Category: Festival Coverage

Previews, reviews and coverage from music festivals like Hopscotch and Moogfest

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Festival Coverage

Best Downtown Drinking Spots For Hopscotch

Hopscotch is upon us ladies and gentleman. This is that wonderful time of year where music lovers from across the country come to our wonderful city and pack the streets to the point of insanity.  Fun insanity of course, but insanity nonetheless. All that moshing and head-banging is going to get to you eventually. I don’t care how much of a hardcore festival goer you are, you’re going to need to lie low at some point and enjoy a nice cold one to get the edge off. Granted, even the chillest of watering holes in the downtown area will be busier than usual this weekend; but these picks are your best bet for doing it right when you decide to take a break.

Flying Saucer

328 West Morgan Street

Remember when every hipster with an ironic taste for Das Racist was still so obsessed with PBR that craft beer didn’t even register for them? Well that’s how long Flying Saucer has been a champ on the scene. Now yea, it’s a franchise, so maybe some of you might think it’s not indie enough, but this place had 200 beers on tap before it was a thing around here. That makes it an OG; and attractive servers in mini-skirts and a bangin’ menu gives it tripel status (see what I did there).  Try the Rocket Tots and the brats. You’re welcome.

The Foundation

213 Fayetteville Street

Craft cocktails are king these days. Thank God, because L.I. Teas and Royal Flush shots taste just as bad coming back up later in the night. The Foundation is a dimly lit subterranean take on a speak-easy, and it hosts some of the most knowledgeable mixologists in the area. These guys make everything correctly, key word correctly, because there are too many bartenders that can’t even make a proper Manhattan in this town. Specializing in whiskey, this place is rumored to have the coveted Pappy Van Winkle on sale, even though I’ve never seen it. But if you like all craft everything, down to the ice, along with a chill atmosphere minus the pretence, this is the place you’ll want to grab a stool at.

Raleigh Times

14 East Hargett Street

Chances are, if you’re from Raleigh and in your twenties to early thirties, you’ve asked a future ex if they wanted to “grab a beer” at this place.  Seriously, I don’t know what it is, but it’s a first date staple for millennials around here. This makes great people watching, which is why I put it on my top list for downtown drinking spots, along with the fish tacos. They specialize in local craft beer here, and if you order a Miller Lite, the bartender will ironically snip at you that they don’t serve any domestics (they probably loved Das Racist back in the day too). It’s a good balance of busy and chill. You can get in the mix at the bar area, or slide into a booth in the candle lit dining area for a calmer vibe.

The Architect

108 East Hargett Street

The Architect is an interesting place. Part night club, part lounge, part social club; this place always has something interesting happening. Dip into here on Thursday night for a calm atmosphere, and explore its secret rooms (don’t bring a drink from the main bar) and admire its modern yet rustic design. Come in on Friday and Saturday to wild out to the best late 90s/early 00s party tracks. Come with a date or get crazy with your friends, this place is one of the livest spots in the Fayetteville St. area.

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Festival Coverage

Some of Our Hopscotch Itineraries

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Stressing about who to see at Hopscotch this weekend? Here are some of our DJs’ itineraries! 

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Festival Coverage

WKNC’s unofficial Hopscotch Day Parties Guide (Wednesday/Thursday/Friday)

One great feature of Hopscotch Music Festival are their free shows throughout the week or “Day Parties.” Anyone can attend these day parties even if you don’t have a wristband for the actual festival. Figuring out which day parties you want to attend can be difficult, but WKNC has put together this guide to make the task a little easier! Set times are not exact! If you notice an error, email design@wknc.org

Day parties are kicking off RIGHT NOW outside of CAM Raleigh with Hopscotch’s Design Festival’s Block Party. Be sure to check out WKNC’s Day Party with WXDU and WXYC Friday from 12-5 at Kings Barcade and Neptunes!

Check back for Saturday and Sunday’s Day Parties coming soon!

WKNC’s unofficial Hopscotch Day Parties Guide

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Festival Coverage

WKNC + WXYC + WXDU Hopscotch Day Party!

Hopscotch is approaching… and you certainly don’t wanna miss our day party extravaganza with fellow Triangle college radio stations WXYC and WXDU! There will be free food and FREE MUSIC! Kings is all ages and Neptunes is 18+ for this special event. Come hang out and mend college radio rivalry Friday, September 11th!

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Festival Coverage

Tips for an unforgettable Hopscotch

With Hopscotch right around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about how your weekend will pan out. Though you’ll have a ton of fun regardless, just a bit of planning can take your Hopscotch to the next level. I’m here to give you a few things to think about as you take a look at this year’s schedule. Though this will be my first Hopscotch, I have been to Bonnaroo the last two years as well as the BUKU festival in New Orleans earlier this year. Hopefully you can learn a little from my past music festival successes and mistakes.

  1. Make a list of Must-sees and a list of want-to-sees

There’s probably a few names that jump out at you on the schedule as shows that you need to see. Make these shows must-sees. Then, make a list of other shows that you would like to see. It’s good to have these tiers in case one of your friends wants to see a different show at the same time. You can see how much each person really cares about seeing that band and make a decision based off of that.

      2. Don’t follow your schedule too closely

Though it’s good to have a basic schedule of shows you want to see, don’t be afraid to branch out. Some of my favorite festival shows were spur-of-the-moment decisions inspired by the musical tastes of new friends. It’s also a great way to discover new music. Even if you don’t know the band now, they could be your favorite band in a year based off of a fantastic show.

      3. Don’t get too drunk early in the day

There’s nothing wrong with having a few drinks at shows if you’re of age. Just be sure you’re not wasted at 7 o’clock. By 12 you’ll be in no state to go to any shows, let alone enjoy them. If you’re going to drink, start later in the night or pace yourself. You don’t want to be the guy passed out in an alley outside the venue.

      4. Fight through the pain

At some point in the festival, it’ll be late at night and you and all of your friends will be dead tired. Someone will suggest you skip this one show and go back to the hotel or apartment because “Do we really need to see this band?” I know it’s tough but try to resist! When you think back to your weekend, are you going to remember that killer show or that extra hour of sleep? You can sleep when you’re dead. Hopscotch only comes around once a year. Make the most of it.

      5. Enjoy yourself!

You’re at a music festival! Your job for the next few days is to have fun and see a lot of cool live music. Regardless of what happens, you’re going to have an unforgettable time. You’ll grow closer to old friends and meet new friends from across the state and country. You’ll see some of your favorite bands and discover some new ones. There’s nothing like it. Have a blast.

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Festival Coverage

Venue Profile: Kings Barcade

Attending Hopscotch? Wanting to know what to expect? Here’s a little snippet about one of my favorite venues, Kings Barcade.

The venue has hosted some big acts, such as M83, The Avett Brothers, Surfer Blood, and Smith Westerns to name a few. But this year at Hopscotch it will be the location for Lilac Shadows, Wildhoney, Dad & Dad, Jenny Hval, and many more bands to rock out. 

Kings is located on West Martin St and is home to some great decor. The lighting is the coolest aspect of the venue; between the stage lighting and the illuminated crown, one can really vibe with the music, no matter the genre. 

Outside the venue is a great place to hang if you’re trying to get some cool air after dancing your butt off! The beautiful metallic mirrors and hanging ferns are a simple, but nice touch for the place.

Not to mention, Kings has one of the best venue restrooms. It excels in cleanliness.

*All images taken by Katelyn Auger

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Festival Coverage

Thursday night Hopscotch at Neptunes

While one of the most engaging parts of Hopscotch is racing from venue to venue to catch your favorite acts, it’ll be hard to find a reason to leave Neptune’s Thursday night.

Kicking off the lineup is David Mueller’s solo electronic project TZYVYX (pronounced civics). Mueller is a member of Raleigh’s Birds of Avalon and Heads on Sticks, but his solo project eschews traditional song structures for experimental electronic soundscapes. TZYVYX builds off of little, using few vocals, sleek synthesizers, and minimal percussion to fill the room. His live performances incorporate the use of projectors and CRT TV sets, creating a powerful atmosphere hard to step away from.

https://soundcloud.com/tzyvyx

Following TZYVYX is former Asheville local Nick James. James was previously in a Raleigh band, Oulipo, but also has adopted a radically different sound for his solo music. With slow, grinding tempos, his tracks use building chromatic melodies and drones to create a supremely menacing post-apocalyptic atmosphere. As tension builds James sporadically releases that kinetic energy with thick-as-concrete industrial bass punches. It’s startlingly cathartic for music that seems so sparse, but feels natural. Utilizing visuals for most of his live performances as well but had the following to say on them in an interview with The News & Observer: “…with my show, I kind of thought, since it’s built for sound systems – there’s a lot of bass, there’s a lot of heavy, kind of reverberating, cinematic sound – I want visuals, but projections aren’t necessarily high-definition enough. So, I’ve kind of gone with this HDMI, dual flat-screen situation that gives it this kind of high-definition sound environment that, when people are listening to the music and watching the visuals, it’s a much different, musical experience.”

https://soundcloud.com/nxjames

Up next on Thursday night’s lineup is Chicago’s Teklife member DJ Earl. After gaining a steadfast knowledge of Chicago’s juke culture at a young age from other Teklife DJs like Rashad, Spinn, and Traxman, DJ Earl began producing his own sounds that promote a fresh generation of footwork. While Earl was not a part of the official Hopscotch lineup last year, he took the stage of King’s the night before with DJ Paypal and DJ Big Hank kicking off the festival.

https://soundcloud.com/djearlteckz

Closing out the night at Neptunes is UK producer Mumdance whose energetic, grime dance music will make it hard to leave the parlour to race over to CAM to catch Cashmere Cat.

https://soundcloud.com/mumdance

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Festival Coverage

Hopscotch 2015 Artist Map

Each year, Hopscotch Music Festival brings in an incredible lineup of artists from all over the state, country, and world to play the three-day music festival in Raleigh. But have you ever wondered exactly where all of the bands are from?

WKNC’s dJ/dx used Mapbox to create a map of this year’s Hopscotch artists based on the hometowns listed on their Hopscotch Artist Bios. The marker’s aren’t quite exact, but they are placed near each city/town. You can click on each marker for the corresponding artist/band’s name, and clicking their picture will take you to their Hopscotch Artist Bio page.

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Festival Coverage

Going with the Flow

Last year, one of the most important lessons that I learned about Hopscotch is how important it is to just go with the flow. When I started on Thursday, I thought I had everything planned out; all the bands I wanted to see were highlighted on my artist lineup print out. As the night went on, I started to talk to more and more people who were excited to see artists I had totally overlooked. When I broke away from my “ideal” schedule, I found that my Hopscotch experience was much more interesting, exciting, and diverse—not that there’s anything wrong with trying to plan, just be sure to keep an open mind! 

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Festival Coverage

Food at Hopscotch