Hello all! I am Ben/ DJ chef. I have done some writing for WKNC’s blog before, but these next few months I am going to be doing something different than my usual variety of articles.
Once a week I will be focusing on an aspect of Raleigh or the surrounding Triangle area’s local artists, bands, and venues. I will be exploring what makes these performances or places a unique staple to this section of the Carolinas.
Venues:
Last summer I had tons of fun writing a silly article about some of Raleigh’s parks, and since then I wanted to do similar articles by exploring the Triangle’s music scene via its venues, sounds, and smells (of food of course).
I have some specific spaces in mind that I want to get to know better and to share my experience at a few of Raleigh’s staple music venues, like The Pour House, which has been one of my favorite spots to take friends and go see smaller shows in a low-key environment. I witnessed a wonderful country and americana performance by Joshua Hedley and Lauren Morrow. Also, I had my ears shredded to a fine liquid by one of the loudest performances I’ve had the pleasure of being present at with AUGURS at The Pour House in May.
A few venues I plan to experience in full over the next few weeks are Slims, a little bar and very tight space for the best intimate crowd experiences; Local 506, a Chapel Hill spot that many hardcore (HC) bands perform at; The Pinhook, a Durham venue that I’ve been to once and really enjoyed – it reminded me The Pour House; and of course I will do my best to visit more places I haven’t heard of yet too.
Record Companies:
Another aspect of this series I want to dive into are the local record companies based in the Triangle area. I will see and experience the investments people are making in music that are right here in this area. For example, Sorry State Records is based right here in Raleigh and I’d love to pick up on the pulse of music they encourage, and what kind of sounds they want to blossom.
Local Music:
Of course I want to continue unfolding my love for HC bands around here too because this section of North Carolina has great potential for an even larger audience for these bands and artists. I believe we already have a great foothold in this genre with bands like Fading Signal, Super Reg, and Corrosion of Conformity.
But don’t worry, I won’t be focusing solely on HC and metal, but I’ll return to my roots and spread my enjoyment of local artists with some country twang, bubbly pop, or even smooth jazzy styles.
I really want to show how much Raleigh’s music scene has to offer those who want to explore it. This city and the entire Triangle area is full of a wide variety of folks that help keep the multitude of flavors swirling and shifting to new directions. Hopefully y’all want to adventure forth into this music scene with me.
Student radio station WKNC 88.1 FM HD-1/HD-2 and Visit Centennial Campus have partnered for WKNC’s Local Lunch Live, a weekly lunchtime performance showcasing NC State student musicians. The fall series takes place Wednesdays at noon from Oct. 11-Nov. 15 at The Corner, an outdoor venue on the corner of Main Campus and Research Drives. All WKNC Local Lunch Live events are free and open to the public. Bring your lunch or grab a bite at one of the food trucks often parked across the street.
WKNC is actively seeking solo and duo musicians for the event. Email wknc-manager@ncsu.edu to get paid to perform.
This summer, many bands I listen to have been hard at work putting out new releases. Here are my thoughts on three new singles by three great artists.
Vandal Moon
Vandal Moon’s newest single, “Heroine Dancer,” came out on June 30. The six-minute track seems handcrafted for the dance floor.
Cover for “Heroine Dancer” by Vandal Moon
With weeping synths, industrial-style percussion and a sensual beat that thrums throughout, “Heroine Dancer” compels the listener to dance themselves.
A simple song about dancing and love, “Heroine Dancer” is something to get lost in.
Active since 2014, Vandal Moon describes themselves as “propagating our sound through the use of synthesizers, guitars, chant, tambourines, drum machines, vodka and psychedelics.”
While I don’t see “Heroine Dancer” as psychedelic or particularly enigmatic, it’s certainly a fun song.
The track certainly stays true to ULTRA SUNN’s signature style. With cold rhythms and echoing vocals, “Broken Monsters” is both danceable and sensual.
Cover for “Broken Monsters” by ULTRA SUNN
A contemporary EBM/coldwave duo from Belgium, ULTRA SUNN spearheaded their career with the release of the single “Night is Mine” in 2019. Since, they’ve released several singles and EPs.
While I won’t say “Broken Monsters” is their best work, as I prefer their second most recent release, “Kill Your Idols,” the track definitely succeeds in capturing the essence of ULTRA SUNN. I hope that as their career progresses, the duo experiment with other musical substyles.
Male Tears
Songs by Male Tears go one of two ways for me. Either I love them instantly, or they become something of an acquired taste.
Self-described as a “California synth duo,” Male Tears started their career in 2021 with their first self-titled album. Since, they’ve made waves in the darkwave scene with their uniquely camp style.
While I like the sweet melancholy of the song’s melody, I find that the vocals straddle a thin line between lo-fi and simply poorly executed.
Cover for “Sad Boy, Paint My Nails” by Male Tears
Songs by Male Tears typically feature stronger vocals. “sad boy, paint my nails” attempts to capture something more plaintive, which I appreciate in essence but find myself struggling to connect to.
While part of me likes the song, I’d probably skip it if it came up on my streaming feed. I anticipate that in the fall, which tends to turn my tastes towards the morose, I’ll have a greater appreciation for this track. However, right now I definitely see it as one of the band’s lesser releases.
“Coffee Talk” is a game released in 2020 that follows a visual novel format and tells a story of various customers that visit a late-night coffee shop in a Pacific northwest city populated by humans and a variety of fantasy races, including succubi, vampires, and elves.
The game requires the player to click through dialogue, with our playable chararcter being the shop barista, meaning you make characters drinks as you play.
Like any good coffee shop, your coffee shop has a great rotation of chill lofi hip-hop beats to carry you through late-night conversations with whoever may be visiting that night. The soundtrack was fully originally composed by Andrew Jeremy, the music director of Toge Productions, which is the studio that made “Coffee Talk.”
Although the game is fun and remains one of my favorite games, its soundtrack is truly the best part of the game. I can normally study with music on, but sometimes music with lyrics will make it harder to focus. The “Coffee Talk” soundtrack is my solution to finding instrumental music that does not leave me bored or annoyed.
The game has a 27-track album that only features one song that doesn’t fit in a chillhop category, that being “Gala Gila” (this song is more upbeat to match a climactic moment in the story). Every other song is calming and soothing in a way that makes me want to settle down in a cafe and write or draw with a latte nearby.
Some of my favorite tracks are as follows:
“Moon Bright” — this song takes the tune of Debussy’s “Clair de Lune” and makes a lofi hip-hop beat with it.
“Cup of Sweetness” uses a crackly background noise to add some coziness to this already smooth song that uses a cool array of snares.
“Calming Drizzle” is dreamy and groovy; it represents the soundtrack as a whole very well.
I haven’t played it yet, but “Coffee Talk 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly” was released in April, and features another full-length soundtrack by Andrew Jeremy that I’m very excited to dig into and add to my study rotation.
Meeting a WKNC DJ can be intimidating. Maybe you’re overcome by our cool presence, stumbling over words and trying to pretend you know what shoegaze means. You’re too nervous to ask us about how we throw together our sets, so you never learn and resolve to assume that the art of crafting a DJ set is beyond you.
This is a common experience, and I’m here to demystify the DJ setmaking process. Note that not all DJs are the same, and this process varies amongst us.
Collection Phase
I play a once-weekly show on HD-1, so every week I’ve got to compile between 15 to 20 songs to put on air. To collect my tracks, I make a playlist after each show to put each new song I’ve liked from the week in one place for my next show.
I’m the sort of person who tends to play just a few songs over and over until they get old and then move on, so sometimes I don’t come up with 15 songs. If this is the case, I’ll scour my old playlists to fill in the cracks.
Occasionally, I’ll have more songs than I need for a set. Because my show is one hour long, I try to have songs that total to a runtime between 53 and 56 minutes. This allows time for voice breaks, and with sets that have songs I’d like to talk about more than the average track, I’ll aim for the lower end of the 53 to 56 minute range.
Proofing Phase
At WKNC, we have a few rules that always need to be followed. One of these rules is that there are certain words we cannot use on air. As such, we’ve got to comb through every lyric of every song we’d like to play on air to make sure our set is squeaky clean.
Of course, this is made much easier with lyric-sharing sites like Genius. However, with songs that don’t have lyrics publicly posted, a thorough listen of the song to be sure of its cleanliness is necessary.
You might be thinking, “Why don’t you just make sure you don’t play any songs with the ‘E’ on them?”, referring to the ‘explicit’ label that many songs have on streaming services. Because we not only follow the FCC standards for Obscene, Indecent and Profane Broadcasts but also our own station standards, there’s no guarantee that an artist has appropriately marked a song as explicit that is qualified as such for our purposes.
If there’s a song you want to play that has explicit lyrics, you have the option to find a clean version of the song or clean it yourself using an audio-editing software.
Set Design
Once all of my songs have been chosen and appropriately cleaned if necessary, I order my playlist to make the set flow. I tend to do a voice break every three songs, so I will typically put 3 similar songs in a block, have a voice break, then repeat. Some DJs may have a voice break between every song or none at all.
A lot of times, I’ll have my set move from slow to fast, soft to heavy, etc. based on the tracks I’m working with. So, it’s attention to the individual songs in their blocks of three, but also attention to how each of those blocks flow and interact with each other.
Okay– at this point, we’ve got our songs, they’re clean and ordered, and we’re nearing the final steps of the DJ’s pre-show process.
At this stage I will occasionally design a poster for my show to promote it and always upload my tracks into Spinitron so that folks can see what they’re listening to during my set.
I’ve made probably over a hundred sets for radio shows before and I find the process to be rather soothing– cultivating a setlist requires more attention be given to the music I listen to than normal casual listening might.
Does this sound interesting to you? Are you dying to know what the prohibited words of radio are? Fear not, there are Fall 2023 interest meetings for students interested in joining WKNC as a DJ or other staff: Tuesday, Aug. 22 and Thursday, Aug. 24 from 6-7 p.m. in 201 Witherspoon.
Album cover for the soundtrack of the 2009 movie "Whip It".
There are few movies that hold as much nostalgia for me as the Drew Barrymore-directed “Whip It,” released in 2009. I grew up watching roller derby in my hometown and, because “Whip It” was the only movie I’d ever seen about roller derby, it quickly became a favorite.
The movie itself emanates 2000s alternative coolness. Elliot Page plays a teenager who attempts to find a way out of her small Texas hometown through joining a roller derby team. In the same way that “Juno” feels eternally 2007, “Whip It” feels eternally 2009.
When I got my first iPod, I downloaded the soundtrack to the movie. It left an imprint on me that I think likely contributes to my interest in alternative music today.
The movie utilizes a lot of high-tempo rock. The Ramones’ “Sheena Is A Punk Rocker,” featured in the film, is arguably the first thing that led me towards punk rock. Throughout the story, Page’s character Bliss is faced with choosing between two worlds– that of her mother, which is full of pageants and custom gowns, and that of her roller derby dreams, filled with blue hair, scraped knees and beer.
“Pot Kettle Black” by Tilly and The Wall matches the high-tempo theme and adds in a new theme of chanting-shouting-screaming that the rest of the soundtrack showcases as well, with “Boys Wanna Be Her” by Peaches keeping it up. Lyrics from Peaches’ song repeat “The boys wanna be her / The girls wanna be her,” undoubtedly adding to how badly I wanted to be Bliss Cavendar.
The soundtrack features a lot of then-current indie rock, but also has a few classics such as 38 Special’s “Caught Up In You” and “Jolene” by Dolly Parton. At a point in the story where Bliss begins to date a new love interest, the music gets a bit softer, with tracks like “Learningalilgivinanlovin” by Gotye (pre-Somebody That I Used to Know!).
The movie itself is a bit of a mess– weird pacing, plot holes and questionable aspects of its storyline keeps it from standing up to much criticism– but it’s incredibly loveable, and its soundtrack is equally sentimental.
K-Pop Bash banner. Photo provided by Jared Spector
I’ll be the first to admit I had a K-Pop phase– my “kpoop” playlist remains a staple of my Spotify profile even though I’m no longer trading photocards of my favorite idols. K-Pop is ever-growing and the fanbase of the many groups that make up the genre is only getting bigger.
There’s a lot of opportunities for K-Pop fans to interact with music and communities online, but due to the global reach of many K-Pop groups, opportunities to see favorite artists are few and far between and are usually only found in big cities with expensive, nosebleed-seat tickets.
Citizens of Raleigh– fear not! K-Pop is coming to Ruby Deluxe in the form of a K-Pop Bash being put on by local DJ and music producer Rusty later this month. I asked Rusty a few questions about his event to get some information about what to expect for this first-of-its-kind event.
What is the K-Pop Bash?
“K-Pop Bash is a brand new monthly event that I’m hoping to expand in North Carolina. Our aim is to bring a K-pop filled night to fans while providing a safe space while dancing their favorite music, and meeting new people.”
Who are some of the artists you’ll be playing?
“A few of the artists we’re going to play are groups like BTS, Blackpink, Seventeen, NewJeans, TXT, NCT 127 and Twice. Honestly, there’s so many groups we’re hoping to play, I hope people come and find new songs and groups to enjoy. I personally enjoy finding hidden gems within the genre.”
Will this be a regular/monthly event?
“The aim is to make this a monthly event, so I’ve been working on getting an event booked for each month. July 20th is our first and we have another one in August, which we’ll announce a bit later.”
What are you most excited about for the Bash?
“The thing I’m most excited for is seeing how this event can grow. These kinds of events really only happen because of community and so far I’ve been amazed out how excited everyone is for this kind of event.”
The K-Pop Bash will take place at Ruby Deluxe in Raleigh, July 20 at 10 p.m. More information about the event can be found at this link. If you’ve wanted to have a BTS dance party somewhere other than your own bedroom, now’s a great chance.
Evan Stephens Hall, frontman of Pinegrove, as photographed by Will Fisher. Used under Creative Commons License CC BY-SA 4.0
I will begin this by saying I do not use TikTok. Proud disclaimer. However, because I’ve not been able to avoid contact with the internet in its totality, I’ve become aware of the Pinegrove Shuffle– a dance trend to a song from Pinegrove that’s been going around the video-sharing app.
Pinegrove is a band whose work I’ve adored for years, but some of that admiration was marred when Evan Stephens Hall– the group’s frontman– was accused of sexual coercion in 2017. The band took a year to refrain from releasing any music, and Hall took time to work on himself, stating that he’d begun therapy in the Facebook post in which this was all revealed.
Since then, it seems Pinegrove and Hall have been mostly accepted back into the spot they once had in the music scene. This acceptance has been solidified by the burst of the band’s alt-country music regaining public attention in the TikTok trend.
The Pinegrove Shuffle itself is a mix between the hardcore two-step and something else, resembling a bird flailing. Its movement suggests a melancholy feeling that matches the song– “Need 2,” well.
After the TikTok trend went viral, the band re-released “Need 2,” this time with a slow version, a fast version, and a hyperspeed version. The song hasn’t been reproduced at all but has instead just had its speed altered in the new releases.
Robin Murray of Clash Music describes Pinegrove’s re-ascent into the public spotlight “incredibly, bizarrely unlikely,” given their history. I could not agree more.
Even when an artist has done their time in therapy or has completed the proper reparations after an incident such as the one Hall was a part of, it feels strange to have them resurface at such a public level, especially with Pinegrove in particular. Historically, they’ve been adored, and since Hall’s accusation most have been unsure how to feel about the group.
It seems the dance trend has brought them back to a normal, inoffensive position that old fans and listeners were not exactly prepared for. I can’t say the trend is wrong or shouldn’t be popularized, but I can’t say I adore the booming popularity of a band with a sticky history either. It’s tough territory. In the meantime, I’m still enjoying the sped-up versions of “Need 2.”
Photo courtesy of
7beachbum, under Creative Commons
I’ve been thinking a lot about what brings people to the status of being “queer icons”. Many of these people aren’t queer themselves, yet they are subject of adoration by many queer fans. And, there’s so many people who are queer themselves and quite popular who never seem to receive this distinction. My knowledge in this matter is primarily focused on musicians, so I’ll keep this discussion limited to that realm.
Allies and Icons
Kate Bush is a good example of someone who isn’t queer herself, but her music resonates with those fans. “Running Up That Hill” has been interpreted by many as a trans allegory, where God swaps the places of the narrator with her male lover. “Kashka from Baghdad” laments the situation of a gay man who “lives in sin” in a relationship with another man.
Music video for “Kashka From Baghdad” by Kate Bush
As far as icons who are queer themselves go, Lady Gaga has certainly made her mark. She not only has music directly supporting queer people, but has contributed much to queer activism. Both artists pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable to discuss in mainstream pop culture for their time. Keep in mind, “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga was released four years before even the Obergefell v. Hodges decision that legalized gay marriage.
A Would-Be Icon
So why does someone like Kurt Cobain, who similarly supported queer people during his time with Nirvana, not have the same level of recognition as a queer icon as others? Cobain’s one interview during the release and promotion of Nirvana’s Insecticide was with The Advocate magazine which promoted “Gay and Lesbian” issues. He called himself “gay in spirit” and “probably could be bisexual”. He performed with Nirvana at a benefit concert in Oregon to oppose an anti-gay ballot measure being proposed in the state.
If any of you in any way hate homosexuals, people of different color, or women, please do this one favor for us — leave us the f— alone! Don’t come to our shows and don’t buy our records
Liner notes for Nirvana’s “Incesticide”
Although Cobain was certainly popular enough to be known by queer fans, he’s largely left out of these kinds of conversations. I believe this may be due to the nature of Nirvana’s music. Most queer icons in music, at least in the 20th century, are women or they are men who write poppier songs and ballads. This trend is largely reflective of the perception of gay men and lesbians by themselves and wider society at the time. Gay men were stereotypically effeminate and lesbians were stereotypically butch (and any other queer people were ignored).
Even though Cobain often acted in line with these stereotypes, both in his private life and on-stage, his music was much more aggressive than the music of most other queer icons of the time. As such, there may have been a reluctance among the queer community in the 90s to adopt Cobain’s music as theirs because it broke from those stereotypes.
Concluding Thoughts
While popularity and queer subject matter may be important in making someone a queer icon, those don’t seem to be the only criteria, at least for older musicians. Actually this trend still exists to some extent today too. Rarely, if ever, are aggressive rock or hip-hop artists (many of whom are queer) seen as icons, even if they discuss the matter in their music.
Some days, things are just going bad. Sometimes, we know the root of that cause, sometimes we just feel unlucky. Sometimes, there hasn’t even been anything bad that’s happened, we just feel awful.
In the moment, it can be near impossible to ignore the emotional reality that you’re experiencing. It’s difficult to fix problems that do exist and matter when you’re having a rough time.
I’m putting this collection of tips out there for those days when things just seem to be going badly. It’s difficult to know when to seek help, or even if you need help, but it is easy to know that this might not be the greatest of days.
Eating healthy and drinking water regularly are both extremely helpful for your mental health. Even if the food you’re eating isn’t perfectly “healthy”, having balanced meals with carbs, fats, and proteins in some capacity can help a lot. If you don’t feel like you can prepare a meal, eat some mixed nuts with whatever bread products you have access to. Maybe eat a banana or some grapes with it.
On that note, buying foods that can be prepared in bulk ahead of time can be quite helpful in alleviating the stress of making a meal in the moment. Additionally, try to at least drink a water bottle’s worth of water a day. Fill a reusable water from the tap or a Brita filter if you have it, or just grab a plastic water bottle.
Take a shower if you’re at home. Don’t worry about how long you’re in there or how hot the water is, just keep the temperature comfortable and get clean.
Likewise, dress into some clean clothes if you haven’t gotten dressed today. It gets you out of the tired mindset that being in pajamas may put you in, giving you more energy during the day.
Things you can do with and without people
If you haven’t really interacted with people, especially friends or family yet today, try to meet up with them, even if it’s just for an hour or two. If you can’t meet in person, text or call them. Don’t worry about getting work done during this time. Ask for a hug from friends or family if you’re comfortable. This doesn’t necessarily apply if those people are part of the reason you’re not doing that great.
If you’ve spent large chunks of the day around people, even friends or family, take some alone time. Play around with hobbies, whether it be knitting, playing video games, or programming. Sit down with a show or a movie.
Hell, watch Tiktok or Youtube to unwind for a bit, though try to limit these to an hour or so.
Things you can do to be active
Exercise also helps your mental health greatly. People who do a lot of intellectual or emotional labor may find exercise especially helpful. If you have access to a gym, take your pick of what activity you want to do, whether it be strength exercises, swimming, or walking/running on a treadmill.
Personally, I’ve found lifting weights to relieve my mind of stress, since all of my focus is on physical exertion.
Going outside in any capacity is probably the most helpful piece of advice I could possibly give here. Whether you go on a walk, sit on a bench for a while, or run around for a bit, these all tend to be more beneficial to your mental health than staying inside. If you have access, go to a local trail through the woods.
I cannot stress enough how rejuvenating a nature walk like this can be. Green spaces more generally are also relaxing compared to dense urban environments.
How music can help
Music tends to be prevalent through all parts of my life. I use it to highlight pleasant moments and relieve negative moments. There’s a number of different types of music that I tend to gravitate towards when I’m struggling with a variety of things, and I want to share those here in the hopes that they help others.
Healing – In Love With a Ghost
Music video for “Healing” by In Love With a Ghost
In Love With a Ghost is probably my most played artist when I’m having a bad day. Their lo-fi, bedroom pop sound allows listeners to let their thoughts drift away as they listen. Their music is perfect for those times when you might not know exactly why you’re sad or upset, just that you are.
Pills & Good Advice – Left at London
Lyric video for “Pills & Good Advice” by Left at London
On the contrary, sometimes I just need to vent my emotions until I’m satisfied. When I feel wronged, especially by someone I know well, I tend to come back to Left at London’s music. Her album “t.i.a.p.f.y.h” is phenomenal for giving me something to sing my heart out to in the car. Songs like “Pills & Good Advice” give me the perfect opportunity to feel like I have closure over some bad event that’s already finished.
Meant to Be – SAFFRA
Official audio for “Meant to Be” by SAFFRA
Other times, the most helpful music is that which will get me back into the swing of things. “Meant to Be” is the debut single from SAFFRA, and it rides the line between positive energy and low-key relaxation perfectly. Its long solos in the middle of the song provide a wonderful chance to just close your eyes, sit back, and let the music wash over you. I tend to use this (and songs like it) after artists like Left at London to get myself back into the swing of things.
LAW OF AVERAGES – Vince Staples
Music video for “LAW OF AVERAGES” by Vince Staples
Sometimes, all I need from music is to have a soft, somewhat depressing tone to stew in my emotions for a while. Unlike Left at London’s invigorating, aggressive attitude, Vince Staples sounds more low-key, as if he’s having a serious, emotional conversation with listeners. This sentiment is especially true on his last two albums: “RAMONA PARK BROKE MY HEART” and “Vince Staples”. I especially recommend his music if you’ve had a rough day at work and you’re driving home.
