WKNC 88.1 FM - North Carolina State University Student RadioThis week on WKNC we are giving away tickets to a myriad of fun goodness:
5/28 Carlitta Durand and Kooley High at The Pour House
5/29 North Elementary at Slim’s
Robin Hood, with Russel Crowe and Cate Blanchett
Sex and the City 2!!! With Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Kattrall
Keep listening for these exciting giveaways and more!!!!
Friday night I had the privilege of seeing three great acts at the Pour House. The night started off with a solo show by BJ Barham of American Aquarium. He played some of his own material as well as stripped down versions of songs by the band. One gentleman in the balcony took the opportunity between songs to heckle, and BJ quickly turned the tables. Several minutes of hilarious banter ensued and by the end of it, BJ had clearly conquered the room. Besides hilarity, the music was great, even if some of the lyrics were a bit worn.
Luego took the stage after BJ and played tunes from both their Taped-Together Stories album as well as their forthcoming Ocho album. The performance lacked some of the energy I had seen in previous Luego shows, but the sound was amazing and the new songs had just as much confidence and southern swagger as the older songs.
During Luego, I also had the tremendous privilege of meeting Caitlin Cary. Caitlin was formerly a member of Whiskeytown with Ryan Adams and has now teamed up with The Proclivities front-man Matt Douglas to form Small Ponds. She still puts out great Americana, and she’s even sweeter in person than the thoughtfully romantic lyrics she belts out on-stage. Douglas still croons and swoons with the greatness of The Proclivities, but the new depth added by Caitlin and her violin made for an amazing ending to my Friday night.
by Jacob and Spaceman Spiff
On Friday evening, the paragons of the independent age of music, Superchunk, played a night for the fans at the stage they helped build at the Cat’s Cradle. The show was a warm-up for the summer music festival season and an east coast tour in the fall that will coincide with the release of their first full length album in nine years Majesty Shredding. Fears that the show would highlight a laid back set from Superchunk stemming from the inclusion of Ryan Gustafson on the bill were quickly alleviated by Gustafson’s inclusion of friends from the Drughorse Collective to add a full band sound to his twangy pop. Gustafson’s set was fantastic, the crowd was dancing and bobbing heads in approval as he performed his catchy songs with heartfelt conviction.
Superchunk took the stage at 10:00 p.m. brimming with intensity, vitality and volume. Mac McCaughan owned the stage with moves that would put most Guitar Hero avatars to shame, Laura Balance is still a master of control with the bass, Jon Wurster’s drums told the packed house when to dance and when to jump, and—self-deprecating humor aside—Jim Wilbur’s guitar knew the potpourri of songs spanning the bands 20+ career better than anyone in the room. What really set the show apart was that the majority of the set wasn’t forged to promote an album or conform to the bands comfort zones, but it was instead fueled and filled with requests taken by the band over email from the previous week. It was a thrill to hear “Slack Motherfucker,” “Precision Auto,” and “Water Wings” in the same evening, and fans responded with great fervor.
As the night wore on, the magnetic energy in the room became tangible. Superchunk was good enough to preview two songs from their new album Digging For Something and Everything at Once. John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats, who will be a guest on Majesty Shredding, came out to lend backup vocals to “Digging For Something” and was in the envious position of getting to dance around on stage with Superchunk. An easy highlight of the evening, the fast and furious “Everything at Once” may be giving fans’ favorite songs a run for their money. The only downside of the night was that it took the tech crew at the Cradle the first three songs of Superchunk’s set to blend the audio levels properly, but this may be a testament to the band’s rowdy enthusiasm. For an hour and a half they rocked hard, and we were all mesmerized.
Superchunk’s setlist:
1. Tower
2. For Tension
3. Skip Steps 1&3
4. Learned To Surf
5. Digging For Something (ft. John Darnielle)
6. Ribbon
7. Sidewalk
8. I Guess I Remembered It Wrong
9. Florida’s On Fire
10. Water Wings
11. European Medicine
12. Package Thief
13. Everything At Once
14. Precision Auto
Encore:
15. On The Mouth
16. From The Curve
17. Slack Motherfucker
Encore 2:
18. Hyper Enough (ft. John Darnielle)
19. Throwing Things
Feel free to start celebrating Memorial Day a little early with WKNC and Tir Na Nog’s Local Beer Local Band. Spider Bags, who you may have seen at WKNC’s Double Barrel Benefit 7, and Whatever Brains take the stage this Thursday, May 27. Independent Weekly had a great article on Spider Bags back in September 2009 if you want to know more about them.
On Saturday, 5/22, Mir.I.am had the opportunity to speak with multi-platinum R&B legend Case. In the engaging interview, Case revealed the reason behind his 8 year absence from music, the benefits and disadvantages of going independent, the shooting accident that almost ended his life, and much more.
In the twenty minute interview, Case also describes how involved he was in the writing and production of his latest album The Rose Experience and how he’s already working on the album’s follow up.
Most known for hit singles “Touch Me Tease Me”, “Missing You”, and “Happily Ever After”, some would classify Case’s signature sound as romantic soul with a touch of hip-hop.
Find out more about Case here and on twitter.
“Real RnB Radio" formerly known as "Saturday Night Soul and R&B” airs every Saturday night from 9-11pm.
This past Friday on the Local Beat Russell Baggett of the recently revived Honored Guests was my honorary guest as we discussed the recent hiatus of the band and their comeback in recent months. The Honored Guests just recently released a free online EP via Vinyl Records which you can download here. In addition the band is currently finishing up recording it’s “newest” album, a project that began about 4 years ago, and it should hit the streets in the fall. Russell and I chatted about all of these things and more, while leaking some of the newest tracks from the upcoming full length. Take a listen below:
The Honored Guests on the Local Beat 5/21/10
You can catch the Honored Guests June 26th at the Nightlight in Chapel Hill where they will be playing with local group Pros and Cons.
This saturday, May 22nd, from 9-11pm, multi-platinum R&B sensation Case will be calling in for an interview with Mir. I.am on “Real RnB Radio”.
Tune in as we discover the reason behind Case’s 8 year absence from the music industry, the accident that nearly ended his life, his thoughts on current R&B music and much more.
Most known for classic R&B jams, “Touch Me, Tease Me”, “Happily Ever After”, “Faded Pictures” and the #1 single “Missing You”, Case is now back with his forth album The Rose Experience. Released last March, The Rose Experience, featuring smash single “Lovely”, shows that Case been able to adapt and bring a current, fresh approach to his music, while remaining true to his signature sound.
For more information on the R&B star, visit here and follow Case on twitter.
“Real RnB Radio”, formerly known as “Saturday Night Soul and R&B” airs weekly from 9-11pm.