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Station News

WKNC wins college media awards

DJ in studio surrounded by blue light.
WKNC DJ Emma Bookhardt was named best DJ personality in the College Media Association’s Film and Audio Festival. Photo contributed by Emma Bookhardt.

A WKNC 88.1 FM HD-1/HD-2 DJ has been named among the best in the country.

Emma Bookhardt, a third-year student studying English and communication, earned first place in the best DJ personality category in College Media Association’s 2024 Film and Audio Festival. On the air as Bodhi, Bookhardt hosts “Reel-to-Reel,” a weekly two-hour program that takes a deep dive into the intersection of movies and music. In her award-winning submission, she examined the 1977 classic “Smokey and the Bandit” with music from the film and the time period explored it in. Other episodes have explored “Dazed and Confused,” “When Harry Met Sally” and “Animal House.” “Reel-to-Reel” airs Fridays from 8-10 a.m. on WKNC 88.1 FM.

Film and Audio Festival winners were announced at the Associated Collegiate Press/College Media Association’s Fall National College Media Convention, held Oct. 29-Nov. 2 in New Orleans.

College Media Association also presented its individual and organizational Pinnacle awards at the convention. WKNC Public Affairs Content Creator Ellie Feaga, who graduated in May 2024, was awarded third place for audio newscast for “Eye on the Triangle Weekly News Jan. 29, 2024.” WKNC was also named third place for Radio Station of the Year. This was WKNC’s ninth year as a finalist for the award.

WKNC also received honors from the College Media Business and Advertising Managers at their national convention Nov. 7-9 in Philadelphia.

Bookhardt’s “Reel-to-Reel” took another top finish, this time in Best Digital Self Promotion Ad for “Reel-to-Reel Presents: Hello, I’m…Johnny Knoxville?” The March 8, 2024 episode included tracks by Johnny Cash, Southern Culture on the Skids, and Guided by Voices.

Ad for “Reel-to-Reel Presents: Hello, I’m…Johnny Knoxville?” It looks like an invoice cluttered with a pack of Marlboro cigarette, a crumpled dollar bill, red pills, a Marvel Comic book about Evil Knievel and an image of a shirtless Johnny Knoxville with a small alligator biting his nipple. In the middle on a blue note it reads "Reel-to-Reel Friday morning 8-10 a.m. on WKNC 88.1 FM HD-1."
Emma Bookhardt won first in Digital Self Promotion Ad for her “Reel-to-Reel” episode featuring music from and inspired by the “Jackass The Movie.”

WKNC’s final award was second place Best Promotion Audio Ad for “Jazz in my Radio” to advertise WKNC’s “Sunset” jazz music block, airing Sundays from 6 p.m. to midnight. The ad was voiced by Spencer Grattan, a fourth-year student studying computer science, and produced by Claire Conklin, a May 2024 graduate.

Categories
Station News

WKNC provides live election coverage

Three women sit in front of microphones in a radio studio.
Emilia Rivadeneira (left), a fourth-year student studying political science and communication, welcomed Zania Sanders (middle), a third-year student studying science, technology and society and AYA Ambassador at the African American Cultural Center, and Annabelle Rossi (right), a third-year student studying political science and President of Students for Immigrant Rights and Equality, to discuss their views on the 2024 election as part of 24-hour live coverage from college students across the country. Photo by Jamie Lynn Gilbert.

Student radio station WKNC 88.1 FM HD-1/HD-2 joined college media outlets nationwide to provide 24-hour election coverage as part of Student News Live.

Created as a non-partisan news hub to amplify the voices of student journalists, Student News Live coordinated a live audio and video feed starting at noon ET on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Marshall University from Huntington, West Virginia started and ended the 24-hour broadcast and was joined by student journalists from North Carolina State University, William Paterson University (NJ), Wayne State College (NE), Harrison High School (GA), Syracuse University (NY), State University of New York at Old Westbury, Ohio University, Metropolitan State University (CO), Grand Valley State University (MI), Kutztown University (PA), University of Texas-Arlington, Ashland University (OH), University of West Georgia, Santa Monica College (CA), Texas A&M University, California State University-Fullerton, University of California-Berkley, University of Cork (Ireland) and Centenary University (NJ).

WKNC at NC State took the midnight to 1 a.m. slot. Public affairs director and “Eye on the Triangle” host Emilia Rivadeneira, a fourth-year student studying political science and communication, divided her hour into two, 30-minute segments.

Rivadeneira was joined live by Mac McCorkle, Professor of the Practice in the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University, and Elizabeth Lane, Assistant Professor of Political Science at NC State. They offered an analysis of the election results, including the impact of Donald Trump’s win in North Carolina, the N.C. Supreme Court race, the citizenship voting amendment, and the future of North Carolina voting patterns. The interview was simulcast on Student News Live and WKNC 88.1 FM HD-1 and recorded for YouTube.

WKNC then considered how NC State students felt about the election in a conversation with Annabelle Rossi, a third-year student studying political science and President of Students for Immigrant Rights and Equality, and Zania Sanders, a third-year student studying science, technology and society and AYA Ambassador at the African American Cultural Center. They discussed anxiety about the election, what issues were important to college students, youth voter turnout and influences, and the role of student organizations in election advocacy.

“Collectively, we created a nationwide student journalism broadcast that offered the audience something new: the perspective of the younger generation of Americans,” wrote Rob Quicke, professor and director of the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Marshall University and co-founder of Student News Live, in a post-broadcast news release. “Topics and issues of interest to this generation were probably only covered by Student News Live, and not heard elsewhere. It’s important that we shared those voices and reported from the communities that don’t get a platform or opportunity to communicate on other forms of media.”

Student News Live had more than 1,700 YouTube views on their livestream. The election coverage was produced in partnership with iHeartRadio, PBS News Student Reporting Labs and West Virgina Public Broadcasting.

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Weekly Charts

Chainsaw Charts 11/5/24

Cover for "Muuntautuja" by Oranssi Pazuzu

Chainsaw Charts

#ArtistRecordLabel
1ORANSSI PAZUZUMuuntautujaNuclear Blast
2BLACK CURSEBurning in Celestial PoisonSepulchral Voice
3GIGANAnomalous Abstractigate InfinitessimusWillowtip
4SIDEREANSpilling the Astral ChaliceEdged Circle
5SHENKMidnight Journey of the Beast [EP]Self-Released
6CONCRETE WINDSConcrete WindsSepulchral Voice
7HYPDERDONTIAHarvest of MalevolenceDark Descent
8MAYHEMICTobaSepulcharal Voice
9SPECTRAL WOUNDSongs Of Blood And MireProfound Lore
10COFFIN CURSEThe Continuous NothingMemento Mori

Chainsaw Adds

#ArtistRecordLabel
1SKULLOVICHThe Age of SteelSelf-Released
2ORANSSI PAZUZUMuuntautujaNuclear Blast
3TENUEArcos, B​ó​vedas, P​ó​rticosZegema Beach
4BLACK CURSEBurning in Celestial PoisonSepulchral Voice
5GIGANAnomalous Abstractigate InfinitessimusWillowtip
6GAEREAComaSeason of Mist
Categories
Weekly Charts

Afterhours Charts 11/5/24

Cover for "MG Ultra" by Machine Girl

Afterhours Charts

#ArtistRecordLabel
1MACHINE GIRLMG UltraFuture Classic
2TURQUOISEDEATHKaleidoscopeDismiss Yourself
3SOPHIAAAAHJKL;8901Breakcore BurnoutSelf-Released
4TRUCHAcae cristalSelf-Released
5VITESSE XThis Infinitemusic-website
6BYE2My Wife Is Drink PaintKitty On Fire
7KELLY LEE OWENSDreamstateDirty Hit/dh2
8CARIBOUHoneyMerge
9RAHIM REDCARHOPECOREBecause
10AZZECCA“Who’s That Girl?” [Single]DGTL

Afterhours Adds

#ArtistRecordLabel
1MACHINE GIRLMG UltraFuture Classic
2TRUCHAcae cristalSelf-Released
3SOPHIAAAAHJKL;8901Breakcore BurnoutSelf-Released
4KELLY LEE OWENSDreamstateDirty Hit/dh2
Categories
Weekly Charts

Underground Charts 11/5/24

Cover for "Got A Story To Tell" by Thee Sacred Souls

Underground Charts

#ArtistRecordLabel
1THEE SACRED SOULSGot A Story To TellDaptone
2OBONGJAYAR“Just My Luck” b/w “Tomorrow Man” [Single]September
3YUKIMI“Break Me Down” [Single]Ninja Tune
47XVETHEGENIUSDeath Of DeuceDrumwork
5WILL WILDFIRE“Rolling The Stone” [Single]Self-Released
6DJ MOVESBass, Breaks, & VHS TapesTiger Blood
7VERSIONZORAK“Spear” [Single]Self-Released
8BATHEInside Voice(s): Side A [EP]MNRK
9ELIJAH BLAKEelijah.MNRK
10PLANET GIZAThe Sky Is Recording Me: 100 Years Later (Vol. 1)Quiet Note
Categories
Classic Album Review

Soundbites: “Hide In Plain Sight” – Jim James

Album cover for "Eternally Even" by Jim James.

“Hide In Plain Sight,” off of Jim James’ 2016 album “Eternally Even,” is a spiritual pondering.

For those who are unfamiliar, Jim James is one of the members of the rock band My Morning Jacket, and “Eternally Even” was his second solo release. The entire album is a work of art (I also really love “Same Old Lie,” which sounds wide-eyed like a revelation), so I recommend listening to it in full. My heart has however been taken captive by one track in particular.

Synths brazen and verses bearing profound truths in relatively uncomplicated language. The output is abstract, but the feeling is whole. It’s a floccose sound, like a semi-bitter mug of green tea; it is warm and leaves a certain crackle in the throat.

“Hide in Plain Sight” starts off as noise. We hear a bassline and it’s as definite as a heartbeat; the guitar kicks in and it’s blown out, wailing, alluring. And then Jim’s voice, smokey bourbon perfection, singing to us notes on absolutes (”Life’s eternal struggle / It’s just a dream / I hate to burst your bubble / Times change, entire lives reduced to rubble.”) and the contradiction of hoping like a human does (”But then what if the world became sweet again? / Hand in hand, everybody all the best of friends / Golden ends, could we handle it?”)

It’s a song for the end of the day, when change has become blasé; you’re tired, and you’re tired of being tired. Perhaps my favorite line in the whole song reflects that sentiment: “Life goes on with or without you.” It’s polysemous, which is what I love about it so much. It could be defeat, but it could also be sourcing solace in the surrender.

The best way to describe it might be as a soundtrack to an hour of recuperation, perfect for picking up the pieces.

love & disco,

dirty chai

Categories
Weekly Charts

Jazz Charts 11/5/24

Cover for "Music is Connection" by Ryan Keberle and Catharsis

Jazz Charts

#ArtistRecordLabel
1RYAN KEBERLE AND CATHARSISMusic Is ConnectionAlternate Side
2JULIAN LAGESpeak To MeBlue Note
3FIEVEL IS GLAUQUERong WeicknesFat Possum
4BUFFALO MONROEMeets Willie WaldmanMetacognitive
5BILL FRISELLOrchestrasBlue Note
6CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE AND EDGAR MEYERBut Who’s Gonna Play The Melody?Mack Avenue
7MILTON NASCIMENTO AND ESPERANZA SPALDINGMilton + EsperanzaConcord
8BOBBY SELVAGGIO 11Stories, Dreams, Inspirations: For My BoyHidden Cinema
9ACCORDING TO THE SOUNDPitchLosen
10SARAH HANAHANAmong GiantsBlue Engine
Categories
Weekly Charts

Top Charts 11/5/24

Cover for "Letter to Self" by Sprints

Top Charts

#ArtistRecordLabel
1SPRINTSLetter To SelfCity Slang
2TANUKICHANCircles [EP]Carpark
3COCTEAU TWINSMilk & Kisses (2024 Remaster)4AD
4GLITTERERRationaleAnti-
5GINGER ROOTSHINBANGUMIGhostly International/Secretly Group
6BASSVICTIMBasspunkSelf-Released
7CAKES DA KILLABlack SheepYoung Art
8DEAD POET SOCIETYFISSIONSpinefarm
9ERICK THE ARCHITECTI’ve Never Been Here BeforeIDOL
10FLY ANAKINSkinemaxxxLex
11HANA VURomanticismGhostly International/Secretly Group
12JODY CARROLLMountainSelf-Released
13JOY DIVISION“Shadowplay” [Single]Vintage Jupebox
14KENNY MASON9 (Nine)RCA
15KYLE MARTUCCILate Night ThaiTooch
16MEI SEMONESKabutomushi [EP]Bayonet
17OFFICE DOGSpielNew West/Flying Nun
18POTATOHEAD PEOPLEEat Your Heart OutBastard Jazz
19POWERWASHEREveryone LaughsStrange View
20RITCHIETriple Digits [112]AWAL
21SASAMI“Honeycrash” [Single]Domino
22SAYA GRAYQWERTY II [EP]Dirty Hit
23SEAFOOD SAMStanding On Giant Shouldersdrink sum wtr
24SGLILY AND EMOTIONALSGenki RockFull Metal
25SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEESJuju (Remastered)Polydor
26SOCCER MOMMYEvergreenLoma Vista/Concord
27SPIRA MEExisting & Lingeringexisting
28YUNGATITAShoelace & A KnotSelf-Released
29YVES TUMORPraise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not ConsumeWarp
30BAUHAUSIn the Flat Field4AD

Top Adds

#ArtistRecordLabel
1RAIN ON FRIDAYSDeath To AffectionSelf-Released
2FASHION CLUBA Love You Cannot Shakefelte
3ANYA MARINAAsteroidGood Rope
4TALKING VIOLETEverything At OnceFlying Colours
5SOCCER MOMMYEvergreenLoma Vista/Concord
6AMYL AND THE SNIFFERSCartoon DarknessB2B
7MOMMA“Ohio All The Time” [Single]Polyvinyl
8VINILOVERSUSMi Mejor EnemigoSelf-Released
9ALL FEELSThis Place Is A MessageFlower Sounds
10SAM LYNCH“Hurt” [Single]Birthday Cake
Categories
Concert Preview

Machine Girl w/ Kill Alters and Snooper set to Rock Lincoln Theatre

Cover for "MG Ultra" by Machine Girl

It’s a crazy time for chronically online queer youths. Not only is Machine Girl hitting the stage at Raleigh’s Lincoln Theatre Nov 8, but they’ll be accompanied by iconic and much-beloved egg punk outfit Snooper and alt-tronic Kill Alters.

If you’re somehow out of the loop, here’s what you need to know:

Machine Girl

New York-based alternative electronic duo Machine Girl has maintained a chokehold in the breakcore and “internet music” scenes for several years now.

With a distinct brand of punk-infused electronic noise, Machine Girl’s discography flirts with caustic edges and ebullient, danceable beats. Albums like “.​.​.​BECAUSE IM YOUNG ARROGANT AND HATE EVERYTHING YOU STAND FOR” and “WLFGRL+” emphasize the band’s energetic, eclectic sound.

Machine Girl’s newest album, “MG Ultra,” is a much-awaited revisit of the band’s aesthesis, and will likely make up a large chunk of their setlist.

For more info, check out Juno’s write-up.

Snooper

Winning my heart with their penchant for paper mache, Snooper is delightfully silly.

Hailing from Nashville, these colorful egg-punkers pride themselves on wild, high-energy performances and their iconic insect mascot.

Snooper’s music is like the headrush after downing a drink, mind-melding, sensory and distorted. Music ideal for scuttling around like a bug.

Kill Alters

Crashing electronic band Kill Alters is an experimental, archival project lead by Bonnie Baxter. Dark, obscure and pulsating like a diseased heart, the group’s music is an acquired taste a la Throbbing Gristle and/or Xiu Xiu.

I’m interested in seeing how the group’s work translates into live performance.

Final Thoughts

Though I anticipate the Lincoln Theatre will transform into a veritable onion patch, I’m eager to experience certain death (and dehydration) amid a frenzy of Tripp pants, studded wrist bracelets and dyed hair.

Categories
New Album Review

Soundbites: “Electric Honey (Encore)” – Tanerélle

Cover for "Electric Honey" by Tanerelle
Cover for "Electric Honey" by Tanerelle

I’m not entirely convinced that Tanerélle isn’t a celestial being from a far-away Afrofuturist utopia. She brings to Earth her intergalactic take on R&B and neo soul in her newest album, “Electric Honey (Encore).”

The album features some beautiful artists like Machinedrum, who specializes in elegant breakbeat and IDM, and Sabrina Claudio, who has got the sense for sensuality on lock. Drawing from both worlds is something Tanerélle does often, so they seem like perfect collaborators for her vision.

I actually first heard Tanerélle on a Machinedrum track two years ago, called “Star,” and was transfixed. Spellbound. Bewitched. Her voice is like a thick silk velvet against the track’s delicate ambience, and there’s no shortage of that feel in “Electric Honey.”

The first track on the album is “For Her (Chemtrails),” featuring Machinedrum and IMANU. The very first synths sound Ark Patrol-adjacent (an IMANU staple), setting the stage for a lighter dance track that burns out like a blown-out birthday candle: we’re left with the kiss of smoke from its wick.

One of my favorite tracks on this album is “Let Me In – Cosmic Orchestra Ver.,” where Tanerélle takes a standard R&B melody and makes a spectacle of it. The strings are utter drama as she begs a lover to let her in: “Under your skin / Yearning for softness / No need for caution / I’ll be your saint.”

The grandiosity continues with the album’s title track, “Electric Honey.” It’s more of an interlude, bridging the gap between the longing of the orchestral version of “Let Me In” and the neo-soul-voltage of “Blink.”

A final favorite of mine from this album is “Overflow.” It starts off more somber than the others and is at points, more IDM than R&B. At others, it’s sacral like a call through a cavern, accompanied by sober clarity in the lyrics:

I close my eyes as I spy for relief

I sneak away in the night while you sleep

I beg the sky for some love and some peace

And a forever, one for you and one for me

But there’s never getting what you want

It’s an all-too-familiar surrender to truth, after trying to deny that something once complete has since succumbed to decay. I think the track does well the weird back-and-forth between the lightness from relief, and the weight of memory in those moments of realization.

Overall, I think “Electric Honey (Encore)” is a sweet little release with some versatility; I could both dance and cry to some of the songs, depending on the day. It’s slightly experimental, but it remains in the realm of easy listening.

I may play something from it on a set soon..

love & disco,

dirty chai