Category: Miscellaneous

Random sh*t we don’t know where else to put

Understanding Martin Beck

Post author By esdallma
Post date August 12, 2025

“… for hours, days, or weeks at a time”

sedative sounds

Martin Beck’s exhibit at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum reinvigorates an old story and pokes at sound as a medium we move through and with, often without recognition.

Informed by the “environments” records in the 1970s, which aided in synchronizing work, sleep and relaxation, Beck works to understand our industrialized soundscape as it relates to neuroscience, behavior, our internal worlds, and of course: capitalism.

His title ‘for hours, days, or weeks at a time’ is reminiscent of the infinite lull, hum, and buzz we find ourselves engrossed in a hyper produced world, whether self-selected or accidental background noise.

The exhibition uses sound, drawing, video and installation to curate a lively yet sterile environment, controlling the chaos we find ourselves drenched in our day to day worlds.

Tags attention, audio art, cultural critique, environmental justice, industrialization, martin beck, noise pollution, soundscapes, touching grass

Miscellaneous

Musician’s Block

Post author By dj dragonfly
Post date August 10, 2025

Discarded ideas on balled up notebook paper. Image by Steve Johnson, licensed CC0.

You’ve hit a wall. Nothing feels right. You lost motivation.

That’s okay.

Writer’s block is a very common occurrence for creators of any kind of art or media. There’s no reason to get discouraged. This happens to everyone.

The real question is what does one do to fix it. Everyone gets burnt out at some point. All you have to do really is reignite the spark. A little can go a long way. Maybe you need to take a small break and come back with a fresh mind. Alternatively, you can push through and keep pushing until you break through.

Take a Break

I think both methods have their pros and cons. One the hand of the former, a small break could lead to a longer hiatus. Maybe that’s what needs to be done. Sometimes we aren’t in the right field and need a change of pace. I know that I’m not very good at knowing when something has run its course but sometimes we are trying to force a puzzle piece into the wrong place.

However, I do believe in coming back with fresh eyes and a fresh mind. Taking a small break for a breath of fresh air and some rest, maybe even a change of perspective, can be the difference between a frustrating and painful experience and a pleasant and challenging one.

Tags Composition, dj dragonfly, WKNC, writer's block

Miscellaneous

Fatigue and Music

Post author By dj dragonfly
Post date August 6, 2025

"Tired" (1908) by Mina Arndt. Licensed PDM 1.0 Universal.

Ever wake up after a solid eight hours of sleep, have your coffee or breakfast, start being productive and still can’t shake the feeling of exhaustion?

There’s probably a reason you feel fatigued all the time. Maybe there’s something bothering you. Perhaps you’re not taking good care of yourself and need to take a walk or a bath, something to refresh you. It’s not always clear what causes fatigue and brain fog but I find that music can help me sometimes.

Being in a funk and always tired can really feel disheartening. There are a lot of things out of our control and we often can’t change the things that bother us. I know that I go through phases of pretty bad fatigue. I wake up after eight hours feeling like I need more sleep. If I do roll over and get a couple more hours, I feel like a boiled fish. Coffee sometimes helps as well as getting a mini workout in.

Tags dj dragonfly, emotions, fatigue, mental health, WKNC

Miscellaneous

GalaxyCon 2025 Review

Post author By dj dragonfly
Post date August 1, 2025

Four young men dressed as Hank, Bill, Dale and Boomhauer from "King of the Hill." Image provided by Simon Midgette.

For the second time ever, I attended GalaxyCon at the Convention Center in Raleigh.

The first time I went was last year and I attended Friday and Saturday. I dressed up as a Sith Lord original character from the Star Wars universe. My party members were dressed as Johnny Silverhand from “Cyberpunk”, Ace from “One Piece”, Mihawk from “One Piece” and lastly a group of four dressed as Hank, Bill, Dale and Boomhauer from “King of the Hill.”

This year, fewer of us dressed up but Johnny Silverhand made another appearance. A version of Hatsune Miku and Big Boss from “Metal Gear” were there as well as Granmamare and Fujimoto from “Ponyo.” We also only went on Friday this year.

There were many big name artists and celebrities at the convention this year. Some of my favorites to see even from a distance were William Shatner, Sean Gunn, Gates McFadden, Jackson Rathbone, Brent Spiner, Scott Patterson, and so on. I never got the timing right to see a couple of the celebrities like Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis or Barry Bostwick. I was also really disappointed to see that Grant Gustin dropped out of appearing, at least on Friday.

I even got a fleeting chance to speak with Gates McFadden. She was walking away from her booth and I didn’t want to disturb her but someone from my party flagged her down for me and she was lovely.

Tags dj dragonfly, GalaxyCon, local, Raleigh, WKNC

Miscellaneous

AI in Music

Post author By dj dragonfly
Post date July 22, 2025

Robot playing the trumpet. Image by Marufish, licensed CC BY-SA 2.0 Generic.

** Image license **

AI: one of the biggest taboos in the creative world today.

Whether it is between friends or an ice breaker question from one of my music professors, there is always a question of how we feel about using AI for our music.

I think that my opinion is very simple. I do not believe in plagiarizing art even if who you are plagiarizing from isn’t a person. I do not believe that it is okay for me to ask AI to write me a song with lyrics and melody and everything else and slap my name on it.

That being said, I do believe that AI is a tool that can be used in the process of making music. Maybe you find yourself in a rut and have no ideas for lyrics. I don’t think it’s a bad idea to use AI to help you brainstorm.

Tags AI, dj dragonfly, WKNC

Miscellaneous

I went to Ocracoke Island

Post author By dj dragonfly
Post date July 17, 2025

Sand dunes of Ocracoke Island, NC. Image licensed PDM 1.0 Universal.

Ocracoke Island – the death place of the one and only Captain Blackbeard.

I had the privilege of spending the 4th of July week in Ocracoke Island, NC. There, I got to enjoy the beach, local artisanal shops, tourist trap shops, some of the local restaurants, and even the holiday parade.

Tags dj dragonfly, July 4th, Ocracoke Island, vacation, WKNC

Miscellaneous

This Too Shall Pass

Post author By dj dragonfly
Post date June 26, 2025

Raven, a common depiction of bad luck. Image by rawpixel.com, licensed CC0 1.0 Universal.

Having a hard time? Finding no joy in your favorite things anymore? Feel like things just keep getting worse and worse? If you feel like any of these things is accurate, you should know that it’s okay. Sometimes, everything goes wrong and there’s nothing you can do about it. I know it isn’t always a comfort but these things happen sometimes.

If any of my readers are anything like me, then good and bad things usually happen in big clumps. I can have weeks or even months of almost nothing bad happening and suddenly a storm of bad luck rains down on me. Likewise the other way; sometimes I just have consistently bad luck and suddenly the sun comes out and I have a slew of good things coming my way.

Tags dj dragonfly, mental health, WKNC

Miscellaneous

How Do You Use Music?

Post author By dj dragonfly
Post date June 25, 2025

Old Radio. Image by Alan Levine, licensed by CC A2.0 Generic.

Everyone is different: tastes, habits, needs, wants etc. It stands to reason that everyone does things differently and treats things differently. Music is no exception. So how do different people use music in their lives?

Some people use music for a soundtrack to their lives while others use it as background noise and I know people who don’t really even like music.

I personally use music as a soundtrack to my life. I carefully pick and queue exactly what I need to make the moment feel a specific way and make sure it fits the vibe. Sometimes I let my playlists shuffle and I get a surprise but it almost always is still part of the soundtrack style I strive for.

If I have a bomb fit on and I feel really good about myself, I’ll usually have music in my earbuds that reflects that. Same with if I’m driving to campus on a rainy autumn morning. I need the music I listen to to reflect how I feel and how I am as a person. This is what makes life rich for me.

Tags dj dragonfly, music, WKNC

Miscellaneous

Anniversary Tours, Album Tours, are they different?

Post author By slacker
Post date June 24, 2025

"Björk jouant 'Isobel' à l'Accor Arena de Paris le 8 septembre 2023" by Vmv2705, permission via CC ASA 4.0 International license, cropped by blog.

Once, while driving to a venue whose name I can’t recall, my friend turned to me and began to say “I wish Glass Animals would perform more songs from How To Be a Human Being.” I agreed with her idea, not just because “How To Be A Human Being” is my favorite Glass Animals album, but because many artists have begun going on tours to commemorate the anniversary of an album’s release. Typically, artists perform newer tracks in order to promote their newer albums, yet some choose to play work that is almost exclusively older. If you’re a fan of an artist who hasn’t released new music in years yet is currently on tour, it’s likely an anniversary tour!

Tags anniversary tours, concerts, tours, WKNC, WKNC 88.1

Miscellaneous

The Album as a Storytelling Device with Some Recent Favorites (ADULT CONTENT)

Post author By slacker
Post date June 10, 2025

Okay Kaya drawn by Jessica Ganis, 2022, permission via CC ASA 4.0 license. Cropped to fit this blog post.

Note to readers: this blog contains brief mentions of sex, pedophilia, arson, drug abuse, gun violence, involuntary commitment, and more while discussing music that covers such themes.

Listeners now may not recognize how old the concept of an album as a narrative device is. The history of the concept album is murky, the history of strictly narrative albums with characters, setting, and a climax are murkier. Some say, including literary review writers at the University of Connecticut, that “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” by The Beatles started the idea. Paul McCartney (alongside Boston-based radio station WERS) traces the Beatles’ inspiration to Frank Zappa’s “Freak Out!” released in 1966.

Album cover for “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” by The Beatles.

Fiona Sturges at The Independent goes further, saying that commercially available song collections including a broader narrative may have originated with Woody Guthrie in the 1940s. If you consider musicals or opera as part of this history, you can go back centuries. Even in spite of its unclear origins, the narrative album continues to be a significant and growing part of contemporary music.

Tags aimee mann, college radio, Electronic, ethel cain, kilo kish, okay kaya, Pop, rock, st. vincent, WKNC, WKNC 88.1