On Oct. 28, Moogfest 2011 will officially begin in beautiful Asheville, N.C. The festival, now in its second year, brings together artists from across the electronic and experimental music spectrum to celebrate the legacy of synth pioneer and music technology visionary Bob Moog. From musical legends such as Suicide, Tangerine Dream, and Terry Riley to up-and-comers CANT, Oneohtrix Point Never, and araabMUZIK to Amon Tobin’s elaborate and visually stunning ISAM show, the three-day festival truly provides something for every ear. In the days leading up to, during, and after the festival check back regularly to the WKNC Blog for various Road To Moog features, including interviews with artists playing the festival and reviews and photos from the festival.
Author: WKNC Admin
Shakori Hills Fall 2011
“Shakori Hills Community Arts Center’s mission is to provide an environment for community building through arts and education.”
The weather could not have been better for a four day weekend of communal music and dance at the Shakori Hills Grassroots festival. A diverse group of people gathered together all with one goal: to climb festival mountain. Festival mountain has many trail heads that all lead to the top. Some may choose to go the dancing route, and find themselves encountering the “whitest dance” around town: clogging. That’s right, ladies and gentleman, a clogging workshop was led by The Green Grass Cloggers on Sunday morning at the festival. Shuffle steps, Indians, and chugs were some of the many individual dances taught. Along with the clogging workshop, a zydeco dance workshop, as well as, a country two-step workshop were put on at the festival.
Another primary trailhead was the wonderful trail of music. From Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings to Bela Fleck and the Flecktones to Locos Por Juana; the festival provided a very eclectic group of music that was sure to soothe even the savage beast. Dancing, singing along, hula hooping, and going into hippie freak-outs were some of the many activities that went on during the outdoor concerts.
After climbing through the mountain for some time, a festival-goer may find themselves a bit famished. You would be in luck, because the festival offered some finger-licking, slap-your-mama meals that were affordable and satiable. One meal to highlight was “The Veggie Thing”. This was a piece of art in itself. A sandwich served on a white flour tortilla filled to the top with a variety of veggies and sauces, that was sure to leave your belly full, and your mind happy. Thirsty? Hand squeezed lemonade and frozen cherry limeade were some of the many drinks served at the festival. The sweet, tart lemonade was shaken not stirred and served in Mason jars. This drink option was sure to quench a festival goers thirst in the warm, afternoon sun.
When people think about festivals, they often think art, music, dance, and culture. What is not often thought about is the function of the festival. Is this an event that is just for pleasure and entertainment, or does it get deeper than that, and provide some sort of escape from reality? While camping in middle earth (the name of our camp site), it occurred to me that the sense of community was very shire-like. Everyone getting along, enjoying ales and sing-alongs, lending a hand whenever a neighbor was in need…we were in hobbit world! I even think I saw Gandalf several times, or maybe that was just a hippie…not sure. Regardless of what your background was, the festival did provide an escape from everyday life—which was nice. If nothing else, the festival gave one a relaxing environment to be a part of something big. It’s not everyday that you get to climb festival mountain…
With the festival closing, a feeling of reality crept back, and we began to descend off festival mountain. Thankfully the mountain will open back up next spring for another four-day escape. Hopefully we can use the philosophy of the Shakori Hills festival in our everyday life. Meaning, I hope we can strive to be hobbit-like, regularly. Let’s build communities through arts and education, y’all!
Peace, Love and Swirl!
– Andrew, “The Cosmic Cowboy”
English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys returned to Raleigh tonight, Oct. 12, and performed at Disco Rodeo. The band visited the venue April 2010, but this year brought along Smith Westerns to open.
Chicago-based Smith Westerns released their sophomore album earlier this year. Since then, they have played with TV on the Radio, Cults and Yeasayer, in addition to international festivals including Austin City Limits Music Festival, Fyf Fest, Leeds Festival, Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo. The guys were dressed like they were straight out of “Dazed and Confused,” and the smiley face-patterned banners behind them just reinforced this thought. They were fun – I sang along and danced. Their hair flew in their face as they strummed popular singles like “Weekend,” “Smile” and “Still New.”
During the 30-minute set change, I scanned the crowd. Unfortunately, this took away a lot from the show. I was behind a young fist-pumping boy and constantly trying to hold on to my standing room, only with mild success as chains of high schoolers tried to squeeze by. The musically-oblivious bystanders seemed to give more applause at times for the roadies doing soundcheck than the Smith Westerns received, but that may have been in my head.
A hooded figure in a golden mask finally came out on stage and hit notes on a keyboard to set the mood for the show. The lights reflected gold beams off the mask into the crowd. The rest of the band came out on stage and began their first song with a blast of energy and great reaction from the crowd. One thing I instantly picked up one is that an Arctic Monkeys show’s core is the strobe light – which is amazing, unless you have epilepsy. Luckily I do not, so I could stay. A bit theatrical at times, the band performed with special effects like lights, flashes and smoke. One of my personal favorite moments is when they paired a past-picking guitar riff with an intense strobe-light-only light show. It created the illusion that electricity was coming from Alex Turner and his guitar and filling the room. The crowd went especially crazy for “Fluorescent Adolescent” and “Brick by Brick.” At about 10:15, they played their “last song” and went off stage while the crowd chanted their name and screamed with approval of the show.
On Monday, Oct. 12 at King’s Barcade, Make, The Proselyte and Thou played an excellent show. Put on by Primitive Ways this show was heavier than any other that has come through Raleigh in a while.
- Show Flyer (L. Greenwood)
Make
Hailing from Chapel Hill, Make was a great opener for this show. Heavy, sludgy doom that had a bold psychedelic flavor; Make produces some very excellent metal. Support local music and check these guys out here: Make
- Bass
- Drums
- Guitar
The Proselyte
A nice addition from Cambridge, Mass., The Proselyte bridged the psychedelic feel of the show to a strangely happy yet still dark feeling. These guys brought some great metal to Raleigh, and it was very enjoyable to watch. I’ve never seen a drummer sing and drum so quickly. A very excellent band; both of their releases have been highly rated (Sunshine (2011) and The Proselyte (2007)). Check them here: The Proselyte.
- Bass
- Drums, Guitar, Bass
- Vocals, Drums, woaaahhh duuude.
- Vocals, Guitar
Thou
Holy Dio. This is probably one of my favorite bands that I have seen in 2011. Coming up from Louisiana, these guys played on the floor and had one of the most energetic shows I’ve been to in awhile. I couldn’t get many pictures so you’re just going to have to regret not getting your eardrums covered in the sludgy, heavy goodness that is Thou. This five piece really blew me away with their show. I must admit two things helped; one, their excellent blog that allowed me to download their music and two, they played a kick-ass cover of Black Sabbaths Into the Void. Gnarly, dude.
- Thou
- Thou 2
Overall, as I have previously stated, this was and probably will be one of my favorite shows of 2011. It was heavy and covered in slimy, doom-y sludge. Good job to Primitive Ways for really knowing how to book a good lineup and to the bands, Make, The Proselyte and Thou, for giving Raleigh an excellent Monday night.
-It
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_Q9fskIosM
The Black Keys are set to follow up their Grammy-winning album Brothers with El Camino, which will be released Dec. 6 in the United States.
However, their announcement was not without some hijinks. As originally posted by Rock it Out!, the Ohio duo released a video showcasing a van salesman; at the end of the video the release date, a website, and The Black Keys are all connected.
It does not stop there. The website wannabuyavan.com instructs you to call (330) 510-1206, which ultimately leads you to message recorded by drummer Pat Carney about the van he is trying to sell. Unfortunately, this line is almost always busy.
Update: Since this morning’s original information was released, more details have come out about the new album including the cover art and the track listing, which is below. The first single of the new album is titled “Lonely Boy,” and will be released on Oct. 26.
El Camino:
01 Lonely Boy
02 Dead and Gone
03 Gold on the Ceiling
04 Little Black Submarines
05 Money Maker
06 Run Right Back
07 Sister
08 Hell of a Season
09 Stop Stop
10 Nova Baby
11 Mind Eraser
1. Absu – Abzu (Candlelight)
2. Anthrax – Worship Music (Megaforce)
3. Nachtbult – Antik (Napalm)
4. Mastodon – The Hunter (Reprise)
5. Thulcandra – Under a Frozen Sun (Napalm)
6. Machine Head – Unto the Locust (Roadrunner)
7. Warbringer – Worlds Torn Asunder (Century Media)
8. Chelsea Grin – My Damnation (Razor and Tie)
9. Hatesphere – The Great Bludgeoning (Napalm)
10. Chimaira – The Age of Hell (eOne)
From the genesis of N.C. State’s radio in 1922 to the first broadcast on WKNC 88.1 FM with a 10-watt transmitter to current day 25,000-watt WKNC, Raleigh has been privileged to have a radio station dedicated to providing an alternative to mainstream radio. Oct. 9 marked 45 years of WKNC and to celebrate we are giving you, fellow listeners, the chance to come out and party hardy with a FREE show on Friday, Oct. 14.
Kings Barcade and Diggup Tapes will host the big event where Stu McLamb from The Love Language, Lonnie Walker, Juan Huevos, and Hidden Cat will fill your sound holes with pleasing and body moving vibes. Stu McLamb will be opening with a solo cover song performance and YOU can help choose the songs. Check out the Facebook Event and leave suggestions in the comment portion.
The early bird gets the worm at this event as WKNC will be giving away party favors to the first 20 guests! The cake is also not a lie at this birthday bash as it will be ready and waiting for your consumption as well as screen printed T-shirts for purchase.
All the cool kids are going to this happenin’ soiree, so be cool and come celebrate WKNC’s 45th birthday!
On Friday, Oct. 7, I made my way up to Motorco Music Hall in Durham for the opening reception of Minus Sound Research. I’ve never been to MSR or Motorco before (actually, this was my first show for WKNC, hooray!) so I had no idea what to expect. MSR is an annual art exhibition featuring artwork by local musicians. It started in 2006, and different artists are featured every year. The art shown is specifically created for MSR, so each year is a unique experience.
After making my way through the parking lot that was I-40, I finally got to the show. People were milling around outside drinking beer, playing foosball, and eating food from the food trucks outside. Inside the building, which looks like it used to be a car garage, people were checking out the artwork on the walls and watching two women perform some sort of slow-motion body art. It was interesting, and received a few skeptical looks from the crowd.
Unfortunately, I got to the show so late that I completely missed Inspector 22, the first singer to perform. Birds and Arrows started playing at about 7:30 p.m., and although the acoustics weren’t that great, people were really enjoying their music. The lead singer, Andrea Connolly, had a voice that could sing softly in one line and powerfully in the next. Her husband (who I could totally tell was her husband, even before she introduced him to the crowd, because they had such great chemistry on stage), Pete Connolly, joined in for backups and harmony. What really made them stand out was the cello player, Josh Starmer, who added a lot of depth to their music. Throughout their set Andrea made eye contact with the audience and was all smiles; you could tell they loved being on stage.
There were other artists performing afterward, but I unfortunately had to leave early.
The MSR exhibit runs until Dec. 3, and even though it’s a small collection, I would check it out if you’re in Durham.
WKNC DJs were on the scene for Shakori Hills Music Festival, a rollicking four days of music, art, and family-filled fun on the euphoric hills of Chatham County.
The night started off slowly at Lincoln Theatre on Tuesday, Oct. 4. Greeted by the musical stylings of Insane Clown Posse and a technicolor beach scene emblazoned with the mandate “RELAX,” the pockets of young folk scattered throughout the venue seemed unsure of how to proceed. From the chatter, I gleaned that most knew at least one of the acts was but few knew all three, myself included.
A fairly short, red-headed man with a wholly acceptable beard took the stage in the form of Despot just after 9 p.m. to the crowd’s mild interest. People pushed forward a bit. There were some heads nodding and a few brave souls mouthed lyrics but everyone else was still waiting for the show to start.
I had never seen Despot perform before and I thought he had a good presence on stage. He came across as a little spaced out at times, but his delivery was clean and he was genuinely funny between songs. At one point he set his mic down and attempted to lead the crowd in some light aerobics, which I felt was a refreshing change of pace from the usual hands-in-the-air nonsense. Near the end of his set he announced: “This next song was written in a remote cabin in your state during a schizophrenic freak out. You should be proud!”
Danny Brown was clearly more of a crowd favorite. He and rapper friend/acting hype-man Dopehead (who seemed to be doing his level best to eat the microphone while he was rapping) got those proverbial hands in the air with nonchalant delivery and more bass than the audience knew what to do with. Brown himself was all swinging arms and shrugging shoulders bound up in the best exotic fish Hawaiian shirt I’ve seen in a while. He was obviously enjoying himself, so I had no problem following suit.
Next up: Das Racist. The joke rap/weed rap/whatever rap trio was obviously who everyone was waiting for. Suddenly Lincoln Theatre seemed a lot more crowded. Maybe not Hopscotch crowded, but space was definitely at a premium within spitting distance of the stage.
Heems started off by claiming that they were Skrillex and introducing almost every song as “another dubstep banger.” Their set drew pretty heavily from the group’s first non-mixtape release, Relax, but there were quite a few classics sprinkled in (notably, “You Oughta Know,” “Rapping 2 U,” and “Who’s That? Brooown!”). Lakutis, who had been DJing/cuing music and samples via laptop for all three acts, even took up a mic to perform a song from his own upcoming release.
At one point the audience was asked to throw any old non-smart phones they had onto the stage. Someone actually threw an old flip phone up and Kool A.D. proceeded to call that person’s mother and rap his verse to her in the next song.
Danny Brown and Despot came back out for an all-star rendition of “Power” near the end of the set. Kool A.D. took a few stage dives. Lakutis triggered that air horn sample (you know the one) a few hundred more times. It was a fun set. I caught up with Dapwell after the show for a few minutes in which I told him that Atlanta was a 30-hour flight from Raleigh and he told me about a new auto-tune pedal they’re going to work into the set. I borrowed Heems’ charger when my phone died and he didn’t really mind.