the Raleigh Amphitheater. Just be the correct caller when the WKNC deejay asks for it, and you could win tickets for you and a friend to the show! Tickets are also available at Livenation.com.

All this week WKNC will be giving away tickets for the 2010 Honda Civic Tour featuring Paramore with Tegan and Sara, New Found Glory, and Kadawatha going on this Friday, July 23 at the new Raleigh Amphitheatre. Just be the correct caller when the WKNC deejay asks for it, and you could win tickets for you and a friend. Tickets are also available at Livenation.com.

Want MGMT tickets? Well have a listen and win! MGMT is currently on tour in support of their sophomore album, Congratulations.  They will be playing at the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium on Wednesday, November 3. Tickets will be available soon at Live Nation.com, but 88.1 has them now. All this week, when the WKNC deejay asks for it, be the correct caller to win tickets for you and a friend.

Do you love Passion Pit?  So do we.  That’s why all this week we’re going to be giving away pairs of tickets to see Passion Pit on June 11 at The Fillmore Charlotte.  If you want to win tickets, listen in and be the first caller to correctly identify the Passion Pit song clip when the DJ asks for it.  Tickets for the show are also available at Live Nation.

March doesn’t mean just a plethora of basketball games. For the rest of this month, WKNC will be giving away tickets to three main acts presented by Live Nation. Take a look and see who’s dropping by:

Ben Folds and A Piano: The Fillmore Charlotte – March 19, 2010

Ben Folds (Courtesy of Rolling Stone)

This Friday, the Winston-Salem native will be performing at the Fillmore Charlotte. The Ben Folds Five trio was known as a novelty with its guitar-less sound during the grunge era and Folds’ aggressive piano style. Folds was first introduced to the piano at age nine when his carpenter father brought home a piano from a customer in a barter trade. With the constant desire to make up songs, his skills on the piano greatly improved. Today, Folds continues to make music, perform, and expand on his solo career. In 2008, Ben Folds released his third solo album Way t0 Normal, which continues the strong thread of the chaotic piano-pounding sound that has become synonymous with Folds.  For the rest of this week, WKNC deejays will be asking various trivia questions about Folds’ life and musical background. Answer correctly and you and a friend will be scoring tickets to the show. Tickets are also available for purchase at Live Nation.

Minus the Bear: The Fillmore Charlotte – May 9, 2010

Minus the Bear

If you’ve ever listened to Minus the Bear then you’ve probably found yourself enthralled in their echoing, spacey sound mixed with soft yet powerful lyrics. What’s equally mesmerizing is the band’s sense of humor. The Highly Refined Pirates album boasted the likes of lengthy and silly titles like, “Hey, Wanna Throw Up?” and “Get Me Naked 2: The Electric Boogaloo.”  First emerging on Seattle’s music scene in 2001, they released their six-song EP This Is What I Know About Being Gigantic. Now on their fourth full-length album, OMNI, many have noted the evolution of Minus the Bear’s sound. With OMNI in 2008, the band teamed up with producer Joe Chiccarelli (My Morning Jacket, The White Stripes, The Shins) to fine tune their sound. Minus the Bear will be performing at the Fillmore Charlotte in May, so be sure to tune in this month to win tickets. Click the banner to purchase tickets through Live Nation online.

Kings of Leon: Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion - September 13, 2010

Kings of Leon

The Followill brothers are sons of a preacher man, who were raised in the south and traveled from various Pentecostal churches across the states. Who would have expected them to become one of today’s most popular rock and roll acts? After their father’s divorce in 1997, the two eldest brothers moved to Nashville, igniting their dreams of getting into the music industry. With the help of Angelo Petraglia, the members of Kings of Leon were introduced into secular music such as the Rolling Stones and Johnny Cash. The group’s highly anticipated second album, Aha Shake Heartbreak, came out in 2005, debuting at number three on the British charts. The band’s greatest success to date came with the release of their fourth album, Only by the Night, along with the singles “Sex on Fire” and “Use Somebody”, which have become extremely radio friendly here in the United States.

Be sure to check the blog every week with updates on upcoming shows and ticket giveaways. Listen only on 88.1FM or streaming online.

This weekend on Geet Bazaar (Desi Radio, 88.1 FM, Sunday 10 am to 12 noon) you can win FREE tickets to hear Sunidhi Chauhan, Javed Ali, and Hard Kaur live in concert Aug. 14 at Raleigh Memorial Auditorium. We will be giving away lots of tickets during the broadcast. Listen to the Geet Bazaar this Sunday to find out how to call in and win tickets.

Geet Bazaar is a South Asian Radio Program based on listeners’ requests, broadcast every Sunday from 10 am to 12 noon on WKNC 88.1 FM (or live webstream at wknc.org). Email your requests to GeetBazaar at WKNC dot org.

All this week, be listening to Underground on 88.1 FM for your chance to see Lil’ Wayne in concert. Live Nation presents Lil’ Wayne with special guests Soulja Boy, Young Jeezy, Drake, and Jeremih on Saturday, Aug. 8 at the Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek. Former WKNC hip-hop music director DJ Nominal named Lil’ Wayne’s Carter III as one of his favorite hop-hop albums of 2008. Your first chance to win tickets is this Saturday, Aug. 1 during The 2.0 Show with D-Cutta.

The Decemberists are coming to Raleigh’s Memorial Auditorium June 4th and 88.1 has your chance to win tickets. Cat’s Cradle is presenting the show so you know it’s going to rock. Also on the giveaway menu:

• Clutch w/ Wino’s Band and Maylene and the Disasters TONIGHT at Cat’s Cradle
• Goodnight’s Comedy Club and UAB present comedian John Oliver from The Daily Show this Saturday at Stewart Theatre in Tally Student Center, NCSU campus.
• Sneak preview passes for Drag Me To Hell on Tue., May 26th at Crossroads 20 in Cary
• Kennebec w/ Love Colt on Sat., May 30th at The Pour House
• Carolina Rollergirls double header on Sat., June 6th at Dorton Arena

Win them before you can buy them as WKNC gives away tickets to see Dave Matthews Band with homegrown heroes The Avett Brothers Wednesday, April 22nd at the Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek. All this week our DJs will be playing song clips from the bands. If you can correctly name the song title, you can win a pair of lawn tickets to the show.

Tickets go on sale this Saturday, Jan. 17 at LiveNation.com.

The Avett Brothers with WKNC staff in October 2007.