Category: Blog

Categories
Weekly Charts

WKNC 88.1 FM Radio 200/Indie Rock Charts 10/12/17

1 LINA TULLGREN – Won – Captured Tracks
2 COMMON HOLLY – Playing House – Solitaire
3 LOMELDA – Thx – Double Double Whammy
4 FAITH HEALER – Try 😉 – Mint
5 BURNING PALMS – False Prophet – Little Cloud
6 FLORIST – If Blue Could Be Happiness – Double Double Whammy
7 MYRKUR – Mareridt – Relapse
8 ZOLA JESUS – Okovi – Sacred Bones
9 WALTER ETC. – Gloom Cruise – Lame-O
10 HIGH-FUNCTIONING FLESH – Culture Cut – Dais
11 WIDOWSPEAK – Expect The Best – Captured Tracks
12 BRIANA MARELA – Call It Love – Jagjaguwar
13 TRISTEN – Sneaker Waves – Modern Outsider
14 L.A. WITCH – L.A. Witch – Suicide Squeeze
15 ALEX CAMERON – Forced Witness – Secretly Canadian
16 LIARS – TFCF – Mute
17 SHEER MAG – Need To Feel Your Love – Wilsuns RC
18 THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART – The Echo Of Pleasure – Painbow
19 SO MANY WIZARDS – Heavy Vision – Lolipop
20 DEERHOOF – Mountain Moves – Joyful Noise
21 PHOEBE BRIDGERS – Stranger in the Alps – Dead Oceans
22 FRANKIE ROSE – Cage Tropical – Slumberland
23 CARMEN VILLAIN – Infinite Avenue – Smalltown Supersound
24 MINI DRESSES – Mini Dresses – Joy Void
25 ROSTAM – Half-Light – Nonesuch
26 – JESSICA LEA MAYFIELD – Sorry Is Gone – ATO
27 THE PREATURES – Girlhood – Harvest
28 PARDONER – Uncontrollable Salvation – Father/Daughter
29 SOCCER MOMMY – Collection – Fat Possum
30 MADELINE KENNEY – Night Night At The First Landing – Company

TOP ADDS

1 YUMI ZOUMA – Willowbank – Cascine
2 ALEX LAHEY – I Love You Like A Brother – Dead Oceans
3 – WEAVES – Wide Open – Kanine
4 – PROTOMARTYR – Relatives In Descent – Domino
5 – WEATHER STATION – The Weather Station – Paradise Of Bachelors
6 SOUND OF CERES – The Twin – Joyful Noise
7 EVERYONE IS DIRTY – My Neon’s Dead – OIM
8 ADAM OSTRAR – Brawls in the Briar – Super Secret
9 MISTER HEAVENLY – Boxing The Moonlight – Polyvinyl

Categories
Festival Coverage

Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival Fall 2017 – An Interview with staff member Jenna Bowman

What is your relationship with the staff and community at Shakori Hills Music Festival?

Oh this sweet family. I currently help with management for parking during the festival as well as help out on kids tent or security shifts when I can. The staff and volunteers are the most amazing community and I wouldn’t want to work beside anyone else.

When did you start coming to Shakori Hills Music Festival?

Spring of 2013 was my first Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival and I haven’t stopped coming back since.

What is your fondest memory, story or moment over the years at Shakori Hills Music Festival?

My favorite memories take place on Sunday nights at Shakori. The majority of the festival-goers leave and go home by mid-morning on Sunday, since it’s the last day of the festival, but the real beauty is Sunday night. All vendors and food close up and everyone meets at one stage for “Donna & friends.” This is where Donna the Buffalo’s band (who helped start grassroots back in Ithaca 27 years ago) and all the friends that have played all weekend do a shared set. All staff and workers are there and truly enjoying themselves with talking backstage, sharing food, and dancing together. It’s a sweet and intimate time every festival to share with those that all made it possible and beautiful.

What is your overall opinion of the community at Shakori Hills Music Festival?

Shakori holds a community sense unique and different from all the other festivals I’ve been to. The land holds the feeling of home and the people exude the warmth of a close family members embrace. Shakori hills is unlike the other grassroots. It is the perfect number of people stretched out on the grounds all tucked away between the trees and earth. It is a family reunion.

Have you seen any shifts in the community atmosphere at Shakori Hills Music Festival over the years?

What a great question. The majority of the shifts and changes that I feel impact the community are the changes in the themed camps scattered all around. Here you have groups of random people that collectively come to together, whether by a camp fire or because you stumble upon music in the trees, and decide to camp together. At Shakori some of the well known ones are: Honey badger, Jetpackers, Camp No Hope, Mudslide, Sparkle, and my small one, Desanka. As the years go on the camp attendees come and go. They are always in our hearts even if they miss a festival or move far away. Big shifts happen to the community as friends begin to get married or have kids. This is when the camps shift to accommodate. Going from once young high schoolers staying out late partying to kicking it back with the family is a transition we all make together.

What are some positive changes to Shakori Hills Music Festival that you have seen take place over the years?

Grassroots has always been about raising awareness and being proactive regarding the injustice that’s going on politically, racially and socially. The continued work towards this as a festival says a lot about the people who put it on and those who stand in support and solidarity. On the grounds we continue to make improvements like our new permanent bathroom structure, having easy access to well water and sustainable resources for example the free showers.

What do you think is the most important thing that Shakori Hills Music Festival has been able to accomplish for the surrounding community?

Creating a safe space for people to truly be themselves is something shakori has done well for all that comes to the festival. Working with locals and small businesses is cherished for the festival and goes a long way. The communities all around Chatham county come together to educate and share what they do, which is such a joy to see since i now live in this sweet community.

What are your favorite bands that you have seen play at Shakori Hills Music Festival?

Oh there are so many! I started coming back when Dr. Bacon was still small and playing on the side of the coffee barn, and now to see them as headliners is always fun. Dishoom, the fabulous Indian DJ that had played late night in the cabaret, makes your whole body move. Rainbow Kitten Surprise made a visit in the spring and this year some amazing ones were Beats Antique, Locos Por Juana, and Lobo Marino, which is hands down my favorite.

If you were convincing a friend to come to Shakori Hills Music Festival, in one or two sentences, what would you say to them?

“Hey come to Shakori. I can’t convince you to come, but it will change your life so I hope to see you there.”

Editors comments:

Jenna, thank you again for this wonderful interview. The work you do at Shakori Hills is a testament to the beautiful community that share these grounds every year. 

-Christian

Categories
Concert Review

Issues – Headspace Tour 2017 @ Ritz Raleigh 9/29/17

I was so excited for this show because it was going to be my first metal show in a month. Yes, I know a month isn’t a long time but I go to shows a lot. And I haven’t been able to go to shows in a while because I’ve been focused on school, and because all the bands that I wanted to see were either too far away, or were playing on a week night. But this show was on a Friday night and I honestly could not wait. I had two of my friends going with me. One of them is my show buddy. We go to almost every show together, I actually met him at a metal show so that’s pretty cool. My other friend that I met the first month in college was going with us. This was actually her first metal show so I was pretty pumped to see her experience the life of a “metal head.”

On the Headspace tour, Issues brought Volumes, Too Close To Touch, and Sylar with them. I was mainly excited for two of the opening bands: Sylar and Volumes. I’ve seen Sylar at the Carolina Rebellion and at Warped Tour – they put on a pretty good show. The crowd wasn’t really interacting or jamming to Sylar or Too Close To Touch. The crowd mostly just stood there during both sets. But when Volumes came on, the whole club exploded. There were at least 3 mosh pits going on at the same time, the whole set. They came out hyped and really got the crowd involved. They played some of their best-known songs such as: Feels Good, Waves Control, The Mixture, and Wormholes. I got into some of the pits and it was such a great time. Volumes is always great to see live, this was my fourth time seeing them and they never disappoint. My friend who has never been to a metal show was thrown into the pit, and she loved it. I’m friends with Myke Terry, one singer for the band and I interviewed him for WKNC. Up next were Issues, and honestly, I didn’t know how I would like their set, but I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw live. They put on a really, really good show. They were interacting with the crowd, and the crowd responded by going hard during their set. They had multiple mosh pits, and a lot of crowd surfers. The light show, too, was impressive. Their songs sounded heavier live, which I really liked; so, I got into some mosh pits here and there. I also crowd surfed twice and it was a good time. I got my friend to crowd surf for the first time. So, it’s safe to say that she will be going to more shows with me in the future. They played some of their best-known songs, as well: Disappear (Remember When), Love Sex Riot, Mad at Myself, and Slow Me Down. I was really impressed with this band and wouldn’t mind seeing them again.

-DJ Saw 

Categories
Miscellaneous

10 Types of People You’ll Find at Shakori Hills

Beyond the music and dancing Shakori is a unique social experience where a variety of folks come together, here are a few you’re bound to find there: 

1.) The Hippy Mom: Probably grew up going to grassroots festivals herself. Wears patterned maxi skirts and smiles at everyone.

2.) The Tag-along: Doesn’t know why they are there, groans as they follow their friends around through the dirt. Hates nature, and only listens to pop radio.

3.)Bluegrass grandpa: Plays banjo, fiddle, guitar, mandolin, stand up bass, harmonica, you name it. Probably has a beard and often recruits other bluegrass grandpa’s to play with him. He’s taking your old-time requests. 

4.)Camp social: Spends the entire festival in the forest at the campsite chatting other campers heads off. Will bring in strangers and have their own little forest party. They came to be social not watch bands. 

5.) Lawn chair squatters: Typically and older couple who’s been coming out to the festival for a while.  You can find them in the daylight at the back of the crowd sitting in their chairs with a picnic, smiling and bobbing their heads.

6.) Thrill seekers: They came to P-A-R-T-A-Y. They’ll drink it all, smoke it all, take off their shirts and dance until daylight. 

7.)Too much too fast guy: Blacks out the first hour of the festival,  remembers nothing but everyone remembers him.

8.)Instagrammers: They’re all about the image. They came to a music festival and they want everyone to know it. Their snapchat story is 3 hours long by the time it uploads with limited service. They’re covered in glitter and sequins for that instagram fest pic, and are very easy to find as their phone is always out. 

9.)The Music fans: They came for music, made a schedule and  aren’t missing any of the bands they came to see. Will probably buy merch too. They’ll probably ask you who you’re there to see.

10.)Hoop Squad: This is the highlight of their life. They dropped a few Benjamins  for that fancy rainbow glo hoop and they’re ready to get out of their back yards and strut their stuff! No one understands their art and they’re really only impressing their friends but it brings their hippy hearts joy. 

Categories
Concert Review

Together PANGEA w Daddy Issues and Lala Lala @ Cat’s Cradle 9/27

Anyone who knows me knows that I love grungy girl-fronted bands, so when I heard Daddy Issues and Lala Lala were opening for Together PANGEA, I was ecstatic.  A new friend and I cruised down to Carrboro blasting Deep Dream, Daddy Issues’ newest full-length album, in my little busted-up Corolla.  Upon arrival, Lala Lala’s set was in full swing (and I was considerably disappointed), but it was well worth it to see them end their part of their show with Exorcism, my absolute favorite song from Sleepyhead.  Daddy Issues took the stage next, performing most of their songs from Deep Dream.  Lead guitarist and singer Jenna Moynihan played with such enthusiasm that she broke a string midway through a song and had to finish their set using one of PANGEA’s instruments.  Whilst tuning said instrument, they allowed a kid from the crowd to tell a joke on the stage, which fell flat.  However, they saved the show by performing their hit “In Your Head”.

Once Together PANGEA came on the vibe in the room changed – herds of adolescent boys showed up, donning Vineyard Vines and Southern Tide apparel.  They proceeded to mosh (if you can call it that) and their underage intoxication became more and more apparent.  And while I did make my exit before the end of PANGEA’s set, I left two band tees and one car sticker richer.  I certainly won’t be missing Daddy Issues or Lala Lala next time they come to town.

DJ Daria

Categories
Concert Review

Beats n Bars Festival

This past weekend, KNC DJs JermE and chilimango attended the second year of Beats n Bars festival. Beats n Bars was a two day fest focused on hip-hop culture, and featured a variety of locally and nationally known artists.

From the website:

The art of MCing, B-Boying, DJing and graffiti all are integral components that are culturally represented in our community and its importance of the sustainability of its kind or culture.

Beats n Bars mission is to build stronger community through the influence of urban culture and music.

The annual festival is hosted by Crystal Taylor, CEO of the Underground Collective, and John Laww (aka The Real Laww), the CEO of the Durm Hip-Hop Summit.

From DJ JermE:

I thought the Beats N Bars festival was a nice little festival. It was a good atmosphere and there was good music. This festival put me on to some  talented artists in the Raleigh Durham area, and  also featured some more well-known artists such as Cyhi the Prynce. The artists that left an impression on me were TheDeeepEnd, Sean Kyd, and Jooselord Magnus. They brought that ENERGY and, most importantly, they had bars. I also enjoyed the Lion King; I caught him outside for a little bit he was more of a chill reggaeton type rapper. I also thought the battle of the beats was a necessary component to this festival since it’s called “Beats N Bars”–it was pretty hype.

Overall it was a good atmosphere. I feel like they should continue doing this, and try to make it an even bigger festival in the future. This would help promote the local rappers who are trying to use this as a platform to get more known.

From DJ chilimango:

While we were only able to catch the second day of the festival, I was impressed by what I saw. As press, I had the opportunity to interview some of the artists who would play that evening, including G Yamazawa and Nick Grant. The flow of the fest was well organized, from the interview sessions, to the layout of the stages and lineup. The artists were well curated, and I appreciated the focus not only on the music, but on other components of hip-hop as well (MCing, BBoying, DJing, and graffiti). One of my favorite acts was Maestra–she emanated poise and power, and has an amazing voice.

Because the festival is still young, there wasn’t a huge crowd attendance. While it could have been a little more hype, I did enjoy the intimacy that comes with smaller crowd–people knew each other, there wasn’t as much pushing and shoving to get to the shows, and you were able to meet many of the artists between sets. JermE and I were blessed with press passes, which granted us access to the front of the mainstage–that’s an experience I likely wouldn’t have gotten at a larger festival. I loved the people and the music, and hope Beats n Bars continues to grow in the coming years!

Stay tuned for a recap video, as well as a podcast featuring interviews with artists like Maestra, Nick Grant, and G Yamazawa! The audio story will be aired on our specialty show, the Oak City Move.

Categories
Local Music Music News and Interviews

The Local Beat: Foxture

The Local Beat: Foxture 

DJ Whatsherface sits down with Foxture to discuss their upcoming 6-song EP “Eden”!

Listen here.

Categories
Miscellaneous

Having trouble hearing us outside of Raleigh? We’re sorry. 🙁

Categories
Local Music Music News and Interviews

The Local Beat: Happy Abandon 

DJ Sparrow and DJ Whatsherface chat with local band Happy Abandon (and play through their amazing first album, Face Paint!)

Listen here.

Categories
Concert Review Festival Coverage

Beats n Bars: Mega Success

Last weekend I experience Durham’s ultimate jam-packed Hip-Hop festival: Beats N Bars!!! In its 2nd installment, the Bull City was blessed with an even more expansive and super-crazy–fire line-up than last years (which was also super-crazy–fire).

My personal favorite acts I caught include (but are not limited to): G Yamazawa, Jooselord Magnus, the DeeepEnd, Shame, Free the Optimus, Cayenne the Lion King, OC from NC, Nitty Scott, and of course, the legendary Cyhi the Prynce. 

In fact, the festival provided so many dope acts, that there was never a dull moment. And the plentiful supply of food and beer made for a hot Friday and Saturday in the sun to be quite the comfortable experience. And in my opinion, the best part was the option of an indoor venue or an outdoor venue, giving the attendee the choice of which environment that they want to experience dope Hip-Hop in. 

Additionally, it would be foolish not to mention the incredible B-boy group, the Raleigh Rockers who graced the place with a display of Hip-Hop dances, as well as an interactive lesson where bystanders were able to step in and participate. Throwing in the fact that a number of DJ’s showed their chops on the 1’s and 2’s, the festival did a great job of staying true to their mission, and that was the celebration of Hip-Hop, as Crystal stated: “not as something you do, but as something you live.”

On behalf of the Underground Department at WKNC, we would like to congratulate Beats n Bars for throwing another fantastic festival for Durham, North Carolina! 

DJ Rhythm