Category: Miscellaneous

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

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Miscellaneous

“Babel” by R.F. Kuang Book Review

Image of the two babel covers. One with the word "BABEL" vertically, the other showing the building Babel.

“Babel” is a dark academia historical fantasy book by R. F. Kuang set in 1830s Oxford University. “Babel” utilizes fantasy elements to highlight the cruelty of imperialism all while creating an engaging story full of fleshed-out, interesting characters.

I have been following Kuang’s work since the release of her first novel, “The Poppy War”, in 2018. She turned “The Poppy War” into a trilogy and announced earlier this year after the end of “The Poppy War” trilogy, that she would be releasing her fourth book, “Babel” in August.

I was extremely excited to hear this and immediately pre-ordered a copy. I finished “Babel” and must say, this book lived up to and exceeded my expectations. Kuang’s prose continues to get stronger and her stories more elaborate and nuanced.

The Magic System

The most brilliant thing about “Babel” is its magic system. My main problem with many fantasy books set in the real world is the magic system has no impact on the world outside of the scope of the story.

“Babel” does not have this problem. Babel, which the book is named after, is the world’s center of translation and silver-working. Silver-working is the art of manifesting meaning lost in translation through enchanted silver bars, creating magical effects. In this alternative world, silver-working is what has made the British Empire an unparalleled power.

This is, in my opinion, an excellent way to incorporate fantasy elements into the real world. It is subtle but has such a large impact on everything going on in the world of the story.

The Novel

“Babel” covers revolution, colonial resistance, and the use of translation as a tool of empire. It follows protagonist Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton and plucked out of China by a wealthy and mysterious Babel Professor, Richard Lovell.

Throughout the book, Robin becomes a student at Babel and comes to learn that serving Babel, creating silver, would be a betrayal of his homeland. What’s more, as his studies progress, he gets caught between Babel and the mysterious revolutionary group Hermes.

Throughout this book, Robin is constantly grappling with the question: can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence?

This book does a great job handling the heavy themes it tries to tackle. Robin and Robin’s cohort feel like a very dynamic, alive group of characters. Often in fantasy books, I feel that characters are merely plot pieces waiting for the next moment to move the plot along. However, I did not feel this way with “Babel”.

This book also does give equal footing to both sides of the question Robin grapples with. However, Kuang is not afraid to take a firm stand when the question must be answered.

This book is great and is an excellent use of fantasy in the real world, which is rare to see. I look forward to Kuang’s next book, “Yellowface” coming out in May 2023, which will be stepping away from fantasy.

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Blog Miscellaneous

Overcoming and Appreciating Creative Block

Creative Block

It is important to not only listen to your body but also your mind.

A quick disclaimer, I am not a psychologist or a doctor. I will be speaking from my own experiences with creative block and from observing the effects it has had on my peers.

As a college student in a creative-oriented major, I face creative block quite frequently. However, many students outside creative fields are met with creative block without realizing it.

Creative block is often defined as lack of inspiration. It can be associated with burnout, where there is a void of motivation altogether. 

In my experience the symptoms of burnout are overshadowed by creative block. 

Burnout often has a clear solution: rest. Creative block is more ambiguous.

You may find yourself asking, “Will I ever have another good idea?” or “Am I ever going to be able to create again?”. Creative block does not have a simple solution or does it have a distinct end; leaving the individual with doubt and insecurity. This doubt often pushes individuals to keep working until they find some creativity again.

However, I truly believe creative block can be a beneficial step in a design process.

Creative block is a signal to stop, stand up, and unplug. Most of all it is a signal to experience something different or new.

Taking a Break

This is not as easy as it sounds. Between the pressures of professor expectations, deadlines, and competitive peers; taking a break sounds impossible at times.

When a break feels impossible is the exact moment we should be taking a break. I am not encouraging to ignore work altogether, but rather to redirect one’s productive approach.

Building in breaks is seen to increase productivity and communal health.

Went we take breaks we are not only performing a different activity but we are experiencing different sights, smells, and feelings. This passive presception can contribute to our creativity immensely.

I believe when we experience something new we are charging our creative battery.

Redefining Rest

In college there is certainly a culture of pulling all nighters for the sake of studying or finishing an impeding project. 

I would like to highlight that everyone has there own circadian rhythm and ideal work periods— so I am not dismissing all nighters. However, I do think overworking and  lack of proper rest is a direct contribution to creative block.

Proper rest means more than just 8 hours of sleep.

It’s very important to make time for the things you enjoy. Although academics are a priority for college students, it is vital to recognize that life is more than academics.

Whether that is sports, games, reading, tuning into WKNC, meditating, etc.

To maintain a healthy mind and therefore a creative thought process, we must have compassion towards ourselves.

Conclusion

It is clear that creative block can plague the music world and beyond.

Although it is difficult to wait for your favorite musicians or bands to make a new release; it is important for everyone to take their time completing a creative project.

In my opinion, some of the best music is created through overcoming creative block and taking lots of time. It often leads to new sounds, new explorations, and a happier performer.

So next time you are faced with creative block, try to avoid beating yourself up or doubting your abilities, but rather thank your brain for telling you to take a break. Go take a break.

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Miscellaneous

Exploration of Themes in “House of the Dragon”

Promotional image from "House of the Dragon" showing Rhaenyra Targaryen standing in front of her dragon
Promotional image from "House of the Dragon." Image from HBO, used under Fair Use.

“Game of Thrones” Sundays have officially returned. After the massive let-down that ended the HBO pop-culture phenomenon, fans have been awaiting a return to the world of Westeros. “House of the Dragon” promises the return.

Set 200 years before the events of “Game of Thrones”, “House of the Dragon” takes a dive into Westeros with House Targaryen at the height of their power. From the first episode alone, “House of the Dragon” will explore themes of succession, sexism and classism.

Fantasy as a genre allows for the exploration of themes in a way that is not possible through regular media. Fantastical settings and events allow the creators of these stories to explore themes hyperbolically. “House of the Dragon” uses the Westeros to give perspective and insight into real-world problems that viewers may deal with.

A Prologue

The first episode of the show focuses heavily on succession to the Iron Throne. From the first scene, all three major themes are put on display. In a scene that takes place 15 years before the following scenes in the episode, King Jaehaerys I Targaryen elects a council of mostly male lords to decide who will be his successor to the Throne. The two primary candidates are his two grandchildren, cousins Rhaenys Targaryen, eldest living descendant to the Throne, and Viserys I Targaryen, eldest living male descendant to the throne.

In this scene, while Rhaenys is the eldest, giving her precedent to the Throne. However, Viserys is elected to inherit the throne by the council of over a thousand lords of Westeros. This biting undercut to the succession of the Throne made by this council sets the tone for the rest of the episode and surely for the rest of the series.

A Battle on Two Fronts

We are brought many years into the rule of King Viserys later in the episode. His wife, Aemma Targaryen, is about to give birth to their second child. The king is certain the child will be male. To celebrate, he holds a jousting tournament to celebrate the coming birth of his male heir. As the bouts begin, Aemma begins to give birth.

During a brutal interweaving of scenes, we watch Viserys’ brother, Daemon Targaryen, use his royal status to cheat his way to the final bout of the joust while Aemma struggles in labor. In the final bout, Daemon is beaten by a man who was otherwise unknown before this tournament, Ser Criston Cole. Criston’s defeat of Prince Daemon is a satisfying scene, highlighting that the only thing separating Daemon from anyone else is his rank.

In this world, much like our own, a man’s choice has the power to override a woman’s. This is put into horrifying effect in a scene at the end of this inter-splicing sequence. King Viserys chooses to sacrifice his wife in order to save his male heir, unbeknownst to her. Their son lives for mere hours before dying anyways, leaving Viserys with only his eldest daughter, Rhaenyra Targaryen.

Viserys, only after sacrificing his wife, realizes the foolishness in the precedent of a male heir. A precedent that won him the Throne. At the end of the episode, Viserys goes against a 200-year tradition to name Rhaenyra his heir. This sets up what will be a primary conflict for the episodes following the premiere.

A Promising Premiere

Those were only the biggest highlights of the major themes throughout the episode. However, many other scenes and sequences beautifully portrayed the key themes which will hopefully remain present throughout the entirety of the show.

While this episode was not the bombastic start of “Game of Thrones”, “House of the Dragon” begins as a slow-burning, highly thematic cousin to the show which first aired over 10 years ago.

May the luck of the Seven shine upon you,

-Hüttemeister

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Miscellaneous Music News and Interviews

How the Pandemic Influenced Concert Culture

The post-COVID experience has changed drastically whether it’s our preference for working from home or doing classes over Zoom. It’s no doubt that concert culture has adapted as well.

The attendance of concerts, the fashion, the concept of camping out hours or days before shows. 

I’ve heard a common ideology going around these days, that people aren’t working because they want to but because they want money to buy concert tickets. 

Attendance

Attending smaller shows that average $20 a ticket seems simple for people who have survived quarantine buying hundreds of new clothes or supplies for new hobbies from boredom. 

Now there’s less time being bored, so the next best alternative for a fun 3-hour experience is going to a concert.

The class of 2023 to the class of 2026 especially has lost so much of the ‘supposed’ best time of our lives with college and high school years of freedom being obliterated.

Because of this everyone is seeking that missed experience by going to concerts. Celebrating our favorite artists with fellow fans our age.

Fashion

Not only has concert fever increased but the whole culture behind it has changed.

In the past, you wouldn’t typically dress up as if you were going to the MET Gala when getting ready for concerts. However, these days fans go all out by recreating outfits the artist has worn in the past or matching the vibe of the tour. 

I love this new change because it makes going to a concert this event. Of course, it’s not mandatory but gives people another thing to look forward to doing to get into concert mode. 

I know it makes me hype at least.

What I love about the new fashion culture of concerts the most is that you can dress to the nines and wear the most outrageous outfits that you possibly could not wear on a school campus or at work or in your daily life.

It gives you the chance to step outside of your comfort zone while having people dressed as cool as you surrounding you.

Not only is it the outfits, but the hairstyles and makeup looks that people are dedicated to doing just for themselves are what I enjoy the most.

Of course, sometimes concertgoers want to dress their best in the rare chance the artist sees them, but for the most part, they dress in a way they are the most confident version of themselves – for themselves.

Camping Out

Unfortunately, there is a negative aspect to this adapted concert culture, I fear. In the past, people would show up maybe one hour early to a concert before doors opened.

These days, especially when it comes to general admission venues or venues with pits, fans line up eight plus hours in advance just to be at the barricades. Just to be that close to the artists on the stage. 

Not only is this dangerous for the health of the fans but is honestly unreasonable too.

The extremeness only increases as the popularity of the artist increases.

Someone I met at the Wallows concert told me they had been in line for over eight hours just so they could get interactions with the band members. 

Another person stood in line for over 15 hours for a Harry Styles show. Another person was in line for a whopping 21 hours for Olivia Rodrigo.

One extreme situation I read about was that people started camping out at 11 pm the day before a Harry Styles concert that was starting at 7 pm. Full on setting up camping tents and everything.

The list goes on and on, with people waiting 8-9 hours for indie artists like Role Model, Clairo, Wallows, etc., and people waiting 15+ hours for more famous artists like Dua Lipa or The Weeknd.

The max I’ve waited in a line was 2 hours, and I’ve gotten barricade for almost every concert I’ve been to. Of course, all those concerts were at The Ritz in Raleigh so it wasn’t difficult to do so. 

Over quarantine and Post-COVID many artists that we could refer to as “small” have doubled or even tripled in their monthly listeners and this along with the passion of fans has increased the intensity of concert culture.

It’s fascinating how music consumption and concert culture was so drastically influenced by quarantine and the pandemic. 

Regardless of how you want to take part in concert culture, I definitely recommend going to a live show at least once. It’s a life-changing experience.

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Miscellaneous Music Education

How Does Eastern Music Differ from Western Music?

Although in the modern day, Eastern culture has had a lot of influences on Western music and Western culture has had a lot of influence on Eastern music I wanted to a brief break down of the unique differences between the two.

The main difference even an untrained ear can pinpoint is the instruments used.

For example in Eastern music, the most common traditional instruments in many cultures are lutes. The Middle East has a lute called the Oud. India uses the Sitar. China has a lute called the pipa. The list goes on. 

Essentially they have instruments that create these entrancing tunes as well as more complex melodies in general. There are many overlapping rhythms and are at the forefront of traditional Eastern music. They use 7-tone and 5-tone systems that rely more on the manipulation of melodies instead of using set chords.

On the other hand, the West has more instruments that are found in orchestras such as string instruments, guitars, woodwind instruments, and percussion instruments such as saxophones and flutes, and bagpipes. 

Western music in general puts harmonies at the forefront. They have more complex harmonies and have something called a 12-tone equal temperament. In simple terms, the series of eight notes are organized equally instead of in an odd fashion.

One way to put it is, that Western music is oriented around written music. It can be written down and repeated in an orderly structure. Eastern music is oriented around oral music. It can’t necessarily be captured in notes and is more dynamic and improvisation.

While you can categorize Western music, at its core, Eastern music is not necessarily a genre or category. 

As you move from one country to another, their entire way of composing and creating music is different. The instruments they use change based on culture and the way they arrange their rhythms and melodies vary as well.

Don’t want to get too historical here, but because the West has this shared ‘European’ culture it’s easy to say that most Western music sounds similar.

This can’t be said about Eastern music because of how diverse each continent and subcontinent is. South African music is far different from North Eastern Asian music. 

That’s one of the most fascinating things I love about music. 

How each culture has its own music and how music can tell so much about the country’s culture and history.

If you hadn’t had the chance to listen to some Eastern music, I truly recommend it. 

Even what we consider ‘pop’ music sounds far different in Japan or Lebanon or Bollywood.

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Miscellaneous

Dive into “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou”

WKNC 88.1 blog

Exploring the seas terrifies me. The endless blue waves that roll and span out into infinity leave too much space on the horizon. And underneath all that water, are an unknown quantity of mysterious and dangerous creatures coming in the strangest shapes and sizes. Maybe some of that fear is why Wes Anderson’s “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” is such an appealing film to me.

“The Life Aquatic” is Wes Anderson’s fourth feature-length release. Bill Murray is the lead actor, and Owen Wilson and Cate Blanchett are two of the numerous supporting actors in this film.

Also in this movie is Seu Jorge, a Brazilian artist, who covers popular David Bowie songs throughout the film. His acoustic covers are homely and create a beautiful soundtrack for key moments in the film. 

Free Dive into “The Life Aquatic” with Chef

To start out, this movie is a classically designed Wes Anderson film, so pastel colors and a strong sense of symmetry are evident in each frame of the film. Anderson’s directorial style is so perfect for the script and story that take place. 

Take a look at this scene that describes the boat Steve Zissou and his crew live on:

Another great aspect of this movie is the use of puppets and CGI. The fictional sea creatures that Zissou and his team meet and encounter are gorgeous and colorful. In the opening scenes of the film there is a beautiful rainbow colored seahorse that encapsulates the audience’s attention and imagination. 

In terms of characters and character development, Steve Zissou and crew all become better people by the end of the movie. Zissou is a manipulative, womanizing control freak, but his softer sides prove that he deserves and can actually feel love. 

My singular favorite artistic contribution to “The Life Aquatic” are Seu Jorge’s covers. He translates and rewrites David Bowie covers like “Life On Mars?”, “Oh You Pretty Things” and “Ziggy Stardust”.

The tracks are all acoustic and create a beautiful ambiance on the screen (and off the screen if you listen to the tracks at home). Here’s a look at some clips of Jorge himself playing in a few scenes:

Surfacing Thoughts

I love this film. Everything from the music to the cinematography creates a beautiful, perfect planet where everyone loves nature and respects it. Maybe that’s one of the takeaways from this film, but I also love the characters. 

For being an a**hole, Zissou really does love people in his own way. It’s nice to see how terrible people can be and understand that even they need some type of love in their life.

Fish are friends, not food

Ben

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Miscellaneous

Street Musicians in Québec

I took a little trip to Québec this week, more specifically Montréal and Québec City. There was an abundance of street performers and artists at many parks and gathering areas in the city.

Being from a not-such-a-metropolis that Montréal or a European-influenced city like Québec, I wanted to share my experience with street musicians and talk about how much I appreciate the art form.

Street musicians and performers have been around for centuries since 462 BC in Ancient Rome. 

It’s no lie how much joy they bring to people and can liven up any street or outdoor setting.

Maybe it’s due to the French influence on Québec that the prevalence of street performers and music was much more visible compared to cities in the U.S. 

Montréal has constant music festivals and festivals year long and music seems to be a big part of Québec’s culture. 

I saw a myriad of instruments as I walked through the streets of Montréal and Québec City. With artists playing the violin, guitar, singing, and other instruments I had never seen before. 

I haven’t yet found out the name of the instrument, but it looked almost like a wooden block with a kickstand. The man was sitting on the block playing the harmonica and kicking the block ever so often. It made me curious how many instruments are out there that I’ve never seen or heard of.

One spot in Montréal I loved particularly was an area in front of the Notre Dame Basilica called Place d’Armes. It was a cobblestone-lined courtyard with a fountain and tables scattered around the square for people to relax and sip coffee. Underneath a row of trees, there was a duo singing and playing the guitar for pedestrians and general visitors to the area. 

The moment felt unreal. Standing in that courtyard observing people enjoying their Saturday afternoon, the euphonious melodies of the street musicians filled the air. 

Even as I was walking through the cobblestone streets of Old Québec City at the Quartier Petit Champlain, it felt like walking through the streets of France. With street musicians playing instruments wherever I looked. 

They looked genuinely content and the joy on their faces as visitors to the city took videos of them playing was precious. 

The city is considered a city of pedestrians due to how walk-friendly it is. Hearing these musicians after walking miles and miles under the beaming sun immediately changed the environment. It gave it this whimsy and lightness.

An old man was sitting near the cul-de-sac of one of the streets playing his violin fully unbothered. He was lost in his own world immersed in his music and it made me wonder if that’s the best retirement plan in the world

Playing songs for people just to make them happy and share the wonders of music.

Seeing these street musicians is an experience that’s a bit difficult to describe in words and it’s easier to be there in the moment taking it all in. 

It made me realize that musicians and performers come in all different forms. Seeing artists sharing their talents to the world in unique forms is something I’ll never get enough of.

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Miscellaneous Music News and Interviews

Thoughts on Lollapalooza Live Stream

WKNC 88.1 blog

I mentioned in my “Best Way to Consume Music” post that I wanted to go to Lollapalooza this year. 

It was racking my brain for weeks whether I wanted to spend money on going to Chicago and experience the adrenaline of large crowds, being squished in a mosh pit and standing at the barricade for hours to see my favorite artists perform, or sit in the comfort of my living room and watch those same performances on my TV.

Personally, after seeing how large the crowds got there I think I made the right choice. There is always next year if I want to go experience the rush in real life.

Anyway, I thought I could share my thoughts on the live stream for those who didn’t have access to Hulu or didn’t watch it.

To give more background about the live-streaming, there were two channels: Channel 1 and Channel 2. Each channel was streaming from around 2:00 pm ET to 11:00 pm ET.

In hindsight, being able to swap back and forth between channels to tune in to performances was much more simple compared to having to traverse Grant Park to see different artists in person. This way I could just turn off the TV or watch a different channel if I didn’t want to tune into an artist I didn’t enjoy. 

Lineups

These are the artist I tuned into and the days.

Thursday (7/28)

  • Still Woozy

Saturday (7/30)

  • Big Sean
  • Wallows
  • Tomorrow By Together
  • Willow
  • J. Cole

Sunday (7/31)

  • Djo
  • Måneskin
  • Beach Bunny
  • j-hope
  • Denzel Curry

Another thing to note, Lollapalooza has 1-day, 2-day, 3-day, and 4-day pass options if you attend in person, so it’s up to the festival attendees which days they want to go to the festival based on the lineups for that day. 

This was one thing I appreciated about Lollapalooza was, of course, the free live stream on Hulu, as well as the ability to choose which days you wanted to attend the festival whether it was on live stream or in person.

Here is a thought I had about Lollapalooza in general, especially after seeing someone of these artists perform in-person and through live-stream as well. I honestly think it takes a lot of talent to pull off performing on stages as big as the ones on Lollapalooza.

The performers kept a huge crowd entertained whether they were closer to the stage or farther back. They were able to get the whole crowd hype about the music. It was impressive to see their stage presence as well as the lights used for the evening performances.

The only downside of streaming is that due to the huge lineup, not all performances were shown. Unfortunately, I  wasn’t able to tune into Dominic Fike, Dua Lipa, Glass Animals, COIN, or Claire Rosinkranz’s performances because their stages didn’t have coverage. 

Regardless, as I’ve mentioned before, the way you want to consume music is all a preference and of course, preferences can change over time. Whether you want to attend Lollapalooza in person or stream it as I did, I’m glad the options are available both ways.

Enjoy music in the way you want to and experience your life how you want to.

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Miscellaneous

“The Colour of Magic”, Sir Terry Pratchett’s Own World

The Colour of Magic book cover
"The Colour of Magic" by Sir Terry Pratchett book cover.

Creating worlds rests only in the power of gods and authors like Sir Terry Pratchett. A world renowned British author, satirist and knight, Sir Terry Pratchett weaved his own world into the pages of novels in a collection called “Discworld”. 

Terry Pratchett published his first of the Discworld series, “The Colour of Magic”, in 1983 when he was 35 years old. The series grew to be 41 books in length, and it features many locations and time periods within Discworld itself.

I won’t ever be able to give a proper explanation of what Discworld is, but Pratchett’s website can straighten out all the details I don’t mention. 

“The Colour of Magic”

“The Colour of Magic” as the first installment of the series is perfect. The story features a disgraced wizard, Rincewind, and a tourist vying to travel all over the Disc with his magical luggage, Twoflower.

Rincewind and Twoflower battle dragons, pirates and demons while having no real goal except exploration and survival, which adds to the hilarity of the misfortune the incur.

By the end of the novel, it leaves readers the drive to crawl all over Discworld to interact with the crazy people that reside there. This want to explore Sir Terry Pratchett’s fantasy haven is from his extraordinary capability to imagine a world of chaos and magic that feels like it could exist. 

Worldbuilding Artistry

I regard Sir Terry Pratchett’s Discworld to be one of the finest works in worldbuilding. He weaves readers, characters and time together to create a fine thread of tales so thick and dense that it would seem impossible to understand, but in reality it isn’t difficult to understand. 

It’s fun to pick up one of the Discworld novels and explore the diverse array of characters, landscapes or cities that exist there. The realism and creativity Pratchett uses to blend his narrative style into his own universe is beautiful and breathtaking at times. 

Pratchett is not the only one with this gift. There are a few well known Game Masters (or GMs) that run tabletop roleplaying games that can elicit a similar response through their own worldbuilding techniques. 

Matthew Mercer and Aabria Iyengar both have extraordinary skills in storytelling and worldbuilding. The worlds these two GMs fantasize and pop into existence are built to explore. Players and characters have to live through dangerous dragon hoard raids, political plot twists and crazy complex puzzles that GMs make. 

The End of the World(building)

Worldbuilding makes our own real world bigger too. By having an audience tour small patches of life an author makes, we get a sense of how unique and wondrous our own planet is.

Seeing crazy characters some writers might imagine lets readers wish and find similar characters that mill about around the world. 

Many writers and creators of worlds make their fantasy universe to fix or even highlight problems in our own world. Their worlds can be used as mirrors and we can see our blemishes and scars that need fixing and healing.

I love drawing inspiration for new ideas from the most radical corners of literature as they themselves draw from some of the strongest wells of imagination.

Explore the universes

Ben

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Miscellaneous

WKNC Rocks the Switch

Rock N' Roll With It

WKNC 88.1 FM HD-1/HD-2 hosted its first video game event, a 111-entrant Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament on July 15 at the NC State’s 111 Lampe Drive.

With players traveling from all over the Southeast, WKNC’s “Rock N’ Roll With It” gave world-class players like Lima, Peabnut and Anathema a sneak preview of the NC State campus before the Just Roll With It two-day tournament in Talley Student Union on July 16 and 17.

More than $500 in proceeds from Rock N’ Roll With It entry fees was donated to Girls Rock NC, a youth-centered organization dedicated to building community and power among girls, transgender youth and gender expansive youth through musical collaboration, political education for social change and creative expression. Sales of posters specifically commissioned for the event by artist Cactulio added another $150 to the overall donation. Posters are still available for sale from the WKNC swag store for $10 each.

“Rock N’ Roll With It serves as a glimpse of the avenues in which WKNC hopes to provide the local community while providing high-quality fun events for the NC State Wolfpack,” said Adrian Lopez, WKNC program director and the tournament organizer. “While making WKNC a known name throughout Smash Ultimate communities spanning from Ohio to Florida, Rock N’ Roll With It and Just Roll With It also gave a welcoming atmosphere to many who are interested in joining the community and competing among Raleigh’s best and beyond.” 

NC State also hosts regular Smash events including Dair 2 Care, a biweekly charity tournament in Talley Student Union and a tournament held at 111 Lampe Drive every other Friday during the fall and spring semesters.