Category: Festival Coverage

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

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Festival Coverage

How Hopscotch Created a Sense of Community for Artists

Parquet Courts
Parquet Courts performing at Hopscotch

During Parquet Courts’ set at Hopscotch Festival, the bass player, Sean Yeaton, broke one of his bass strings. He didn’t have extra strings or a second base. While discussing with the band about whether he should pick up a guitar or try and play with one less bass string, Eric Johnson, the guitarist for Archers of Loaf brought out Matt Gentling, their bassists, bass for Yeaton to use. Yeaton played the rest of the set with Gentling’s bass and the show went on. This is the perfect story to show the sense of community the Hopscotch Festival created. 

The Hopscotch Festival took place over a month ago, but I still think about this moment. I was so excited to go back to festivals and be around people who were eager to see the same artists as me, and that moment reminded me why I love seeing live music. It is so delightful to see your favorite artists interacting with each other, and it’s even better when it’s happening in the city you live in. 

Large and small bands came together in Raleigh to perform to an excited crowd, for many of the people there it was probably their first shows back since the pandemic. I got to talk to some of the artists about their festival going experience and they all had nothing but nice things to say about Hopscotch. 

For Hannah Jadagu, a young indie-pop artist from New York, Hopscotch was the first festival she’s ever performed at. She had a prime spot on the City Plaza stage at 4:30, before Anjimile. 

“I was really nervous to play a festival, especially on the big stage, but I felt the performance went really well and I got more comfortable on stage as time went on,” Jadagu said. “ I was also really happy to see the crowd filling in during my set and I was able to play off of the crowd’s energy.” 

Jadagu was just as thrilled to be at the festival as the audience. She noted she was excited she was able to catch the Caroline Polachek and Flying Lotus sets. One of her current favorite artists is Caroline Polachek and she took inspiration from her confidence on stage. 

Wednesday, another act who played Hopscotch was excited to be back in Raleigh and at Hopscotch. This was their first time playing one of the main stages at Hopscotch and the lead singer, Karly Hartzman was excited to finally perform songs from her new album, Twin Plagues, for a responsive audience. 

“It was so validating to play on one of the main stages, we played a few day parties in 2019 which were great, but it was so exciting to come back and be asked to perform on a main stage,” Hartzman said. 

She was also happy to be able to play after the Pandemic at all outdoor sets because the band and audiences felt more comfortable being outside. 

“The last time we were at Hopscotch was really stressful because we were playing sets and still wanted to go see other acts, so we were running around all weekend.” Hartzman continued, “It was overwhelming because there were so many places we wanted to or had to be. This year it was a lot easier to go back and forth between the two main stages and play the next day [at Ruby Deluxe].” 

Playing her new songs for the Hopscotch crowds was also very rewarding for Hartzman. Her lyrics are so vulnerable and she was thrilled to share them with the crowds. 

“Practicing can be mind numbing because I have to put myself back in the place I was when I wrote these songs, but knowing my songs are being accepted and recognized by listeners was amazing,” Hartzman said. 

The last act I got to talk to was Archers of Loaf, who like Wednesday are also North Carolina Natives. Archers of Loaf headlined the Moore Square stage on the last day of the festival, and hundreds of people came out to see them return to Raleigh.

“When we first started as a band it was really hard to break into the scene in Raleigh, there were so many good bands and it took us a while to get our name out there,” Guitarist Eric Johnson said. “It’s so gratifying that we are now headlining a festival in Raleigh.” 

The band was pleased with the turnout and the energy from the crowd at Hopscotch. It’s nice to know that the artists enjoyed the festival as much as I did, because it makes me want to attend even more next year. Having a great music scene in Raleigh is an exciting privilege and I can’t wait to see who will come through the city next. 

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Band/Artist Profile Festival Coverage

Artist interview & profile: Hannah Jadagu

Hannah Jadagu
Hannah Jadagu performing at Hopscotch

From her bedroom to the main stage at Hopscotch, Hannah Jadagu is starting to make a name for herself in the indie music scene. 

Hannah Jadagu is an indie-pop artist who now lives in New York City, but is originally from Mesquite, Texas. The 19-year-old singer only started her music career a few years ago when she was in High School. She was 16 when she first learned how to play guitar, and instantly felt connected to the instrument. She started writing songs and recording them on her iPhone and released a few online. 

Now, a few years later she is signed to Sub Pop Records and is starting to play live shows. Her first festival performance was at Hopscotch in Raleigh, and we got to share that sweet experience with her. 

As she took center stage she felt nervous about how the set would go over. She had two other people in her band, a drummer and a member who jumped around between playing guitar, bass, and samples on his computer. Overall she felt their set went really well and she was excited to play in Raleigh for the first time. 

With this show in the bag, Hannah felt ready and excited for her upcoming tours and projects. She is currently working on an album and is opening for Beach Fossils and Wild Nothing on their North American tour. She also announced that she will be opening for Ritt Momney in 2022. 

Because of Covid she wasn’t able to share her music with as many people face to face, but it gave her the opportunity to work on her music and create music videos and more content for fans. 

“I took a leave of absence from school so that I could tour and focus on my music,” Jadagu said. “It was too much to balance, and I’m so happy with my choice because now I get to have these amazing experiences like playing festivals.” 

Hannah started her musical career by putting the songs she was working on out, and spread the word through her instagram which landed her a record deal with Sub Pop. 

“It was such a surreal moment, I got a DM on instagram from a manager at Sub Pop saying they loved my music and wanted to work with me, I didn’t think it was real at first but after a few zoom calls I signed to Sub Pop and now they’re helping me put out my music,” Jadagu said. 

Jadagu takes inspiration from any music and media she is consuming at the moment and turns them into her own interpretation. 

“Usually I just start strumming my guitar and see where that takes me. I like to freestyle and record all of my ideas so I have a basis to work off of when I’m ready to put the song together. When I play something that makes me excited I hone in on that part and work around it.”

Hannah was excited that she could perform her songs to crowds again and not just for her computer in her bedroom. Many artists probably feel the same way now that shows are being set up again. 
You can listen to her new single “All my Time is Wasted” here. 

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Concert Preview Festival Coverage Local Music

Preview: Chapel Hill’s Manifest Aims to Break Barriers

Promotional poster for Manifest 5
Promotional Poster for Manifest 5 in Chapel Hill from October 15-16, 2021

In my training class to become a WKNC DJ, among the many pieces of advice our then station general manager gave us was to “not just play music made by four white guys”. This was met by laughs, but that line stuck with me because of how relevant it still is. When I was a daytime DJ I tried to have sets with a strong female representation, but four or so guys still made up most of the songs aired from 10 to 11 p.m. on Thursdays. And that doesn’t even take into account the “white” part of that; many genres such as modern indie rock are overrepresented by white artists and artists of color will often have their work labeled as R&B even when that label doesn’t fit the music, which can box in both exposure and creative freedom.

Enter Manifest. This is a festival that, according to the website, is “focused on dismantling patriarchy, misogyny, and white supremacy” with a diverse lineup that draws from a wide variety of races, sexualities and gender identities. Now dismantling vast social hierarchies is a lofty goal, but they’ve definitely got the lineup down. This is a festival that has seen acts like Skylar Gudasz and Hopscotch 2021 attendee Sarah Shook, and this year the acts range from Basura who make minute-and-a-half long death metal bangers to trans experimental artist KHX05 who brings a nervy and rebellious energy to her mixtapes and remix EPs. 

Manifest bills itself as mostly a punk festival, and there are a number of punk bands making an appearance. Gown is a hardcore metallic punk band that has seven members, three of whom play the cello, while Fortezza is an doom punk band out of Asheville whose long guitar solos and verses screamed over a lone drumbeat create a chaotic and apocalyptic feel to fit their hand-drawn album covers. The artists have a distinctly local flavor too. Of the 28 acts coming to Chapel Hill this weekend, 21 are from the Triangle area, and five of them won’t have to leave their hometown to make it there. 

This is the fifth iteration of Manifest, and it’s the fifth time in these exact three venues. The festival is mostly based around Local 506, a bar and club that, when not hosting live acts, is known for having themed dance parties such as the 80s-style one that I went to this summer. This is where tickets and wristbands are picked up and where WKNC is running the merch table. When not at the Local 506, festivalgoers can head to two other locations, one of which is The Cave. This is another bar/club hybrid, iconic in Chapel Hill for its alley location and will often host rock and punk rock bands. 

Now despite having essentially grown up in downtown Chapel Hill, I’ll admit I had to look up the last venue, Rosemary Street’s The Nightlight. It’s the only one of the venues not located on Franklin Street, and its website is at time of writing a single page detailing its closures due to COVID and in the spirit of Manifest, a link to a mutual aid fund. All of these are within a quarter mile walk of each other so it should be easy to go between any of the simultaneous shows being played.

Continuity is a major theme here, and not just in the venues. Manifest 5 marks the fourth appearance of Raleigh’s Fruit Snack at the aforementioned festival, a band whose members work at multiple venues in the Triangle and whose themes of anti-capitalism, openness about sex and dislike of the police fit right in with Manifest’s mission statement. It also features a ukulele player. Meanwhile, punk act Pie Face Girls has attended every single iteration since the festival began in 2016. This in combination with its many local sponsors including Orange County Arts Commission, Chapel Hill’s own Midway Market and this radio station gives this festival a strong feeling of community that puts those goals of social change front and center.

I’m personally quite excited to cover Manifest. While I won’t be able to see every artist (The Cave being 21+ is unfortunate but understandable) there are a lot of acts I really want to see and blog about, and a lot of artists I had never heard of before and really want to get to know as part of my ongoing efforts to further connect with the local music scene here. After all, homegrown music with a message is the new punk rock. And the old one too.

-Erie

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Concert Review Festival Coverage

Flying Lotus: Concert Review

Flying Lotus is an artist I first came across while working as the Underground Music Director for WKNC this Summer. I ended up loving his latest album “Yasuke” and added a bunch of his songs to the rotation, so when I found out he was performing at Hopscotch I couldn’t wait.

The Music

Throughout his set, Flying Lotus played an assortment of his more recent and his older projects. As a relatively new listener, I only recognized the tracks “Black Gold” and “Crust” which are from his latest album. Overall, his set was much more electronic than I had initially expected which was pleasant surprise. The bass was heavy, the music was loud, and the people were moshing.

The Performance

Unlike Caroline Polachek, the opener on Thursday night, Flying Lotus relied more on tech than choreography for his visuals. He stood alone behind a large DJ booth which had a transparent white tinted screen separating him and the audience. On this screen there flashed a crazy assortment of images and short videos that correlated to each song in his set. The visuals along with the heavy bass made for a pleasantly disorienting experience.



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Blog Concert Review Festival Coverage

Hopscotch Music Festival 2021 Series: My Experience

Hopscotch Music Festival 2021

Now that I’ve had some time to reflect, I’m finally ready to share my 2021 Hopscotch experience. While I didn’t see all of the performances, I did get to see most of the major acts: Helado Negro, Animal Collective, Flying Lotus, Hippo Campus, and Caroline Polachek.

I was somewhat surprised by how much I enjoyed Helado Negro; I’d never heard his music before, but his performance was lively, kind, and felt like home. I cannot say the same about Animal Collective. They played almost exclusively new music and the crowd was clearly disappointed. That being said, the unique vocals and skilled instrumentals were undeniable. Flying Lotus, while a whole lot of fun, was nearly too loud to enjoy. With my Photo Pass, I was able to shoot most of the performances from in front of the barrier, but I wasn’t able to shoot Flying Lotus because of the volume of his music. From the barely audible crowd mumblings, I could sense that I wasn’t the only one struggling with the volume. Hippo Campus was easy and enjoyable, and for the big fans, I’m sure it was the best. They even took to the floor after their set to meet people and explore the festival which I appreciated. Finally, Caroline Polachek. I am certainly in the minority with this opinion, but I just do not like her music. The performance was contrived (though I did like her outfit) and most of the songs had no appeal for me. 

Aside from the music, I was surprised by the lack of food and drink vendors. There were certainly some present, but a small amount compared to what I expected. That being said, it was the first Hopscotch of the COVID era so some things were just smaller. 

I appreciated the opportunity to attend Hopscotch and I’m looking forward to seeing Hopscotch return even bigger and better next year.

Here’s to the loose pug that ran around outside the Moore Square venue,

Silya Bennai

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Festival Coverage

A Little Bit of Everything: A Comprehensive Hopscotch Playlist

This past weekend, I spent my afternoons and evenings bouncing around between the many different acts that performed at Hopscotch. Artists across genres put on shows which made for an interesting mix of performances. Listed below are some of my favorite tracks from every artist that took the stage this Fall.

  1. “Hit Me Where It Hurts” by Caroline Polachek
  2. “So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings (A.G. Cook Remix)” by Caroline Polachek
  3. “Year Of The Spider” by Shannon & The Clams
  4. “Where To Now” by Hippo Campus
  5. “Humano – El Buho Remix” by Lido Pimienta
  6. “Tiempo Ahora” by Lido Pimienta
  7. “Fate Is…” by Wednesday
  8. “Toothache” by Wednesday
  9. “Gatekeeper” by Libby Rodenbough
  10. “Probably No One” by Patios Counselors
  11. “Let Beauty Be” by Patios Counselors
  12. “Black Gold” by Flying Lotus
  13. “Between Memories” by Flying Lotus
  14. “Nellie” by Dr. Dog
  15. “Frank’s Tune” by Makaya McCraven
  16. “Won’t Be Long” by The Dead Tongues
  17. “2 Again” by Body Meat
  18. “I Don’t Like You or Your Band” by Kate Rhudy
  19. “Big Shot!” by Sonny Miles
  20. “Falcor” by Sluice
  21. “The Purple Bottle” by Animal Collective
  22. “White Trash Heroes” by Archers Of Loaf
  23. “Pais Nublado” by Helado Negro
  24. “Berlin Got Blurry” by Parquet Courts
  25. “In Our Talons” by Bowerbirds
  26. “What Is Going On?” by Hannah Jadagu
  27. “Gliding Through” by Garcia Peoples
  28. “Fille de personne III” by Hubert Lenoir
  29. “Don’t You Think I’m Funny Anymore?” by Dougie Poole
  30. “Raleighwood Hills” by Lesthegenius
  31. “Quarry Ate the Mountain” by Magic Tuber Stringband

Click HERE to check out my playlist on Spotify.

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Festival Coverage Miscellaneous

Hopscotch Music Festival 2021 Series: Bag Tour

Hopscotch Music Festival 2021 Series: Silya Bennai'sBag Tour

WIth one day of Hopscotch under my belt, I’m looking forward to the rest. Hippo Campus and Caroline Polachek put on fun shows, and I’m looking forward to Dr. Dog and Animal Collective, among others.  With my photo press pass, I’ve been lucky enough to get close to the stages to shoot different sets. Speaking of cameras, I thought I’d give you all a bag tour of what I take to Hopscotch.

  1. Canon HD Camcorder (with charger): I’m taking shots of the music sets I attend, the crowds, my WKNC coworkers/friends, and the two “venues.”
  1. Nikon Nice Touch Zoom 35mm Point & Shoot Film Camera (with extra film & batteries): For pictures of the acts and my friends.
  1. Wallet: With my ID, vaccine card, and money.
  1. Inhaler: I have asthma.
  1. Sunglasses: To protect my precious eyes.
  1. Face Mask: Obviously. 
  1. Phone: Always on me.
  1. Gum: I’m anti-mask breath.
  1. Photo Pass: For a better chance at better shots. Side note: Being super close to the stage is pretty surreal.

Here’s to the NCSU library for letting me borrow the camcorder,

Silya Bennai

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Concert Review Festival Coverage

Caroline Polachek: Concert Review

Going into Hopscotch, I had a base level knowledge of who Caroline Polachek was and her musical career. However, after attending her show last night, it is safe to say that I am a full on fan.

The Music.
Caroline of course played her most popular songs “So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings,” “Door,” and “Hit Me Where It Hurts” which went over well with the crowd. However, it was the three unreleased tracks she performed that absolutely stole the show. “Smoke” along with two others I can not remember the names of were haunting, dark, and sultry. They definitely have me on the edge of my seat waiting for her next album release.

The Performance.
Overall, her performance was visually stunning. Caroline was surrounded by dark purple light and smoke for most of the tracks which set the tone for what I can only describe as an almost spiritual experience. From the lighting, to the smoke, to the music, to her movements everything was perfectly in-sync. Caroline’s performance was one of the most intentional and well thought out shows I have ever attended.

Her Voice.
If sirens from ancient Greek mythology existed today, they would exist in the form of Caroline Polachek. The range of her voice was absolutely insane and the way she slid between notes was almost inhuman. Caroline has a true talent and I am looking forward to seeing where she takes it.

All in all, Caroline Polachek put on a wonderful show and if she is ever playing in your city, I HIGHLY recommend checking it out.

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Band/Artist Profile Concert Preview Festival Coverage

Hopscotch Music Festival 2021 Series: Animal Collective

Animal Collective's "Sung Tongs" Album Cover

Animal Collective is difficult to pin down and a lot of fun to consume. Luckily, the band is performing this year at Hopscotch Music Festival on Saturday, September 11th at 9:30 pm at City Plaza. Keep reading to learn a little bit about the band and their discography.

The American experimental band came together in Baltimore, Maryland in 2003. Animal Collective, consisting of Avey Tare (David Portner), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), Deakin (Josh Dibb), and Geologist (Brian Weitz), weave genres through their unique vocal combinations, ambiance, and pop foundations. The members began to musically collaborate when they met in school before the band was officially formed. Their discography consists of a variety of retroactively added music, studio albums, extended plays, live albums, visual albums, and a soundtrack album. 

Check out their full discography below:

Studio Albums:
– Spirit They’re Gone, Spirit They’ve Vanished (2000) (as Avey Tare and Panda Bear)
– Danse Manatee (2001) (as Avey Tare, Panda Bear and Geologist)
– Campfire Songs (2003) (as Campfire Songs)
– Here Comes the Indian (2003) (also known as Ark)
– Sung Tongs (2004)
– Feels (2005)
– Strawberry Jam (2007)
– Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009)
– Centipede Hz (2012)
– Painting With (2016)

Extended Plays:
– Prospect Hummer (2005) (with Vashti Bunyan)
– People (2006)
– Water Curses (2008)
– Fall Be Kind (2009)
– Keep + Animal Collective (2011)
– Transverse Temporal Gyrus (2012)
– Monkey Been to Burn Town (2013)
– The Painters (2017)
– Meeting of the Waters (2017)
– Bridge to Quiet (2020)

Live Albums:
– Hollinndagain (2002) (as Avey Tare, Panda Bear and Geologist)
– Animal Crack Box (2009)
– Live at 9:30 (2015)
– Ballet Slippers (2019)
– 2 Nights (2020)[112]

Visual Albums:
– ODDSAC (2010)
– Tangerine Reef (2018)

Soundtrack Album:
– Crestone (Original Score) (2021)[113]

I know I’ll be at the Animal Collective set at Hopscotch and I hope you will be, too.

Here’s to my favorite Animal Collective track, “Who Could Win a Rabbit,”

Silya Bennai

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Band/Artist Profile Concert Preview Festival Coverage

Bands to Watch at Hopscotch 2021: Patois Counselors

General Manager Maddie here to tell you all about a band I’m very excited to see play this year’s Hopscotch Festival: Patois Counselors.

Before I indulge in my own personal relationship to the band, the important information to know is that they’re playing Hopscotch tomorrow, Sept 9, on the Moore Square stage at 3:45PM. In terms of genre, they fall under the wide umbrella of “post punk”, so check ’em out if you like stuff like Parquet Courts or Gang of Four.

Now that I’ve got that out of the way, I’m going to tell you my story about the discovery of one of my favorite local bands. We have to go all the way back to October 2018, the fall of my first year at NC State. One of my favorite bands, Screaming Females, was playing a show at one of my favorite venues, the Milestone, in Charlotte, North Carolina. The only problem with this fantastic set-up was that I was stuck in Raleigh without a car. So, I got together with a friend of mine who had a car, agreed to skip my calculus class (the first class I ever skipped in college!) and we drove 2 and a half hours to see Screaming Females.

They were great, of course, but that’s not who I’m here to talk about. I’m here to talk about the second band I saw at the Milestone that night, a local opener called TKO Faith Healer. I didn’t have high expectations; based on the band name, I was expecting some sort of Southern garage-rocky type dad band. However, as they began playing, I found myself enjoying their music a lot more than I was expecting. I’m not gonna say it was like nothing I had ever heard before, but at this time in my life, I wasn’t really listening to bands like Wire or Powerplant much, and I certainly didn’t know how much I would come to love bands like that later on in my life. Besides being sonically interesting, they also played just an overall super clean and tight set.

Also, I have to add that their singer came out wearing an Amnesia Scanner long sleeve t shirt. I did not know who Amnesia Scanner was at the time, but now, I look back on this move and realize how cool it is. Any guy in an “indie rock” band wearing an Amnesia Scanner shirt is a cool guy.

Unfortunately, TKO Faith Healer didn’t have any songs up on Spotify at this point (and they sadly still do not, but they have one EP on Bandcamp), so I more or less forgot about them after the show. I’ve gotten better at this since 2018, but really, the convenience of being on Spotify is a selling factor on if I’ll listen to a band’s music or not- I know, I know, but I gotta make sure all my songs scrobble!

In October 2020- two years later- I was browsing Instagram and came across a post from Charlotte independent record store Lunchbox Records (the second best thing about Charlotte, with the first being the Milestone) that instantly captivated me. I’m a big album artwork guy, and my opinions on an album can strongly be swayed by the album art alone. I had one glance at the eerie, larger-than-life eyeball painting and knew I was gonna like the album. Also, the band was from Charlotte, and I’m always looking for more local bands to love.

I remember quickly going to Spotify and checking out songs from the band’s previous album, Proper Release, in anticipation of the new album. When the new album came out, I proudly uploaded some songs from The Optimal Seat into WKNC’s Local Lunch segment, because our local segment definitely needs some more post-punk.

Since then, the album has been a local favorite of mine, and I find new songs and parts to enjoy with every listen. Some of my favorite tracks are the super-danceable yet anxious The Galvanizer, and angular, jerky Give Me Voltage. I also still continue to be absolutely transfixed by the album artwork; it’s probably one of my favorite album covers of all time (you can see more paintings by the artist on her website, although none of them strike me like the red eye featured on the Optimal Seat).

Now, to get back to TKO Faith Healer- I’m not quite sure when exactly it was, but at one point, I thought back to the band I saw open for Screaming Females and thought they sounded familiar to a new band I had recently discovered. I did some research, and sure enough, TKO Faith Healer lead singer and Amnesia Scanner-enjoyer Bo White was the vocalist in Patois Counselors. While doing research for this post, I discovered White actually has a slew of other Charlotte bands under his wing- basically, I have a lot of new music to listen to.

But, for now, I’m gonna get ready for Patois Counselors’ performance by re-listening to the album that captured my attention from the first second I saw it. I hope you’re able to catch Patois Counselors’ set tomorrow, but if not, you can listen to their music anytime.