Category: Local Music

General coverage of local music happenings

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Local Beer Local Band August 26th

Thursday August 26th is going to be the first LBLB for the Fall 2010 semester!  Come and unwind from your first week at school at Tir na nOg Irish Pub for Local Beer Local Band Night!  This weeks bands are Goodbye, Titan and Once and Future Kings.   FREE, 21 and up, starts at 10pm!

I will also be interviewing BOTH BANDS this Thursday from 7 to 8pm!  Tune in!

Goodbye, Titan

You can expect some wonderful landscape music from Goodbye, Titan.  If you enjoy listening to our Post Rock Block then you you absolutely love this weeks headlines for LBLB.  The Independent would say that this band is good for “fans of Mogwai and Explosions in the Sky.”  If that sounds like you, come on out!

Once and Future Kings

You might have caught Once and Future Kings last semester when they did a free show on Lee Field.  Well, now catch them indoors at Tir na nOg!   As quoted from their Myspace page, “Once and Future Kings blend hook-laden, anthemic rock with a twist of dystopian lyricism.Critics compare them to Radiohead or The Flaming Lips, but your mom might say The Beatles.”

See you this Thursday!!  And by the way,  I recommend a pint of Foothills Hoppyum IPA.  That’s what I’ll be having!

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DJ Highlights Local Music

Local Beat preview 8/21/10


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This week’s Local Beat is going to be the first in a while with live music as all three of the bands coming in plan on playing some tunes for us on the air.

Carrboro group Max Indian is kicking things off at 5 p.m. to promote their show at the Local 506 on August 27. Max Indian is playing less and less these days, so I plan on asking them about the group’s recent happenings and chat with them about their upcoming gig during Hopscotch.

Twelve Thousand Armies is the closest band we have in the area that represents a cult following as their music has largely been missed due to lack of promotion and live shows, and I am excited to welcome them on the program at 6p .m. They are also playing the Local 506 on the 27th with Max Indian and The Houston Brothers. It will be their first interview on WKNC—who just twisted the band’s arm to finally get a hold of their album that came out awhile back—and I am sure many of you have been hearing constantly since.

At 7 p.m., Asheville artist Darien will be jumping on board to promote several upcoming shows in our area. Darien is relatively unknown around our region, but that has been quickly changing with her last release, Theorem, which came out on Alive and Well back in March. Darien has a busy couple of weeks in the area that include five shows in the Triangle between now and September 3.

Sample band press kits

As always, the fun starts at 5 p.m. and will last until 8 p.m.! Don’t worry if you miss it as all interviews are put on the WKNC blog following the show. Be sure to follow the Local Beat on Twitter or Facebook and download tons of free local music on our ReverbNation page!

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DJ Highlights Local Music

Local Beat Roundtable recap 8/13/10

I can safely say that last Friday was my favorite Local Beat we have ever had. The guests on the show were wonderfully knowledgeable and entertaining, and the three hours we shared were exceptionally insightful into our local music scene. In case you missed it, I had a “roundtable” of sorts in which I invited several prominent members of the local music community onto the program to talk about the music in the area and their involvement. We chatted about everything from our favorite and least favorite local venues and bands to the history and future of our music scene.

First in was Betsy Harris, one of the most notable and certainly the most prolific local music photographers in the area.  Betsy was a fantastic guest who shared plenty about her role in the local music community, her work as a photographer, and several fun stories about her experiences in the past several years. Be sure to check out Betsy’s Fotki and Youtube for some sweet local multimedia content. Also, below are some of Betsy’s favorite photographs that she has graciously shared with us:

Karen Mann of Mann’s World also joined me on the show for about an hour.  Karen is one of the most prominent, if not the most prominent, local music blogger in our area and having her on the program was a special treat. Karen and I talked about her history in the area and her role within the music of our region. Karen was a fabulous interviewee and had plenty to say, all of it proving to be noteworthy and captivating about her dedication to the music and her blog. Karen is also having a special Mann’s World day party during Hopscotch on September 11th.

One of my favorite journalists in the area, Bryan Reed, made an appearance as well. Bryan is well known for his contributions to Shuffle Magazine where he is Assistant Editor and also the Independent Weekly where he covers local and national music. He was fun, witty, and full of knowledge on music scenes outside the Triangle region.

Linnie Green, the new editor of Diversions at the Daily Tar Heel, got quite a bit of crap from me for going to NC State’s rival school, but after I settled down and matured a little, she gave us some interesting insight into how Diversions works and what priorities they have with local music.

The mastermind behind NBC 17’s Music.MyNC was also a guest that evening. Jake is another extraordinary blogger in the area and also heads the live Sessions for Music.MyNC. I talked with Jake about how the Sessions came to be what it is and his thoughts about his contributions to the music.

© temples of grey (betsy harris)
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Concert Preview Local Music

UPDATED Local Beer Local Band Night—August 19

WKNC and Tir Na nOg Irish Pub team up to bring you Local Beer Local Band Night every Thursday. These events are always FREE and 21 and up. Starts and 10 p.m. Local beers on tap and local bands on stage. Enjoy!

Thursday, August 19 will feature music from The Small Ponds, Jon Lindsay and The Tomahawks!

The Tomahawks

A favorite local band of mine. I’m terrible at describing music but here it goes… Beatles-y southern rock. Yeah? Do yourself a favor and check out their tracks on the webpage.

Jon Lindsay

Whoa. I’m already hooked on this guy. It is happy and catchy like Belle & Sebastian except it is one guy… one absolutely adorable guy. Be sure to check out his music on his website or just come out on Thursday!

The Small Ponds

This duo is made up of musicians from Tres Chicas and The Proclivities. With a CD Release show in about a month, this show should be a wonderful preview of what is to come. The songs are slow, sweet and downright lovely.

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DJ Highlights Local Music

Local Beat Roundtable: Series 1 preview 8/13/10

Tonight, the Local Beat will be a who’s-who in the local music scene. As you well know, the Local Beat is mostly dedicated to local bands and musicians who are well documented by fantastic bloggers, great deejays, newspaper writers, event organizers, photographers, and more. Tonight, you are going to have a chance to meet some of these dedicated chroniclers of the local scene as I have invited several on for what is the first in a series of the Local Beat’s “Roundtable.”

Throughout the evening, Karen Mann, Betsy Harris, Bryan Reed, Linnie Green, Jake Seaton, and hopefully several more prominent local music raconteurs will be sitting down as we chat about their services to our music scene and relate anecdotes and stories. In addition, they will be choosing the local music we will be playing throughout the show.

Among many things, Karen Mann is one of the most notable bloggers in the region with her personal music blog, Mann’s World, which is a treasure trove of videos, photographs, news stories, album reviews and more.
Related Links
Mann’s World
Vimeo
Twitter
Flickr

Betsy Harris (aka Temples of Grey) is one of the most recognizable local music photographers in the region.  I swear I see her at every single show I attend.
Related Links
Fotki
Youtube
Twitter
MySpace

Jake Seaton is the mind and body behind Music.MyNC.com who is famous for their live sessions with local bands and for breaking almost every important story about North Carolina music.

Bryan Reed is a writer for Shuffle Magazine, the Independent Weekly, and seemingly countless others.

Linnie Green is the new editor for Diversions of the Daily Tar Heel.

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Concert Preview Local Music

LBLB Last week recap, and what’s up next!

WKNC and Tir Na nOg Irish Pub team up to bring you Local Beer Local Band Night every Thursday.  These events are always FREE and 21 and up.  Local beers on special and local bands on stage.

Photographs of Local Beer Local Band night on August 5 by WKNC photographer Katie Hill

Museum Mouth

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

The Beast

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

I Was Totally Destroying It

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

This Thursday, August 12 features music from Aminal and Butterflies! Both are from Chapel Hill.

Aminal

You might remember Aminal from our concert series Friday’s on the Lawn. They played for a crowd of people, blankets, and picnic baskets. Hooray for indie pop! Come on Thursday to bob your head and tap your toes!

Butterflies

From Chapel Hill and signed under Trekky Records, Butterflies will be opening up at Tir Na nOg this Thursday.  “Butterflies reimagine indie pop in laid-back folk environs… contemplative (though hopeful) soul searching of… frontman Josh Kimbrough, who gets help from a revolving cast of friends… including pianist/ girlfriend Katie Zickefoose. She adds generous harmonies."  –Spencer Griffith, Independent Weekly

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DJ Highlights Local Music

Local Beat preview 8/6/10


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At 5 p.m., Gray Young is coming by for an hour to talk. The band has several shows coming up this month, including one tonight at the Berkley Cafe with the Loners, Goner, and Asheville band Knives and Daggers, and one tomorrow at the TTWD Fest where they are playing at 4 p.m.

Rat Jackson has an album release party for their new release Midnight Get Right with Aminal and Red Collar at the Broad Street Cafe on August 7. The new album is reminiscent of Rat Jackson’s live show, which is energetic, straight-up rock n’ roll, and I have a feeling the second hour of the program is going to be just that.

At 7 p.m., there will be a pre-recorded interview with  Graveyard Fields. Frontman for the Carrboro band, Brian Risk, came in last week with Pete and Andrea Connolly (of Birds & Arrows) who are also in the group.  We talked about the creation of the band and their debut EP Saturn’s Moon, which has been out for a couple of months. Two of the members of the group, Carol and Jon, are expecting their first baby at any moment right now, which made for some interesting conversation.

As always feel free to follow the Local Beat on Twitter, Facebook, or ReverbNation.  If you can’t tune into the show tonight, then stay tuned on the WKNC blog for our weekly recap of the evening.

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DJ Highlights Local Music

Local Beat recap 7/30/10

Jenks Miller and Heather McEntire of Mount Moriah got stuck in heavy traffic on the way to the station, and, unfortunately, we only had around 12 minutes to chat about the band and their brand new limited edition 12" called The Letting Go during the first hour of the evening. We discussed the history of the band and their future as far as releasing their upcoming album is concerned. We also promoted their sold out show at the Pinhook with Midtown Dickens and the Mountain Goats Saturday, July 31. Jenks and Heather run Holidays for Quince Records, and each is in several different bands, including Un Deux Trois and Horseback, and are two of the busiest people I know. It was interesting to talk about their other projects in relation to Mount Moriah. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, I had to hold back many of the questions I had for them, but what we did talk about was certainly fascinating and worth a second listen:
Mount Moriah on The Local Beat 7/3/10

At 6 p.m., John Booker and Rachel Hirsh of I Was Totally Destroying It came in to promote their new 7" The Get Big 7", which is officially being released at Tir Na Nog this Thursday for Local Beer Local Band (alongside Museum Mouth, Jews & Catholics, and The Beast).  The new single is being released by their record label, Greyday Records and can be purchased at any local record store as well as online or at their shows. If you buy the vinyl, it comes with a digital download and bonus track! I also had to ask them about their band name and their answer might surprise you! Listen to our interview as we talked about the new release, IWTDI’s upcoming shows, and their penchant for wearing costumes on stage:
IWTDI on the Local Beat 7/30/10

Alex Iglehart and Wylie Pamplin of Calico Haunts came in at 7 p.m. for their first-ever radio interview to promote their first show in Raleigh since 2007, which was at the Berkely Cafe Saturday evening. We also debuted some brand new songs from their upcoming record that is scheduled to be released in October this year. Many of you might be familiar with Calico Haunts last release After All, which was one of The Independent Weekly’s albums of the month last year. Unfortunately, the band dissolved shortly after the release and little promotion was done for the record. A short time later the band was pieced back together and they started recording a follow up album only to have their work stolen two weeks before it was scheduled to be finished. With all of these mishaps you might think the band would throw in the towel. Listen below for their side of the story and their reactions:
Calico Haunts on the Local Beat 7/30/10

Band website design
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Concert Preview Local Music

HUGE Local Beer Local Band Night this week! FOUR BANDS! WHOA!

This Thursday, August 5 will be a bit more intense than your typical Thursday Night at Tir Na nOg. The Tir Na nOg and WKNC team have outdone themselves this time to bring you FOUR mega-awesome bands:  I Was Totally Destroying It, The Beast, Jews and Catholics, and Museum Mouth. Furthermore, this is an 80’s Dress-up Dance Party and 7" release celebration, which will also feature DJ Johnny B Spinning the best 80’s hits!!!  There will be even more local beer varieties to choose from! This show will start 9 p.m. on the dot! 21 and up, of course.

I Was Totally Destroying It

If you find yourself at Tir Na nOg on other nights rather than Thursday, then you might have caught their other musical project I Was Totally Destroying U2 where they cover all the hits of U2 while offering spot-on Bono impersonation. Well guess what… they have original tracks too! Which are way better than U2 in my opinion.

The Beast

You might remember The Beast because they were featured on the Hear Here music compilation. They’re a delicious hip-hop group that has entertained Raleigh listeners for a while now. Be sure to catch them live this Thursday!

Jews and Catholics

A review from Patrick Culliton describes this duo in brief: “How can two people make this much noise? Machines. Guitar, bass, sequencers, hands, throats. Machines. One wing beats rust, the other glisten. A Jew, a Catholic; a boy, a girl. Isn’t tension what our attention’s after? Do you like to dance, even a little, and sweat, even a lot? We’re all lost in the woods, thank God. Jews and Catholics can fly deeper in.”

Museum Mouth

This Thursday will be the first time I will see Museum Mouth live. I am incredibly excited, as I am listening to them now. Grungy, sort of angry about something, indie rock. Already I am drawn to the lead vocalist. Fast-paced music paired with this lady’s wonderful, almost lazy-like singing voice is working for me in so many ways.

See you there, friends!

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DJ Highlights Local Music

Local Beat preview 7/30/10

Can you believe it is already August?! Seven months of the Local Beat come and gone already in 2010 and almost exactly a year since I took over as host of the program. However, this Friday’s show just might be one of the best ones yet.

At 5 p.m., we are starting off the show with Mount Moriah, a band I have been raving out for over a year since I first saw them at their second show ever back in May 2009. The group is releasing their first LP after debuting their first song “Lament” on the Holiday’s For Quince Compilation Vol. 1, which has been getting airplay on WKNC.  The album is entitled Letting Go and is officially being released at the sold out show this Saturday July 31 at the Pinhook with Midtown Dickens and The Mountain Goats.  The 12" vinyl record will be released on the streets on August 3. We should have plenty to talk about and hopefully you will hear some new tunes!

I Was Totally Destroying It is coming in for the second hour. They are also playing Saturday evening at Cherry Bounce Festival in Raleigh but we will mostly be talking about their new 7" single “Get Big,” which should be in the running for best album artwork of the year so far. We also have quite a bit to talk about, including their Sound Around app, their contribution to the Musical Chairs Compilation, and their U2 cover band. It should make for an entertaining hour!

For the final hour I am having in Wylie Pamplin and Alex Iglehart from Chapel Hill-based Calico Haunts who are making their radio interview debut. Calico Haunts put out one of 2010’s best records with their After All album in the fall of 2009. They have just finished a new record and are planning to leak a couple of new tracks on the show! In addition, we will chat about their first ever Raleigh show at the Berkley Cafe with the Dead String Brothers on July 31.

As always the Local Beat starts at 5 p.m. and runs through 8 p.m. every Friday on WKNC.  Feel free to follow us on Twitter (@WKNCLocalBeat), ReverbNation, and Facebook.