WKNC has put on events called Friday’s On The Lawn; however, as part of Wolfpack Welcome Week, WKNC put on “Concert On The Lawn” Monday, August 17th. To kick off the year-long series, Echo Courts and Ghostt Bllonde serenaded listeners and passersby, attracting a huge crowd.
Echo Courts started off this academic year’s first Concert On The Lawn.
Echo Courts starting to draw in a crowd.
Ghostt Bllonde rockin’, singing, and dancing!
And finally, the great crowd that came out to support WKNC and hear some awesome tunes.
Each year, Hopscotch Music Festival brings in an incredible lineup of artists from all over the state, country, and world to play the three-day music festival in Raleigh. But have you ever wondered exactly where all of the bands are from?
WKNC’s dJ/dx used Mapbox to create a map of this year’s Hopscotch artists based on the hometowns listed on their Hopscotch Artist Bios. The marker’s aren’t quite exact, but they are placed near each city/town. You can click on each marker for the corresponding artist/band’s name, and clicking their picture will take you to their Hopscotch Artist Bio page.
Tune into WKNC 88.1 FM this week and when the DJ asks for it, call the request lines at 919-515-0881 or 919-515-2400 for your chance to win tickets to these shows! Good luck!
Last year, one of the most important lessons that I learned about Hopscotch is how important it is to just go with the flow. When I started on Thursday, I thought I had everything planned out; all the bands I wanted to see were highlighted on my artist lineup print out. As the night went on, I started to talk to more and more people who were excited to see artists I had totally overlooked. When I broke away from my “ideal” schedule, I found that my Hopscotch experience was much more interesting, exciting, and diverse—not that there’s anything wrong with trying to plan, just be sure to keep an open mind!
Last week, Phian interviewed Youth League before they played at Tir Na nOg Irish Pub for Local Band Local Beer. During the interview, Youth League songs “Football”, “Japanese Draculas”, “Let’s Elope!”, and “For John” were played. If you like what you hear, you can check out more of Youth League at their Bandcamp.
Though Atlanta trap music has been around a while, only in recent years has it cracked into mainstream American music. Turn on any commercial hip hop radio station to hear the lean-driven drawl of Future or the combination of mumbling, rapping, and singing that Young Thug puts out. Though it sometimes seems like it has become a genre driven by radio hits and record labels, some still aim to put out fresh music while not adhering to the same basic formula of modern Atlanta rap stars. Among them is Father and group, Awful Records.
While most Atlanta trap stars use strip clubs like Magic City to expose their music to fans, Father has taken a different approach. He and his friends have built a small, rabid following of fans on the Internet. His business approach isn’t the only thing that sets Father apart. Using minimal yet 808-heavy beats that he often produces and engineers himself, Father sits perfectly at the intersection of Internet rap hipster and trap star. He values having fun and making unique music with his friends over cultivating an image of toughness. Though his voice can be a little off-putting at first, heavy beats and catchy hooks will eventually have you belting out every lyric at full volume. Above all, Father doesn’t take himself or his music too seriously and asks that his fans don’t as well.
For an introduction to Father, check out his mini-hit “Look at Wrist” that features fellow Atlanta fringe stars Key! And ILoveMakonnen. Other good songs include “Nokia”, “Back in the ‘A’”, and “Young Hot Ebony”.
You can see Father perform at Hopscotch Music Fest here in Raleigh Friday at 11:00 at Lincoln Theatre. Keep on an eye on the WKNC blog for more exclusive content leading up to the festival.
Last Thursday, Phian interviewed with the Manimals before they played at Tir Na nOg Irish Pub for Local Band Local Beer. During the interview, Phian played the Manimals’ tracks “Rule of Cool”, “Tangible Reasons”, “Mustard Stains”, and “Loose Ends”. If you like what you hear, you can check out more from the Manimals at their bandcamp.
