Categories
Miscellaneous

Covid-Friendly Fall Activities

This fall, celebrations of the season will look much different due to the ongoing COVID pandemic, which in North Carolina means continuance of Phase 2.5 which requires individuals to wear masks or other face coverings when social distancing is not possible. Despite restrictions, there are many ways for all of us to enjoy the season, engage in physical activity, and get out of the house while remaining safe. 

Apple Picking 

This year, COVID has caused a cancellation of the N.C. Apple Festival, but many apple orchards across the state are still open. Be sure to check online if you need to book an appointment, as many orchards are by appointment-only to manage crowds and ensure social distancing. 

Scavenger Hunts 

Organizing and completing a scavenger hunt for family or whoever you’re quarantining with can be a fun change of pace, especially if you’re living with younger children. The CDC posted a guide on how to host your own at-home scavenger hunt. 

Pumpkin Patches 

An online search can lead you to a pumpkin patch near you! Pumpkin patches are usually housed in large outdoor spaces where social distancing is made easy. Some also have corn mazes available, but be sure to book an appointment before you head out. Remember to take precautions including using hand sanitizer and wearing masks while you’re out and about. 

Leaf Watching 

Across North Carolina, trees are beginning to shed their leaves and turn from green into beautiful reds, oranges, and yellows. Viewing the leaves is pandemic-friendly as you can easily appreciate the view from your car or bike. Enjoy watching all the colors change, bonus if you bring your family or roommates with you. 

Hiking 

Soaking in the fresh autumn air and viewing the scenery is a perfect way to enjoy the season. Hiking means getting out of the house and getting active with an added bonus of wildlife and leaf viewing. Consider taking a short day trip to a hiking destination of your choice. There are plenty of hiking trails in N.C. that feature beautiful waterfalls, mountains, and other amazing scenery. I recommend bringing a Buff, bandana, or other face covering that you can easily cover yourself with if you come across other hikers. 

Biking 

Information about many different biking trails around Raleigh can be found on the AllTrails app or website. The Walnut Creek trail is one of my favorite biking trails near Raleigh, for a short or lengthy bike ride depending on your preference. Additionally, the park at the North Carolina Museum of Art is a short ride which features outdoor art exhibits for your viewing pleasure. 

Baking 

Fall is the perfect time to break out the flour and eggs and work on your baking skills. Quarantine means more time at home, so you’ll likely have plenty of time to do quick baking prep and watch over your dessert creations. Lately, I’ve personally been trying my hand at making pies and pizzas with homemade crusts. It’s easier than it looks and so rewarding. Many grocery stores are offering curbside delivery or no-contact pickup, check in with your store to see if they are offering these services. 

Enjoy the season and be sure to take precautions and stay safe. Remember to carry PPE with you and wear a mask at all times when you are interacting with others. 

– Miranda

 Sources: nc.gov, Tina Ruff (Chief of Staff at Durham Tech)

Categories
Miscellaneous

Album Art Gems: Part 5

Welcome to the grand finale of the Album Art Gems series! If you haven’t been keeping up, here are links to the firstsecondthird, and fourth installations. This has been such a fun blog series for me and I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it!

1. Negro Swan – Blood Orange

I literally can never get tired of looking at this cover. It is just absolutely exquisite. The way the winged model is posing out of the car is so elegant, and I love the minimal, organic color palette.

2. Currents – Tame Impala

I know this is very basic of me, but I couldn’t NOT include “Currents.” It’s an excellent allusion to the psychedelic covers so often found on 60s and 70s album art, which Tame Impala tends to channel in their music.

 

3. Wolf – Tyler, the Creator

In Part 4, I mentioned “IGOR,” but how could I only highlight just one Tyler album? The “Wolf” cover perfectly encapsulates his ridiculous and dark style of production. I love how it reminds me of a cheesy high school portrait from the 80s. The inhaler in his hand really tops it all off.

 

4. Melodies – Jan Hammer Group

This album is a recent discovery of mine, but I was blown away by the colors and composition of the cover. The ways in which the photos zoom in and are made up of multicolored line patterns are a type of unique that is rarely found in modern album art.

 

5. Getz/Gilberto – João Gilberto & Stan Getz

Last but not least, one of my favorite albums of all time, we have “Getz/Gilberto.” Seeing this cover is so nostalgic for me and brings back such fond memories of my childhood. The colors remind me of the warmth of a Brazilian jazz club in the 60s, which is always where I imagine myself while listening to it.

Happy listening!

– DJ butter

Categories
Playlists

Friday Favorites (10/2)

As a young art student, I was exposed to the first alternative music I’d ever heard through my teacher’s playlists during our classes. This week’s Friday Favorites are dedicated to (mainly) 90’s-00’s alternative music which reminds me of my entry into the artistic world. I still love to listen to these songs while creating content and working on projects. Hope you enjoy! 

Bad Timing – Bombay Bicycle Club 

One of my favorites from this band ever. Rich melody, lots of texture to the song. As a plus, the album art is one of the coolest designs ever. 

Clementine – Elliott Smith 

Soft vocal tones and beautiful acoustic guitar encompass this relaxing track, perfect for a rainy day of painting. 

Never Gonna Give You Up – The Black Keys 

This track features beautiful instrumentals, a catchy drum beat, and R&B style vocals and message. This song transports the listener right back to 60s jazzy R&B. 

Houdini – Foster The People 

A favorite from this band, the song Houdini encapsulates the best part of alternative indie rock. This track is sure to bring you into an upbeat and creative mindset in no time. 

Sleepyhead – Passion Pit 

Passion Pit fits better within the electronic/indie genre but nonetheless it is an important part of any art-making playlist. 

To listen to all of these songs and more, check out my playlist on WKNC’s Spotify

– Miranda

Categories
Playlists

Night of Fright Playlist

A perfect collection of non-traditional, mixed-genre ambient music for the month of October. 

  1. Skeleton Kiss – Fright by Christian Death 

  2. Season of the Witch by Lana Del Rey 

  3. Heads Will Roll by Yeah Yeah Yeahs 

  4. October by Broken Bells 

  5. No Rest for the Wicked by Lykke Li 

  6. Harsh Realm by Widowspeak 

  7. Baptism by Crystal Castles 

  8. Batcaves by Kap Bambino 

  9. Special Death by Mirah

  10. Witch by the bird and the bee 

  11. A Forest – Tree Mix by The Cure 

  12. I Put A Spell On You by Creedence Clearwater Revival 

  13. Don’t Look Back by Kissing Cousins 

  14. Do You by Carina Round 

  15. House of the Rising Sun by Lauren O’Connell 

  16. Venus in Fleurs by Grimes 

  17. Whales Tails by Cocteau Twins 

Listen to the playlist here

– Miranda

Categories
Playlists

Fall Favorites

Time to put on those faux fur Uggs and head to the nearest Starbucks for a pumpkin spice latte because it’s finally fall! Just kidding. Please don’t do either of those things. Instead, embark on an autumnal auditory adventure with this playlist of my fall favorites!

  1. September by Earth, Wind, & Fire: The 21st night of September marks the final day of summer in the Northern hemisphere, so this song is the perfect way to ring in the fall. I promise this is the last time I’ll be Septemberposting. Until next year.

  2. Autumn Leaves by the Bill Evans Trio: During his time in the Miles Davis Quartet, Bill Evans played an integral role in the recording of Kind of Blue, which is considered to be one of the most influential jazz albums of all time. Immediately after he recorded Portrait in Jazz with his own trio. Their rendition of the standard “Autumn Leaves” really captures the aura of the season with only the textures created by a piano, drums and upright bass.

  3. Where We Used To Live by the Esbjörn Svensson Trio: Following Bill Evans and company is the Esbjörn Svensson Trio with another jazz composition. Whereas “Autumn Leaves” portrays the warm, energetic side of fall, “Where We Used To Live” evokes feelings of melancholy and longing.

  4. Fall in Love by Slum Village: For this classic, J Dilla sampled Gap Manigone’s “Diana in the Autumn Wind”. The result was an intimate instrumental perfect for the Slum Village.

  5. Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground by The White Stripes: With this track, The White Stripes offer us a slightly more aggressive approach to the autumnal sound. It would be the perfect song for angrily raking leaves in your yard.

  6. Thriller by Michael Jackson: Of course, fall isn’t just pretty leaves and flannels. It’s also the spookiest time of the year, and there’s not a single song more synonymous with Halloween than Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”.

That’s the playlist! What are some of your favorite fall songs?

– DJ Mango

Categories
DJ Highlights

DJ Tips from DJ Butter

(DJ butter in the stu)

This is my third semester working for WKNC, and it’s been AMAZING. The best part of my week is ploppin’ down in the studio, playing my music, and getting on air. It’s honestly such a great feeling to share my favorite music with Raleigh. To anyone who’s considering being a DJ at WKNC: DO IT. You for sure won’t regret it, and there are tons of opportunities for paid positions too!

At the beginning, I had major imposter syndrome every time I came to do my shift. I was so scared that I was going to mess up somehow (which I did do many times in various ways). Here are some things I wish I could tell myself when I first started:

1. RELAX. Take a deep breath before you start speaking on air. It’s okay to be nervous at first, but the more you calm down, the less you’ll stutter.

2. That being said, it’s OKAY TO MESS UP. I mean, don’t say something that’ll get us fined, but if you fumble over your words or accidentally say the wrong song title, I assure you the world will not collapse and burn.

3. When you first start, write your script down. We learned this in DJ training, but a young, naïve DJ butter thought she could just go in headfirst and ended up failing miserably. Eventually, you’ll be comfortable enough to improv, but it’s always good to keep using a script if you want to!

4. Don’t be intimidated by all the technology. You’ll learn it with time, and don’t be afraid to ask for help if you’re unsure, either from whoever’s in the office or by getting in touch with your trainer!

5. Plan ahead and know your playlist well, especially if you know your songs have a lot of curse words in them. Editing them out will take longer than you think it does.

6. The more you put into it, the better it’ll be. When you’re excited about the music you play, people can tell! One of the best feelings is having someone call in and tell you they like your set.

7. Have a friend or two listen in to your set. They can tell you if you’re too quiet or if anything sounded awkward so you can know how to improve next time. It also helps to know that someone kind is listening!

8. Draw something on the whiteboard, leave a song in the song sharing jar, and introduce the next DJ!

I hope this helps, DJs! Special shoutout to one of my favorite DJs, Midsize Joe, for helping brainstorm this advice, you rock.

– DJ butter

Categories
Playlists

September 2020 Sample Platter

Sampling is the recontextualization of a preexisting work in a new composition. While this practice is utilized across genres, it has become a cornerstone of the hip-hop tradition. Since its inception, producers have been sampling soul records, funk records, world music and even cartoons to create head-bobbing beats. Drawing from numerous styles and time periods, here is a sample platter of some of the spiciest samples in hip-hop music!

  1. Late Nights & Heartbreak by Hannah Williams & the Affirmations: Courtesy of producer No I.D., this song was sampled in the titular track of Jay-Z’s 4:44. It’s the perfect backdrop for Jay-Z’s intimate confession of infidelity in his relationship with Beyoncé.

  2. Try a Little Tenderness by Otis Redding: This soul ballad is wonderfully composed – it slowly builds in tempo, volume and urgency, and ends with Otis showing off his chops in a fiery finish. His vocal riffs were chopped up by Kanye West to create “Otis”, which features one of my favorite beats of all time.

  3. Bam Bam by Sister Nancy: Hailed as a Jamaican dancehall classic, this song is perhaps the most frequently sampled song in all of popular music. It has been recontextualized more than a hundred times by the likes of Kanye West, Jay-Z, and Lauryn Hill. Read the full story here!

  4. Why Can’t We Live Together by Timmy Thomas: If you were around in 2015 and 2016, you’ll remember how inescapable Drake’s “Hotline Bling” was. The song was everywhere, and for good reason – it’s an earworm. The bossa nova-style groove comes from Timmy Thomas’ 1972 track Why Can’t Live Together.

  5. One Step Ahead by Aretha Franklin: Ayatollah chopped up this soul classic to create the beat for “Ms. Fat Booty” by Mos Def.

  6. Whores in this House by DJ Frank Ski: Based on the title alone, I’m sure you can guess which song this was sampled in. That’s right – the iconic vocal line appears in Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP”, aka Ben Shapiro’s favorite song.

  7. Pots ‘N’ Pans by Anthony King and John Matthews: An obscure early electronic song sampled by Don Cannon in Pusha T’s “Numbers on the Boards”. The result is one of the most head-bobbing hip-hop tracks in recent memory.

  8. What Will Santa Claus Say? (When He Finds Everybody Swingin’) by Louis Prima: This Christmas tune was sampled in Kanye and Kid Cudi’s 2018 project Kids See Ghosts. “4th Dimension” is now a contender for my favorite holiday song.

I hope this sample platter has given you an eclectic taste of hip-hop source material. What are some of your favorite samples?

– DJ Mango

Categories
Weekly Charts

Daytime Charts 9/29

Artist Record Label
1 TAPEWORMS Funtastic [Advance Tracks] Howlin’ Banana
2 HOLY MOTORS Horse [Advance Tracks] Wharf Cat
3 BARTEES STRANGE Live Forever [Advance Tracks] Memory
4 BULLY SUGAREGG Sub Pop
5 OSEES Protean Threat Castle Face
6 GIRL FRIDAY Androgynous Mary Hardly Art
7 RUN THE JEWELS RTJ4 Jewel Runners/RBC/BMG
8 TY BRI “Too Bad” [Single] Def Jam
9 KENT JAMZ In Search Of RCA
10 REMADumebi: The Remixes [EP] Mavin
11 CUPCAKKE “Discounts” [Single] Self-Released
12 MARMAR OSO Love Don’t Cost A Thing Free The Lost/EMPIRE
13 DEANTE HITCHCOCK BETTER RCA
14 AMINE Limbo Universal Republic
15 KASH DOLL Stacked Republic
16 JAYDA G Both Of Us/Are You Down [EP] Ninja Tune
17 DIVINE INTERFACE Seeking Arrangements 2MR
18 MACHINEDRUM “Kane Train” feat. Freddie Gibbs b/w “Ur2yung” [Single] Ninja Tune
19 CAMERON BUTLER Extraterrestial UFO Baby
20 LOMELDA Hannah Double Double Whammy
21 MIJA Desert Trash Never B Alone/Create
22 CHIKA “U Should” [Single] CHIKA/Warner
23 FEMDOT “94 Camry Music” [Single] Self-Released
24 ANGELA MUNOZ Introspection Linear Labs
25 SMINO “Baguetti” [Single] Interscope
26 LOX CHATTERBOX How To Live Forever Illuminati Killers
27 TUAMIE But You Don’t Hear Me Though Mutant Academy
28 RACOMA This Front Room Self-Released
29 TOBI LOU Live On Ice Empire
30 JAMES TILLMAN Vm2 [EP] Musella Creative

TOP ADDS

1 IDLES Ultra Mono Partisan
2 TUNE-YARDS “nowhere, man.” [Single] 4AD/Beggars Group
3 MILDLIFE Automatic Heavenly
4 MINT FIELD Sentimiento Mundial Felte
5 PILLOW QUEENS In Waiting Self-Released
6 VACATIONS Forever In Bloom No Fun
7 METZ Atlas Vending [Advance Tracks] Sub Pop
8 A CERTAIN RATIOACR Loco Mute
9 SIMILAR KIND “Nobody Loves You” [Single] Factory Underground
10 TILES “fomo” [Single] Part Time

Categories
Weekly Charts

Underground Charts 9/29

Artist Record Label
1 CUPCAKKE “Discounts” [Single] Self-Released
2 COOKIEE KAWAII Club Soda, Vol. 2 The Cookiee Jar / EMPIRE
3 KARI FAUX Lowkey Superstar Change Minds
4 654AR “Sum Bout U (ft. FKA Twigs)” [Single] Columbia
5 SMINO “Baguetti” [Single] Interscope
6 CHIKA “U Should” [Single] CHIKA/Warner
7 HOOK “Street People” [Single] GC
8 RICO NASTY “IPHONE” [Single] Sugar Trap
9 MALIIBU MIITCH “Let’s Be Honest” [Single] Phase One
10 SANGO Da Rocinha 4 [Advance Tracks] Soulection

Categories
Band/Artist Profile

Band of the Week: The Acacia Strain

The Acacia Strain (TAS) is an American metalcore band originally from Chicopee, Massachusetts, that formed in 2001. They are currently signed to Rise Records and have 10 full-length albums. The band first started with high school friends Vincent Bennett, Christopher Daniele, and Ben Abert. They were in a band called Septic Orgasm and they wanted to take their band to the next level and make the music more technical. Their friend, Daniel “DL” Laskiewics was to play both bass and guitar, but he received a shoulder injury playing football, so the band got their friend Daniel Daponde from Blood Has Been Shed to play guitar for them. Daponde brought a heavier and technical sound to the band, so when DL returned, they asked Daponde to stay, thus creating a three-guitar lineup.

TAS has been categorized as metalcore, but I think they are predominately deathcore due to their heavy tuned guitars, their technicality, and the vocals that are used. The band has been noted to include influences from sludge metal, doom metal, death metal, and some punk rock style aesthetic. By having three guitar players, it gave a signature blend of hardcore punk, death metal, and doom metal to develop a bone crushing sound. The band sees their sound as “hardcore-influenced metal” which I can hear when listening to their music. They have some absolute skull crushing riffs and vocals, but when mixing in some 2 step riffs and other hardcore contributions, it makes for a very unique style of music. Also, when seeing TAS live, the majority of the crowd are hardcore kids. They love them some TAS!!!

When looking at the lyrics of TAS songs, they are written by their lead vocalist, Vincent Bennett, and they are generally centered around misanthropy, nihilism, misogynistic and sexually deviant imagery. He usually uses metaphors to help get his points across while keeping the songs’ overall meaning open for interpretation.


Discography:

…And Life Is Very Long (2002)

3750 (2004)

The Dead Walk (2006)

Continent (2008)

Wormwood (2010)

Death Is the Only Mortal (2012)

Coma Witch (2014)

Gravebloom (2017)

It Comes In Waves (2019)

Slow Decay (2020)


Current Lineup:

Vincent Bennett (vocalist)

Kevin Boutot (drums)

Devin Shidaker (guitarist)

Griffin Landa (bass)

Tom “The Hammer” Smith, Jr. (guitarist)

Stay Metal,

THE SAW