Category: Blog

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Festival Coverage

Hopscotch Venue Spotlight: Lincoln Theatre

Lincoln Theatre is an old movie theater converted into a music venue. It is located at 126 E Cabarrus Street which is only one block away from Fayetteville Street, making it a prime venue for Hopscotch! With a capacity of 1,225, it’s the perfect place to take your friends and go dance; it can be cozy at times but usually, there is enough space to move around. On Thursday night of Hopscotch, you can expect the music to be centered around hip hop and rap with artists such as Ric Wilson, Injury Reserve, Joey Purp, and Earth Gang. Friday night will be very indie-rock heavy with artists such as Black Surfer, Truth Club, Yowler, Caroline Rose, and Deerhunter. Saturday night will be centered around folk and Americana with Blue Cactus, Kelsey Walden, Mike and The Moon Pies, and Sarah Shook and The Disarmers. No matter what kind of music you’re into, Lincoln Theater has got your back at Hopscotch.

The venue is all general admission with standing in the room closest to the stage, a seated area with barstool towards the back, and a balcony overlooking the stage. Lincoln Theatre has always been one of my favorite venues for this reason. You can dance in the standing room then take a seat when you get tired, and then eventually make your way up to the balcony to watch everyone else dance. Since the venue was once a movie theater, the bar is located in the lobby. Overall, the staff is super friendly and helpful. Every time I have been to Lincoln Theatre I’ve had a positive experience and I can always count on them to have a good time.

-DJ Short Strides

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New Album Review

ALBUM REVIEW: Tacocat – This Mess is a Place

This Mess is a Place by Tacocat

BEST TRACKS: Crystal Ball, Hologram

FCC violation: Grains of Salt

Tacocat is a guitar-based pop punk group out of Seattle. However, Tacocat’s most recent album, This Mess is a Place, leans significantly more towards bubblegum pop than some of their previous albums. Tacocat rose to success as a band in the early 2010’s, at a time where everyone wore rainbow loom bracelets and nyan cat ruled the internet. Though Tacocat sharpened and refined their sound over the decade, the early 2010’s influence is still prevalent in their pastel music videos and peppy songs.

A word of caution to crust punks, metalheads, and people who love to suffer: this album is SWEET- have too much and you might find yourself with a cavity. Songs on this album feature velvety background choruses and saccharine guitar. You could say this album sounds similar to Chris Farren’s Can’t Die, or Remember Sports’ All of Nothing but with way less grit. Overall, This Place is a Mess is light and breezy, easy listening. I enjoyed listening to it in the mornings while I was in the shower to get pumped for the start of a new day.

Despite having underlying existential themes, this album refuses to wallow in misery. This Mess is a Place is about finding hope and light despite the bleak state of the world. The first track, Hologram, reminds you to take a step back and enjoy life’s simple moments, with immersive imagery of beaded curtains in the purple dark. The third and most popular track on the album, Grains of Salt, is about living for yourself and dropping the weight of other peoples’ judgements from your shoulders. Major props to Tacocat – say what you will about them, but their cup is undeniably overflowing with mettle.

If you like sunshine, you’ll probably like this album. Just don’t forget to brush your teeth!

-Safia Rizwan

Categories
Playlists

Best of 2k Indie (So Far)

 

As of September 1, 2019 my radio show, 2k Indie, will be a 1 year old show. To commemorate the special occasion I thought I’d look back at what has been played on the show and share some of my favorite tracks, some of the ones that really stood out most to me. My music library has grown immensely since I started DJing at WKNC so without dragging this out too much here is The Best of 2k Indie (So Far)…

  1. Natural Supersoul by Superfood

  • This song has been one of my absolute favorites since I first heard it. The chorus ‘You’re a natural supersoul, find yourself and lose control’ is so uplifting and followed by ‘Someday you’ll see there’s nothing to be but you’, this song really leaves the listener feeling confident, uplifted and in good spirits. The music is so smooth it makes you just want to lay out in the grass as you focus on the lyrics. As often as I go back to this track it still hasn’t lost its spark. Especially at the end when the lady’s voice chimes in, adding in that extra something that makes the song flow even more smoothly.

  1. Art School Wannabe by Sorority Noise

  • This song has a lot more ‘classic indie’ vibe and really takes me back in time, since it was my anthem freshman year. The chorus really makes me feel like my young more grunge and emo self again, but the music is more indie rock themed. The guitars really hold this track together, especially with the guitar solo that comes in perfectly near the end. It makes it just upbeat enough to put a little bop in your head as you’re walking to class.

  1. My Good Grades by Cecil Frena 

  • This track holds a very special meaning to me since Cecil Frena’s album ‘The Gridlock’ was the first album I ever reviewed for WKNC. The album quickly became a favorite of mine, but this track in particular has always stood out to me. There’s a story here that is told so well it has always stuck with me. The music is also insanely catchy and the guitars here really stand out. I absolutely love how the music in the intro mimics the lyrics and makes you start to sing along before the vocals even come in. The chorus starts with ‘so watch me now, I’m not ashamed, look what I did with my good grades…’ and when he starts to repeat ‘you will know who I am’ you really start to get a sense of how badly the artist wants to get his message across. We’re all told going to school, doing your work and being a good student will take us far but the artist disagrees. He mocks this ‘ideal scenario’ that people claim to be the reason some people don’t end up the same way in life economically, and he does it in such an elegant way.

The rest of the songs I picked for my ‘best of’ set are in the playlist below. But before I end this I want to give some special shouts (although every song on that playlist is definitely worth a listen, in my opinion, and I do love everything I play on air). These songs have just really stuck with me through time. it rains in nyc by dalynn // Echo Parade by Modern Diet // Disappear Daily by Ollie MN // Get to You by The Honeysticks // Not the Noise by J.P. Plains

– DJ Psyched

Full Playlist Link // https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4bCHuhlW4yttAy5ccRB76B?si=0HGY9ewARPOSyz1QALp0JA

Categories
New Album Review

ALBUM REVIEW: Jay Som’s “Anak Ko”

Image result for anak ko jay som

Best tracks (in my opinion): Tenderness, Superbike, Devotion

“Anak Ko” is the sophomore album from Melina Duterte who wrote, produced and mixed this piece and her last, “Everybody Works.” (Side note: I found an “Everybody Works” album cover poster at the Scrap Exchange a few weeks ago and now it lives on my hallway wall, what a good find!)

“Anak Ko” means my child in Tagalog. Duterte drew inspiration from the album’s name from a text message her mother sent. The album itself is only 9 sweet tracks that run for about 36 minutes. In it, Jay Som takes us on a soothing, cutesy, though upbeat, ride through the clouds. Colors that come to mind can be found on the album’s cover; sunset oranges, pinks and reds. This album, full of Jay Som’s hushed crooning, features sounds of dream pop, indie rock and, dare I say, a bit of country guitar (listen to Superbike, Devotion or Get Well.) In the song Peace Out I was very much reminded of Mitski’s voice and lyrics (“won’t you try to be anyone else?”) and with this I think Jay Som makes it obvious that she’s reaching into a lot of different bags here.

“Anak Ko” feels like we’re right in Jay Som’s bedroom with her while she sits next to us playing a few songs she just wrote. The sounds and lyrics are very intimate and personal, not to mention the album’s name which offers an introduction into who Melina Duterte really is. Adding more personality, she sings about wanting to change in Devotion and shoplifting from Whole Foods in Nighttime Drive. Sonically, this album is a smooth ride alongside the catchy guitar riffs and Jay Som’s paper thin yet captivating vocals. 

And though it is just Jay Som rocking out with us on this album, she invited a few friends to play instruments and sing some vocals. With this and her constant changes in tempo, soundscape and hooks, she manages to keep the songs diverse and multi-faceted. I know what I’ll be listening to during my next sunset drive home.

by Makayla Mack 

Categories
Playlists

Songs to Listen to While Walking to Class

When walking around campus, I wonder what people are listening to on their walks to/from class. Do people know that I am blasting metal through my ear drums? Are they blasting metal? The world may never know.

I like to try and see if I can guess people’s musical tastes by trying to guess what they are listening to (I am usually wrong but… ‘A’ for effort).

Now, when I walk around campus, I am almost always listening to metal. And you can tell because I will play air drums and fist pump the air because the breakdowns and riffs are just THAT GOOD! I gotta be careful sometimes… if I get too into it, I will start two-stepping; the next thing you know, I’m crowdkilling trees. A beatdown just goes really hard and you just can’t control it.

The majority of the time when I’m walking to and from my classes, I am finding songs to play for my set (which you should totally listen to). Speaking of my show, I have new set times!!! The Bone Cruncher (your only place to hear some of my Local Butchers) will be on Friday’s starting at 5pm! Stuck in a traffic jam? Have no fear, The Saw will keep you entertained. Immediately following The Bone Cruncher is The House of Horrors (the heaviest metal on the planet) from 6-8pm.

Yep, you got that right: THREE HOURS in a row – pounded into dust! Oh, the beatings! You’re welcome.

Here is a list of some songs to make your trip to class suck a little less:

·      Literally any song off of A Different Shade of Blue by Knocked Loose. I personally like Forget Your Name and Guided by the Moon.

·      Literally any song off of Hartford County Misery by Boundaries. I really like Dog Teeth and No Other Way.

·      Thanks for Nothing by Bent Life

·      Capital Punishment by Detain

·      Pressure by Bloodbather

·      3 Knives by Code Orange

·      The Hammer by Kublai Khan

·      No Love/ No One by Gideon

·      The Hands of Man by Heavens Die

·      You Will Be Done by Next Time Mr. Fox

·      Dreaming In Dog Years by The Red Chord

Here are some other songs that I like to listen to when I want to listen to something other than metal (shocker!).

·      Take a Walk by Tiny Meat Gang

·      Wood Worm by Noel Miller

·      South Beach by Ty Dolla $ign

·      Out for the night by 21 Savage

·      Act Up by City Girls

·      Pissed, ICY GRL, and My Type by Saweetie

·      Bootsy Bellows by Wiz Khalifa

·      Tia Tamera by Doja Cat

·      Artificial by Earthgang

·      Boogie by Brockhampton

·      King’s Dead by Jay Rock

·      Kream by Iggy Azalea

What songs do you listen to while walking campus?

Stay Metal,

THE SAW

Categories
Short Stories

Nightmare of a Softboy Chapter 3

So I flipped the dial.  I did it. I am, or was, at that moment completely overtaken by a fever of lethargy.  It had crept between the discs in my spine for days, or months, or weeks, or years, or months, and I had, at this moment, surrendered my action to it.  Hindsight is, obviously, sufficient to make any historian a genius. You in your comfort, or myself in my narrow-minded approach to my own identity, which existed before me and only then, can easily chastise this decision.  But the fever. Values are luxuries. Without material well being, I cannot even retain enough consistent consciousness to formulate meaningful conclusions from my surroundings. And so, in the undetermined and unimportant length of time preceding my decision, I was broken down into something which was not me or otherness or really anything.  If there was no one around and my mind was relegated to ponder why it was so hot and heavy, then there would honestly be nothing left.

I can recall a day where it was particularly bad.  Though clear comparisons between this instance and the one which ultimately led me to turn on 102.9 are impossible due to the incredible abundance of factors which contributed to their tangible assets, I imagine that it was generally less severe simply because it did not lead to an apocalyptic action.  Additionally, analysing every piece of the scenario which facilitated my dial-turning would be too difficult, at least now, because it has been fantastically muddled within my memory, and would subsequently be even more muddled in my articulation.

One morning, at around 2:30 PM, I was laying on my couch.  My eyes sloppily traced the ceiling. I was dressed but not particularly; I had to anticipate any lazy stomach pains.  But then, out of nowhere, or perhaps maturing slowly, or perhaps as a result of some forgotten force, my head began knockings into itself.  The stinking mass of nerves and tissue sleeping in my noggin began to boil, belching and excreting against the back of my eyes. It was a monolith: absolutely inescapable and coupling into every piece which could call itself me.  And so I laid there. What else could be done? I let it throb until it subsided or maybe it didn’t and it only happened to get even worse later. Operationally, the results were the same.

It was therefore in a desperate ploy for relief that I changed to 102.9. I had become obsessed with whatever state of flux could relax the aching pieces rattling within me. And in this flux I began to listen.  And in this flux I began to tap my foot.

– Cliff Jenkins

Categories
Concert Review

Flo Rida, TLC, Nelly Concert Review

Does anyone else ever go to a concert where you know the artist but you don’t really KNOW the artist? Well, that’s what me and some friends did when we went to this show. We all joked about how we know these artists, but we definitely couldn’t just name off all their songs from the top of our heads. But once the show started we had a lot of those ‘oooh that’s their song?’ moments. 

When we went into it my friends and I were so excited to hear TLC play no scrubs, because you know that songs a whole classic bop. We knew we would enjoy the other artists too, but we were pleasantly surprised by just how much music we knew from the show. That’s when things became a very nostalgic and good time. It was as if everyone was going on a trip through time together.

I will say, aside from nostalgia, the show had plenty of highlights of its own too. Nelly and FloRida put on some very energetic shows and with those pop 2000 classics like ‘Hot in Here’ and ‘Low’ the crowd was dancing and singing their hearts out like crazy (my friends and I included). My absolute favorite moment of the show was the moment my friends and I we were waiting for… 

TLC had the best intro to no scrubs I could’ve ever hoped for. Rozonda Thomas and Tionne Watkins knew the crowd was anticipating their hit song so they started off subtly by telling a story ‘You’re going to be out one day minding your own business…’ which was based on the theme of the song and they kept the story going on for about 3 minutes. They really knew that they were doing because the tension and excitement just kept growing and building on itself. When they actually got to performing the hit it was like a mixture of that great feeling you get when you finally get to eat after waiting a long time and when someone says something to you that makes you just want to shout YES. It made an already amazing show just that much better.

Overall I would have to say this was a great introduction into a different genre of music, in a concert setting, for myself. Before this just about every show I’ve been to has been more Rock and Indie styled. But I really appreciated the change of pace and the nostalgia that came with it. After this, I’ve definitely been listening to ‘Hot in Here’ and ‘No Scrubs’ a lot more than before and i’m glad WKNC gave me the chance to experience this show.

– DJ Psyched

Categories
Concert Review

Afropunk Festival: my experience

*Like most experiences, mine is extremely unique. This review will be an honest take from my own experience”

I went to Afropunk Brooklyn on August 24th and 25th, 2019. For those who don’t know, the festival, according to Wikipedia, “was created as a safe space for black alternative-minded punks to freely express themselves and build a community with one another.” The definition of the word “punk” is disputed across many circles, I like the phrase “alternatively minded” a little better. This year’s fest was held in Commodore Barry Park.

 I wanted to go to Afropunk because of three reasons of equal weight: fashion, music and because it offered a space for black people that were like me. I had been seeing Afropunk outfit pictures amongst other festival fashion inspiration pages for several years and have always wanted to go to just for the festival fashion aspect. I thought about my outfit for months during the planning stages of the trip to Brooklyn. I never definitively decided on anything until it was too late of course. It was my first time in any state north of Virginia so I was really taking it all in. 

On day one, I was extremely tired after walking around Brooklyn all day before the festival. I also didn’t know what to expect so I was really going through a lot of emotions. I saw Leikeli47, Tierra Whack (who brought out Alicia Keys), Leon Bridges and Jill Scott. Like a typical music festival, the artists performed on different stages around the park and we all scrambled to see our favorite artists on time. Leikeli47 had the whole crowd shaking their asses and bobbing their heads to her songs. Tierra Whack had a wonderfully weird stage presence and I was very surprised to see Alicia Keys come out there with her. Leon Bridges sung his heart out for 2 hours while I waited in line for a vegan BBQ sandwich; he really gave us all a show. The last performer of the night was Jill Scott and she was fabulous. Her onstage presence was magical, her vocals were amazing and she played a lot of the songs I grew up listening to. The fashion from day one was amazing! I saw some really well curated, creative and bold looks from all kinds of people. The energy in the air was chaotic, but I felt safe like I was right where I was supposed to be. 

On day two I came in tired again after another long day. We arrived late to Toro y Moi, but heard his last two songs through the gates. On this day I brought a camcorder I checked out from the library and it was the best decision I’d ever made. I got a chance to bring home a lot of what I saw at the festival with me. This day I saw Scarlxrd, Lianne La Havas, Masego and another act whose name I don’t know. The energy from the crowd and Scarlxrd was so exciting to watch happen in front of me. His fans are dedicated and his stage presence is one I won’t forget. Lianne La Havas’s show was sweet, chill and romantic. Her voice was like pillows. After Lianne, we saw Masego. He was my favorite performance of the night because I knew the most of his songs, he played the sax and because the crowd around me was so engaged while we all danced our asses off together to his music. Also Masego’s rendition of Andre 3000’s “Prototype’’ was very well done. The outfits on this day were fantastic. I saw so many people and they really did a terrific job at coordinating colors, creating stories and expressing themselves with their outfits. 

What I love the most about Afropunk is that it was a space that was created specifically for black people. What happened in Commodore Barry Park in Brooklyn was an amazing thing. It allowed all kinds of people to come together to present a culmination of styles, cultures, lifestyles and music tastes. It was a beautiful experience for any black person to have. 

-Makayla 

Categories
Non-Music News

Shawn’s SoapBox-Dr. Stephen Ferguson

Shawn sits down with political philosopher Dr. Stephen Ferguson to discuss student activism, political philosophy and Hip Hop being dead after 1996. Tune in for an intelligent conversation.

Categories
Weekly Charts

Afterhours Charts 8/27

Artist Record Label
1 KAYTRANADA Nothin Like U/Chances [EP] RCA
2 TORO Y MOI Outer Peace Carpark
3 CHROME SPARKS Be On Fire [EP] Counter
4 SATIN SHEETS St. Francis 100% Electronica
5 CHANNEL TRES Black Moses [EP] Godmode
6 SWEELY Nice Archive Traxx, Vol. 1 Lobster Theremin
7 TILMAN Love [EP] Fine
8 HOT CHIP A Bath Full Of Ecstasy Domino
9 FLOATING POINTS LesAlpx/Coorabell [EP] Ninja Tune
10 DJ SEINFELD Lilium [EP] Young Ethics