WKNC 88.1 FM - North Carolina State University Student RadioWKNC DJs share their musical interests, personal anecdotes, etc.
Listen to Mystery Roach this Saturday May 1 from 8-10 am. In recognition of Free Comic Book Day – May 1 – join us as we explore all things comic books! Comics collector Don X will be here to discuss obscure comics characters from the Seventies, the “secret origin” of a comics collector, and how comics of the Sixties and Seventies planted the seeds for today’s comic storylines.
Should be a fun show. Talk to you then.
-La Barba Rossa
Every now and then, I am reminded that I am student by a sudden kick in the groin from copious amounts of schoolwork and I am down for the count for a little while. That has recently happened to my Local Beat producers and me who have spent the last three weeks either out of town or slaving through text books and notecards trying not to completely fail at graduating on time (I myself am already a year behind). Because of this we want to apologize for running about four weeks behind schedule with our weekly Local Beat podcasts. Fortunately, instead of having 12 interviews to edit, we have only missed three, and here they are below (also, check out the ReverbNation player at the bottom of the post to listen to and download all the songs played live):
March 26: Brett Harris
March 26 was the first live Local Beat I had been able to do in a month because of NC State Baseball broadcasts and Durham rock/pop singer Brett Harris dropped by for what turned out to be one of my favorite interviews in a long while as we talked about his brand new album Man of Few Words, an LP that could possibly break my top 10 for the year. We talked in depth about the recording of the album, the multitude of artists that assisted him in recording, and compared everything to his past couple of EPs. Brett played two live tracks for us that you can watch in the videos below and download in the ReverbNation player at the bottom of the page. Brett released the album at the Nightlight on April 2nd with Luego and Bright Young Things for what turned out to be an amazing show. Check out our conversation:
Brett Harris on the Local Beat 3/26/10
NC State Baseball is cutting into another airing of the Local Beat this week but at least we have one hour to bring you some local music goodness. Fuquay-Varina indie band Whiskey Kills the Butterflies will be joining me for the first hour of the program to chat about the band and their upcoming debut album. Whiskey Kills the Butterflies is a band I have never personally seen live but have heard great things about so I am looking forward to them playing some live tunes on the show.
Afterwards keep on listening to WKNC for some ACC baseball as NC State (23-15) plays Boston College (16-17) on campus at Doak Field at Dail Park. The Wolfpack are trying to keep their NCAA tournament hopes alive after sweeping Maryland last weekend. The game begins at 6:30 p.m. with broadcasting of the game starting approximately around 6 p.m.
It is a beautiful day for baseball and because of that there will be no Local Beat this Friday evening, April 16. Barring weather and field conditions the NC State Baseball team will be playing Maryland at College Park, Md. The game is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., with broadcast starting at 5:30 p.m. right here on 88.1 WKNC. Typically, games last around 3 to 4 hours. If the game does end earlier then feel free to listen in to local music up until 8 p.m., but the Local Beat will not be broadcasted.
On the Musicology show next week, I will feature the collected works of Latin-American jazz fusion guitar player: Al Di Meola. We’re going to start at the beginning of his career as member of Chick Corea’s band Return to Forever, and move to his solo works. Expect to hear sounds from Return to Forever’s album: Romantic Warrior, as well as Di Meola’s Elegant Gypsy, This is Jazz, Friday Night in San Francisco (Featuring Di Meola, John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucia), and The Infinite Desire.
Listen in Tuesday, April 20 at 7 p.m.
The Local Beat will be back tomorrow night for the first time in a month! The show will be short, however, as our NC State Baseball team begins a three game series against Miami starting at 6:30 p.m., broadcasting beginning at 6:00 p.m. Durham native Brett Harris will be joining me for the only hour of the show to chat about a new album that he is preparing to release.
Be sure to tune in at 5:00 p.m. for the Local Beat and Brett Harris!
As you should know from exploring WKNC’s blog, the station is in the running for the Independent Weekly’s Best of the Triangle once again. This year, the WKNC staff voted to determine who it considered to be the best DJ, resulting in a nomination for DJ Ones from the Daytime format. What better way to get to know our favorite DJ than to read some fun facts about him each week. While you’re at it, check out DJ Ones’ Five Music Facts of the Week blog.
Five Fun Facts about DJ Ones
1. DJ Ones’ family owns around two dozen chickens.
2. DJ Ones has a fake tooth – unfortunately, it is not gold.
3. DJ Ones has a voice! He had a solo in the fourth grade singing The Nutcracker. When you call in for requests, ask to hear his sweet, sultry voice. It’s worth it.
4. DJ Ones was his high school’s valedictorian.
5. DJ Ones has had the same cell phone since 2005. It would be safe to say that he practically has a 5-year-old child.
Well, there you have it folks! WKNC’s favorite DJ, DJ Ones, is a Renaissance man. Just look at that visionary face.
Click here to put in your vote for Best Radio Station in the Triangle and Best DJ. Polls close April 15.
No, not Animal: Aminal. You may have heard the Fight EPs (A Will to Fight EP and A Face to Fight EP), and they rock. Since then, Aminal has come up with some extremely energetic new material, and it is time to share.
Photo by Eric Scholz
Aminal has two nearby shows coming up: March 13 at Jack Sprat and March 16 at the Pour House! This session was probably one of the more hilarious, yet packed with great tunes.
Photo by Eric Scholz
Because of WKNC broadcasting NC State Baseball once more this Spring, last Friday was the last live airing of the Local Beat for an entire month. Nevertheless, it was a good one with three hours of some solid local music interviews.
Traffic on I-40 was terrible as Chapel Hill group Feeding the Fire got caught up and came in 25 minutes late. However, when they finally did arrive we had a lot to talk about since they are releasing their first full length album since becoming a band back in 2003, titled DisInfoNation. We talked about the writing and recording of the album, as well as the operation of their own record label, Own Life Records, and the album artwork of DisInfoNation. The album release party is this Thursday evening at the Local 506 with fellow locals Big Fat Gap and the Rocket Surgeons. Check out the interview below:
Feeding the Fire Live on the Local Beat 2/26/10
At 6 p.m. Wendy Spitzer came in to promote her debut full length album from Felix Obelix, A Tick of the Clock, A Beat in the Chest, which was released at the Nightlight in Chapel Hill Saturday night. The concert featured The Strugglers and a really interesting writing activity in which you write a letter to yourself eight months from now. That led to interesting conversation about her past projects that include a Time Capsule as well as a “Biggest Regret/ Best Decision” project from last year. Wendy and I also mused on her unique singing style as well as the very different musical instruments in her band. Take a listen:
Felix Obelix on the Local Beat 2/26/10
The Kickin Grass Band joined me for the last hour of the show to promote some of their upcoming shows and play some live tunes. Our conversation ranged anywhere from organic farming, to Lynda’s songwriting, and back to eating cats. It was definitely an interesting hour. All songs they played live are available for free download on the Local Beat ReverbNation page and you can listen to them in the music player to the right. Below is the entire interview and some videos from the KGB in studio:
Kickin Grass Band Live on the Local Beat 2/26/10
Local Beat w/ Adam Kincaid: Kickin Grass Band “Lay Him in the Ground (Live)” from Wolf TV on Vimeo.
As I mentioned, this is possibly the last live Local Beat for the next month. However, be on the lookout for more Local Beat Mini Exclusives!
Due to broadcast with NC State Baseball on WKNC, The Local Beat will have a limited run in the month of March. The Local Beat is on Friday evenings at 5pm until 8pm and will overlap with baseball several times in the spring. The baseball schedule for Fridays in March is as follows:
Friday March 5: NC State vs Quinnipiac (broadcast at 2:30 p.m., game at 3:00 p.m.)
Friday March 12: NC State @ Clemson (broadcast at 3:30 p.m., game at 4:00 p.m.)
Friday March 19: NC State @ Wake Forest (broadcast at 5:30 p.m., game at 6:00 p.m.)
Friday March 26: NC State vs Miami (broadcast at 6:00 p.m., game at 6:30 p.m.)
*All games and times are subject to change due to weather and field conditions.
This is good news for me, since I love N.C. State baseball. If rain gets in the way then fear not, I will try to be in the studio bringing you some solid local music. It really is a win-win! (Keep in mind that if you listen online you will not hear the baseball game or the Local Beat. )
Click here for the complete baseball schedule.