Category: Concert Review

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Concert Review

Show Review: Dum Dum Girls at Kings Barcade 3.21.14

Playing for a sold out show, Blouse opened up vibrantly with an array of psychedelic projections, intense bass, loud drums, and a dreamy voice brought by the beautiful Charlie Hilton.  After a terrific opener, the stage was lit with an electrifying blue stemming from the neon-lit heart behind the stage.  The Dum Dum girls appeared on stage to fulfill their audience’s expectations.  The performance was perfect leaving little time for conversation and more time for songs.  Most of the concert came from their new album, Too True, where songs such as “Rimbaud Eyes,” “Are You Okay?,” “Too True To Be Good,” and “Evil Blooms” were played.  Their most popular song, “Lost Boys and Girls Club,” was not played before they left the stage… only to be performed in their encore. Brilliant show.  

–DJ Z and DJ B

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Concert Review

Show Review: The Pizza Underground at King’s Barcade

Thursday, March 20, 2014 marked the day that brought a night of bizarre wonder to Raleigh. Who, do you ask, was responsible for bringing this ridiculously magical experience to the masses? None other than former child, Macaulay Culkin. 

An antsy crowd filled the sold out Kings Barcade as they awaited the performance. Toby Goodshank, of the Moldy Peaches, warmed up the audience with a solo acoustic set including songs centered around love and heartache. His voice sounding much like Colin Meloy’s of The Decemberists. While he performed, a screen behind him displayed black and white video footage of various road trips and people. During his set there was a man on stage dressed to the nines as Andy Warhol complete with a striped shirt, blonde wig, and video camera in hand while he captured Meloy’s performance. He was later seen eating a banana…well played, sir.

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Following Meloy’s intimate set The Pizza Underground took the stage. Before they began, they passed around nearly ten boxes of pizza for the crowd to which everyone was beyond excited about. The band delivered an eccentric and pun-filled thirty-minute performance with songs including “I’m Beginning to Eat the Slice,” “Papa John Says,” “I’m Waiting for Delivery Man,” and “Take a Bite of the Wild Slice.” Of course these are all pizza-themed covers of The Velvet Underground’s “Beginning To See the Light,” “Stephanie Says,” “I’m Waiting For The Man,” and “Take a Walk on the Wild Side.” Instruments included an electric guitar,a glockenspiel, a pizza box, a kazoo, and an African shekere. Video footage played in the background making the whole performance feel more like an art installation.

At one point during their set, Meloy took the stage as “Kurt Cobain’d” and performed a slew of Nirvana songs in the past tense. Get it?

Overall, this much anticipated show was ultimately what one might expect from a former child actor-  a memorable novelty concert of 2014. It certainly wasn’t breaking ground in terms of musical talent but it was entertaining nonetheless. 

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Concert Review

March Madness…Music Festival?

So if you were in the Triangle area for the first week of March, you might have noticed the overwhelming amount of concert choices that made many music lovers faced with the typical music festival question; who do I choose to see? For me, this week had been planned out well before Christmas, but even as the week approached more and more shows were being announced that made me question my initial decisions.

As things started to pan out, the big questions seemed to boil down to these options: On Tuesday night, either St. Vincent at the Haw River Ballroom or Palehound with Pie Face Girls at Nice Price Books; then on Wednesday either Future Islands with Wye Oak at the Haw River Ballroom or Shovels and Rope with Hurray for the Riff Raff at Cat’s Cradle. Of course, with my obsession with HFTRR, I chose to see them for the fourth time within the past year (and you better bet I will see them for a 5th on April 10th at the Local 506) over the crazily passionate Future Islands. Then, since my ears were still ringing by this point I unfortunately had to sit out the Wool with Sun Club and Wharves show at Nice Price on Thursday night, but the action was soon to rise again on Friday. On this day, I was faced with another difficult decision; either Houndmouth with Rayland Baxter at the Haw River Ballroom, Oberhofer with Small Black and Numans at the Local 506, OR Tow3rs with Lilac Shadows and Body Games at the Chapel Hill Underground. Since I had already bought tickets to see Rayland Baxter and was really interested in seeing Houndmouth since I missed them at the Newport Folk Festival this past summer, I decided to stick with this show…and boy was that a good choice. Not only did Rayland Baxter serenade the crowd and provide some comical commentary, but Houndmouth absolutely blew me away. Being a young band out of New Albany, Indiana, Houndmouth seems like a band that just truly enjoys playing for people and with one another.

So with all this being said, why did I feel led to share this with you? It is not because I was mad about all the bands that I didn’t get to see (even though I really would have loved to see all of them), or because I had to spend a lot of money on gas and risk failing two midterms, but because I want people to understand just how amazing the music scene of the Triangle is shaping out to be. Not only are we thankful to be the host of the wonderful Hopscotch Music Festival, but we also have plenty of concerts to choose from on a weekly basis. Although this first week of March seemed to be crazier than the college basketball tournaments, I am happy to say that this music madness is here to stay. Looking ahead to the future shows at all the Triangle venues, I can confidently say that the amount of music coming our way is on a steady flow. So I suggest to my fellow North Carolinians to kick back, enjoy the tunes, and be thankful that you are living in such a blooming musical hub.

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Concert Review

Double Barrel Benefit Night 1 Recap // February 7, 2014

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The first night of Double Barrel Benefit 11 at Cat’s Cradle surely did not disappoint. We are so grateful to the hundreds of wonderful people who came out and showed their support.

The night started out with a highly energetic and enthusiastic performance by Raleigh’s own Ghostt Bllonde. Next was Tow3rs, who began his set with a cover of Raleigh’s Lonnie Walker, which immediately grabbed at the crowd’s hearts. Hammer No More the Fingers followed with a nostalgic yet fresh set with new material that reinforces your past love affair with the boys. Lastly, The Love Language took the stage and delivered a genuinely heart-felt performance. The band served up a well-balanced mix of older songs as well as some picks from their latest album. Before we knew it, nobody in the crowd could contain themselves and broke out into a frenzy of crowd surfing- which has become a surprisingly recent pattern at The Love Language’s shows.

Overall, everyone at WKNC is elated with the results from our first night of Double Barrel Benefit 11. Be sure to come out for the second round of fun, this Friday, February 14, 2014 at Lincoln Theatre. It will be a Valentine’s Day celebration featuring Mount Moriah, Bombadil, Loamlands, and Daniel Bachman! Tickets can be purchased here. 

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Concert Review

Show Review: Mandolin Orange for PineCone Jan. 10th

It was one of those evenings that left you dreaming of lying in an overgrown field, soaking in the sun’s rays. Yes, folks, it’s all due to the harmonious sounds of our Chapel Hill friends, Mandolin Orange.

Thanks to the PineCone, Piedmont Council of Traditional Music Inc., Mandolin Orange was the duo of the night on January 10th as part of a series of Down Home Concerts featuring other local favorite bluegrass and folk artists. PineCone was originally founded in 1984 as a non-profit membership organization dedicated to preserving, presenting and promoting traditional music dance and other folk art.

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Commencing their New Year at the classy and cozy Fletcher Opera Theatre in downtown Raleigh, Emily Frantz and Andrew Marlin justified a sold out show since their CD-release party at Cat’s Cradle back in August of 2013.  The duo took to the stage, him matching her orange and blue dress- of which she probably made herself, as she’s known to flourish in her hand-made frocks.  The band began the evening with the favorite “House of Stone,” a track from their recent record This Side of Jordan.  Accompanying the laidback duo was accomplished musician Robbie Link on bass and cello, who is known across the state for his talent with the string family.  The duo covered all the corners, performing songs reaching back to their first record Quiet Little Room to the most recent.  Marlin and Frantz seemed very at ease and comfortable to be performing, cracking jokes and sweet banter as well as even reminiscing about Andrew’s attempt at ‘flying’ off the Haw River spillway, an incident that later led to a broken pelvis and a stunt in the hospital that inspired the track “Morphine Girl.” From favorites like “Turtle Dove & The Crow,” a song dedicated to Marlin’s father, to “These Old Wheels,” the duo even covered a number of songs, like Garry Harrison’s “Red Prairie Dawn” and “All I Have To Do Is Dream” by the Everly Brothers, in memoriam of the late Phil Everly. A personal favorite was the band’s cover of Tim O’Brien’s “I’ve Endured,” of which Marlin showcased his natural knack for the mandolin.  The evening concluded with Frantz showing off her true talent for the fiddle with Marlin matching her on the mandolin.  

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After being named one of NPR’s top ten folk and Americana albums of 2013, the duo proved that ‘their side of Jordan’ was a pretty sweet side to be on.  This was a crowd that was there to appreciate authentic bluegrass and country, and that’s exactly what the evening entailed.  It’s cozy concerts like these that the audience is privy to authentic music; inside your heart will be warm and ears will be happy.

– DJ Zaps

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Concert Review

Show Review: OLD GRAY w/ LOVECHILD and BROTHER BEAST @ The Tipsy Teapot (1/8/14)

Old Gray | Live at The Wood Shop: Copiague, NY -- Shot and edited by Brian Renaldo

The Tipsy Teapot is a great little venue in the heart of downtown Greenville. I went to see The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die there over the summer, and ever since then it’s held a special place in my memory. Seeing Old Gray was an appropriate contrast to that show, it being the dead of winter now instead of the start of summer. They definitely evoke a darker, more painful, mood than The World Is.. too. Old Gray’s music is more comparable to bands like Midwest Pen Pals and Merchant Ships, but lately they’ve distanced themselves from those influences, creating their own sound.

The band opened with, probably their most immediate song, “Wolves” of their powerful debut album, “An Autobiography” that they put out last spring. That song got the crowd singing right off the bat. The attendance was small, maybe 30 or 40, but people were really into it, and all bands brought it. Honestly, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the show. I’ve been a little bummed out on emo music in general lately, but Old Gray brought the world to life for me a little bit, which is such a great thing to be able to say about a band.

Old Gray have heart. They sing about lost love and fading youth. They spill their guts to be a part of something bigger than themselves. Their drummer has to consistently hop off his seat to pound them with enough strength.  Their main singer leans into his mic at a runner’s stance as if his problems are staring him down, and he’s about to barrel through them. For the last two songs the guitarist and bassist switched instruments, shifting the mood. The music moved from crescendo-based with heavy distortion to a more twinkly style of emo. They closed their set with the fan-favorite, “Her Tongue Was Tattooed to the Back of Her Teeth”, which starts off with a brilliant bit of spoken word, and turns into an emo anthem. It was a night I won’t forget soon. I couldn’t have asked for more. Great crowd, poignant vibes, good times.

-DJ Nasty Nate

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Concert Review

PERFECT PUSSY // Thursday, January 9th, 2014 // Kings Barcade

After hearing much hype about Perfect Pussy, a Syracuse-based 4 piece punk band, I was excited and eager to see them Thursday night at Kings Barcade. Without looking too deep into what Pitchfork or Rolling Stones had to say, I went in with an unbiased opinion and came out rather disappointed. 

The good: Perfect Pussy seems to have a lot of potential. The music itself isn’t that unique but they definitely have punk attitudes. The lead vocalist, Meredith Graves, was carefree and engaging with the crowd, while the other members supported her through their energetic punk sound. When I listened to their demo, I Have Lost All Desire For Feeling, the lyrics had the perfect amount of distortion and everything worked really well together.

The bad: Perfect Pussy sounded nothing like they did on the demo. I’m fairly certain it was the way they were mixed because all I could hear was drum and bass. Grave’s vocals were far too quiet, even when she turned up the amplifier she was running the vocals through. Throughout their whole set I never found myself enjoying the music because the sound was so off. 

When they do come back to Raleigh I will try and see them again to get a second opinion. Hopefully they gain more experience as a band, and realize how important it is to communicate with the sound engineer. Overall, I’m glad I went and wish the band the best of luck in their future career.

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Concert Review

Sunday Is For Sleeping

An outsider viewing the events of this past weekend would have little to no clue that they were taking place in the midst of students cramming for finals and stressing out about the end of the semester.  This weekend was a social marathon of sorts, and I feel like I just re-experienced Hopscotch.  It was packed with great music, from old names and new, and lots of camaraderie.  What follows is a recap of the events that occurred.

Thursday:

We [WKNC Staff and friends], had a tacky sweater party to celebrate the LDoC.  Aside from the fact that I was comfortably wearing shorts in December, it was good fun!  Not much else to mention.

Friday – Sylvan Esso/Love Language Winter Formal:

At WKNC, we love great music, but there’s something else you should know: we are [situationally] some of the corniest folks you will ever meet.   On Friday night, we all got dolled up in our spiffiest threads, got our hair just right, got our faces looking lovely, and gathered to take pre-prom pics.  We went all out and did all of the awful poses that plague your high school photo albums and scrapbooks.  It was just as silly as in high school, only this time it felt right.  After one too many photos, we made our way to Kings.  Kings was dressed up for the event, too; streamers and paper ornaments adorned the room, and a photo booth, complete with photographer and a sign that simply stated “prom,” was located near the entrance.  This brings us to the important stuff, the show.

Sylvan Esso:
Sylvan Esso is the Durham pair consisting of vocalist Amelia Meath and electronic musician Nick Sanborn.  They released their first two tracks on an EP earlier this year, and since the first time I listened to it, I was hooked.  The overall sound is new, the lyrics are clever, and Meath’s voice is easy on the ears.  The title track, ‘Hey Mami,’ starts out with an acapella feel, there’s merely her voice and some soft background traffic noise.  As the track progresses, things pick up, and out of nowhere you get hit with this glorious bass line!  They opened the show with this song, and the live performance gave me all of the same thrills, and more!  Sylvan Esso is a name that I believe you’re going to be hearing a lot of in the near future.  Their performance blew me away.  Between Sanborn’s incredible electronic tracks, Meath’s voice (and that pant suit!), and the energy that was bouncing back and forth between them and the audience, it was an amazing night at Kings.  I don’t know if any of you have had this experience before, but sometimes you get a feeling like you’re in the presence of something with great potential…this concert was one of those moments. I think they’re going to go far.  I spoke to Sanborn briefly after the show, and he divulged that their first full album will be released this spring, and that they’re working on getting a few more singles out in the mean time.  So, stay tuned for that.

After the Sylvan Esso set, the crowd was hyped and ready to rock out and keep dancing the night away.

The Love Language:
The Love Language is far from a new band, they’ve been a big name in the Raleigh music scene for a few years now, but they’ve still got it.  Frontman Stu McLamb and his bandmates serenaded the audience with a mixed-tempo set while dressed in full prom attire.  Their set was how I would have wanted my prom to be.  Most of the set was pretty high energy, but there were occasional feel good, slow dance songs thrown in that let you catch your breath between all of the formal moshing.  The band played a mix of old and new songs, from Blue Angel to a new untitled track.  They were a nice complement to the Sylvan Esso performance.  All in all, I and the rest of the audience really enjoyed them!

Friday night was the best prom I never had.  Tons of friends, great music, cool people, and First Friday.  I want to personally thank Kings for putting that show together.  It would have been enough to see the bands in a normal setting, but the prom theme just made the night special.

Saturday – House Shows:

Saturday night, in an unassuming house near campus, there took place one hell of a house show.  The night opened with a solo performance by Emma Lee Nelson.  She rocked a guitar in hand, a drum and tambourine by feet, and a powerful voice that you could feel in your soul as it reverberated around the room.  This one woman band is quite the talent.  

Less Western:
Saturday night was the first live performance by the four man band known as Less Western.  There was a lot of anticipation surrounding this performance from within KNC.  Frontman Kevin Sweeney said that he felt a little strange performing in front of an audience, but that feeling didn’t show in his performance, it was great! Their music falls in line somewhere with bands like Floating Action, Beach Fossils, or Wild Nothing (ala Gemini).  It has a psychedelic feeling that wiggles back and forth over a fine line between somber and happy.  After first impressions from a first show, I’d say that I have a good feeling about their potential.  Check them out here!

We all sang Happy Birthday to Less Western’s guitarist, John, after their set.  He’s 21 now! 

T0W3RS:
Derek Torres showed up and played a solo set of T0W3RS tracks.  It was a fun set, everyone got dancey and riled up for the moshing that was to take place later.  It’s cool to have a slightly bigger name in the local music scene play in this intimate setting. 

Museum Mouth:
Museum Mouth is always a treat.  They bring great energy to all of their shows, and the crowd always turns into a big, sloppy mosh pit.  Saturday was no exception!  Sweaty bodies flailing into each other in the 12×12 space in the living room, crowd surfers dodging ceiling fans, and glasses flying off faces…it was good, wholesome fun!  

I also got to chat with Karl who divulged that a new album wasn’t too far off (Jan-March-ish)! Keep your eye’s open for that and download his solo rap project, OK McQueen’s newest album, LIFE//EX-LIFE.  It is amazing, and if you use the internet, you will love it.

Well, that was my jam packed weekend of KNC folks and music!  I haven’t been this exhausted since Hopscotch, so Sunday was for sleeping and Netflix marathons.  For all of you with exams coming up, good luck!

One last thing, if you’re an NCSU student, are interested in working for WKNC, and think you have what it takes, come to our training class on January 7th!  It’s a great way to get involved in the local music scene, you get to know great music and even the people behind the music.  

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Concert Review

THE WORLD IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE AND I AM NO LONGER AFRAID TO DIE OCTOBER 28, 2013 – THE LOCAL 506

The World Is… is a midwest emo band from Willimantic, CT. They blend styles from a wide array of influences, including mewithoutYou, Explosions in the Sky, and American Football. The result is powerful and unique. Their name gives a good hint of what you can expect from their music, melodrama and ambition. Though, they don’t take things too seriously, considering all of the playful edits they make to their name. “The World Is A Beautiful Cat and I Am No Longer Afraid to Meow, Meow, Meow”, for example. They have a pretty sweet bag patch with that (and a cat of course).

This was my second time seeing The World Is (They played in Greenville over the summer). The first thing I remember about both performances was how astoundingly clear everything was. The eight-piece dynamic allows for quite a massive sound. Some of their songs are downright anthems (see “Gig Life” or “Getting Sodas”), and their lyrics are tinged with introspection and nervousness. 

They’re one of the forerunners of the so-called “emo revival,” which is all well and good. I’m down for new ears on these bands. After all, it’s what allows TWIAPB to go on nation-wide tours, and heck, my radio show is dedicated to the genre. I just hope all the extra-attention doesn’t water down the genre because it’s the “cool new thing”.

Anywho, to the real story: The band started things off with, “Blank #9”, an instrumental and the first song off their album. Then Shitty Greg sang the first words of the set with “Victim Kin Seek Suit”, from their EP. Their set consisted of mostly new songs, nearly playing through their whole album in order. Hilariously, one of the guitarists filled the space between songs by speaking backward gibberish into his mic. Still, the crowd was pretty stagnant until, by request, they played the heavy hitting “Eyjafjallajokull Dance.“ Right then a little bit of hell broke loose and pushing ensued. They ended their set with “Getting Sodas,” but not before giving the words, “This one’s your problem.” At last, the crowd had warmed up to them and pushed the stage, with David Bello shouting the lyrics “The world is a beautiful place, but we have to make it that way…” I’m definitely looking forward to the next time they come to NC.

                                                                                                            -DJ Nasty Nate

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Concert Review

Show Review: Baths

A couple of weeks ago  (10/9) I was able to bask in the glory of the experimental “poptronic” superstorm that is Baths (Will Wiesenfeld) at King’s Barcade. Opening for Baths were Time Warp and Groundislava.

Though Baths was for sure the highlight of the night, Groundislava came pretty close to eclipsing the headliner. Groundislava is a one-man “cool mix” machine that does mashups and remixes of Katy Perry, Drake, and even Nicki Minaj among original tracks. Where Time Warp, the first opener who was more about relatively toned-down and abstract experimental electronica, got people interested, Groundislava got people dancing.  Plus, that’s the best name ever.

This was the first time I’ve seen Baths live (the last time I tried to see him it sold out) and I was extremely impressed with the show. I’m usually disappointed when it comes to these types of acts because with all of the machines and another person helping with the live mixing, a lot of attention goes more into the vocals and the singer tends to do too much vocally. Will Wiesenfeld stayed true to the songs when it mattered, but when he veered from what we hear on his albums, it actually made the songs even better (if that was possible). For example, during his song “No Eyes” from his newest album Obsidian, the vocals on the album are somewhat toned-down but live he added in some screaming which amped up the tension and angst in the song.

Unfortunately, Baths did not play the most popular song “Aminals” due to some legal issues, but the audience definitely forgave him because he hit all of his other major tracks and the entire show was a huge bundle of fun. Absolutely amazing.

–Reviewed by Hurricane Julia