Category: Festival Coverage

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

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Festival Coverage

Hopscotch 2014 Day Party Wrap-Up

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Hopscotch Music Festival is by far my favorite weekend in Raleigh. There are countless shows by incredible international, national, and local acts every night. There is so much going on at any given point that it is impossible to be bored. The down-side of this though is sometimes there is too much going on at once and you have to miss one of your must see acts. But have no fear, day parties are here to save the day. Day parties give artists a chance to play different sets in different venues to some people who might have missed their late night sets. It’s also a place for some bands who aren’t a part of the festival (Spider Bags and Ex Hex) or a chance to see some truly incredible and rare collaborations (Mary Lattimore / Thurston Moore and Daniel Bachman / Nathan Bowles). The best part about these day parties is that they are free and some even provide free pizza!

Hopscotch just recently posted a comprehensive list of all of the incredible day parties taking place. I am going to highlight some of the ones that I am most excited about below, but definitely be sure to check out the full list as there are way too many heavy-hitters this year to include in this post.

Thursday, September 4th
Slim’s: noon – 5:00 p.m.
PotLuck presents The 2nd Annual Hopscotch Rock n’ Roll Pizza Party
Outside stage: Schooner (4:30), See Gulls (3:30), Lakes & Woods (2:30), North Elementary (1:30), Horizontal Hold (12:30)
Inside stage: Le Weekend (4:00), The Good Graces (3:00), Curtains (2:00), Beauty World (1:00) Rogue Band of Youth (12:00), Wichita Falls (11:30)
Sponsored by Lilly’s Pizza, Big Boss Brewing

On Thursday, we see the return of the 2nd Annual Hopscotch Rock n’ Roll Pizza Party at Slim’s. This party features free pizza provided by Lilly’s Pizza and is presented by Potluck featuring the best of the Potluck family and friends.

Friday, September 5th
Kings Barcade: noon – 5 p.m.
Three-Lobed Recordings/WXDU Day Show:
Mary Lattimore and Thurston Moore (4:20-5:00), MV&EE (3:30-4:00), Sunburned Hand of the Man (2:45-3:15), Little Black Egg Big Band (1:20-2:20), Jenks Miller and Rose Cross NC (12:30-1:00), Bachman-Bowles Duo (11:45-12:15), with between set improv work from Nathan Bowles and Mike Gangloff

On Friday, Three-Lobed Recordings and WXDU again bring some huge names to their day party at Kings. This showcase again features some spectacular collaborations and boasts the only performance of a lot of these people at the festival this year. Kicking off the day is DBB alum Daniel Bachman along with Daniel Bowles in their debut collaboration effort followed by special sets by Jenks Miller & Rose Cross NC, the debut of the Little Black Egg Big Band, and Sunburned Hand of the Man. The only repeat offenders of this festival will be MV&EE who promise a special set unique from their Thursday night performance. Once again, Thurston Moore closes out the party with another first-time collaboration effort with harpist Mary Lattimore. This party is once again destined to push Kings to capacity so get there early and why wouldn’t you?

Friday, September 5th
Nice Price Books: 1:30 – 5 p.m.
88.1 WKNC + 103.1 WUAG Present:
Matt Kivel, Krill, Palehound, Black Santa, Y’all, The Dinwiddies
Sponsored by Lilly’s Pizza

And of course, don’t forget WKNC and WUAG’s inaugural, collaborative day party taking place at Nice Price Books. Not to toot our own horn, but this show features 3 national acts that I am the most excited to see at this festival (Krill, Palehound, Matt Kivel). The show also features Greensboro greats Black Santa, ex-Invisible Hand rockers Y’ALL, and lo-fi swooners The Dinwiddies. Oh, and also free pizza by Lilly’s Pizza.

Friday, September 5th
Slim’s: noon – 5:30 p.m.
Churchkey Records, The Layabout, and Bull City Burger & Brewery Present: ¡Que Viva! 2014
Inside stage: Spider Bags (4:45), Gross Ghost (3:15), Scully (1:45), Silent Lunch (12:15)
Ouside Stage: Pipe (4:00), Las Rosas (2:30), The Everymen (1:00)

The line-up speaks for itself. Learn how to be in 3 places at once.

Saturday, September 6th
Warehouse District: noon – 5 p.m.
‘Babes in Boyland’ a Day Party in support of Girls Rock NC:
EX HEX, Caitlin Rose, Loamlands, The Tender Fruit
Partners: Videri Chocolate Factory, Baldwin, Slingshot Coffee, Pie Pushers, Chirba Chirba, Parlour Ice Cream, Planned Parenthood of NC, Humdinger Juice, TOPO Distillery

Boyland is the place to be on Saturday.  Durham’s The Tender Fruit kick things off followed by Loamlands’ catchy, twangy Southern rock and Nashville’s sweetheart Caitlin Rose. Mary Timony’s power-trio, Ex Hex, closes out the party with their infectious display of showmanship and musicianship. The show not only features incredible music, but also features a Bloody Mary bar by Ashley Christensen, Glowmosas by Humdinger Juice, Cold Press Coffee by Slingshot Coffee Company, Pie Pushers, Chirba Chirba Dumplings, and The Parlour. Not only does the line-up stand out in the list of day parties, but on a weekend filled by big names, things like food and alcohol definitely seem to tip the scale. Oh yeah, it also supports a great cause.

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Festival Coverage

Navigating Hopscotch

Hopscotch music festival will take over downtown Raleigh and crowds of music lovers will descend upon the city streets. With a fast-paced 160 bands in just 3 days, any prepared festival goer needs transportation options to match. Navigating Raleigh’s relatively square grid-like downtown blocks is not always as straightforward as it seems, so here are some tips for choosing the transport methods to best suit your festival schedule. [Bonus feature: a handy map of festival venues to get you started!]

“I have no wheels!”

Pedestrians get a few subtle perks in Raleigh. With City Plaza as epicenter of the festival, most of Fayetteville Street will be blocked off and only available to pedestrians. Crosswalks in downtown Raleigh are timed with the car traffic, no button mashing required! Simply wait your turn, and appreciate the few crosswalks around town that give a head start to pedestrians while everyone else is stopped.

Public transit in downtown Raleigh can connect your bipedal travel. Raleigh features two free bus routes: NCSU’s Wolfprowl and CAT’s R-Line. You can use Transloc on your computer or smart phone to track the location of the bus at any time. The Wolfprowl and the R-line share a stop on Morgan Street. The stops along Wilmington Street are close to most festival venues, and the route is lined with parking decks for the multi-modal Hopscotch’ers (see “I have four wheels!” below). Both buses run until at least 2am on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights so you don’t have to miss any of the festival action.

“I have two wheels!”

Raleigh doesn’t have any truly protected bike lanes, but it has an assortment of bike-friendly sharrows painted on many roads around town. The Capital Area Greenway Trail System can connect you to the festival action, particularly the Rocky Branch or Little Rock Trails.

Especially when biking on roads in the flow of traffic with cars, wear a helmet and ensure you have a functioning white light for the front and a red light for the back of your bike. Follow all traffic laws and bike predictably for the safest ride. There are lots of bike racks within a few blocks of Fayetteville Street, even a few cleverly shaped, so bring a handsome bike lock.

“I have four wheels”

Raleigh features parking decks are well-located surrounding the main attractions and venues in town. The decks are generally free after 7pm and on weekends, but special event parking is a $7 fee. Check out the city’s ParkLink for the most up to date guides, maps, and parking information. The R-line route is lined with parking decks for the multi-modal Hopscotch’ers (see “I have no wheels!” above).

Regardless of your preferred mode of travel, happy Hopscotch’ing! 

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Festival Coverage

Transfigurations II Festival – Celebrating 10 Years of Harvest Records

Harvest Records, beloved Asheville-based independent record store and label, will celebrate it’s 10 year anniversary with the return of multi-day music festival, Transfigurations II, a sequel to 2009’s Transfigurations I. Through these festivals, owners Mark Capon and Matt Schnable hope to reflect Harvest and the community’s tastes, as well as encourage people to discover new music. 

“In all honesty, if we look back on our earliest hopes, dreams and visions of what Harvest Records could become, it would mirror what actually ended up happening,” said Harvest Records’ Mark Capon and Matt Schnable in a press release statement. “Since our college days together, the idea was consistent: Open a record shop, yes, of course…but don’t let it stop there. Create a space dedicated to the discovery of music, the exchange of ideas, a place for broader discussions about community. Book shows for artists that normally wouldn’t come to town; host art on our walls from local artists who haven’t shown much before; start a record label and release recordings of sounds that may have not otherwise been produced physically. And it all happened.”

Transfigurations II will take place August 28-30 in Harvest’s home of West Asheville. The festival will feature more than 25 bands at three different venues throughout Asheville and Marshall, NC. Lineup highlights include Ashley Olsen, The Clean, Hiss Golden Messenger, and Mount Eerie. 

Tune into WKNC this week for your chance to win Saturday day passes to Transfigurations II. 

Visit Harvest Records for more information and tickets.

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Festival Coverage

Hopscotch Design Festival preview

One of the great features of Hopscotch Music Fest is that it not only aims to expose the community to new music, but also a deeper range of culture. This year, to the delight of the growing design community in Raleigh, Hopscotch is introducing its own Design Festival. Kicking off a day before the music begins, the Design Festival promises an enlightening conversation about current design and its role in the future.

With its own lineup and separate wristband, the Design Fest will house a subculture of people separate from the typical nightgoers. However, the two festivals will not only have overlapping attendees, but also overlapping performers as a few of the Design Festival’s speakers are on the Hopscotch Music Festival schedule.. With worldwide renown designers, the festival is sure to be compelling and informative for designers and nondesigners alike.

The 2-day Design Festival will take place from Sept. 3rd – 4th. From 9:30am to 4pm on Wednesday, there will be speakers at the Raleigh Convention Center, CAM’s Main Gallery and Classroom, Flanders, Clearscapes, and Red Hat. Speakers include Brian Singer of Pinterest, Pierce Freelon + Apple Juice Kid co-founders of Beat Making Lab, and Doug Powell of IBM. During this period, there will be Interactive Projects and a Prototyping Festival. In addition, from 1pm – 4pm, the Raleigh Convention Center will be hosting a Hopscotch Lab featuring Elliot Montgomery’s Extrapolation Factory.

The Extrapolation Factory was a project developed by designers Chris Woebken and Elliott Montgomery to encourage people to get in the mindset of not predicting, but actively embodying design. The Extrapolation Factory features “futuring research;” it is an imagination-based studio that uses hands-on activities to further people’s understanding of how we control the future through our design. By the end of the lab, participants should have a deeper understanding on how “futuring” affects them and they’re powerful role in it.

From 4pm – 5pm there will be a Happy Hour at CAM immediately preceding Shohei Shigematsu’s seminar at the Raleigh Convention Center. Shohei Shigematsu became Director of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) in 2006 and a Partner in 2008. Shigematsu has directed multiple architectural projects under OMA including the Milstein Hall (a College of Architecture extension) and the current construction of the Quebec National Beaux Arts museum and the Faena Arts Center in Miami Beach. Shigematsu has even collaborated with Kanye West on a seven-screen pavilion that was unveiled at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012.

Following Shigematsu’s seminar is an In-House Design reflections panel at Red Hat. The first day’s events will end with a party at Lincoln Theatre from 8pm – 10pm.

On Thursday, speakers will be having seminars at participating venues the Raleigh Convention Center, the Stockroom, King’s Barcade, Raleigh City Museum, and Lincoln Theatre. Included in Thursday’s speakers are Annie Atkins the lead graphic designer for Wes Anderson’s film The Grand Budapest Hotel, Tristan Shone and Lee Noble. As a mechanical engineering and musician, Tristan Shone has built his career designing custom machines and speakers for his music project Author & Punisher. He has been producing his “doom-influenced” sounds for the past 10 years releasing 5 albums to date. Shone will be performing at Kings Barcade on Thursday at 11:30pm. Lee Noble runs No Kings in Los Angelos, a small-batch tape release record label. Noble plans to discuss the aesthetics in the combination of music, art, and design in relation to his label. Noble’s music is described as mysterious and elusive and he will also be playing Hopscotch Thursday at Fletcher Opera Theater at 9pm. Thursday’s events will end with a day party at the Convention Center.

Hopscotch is selling 2-Day Design Festival passes for $150 and for half price with the purchase of a VIP or 3-day music pass.

Below is a full list of speakers.

Shohei Shigematsu – Partner of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA)

Harper Reed – Founder and CEO of Modest, Chief Technology Officer for Obama 2012 campaign

Sarah Miller Caldicott – executive with Global 500 firms including Quaker Oats/Pepsi and the Helene Curtis subsidary of Unilever, co-author of Innovate Like Edison: The Five Step System for Breakthrough Business Success

Elle Luna – Designer, painter, and writer. Creator of Bulan Project

Kai-Uwe Bergmann – Partner at Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)

Alexander Isley – Founder of Alexander Inc., graduate of NCSU’s College of Design and The Cooper Union School of Art

Doug Powell – Design Principal and Design Education Program Director at IBM

Annie Atkins – Lead Graphic Designer on Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel

Brian Singer – Manager on the Communication Design team at Facebook, previously worked with Apple, Adidas, Stanford Lively Arts, and Chronicle Books

Maurice Woods – Founder and Executive Director of the Inneract Project

Casey Caplowe – Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of GOOD

Cliff Bleszinski – Former Design Director at Epic Games

Sha Hwang – Designer on Healthcare.gov team, worked with The New York Times, CNN, MTV, Flickr, and Adobe

Pamela Abalu – Global Head of Design and Construction for MetLife Inc.

Mitchell Silver – Commissioner of New York City’s Dept. of Parks and Recreation

Elliot Montgomery – Co-Founder of The Extrapolation Factory

Matt Tomasulo – Chief Instigator of Walk [Your City]

Jake Levitas – Innovation Fellow in the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Civic Innovation

Rob Cotter – Founder and CEO of Organic Transit

Katie Potochney – Creative Director at SYPartners

Jarin Tabata – Creative Director at SYPartners

Timothy Myers – Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of North Carolina Opera

Patrick Hobgood – Raleigh native who worked for the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) and currently at family business Kenneth Hobgood Architects (KHA)

Tristan Shore – Musician and Engineer; playing Hopscotch Thursday at King’s Barcade under the name Author & Punisher

Apple Juice Kid & Pierce Freelon – Co-Founders of the Beat Making Lab

Lee Noble – runs No Kings record Label, performing at Hopscotch on Thursday at Fletcher Opera Theater

Heather Cook – Founder of Shind!gs

Kaitlyn Goalen – Co-Founder of Short Stack Editions

Meredith Pittman – NCSU’s College of Design Graduate working with Wild Yonder and Ellen Cassilly Architect

Garrett Grohman – Manager of A&R at Indiegogo

Merrette Moore – Founder and Managing Director of Lookout Capital

Creighton Blackwell – Vice President of Branch Networks and Community Engagement at Coastal Federal Credit Union

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Festival Coverage

Hopscotch Music Fest is almost here!

Hopscotch Music Fest is almost here! 

As usual the staff is incredibly excited to see some of the best new and lesser-known musical acts 2014 has to offer. As part of WKNC’s unique coverage of the festival we’ve created this video playlist of all the Lounge artists playing this year. Discover the lineup’s hidden gems by watching the playlist!

Two Lounge alumni featured in this playlist, Krill and Palehound, will be performing at WKNC’s Hopscotch Day party at Nice Price Books on Hillsborough Street along with Black Santa, Y’all, and Matt Kivel! Friday September 5th. (We’ve heard there’ll be pizza)

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)
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Festival Coverage

Most Anticipated Shows of Hopscotch 2014/Personal Itinerary

DJ SALINGER — a personal itinerary for Hopscotch 2014

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Thursday:

The kick off night for Hopscotch is going to be incredible to say the least. To start with, the first highlight of the night will occur at Slim’s at 9:30 PM when Southport, NC’s own Museum Mouth takes the stage (or shall I say rocks the stage) with all of their wonderfully emotional songs off their latest album Alex I Am Nothing. Then from there, you will want to make sure to grab a portion of The Till’s set at Pour House Music Hall before making your way over to Deep South to catch my most anticipated performance of the evening by Reptar who are making their way to Raleigh from their hometown Athens, Georgia…which is coincidentally from the deep south.

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Friday:

Alright, it’s already a given that all of Friday’s City Plaza’s shows will be a must see with Lonnie Walker starting at 5:45, St. Vincent at 6:50, and Spoon at 8:30 PM. Now the big question arises: Where do I go from here? Well let me just tell ya, I am really looking forward to starting the post City Plaza extravaganza with Raleigh’s own Ghostt Bllonde who will be playing at CAM Raleigh starting at 9:30 PM. After this set, I will definitely stop by to catch Loamlands at Lincoln Theater, then a little bit of the Nervous Ticks at The Hive before heading over to my most anticipated performance of Friday—Mapei. Coming all the way from Stockholm, Sweden, Mapei’s infectious songs are sure to be a must see at midnight in Tir Na Nog.

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Saturday:

If I learned anything from last year’s festival, it’s that by the last night I am WORN OUT. Having a blast running around downtown Raleigh can really take a toll on one’s body, so come Saturday night I will be staying put in one spot to see all of my most anticipated performances for the evening; and that spot is the Fletcher Opera Theater. Starting out at 10:00 PM with the talented Asheville based folk singer Alexandra Sauser-Monnig, as part of the group Mountain Man, Alexandra’s beautiful vocals are surely not to be missed. The night only gets better with Chicago’s Ryley Walker taking the stage at 11:00 PM and then perhaps my most anticipated show of the whole festival, a solo performance by Phosphorescent at midnight. The level of intimacy Saturday night in the Fletcher Opera Theater will without a doubt be through the roof; and for that reason alone, overall, I am anticipating Saturday the most out of all the days. 

By: Clint Bowman

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Festival Coverage

Drumstrong 2014 – Festival Review

I had high hopes for the Drumstrong Rhythm & Arts Festival this past weekend, and it most definitely did not disappoint. Right from the get go, the music was solid. Starting off running with Modern Primitives on Friday afternoon, and ending with Dom Flemmons Sunday night, everyone’s musical pallets should have been whetted. From indie to bluegrass to electronic and nearly everything in between, Drumstrong definitely covered their bases with this lineup. The shortest setlist award goes to The Mantras, whose 30+ minute jam on Saturday definitely got the crowd’s interest. HRVRD’s creative use of looping and vocal effects was a crowd favorite on Friday night, and Railroad Earth blew the non-existent roof off the festival during their Saturday night headline slot. There were plenty of bands local to the triangle that showed up as well. Lost in the Trees, American Aquarium, Chatham County Line, and The Love Language just to name a few.

Not only was the music fantastic, but the artists and vendors had something to offer people of every taste. Including talented painters like Sarah Goodyear, and even handmade drum vendors, the amount and quality of local crafts was extremely high. Sponsorship from PBR and Starr Hill Brewery in addition to multiple food trucks from the Charlotte area meant that refreshments were of quality and in high supply. All of these elements, along with the pleasant location of Misty Meadows farm set a great backdrop to a great festival that offered much more than great music.

Then there was the drum circle. Starting off at about 3:00 on Saturday afternoon, a huge crowd gathered underneath the tent with drums, tambourines, cowbells, and five gallon buckets in hand. For the next 24 hours, everyone drummed non-stop while the entire event was broadcast worldwide. As people got tired, and as hands got blistered, people would switch off and take breaks. However, there were always a few people always willing to drum through the night, and into the early morning. Catching up on Sunday afternoon, we were able to witness the culmination of this year’s efforts, into an almost deafening roar of percussion as the clock counted down to zero. When the 24 hour mark was reached everyone stopped in unison, which left a strange silence after the constant pulse that had been present. I think that it’s safe to say that this year’s Drumstrong Rhythm & Arts Festival was a big success, and here’s hoping to an even bigger weekend next year.

– Ben Goodson

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The Main Stage at Drumstrong

I spent this past weekend at the Drumstrong Rhythm and Arts Festival. Upon arriving at the festival grounds, I was surprised at how big the stage setup was. There were huge banners in front of the speaker stacks, ample stage lights, and huge soundboards. Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect music-wise, having only heard a few songs by the artists on the bill, but I heard a lot of good music that weekend. Here’s a rundown of some of my favorite acts that played.

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Jesse Clasen of HRVRD

The first band that threw me for a loop was the Friday night headliner, HRVRD. They’re a Charlotte-based band that plays a darker style of indie rock and alludes to post-hardcore at times (thinking of Circa Survive). The bassist and drummer did a fantastic job of holding down the mood of their songs. Meanwhile, the lead guitarist laid down some gloomy-sounding chords. Awesome set from these guys.

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Miami Dice throwing it down

Miami Dice is an electro-pop group that makes reference to the 80’s in both style and sound. They somewhat remind me of CFCF, a band I remember enjoying quite a lot in past years. Miami Dice’s slightly odd stage act is worth mentioning. They come fully equipped with blazers, Ray-bans, and backup dancers. They played a very danceable set on Friday night, and I’m interested in seeing what they’ll do in the future.

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The Futurebirds

Futurebirds are a laid-back country rock band off of Fat Possum Records. Their extended song lengths give ample time for vibing out, and it’s hard for me to not imagine their practice space being a big barn somewhere in rural Georgia.

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Dave Wilson of Chatham County Line

Chatham County Line are a renowned bluegrass outfit from the Triangle region. Their set Saturday did not disappoint, and it’s clear that they were some of the most skilled musicians at the whole festival. They just released their sixth album this week, entitled “Tightrope”, off of Yep Roc Records.

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Joe Pug Trio

Joe Pug is a singer-songwriter currently based out of Austin, TX, and the guy knows his way around a folk song. The first song he played Sunday was “Hymn #35”, a contemplative tune that comes off like a riddle. From that moment I knew I was going to enjoy his set. His music has themes of vagrancy and regret, and his narrative lyric style is reminiscent of Bob Dylan. Pug has also stated literary influences of John Steinbeck and Walt Witman. Definitely check this guy out if you’re looking for some good folk.

I look forward to seeing what the guys over at Drumstrong have in store for next year!

-DJ Nasty Nate

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Festival Coverage

Shakori Hills Festival

Shakori Hills, a festival only 40 minutes away from Raleigh, located on a beautiful farm in the heart of the Piedmont, just outside Pittsboro, a region close enough to Jordan Lake and Durham but just outside the hectic commercial grasp of Cary.

The festival celebrates it’s geographic relevance.  Americana, bluegrass, folk, blues, with some worldly music sprinkled in; Shakori hills is the music festival for any true North Carolinian.

I attended the festival with the best Shakori guide: WKNC’s DJCJ.  Standing next to him at our tent I watched the other side, the unknown side of the signal become clear.  North Carolinian’s of all genders, ages, races, and sizes would boast their loyalty to our station and many to CJ’s American Blues shift.  These people listened to WKNC.

To watch the glowing faces of people talk to CJ and myself about Shakori gave me hope as a DJ.  I was proud to watch Ben Sollee, Indigo girls, Del McCoury, and Morning Brigade with my fellow DJs: GRZA, Kataclysm, and CJDJ.

Baboomba

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Festival Coverage

Initial 2014 Hopscotch Music Festival Lineup

INITIAL 2014 HOPSCOTCH MUSIC FESTIVAL LINEUP: SPOON, MASTODON, ST. VINCENT, AND MORE! 40+ BANDS WILL BE ADDED IN JUNE. TICKETS ON SALE NOW

“Hopscotch is now the premiere experimental and underground music festival in America.”—Ad Hoc

Hopscotch Music Festival, recently called “America’s (Secretly) Best Festival” and “the premiere experimental and underground festival in America,” celebrates its fifth anniversary in downtown Raleigh, N.C., this Sept. 4-6, 2014. The festival, noted for its diversity and selective programming, features nearly 160 bands in a wide range of genres. With today’s initial lineup announcement of 115 acts, Hopscotch reaffirms its commitment to showcasing North Carolina’s thriving scene alongside notable artists from around the world. For the fifth year in a row, approximately 40% of the festival’s artists hail from in-state—a figure few, if any, nationally recognized music events can claim. An additional 40 bands will be revealed in the coming weeks.

“While most of our bigger slots are programmed and now public, we chose to break up the lineup to limit information overload,” notes Hopscotch’s founding director, Greg Lowenhagen. “We’ve presented everyone at once in the past, and because the festival is still five months away, we thought it made sense to pull back and reveal artists in two stages. We hope this approach is more welcoming and makes the lineup easier to digest.”

Hopscotch 2014 will be highlighted by two nights in Raleigh City Plaza, the city’s most inviting downtown space. On Friday, Sept. 5, Spoon—prolific pop experimentalists and one of indie rock’s most commercially and critically acclaimed bands—will headline the festival’s main stage. Friday’s bill also features St. Vincent, creator of one of 2014’s best records and most captivating live shows. Lonnie Walker will open. On Saturday, Sept. 6, Mastodon—Atlanta’s perpetually evolving and consistently enthralling hard rock nonconformists—will top a bill with Detroit’s punk pioneers Death and local favorites Valient Thorr.

Some 150 other bands will perform in various clubs during Hopscotch’s three days. A sampler of these acts so far includes: Sun Kil Moon, High on Fire, Thurston Moore, Jamie xx, How To Dress Well, Tony Conrad, Deniro Farrar, Lunice, Power Trip, American Aquarium, Obnox, Lee Noble, The Haxan Cloak, White Lung, Palehound, Ava Luna, Reigning Sound, Sun Araw, Open Mike Eagle, Mapei, Phosphorescent playing solo, and one of former Ween frontman Aaron Freeman’s first performances with his new band FREEMAN.

Remaining VIP and 3-Day passes are available through www.hopscotchmusicfest.com and www.etix.com

This year, Hopscotch’s former day party coordinator, Nathan Price, was promoted to talent coordinator to help Lowenhagen book the festival. “My job was to maintain Hopscotch’s established identity and credibility while offering my take on what I thought would attract fans in 2014,” says Price. “We wanted to highlight artists—both established and emerging—who are making incredible music right now, while also presenting Hopscotch’s usual roster of unorthodox and less obvious festival choices. I think we’ve found that balance so far.”

INITIAL LINEUP
IIII, 6 String Drag, Alexandra Sauser-Monnig, American Aquarium, Artificial Brain, Author & Punisher, Axxa/Abbraxas, Ava Luna, Avers, Bedowyn, Blanko Basnet, Blursome, Body Games, Canine Heart Sounds, Coke Weed, Cousins, Dark Rooms, Davidians, Dead Gaze, Demon Eye, Deniro Farrar, Dent May, Diarrhea Planet, Drag Sounds, Death, Eagulls, Ed Schrader’s Music Beat, Enemy Waves, First Person Plural, FREEMAN, Free Clinic, GEMS, Ghostt Bllonde, Guerilla Toss, Helm, High On Fire, Holygrailers, How To Dress Well, Jacuzzi Boys, Jamie XX, Joe Scudda, KEN mode, Krill, Last Year’s Men, Landlady, Lee Noble, Loamlands, Lonnie Walker, Lunice, Mark McGuire, Marley Carroll, Mapei, Mastodon, Matt Kivel, Matt Northrup, Mas Ysa, Museum Mouth, Mutual Benefit, Nest Egg, New Music Raleigh Presents: Future Shock, Nik Turner’s Hawkwind, No Eyes, No Love, Obnox, Octopus Jones, Open Mike Eagle, Potty Mouth, Power Trip, Palehound, Paperhaus, Phosphorescent Solo, Prince Rama, Reigning Sound, Ryley Walker, Saint Rich, Screature, See Gulls, Soft Cat, Solar Halos, Spoon, Strange Faces, St. Vincent, SubRosa, Sun Araw, Sun Club, Sun Kil Moon, The Haxan Cloak, The Nervous Ticks, The Tills, The Range, The White Octave, Thurston Moore, Tony Conrad, T0W3RS, Valient Thorr, Virgins Family Band, Walin’ Storms, Well$, White Lung, White Laces, Wild Fur, Wing Dam, Winston Facials, Witch Mountain, Wowolfol, Y’ALL, Young Cardinals, YVETTE, Zack Mexico

TICKETS
VIP and 3-Day passes are on sale now at www.hopscotchmusicfest.com/tickets. Each of these passes allows entry into all festival clubs and both City Plaza headlining shows.

In June, along with the release of the 2014 Hopscotch schedule, 1-Day passes will be made available. These passes will allow entry into every Hopscotch show on a specific day and will range from $65–$85.

Individual tickets for shows in Raleigh City Plaza will be made available soon. The Friday, Sept. 5, show featuring Spoon, St. Vincent, and Lonnie Walker costs $40. The Saturday, Sept. 6, show featuring Mastodon, Death, and Valient Thorr also costs $40.

All passes and tickets are limited. To purchase tickets and wristbands, visit www.hopscotchmusicfest.com andwww.etix.com

IMPROVISER-IN-RESIDENCE
Continuing a festival tradition established in 2012 with multifaceted drummer Chris Corsano and carried on by Japanese noise pioneer Merzbow in 2013, Thurston Moore will take over the role of Hopscotch’s Improviser-in-Residence. Moore’s volume of work—from his time in Glenn Branca’s ensemble to Sonic Youth’s legendary catalog to his collaborations with Mats Gustafsson, Jim O’Rourke, Nels Cline, and countless others—makes him one of the most inventive and influential musicians of his generation. No stranger to Hopscotch, Moore visited Raleigh with John Moloney last year to play a day party produced by Three Lobed Recordings and WXDU, and afterwards, they were joined by Merzbow for a special performance. Carrying the improvisational torch to this year’s festival, he will play a full set of his own on Thursday, Sept. 4, and join other bands onstage for impromptu appearances.

MORE TO COME
In the coming months, Hopscotch will add 40 more bands to its official lineup. The festival will also bring a bevy of day parties to downtown Raleigh in September, as well as the second annual SiteWork art exhibition, a photography exhibit, and the inaugural Hopscotch Design Festival.

HOPSCOTCH DESIGN FESTIVAL 
Hopscotch Music Festival and New Kind, the Raleigh-based design and community-building firm, are thrilled to announce the inaugural Hopscotch Design Festival. The first event of its kind to emerge from an acclaimed music event, Hopscotch Design Festival will gather distinguished national talent and notable local contributors to share ideas and foster conversation about how design is shaping the future. Scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 3 and Thursday, Sept. 4, in various downtown Raleigh venues, Hopscotch Design features more than 25 sessions from presenters who work across the disciplines of graphic design, user experience design, urban planning, technology, architecture, music, food, film, and more. With interactive sessions, workshops, and parties, the two-day event will blend seamlessly into Hopscotch Music Festival beginning Thursday evening.

PREVIOUS REVIEWS FOR HOPSCOTCH MUSIC FESTIVAL

“Hopscotch: perfection, indeed” —The News & Observer, Raleigh

“Like most who know of its perfection, I’m almost afraid to gush too much at the risk of jinxing or ruining the best three days of music experiences one can be given. It’s SXSW without the stress, corporate overwhelming smack across the face, and dare I say Raleigh, NC becomes the most special town in the world for this one weekend.Perfectly curated with a blind ear to any buzz, specific genre, or anything else…Hopscotch Festival can turn the biggest music snob cynic into a carefree music lover once again. The word perfect is thrown around lightly all over the place (I misuse it all the time), but that’s the only word to describe this dream of a music festival…PERFECT.”—We Listen For You, Louisville

“Hopscotch Music Festival is one of the best and most eclectic music festivals in America.” —Spin

“In Raleigh Thursday through Saturday, it was all about an extraordinarily cool roster of bands. With streets cordoned off throughout the downtown area, thousands of people … wandered among ten participating music venues, creating a Mardi Gras-like atmosphere.” —Rolling Stone

“Hopscotch Music Festival is fast becoming Raleigh’s cultural center of gravity.” —Raleigh Public Record

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Festival Coverage

4th Annual Moog Circuit Bending Challenge

Moogfest began back in 2004 as a way to honor the ingenuity of Dr. Robert Moog.  The festival began in New York City and has since moved to Asheville where Moog spent the last 30 years of his life. The performing artists are all people who pioneer in their respective fields and have embodied the innovative spirit of Moog.  In addition to the great music, the festival also offers panels, workshops, a film festival, art installations and much more.

Keeping in the spirit of innovation, Moogfest will also host it’s 4th Annual Moog Circuit Bending Challenge. So what is circuit bending?  Circuit bending is the art of creating unique instruments by tinkering with various electronic devices such as keyboards, children’s toys, drum machines, and basically any other electrical device that generates some type of noise.  It is a very experimental and chance-based art form that is the perfect hybrid between music and electronics that so perfectly embodies Moogfest.

Each year the festival receives lots of different entries from people of all walks of life.  They select a few finalists who receive a pair of passes to the festival and the chance to showcase their work.  This year, they received so many great submissions that they had to choose five finalists.  The winners will be chosen on the last day of the festival and the top 3 finalists will win a Moog synth.  To see the finalists, check out the YouTube playlist here.

The circuit bending challenge entrants are tasked with making an instrument that creates new and unique sounds through circuit bending with a total cost $70 or less.  By confining the cost, Moog keeps the competition close to its humble beginnings while forcing entrants to create truly innovative instruments with limited resources.  Be sure to check out the circuit bending finalists as well as all of the other amazing innovations at Moogfest!