Category: Blog

Categories
Short Stories

Nightmare of a Softboy Chapter 4

Man holding a paper sign reading Hi, I am an indiehead
Image from Reddit

When I describe how my foot began to tap I worry that I am communicating some form of elation or relaxation of the cerebral pressure which had led me, or still may, to my golden hits shower. That release would have been perfect; it was the explicit bidding of an insect which harbored warm against my ribcage.  But life seldom works so cleanly. Perhaps a slight tangent will work well to elucidate any confusion.

 

Imagine an egg, sitting firmly in a pot which lies at a slow heat.  As its fibers are subjected to denature it begins to lose form, slouching within its oval.  There is no yolk or white, only a lazy cream that cannot resemble what was once made to be. When you go and inspect the egg, which you have laid on low heat for hours, it is essentially unrecognizable. And once you decide to leave it for weeks upon weeks, a closer breadth of valuable movement, it expels in fetid convulsions before settling into the groove of decay.  The novel eye may, at first, mourn what has supposedly rotted away from its telos. They screech at the silent earth to return the benefit of mild ripeness. But this is naive. Destruction is, and can only be, human. As such, its acceptance carries with it an implicit separation of man from the earth through which he is formed. The egg has not been ruined. It was not then, and is now, but, most importantly, it is both.  There is not a linear resolution, but rather a holistic understanding that wholeness cannot be understood momentarily.

 

So this is how I found solace removed from my favorite alternative radio station.  There was not an unexpected pleasure, but rather a final understanding that I could never be removed from my prior existence, and that this pain was not indicative of sin.  There is no hope in reflection.

 

-Cliff Jenkins

Categories
Playlists

Top Ukulele Tracks

 

When I first started playing guitar I struggled badly with barre chords until one day I had the brilliant idea of practicing them on a ukulele. It did help but I quickly ran out of songs to learn and that’s when I started looking out for more ukulele based songs and these are my current top 5. So if you’re looking for some good ukulele tunes make sure to check these out.

– U Could Find by Smoothiboi Ezra: This stripped back track is one of my absolute favorite heartbreak songs. The lyrics are just adorable and Ezra’s voice is so smooth it feels as if it was meant to be accompanied by a ukulele. I can’t help but feel happy when I listen to this song, anyone who’s ever been heartbroken will connect with her and the fact that it’s not too sad or bitter, just expressive, is perfect. 

– Kalmia Kid by chloe moriondo: Again one of my favorite things about a lot of ukulele based tracks is how adorable and and uplifting this song is. The lyrics are reflective of nature but said in a very childlike way. It makes me feel like a young kid just enjoying life and all its aspects, and i’m swept away by Chloe’s voice. Her live version on YouTube is definitely worth checking out if you enjoy it.

– Stolen Heart by Tyto Grey: This song is much less happy than the last two. Once again we have another heart break track but with the slow chord progression, light double strums and static over the vocals this song feel more like someone still in that sad phase of a post break-up. The chorus gets me singing along every time (the pic above is from my short cover of this) and it’s perfect for anyone starting to sing, the vocals are easy to follow but the emotion makes this track one I come back to often.

– Spooky Ghosts by SNCKPCk: Now we have more of that classic ukulele vibe in this track. This song is a bit silly and cute, like a lot of SNCKPCK’s songs. It also has a childlike theme to it that makes it the perfect song for someone who makes you feel pure joy. The way he says ‘I’ll love you forever, forever, forever’ really makes this tracks.

– You’re my world by Atlas: This track definitely stands out and I absolutely love it. The ukulele progression is so catchy and the artist starts out with rapping. There is also sung hook in the song that really pulls it together. However, the rapping is just perfect, his lyrics are very earthy and poetic and it’s so easy to vibe to this track and sing along.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7HB4D8K5G2oAnwQHod3OKa?si=dIMNVD9BThe_wDnKZuIOUg

– DJ Psyched

Categories
Miscellaneous

How to Meet Musicians

 

When I decided that I wanted to take music more seriously and make it a part of my life forever, I decided that I should get to know some other musicians. I only had one problem… I had no idea how to meet musicians. Through time (and a lot of different trials) I found a few things that worked for me, so I’m here to share them for anyone on a similar journey!

Music Clubs/ Orgs – This is a big one for college/ high school students but it’s also applicable to anyone. If you are at a school it’s always a good idea to get to know the organizations & opportunities that you have, specifically in regards to music here. There’s no easier way to meet musicians then at an event or meeting that is aimed toward music. It’s also nice because you’ll usually find more ‘dedicated’ people at these kinds of events, everyone loves music but if you’re looking for people to collab with or share ideas it’s worth finding people who put in that extra effort to get involved too. If you’re not in school then checking out local community groups is a route you can take (especially online and music stores but more on that below).

Social Media – I’m not ashamed to admit that a lot of my musician friends came from Tinder, this is 2019 after all. Self-advertising has always been a thing (ever been to a music store and seen adds up for band members?). While that can still be a good way to get in contact with people it’s much faster to use social media for this, especially with the power of hashtags. You can search for just about anything on just about any platform and find people looking for the same thing as you. It can also be used to promote your work, I have a lot of friends with side Instagrams and other media to promote their music and this can help people find you and make you look a bit more legit. Tinder, and other apps meant for meeting people, is also not a bad place to look since it’s people trying to meet people. People use tinder all the time for business and as long as you make things clear in your bio you have a good shot at finding people this way.

Concerts – Like I said before there’s no easier way to meet musicians then at an event or meeting that is aimed toward music. As an added bonus you already have an artist in common so it’s likely you have a similar taste in music. Especially if you go to a show alone, all you have to do is find someone who’s also alone and say hey, I did this once and met a DJ from UNC. A bonus here is that you’re at a concert so no matter what happens it’ll be enjoyable.

Record/ Music Stores – This one is a classic. This is a common place for people to put up personal ads and a lot of local stores play little concerts, so if you keep up with that you may even be able to meet small local bands. This is a great way to get involved in your local music scene. 

Anywhere – Something important to remember is that musicians are just people and can be anywhere. Recently I was at work, in Carmichael Gym, and a man walked up to talk to me and my co-workers. After a bit of talking he told us he was performing with a local band and that he free-lances as a bassist sometimes. I kept the conversation in music and told him that I’m a DJ at the campus station and now whenever we see each other at the gym we talk a bit (mostly about music). Moral of the story, musicians are everywhere and the more you go out and try new things the better your chance of running into some fellow music lovers

– DJ Psyched

Categories
Weekly Charts

Chainsaw Charts 9/17

Artist Record Label
1 DESPISED ICON “Purgatory” [Single] Nuclear Blast
2 BRAND OF SACRIFICE God Hand Unique Leader
3 SHADOW OF INTENT Melancholy Self-Released
4 KNOCKED LOOSE A Different Shade Of Blue Pure Noise
5 WORMWITCH Heaven That Dwells Within Prosthetic
6 VALLEYS “Opiate” [Single] Tragic Hero
7 DAMN YOUR EYES Kill The Outside Self-Released
8 AWAKE FOR DAYS “Break Your Chains” [Single] Self-Released
9 VISIONS OF ATLANTIS Wanderers Napalm
10 VEIL OF MAYA “Members Only” [Single] Sumerian

Categories
Band/Artist Profile

Artist of the Week: Mac Miller

Photo by Clarke Tolton 

Over the weekend, it marked the one year anniversary of Mac Miller’s death (September 7, 2018). Mac’s death hit me differently than other artists death hit me. I remember my older brothers playing Mac Miller when I was growing up. I soon started listening to him on my own in middle school. It was like I grew up with Mac, he was a part of my childhood and my transition into adulthood. His death came as such a shock and even to this day, his presence is missed by many.

Mac Miller (Malcom James McCormick) was born January 19, 1992 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He began his career in the city’s hip hop scene back in 2007 at the age of fifteen. He signed a record deal with a Pittsburgh-based record label, Rostrum Records. This is where his breakthorugh mixtapes, K.I.D.S. (2010) and Best Day Ever (2011) we’re produced. Miller’s debut studio album, Blue Side Park (2011) became the first independently distributed album to top the Billboard 200 since 1995. In 2013, Miller founded the record label REMember Music. After releasing his second studio album, Watching Movies with the Sound Off (2013), he left Rostrum and signed with Warner Bros. Records in 2014. With them, he released three studio albums: GO:OD AM (2015), The Divine Feminine (2016), and Swimming (2018) which would be his last record.

When looking at videos of Mac Miller, he was always so happy and fun to be around. He had the personality and energy that influenced the people around him. He created great music that spoke to a lot of people. He was such a relatable artist. He spoke on subjects, feelings, thoughts, and situations that everyone goes through. He was an artist that was taken too soon.

On September 7th2018, Mac Miller was found unresponsive in his home. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Thousands of fans honored Mac Miller at Blue Side Park, the inspiration behind his debut album. The site has continued to be a place of his remembrance.  A tribute concert, Mac Miller: A Celebration of Life, was held on October 31, 2018, in Los Angeles. Many of his friends and collaborators performed. They also raised money for the newly-established Mac Miller Circles Fund, which aims to support youth arts and community-building programs in his memory. The charity had raised over $700,000 by January 2019. In May 2019, the renamed Mac Miller Fund issued its first grants, including $50,000 to MusiCares, where they help young musicians with substance abuse issues.

On September 4th2019, Cameron James Pettit was charged with distribution of a control substance, counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, that were given to Mac Miller 2 days before his death. RIP Mac.

Stay Metal,

THE SAW

Categories
Miscellaneous

WKNC’s REAL FAKING NEWS

The historic Golden Record sent into space is finally found by Intelligent life. Aliens say “We’re disappointed. We wish NASA would keep their mixes more relevant.”

-Andrew Evans 

Categories
DJ Highlights

Why We Should Bring Back Burning Playlists on to CDs

I’m feeling nostalgic this week. I’m remembering the days of Limewire and burning CDs and if we lived in a world where CD players weren’t almost obsolete and streaming platforms weren’t the most convenient way to access music then we would have to bring back burning playlists onto CDs. Here’s why:

  1. Cheap and easy to make: It takes like 30 minutes to burn if you have all of the CDs in your computer library already, if not YouTube to mp3 was your best friend. You could buy a stack of like 100 blank CDs for $5.

  2. Customizable: Just like a normal Spotify playlist, you can put whatever you want on a CD. You can also doodle all over the front of them and make them super unique looking.

  3. Good gifts: You can make anyone a burned CD: your mom, your crush, your archenemy and tell them how you really feel. This goes back to the customizable aspect and it beats sending someone a playlist link in my opinion.

  4. Accessible: back in the days of abundant CD players, it was easy to pass around a really good CD playlist with faded Sharpie on the front. Passing around a tangible thing is something that can’t really be matched. I think it brings people together.

While I love a good ol’ digital playlist, it’d be nice to be able to physically hold onto something sentimental in this digital day in age because when I’m 30, I probably won’t have my playlist that I made on Spotify about my ex boyfriend on Spotify in 2017, but I’ll definitely have that CD (scratched with years of wear) my best friend burned for my birthday when we were 14.

-cellar door xx

Categories
Miscellaneous

A Beginners Guide to Metal

Recently, I have had multiple friends tell me that they want to start listening to metal. They have asked me what bands they should start off with, and that was a hard question to answer. There is SO much to unpack when talking about metal because you have SO MUCH music from different eras. Everyone has different musical tastes/styles so it is hard to pinpoint which bands I think my friends would like. But today, I will attempt to make a guide for all my normies out there who want to get into something heavier.

·      Start off with the basics

The majority of people know the main bands that put metal on the map: Black Sabbath, Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, Iron Maiden and Megadeth, etc. If people don’t know these bands…. Well…. Where have you been?

The most famous songs are most likely the only ones that people know, but I would suggest listening to their other stuff that isn’t as well known. For example, listen to anything off of Ride the Lightening, Master of Puppets, or …And Justice for All; Metallica’s 2nd, 3rd, and 4thstudio albums respectively.

The bands listed above laid the foundation in which all sub genres of metal are based. Now, let’s get into the fun stuff.

The three main bands that helped me get into metal were Slipknot, KoRn and Pantera. I would say that these three bands really took the sound of metal to the next level (or, as Pantera would say, “A New Level”). These bands opened the door for the bands that I listen to today. I would suggest listening to the first three albums that KoRn released (KoRn, Life is Peachy, and Follow the Leader). I would also listen to any song off of Pantera’s Cowboys from Hell or Vulgar Display of Power. As for Slipknot, they always release bangers so literally anything by them. I personally really like Slipknot’s Iowa, and All Hope is Gone.

When trying to get into metal bands today, it is all about trial and error. When I was first getting into metal, I started off with the bands that my brothers would play and listen to them. Then if I liked it, I would look up artists similar to them and then just go down a rabbit hole.

Here are A LOT of bands to get you started!

·      All That Remains

·      Hatebreed

·      Terror

·      Chimera

·      Miss May I

·      Upon A Burning Body

·      Wage War

·      Parkway Drive

·      Fit for A King

·      After the Burial

·      Architects

·      Volumes

·      Stick to Your Guns

·      Left Behind

·      Knocked Loose

·      Detain

·      Bent Life

·      Kublai Khan

·      Varials

·      Thy Art is Murder

·      Whitechapel

·      Cannibal Corpse

·      Obituary

·      Six Feet Under

·      Death

·      Morbid Angel

·      Dying Fetus

If you listened to and liked any of these bands, look up bands that are similar to the ones that you liked to find more!!

·      Go to a show!

The best thing about metal shows is that they aren’t that expensive, the bands have merch that goes hella hard, and you will see some of the craziest shit. You will definitely get your money’s worth! Shows are also a great way to find new bands!!! You also meet people at the show and potentially become friends and then they can also show you music! My friends are the best because we all share what we are listening to on Instagram so it’s a fun, quick, and easy way to discover more music.

Some of my friends have said that they are scared to go to a metal show because they think the people are going to be mean, rude, or scary. But that is far from it! Although there are some people at shows that will be rude towards you, the majority of the people attending the show are really nice! For example, I took my friend (who has never listened to metal and has never been to show) to a house show in some guy’s basement and the people there thanked her for coming out and giving the music a chance. Moral of the story is, we may look hardcore but we are a bunch of softies… unless you piss us off!

·      Listen to The Saw’s Butcher Shop on Friday nights from 5pm-8pm on WKNC’s Chainsaw Rock!!

You already know that I’m going to advertise my show, right? I play all genres of metal in the span of 3 hours!!! This is a quick, easy, and fun way to discover which bands you like, what genres are your favorite, and also what you don’t like.

You can take these tips and tricks and apply them to any genre of music that you want to explore! Remember that WKNC plays Daytime Rock (Indie), Afterhours (Electronic), Underground (Rap/Hip-Hop), and Chainsaw Rock (Metal). We also have some specialty shows that play other genres! There is literally everything for everyone to listen to on WKNC. Take advantage of us invading your airwaves J

What bands helped you get into metal?

Stay Metal,

THE SAW

Categories
DJ Highlights

Tips on Really Listening to an Album

During my formative years, I’ve definitely skimmed through albums or never listened to them altogether. Back then I only chose to listen to singles I heard in the mall that cost $1.29 on iTunes or I just listened to the same rotation of songs on my iPod. Fourth grade was a long time ago and it definitely took a lot of growing up and an increased appreciation for music to figure out that albums are full on works of art and they gift you with many more, lesser known songs. Here’s some of my tips on how to better appreciate albums for what they truly are:

  1. Eliminate distractions: sit in bed, go to the park, push your worries to the side, put your headphones on and just listen.

  2. Focus on and consider different elements: some things you can focus on while listening is the track order, album cover, lyrics, the length of the songs, the tempo of the songs, influences you hear, etc. This helps in appreciate the smaller aspects that make albums unique and cohesive.

  3. Research the album and artist: After I’ve formed a pretty loose opinion on the album, I like to just google it and read other reviews to form a more well-rounded view of the work. And while you’re at it, research the artist if you don’t already know enough about them to give the album perspective.

  4. Consider concept: take a step inside the artist’s head; what do you think they were trying to convey with the album and all of its components? Is there an overarching theme, mood or message? Take those thoughts into perspective as you listen.

  5. Re-listen: there has been a TON of albums that I didn’t care for upon first listen. Before you write it off, give it another listen, another chance. And if you loved it the first time, listen again anyway.

  6. Remember that albums are a lot like people, they aren’t perfect, but instead a deliberate culmination of different ideas and influences chosen by the artist. The final product is a holistic work that can be experienced by a listener like yourself, but only if you allow yourself to receive it properly.

-cellar door Xx

Categories
New Album Review

ALBUM REVIEW: The Pinheads – Is This Real

Is this Real by The Pinheads album cover

BEST TRACKS: Feel it now, Is This Real?, So Alone

FCC Clean

Grab your swimsuit because this album seriously drips.

The Pinheads first gained some traction in the surf punk scene back in 2015 with their single I Wanna Be A Girl, which is still their most popular song to date, though their sound was still very course and scratching. Since then, the pinheads have continuously re-calibrated and tightened up their sound, moving in a more guitar-heavy direction and leaning away from thin, clattery percussion in favor of fuller drums. Is This Real, released in May of this year, is their smoothest album yet.

Is This Real has a very independent feel to it, which makes sense considering that this album was entirely created and recorded in a shed (lovingly called the Pin-shed Laboratory) belonging to the mother of one of the band members.

This album has a lot variation that will keep you on your toes, ranging from bluesy tracks like Is this real? to full out surf punk like track number two Feel it Now. Despite the mosaic of styles, the entire album is drawn together beautifully with familiar drawled vocals and fuzzy guitar. Similar sounding artists are Wax Witches and Shannon and the Clams.

As you listen, you might be wondering, with a guitar sound this drippin, what large body of water were The Pinheads adjacent to when they recorded this album? Answer: the Indian Ocean. Growing up in the suburbs of Wollongong, Australia, on the Leisure Coast, The Pinheads were always surrounded by surf rock, the influence of which shines through on this album in its wet, energetic riffs.

My favorite song on the album is definitely the title track Is This Real?. One of the slower songs on this album, Is This Real? sounds like the end of a perfect summer day. Especially when that harmonica comes in, you’ll remember one of those days where you hung out with your friends all day doing dumb shenanigans and now that the sun is setting you’re tired but happy and satisfied.

Happy and satisfied is also something you’ll feel after listening to this album.

-Safia Rizwan