Category: Local Music

General coverage of local music happenings

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Concert Review Local Music

Show Review: Local Band Local Beer – Toon & The Real Laww

Toon & The Real Laww

This week’s Local Band Local Beer was an awesome yet insanely odd one.  First off, any time I get the chance to see live hip-hop I’m naturally going to jump all over it, it’s just an incredible experience through and through…especially when you’ve got a live band joining in as well.  Toon & The Real Laww were joined by The Band (not that that The Band), comprised of members of LiLa’s rhythm section and a keyboard player that was twerking like his life depended on it, the combination of a live band with the booming bass brought by DJ Shahzad was what made Thursday night at Tir Na Nog truly special.  While the crowd was filled with an abnormally large amount of bougie folks dressed to impress, that didn’t stop the crowd from raging like nobody was watching.

Toon & The Real Laww have been building up quite the reputation for themselves, drawing a lot of attention from a heavily acclaimed Hopscotch set and various other local performances, the group is swiftly being mentioned with names like Kooley High, King Mez, and The Beat in terms of top local rap artists.  Toon’s clever lyricism and wordplay bounce perfectly off of the precision and finesse of The Real Laww’s flow.  Both have bukus of charisma, engaging in practically every audience member in arms reach, and often times a few more.  From free styling with the aid of a few words written by crowd members to the massive amounts of crowd participation, Toon & The Real Laww were an engaging and exciting act, a fantastic to spend a study-filled Thursday.  While the dance party continued on after the set, the dense crowd gave me no room to cook in so I unfortunately had to bounce.

 

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Concert Review Local Music

Show Review: Local Band Local Beer – Phil Cook & His Feat w/ SumnerJames

Phil Cook & His Feat

Two side projects shone bright on Thursday at Tir Na Nog, as Phil Cook and James Phillips shed their usual full-time bands for a more stripped down and intimate performance for the weekly Local Band Local Beer.  James Phillips (of Bombadil) made his first solo outing with the help of Elyse Thebner (Some Army, JKutchma & The Five Fifths) to fully flesh out his minimalistic electronic act inspired by his stay in Oregon earlier this year.

A far cry from his work in the quirky folk act of Bombadil, Phillips’ set up consisted of a laptop from which to blast beats and an array of synths to produce the dense soundscape that sets the somber yet hopeful tone of his solo work.  Joined by fellow local musicians like Stuart and Daniel of Bombadil and Christy Smith of The Tender Fruit, Sumner James transitioned surprisingly well for a debut live act.  Closing with the album’s lead-off single of, “Home”, James was borderline shouting his heart out on “Losing his mind” in the state of Oregon.  These tunes can be just as therapeutic to the listener as it evidently was for Phillips, much like the deep emotion and soul poured into the mostly instrumental tunes of Phil Cook.

Phil Cook is usually just accompanied by his feet on percussion, but with the addition of Yan Westerlund (brother of Megafaun drummer Joe Westerlund and regular drummer for Bowerbirds) on drums, the fans at Tir Na Nog were treated to a tight and blues driven performance from a vastly underrated local act.  In a mostly electric set, Phil Cook jammed out on open tunings that were oozing with emotion, notes were being bent to his will and captivating concert goers to move and shake like an old revival show.  From instrumental blues jams to a rootsy lullaby sung for his young son, Phil Cook displayed his breadth of talent with dobro jams and a strong sense of musical connectivity with Yan who provided simplistic yet driving rhythms for songs he was mostly unfamiliar with.  For a low key show from local side projects, these two acts displayed vast amounts of talent and promise, making for a fantastic way to spend a Thursday evening.

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Festival Coverage Local Music

That Shakori Hills Time of Year

One of my favorite events of last fall was Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival, located in Pittsboro, N.C. Camping out with your friends, seeing incredible live music, and living off campfire food and veggie things for the weekend is a cure for anything that’s been getting you down. And it’s back again for its 10th spring installment, April 19-22.

This spring’s lineup is exciting: Leftover Salmon, Donna the Buffalo, Blitz the Ambassador, The Red Clay Ramblers, BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet, Rubblebucket, Suénalo, Preston Frank, The Sim Redmond Band, Elephant Revival, David Wax Museum, Driftwood, and Lydia Loveless…

Local acts like Diali Cissokho & Kairaba, Holy Ghost Tent Revival, Bombadil, The Beast, Mandolin Orange, Dark Water Rising, Justin Robinson & The Mary Annettes, Greg Humphreys & The Hobex All Stars, Lizzy Ross Band, Music Maker Revue, Midtown Dickens, Rey Norteño, Big Fat Gap, Randy Dean Whitt, New Town Drunks, Sarah Shook & The Devil, Shirlette & The Dynamite Brothers, Apple Chill Cloggers, Onyx Club Boys, Deep Chatham, Curtis Eller, Jeanne Jolly, The Ayr Mountaineers, and Justin Johnson…

And other bands, such as Revelation Mizik, Equanimous Minds, Richie Stearns & Rosie Newton, Jim Avett, Raffa & Rainer, Dirty Bourbon River Show, Harper & Midwest Kind, Old Man Luedecke, The South Carolina Broadcasters, Dutch Bucket System, Galactic Cowboy Orchestra, Farmer Jason, Mad Tea, Bareknuckle Betties, Roxanna & The Rusty Bucket Band, Elkland Art Center Puppets, Town Hall, Kin Ship, and more.

WKNC will be helping you and your friends go this year, with day-passes to giveaway on the Local Lunch, Americana,  Blues & Company, The Church of Bluegrass and the Truer Sounds, Both Kinds Radio and our Facebook page. If you impress the DJ, you may even get the newest Bombadil CD All the Rain Promises as part of your prize! Make sure to tune in and have your phones ready so when the DJ asks for it, you’ll be all set to win!

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Local Music Music News and Interviews

Moogfest 2011 – Get entered to win!

North Carolina is on point with fall music festivals – in September, Raleigh hosted Hopscotch Music Festival. This weekend, Pittsboro will have Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival. At the end of the month, Moogfest will reign in Asheville.

Moogfest, named for Bob Moog, the inventor of the Moog synthesizer who was a research professor at UNC-Asheville, is back for its annual music festival during the weekend of October 28 – 30.  Different venues across Asheville’s downtown will host The Flaming Lips, STS9, Passion Pit, TV on the Radio and many more.  In addition to a packed lineup, there will also be artists in panel discussions, question and answer sessions, and workshops.  One thing I’m particularly excited about is the opportunity, in honor of Moog himself, to try out a variety of Moog instruments. There will also be visual art exhibitions, installations, and film screenings.

WKNC has two pairs of weekend passes to give away for this event – but it will take a little luck! Each day until October 21, one WKNC DJ will do a giveaway to get a listener put into a drawing the tickets. During Local Lunch on October 21, DJ Kligz will do the drawing live on-air and announce the recipients of the weekend passes.

 

Go ahead and put our studio lines on speed dial so when the WKNC DJ asks for it, you’ll be ready to win!

(919) 860-0881 or (919) 515-2400

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Concert Preview Local Music

Brett Harris and The Tender Fruit LBLB July 14

Beat the July heat by cooling down with a nice cold North Carolina brew this Thursday, July 14 at Tir Na nOg. You’ll want to double check their selection when you get there, but feel free to scope out their beer menu in advance.

For the local band part of the equation, this week features Brett Harris and The Tender Fruit. Durham-based Harris has been on the scene since 2007 and hooked up with WKNC in September 2010 to play during Habitat for Humanity’s annual Shack-a-thon on the NCSU Brickyard. He also stopped by our studios earlier that year to talk with Adam Kincaid during “The Local Beat.” Our friends down the hall at Wolf TV graciously recorded that performance, available for your review below.

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/11149502[/vimeo]

WKNC fans will also recognize The Tender Fruit from their February 2010 performance at Double Barrel Benefit 7 and November 2010 Fridays on the Lawn show with The Tomahawks.

Local Band Local Beer is a weekly collaboration between WKNC and Tir Na nOg. It starts every Thursday after 10 p.m. and is free and 21+. Coming up:

  • July 21 – Birds and Arrows, Free Electric State and Gray Young

  • July 28 – Nests and Lilac Shadows

  • August 8 – Big Picture and Kid Future

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Concert Preview Local Music

Local Band Local Beer 6.16

Looking for something to do on these hot summer nights? Check out Tir na nOg and WKNC’s Local Band, Local Beer June 16. This event happens every Thursday night in downtown Raleigh. It is FREE and 21+. This week we will present the ska and reggae acts The Archbishops of Blount Street and Climb Jacob’s Ladder; show starts at 10:30.  Grab a local brew and enjoy, mon!

WKNC swag will be available– shirts, bags, coozies, and some CDs.

Stay tuned for the rest of June and July lineup… something tells me it’s gonna be hot!

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Concert Preview Local Music

Outside Soul headlines LBLB

This Thursday, May 26, Local Beer Local Band features “a sound forged in the streets of the Capital City.” The funk/R&B/neo-soul group Outside Soul will take the stage after 10 p.m., but you’ll want to get to Tir Na nOg early for the Kinder Soles Birthday Party, celebrating its first year providing environmentally-conscious footwear.

As always, Local Beer Local Band is a free show for those 21+.

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Concert Preview Local Music

Local Beer International Band Night

If you learned in elementary school English that two negatives make a positive, then you already know to expect a good show from Raleigh’s Double Negative when they perform Thursday, May 19 as part of WKNC and Tir Na nOg’s Local Beer Local Band series.

“It’s the hardest-core hardcore band currently whipping punk kids half as old as the band’s members into foot- and fist-flailing mosh froths,” writes Bryan Reed from Independent Weekly.

We then open our house to Århus for music by FOSSILS and Cola Freaks. Described as “Denmark’s answer to the Fucking Champs,” FOSSILS is a drum and bass rock duo with punk and metal influences.

Members of Cola Freaks backed Jay Reatard as part of his last live line up. The band’s songs “will pogo around your brainpan for weeks after you hear them,” promises the Chicago Reader.

The music starts after 10 p.m. FREE, 21+.

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Concert Preview Local Music

LBLB Metal Music Mayhem

Raleigh’s Mumu Tutu and Sex Panther will blow the doors of Tir Na nOg this Thursday for Local Beer Local Band night.

Promising to lead listeners into a “heavy metal time machine filled with big hair and spandex pants,” Sex Panther traditionally offers a set list peppered with Poison, AC/DC and Alice Cooper. Mumu Tutu, meanwhile, “is all about brain blisterin’, blood vessel bustin’ rock originals.”

The face melting starts at 10 p.m. and as always is FREE and 21+, with $5 cheeseburger specials.

Categories
Concert Preview Local Music

Athens Invades Local Band Local Beer

This week, Tir Na nOg and WKNC have turned Local Band Local Beer into something less local to us, but equally awesome. Athens, Georgia’s Modern Skirts perform and Terrapin Beer Company of Athens Georgia is our beer special.

And just to keep our Super Music Triangle involved, Digg Up Tapes artist Oulipo will open the show. Sooo rad, I know.

Come enjoy what local means to Athens, right here in Raleigh this Thursday!