Author: dj dragonfly

Alt rock and grunge lover.

DJ Dragonfly’s Farewell

Post author By dj dragonfly
Post date May 10, 2026

Goodbye. Image licensed CC0 1.0 Public Domain.

For those of you who don’t already know, I am a graduating senior with a Psychology Major and a Music Studies Minor. To put it simply, this will be my last blog with WKNC. I have had an amazing time writing for WKNC and for all of my readers. I hope to have reached each of you in some way, whether you liked my playlists or were looking for advice as a musician or my mental health articles helped even one person.

I came to WKNC looking for a place to express myself and explore my own voice. Through making my playlist series, doing film and album reviews, and approaching tough topics from a place of wanting others to know they aren’t alone, I hope I have reached my audience.

Just because this is my last publication with WKNC doesn’t mean I plan to stop writing. With the encouragement and support of my friends and family, I have decided to keep writing. I will continue my publications on the platform “Medium” under the same name which you can find here. My plan is to keep writing about music and mental health of course but also I want to incorporate more things about my life and my experiences because I think my life, interests, and experiences are pretty cool.

Once again, I hope everyone has enjoyed my articles, reviews and my playlists. I will miss WKNC and the opportunities that this station has afforded me.

– dj dragonfly

Tags college radio, dj dragonfly, NC State, WKNC, WKNC 88.1

Playlists

DJ Dragonfly’s April Favorites

Post author By dj dragonfly
Post date May 3, 2026

Daisy cluster. Image by Mariusz Zając, licensed CC0 1.0 Universal.

April showers bring May flowers, but what do May flowers bring? May flowers bring the end of the semester. Everyone knows the end of the semester is a stressful time. We have assignments upon assignments with a group project thrown in and a handful of exams in the final week. I personally can’t wait to get all of it over with. I have had another busy and eventful month and I think my choices reflect that a little bit. So here is the April edition of DJ Dragonfly’s Favorites. Some of these songs have explicit content, so fair warning to everyone.

This month, me and my band played a show in Chapel Hill. We added a fair amount of new songs to our playlist such as “I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor” by Arctic Monkeys and “Celebrity Skin” by Hole. We had also planned to play “Black Sheep” by Metric but we ended up not needing the song in our setlist.

This month was also marked with several birthdays, including the second birthday of my dog, Daphne. I threw her a birthday party complete with puppy safe cake, Scooby snacks, and a playlist of music I like and music with any kind of dog theme sprinkled in. One of those songs has found its way into this month’s Favorites: “I Wanna Be Your Dog” by The Stooges.

My little lady, Daphne. Image by Sophia Dutton-Rodkin.

Lastly, Summer is just around the corner. I have found myself listening to music that makes me feel like Summer and motivates me to get through the end of the semester. A prime example of this would be “Doin’ Time” by Sublime. I know this is a basic choice but it’s a popular song for a reason. I associate the Summertime with Sublime heavily, along with other artists such as David Bowie.

In short, I hope everyone gets through the end of the semester with the grades they hope for and without too much stress. At the end of the day, it’s about doing the best you can while leaving enough room to take care of yourself. Have grace with yourselves during these last couple weeks and listen to some good music.

— dj dragonfly

Tags april, dj dragonfly, Playlist, WKNC

Band/Artist Profile Music News and Interviews

WKNC Interviews – High June

Post author By dj dragonfly
Post date April 16, 2026

The band High June. Pictured left to right: Hayden Church, Will Sain, Jack Flowers, James Barbee, Ryon Gerringer. Image by Annelise Sarah, provided by High June.

High June is a five piece alternative rock band hailing from Greenville, NC. The band started out as a “college band” and released their first single, “Crazy ‘Bout You” in July of 2023. The band now is touring the United States with bands such as Dexter and The Moonrocks and The Black Crowes.

High June consists of Hayden Church on the drums, Will Sain on the lead guitar, Jack Flowers, as the lead vocalist, James Barbee on the rhythm guitar and Ryon Gerringer on the bass guitar and accompanying vocals.

I was fortunate enough to be able to set up an interview with four of the five members: Hayden, Will, Jack and James.

Tags Alt Rock, dj dragonfly, High June, interview, WKNC

Playlists

DJ Dragonfly’s March Favorites

Post author By dj dragonfly
Post date April 5, 2026

Daffodil flowers, licensed CC0 1.0 Universal

In many calendars, March 1 is considered the first day of Spring. While our calendar states that the Spring Equinox took place on March 20, my allergies would concur with the former. With the world around us turning yellow with pollen and green with new growth, so too must I present something new. So without further ado, I present to you, my readers, this month’s edition of DJ Dragonfly’s Favorites. Some of these songs have explicit content, so fair warning to everyone.

Tags playlists, WKNC, WKNC 88.1

Concert Review

A Review of “Arts NOW Series: Opera! Andrea Cheeseman, Clarinet”

Post author By dj dragonfly
Post date March 9, 2026

Dr. Andrea Cheeseman. Image provided by Dr. Andrea Cheeseman, image by Matthew Wood

Once again, I attended the Arts NOW Series for one of my classes. Instead of a lecture recital, Dr. Andrea Cheeseman performed a one-act opera from a three part series of one-act pieces. This show was different than one might expect from this description, but it did not disappoint.

The concentration of the show was on computer music. First, let’s cover what computer music is. From the title, you can assume that it is music made with a computer which would be correct. That being said, it’s more complicated than using a computer program to make a song like Logic Pro of Ableton. It’s more akin to using various synthesis and algorithmic techniques to make music with a computer. A recognizable example of this would be “Daisy Bell” programmed by Max Matthews at Bell Labs in 1961, originally written by Harry Dacre in 1892.

Tags andrea cheeseman, arts NOW clarinet, computer music, concert review, dj dragonfly, local, NC State, opera, WKNC, WKNC 88.1

Playlists

DJ Dragonfly’s February Favorites

Post author By dj dragonfly
Post date March 7, 2026

Violet flowers. Image licensed CC0 1.0 Public Domain Universal

February might be the shortest month of the year, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a fresh set of DJ Dragonfly’s Favorites.

With Mother Nature having a tough time deciding if we should have a wonderfully frigid and white Winter or a splendidly sunny and green Spring, I too find myself at a loss for the kind of music I prefer to listen to.

Tags dj dragonfly, music, playlists, WKNC, WKNC 88.1

Miscellaneous

Who Are Betty and Veronica?

Post author By dj dragonfly
Post date February 26, 2026

"The All New Betty And Veronica" comic book cover. Image from Philipp Lenssen, licensed CC BY-NC 2.0 Generic.

** Image license **

Have you ever heard of Betty and Veronica? Do you know who they were and are?

If these feel like questions that shouldn’t need to be asked, then I’m relieved to not be alone.

A few months ago, I mentioned something to my friend about “Betty and Veronica” who proceeded to look at me with square eyes. They had never heard of them before which shocked me to my core. I had been under the impression that everyone had not only heard of “Betty and Veronica” but grew up with their comics, like I had.

Tags Archie Comics, Betty and Veronica, dj dragonfly, WKNC

Concert Review

A Review of “Arts NOW Series: Joshua Brinkman, Saxophone”

Post author By dj dragonfly
Post date February 18, 2026

Joshua Brinkman, Ph.D. on the Saxophone. Image provided by Dr. Brinkman, image by Spirit Nyx Photography

The Arts NOW Series lecture recital on Joshua Brinkman was one I attended for a class but ended up enjoying a lot more than I had expected. I know very little about the saxophone and the music genres that evolved alongside it. Dr. Brinkman’s lecture recital was a presentation on the technological and cultural backgrounds and evolutions of the saxophone. This presentation included slides on the origins of the saxophone, the differences between different saxophones, the historical significance of the saxophone in different genres and even live performances of two different saxophones and a clarinet, all performed by Dr. Brinkman himself.