Category: Blog

Categories
Festival Coverage

Venue-Hopping the Right Way at Moogfest 2016

During Moogfest 2016 this weekend in Durham, I will go back and forth between the many venues for music performances, workshops, and speakers.  Just like any festival goer knows, venue-hoping is no joke, especially when many of these artists are flying in from all over the world.  Who knows if you’ll ever see them again?  Here are some of the ways I plan on getting around Durham this weekend as quickly (and cheaply) as possible.

My first piece of advice is the Bull City Connector (BCC).  If you’re ever in Downtown Durham, this bus is your friend.  The BCC is the only bus in the GoDurham Bus System (previously Durham Area Transit Authority) that is completely free.  Whether you’re trying to get from First Presbyterian Church to Bull McCabe’s or anywhere in between, BCC passes over the ten event venues on and around Main Street every 17 minutes.  It runs Thursday and Friday from 6:30 am to 2 am and Saturday from 10 am to 9 pm.

If you want to hit up Nasher Museum either to catch the Unique Dissertations // Cosmic Communications presentation by tAz Arnold on Friday or just to take advantage of the free admission that your Moogfest pass grants you for the weekend, you can hop the BCC to the Durham Bus Station and then take the 6/6B for $1.00 each way (or purchase a day pass for $2.00).  If you’ve got extra free time, the Nasher Museum is a five minute walk from Duke Gardens, which is a fun and beautiful walk (aka super Instagram-able).

Last, but not least, the method of alternative transportation that I will certainly be using this weekend is my bike.  First and foremost, biking between venues is (in my opinion) the fastest, cheapest, and easiest way to expedite venue-hopping.  Parking is going to be impossible, and some of the walks between venues could slice a solid fifteen minutes out of a set.  Skip the hike.  Grab your bike (I can hear you groaning at my rhymes through the internet).

Secondly, if you haven’t heard yet, Moogfest partnered up with a few local bike orgs and New Belgium to host the Bike to Moogfest initiative, inviting festgoers to leave their cars at home and bike to the festival.  Signing the pledge to do so puts you in the running for a pair of VIP tix and a Detroit Bikes 3-speed.  They’ve even got long-term bike parking at Diamond View Park where your bike can nap safe-and-sound for the duration of the festival.

I plan on maximizing my Moogfest experience by taking advantage of anything faster than walking (or parking) between venues.  But however you choose to navigate Moogfest this weekend, be safe, stick with your pals, and make it to as many of the insanely cool shows this weekend as possible.  Bon voyage!

Brought to you by former Program Director, Yvonne Chazal, who also once upon a time lived in Durham. 

Categories
Music News and Interviews

WKNC Interview: River Whyless 

DJ Whatsherface talked with River Whyless at the spring 2016 Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance. Listen to their conversation here.

Categories
Local Music Music News and Interviews

LBLB Interview: The Tills 

Asheville’s The Tills stopped by the WKNC studios on April 7 to chat with Phian before their show that night at The Pour House Music Hall for Local Band Local Beer. Click to hear it.

Categories
Music News and Interviews

DJ Iron Mic talks with Greg and Nathan from the Hopscotch music festival about the 2016 lineup.

Listen here

Categories
Local Music Music News and Interviews

LBLB Interview: Night Idea 

Phian talked to Night Idea before their show April 7 at The Pour House Music Hall for Local Band Local Beer. Listen in!

Categories
Weekly Charts

WKNC 88.1 FM Loud Rock/ Chainsaw Charts 5/10/16

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1 BARONESS – Purple

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Abraxan Hymns
2 DISSECTION

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Storm Of The Light’s Bane: Special Edition

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The End
3 WARBRINGER IV: Empires Collapse

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Century Media
4 BATHORY

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Hammerheart
5 DEATH ANGEL

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“Cause For Alarm” [Single]
6 AUGUST BURNS RED

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Found In Far Away Places

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Fearless
7 EXHUMED

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Gore Metal: A Necrospective 1998-2015

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Relapse
8 MELECHESH

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Enki

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Nuclear Blast
9 MUNICIPAL WASTE

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Hazardous Mutation
10 DIMMU BORGIR

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Enthrone Darkness Triumphant

Top Five Adds:

1 GRUESOME

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Dimensions Of Horror

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Relapse
2 ANTHRAX

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For All Kings

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Megaforce
3 EXMORTUS

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Death To Tyrants
4 GAMA BOMB

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My Evil Eye
5 IRON MAIDEN

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The Book Of Souls

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BMG

Categories
Festival Coverage

Moogfest Spotlight: Radio & the Radiophonic

While performances by Grimes, ODESZA and Son Lux might be capturing the excitement of some festival-goers, this year’s Moogfest is promising to be much more. Music is really just one aspect of this festival billed as “the synthesis between music, art and technology.” It explores all types of audio, from performance to podcasts.

In “Radio & the Radiophonic,” the series taking place on May 20 and 21, the history and future of radio are the topics of conversation. From Ira Glass’ “This American Life” to Marc Maron’s interview with President Obama in a garage, radio is an important tool in the world of communications today. With live podcast recordings and conversations with the movers and shakers reinventing radio, this series provides Moogfest attendees the chance to plumb the depths of new and exciting audio, away from Motorco Park.

The first day of the series will start with a Soundwalk, a chance for festival-goers to realize that the world around them is already full of interesting soundscapes; not all innovative sound comes from a Moog synthesizer.

Immediately following, a gathering of the most interesting minds in radio and podcasting are coming together to discuss how the traditions of radio have created the audio landscape we know today.

An artist of note in this session: Kaitlin Prest, host of Radiotopia’s “The Heart.” Her work innovates not only audio storytelling, but how women and men talk about sex, love and everything in between. A good primer on her work is an episode of the first season of “The Heart,” when she explores the life of one of the first recipients of sex reassignment surgery, Lili Elbe.

Friday afternoon, an audiophile’s dream becomes reality when Hrishikesh Hirway sits down with ODESZA to break down one of their songs. The acclaimed Song Exploder podcast sits down with artists and has them explain each bass line, each snare, each high hat, and all the odds and ends of a particular song. Check out Sylvan Esso explaining how “Coffee” came to be.

Saturday in the series begins with another live recording of a podcast, No Effects. Listen and learn as Jesse Holter talks with two artists about their lives, their work, what makes them tick and what makes them cry in his longform interview.

Innovation in audio is so much more than music; it’s also in the ways that we communicate and learn, and radio is at the forefront. This series promises to be one of the most interesting and human ones at Moogfest.

And who knows, maybe it’ll help you become the next Ira Glass.

You can find more information and a complete schedule at http://moogfest.sched.org/artist/radio_amp_the_radiophonic.1ulb3snr

– Mirtha Donastorg, former WKNC Co-Public Affairs Director

Categories
Festival Coverage

Brief History of Moogfest

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Moogfest is an annual music, art, and technology festival held in May in honor of Robert Moog, inventor of the Moog synthesizer and pioneer of electronic music. Previously, this festival has been held in Asheville, North Carolina, where Moog spent the last 30 years of his life, but this year will be held from May 19th-22nd in downtown Durham, North Carolina in 17 various locations. The festival will be headlined by such artists as Grimes, Miike Snow, and ODESZA. You can get tickets by going to moogfest.com/tickets.

Moog developed the first commercial voltage analog controlled synthesizer with Herbert Deutsch in 1964. While there were other synthesizers on the market at the time, Moog’s invention began to rapidly gain popularity after it was showcased at the International Pop Festival of 1967. After that, the sound of his machine gained popularity through the 1970’s and was used to create the sound of crucial albums of the 20th century, like the Beatles’ “Abbey Road.”

Moogfest officially began in 2004 when one of Moog Music’s New York representatives wanted to have a music festival to celebrate the 50th anniversary of electronic music. The first festival was held on May 18th, 2004 in B.B. King Blues Club in New York. It was a one night show that sold out in honor of Moog’s birthday. Unfortunately, Moog died the following year, but his friends and coworkers decided to keep the festival going in his honor.

In 2010, Moogfest was moved to Asheville, North Carolina after Moog Music partnered with AC Entertainment, a music promotions group that helps produce other big music festivals like Bonnaroo.  That was also the year it changed from a one day to a three day event, multi-venue festival. It featured artists as Massive Attack, Sleigh Bells, Caribou, and MGMT. 

Moogfest coming to the Triangle is an exciting prospect. It is big and important festival, and being in the Triangle will add to both scenes. Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill are all rapidly growing urban areas, with new night, social, and music scenes. Moogfest will find an excellent new home here.

– Marissa Jerden, WKNC Co-Public Affairs Director

Categories
Weekly Charts

WKNC 88.1 FM Radio 200/Indie Rock Charts 5/10/16

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1 FREE CAKE FOR EVERY CREATURE – Talking Quietly Of Anything With You

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Double Double Whammy
2 FRANKIE COSMOS

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Next Thing

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Bayonet
3 PARQUET COURTS

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Human Performance

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Rough Trade
4 TEEN SUICIDE

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It’s The Big Joyous Celebration, Let’s Stir The Honeypot

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Run For Cover
5 ESKIMEAUX

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Year Of The Rabbit

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Double Double Whammy
6 B BOYS

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No Worry No Mind

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Captured Tracks
7 WOODS

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City Sun Eater In The River Of Light

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Woodsist
8 MOTHERS

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When You Walk A Long Distance You Are Tired

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Grand Jury
9 HAMMOCK

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Everything And Nothing

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Self-Released
10 SLINGSHOT DAKOTA

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Break

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Topshelf
11 A GIANT DOG

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Pile

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Merge
12 AUDACITY

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Hyper Vessels

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Suicide Squeeze
13 DEAKIN

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Sleep Cycle

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My Animal Home
14 SOLIDS

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Else

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Topshelf
15 KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD

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Nonagon Infinity

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ATO
16 PITY SEX

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White Hot Moon

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Run For Cover
17 CULLEN OMORI

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New Misery

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SUB POP
18 INTO IT. OVER IT.

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Standards

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Triple Crown
19 LITTLE SCREAM

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Cult Following

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Merge
20 SUN DAYS

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Album

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Run For Cover
21 TACOCAT

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Lost Time

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Hardly Art
22 EAGULLS

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Ullages

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Partisan
23 SUMMER TWINS

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Limbo

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Burger
24 LA SERA

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Music For Listening To Music To

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Polyvinyl
25 MUSEUM MOUTH

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Popcorn Fish Guinea Pig

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Equal Vision-Rory
26 HIGHER AUTHORITIES

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Neptune

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Domino
27 SORORITY NOISE

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It Kindly Stopped For Me

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Topshelf
28 NOTHING

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Tired Of Tomorrow

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Relapse
29 LAURA GIBSON

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Empire Builder

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Barsuk
30 SOUND OF CERES

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Nostalgia For Infinity

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Joyful Noise

Top Five Adds:

1 A GIANT DOG

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Pile

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Merge
2 LITTLE SCREAM

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Cult

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Following Merge
3 PITY SEX

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White Hot Moon

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Run For Cover
4 EAGULLS

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Ullages

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Partisan
5 MUSEUM MOUTH

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Popcorn Fish Guinea Pig

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Equal Vision-Rory

Categories
Festival Coverage

Shakori Hills Spring 2016 Review: Big Mean Sound Machine

As a Shakori Hills frequent flyer, Big Mean Sound Machine is clearly a crowd favorite at this point. Hailing from Ithaca, New York, this afrobeat powerhouse packs a pretty funky punch with their tight rhythm section, jazzy guitars, smooth keys, and prominent brass section (one trumpet, one trombone, and one baritone sax for this Spring Shakori).

Big Mean Sound Machine’s Saturday afternoon set took place on Shakori’s biggest stage, the Meadow Stage, and with constant calls for people to dance along, definitely got the crowd bumpin’ and grindin’ as one happy group of campers. They began with a track off of their new(ish) album, “Contraband,” that really got everybody out of their seats, followed by another tight jam with a wicked Santana-like keyboard solo that sounded like it could have been coming from a double-humbucker guitar. With the bassist acting as the front man and vocalist, the whole band worked together to trade off solos and rhythm breaks, but never letting the audience forget how the brass section was really leading the groove.

The Big Mean crew continued with a slow, spacey, dub jam with some duet guitar solos laid gently, yet powerfully over the backing rhythm set by the rest of the band and the fast hands of the man on congas. After a loud, sustaining ovation from the crowd, they led on with more of their traditional, hip shakin’, afrobeat jams that really got everybody dancing their hearts out. Then as the set was coming to a close, they decided to pay homage to the homeland, and origin of their sound and style, Africa. They skillfully and respectfully rode on with a slow, smooth song from the great Ethiopian musician, Mulatu Astatke, the father of Ethio-jazz.

After saluting the great Astatke, Big Mean Sound Machine finished off with another track from their new album, thanked everybody in the audience for joining them for a beautiful Saturday afternoon jam, and invited everyone to come say hey over in the merch tent. The brass-led afrobeat always seems to get the people moving, and Big Mean Sound Machine are some of the greatest promoters of this sound in modern day music. It was one funky, soulful set that the Shakori people enjoyed once again, and hopefully will experience for many Shakoris to come.

Big Mean Sound Machine Bandcamp: http://bigmeansoundmachine.bandcamp.com/

– DJ Sundae