This Friday is Folk Friday at the Haw River Ballroom in Saxapahaw. It’s an event presented by Artists Like You, who are all about finding an audience for talented North Carolina musicians. The event will take place in the Outdoor Amphitheater, so it’s sure to be a great way soak up the last of these summer nights.
Performing acts include David Childers of Overmountain Men, and a brand new band on the block, Emma Nelson and the Umphs.
My name is Jamie and I’m crazy about Miniature Tigers. I’ve seen them more times than I can remember (13, maybe?), which is pretty impressive considering they’re from Phoenix and now live in Brooklyn. I even tried to see them open for fun. during a vacation in metro Detroit, but the show was sold out. I ended up having a drink at the bar that shares a back wall with the venue and catching a muffled version of their set (which technically makes 13.5 shows).
After skipping over the Triangle on their tour with Bear Hands this spring, I am delighted for the opportunity to see them headline the Cat’s Cradle Back Room with The Griswolds and Finish Ticket on Wednesday, Aug. 12. Doors open at 7 p.m. for the 8 p.m. show. Tickets are $14 at the door.
To prepare you for their Cat’s Cradle show, let me run down the Miniature Tigers discography. “Tell it to the Volcano” (2008) is bubblegum pop at its finest. To quote former WKNC general manager Kyle Robb, “each track is as catchy as the Bubonic Plague.” It gave the CD player in my car quite the workout. The band’s electronic influences are more prevalent in their sophomore album, “Fortress” (2010). They kept turning up the techo for “Mia Pharaoh” (2012), but the catchy hooks were still there with such songs as “Cleopatra” and “Sex on the Regular.” The band’s fourth album, "Cruel Runnings" (2014), was released in June. It takes a few listens to get into it, but you’ll be humming “Swimming Pool Blues” before long.
Want to know what Miniature Tigers have been listening to lately? Check out the “On the Road” Spotify playlist they made with The Griswolds. See you soon.
It’s that time of the year again! WKNC will be presenting its annual Concert On The Lawn on August 18th on Harris Field (in front of Witherspoon) from 5-7pm! For those of you who are unfamiliar with the series, Concert On The Lawn is WKNC’s big concert to start off the school year. The Concert On The Lawn is basically the biggest (and first) of our bi-weekly “Fridays on the Lawn” concert series which goes on throughout the school year. We only have the best local bands play for The Concert On The Lawn and this year our performers are none other than Durham’s own Hammer No More The Fingers (http://hnmtf.com) and Beauty World (http://beautyworld.bandcamp.com). This is also a great time to check out WKNC if you’ve never been to a WKNC event and/or want to learn more about the station and how to get involved.
You may recognize Hammer No More The Fingers as one of the headlining bands at WKNC’s latest Double Barrel Benefit Concert. You may also recognize them because they’re freakin’ awesome and make some of the best edgy indie rock in the triangle. The trio has garnered much musical acclaim since forming in early 2007, and their work has progressed into local NC music fame. Their melodic riffs of rocking and rolling are bound to keep you grooving for the whole set. Rumor has it that Jeff Stickley will drum with hammers instead of drumsticks. He will then proceed to change his last name to Hammerley. Not really.
Beauty World is a power duo also hailing from Durham, NC who recently released their self-titled EP, “Beauty World”. The band consists of Duncan Webster of Hammer No More The Fingers, and Leah Gibson (former member of Lost In The Trees). The two met when Leah Gibson accompanied Hammer No More The Fingers on stage during the 2010 Hopscotch music festival. Soon after, Webster and Gibson started making their own music and playing shows together. Beauty World brings us music that shows influences of both Hammer No More The Fingers’ rock&roll and Lost In The Trees’ indie folk, while creating a unique sound of their own.
So mark your calendars for Monday, August 18th at 5-7pm. Come on down and enjoy some great free music! Don’t forget this is also a perfect time to learn more about WKNC, how to get involved with WKNC, and college radio in general. P.S. also a wonderful time to get your free WKNC swag: stickers, bottle openers, koozies. Ya’ know, all that good stuff.
This North Carolina college radio collaboration features the excellent grrrl punks that are See Gulls, and our much beloved friend T0W3RS, who you may recognize from DBB11, FOTL, or The Lounge.
WKNC is more than excited to be joined among such great company for such a great cause. Of course we are also more than psyched to be dancing our shoes off to these two great local acts. Let’s throw some french fries!
Take a break from your non-stop studying and hectic week of final exams for this week’s Local Band Local Beer presented by WKNC 88.1 FM, Younger Brother Productions, and Tir na nOg Irish Pub.
Slim’s Downtown is hosting 5 amazing nights of music April 15 – April 19. Why? Because we’ve been here for fifteen years and if we didn’t celebrate it would be highly out of character for us. It has been a long and lovely ride, from what we can remember (and according to the stories we’ve been told about our behavior on the mornings after). We would like to thank everyone who has made Slim’s their living room away from their living room. You’ve helped us become the community of drunks, musicians, servers and patrons we are today as we look forward to many more great years ahead. Thank you, Raleigh, now let’s get silly.
WKNC is proud to sponsor the NCSU Center Stage concert series. The final performance of the season will feature The Pedrito Martinez Group on April 12, 2014 at 8 pm. This will take place in Talley Student Union Ballroom.
Tickets can be purchased online or call 919-515-1100
WKNC presents Fridays on the Lawn, our FREE OUTDOOR CONCERT SERIES, with Double Barrel Benefit 10’s JKutchma & The Five Fifths and local favorite, Wool! It will be catered by Howling Cow- ICE CREAM!
“The Lawn” is back to its roots at HARRIS FIELD in front of WKNC at the Witherspoon building. This is on the intersection of Cates Avenue and Dan Allen Drive.
Come out for a FREE evening of local music, free food, prizes, and giveaways. Bring some buds and a blanket, and enjoy a wonderful spring afternoon!
Parking is available in Dan Allen Deck and all spots marked “C” at and after 5 PM.
JKutchma & The Five Fifths Jason Kutchma has been a staple of the North Carolina scene for some time now, rising through the ranks of mediocrity and anonymity with one of the most popular local groups of the past decade, Durham’s Red Collar. But when Red Collar decided to take a break back in 2010, Kutchma didn’t and continued on the road performing heartland rock inspired solo material, hardly starting over.
After a year and two live EPs, perfecting his newfound spur jangling, percussive playing craft, the Five Fifths were introduced and their incredible debut album, Pastoral, was released. The Five Fifths combine the punk attitude and energy of his old band, Red Collar, with the boot stomping, soul searching rawness that he became known for while performing solo in between the groups. What emerges is the best of both worlds.
-Adam Kincaid
WOOL From Impose Magazine on WOOL: “Every so often there is a single that transports your entire sense of being to places where even the sky can’t reach. Such is the case with the premiere of this new interstellar song from Wool, with "Stars”. A creative crew that heralds from Raleigh, North Carolina; Troy Brian Hancock, Zack Oden, Johnny Hobbs, and Raymond Finn continue to make music that is not of this planet alone. Following up 2013’s Delta EP and the recent single “Divine”, “Stars” takes off into the hazy density of black holes, red dwarfs, and seltzer water supernovas of the mind’s eye.
With the application of head changing effects, WOOL makes a dream machine spaceship. “Stars” orbits on account of steady percussion programming, Hancock’s moonage-space-dream vocals, with everything wrapped in the rhythm and sustained fuzz guitars generators. Troy and Zack find the right affected keys and treatments for a guitar sound that creates an instant chemical and empathetic response from the listener. The song connects the dots from the star-gazing earthbound folks with ears to hear to the galaxy trekking star-bound fans of the final frontiers. For over three minutes you can experience the bridging of solar systems and planetary collisions compliments of Raleigh’s indie quintet with “Stars” in their eyes.“
