After weeks of intense negotiation The Avett Brothers finally realize their dream of directing people towards bathrooms and beer.
-Andrew Evans
Categories
WKNC Breaking
Category: Blog
Metal Church shot out of the gate with their self-titled debut, Metal Church! Although this record is from the early `80s, squarely in the upswing of Glam / Big Hair Rock, it sets the pace for what Thrash Metal would become. Originally released on independent label, Ground Zero, in 1984, the album sold so well that Elektra Records signed the band and reissued Metal Church in 1985. It was recorded in `84 at Steve Lawson Productions in Seattle Washington. The record weighs in at 42:00 minutes long, exactly. And there is never a dull moment!
David Wayne, inspired by the likes of Rob Halford (Judas Priest) and inspiring folks like James Hetfield (Metallica), does a masterful job on every song (with the exception of the lone instrumental, of course). With a powerful voice, Wayne is an excellent frontman for the powerhouse musicians behind him. Kurt Vanderhoof is the founder of Metal Church, writing all lyrics on this record, except the instrumental and the cover song, and he is menacing as he shreds through riffs on this record. Craig Wells plays opposite Vanderhoof and is a great compliment. Duke Erickson rounds out the strings, nicely, and Kirk Arrington shows his skills on the drums.
The track listing (as mentioned above) includes a cover of Deep Purples Highway Star, which the band handles with ease. The instrumental is aptly named, Merciless Onslaught(written by Vanderhoof).Beyond the Black, the title track, Metal Church, Merciless Onslaught,and God’s of Wrathconstitute side one; while Hitman, In the Blood, (My Favorite) Nightmare, Battalions, and Highway Star rap up the record with side two. I’m telling you, there is not a moment of rest on this whole album!
Favorite Songs: I literally love every single song! But Metal Churchwill always be my favorite!
Rating: 10/10!!
*Special note: David Wayne died on May 10, 2005 from complications due to a car wreck.
Stay Metal,
THE SAW
Cecil Frena’s 12 track record ‘Pit Boss’ was released last month on August 21, 2019. The newly released album was a must listen for me because Cecil Frena’s first album ‘The Gridlock’ was the first album I ever reviewed for WKNC, and it quickly became a favorite of mine. I was excited when I heard about this release and I absolutely loved the change of pace I felt when I had my first listen. This album definitely sounds like Cecil Frena but it holds its own unique sound at the same time (something I love to see artists do).
From first listen the track ‘Are You A Cop’ really stood out to me and remains one of my favorites from the album. The guitars are memorable, as they are all throughout this entire album, and the use of screaming vocals (which are also used a good amount on this record) really add to the weight of his words. ‘The Rats are Winning’ also stood out to me that first time. With its fierce vocals and whisper like chorus this track really gets you feeling the intensity behind the artists words. ‘Baby you got this’ is definitely an anthem type track and i’m here for the catchy hook that I know I’ll have stuck in my head for a while now. And I’m alright with that.
I’d definitely have to say though, my favorite thing about Cecil Frena’s music is the experience of pulling up the lyrics on bandcamp and reading along side the track. His lyrical work is usually telling an underlying story that you only catch if you’re paying close attention, and it’s always a story worth hearing. Cecil hasn’t been afraid to talk on personal beliefs and political topics in the past and he doesn’t shy away from them on this record either, and it’s powerful.
– DJ Psyched
Categories
ALBUM REVIEW: POW! – Shift
BEST TRACKS: Peter, Free the Floor
FCC VIOLATIONS: Disobey, No World
This is it. We are now in the Cybergoth future that our parents and teachers warned us about. POW! is back – darker, noisier, and giving less of a damn than ever with their new album Shift.
Pow! started out in 2011 with four members but by the time the band released Shift, their numbers had dwindled down to just two: the extraordinary duo Byron Blum and Melissa Blue. With Blum’s cutting guitar, and Blue’s chilling vocals and brain-liquefying keyboard, they don’t really need anyone else.
This album came as a surprise. Based on the two albums that came before this release, it seemed like POW! was moving in a more pop direction. For some reason, they changed their minds and turned a complete 180…and we’re so glad they did! Shift is experimental, unnerving, and abrasive in the most ripping way.
This album is an avant garde explosion of self-expression. Picture oscillating synthesizers, robotic deadpan vocals, strange electronic whirring, and tinny drums being beaten to within an inch of their life. Any song from this album could go on the soundtrack of a post-apocalyptic movie about a motley group of computer hackers and mechanics trying to overthrow the government.
To give you an idea of how noisy this album actually is, I was listening to the fourth track, Free the Floor, in my car and thought the sirens of a firetruck passing by were just part of the song. I almost didn’t stop for it. A minute later, in the same car ride, I was vibing so hard to Peter that I missed my turn. SO yeah what I’m trying to say is this album is really good but bad for when you’re driving.
If you’ve ever worn glittery black nail polish or cosplayed as anyone from Invader Zim, you’ll probably like this album. Even if you’re not a cyberpunk menace, it might still amuse you to give this album a spin.
-Safia Rizwan
its that time of year again folks! Here is the WKNC Afterhours approved lineup for the top 6 best electronic shows for the hopscotch weekend
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Channel Tres- my #1 electronic show of the weekend, def going to be a good, super funky house music set: Friday, Imurj at 12:30am
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Spelling- Oakland, CA based artist, makes dreamy soul music with some electronic undertones: Saturday, Neptunes at 11pm
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Zah- Brooklyn, NY DJ and artist: Saturday, Wicked Witch at 11:30pm
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Shormey- Chesapeake, VA based artist, makes light and sunny electronic music: Saturday, Imurj at 9pm
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Oak city slums- Raleigh based DJ: Friday, Imurj at 11:30pm
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Gudiya- Raleigh based artist: Saturday, Wicked Witch at 8:30pm
stay dry out there n dance a lot everybody :0)
vitamin e
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.
Emily Musolino has kindly agreed to do a stripped down set on the acoustic stage of Legends. Though typically done with a full band, the raw emotion and lyrical complexity makes this act my personally most anticipated set of the day.
- Give us a lil rundown of how your band got formed! When/where/how/why! I’ve been writing songs for 20 years. it started out as a personal outlet for me when I picked up the guitar at age 10. When college came up, I chose Berklee College of Music because it had the reputation of being one of the top contemporary music academies in the world. After graduating with a degree in music production I decided it was much too cold to live in Boston so I moved back home and have been traveling around the southeast ever since playing music!
- What can an audience member expect from one of your shows? It depends on what show. I provide myself on being very diverse – Sometimes the audience wants to party and have loud rock and roll, and sometimes it’s a quiet listening room where they want to be softly serenaded. I can do both.
- Do you see performance as a task or an endeavor? In that vein, what part about performing is most challenging or liberating? I love performing. I feel more natural on stage then I do offstage most of the time. The most liberating thing about it is it forces you to live completely in the moment – no worrying about the future or regretting the past. Everything that matters is in the note you’re singing right now.
- What does Pride mean to you? How do you embody those meanings in your music? In your everyday life? I’ve been out and proud for 15 years and still to this day I’ll feel a twinge of fear when singing my original lyrics that are obviously gay. I despise that fear, and I hope that every time I sing one of my songs a little bit of that fear goes away not just for me but for the whole LGBT community.
- What are you most excited about during Hopscotch? Tough question! There are so many great acts, I’m just happy to be a part of it all and soak it all in.
- For the tenth anniversary of Hopscotch, what would you ten years ago think about you now? I think she would be thrilled! I’m living my dream of playing music full-time, I have a wonderful girlfriend and an ever expanding circle of multi-talented friends. life is good 🙂
- Please list some fun facts about your band! This particular show will be solo, not sure about fun facts, you might just have to come to show to find out!
You can learn more about Emily Musolino by visiting her Facebook page or Instagram (@theemilymusolino) 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://emilymusolino.bandcamp.com/
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.
Petrov, hailing from Charlotte, calls themselves “thicc rocc” which, although a joking title, is rather true. A sensual blend of guitars and smooth vocals overlayed onto a disco-inspired drum line makes it impossible not to dance. Petrov is our headliner for obvious reasons.
- Give us a lil rundown of how your band got formed! When/where/how/why!
Craigslist actually was the original common thread of how we formed. Our guitar players Syd Little and Michael Backlund were in a band in Boone called Borrowed Arts. They both moved back to Charlotte and posted a Craigslist ad about wanting to start a new band. Garrett Herzfeld, the drummer, responded to the ad not even knowing that he had already played shows with them in the past. They all posted another Craigslist ad for a bass player (answered by Matt McConomy, who happened to already be familiar with the dudes as well), and then finally Mary Grace McKusick answered Garrett’s Facebook post about needing a vocalist. She had never been in a band before, but was encouraged by her friend to push through her hesitations worrying Garrett might think of her as not much more than just his good friend’s little sister. But we are so glad she did because she ended up being the perfect fit. And thus Petrov was born.
- What can an audience member expect from one of your shows?
Audiences watching a Petrov show can expect an excitingly punchy rhythm section, dueling yet complementary guitars, and an aggressively entertaining frontperson passionately belting out her feelings on topics important to her.
- Do you see performance as a task or an endeavor? In that vein, what part about performing is most challenging or liberating?
We see performances as a welcomed endeavor. The feeling between performer and audience is irreplaceable. The biggest challenge is definitely between-song banter.
- What does Pride mean to you? How do you embody those meanings in your music? In your everyday life?
Mary Grace: Pride means to embrace anything and everything about yourself. Our song “By All Means” is about me coming into my queer identity and relationships and moments that have shaped myself into said identity. I show pride in my everyday life by being unapologetic and owning the space I take up.
- What are you most excited about during Hopscotch?
Mary Grace: Acne
Garrett: Sunwatchers, Boris, Little Brother - For the tenth anniversary of Hopscotch, what would you ten years ago think about you now?
Hopefully the “us” of ten years ago would feel more approval than disappointment about our current selves.
- Please list some fun facts about your band
The name “Petrov” comes from Stanislav Petrov, a Soviet officer who in 1983 trusted his gut that a nuclear missile alert warning that the United States had launched missiles was a false alarm. His decision to disobey orders by not immediately retaliating went against Soviet protocol, but most likely prevented full-scale nuclear war. So thanks, Stanny.
You can learn more about Petrov by visiting their Facebook page or Instagram (@petrovclt) 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!
Dance tonight (on Saturday), revolution tomorrow.
https://petrovclt.bandcamp.com/releases
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.
This is ~officially~ To Julian’s very first interview and WKNC is very excited to have this alumnus, friend, and artist share their insight with us.
Read their answers below 🙂
- Give us a lil rundown of how your band got formed! When/where/how/why! When I was 19, I felt like I was stagnating and living without a passion. I grabbed my friends and went to a pawn shop down the road from the house I was raised in, and bought my first guitar for $70. I never took a lesson, never sat down and learned with anyone; I just labored and labored until I was proficient and stuck my hands in weird places on the guitar. and so came to be ‘to julian’!
- What can an audience member expect from one of your shows?confusion? Everyone always comes up to me afterwards and relays the fact that they don’t know whether they should be really happy or really sad.
- Do you see performance as a task or an endeavor? In that vein, what part about performing is most challenging or liberating? In many ways, it’s both. I have horrible performance anxiety to the point where I can’t eat anything the day of a show or else it’ll just come back up the way it came, so managing that has been a challenge. But in the same way, it’s extremely liberating to grapple with that anxiety and win. I’ve trained myself to just think that the stage is my bedroom – now everyone gets to see exactly who I am.
- What does Pride mean to you? How do you embody those meanings in your music? In your everyday life? Pride is nurturing and holding. The queer community has always held me, understood me, taught me, and given me strength in a way that no one else has. It’s allowed me to be exactly who I was meant to be with nothing held back; which is essentially exactly why I make music. I make music because one day, when I have a child, I want them to know that I did it! I figured out the way to feel most like me and now I get to spend the rest of my life flying into myself. I figured out how to hold nothing back and show everyone exactly who I am and be proud of that person too.
- What are you most excited about during Hopscotch? Honestly, this is the first year I’m not attending the festival as a whole but rather just the day parties, so I’m excited to get some rest for my feet so next year I can walk twice as fast.
- For the tenth anniversary of Hopscotch, what would you ten years ago think about you now? 12 year old Michael was so simple; I listened to Queen, Gorillaz, Deftones, I just learned how to ride a bike (I know I was late!), and I always itched to be different, but didn’t know how to. I’d be so proud of myself. shocked, but proud.
- Please list some fun facts about your band! ooooh … I already discussed a couple of these but … I’ve only been playing guitar for 3 years! I can do this weird thing where I sit criss-cross on the ground and without using my hands, bring my feet into the lotus position? and then since my legs are essentially knotted and unable to move freely, I walk around on the floor using my arms as legs. Real good party trick! One last one … my sister and I were born exactly 4 years apart on April 8th, which just so happens to be my favorite song by neutral milk hotel, which is also my favorite song on earth.
You can learn more about To Julian by visiting their Facebook page or Instagram (@2222Julian) 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!
Pre-game the show by previewing all of the acts discographies on bandcamp! To Julian’s bandcamp link is as follows.
https://tojulian.bandcamp.com/
Just like the show…… listening to their bandcamp is free too.
Even though Hopscotch is known for having mainly indie-rock artists, there are a few hip hop and electronic acts that should be noted! The following list is for people who love to dance and want to have some fun.
Thursday:
Injury Reserve, Joey Purp, and Earth Gang @ Lincoln
Friday:
No Love @ Kings
Channel Tres @ Imurj
Saturday:
Grace Ives @ Imurj
Gudiya, Jasmyn Milan, Zah and Estoc @ Wicked Witch
If you’re interested in hip hop and rap Thursday night at Lincoln is a big night you won’t want to miss and if you’re in love with electronic music you must check out Wicked Witch on Saturday.
Even if hip hop and electronic music aren’t your thing, it’s definitely worth checking out and could be a nice break from your typical indie-rock shows at Hopscotch.
-DJ Short Strides
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.
Juxton Roy is a self-described queermo band that has strong ties in the DIY scene of the Triangle, though they may take a more business-oriented route to musical success. Nonetheless, their music is empowered and raw, tugging at your heartstrings in the only way they know how– with honesty.
Read the second artist of this series’ answers– Juxton Roy.
- Give us a lil rundown of how your band got formed! When/where/how/why! Juxton started sometime in 2017, as an idea to start an alt-country band that slowly blossomed into genreless project we are now. It was a slow year of rehearsing and writing the songs that eventually would make up our debut “Why are you so afraid of ___”. We solidified our first lineup in that time and played our first show at Sound Off records in April of that 2018. We picked up our manager, Jonas, during that time as well which led to us being picked up by Emo Raleigh. We then did things backwards by recording our debut immediately after our first show but we’ve hit the ground running ever since. Playing more and more shows. We’ve been nonstop ever since.
- What can an audience member expect from one of your shows? Our shows are an experience. We aim to create a space of community and catharsis all at once. There’s a lot of energy, a lot of singalongs, and a big sense of unity. The goal is create a safe space for LGBTQIA+ people to feel safe in a scene predominantly led by cis white men. We make at point at every show to always say that with Jux, you are safe, seen, valid and our family.
- Do you see performance as a task or an endeavor? In that vein, what part about performing is most challenging or liberating? That’s an interesting question, I don’t know if I (Jess) would ever see performance as a task. Endeavor doesn’t quite sound right either but it may be closer. We put all of who we are into our live performance. We make a point to never play the same setlist twice. I think all of us are really channeling our varied experiences into the music when we perform it live, and it comes out as this loud, almost worshipful form of honest catharsis. Everything we are as people is laid bare on that stage, so I guess it could be an endeavor cause it can be draining to do that. But it also feels really good to do it, to look an audience in the eye and know you’re going through the same thing. Performance is more validating for us then a task or an endeavor.
- What does Pride mean to you? How do you embody those meanings in your music? In your everyday life? Another great question. Pride to me means visibility. It means being seen and heard, acknowledged and safe. It means not denoting the LGBTQIA+ experience down to one singular narrative. Queer voices are varied and beautiful and rarely listened to, especially in this day and age. It’s amazing that Hopscotch and WKNC are including more queer centered shows and events, it’s something I cherish. Within Juxton, we approach pride within our music and shows. We stay visibly queer not as an act of defiance, but as an invitation for dialogue and the opportunity to create safe spaces for people who may not find that often enough. Our music touches on a lot of issues, be it mental health, gender identity, drug/alcohol abuse, and the ever confusing concept of love. But it always circles back to our overarching message of self love, self acceptance and community. I think that’s important in any scene. Especially for people who go to shows looking for acceptance/answers. There’s to many bands around doing it solely because they want to/are good at it. That’s not good enough anymore, you have to stand for something, in my opinion.
- What are you most excited about during Hopscotch? I’m still hoping I’ll be able to go to some of the main bill shows but I’m really excited about the Museum Mouth/Kissisippi show. Same goes for the Sarah Shook and the Disarmers set. So many of our friends are playing as well and it’s hard to narrow it down. Stand outs to me would be Through the Tallwoods are playing with us at the WKNC showcase, that band is full of amazing people and they rip.
- For the tenth anniversary of Hopscotch, what would you ten years ago think about you now? I don’t think ten years ago I was aware of the existence of Hopscotch hahaha. I don’t think then I would’ve ever thought I would be entering my second year of playing it so I guess I would be proud of myself. I don’t think anyone in Juxton ever thought we’d be where we are now as fast as we got there, and we’re all really grateful for it.
- Please list some fun facts about your band!
• Our guitarist Matt is in approximately 10k bands(Flood District, Fredfin Wallaby) and they all rip. Same goes for our drummer Parker(Hi-Dive).
• Our name may or may not be based on a drunken Sean Connery accent.
• Juxton Roy will have new music out this year, and it sounds sounds absolutely bonkers. We’re really proud of it.
You can learn more about Juxton Roy by visiting their Facebook page or Instagram (@juxtonroy) 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!
How else can I convince you other than saying its Prideful, FREE, and on a WEEKEND? BE THERE!!!!
