Hopscotch Music Festival, Raleigh’s very own music festival since 2010, is once again taking place this year. With an amazing lineup including stars like Courtney Barnett, Perfume Genius and Black Country, New Road, this three-day festival will be sure to impress once again.
Although spending money on a three-day festival may be out of reach for many people, Hopscotch has a wonderful (and free) component to their festival: day parties. There are over 37 day parties scheduled from Thursday, September 8 through Sunday, September 11. The venues that these parties take place at are scattered throughout Raleigh at venues including (but not limited to) Boxcar Bar + Arcade, Ruby Deluxe, The Pour House, The Night Rider, Schoolkids Records and more. For the full schedule, see Hopscotch’s website.
The best part is, WKNC along with NC State University Libraries are hosting their very own Hopscotch day party at the Hillsborough Street entrance of DH Hill Library from 1 PM to 3 PM on Thursday, September 8. Kenny Wavinson, Max Gowan and Tiger Beach will be performing. Kenny Wavinson will be on at 1 PM, Max Gowan will be on at 2 PM and Tiger Beach will be on at 3 PM.
Day parties are an amazing opportunity to discover new music, meet new people, and create community with your neighbors in the beautiful Oak City. Support your local businesses, artists and radio stations by attending a Hopscotch day party (or 10).
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.
Red Hot Chili Peppers 2022 Global Stadium Tour flyer.
Off their latest release, “Unlimited Love”, rock funk legend Red Hot Chili Peppers announced a global tour across North America and Europe. Touring with other legends such as the Strokes and Thundercat, they are offering a promising tour across the Atlantic.
The Strokes and Thundercat are the musicians opening for them in Charlotte. I credit the Strokes with introducing me to “good” music and have been itching to see them for years. Them opening for Red Hot Chili Peppers seemed like the perfect opportunity. I would get to see them live and delve deeper into Thundercat’s and the Chili Pepper’s discographies.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Unlimited Love” album art
“Unlimited Love” is the first Chili Peppers album in 6 years. After 35 years of making music, they still capture the simple pleasures their music has always been about. This classic sound is what has made them so legendary, able to fill any given stadium anywhere in the world.
As the headliner of the show at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, fans can expect a mix of classics and deep cuts as well as a dabble of songs off their new album. Following this will be an encore of “Give It Away” and “Under the Bridge” which have been encore staples of the Chili Peppers for years.
The Strokes
Fans of the Strokes, known for their garage rock sound, will not be disappointed by their setlist at the show. The Strokes have one of the most consistent discography’s ever and they will be putting that on full blast before the Chili Peppers come on.
Fans can expect to hear songs from every release besides “Angles” and “Comedown Machine”. I am personally most excited to hear “Reptilia”, “Juicebox”, “The Adults are Talking” and “Hard to Explain” live. Each of their albums provides something new with the same instantly recognizable sound they are known for.
Thundercat
Known for his mastery over the bass and his spacey funk sound, Thundercat will kick off the show with a quick seven song setlist before the Strokes come on. Fans can expect him to finish off with “Funny Thing” followed by “Them Changes”. Other songs such as “Dragonball Durag” and “How Sway” will be performed.
Andy Shauf is a Canadian indie folk musician that has become of my favorites this past year.
The first aspect that gravitated me towards his music was his ability to story-tell.
He is able to capture scenes, personalities, and characters throughout his entire discography– some of which that reappear time and time again.
With each new release I find myself invested on what story he will tell next, what will happen to these characters this time?
Discography Highlights
One of my favorite albums is his 2016 release, “The Party”, which as the title implies, describes one night at a party. It explores the array of heartbreak that can take place in one moment.
Andy Shauf, “The Party” cover art
There are many tracks I simply adored in this particular album, but “Early to the Party” and “To You” were ones that really struck me.
Both take on a really mellow, relaxed tone but describe very awkward social situations many of us face at one time or another in our lives:
“Early to the party / You’re the first one there / Overdressed and under prepared / Standing in the kitchen / Stressing out the host / Pulling teeth ’til anyone arrives.”
Andy has a magnificent way of putting us into multiple characters’ perspectives which I hadn’t seen before in such quantity in other artists.
Due to his array of characters and personas, each of his albums sound and feel very distinct. His 2020 album release, “The Neon Skyline”, describes the nightlife of a group of friends and provides a very upbeat, charming sound to his discography.
My top track on this release was certainly “Thirteen Hours”, which implements some excellent woodwinds and percussion. I had the opportunity to see Andy Shauf in concert last February at Cat’s Cradle, and hearing “Thirteen Hours” live really amplifed my love for this track.
Andy Shauf, “The Neon Skyline” cover art
“Who’s Judy?”
While on the subject, Andy Shauf was fantastic live. It was by far the chillest concert I have ever been to.
In between songs Andy would ask for questions from the crowd– perhaps the most intriguing question that arose was, “Who’s Judy?”.
The character Judy is very apparent all across his works and is often portrayed as a love interest as seen in tracks, “Where are you Judy”, “Jaywalker”, “Judy”, “The Moon”, “Jeremy’s Wedding”, and many others.
In response to this question, Andy simply stated, “Me”, then proceeded to the next song.
In his most recent album, “Wilds”, he takes a more personal approach to his storytelling. Most of the tracks are from his perspective and revolve around Judy.
His simple response at the concert greatly shaped the way I approached “Wilds” and brought a new depth to his lyrics. This album was no longer about a struggling romantic relationship, but an internalized struggle centered around loss.
Conclusion
Andy Shauf provides such a unique form of storytelling to the musical world. He has established such a gentle tone and sound. I’m looking forward to his more recent explorations into a darker tone within his 2022 singles, “Satan” and “Jacob Rose”.
His music has given me a lot of joy these past few months. His music has been a great example of the variety of sound within indie folk.
I’m looking to discovering more artists like Andy in the near future. I hope you all enjoy.
School has finally started back up and with that, summer is coming to an end. Over summer break, there were songs that really stuck with me. Songs that are perfect for riding around with the windows down or jamming out with friends. With fall less than a month away, I wanted to share these highlights of my summer with you to enjoy before sweater season.
At the beginning of summer, Cafuné’s second song off their 2021 album “Running” went viral. It became the song of the beginning of summer. The catchy, lighthearted instrumental perfectly riffs off of singer Sedona Schat’s vocals. While the summer breeze is still blowing, this song is perfect for riding with the windows down.
Ever since I discovered Similar Kind after they opened for Hot Flash Heat Wave in April, this song has been on repeat. As the days have become hotter, this song has only gotten more plays. The fun, indie-pop instrumental and sound in contrast to the melancholic lyrics seem designed to be listened to on a warm summer evening.
Another great song for a warm summer evening, “Easy On Your Own?” is Alvvay’s second single for their upcoming album “Blue Rev”. With Alvvay’s classic dream-like indie sound and reflective vocals, this song gives the listener space for introspection during this transitional time between summer and fall.
“TVI” is the second single released for surf punk band Surf Curse’s upcoming album. With this single coming out at the end of July, it marked the beginning of the end of summer. This is a song about trying to stay out of trouble, the perfect motivation for getting back into your normal school or work schedule before the leaves change color.
During the last week of summer, I saw Joyce Manor at the National in Richmond, VA. Awaiting the concert, I had this song on blast non-stop in the prior weeks. This short burst of energetic instrumental and vocals exude the feeling of change on the horizon with the chorus being simply five repetitions of “And I may never be the same again.” Being the first song I’ve moshed to since before the pandemic, this song has a special place in my heart.
I had previously discovered them during a Hot Flash Heat Wave concert, Similar Kind was an absolutely stellar opening act. Lead singer, Julia Breen, has so much power in their vocals that is prevalent in every track.
Their energy is intoxicatingly positive. Their discography is filled to the brim with upbeat, energized tracks.
My mood immediately improved upon seeing a new release on their page; their sound is always a mood booster.
New Tracks
In this release there is 4 new tracks, all of them are leaning into a more funk-inspired sound. Their bassist, Nate Porter, deserves much praise in these new releases.
The first track, “Game Show” is absolutely noteworthy. They have great production quality in this one, and it’s clear they are gaining more confidence in their individual talents. The member’s individual sounds are combining beautifully.
“Leonard St.” is the second new track on this EP. Once again, the bassist is shining in this track. I really adore this song. It has much more intense, almost grungy approach compared to their previous work. My only gripe with this track is halfway through the track the vocals are muffed stylistically– Julia Breen has such sharp vocals; I think it is a detriment to hinder them.
Up next is “Waiting”. This track is certainly the most pop influenced on the EP. If you want a good song to dance or tap your foot to, this is the one. It has more repetitiveness compared to the others. I appreciate their efforts in appeasing to multiple genres.
“Thanks for Listening!” is the final track on the ep, which as the title implies, is a musical send off. I don’t have too much to say here, other than I hope Similar Kind is not going to be gone for long.
Conclusion and Tour Dates
I’m looking forward to the next opportunity to see Similar Kind in concert. Their sound live is really electric.
They are currently touring with Post Sex Nachos and will be performing at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro next Thursday, Sep 1. They will also be stopping in Atlanta and Nashville.
I’m excited for all that Similar Kind will be releasing in the near future; this EP is just an inkling of all they will accomplish.
