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Festival Coverage

Bull City Buzz

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Moogfest is an an art, technology and music festival taking place in Durham May 19-May 22.

This is the first year that Moogfest is happening in Durham. From 2010 until now, Moogfest has taken place in Asheville, N.C. Before that, New York City was the birthplace and home for Moogfest. For Durham to be the host city of Moogfest signifies its burgeoning arts and music scene.

Durham is locally known for being home to talented and musically diverse artists such as Sylvan Esso, The Mountain Goats, Bombadil, Xiu Xiu, and Professor Toon. Moogfest is a great opportunity for local artists to perform, and is a great addition to festivals such as Hopscotch (set in Raleigh) and Art of Cool (which took place May 6-8 in Durham) that are helping to promote the Triangle’s ever-growing arts and music culture.

Earthly and Professor Toon are two local artists that are performing in Moogfest (you can check the full lineup here). Earthly is an electronic music duo (brothers!) from Carrboro, N.C. Their sound is hard to deny dancing to, with claps and beats that are often hectic yet rhythmic. Their style is reminiscent of artists like Eric Copeland and Dan Deacon. To hear more of Earthly, check their Soundcloud.

Professor Toon is a hip-hop artist from Durham, NC who released his album Taking Notes this January. He performed at the second night of WKNC’s own Double Barrel Benefit 13 that took place this February at Cat’s Cradle. He has a unique style, with beats that often sound distorted. He has songs that are super hype such as “Professor (You Know it)” and songs that are more downtempo like “Who Gon (Stop Me)”. To listen to Taking Notes, go to his bandcamp.

Moogfest taking place in Durham will be a great way for locals and visitors alike to explore all of the venues, restaurants, and general goodness that Durham has to offer. To learn more about Moogfest, go to their website and keep checking our blog for more updates.

– Ryan Ezell, Afterhours Music Director

Categories
Festival Coverage

Art of Cool Fest Lives Up to its Name

Durham, NC –
Urban music festivals have a tendency to descend upon their host cities and act
like a really bad flu bug. Every ounce of unused space is grabbed up by
corporate sponsors, and the flashy events, while cool for the foreign agents
that come in for the show, are a bane on the existence of the locals. Ask the
people of Austin, Texas what they think when SXSW starts. However, Durham,
North Carolina seems to have found the vaccination to the urban music festival
bug with Art of Cool Fest.

The event was hosted by the Art of
Cool Project, a local non-profit that aims to “present, promote, and preserve
jazz-influenced music,” and was held this past weekend from May 6-8. Some would scoff at a jazz-centric music festival as an
event reserved for people of a certain age, or just plain boring. AOC was quite
the opposite, with an assorted lineup ranging from big brass jazz to hip hop.

Not only was the artist lineup
artistically diverse, it was appealing to people of all ages, and had
formidable star power. Traditionalists could go see the Jim Ferris Trio, Hip-Hop Heads could go see Pete Rock at The
Art of Turntables showcase, the younger crowd was treated to the likes of Anderson
.Paak and The Internet, and everyone was graced with an
electric performance by Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy winning “secret weapon,” Thundercat.

AOC did a perfect job at
creating a lineup that brought people of different tastes together. It wasn’t
scary to try something new, which is a big problem at other urban festivals.
Sometimes as a badge or wristband holder, you’re faced with checking out an
obscure artist or missing out on one of your favorites. It’s profoundly
irresponsible to force these kinds of decisions on music nerds, but AOC made everything accessible. Lines weren’t that long at venues, and the impact
on Durham as a city was relatively non-invasive.

Another refreshing change of pace
about AOC was the absence of big industry presence. No “Universal Music
Presents…” or a “McDonald’s House of Jazz and Rap” type venue could be found in
Durham. When festivals do stuff like that it can be fun, but it takes away from
the event’s personality. AOC was all about chillin’ and enjoying really good
music, so multimillion dollar stages reserved for only the most famous of
artists would certainly have been out of place.

The day
parties were a major factor in keeping AOC’s vibe going throughout the weekend,
and put a deserved spotlight on local hip hop artists. One of the Friday day
parties was hosted by 97.5’s (and WKNC’s!) Mir.I.Am, and showcased local heat makers Will
Wildfire, Lil Bob Doe, and Defacto Thezpian. The most exciting day party of all
was JRowdy & The Night Shift’s Cypher University showcase on Saturday
afternoon. This party wasn’t just cool because JRowdy is an amazing lyricist,
but because the essence of the Cypher University movement is based on organic
collaboration and involvement. Anyone in attendance was welcome to join in on
the music and they did.  There were contributions
from some of the most talented local MCs like Tuscon and Konvo the Mutant,
singing from Will Wildfire, and even an unplanned contribution from Masego
wailing on his sax. To say it was epic, would be a gross understatement.

Art of Cool Fest was just cool in
general, and if you were in attendance you were pretty damn cool yourself. It
says a lot about the vibe of a festival when you can nonchalantly rub shoulders
with a Grammy Award winning producer like 9th Wonder, and just
exchange a casual, “wussup fam?” After this year’s immense success, it will be
interesting to see what comes of AOC Fest in the years to come. Will it remain
an unflappable collection of artists, enthusiasts, and media professionals? Or
will it succumb to big corporate temptations? Hopefully it will remain the
former.

– DJ Iron Mic

Categories
Local Music Music News and Interviews

LBLB Interview: Ancient Cities 

DJ Whatsherface and DJ Sparrovv sat down with Ancient Cities before their show on May 5 at The Pour House Music Hall for Local Band Local Beer. Click to listen.

Categories
Festival Coverage

A Crash Course in Navigating Shakori Hills

With every six months comes another edition of Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival of Music & Dance. With the spring semester at NC State coming to a recent close, it is only fitting to put together a crash course in how to successfully navigate the muddy paths of future Shakori festivals! 

Lesson #1: Keep a map! Shakori is relatively big with multiple stages, a big dance tent, sprawling camping sites. Make sure to grab yourself a copy when you check in at the ticketing booths to make navigating between the stages efficient and stress free. There is constant fun to be had at Shakori and getting lost is just a big ol’ waste! 

Lesson #2: Expect to get dirty. There is mud. Lots and lots of mud. For some meteorological reason beyond my understanding, it seems to ALWAYS rain right before Shakori gets going. With hundreds of people trekking through the earth, things get dirty quite quickly. 

Lesson #3: Barefoot, boots or bust. There is no in between when it comes to what to put on your feet. With all the mud puddles, if you don’t want to get mud on your feet, the only way its to wear knee length, waterproof boots, rain boots do well here. But if you want to cut corners, you really can’t here. Wearing any other type of footwear will just leave you with mud in between your foot and shoe, you might as well rip the shoes off and get a some foot exfoliation au naturale. 

Lesson #4: Bring snacks! You will burn lots of calories running around between tents, dancing your booty off, setting up your sick camping site, etc. Don’t forget to feed yourself often, it’s easy to forget. Fuel your fun with extra snacks, I always bring a handful of protein bars and some fruit to keep me going. The food trucks are always amazing but for your average college student, a bit of a supplement is a must. 

Lesson #5: HYDRATE YO BODY. You are a big water bag and you shouldn’t let Shakori dry you up. Bring a reliable water bottle and acquaint yourself the water taps dispersed throughout the Shakori grounds. Coffee, alcohol and soda will dehydrate you, so with every non-water drink you have, try to compensate with twice as much water. 

Lesson #6: Have fun! Shakori is a weekend of unforgettable times with music and art loving people. Don’t be afraid to branch out and meet new people, your soul will thank you. 

This is DJ Sparrow hoping to see you at many Shakori Festivals to come! 

Categories
Local Music Music News and Interviews

LBLB Interview: Hi-Wire Brewing

DJ Sparrovv chats with Tom from Hi-Wire Brewing. Based in Asheville, N.C., Hi-Wire sponsored the April 28 and May 5 Local Band Local Beer shows. Click to listen to their conversation.

Categories
Local Music Music News and Interviews

LBLB Interview: LAIRS 

Durham trio LAIRS dropped by the WKNC studios to chat with DJ Sparrovv and Whatsherface before their gig that night at Local Band Local Beer. They chatted about what brought the band together, their songwriting process, and the story behind “Desert Girl.” Click to hear their interview.

Categories
Festival Coverage

Shakori Hills: Top 5 Picks

Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance is a semi-annual grassroots festival held in Pittsboro, N.C. The festival features a variety of music from bluegrass to indie pop as well as dance workshops and crafts; something for everyone can be found there. Despite its cold and rainy start, Shakori has lots to offer. Here are DJ Whatsherface’s five bands you won’t want to miss:

#5 – Big Fat Gap
Looking for some good Authentic N.C. bluegrass tunes? Big Fat Gap consists of guitar, mandolin, banjo, and bass. The lineup includes former members of Mipso and Mandolin Orange, making it a great band to check out.

#4 – Ellis Dyson and the Shambles
This band will undoubtedly have you dancing. Hailing from Chapel Hill, this folk band with an old time feel and jazz influences will rise your spirits and make you wish you knew how to swing dance.

#3 –

Rebekah Todd and the Odyssey

Rebekah Todd started her musical career as a solo folk/blues artist from the small NC town of Benson, and now plays in a five piece band. With raw folk instrumentals with a twinge of funk/jazz their unique sound is one to check out.

#2 – River Whyless
This indie folk band from Asheville will pull at your heart with emotional lyrics of self exploration and loss accompanied by beautiful vocal harmonies, strings and percussion.

#1 – Punch Brothers
This experimental bluegrass band from New York is definitely a festival favorite. Featuring mandolin, fiddle, banjo, bass, and guitar this band stands out from other bands with their unique sound incorporating classical and chamber music aspects into their songs.

Categories
Weekly Charts

WKNC 88.1 FM Loud Rock/ Chainsaw Charts 5/3/16

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1 LYCUS – Chasms

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Relapse
2 WINDHAND

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Grief’s Infernal Flower

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Relapse
3 FOUNDATION

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Turncoat

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Jawk
4 FORCED ORDER

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Turn The Knife
5 KYLESA

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Exhausting Fire Season Of Mist
6 DEFEATER

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Abandoned

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Epitaph
7 DEAFHEAVEN

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New Bermuda

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Anti
8 FUTURE PRIMITIVE

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Spring Break Demo

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Self-Released
9 VILE CREATURE

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A Steady Descent Into The Soil
10 MAGRUDERGRIND

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II

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Relapse

Categories
Weekly Charts

WKNC 88.1 FM Radio 200/Indie Rock Charts 5/3/16

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

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Double Double Whammy
2 PARQUET COURTS

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Human Performance

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Rough Trade
3 TEEN SUICIDE

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

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Run For Cover
4 FRANKIE COSMOS

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Next Thing

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Bayonet
5 B BOYS

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No Worry No Mind

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Captured Tracks
6 HAMMOCK

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Everything And Nothing

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Self-Released
7 WOODS

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City Sun Eater In The River Of Light

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Woodsist
8 TANCRED

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Out Of The Garden

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Polyvinyl
9 SLINGSHOT DAKOTA

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Break

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Topshelf
10 MOTHERS

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When You Walk A Long Distance You Are Tired

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Grand Jury
11 DEAKIN

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Sleep Cycle

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My Animal Home
12 SOLIDS

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Else

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Topshelf
13 AUDACITY

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Hyper Vessels

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Suicide Squeeze
14 TACOCAT

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Lost Time

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Hardly Art
15 CULLEN OMORI

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New Misery

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SUB POP
16 KEVIN MORBY

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Singing Saw

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Dead Oceans
17 INTO IT. OVER IT.

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Standards

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Triple Crown
18 SUN DAYS

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Album

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Run For Cover
19 LA SERA

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Music For Listening To Music To

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Polyvinyl
20 PINEGROVE

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Cardinal

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Run For Cover
21 POOKIE AND THE POODLEZ

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Young Adult

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SouthPaw
22 MUSEYROOM

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Pearly Whites

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Grind Select
23 BLEACHED

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Welcome The Worms

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Dead Oceans
24 SUMMER TWINS

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Limbo

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Burger
25 HIGHER AUTHORITIES

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Neptune

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Domino
26 LIONLIMB

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Shoo

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Bayonet
27 EERIE WANDA

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Hum

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BBIB
28 SOUND OF CERES

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Nostalgia For Infinity

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Joyful Noise
29 SUUNS

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Hold/Still

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Secretly Canadian
30 LAURA GIBSON

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Empire Builder

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Barsuk

Top Five Adds This Week:

1 NOTHING

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Tired Of Tomorrow

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Relapse
2 SORORITY NOISE

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It Kindly Stopped For Me

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Topshelf
3 CATE LE BON

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Crab Day

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Drag City
4 PLUSH

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Please

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Father/Daughter
5 KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD

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Nonagon Infinity

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ATO

Categories
Music News and Interviews

DJ Iron Mic Interview with Black Boye 

Hillsborough, N.C. rapper Black Boye stopped by the WKNC studios to chat with DJ Iron Mic about his new single, “War.” Click here to listen.