Category: Blog

Categories
Festival Coverage

WKNC Hopscotch Day Party Artist Feature: Through the Tallwoods

With Hopscotch right around the corner, and WKNC’s Day Party at Legends following closely in its wake– how better to promote both events than by give y’all a lil’ insight into our Day Party Line-up!

WKNC’s Day Party description is as follows.

This year has been full of milestones, and WKNC aims to celebrate them all. 2019 held Raleigh’s first ever Pride Festival, was the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, and marks ten years of Hopscotch. With this in mind, WKNC’s Hopscotch Day Party aims to promote and celebrate LGBTQ+ affiliated artists from across the state to keep the Pride Party going all year long! Featuring Petrov, Emily Musolino, Juxton Roy, Through the Tallwoods, Black Bouquet, and To Julian, the party will be hosted on Saturday, September 7th at Legends Club. This event is all-ages and supported by the NC State GLBT Center.

This will be a series up until the Day Party, so the questions will be the same, but we can guarantee that every artist will add their own personal flare to each answer.

Through the Tallwoods is an up-and-coming punk act that is managed by the same king of the scene that organizes Juxton Roy. His name, if you’re unaware, is Jonas Chisholm! Both Jonas and Juxton will be at our upcoming Hopscotch Day Party with Through the Tallwoods tagging along as well! Will you be there??

  1. Give us a lil rundown of how your band got formed! When/where/how/why! 

    Austin and I (Taylor) met from a craigslist post I put up in the summer of
    2017. His energetic and technical bass playing had me hooked the first
    time we went through “Wake Up Early.” At the time, we were playing
    with a different drummer in his garage in Cary. About a year later, that
    drummer left to pursue his other artistic interests and our (long) search
    for a new drummer began. Through Instagram, we were able to connect
    with our current drummer, CJ Sierra, in October of 2018. His adaptive
    playing and quick, ready-to-learn attitude fit with our unconventional
    song structures perfectly. Since then we’ve had the opportunity to play
    alongside some of our favorite local bands like propersleep, Paperback,
    and Juxton Roy – who we’re looking forward to seeing right after our
    acoustic set at Legends this Saturday!

  2. What can an audience member expect from one of your shows? 

    Hopefully to connect to some of our lyrics; we fall under the emo genre
    a lot because we talk about some sad shit. You also get to hear Austin
    scream real loud – his mic check will scare you (or your money back).
    CJ will surprise you with his snare work and rhythm changes. He seems
    like a reserved, quiet guy till you see him moving around the kit. We also
    like talking to people at our shows, so we hope everyone feels welcome
    to do so.

  3. Do you see performance as a task or an endeavor? In that vein, what part about performing is most challenging or liberating? 

    Austin: I like performing. When skilled performers do their job well it’s
    awesome to watch. Seeing all of our practice, hard work, and planning
    come together is very satisfying.
    Taylor: It’s definitely a little out of my comfort zone – I’ve been more
    reserved most of my life. But I agree with Austin; the anxiety of preforming
    is overcome by the satisfaction of pulling off a show well.

  4. What does Pride mean to you? How do you embody those meanings in your music? In your everyday life? 

    Pride is a matter of acceptance for others and yourself. It’s a marked time
    to celebrate what makes us different, but also what makes us the same. We
    all deserve love; and love, in all its healthy forms, should be celebrated. Our
    music talks about the ways we’ve learned to distinguish the difference
    between love and simple want. It talks about the ways we’ve learned to
    move on from difficult situations, how we’ve grown to respect ourselves
    more, and to take pride in the people we’re becoming.

  5. What are you most excited about during Hopscotch?  

    Austin: Kissisippi! I’ve been a fan for a while now and I’m excited to see
    them play live.
    Taylor: I love Kississippi as well! Zoë is such a sweet, talented human
    being. I’m stoked that the headliner this year is Sleater-Kinney! I have a soft
    spot for Riot Grrl rock and Carrie Brownstein. She’s badass.

  6. For the tenth anniversary of Hopscotch, what would you ten years ago think about you now?  

    Austin: I always really wanted to play music, so I think 14 year old me
    would be proud that I’m playing shows and putting out an album now; it’s
    been a long time coming.
    Taylor: Honestly, at 15 I was still religious and wrestling with the guilt I felt
    over my feelings about girls. I would hardly believe that the sappy poems
    and guitar riffs I was writing in my room alone would be part of something
    cool like this 10 years later.

  7. Please list some fun facts about your band!  

    WE LIKE TREES A LOT – we go hiking pretty often.
    Austin has broken the same arm 3 times but still kicks ass on bass
    CJ is one of the creators of local label 85 Split Records, and he also drums in
    another band called “Student Health”
    One time Taylor ate a live goldfish for $20

You can learn more about Through the Tallwoods by visiting their Facebook page or Instagram (@throughthetallwoods) and, of course, by attending WKNC’s Hopscotch Day Party. It will be held at Legends Club on Saturday, September 7th and begins at noon! 

Literally be there or you will make baby deer cry!

https://throughthetallwoods.bandcamp.com/

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