WKNC interview with Cy Dune during the 2013 Hopscotch Music Festival. Check out the interview below and on our iTunes podcast!
Category: Music News and Interviews
Music news, interviews, features and giveaways
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Interview: The Dodos
The Dodos played Kings Barcade on October 4, accompanied by Dustin Wong and Raleigh natives First Person Plural, in support of the recent release of their fifth studio album, Carrier (Polyvinyl Record Co.). Before the show, I spoke with drummer and multi-percussionist Logan Kroeber of The Dodos. The band is no stranger to the triangle, having opened for New Pornographers, Drive-By Truckers and Guided By Voices in recent years. We discussed what influenced the new album’s songwriting and instrumentation changes, collaborations, favorite songs and the critically-acclaimed sport of hacky sack. Check out the interview below and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes!
Beginning on Oct. 4, WKNC will be debuting a brand new local music talk show known as Carolina Grown. With the unfortunate departure of longtime DJ and host of The Local Beat, Adam Kincaid, now comes the time to expand on new horizons. Carolina Grown will follow a similar format, but will bring a fresh new spin to the local music scene.
Every Friday from 5:00-7:00 pm Carolina Grown will showcase some of the area’s finest local music. Hosted by Grant Golden, WKNC’s Local Music Director and founder of The Bottom String–a North Carolina music blog–Carolina Grown will bring in local musicians, label owners, journalists, community members and more. The goal of Carolina Grown is to shine light upon local artists and events that deserve recognition. North Carolina is a fantastic but crowded scene, thus some brilliant artists can get overlooked. Carolina Grown is here to bring these voices to the forefront by providing an outlet for these folks to share their message.
Be it art, music or any other variety of entertainment, we’re here for you. That means you as a listener, as an artist, as a promoter, as a venue owner or as a community member. Carolina Grown is here to serve as a soapbox for those with a message and as a reliable outlet for those interested in immersing themselves in their local community. WKNC has always been an integral part of the local scene and we’re always looking to give back to the community. We want you to be able to trust our voice, to see our stamp of approval and know that you’re about to hear something unique, sincere and most of all good.
Be it indie rock, folk, hip-hop, jazz or bluegrass, there’s always bound to be a music-maker catering to your tastes. It’s just a matter of finding them! But thankfully we’re here to do that for you. So tune into WKNC every Friday from 5-7 to soak in the sounds of your area’s finest musicians.
Boston-based indie noise pop Speedy Ortiz is a band that went from playing house shows to packing Kennedy Theater at Hopscotch 2013. This of course was spawned by the release of their debut album Major Arcana that received overwhelming positive reviews including “Best New Music” from Pitchfork. Within a week, this Boston quartet found themselves growing too large for the house shows they had originally booked for themselves. Speedy Ortiz have become one of our favorites here at WKNC as they have been put into heavy rotation since their release a couple months ago. They stopped by Wristband City the morning after their show to talk a bit about their set, their rise to fame, and food.
Electronic music has been on a swift rise throughout the past few years. While some folks may write it off due to the bro-step phenomenon, that discredits all of the fantastic sounds that are coming out of this still burgeoning scene. When one looks into electronic music, the beacon of light–at least for me–comes from Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder label based out of L.A. Flying Lotus, grandnephew of the legendary Alice Coltrane, rose to prominence with his jazzy, psychedelic take on electronic music. Since his rise to fame, he’s used his label Brainfeeder to put the spotlight on equally talented acts from across the globe.
One of the label’s most recent standouts is Essex’s Lapalux. The U.K producer crafts a mesmerizing blend of soulful R&B with contemporary beat music to create a hazy, yet infectious brand of electronic music. Lapalux’s music strikes both the mind and the body. He’s capable of both slow-brooding, pensive beats and outright bangers. Throughout the past few years he’s been honing his craft, releasing four EPs since 2008. But his full-length debut on Brainfeeder, Nostalchic, displays a full realization of these aforementioned themes. Heady beats are embellished by smooth vocal samples and shuffling percussion, making for an entrancing listening experience.
Lapalux sat down with me for an interview on the first day of Hopscotch, hours before his stellar set at The Pour House. Lapalux was embarking on his first U.S. tour, so we spoke a bit about the difference between stateside shows and those in other areas of the globe, how his style came about, and some of his major influences when he first began making music.
Keep it tuned to WKNC all week long for your chance to win tickets to any of these great shows below! Just be the correct caller when the DJ asks for it, and you and a friend could be hitting up some of the coolest local acts around.
Tuesday, October 1 – Surfer Blood with Team Spirit and Andy Boay @ Cat’s
Wednesday, October 2 – The Dodos with Dustin Wong and First Person Plural @ Kings
Thursday, October 3 – Colossus with The Beggars @ Kings
Thursday, October 3 – The Koolest with Floco Torres @ Pinhook
Friday, October 4 – Kooley High with Kourvioisier and Oxymoron @ Kings
Saturday, October 5 – Heads On Sticks album release with Body Games and Matt Northrup @ Kings
Saturday, October 5 – Elf Power with Organos and The Wigg Report @ Pinhook
Saturday, October 5 – Black Rebel Motorcycle Club with Restavrant @ Cat’s
Sunday, October 6 – Saint Rich with Wool @ Pinhook
Sunday, October 6 – Unknown Mortal Orchestra with Jackson Scott @ Cat’s*
Crystal Stilts stopped by the WKNC studio before their show with Deerhunter to speak to Walter-Ego and Prism about their new album Nature Noir, non-existent rooms, the inherent dangers of doing 90’s covers, and Snoop Dogg.
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Krill Interview
Krill is a Boston trio comprised of three friends Jonah Furman (bass/vocals), Luke Pyenson (drums), and Aaron Ratoff (guitar). They just recently released their second full-length Lucky Leaves in June of this year.
The trio was born out of the same DIY scene that spawned bands such as Speedy Ortiz and Pile. Like their counterparts, they have an innovative take on the world of indie music that has begun to garner national attention from the likes of Pitchfork and Consequence of Sound. Their frenetic brand of emotive experimental indie rock brings to mind the early days of Modest Mouse and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. The heavy weight of the dark music paired with the emotional, self-deprecating lyrics are carried across by Luke’s spastic drums, Jonah’s flooring bass, and Aaron’s driving, piercing guitar. The play between musicians coupled with the interesting time signatures and syncopated rhythms set this band apart from the rest.
Krill just recently set out on their month long east coast tour and hit up The Mattress Fort here in Raleigh for a Post Hopscotch Show. I caught up with Krill the next morning and you can check out their interview below as well as on iTunes on our podcast.
http://wheretheresakrilltheresaway.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/krillforever
https://twitter.com/krilliamhmacy
This week, WKNC will be giving away a number of tickets for two upcoming Raleigh concerts presented by Live Nation: Sigur Rós at the Red Hat Amphitheater on September 21 and Nine Inch Nails with special guest Godspeed You! Black Emperor at the PNC Arena is a month later on October 21. All you have to do is listen attentively to WKNC, be the correct caller when the DJ on-air asks for calls, and you can win a pair of tickets for yourself and a friend to have some sweet fun at an awesome concert! The more you listen, the more likely you’ll hear a DJ ask for calls!
Keep it tuned to WKNC all week long for your chance to win tickets to any of these great shows below! Just be the correct caller when the DJ asks for it, and you and a friend could be hitting up some of the coolest local acts around.
Tuesday, September 10 – Black Joe Lewis with Dex Romweber Duo @ Cat’s Cradle
Thursday, September 12 – Borgore @ Lincoln Theatre
Thursday, September 12 – Paleface with Eric Scott-Guthrie and Rob Nance @ Pinhook
Friday, September 13 – The Old Ceremony with Shark Quest and Curtis Eller @ Cat’s Cradle
Saturday, September 14 – Acoustic Syndicate record release @ Cat’s Cradle