Looking for a date idea over Valentine’s Day weekend?  Or did you just say “bah humbug” to the idea of Valentine’s Day? Either way, listen to WKNC and you could win tickets to a variety of great shows. We won’t even tell your date that the tickets were free.

Feburary 9:
Blue-Tailed Skinks @ The Pinhook

Feburary 10:
Dance Revolution @ Lincoln Theatre
Diggup Tapes Cassingles Release party @ King’s
Tapes’n'Tapes @ Cat’s Cradle

February 11:
Diggup Tapes Cassingles Night 2 @ King’s
The Moaners @ Slim’s

February 12:
Ben Sollee @ Casbah **my personal Valentine’s Day pick**

February 13:
Veelee @ King’s

Inflowential @ The Pour House
Drive By Truckers Documentary @ The Pinhook

February 14 :
Yann Tiersen @ Cat’s Cradle

Also, we will be giving away movie tickets to see Hall Pass for Wednesday, February 23 at North Hills.

Get your socks on!  The 28th and 29th is going to be a music packed weekend! A new warehouse for music and art is opening up in downtown Raleigh called Moving Island. Moving Island is a community education facility focused on emerging arts, empowering technology, and the business of living. Top founders include Chris Riddle, Adam Crane, Maria Albani, and Kelly Crisp. A couple of these kids are going to join me in the station on Friday the 28th from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.  Be sure to tune in!

The benefit will feature some of the best bands in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area as well as DJ sets, comedy, and dance. These artists are donating their time and skills to help jump-start Moving Island for their opening in March:

Friday:
The Big Picture 7:30 p.m.
Organos 8:15 p.m.
Wowser Bowser 9:00 p.m.
Gray Young 10:00 p.m.
Veelee 11:00 p.m.
Lonnie Walker 12:00 a.m.

Saturday:
Young Volcanoes 3:00 p.m.
Old Bricks 4:00 p.m.
Special Mystery Guest! 5:00 p.m.
Schooner 6:00 p.m.
Intermission/Q&A About what Moving Island is/does/plans to do! 7:00 p.m.
Kid Future 9:15 p.m.
Naps 10:00 p.m.
Juan Huevos 10:45 p.m.
Heads on Sticks 11:30 p.m.
Motor Skills 12:15 a.m.
DJs presented by Denmark Records 1:00 a.m.

Tickets are $8 per day in advance ($10 per day the day of) or $15 for both days in advance. Tickets will be available through Schoolkids Records in Raleigh, CD Alley in Chapel Hill, and Bull City Records in Durham, as well online through Brown Paper.

Tickets:http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/148232.

Information was found at the Moving Island website found >> HERE! (click me)

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?

This past Friday (November 19) was a great day for local music in Raleigh. Hopefully most of you dropped by after work or class and came out to the Harris Field lawn to check out our November installment of Fridays on the Lawn featuring The Tender Fruit and The Tomahawks.  Despite the chillier weather, we experienced a great turnout as people came out with blankets and snuggies to enjoy the free pizza and music.

The Tender Fruit was represented solely by Christy Smith, an N.C. State graduate in English, who managed to hold her own as she worked the kick drum and strummed her guitar. Smith’s voice is really something to admire. On the band’s recent album, Flotsam & Krill, I was blown away by her vocal dynamics, especially on track “Get Out of the Car.” Performing live, she was equally as powerful and her set proved to be calming but also a pleasant juxtaposition against the grittier headliners, The Tomahawks. This past August, Indy Week covered an interesting story on Smith, her past relationship with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, and how Flotsam& Krill is a response to Vernon’s hit album For Emma, Forever Ago. You can check out the article here.

Although the concert was over before 9 p.m., local music fans were in luck as Future Islands were headlining at Kings Barcade in downtown Raleigh that night as well. Well, that is, if they had bought a ticket in advance as the show was sold out. Although I missed the opener NAPS, I was greeted by the familiar and pleasant sounds of Veelee upon walking into Kings. Matt and Ginger focused their set on their newer songs off their latest album The Future Sight. Veelee recently opened for Merge Record‘s powerhouse, Caribou, on Halloween, which is a sign there are bigger and better things awaiting them.

Lonnie Walker was the last band to perform before the headliners came on stage. The bands are well known friends as Walker and Future Islands recently put out a split 7″ together. The crowd at this point of the night were getting into a frenzy. The front part of the stage where I had posted myself had become a dance floor. My head was particularly swaying to many of the tracks on Island’s recent album, In Evening Air. The night was everything to be expected of Future Islands: funny antics from lead singer Sam Herring, stage dancing, and great music.

Birds and Arrows
Birds and Arrows started off the festival in Central Park Thursday night, November 4. Unfortunately, it was very cold and rainy, which might have deterred some of the listeners, but once Andrea starting singing, I completely forget about the numbness in my toes. This is the fourth time I’ve seen them in eight months, and I’m more and more in love with them every time I see them. She has a commanding, beautiful presence, and always dresses to impress. John, the cellist, adds a perfectly enriching texture to the married duo. My favorite part of this group, however, is the fact that Pete, drummer and husband, sings the higher harmony, and Andrea sings the base melody.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Mosadi Music
I had never heard of this group, but they definitely impressed me. I always enjoy bands that mix up genres, like The Beast, and this one mixed it up even better with the lead voice as a female rapper. The background instrumentalists played chill rhythms while she got the crowd hyped up with her fast-paced lyrics.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Veelee
I was quite excited to see these guys. This girl/guy duo definitely took me by surprise. I wasn’t able to stick around for their whole set so that I could run off to see Midtown Dickens, but what I saw had me bouncing around. I loved watching a female rock out on drums, and I had me captivated with his duo guitar/piano playing.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Midtown Dickens
I’ve been a longtime fan of Midtown Dickens, but this was my first time seeing them live, and man was it worth the wait! I had already been there for five hours, but they made my night worth it. The two females have such unique voices with incredible stage presence that makes them unforgettable. They had a wide array of instruments: acoustic guitar, drums, mandolin, upright bass, banjo, clarinet, accordion, and (my favorite) hand saw. And the best part, after just about every song, they all would change instruments.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Halloween in the triangle area is always a must-experience event. As luck would have it, one of my favorite bands, Caribou, played at Cat’s Cradle on Sunday night, so it was guaranteed to be even more celebratory than usual! Costumed characters adorned the streets; walking to the venue, I saw several renderings of Gaga, Devo, and even a fleet of dominoes. The costumes flowed into Cat’s Cradle as well. To my right was a feathery albatross, behind me, a gory zombie. The night was off to a festive start.

As Veelee opened at Cat’s Cradle, the crowd went wild. I’m a new-comer to the Raleigh music scene, so it was my first time hearing their groovy dance beats, but I was instantly hooked. I’m proud to say that they are now in my music library. “When you gonna come home,” and I was already dancing… on the opening act.

After a swift set break, Emeralds played. Boy, did they perform. Every newly synthesized chord was a new revelation—Animal Collective in the style of Philip Glass, who wouldn’t love that? The shimmery instrumental hodgepodge of beautiful textures rained down. My legs were going rubbery from breaking it down, the crowd moving in rhythm. And Caribou hadn’t even been spotted yet.

The headliner of the night played a flawless show spotted with familiar songs with a few throwbacks to their older albums. “Odessa” was of course a crowd favorite, but I adored hearing “Sun” live. The band members were of course in costume, each wearing awesome camouflage suits. It worked—I barely saw them. I was too occupied with dancing at a great show.

For 3 days, from November 4-6, Durham comes alive with music and art. Troika Music Festival began in 2002 and is still going strong. Bands featured this year include Birds & Arrows, Veelee, Old Bricks, I Was Totally Destroying It, Red Collar, The Small Ponds, Americans in France, Phil Cook and His Feat, Chatham County Line, Mount Moriah, Gray Young, Spider Bags, and even more! They’ll be performing at venues around Durham and WKNC has 3-day festival passes to give away!

Just be the correct caller when the DJ asks for it now through November 3, and you could win a pair of 3-day festival passes!

Come down to Tir Na nOg and WKNC’s Local Band Local Beer night on Thursday 9/23 to see Veelee, Motor Skills, and Cassis Orange! As always there will be delicious local beer on tap. BY THE WAY the pub just recently got Big Boss’s famous pumpkin ale, Harvest Time on tap… Yum yum yumm! The show is FREE and starts at 10 p.m. Ages 21+.

Veelee

“To put it plainly: Three Sides, the debut EP from Chapel Hill duo Veelee, joins Wood Ear’s The Hard Way and Bowerbirds’ Danger at Sea as recent short, self-made Triangle debuts that are alarmingly, stop-what-you’re-doing-and-memorize-this good.” – Grayson Currin, The Independent

My favorite local duo.  Matt and Ginger are the two sweetest musicians I know. If you didn’t catch them at Hopscotch or at our LBLB day party last Friday, here is your chance! The hottest Raleigh sensation!

Motor Skills

“Motor Skills debuted last year with “Right as Hell,” one of several stunning surprises on the excellent North Carolina compilation, Hear Here: The Triangle. Pitting a skittering electronic beat reminiscent of late Radiohead against a steely-eyed, dark-lined anthem as addictive as anything Interpol has ever written, “Right as Hell” put Motor Skills high atop the must-watch list.” – HopscotchMusicFest.com

With the addition of two new band mates, this poppy, electronic-ish group is sounding better than ever. Three cheers for these guys.

Cassis Orange

“The result of Cassis Orange’s ode to loneliness was a keyboard-laden four-track self-titled indie pop E.P., which upon being released onto an unsuspecting Internet, became a blogosphere sensation, garnering glowing reviews…” – The Fayetteville Feed

This is one of my new favorties in local music. Not sure where exactly these guys came from, felt like nowhere! But apparently they hail from Carborro, NC. This band does feature a member of Motor Skills but they both have their own unique songs. Check out Cassis Orange’s track “Listen Heartbeat” on their myspace page. Awesome song, I hope they play it this Thursday!

I’ll also be having Cassis Orange and Motor Skills at the station this Thursday for live interview.  Some music will be played… perhaps some giveaways?  Tune in 7-8 p.m. before you head out to the pub!

This Thursday night will be overrun with Hopscotch goers, therefore, WKNC and Tir Na nOg will be hosting our usual Local Beer Local Band Night on Friday, September 10 instead! New Raleigh and Aviator Brewing Company are also presenting.

There will be a total of FIVE, yes count ‘em five!, local acts this week: Cellar Seas, Veelee, Filthy Bird, Temperance League, and A Rooster for the Masses.  All of these bands are WKNC favorites. It will be a great way to kick off your Friday night. Music starts at 12 .pm.

I plan to have Cellar Seas and Veelee in the station on Thursday from 7-8 p.m. so be sure to tune in for that!

Cellar Seas

Cellar Seas is made up of some of my favorite Raleigh people (a bartender, a dj, and frontman to another great band, NAPS). Slow indie rock with just a twinge of country. Plus, these men are all devastatingly handsome.

Veelee

Veelee is my number one favorite duo within our already amazing local music scene. Ginger and Matthew have some sort of power over me when I see them play. I can’t stop smiling, and I want to dance but no one else is… so I don’t. If this happens to you on Friday, please dance, and I will join you! Veelee will also be playing at 10:30 p.m. at The Hive the same day.

Filthy Bird

I’m always a sucker for a band with female vocals. The folks at the Pinhook said, “These guys are kind of a cosmic Americana western eastern totem spirit animal.” They also have a new record coming out in October, so I’m sure you’re bound to get a sneak peak of what’s on it at this show.

Temperance League

Harder garage rock with a retro feel. Their former band you might remember, Bruce Hazel & Some Volunteers.

A Rooster for the Masses

This band is too good.  You might have caught them Friday the 3rd at the Cave; if not, catch them this Friday! Their album review by Grayson Currin in the Independent Weekly said, “the Rooster still sings truth to power over angular guitar lines and hi-hat pulses, whether riffing on the downtown void King’s Barcade left behind on ‘No Party Downtown’ (the band released Rojo there in 2006) or territorial tendencies on ‘Headwaters.’”  Well thankfully, Kings is back, A Rooster for the Masses is playing music, and everyone will be happy.

So don’t forget! Before you begin your Friday night Hopscotch adventures, head to the pub and check out all of these awesome bands. Plus, if you didn’t get a Hopscotch ticket (There are only about 15 all-inclusive passes left as I write this!) you can still come to this daytime event!  See you there, with a day-beer in hand!

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.

New month, new shows, new giveaways!

Check out the great shows that are happening this week that WKNC is giving away tickets to:

Monday, April 5

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists w/ Screaming Females & Pink Flag @ Cat’s Cradle

Wednesday, April 7

Manchester Orchestra w/ The Features, Biffy Clyro & O’Brother @ Cat’s Cradle

Technoiz Wednesdays w/Juan Juevos, MYL SMARTHMOUF, Dutches Headbangerr & DJ Charlie Burnett @ The Pour House

Thursday, April 8

Holy Ghost Tent Revival w/Sol Driven Train @ The Pour House

Temper Trap w/The Kissaway Trail @ Cat’s Cradle

Friday, April 9

Bowerbirds w/Midtown Dickens & Veelee @ Cat’s Cradle

Old Habits w/Mandolin Orange @ The Pour House

Be sure to tune into WKNC 88.1 FM or stream online for your chance to win! For a complete list of local shows check out The Rock Report.

The Independent Weekly announced the line-up for its first Hopscotch Music Festival today.  The festival will take place in downtown Raleigh on September 9, 10 and 11 2010. Headlining the festival are Public Enemy, Panda Bear and Broken Social Scene. A plethora of local favorites will be playing as well.

Here’s a list of the bands scheduled to play the festival, with more to be released April 12:

9th Wonder & Friends, Active Child, All Tiny Creatures, American Aquarium, Americans in France, Atlas Sound, Balmorhea, Bear in Heaven, Best Coast, Birds of Avalon, Black Congo NC, DJ George Brazil, Broken Social Scene, Brutal Knights, Richard Buckner, Burning Star Core, Cannabis Corpse, Caitlin Cary’s Small Ponds with Tres Chicas, Collections of Colonies of Bees, Cults, Greg Davis, Double Dagger, Double Negative, The Dynamite Brothers, EAR PWR, ExMonkeys, First Rate People, Followed by Static, Ben Frost, Fucked Up, Future Islands, Golden Boys, The Golden Filter, Goner, Gray Young, Ryan Gustafson, Hammer No More the Fingers, Harlem, Harvey Milk, Horseback, John Howie Jr. & The Rosewood Bluff, I Was Totally Destroying It, Javelin, Jeb Bishop Trio, Juan Huevos, Kill the Noise, The Kingsbury Manx, Kooley High, Kylesa, The Light Pines, Lonnie Walker, The Love Language, Lucero, Luego, Max Indian, Erin McKeown, Megafaun, Midtown Dickens, The Moaners, The Monologue Bombs, Motor Skills, Mountains, Jon Mueller, Marissa Nadler, No Age, Ocean, Old Bricks, Panda Bear, Pattern Is Movement, Pictureplane, Plague, Pontiak, Public Enemy, The Rosebuds, Schooner, Sightings, spcl gst, Spider Bags, Thien, Tigercity, Tortoise, Treasure Fingers, US Christmas, Sharon Van Etten, Veelee, Vincent Black Shadow, War on Drugs, Washed Out, Weedeater, Whatever Brains, Keith Fullerton Whitman, Yip-Yip.

Tickets go on sale April 1. For more information, check out this article from the Independent Weekly.

If you have been rubbing your hands together in eager anticipation of March’s Local Beer Local Band schedule, you can stop. WKNC and Tir Na Nog have pulled together quite a line up.

March 4 – The Loners, The Demon Beat and The Royal Nites

March 11 – I Was Totally Destroying It, Grey Gray Young and today the moon, tomorrow the sun

March 18 – Sunfold (CD release show) and Mount Weather

March 25 – Let Feedback Ring Festival with Free Electric State, The Bronzed Chorus and Veelee

Last Friday on the Local Beat was one of the first full programs I have had in a while.  Several different members from a variety of bands from across the Triangle came in to chat with me.  As always, all songs performed live on the show are available for listening and download off of the Local Beat ReverbNation page and widget to the left.  We added 5 new songs this week, two by Schooner and three by Wembley.  Sorry for taking so long to post this, schoolwork got in the way once again.

Reid Johnson from Schooner came in at 5 p.m. to talk about the band’s brand new release, the Duck Kee Sessions EP.  All proceeds from the album go to benefit CyTunes.org which in effect goes to benefit cancer research.   CyTunes is the only place where you can download the album.  In addition to the CyTunes we talked about the release show for the EP this Friday at the Pinhook in Durham.  Veelee, the Erie Choir, and the Popular Kids are also performing.  This release show is unique in that instead of selling hard copies of the album, local musicians and artists have donated artwork that comes with a downloadable copy of the Duck Kee Sessions EP.  For more listen in below and check out the artwork as well at the bottom of the post:

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Three members of Wembley came in at 6 p.m. to chat with me about their newest release, Keywords for Robots EP, which the band put out late in 2009.   I got a little upset with them for not promoting the album and sending it to me, all in good gesture of course.  The band members provided an insightful view into their lives as hobby-only musicians and I had a lot of fun sitting down with them for the hour.  You can listen to that conversation below:

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I had two members each of Annuals, Bright Young Things, and Gray Young to come in and talk about their show this Friday night in downtown Raleigh at the Pour House.   The fellas were a little shy and all seven of us had to share four microphones, but we did manage to play brand new songs by all of the bands, including the entire brand new EPs by both Annuals and Bright Young Things while chatting about the recording process. Listen below:

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Artwork Available for purchase at the Pinhook on Friday. All proceeds go to CyTunes.org and benefit cancer research:

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