Category: DJ Highlights

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

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Sessions@KNC: Billy Sugarfix

Photo by Matt Moore

Amidst final exams, campus is silent.  It’s freezing too.  Billy Sugarfix voyaged out to NC State’s Caldwell Lounge early in December, accompanied by fellow musicians Sarah (shakers, vocals) and Justin (viola, vocals).  The trio graced us with a few adapted songs from Billy Sugarfix’s “Summer Tempests” as well as some new material.  As usual, you can listen and download the live tracks right here!

Billy Sugarfix’s next two shows are on Saturday, March 13 at The Evening Muse in Charlotte, and Saturday, March 20th at Nightlight in Chapel Hill.  

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Local Beat preview 2/26/10

Sorry for the delay in this post, but a couple of tests had me bogged down this week. I promise not to carry that into tonight on the Local Beat which will be one hell of a show as we have three hours of awesome Local Music.

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At 5 p.m. Chapel Hill band Feeding the Fire is coming in to chat about their new album, titled DisInfoNation, that is being released next Thursday, February 4, at the Local 506. Playing alongside them will be Rocket Surgeon and Big Fat Gap.

At 6 p.m., local favorite Wendy Spitzer is joining me to chat about her new release as well, from Felix Obelix, called The Tick of the Clock, the Beat in the Chest. Last time we had Wendy in I unfortunately was taken out by H1N1 and our old friend Stevo had to fill in. Hopefully I can redeem myself tonight. Felix Obelix just recently signed with Pox World Empire who will be releasing the album. The release show is tomorrow night, Saturday February 27 at the Nightlight in Chapel Hill. The Strugglers will be opening for the $8 show (a free CD comes with the price of admission) and there is a really cool letter writing activity that Wendy and I will definitely be talking about.

At 7pm one of our favorite bluegrass bands, the Kickin Grass Band is coming in to play some live tunes and talk about some upcoming shows.

Also, be on the lookout for our upcoming Local Beat Mini Exclusive with Bla’gard who is releasing a brand new album this weekend. More on that to come!

This is also the last live Local Beat for a month as N.C. State Baseball will be taking over WKNC’s radio waves this Spring. Keep on the lookout for online material for the rest of the Spring!

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Due to NC State Baseball, No Local Beat 2/19/10

As will become a recurring theme from here on out, there will be no Local Beat this Friday evening, February 19th.  Barring weather and field conditions the NC State Baseball team will be playing La Salle here on campus at Doak Field at Dail Park.  The game is scheduled to begin at 3pm, with broadcast starting at 2:30pm right here on 88.1 WKNC.  Typically, games last around 3-4 hours.  If the game does end earlier then feel free to listen in to local music up until 8pm, but the Local Beat will not be broadcasted.

This is the first game of the regular season for our men’s team, and throughout the spring many Local Beats will either be short or bumped.  However, be on the lookout for our brand new Local Beat “Mini Exclusives” which will hopefully start popping up here on the WKNC Blog.  Our first one was posted this past Saturday about the Love Hangover at the Pour House.  Feel free to check it out!

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Local Beat recap 2/12/10

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Last Friday on the Local Beat was one of the first full programs I have had in a while.  Several different members from a variety of bands from across the Triangle came in to chat with me.  As always, all songs performed live on the show are available for listening and download off of the Local Beat ReverbNation page and widget to the left.  We added 5 new songs this week, two by Schooner and three by Wembley.  Sorry for taking so long to post this, schoolwork got in the way once again.

Reid Johnson from Schooner came in at 5 p.m. to talk about the band’s brand new release, the Duck Kee Sessions EP.  All proceeds from the album go to benefit CyTunes.org which in effect goes to benefit cancer research.   CyTunes is the only place where you can download the album.  In addition to the CyTunes we talked about the release show for the EP this Friday at the Pinhook in Durham.  Veelee, the Erie Choir, and the Popular Kids are also performing.  This release show is unique in that instead of selling hard copies of the album, local musicians and artists have donated artwork that comes with a downloadable copy of the Duck Kee Sessions EP.  For more listen in below and check out the artwork as well at the bottom of the post:
Schooner on the Local Beat 2/12/10

Three members of Wembley came in at 6 p.m. to chat with me about their newest release, Keywords for Robots EP, which the band put out late in 2009.   I got a little upset with them for not promoting the album and sending it to me, all in good gesture of course.  The band members provided an insightful view into their lives as hobby-only musicians and I had a lot of fun sitting down with them for the hour.  You can listen to that conversation below:
Wembley on the Local Beat 2/12/10

I had two members each of Annuals, Bright Young Things, and Gray Young to come in and talk about their show this Friday night in downtown Raleigh at the Pour House.   The fellas were a little shy and all seven of us had to share four microphones, but we did manage to play brand new songs by all of the bands, including the entire brand new EPs by both Annuals and Bright Young Things while chatting about the recording process. Listen below:
Annuals, Bright Young Things, & Gray Young on the Local Beat 2/12/10

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Local Beat Mini Exclusive: The Love Hangover

Yesterday on the Local Beat, we were filled to capacity for our three hour show (a recap with interviews coming soon) and so I had to exclude one of the coolest shows next week, the Love Hangover, which is happening at the Pour House Music Hall in downtown Raleigh once more.  However, because The Love Hangover is just this cool I decided to do a watered down, short version of the Local Beat, for podcast only.  Caitlin Cary and Matt Douglas came in to play some tunes and chat while we got the creator of the Love Hangover, Richard Alwyn to call in from NYC to talk about the history of the show and it’s many new incarnations across the United States.

The Love Hangover is Monday night at the Pour House starting at 8pm and costs only $7.  It features duets that include:

Caitlin Cary & Matt Douglas
Sara Bell & Phil Cook
Alexandra Day & Hunter MacDermut
Karen Kletter & Aly Khalifa
Rachel Hirsh & John Booker

We had some technical problems but were finally able to work out the kinks for what turned out to be a great interview.  Listen below:
The Love Hangover

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Local Beat preview 2/12/10

Sorry for sending this blog in late, but some tests and Food Analysis and Statistical Quality Control labs have had me bogged down all week.  I do still pretend to be a student sometimes.

Tonight on the Local Beat however I am tossing all of that to the side for a fantastic lineup which I know everyone of you will be interested to listen in on.

Last time Reid Johnson tried to come on the Local Beat he got stuck in traffic and we had to settle for a quick phone interview.  Hopefully that won’t happen tonight as he and the rest of Schooner are coming on to chat about their most recent release, the Duck Kee Sessions EP, which will be sold only from CyTunes.org.  Schooner has been making the rounds of public radio in support for the album and I am more than happy to be one of the last stops on their radio tour before the release party next Friday, Feb 19th, at the Pinhook in Durham.  Veelee and the Erie Choir are playing as well and The Popular Kids will be doing standup.  Tune in at 5 p.m. to hear more about CyTunes, artwork at the show, and the album.

At 6 p.m. local favorites Wembley will be stopping in to play some live music off of their recent output, Keywords for Robots EP, which is  a fantastic record and gaining some support throughout the state.  If you havn’t heard the new EP since it’s release back in 2009, you are going to want to listen in and drag yourself out of your box to hear these great tunes.

For the last hour of the show a whos-who of local musicians will be sitting in with me.  Mike Robinson and Adam Baker from Annuals and Dan Grinder and Chas from Gray Young, and maybe some members from Bright Young Things will be dropping by to chat about their show at the Pour House next Friday.  All of these bands are releasing or have released new material so far in 2010 so we will check in with them to see what lies in progress for the upcoming year.

Finally, since I could not fit The Love Hangover onto the program in time, I will be sitting down with Caitlin Cary and Matt Douglas (of the Proclivities) for an informal pre-recorded Local Beat “Mini Exclusive” which will not be aired on WKNC but will be podcasted on the Blog instead.  We are going to try and get The Love Hangover creator, Richard Alwyn, to call in from NYC and chat about the show on Monday and hopefully coerce Caitlin and Matt to sing love songs to me.  With any luck this will be posted on the WKNC Blog sometime tomorrow.

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Love is all you need — besides music

I think the Magnetic Fields said it best: music comes from love.  On Monday, February 15 from 5 to 7 p.m., DJs Vice, Justin and I will be hanging out in the studio to bring you a show about music’s greatest muse!  Of the millions and billions of songs inspired by love we have handpicked some of our favorites–songs of tender care and understanding and of bitterness and longing.  We’ll explore such topics as the Indie Pop Infatuation, the Acoustic Heartache and the Malevolent Power-pop Lament.

And yes, we’re going all Delilah on you all (minus the relationship advice) and asking for your requests.  Please comment to this post between now and Monday or give us a call at our studio request lines (860-0881 or 515-2400)!  If you have any shout outs to loved ones we’d love to hear them!

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Krispy Kreme Challenge Results

WKNC had the great pleasure of supporting the 2010 Krispy Kreme Challenge as a silver level sponsor. We also sponsored our own team of runners – an amazing challenge since the race fell smack dab in the middle of Double Barrel Benefit 7.

If you read Special K’s preview of the Krispy Kreme Challenge, no doubt you having been waiting with glazed breath to hear how own crew fared.

Max Power blew the rest of the staff away with the astounding time of 47:33. DJ Two Sheds and his training monkey Molly came in next, at 50:03 and 54:21. Major props also go to DJ Mick, Sweet Melissa, Special K, Will, Agent Orange, Osh-Tosh, Mz Kelly, Riff Raff, Hot Tamale and May Day for crossing the finish line.

Check out Technician’s Sights and Sounds of the event and their photo slideshow. If you caught any pictures of our crew, decked out in custom KNC wearables, send them over to us and we’ll put them in our end-of-year slideshow – unless they prominently feature regurgitated doughnuts, of course.

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Local Beat preview 2/5/10

Barring weather tonight, the Local Beat should be interesting.  Always in support of anything or anyone who supports local music, I will be joined on the air by some of our comrades at UNC Chapel Hill’s student run radio station, WXYC, to talk about their Digital Music Showcase that is currently underway.

At 6 p.m. some of the guys from Raleigh’s Deep South Bar will be coming on to talk about their upcoming battle of the bands series that will happen over three Sundays beginning March 14 to May 2 excluding Easter.  Each Sunday the best bands chosen will continue to the next round robin.  According to Matt Wood at Deep South:

Prizes for the event include $500 cash, slots to perform at Raleigh Wide Open ‘10 and Downtown Live ’10, $25-$100 gift cards to Sam Ash, and free studio time. There is also the opportunity to attend a showcase with music executives in Nashville during the Winter of 2010.   Bands will be judged by WKNC & 96 Rock DJs  as well as interns and music executives with Deep South Entertainment.  There are still a few slots left open, so bands can email battle@deepsouththebar.com for more information and to register.

Both of these interviews will be talking about exposing under publicized Triangle based musicians and bands, so if you count youself as one of those, be sure to pay special attention!

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Local Beat recap 1/29/10

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Last week on the Local Beat was a lot of fun, as we had two bands in the studio for 2.5 hours of good conversation. Maria Albani, bass player of Schooner, came in to chat about her new solo project Organos at 5 p.m which is having a debut album release for the brand new EP, Limbs, this Friday at the Pinhook in Durham (it is already getting airplay on Satellite Radio).  Organos is an interesting band in which Maria plays an assortment of unorthodox instruments such as spoons, glass, cardboard, boxes, shaker eggs, and sticks among other interesting sounds to create a unique yet immensely satisfying minimalist folk rock sound.  On the album Maria performed most of the parts herself but live Organos is a whole different animal.   A mini local super group of sorts, Organos live claims the likes of Reid Johnson (Schooner), Wes Phillips (solo, North Elementary, Rosebuds), Theresa Phillips (North Elementary), Nathan White (Nathan Oliver), and John Harris0n (Nathan Oliver, North Elementary), not to mention Maria herself.  In our conversation Maria, Theresa, and I chatted about the album, the band members, the show, and also her past bands which include Pleasant, Tennis and the Mennonites, Un Deux Trois, & The Pox Family Singers.  Listen to the podcast below:
Organos on the Local Beat 1/29/10

Organos is playing at the Pinhook this Friday, February 5 alongside Birds and Arrows and Ye Old Shoppe (with members of Wild Wild Geese).  The show is at 9:30 p.m., and you get a free copy of the album with price of admission!

At 6 p.m., local bluegrass favorites The Hotwires stepped in to chat about an assortment of different topics, but mostly to encourage our listeners to head to the Haiti Relief Benefit show at the Pour House Thursday, February 4th.   The Hotwires are playing in the middle of the show after Andy Bilinski, Roger Gupton, and the Debonzo Brothers, and before Chatham County Line, Filthybird, and A Rooster For The Masses.  The show is $12 and all proceeds are going to the Red Cross in support of Haiti Relief efforts.  The fellas and I spent quite a bit of time chatting about bluegrass as a genre, the history of bluegrass, as well as their upcoming album which is hopefully going to be released at some point this spring.   We even got a little touchy when talking about their old band name, No Strings Attached.  They also brought in some instruments and played some live tunes for me. 
I also interviewed Hank Smith for this past Monday’s Eye On the Triangle program here on WKNC about the benefit. .