Category: DJ Highlights

WKNC DJs share their musical interests, personal anecdotes, etc.

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DJ Highlights Local Music

Local Beat recap 6/25/10

The Local Beat last Friday was the first full three hour program since February and my first evening back behind the board in a month after throat surgery.  I felt a little rusty behind the microphone but my guests to the show triumphed to make the three hours fly by with great conversation and some really cool new songs that had never been played before.

While waiting for the Trekky guys to come in, David Mueller of Birds of Avalon came by to drop off the pre-release of the Heads On Sticks album entitled Mocking Bird.  Heads On Sticks is David’s solo project that he has been working with off and on for the better part of four years.  In fact, his Marsupial’s EP was one of the first local albums I ever came across and really pushed me into the local music scene here.  We debuted his first new track in two years, a song called “Two Clicks.” David will be back on the Local Beat on the 9th to talk more about the album, so be sure to listen in then!

Will Hackney and Martin Anderson, the owners and masterminds behind Trekky Records, dropped by a little late after being stuck in traffic to pump up the third annual TrkFest, which happened Saturday, June 26 at Piedmont Biofuels in Pittsboro, NC.  We spent the majority of an hour and a half talking about the day-long festival, the differences between this year and the previous two years, playing music from bands signed to Trekky, and other bands involved with the show.  Will and Martin are also in numerous bands in the area themselves and two of the busiest guys I know, so I had to ask them about their time management and how they run their business.  In all, we had a fascinating insight into a remarkable record label and the guys behind the scenes.  You can check out some of the pictures from TrkFest here.
TrkFest on the Local Beat 6/25/10

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Local favorites Bombadil stopped by for the last hour of the show to debut some brand new material and play live for the first time in a year.  As many of you know, Bombadil had to take a break last summer as pianist Stewart Robinson went back to school and Daniel Michalak had to take time to recover from a serious health problem, while James Phillips moved to Oregon and Bryan Rahija went to work in Washington D.C.  However, the band has still made time to write music and admitted that they now have enough new material for an entire album.  We discussed the difficulties with being so far apart and still trying to be a band and the frustrations with not being able to tour.  We also touched on their most recent album, Tarpits and Canyonlands, which was released last summer.  The band was unable to promote the record despite raving reviews, and I had to ask them how that made them feel.  Despite the down turn in events, the group seemed exceptionally positive and upbeat for the future and even played two brand new songs for us, which you can download through our Local Beat ReverbNation page (you can listen to them in the music player to the left).
Bombadil on the Local Beat 6/25/10

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DJ Highlights Local Music

Local Beat preview: 6/25/10

It has been longer than a month since we have had a live Local Beat, and, since February, we haven’t had a full, three hour show (mostly due to NC State Baseball).  I have spent the past month recovering from throat surgery and also doing some summer traveling, but it is finally time to get back into the amazing local music scene here, and tonight’s show is going to be one for the ages.

We are dedicating the first two hours to Trekky Records and their kickass annual summer event TrkFest.  The event happens tomorrow, June 26, and this year there will be two stages of live music as well as the usual crafts, food, and beverages including:

  • Pants-off Dance-off

  • Coffee Sack Race

  • Cool Kids Yoga Session

  • Musical Chairs Cake Walk

  • Sprinklers and Water Things

  • Tour of Piedmont Biofuels

  • Free Haircuts

  • Shadow Puppets

  • Bliss Tent

I know I am going to get a haircut that I so desperately need and jam out to my favorite local musicians that include:

This is the 3rd annual TRKFest, and tonight, on the Local Beat, we will be chatting about all of the old and new things about the festival, the bands, and hearing some live music from some of the performers tomorrow.

At 7 p.m. my favorite local band Bombadil will be dropping by for what is the first time in well over a year.  As many of you may know, Bombadil has been on recent hiatus as some of the members have moved away and Daniel Michalak has been dealing with some health problems. With that said, this is their first interview as a group in quite some time, and one of the first since their Tarpits and Canyonlands hit the streets back in 2009  (If you remember, the album was my #1 album of the year).  The entire band is going to try to make it and and perhaps play their first live music together since last summer. It is seriously going to be awesome.

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DJ Highlights

Great week to enjoy some rockabilly!

Even though you may not be able to catch the Rockabilly Hour every Sunday (GO PACK BASEBALL!), you sure can check out these great events going on this week!

This Thursday, 6/3: REVEREND HORTON HEAT with Cracker and the Legendary Shack Shakers at the Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro (I will also be celebrating my birthday there that night!)

Also, on Saturday, June 5 ROAD RASH, at Puckett’s in Charlotte… the first annual car show with some great bands…

I will be there admiring the hot rods and the great music!

Laurie Lu

The Rockabilly Hour

Sundays, 2:00 – 4:00 PM

rockabilly@wknc.org

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DJ Highlights Local Music

Kooley High on WKNC this Friday

Join Special K and the Sajhammer this Friday at 11 a.m. as they will be talking to local hip-hop band, Kooley High. The band plans to discuss their upcoming performance with Carlitta Durand at the Pour House, May 28.

During the show, Kooley High will also be giving away tickets to their show. Be sure to tweet questions you’d like the WKNC deejays to ask the band. Listen only on 88.1FM or streaming online.

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DJ Highlights Local Music

Local Beat recap: 5/21/10

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.

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DJ Highlights Local Music

Local Beat preview 5/21/10

You might have to reach back into the far memory of your brain to remember the Honored Guests, a band from Chapel Hill, NC.  However after an almost 3 year hiatus from the local scene the band seems to be back in action with a fantastic new EP released by Vinyl Records: Into Nostalgia (download it for free here).  Not only that but the guys are also adding the finishing touches to another full length record that was halfway completed back in 2008.

Lead guitarist Russell Baggett is coming in to sit with me and chat about the record and play some tracks from the new EP as well as the unreleased full length which should hit the streets in the fall.

Immediately following the Local Beat NC State is taking on Duke in the last weekend of regular season baseball.  The game begins at 6:30 and broadcast should start around 6:25.  Pull on the Pack!

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DJ Highlights

Cannibal’s Corner IV: temporary farewell

I know it’s sad, the prospect of the end of my first year as a DJ coming to a close. But for those of you that don’t know, it is exam week this and next week, followed by that thing called summer. Summer is an exciting season, where I meet relatives and they ask me how stuff at the station goes. I tell them, and then they usually ask if I have ever actually eaten a human. Hah, the nerve!

Anyways, Chainsaw will be alive during this summer, so just because this is my last farewell for the Spring of 2010 doesn’t mean you have to stop listening in. Seriously, when people start ignoring Chainsaw, stuff like in Figure 1 starts to happen. Keep listening to your dose of Rotting Christ, old-school Dimmu Borgir, Goatwhore, Cannibal Corpse, Belphegor, and by listening to Lucretia, Mistress of Destruction’s, show. Seriously, I may wreck the human body to splinters… er, with splinters, but she will tear down the walls of your house. Noobhammer’s 2.0 version of his show is definitely a good tune-in as well.

For those that have been consistently reading these blog posts, I provide you with another comic! I know it’s been a while, but it’s either that or concert gore. And I figured concert gore was exciting. Now, I ran into a bit of trouble with this week’s comic and I’m sure you’ll see why. Just remember: offended people tend to have more tender meat. And everyone likes tender meat.

Question of the Week: “How could I be as cool as Noobhammer?”

“I would play Dungeons and Dragons.” -9th Priest
“I’d grab a foam sword and sing while drinking ale!” –Cannibal Cory

When I come back, I hope your limbs will have regenerated, intestines scabbed over, eyeballs re-socketed themselves, tongue stub re-grown, undisembowled, stitches sewn properly, and bones set straight all so another enjoyable round of shows can begin in the Fall of 2010!

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DJ Highlights

WKNC names employees of the year

WKNC honored three staff members with employee of the year awards as part of the annual Student Media End of Year BBQ April 29.

Damian Maddalena, a doctoral student in forestry and host of the Saturday morning program “Mystery Roach,” was honored in part for his work on WKNC’s adaptation of War of the Worlds, which aired live on Halloween 2009. Maddalena’s contributions to that project included working to rewrite the original script, recruiting actors and leading regular rehearsals, securing appropriate copyrights, and executing the live broadcast.

According to Mike Alston, a senior in civil engineering and WKNC’s 2009-2010 general manager, Maddalena was chosen for his “groundbreaking innovation and execution with the War of the Worlds adaptation. Damian continues to have one of the most popular shows on WKNC with ‘Mystery Roach’ and has been great representative and promoter of the station in Raleigh community.”

Maddalena has hosted “Mystery Roach,” a collection of progressive, fusion, psychedelic, garage and noise from the 1960s and 1970s, Saturdays from 8-10 a.m. since he joined the staff in fall 2007.

Alston also selected Eric Scholz, a junior in mechanical engineering and coordinator of WKNC’s Sessions@KNC recording project, as one of WKNC’s employees of the year. “Eric has done some outstanding work with Sessions@KNC, helping local bands with free recording sessions,” Alston said. He also labeled Scholz the “all around go-to-guy with the new concert series Fridays on the Lawn.”

Scholz came to WKNC during the spring 2009 semester and his first recording session of Chapel Hill’s Simple was released by the band as a five song EP, “WKNC Sessions Live.” Scholz has also recorded local bands including Aminal, North Elementary and Death to the Details.

Tommy Anderson, a senior in political science who took over as WKNC general manager on April 1, then honored Alston as the third WKNC employee of the year. “I am fairly certain that everyone knows what a great job Mike did in his year as our general manager,” Anderson said. “We all owe him a huge debt of gratitude.”

Under Alston’s leadership, WKNC launched the on-campus concert series Fridays on the Lawn, partnered with local record label Terpsikhore and recording studio Flying Tiger Sound to produce the “Hear Here” local music compilation, hosted four sold-out concerts, expanded the station’s promotions department and revised its new DJ hiring process.

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Local Beat Preview 4/30/10

I am finally getting used to being on the air again after minimal Local Beat programs this spring due to NC State Baseball.  Last week we had relatively unknown local band Whiskey Kills the Butterflies and this week are going to continue that trend with Durham group Jordan and the Sphinx who has moved from Arkansas to join our music scene.  The band is also getting set to release a brand new EP in the middle of May so I am sure we will have plenty to chat about.  The Local Beat starts at 5pm and will last until roughly around 6:15.  Be sure to tune in for what will be a great show!

After the Local Beat be sure to keep listening as NC State Baseball will be taking over the airwaves as the Pack takes on the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech here in Raleigh.  Our Wolfpack is fighting for a post season playoff berth while the Jackets are currently ranked #6 in the nation.  Needless to say it should be a great ballgame!

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Local Beat Recap 4/23/10

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Last Friday on the Local Beat was once more an abbreviated show as NC State Baseball played Boston College for the opening game of a three match series was broadcasted on WKNC.  However the one hour we did have was put to good use as Fuquay-Varina band Whiskey Kills the Butterflies stopped by to chat and play some live tunes.  WKtB is a relatively unknown band, having been around for just a little over a year but are currently in the process of recording their debut EP which should hit the streets in the next couple of months.  We chatted about that new EP as well as the history of the band while touching on the bands overall sound and evolution since the fellas came together.   The guys also played five songs for us which you can hear and download through the Local Beat ReverbNation page and the music player on the right.  If you want to see WKtB you are in luck: the band is playing two local shows in May on the 15th at the Berkley Cafe and May 27th at the Six String Cafe in Cary.  Below is the interview as well as the videos from all the songs:
Whiskey Kills the Butterflies on the Local Beat 4/23/10

The Local Beat w/ Adam Kincaid: Whiskey Kills the Butterfly “The Exchange Rate Stomp(Live)” from Wolf TV on Vimeo.