One of the comments I hear most about the North Carolina music scene is its ‘incestuous’ nature, how bands gradually begin to feed off of one another to shape the overall sound of our music scene. But every now and then you’ll find folks who are running against the grain and doing so with wonderful results. Eno Mountain Boys have crafted a unique blend of classic country, contemporary Americana and punk rock sentiments to make for an authentic, genuine and passionate musical experience.
Throughout the hour we spoke with Eno Mountain Boys on how this sound came to fruition, discussed their musical histories, and delved into the work behind their debut full-length studio album Deer Velvet. Plus we were also treated to two live tracks from the band that showcases their excellent harmonies, jangly vocal lines, and nostalgia-soaked, heartfelt lyricism.
Phian interviewed with Happy Abandon on June 18th before their show at Tir Na nOg Irish Pub for Local Band Local Beer. During the interview, the Happy Abandon song’s “Heavy Lines,” “Deep Light,” and “No One Is” were played. If you like what you heard you can go check out more of Happy Abandon at their Facebook.
When it comes to unsung standouts of the local music scene, Josh Moore is the first that comes to mind. For years Moore has been quietly honing his craft, building up simplistic yet swelling songs that peer deep into the songwriter’s ethos. After several years of work with Jeff Crawford, Moore rallied up a crew of longtime collaborators like Ryan Gustafson, James Wallace and Mark Simonsen to complete work on Parted Ways, Moore’s debut solo album. Prior to the album’s release show, Josh Moore joined us on Carolina Grown to discuss his hardcore origins, the creative process behind his debut album, and what fans can expect down the road from Moore’s live shows.
Throughout the hour, Moore also performed several songs from the album live in-studio. Check out the full segment to hear a breakdown of Moore’s songwriting, tracks from Parted Ways, and stripped-down takes on “Broken Man” and “Parted Ways.”
This week we had the privilege of interviewing New Orleans hip hop artist Slangston Hughes. Slangston has a style all his own that is reminiscent of 90’s backpack rap, but backed up by live instruments rather than the 808 kicks we’re used to in rap. This Thursday into Saturday night, Slangston Hughes will be performing at three different Triangle area venues for what he considers a “mini tour” to help bridge the gap between NC’s “pure hip hop community,” and his own in NOLA. He’s a major supporter of the material our local artists in the Triangle are putting out, and has worked with many of them on tours and collaborations.
Few hip hop acts since The Roots have had the audacity to attempt live instruments as part of their brand, but Slangston fearlessly goes in with lyricism and showmanship. The key to his success isn’t from traveling with a band, but recruiting talent from the cities he performs in to give his songs a local flair to wherever he is on stage. This is a unique approach to making music in a genre that usually puts a heavy emphasis on representation of an artist’s specific hometown sound.
Slangston Hughes will be performing this Thursday night at Pinhook in Durham (doors at 9pm), Friday night at Proof Five Points in Raleigh (doors at 9pm) with Eternal the MC for his “Age of Eternal” album release party, and a free show at Schoolkids Records on Saturday (starts at 6pm). Check out WKNC’s podcast to hear the full interview with this artist who is sure to put on a great show alongside our city’s strongest MCs.
Phain interviewed The Color Exchange last Thursday before they played at Tir Na Nog Irish Pub for Local Band Local Beer. The Interview includes the songs “Sparks,” “Oxygen,” “Beacon,” and “ Answer”. If you like what you hear, check out The Color Exchange at their Bandcamp.
Arriving a few minutes before doors, there was a line of people waiting to enter Cat’s Cradle for Sunday night’s rock n’ roll show featuring Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Alex G, and Birds of Avalon. The line featured a diverse group of individuals, some presumably there to see Alex G based on their Teen Suicide shirts (a band who would be considered a peer to Alex G), but this was a sparse population as many were most likely there to see the headliner Unknown Mortal Orchestra. I have to admit, I’d never heard of the Raleigh psych rock band Birds of Avalon before the show.
Opening, they came out with 2 drummers and a guitarist playing with a 12-string guitar. The band played a continuous set without breaks between songs. They played a brand of psych-rock that sounds reminiscent of the 1970’s, filled with many harmonies and ample opportunities to jam out. Amidst one of their songs, the keyboard player used aluminum foil as an instrument, to my disbelief.
Up next was Alex G, the reason I was at this show. I was quite interested in seeing the contrast between Alex G (an artist known for his sparse lo-fi, bedroom pop-esque music) and the wall of sound that was Birds of Avalon.
Alex G came out with a full band and a new haircut. He started by engaging the audience in amusing stage banter, telling us he was going to play “original songs” and such, between each set. He played a collection of songs from his discography, but most came from DSU, his most recent release. The highlight of the set was during a DSU cut “Icehead” where at the climax of the song, he diverged from the recording and yelled into the microphone to a shocked and excited audience.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra took the stage and finished the night with one of the most upbeat sets I have ever seen.
It was filled with happy dancing from start to finish, a definite change from the punk shows I’m used to where I’m constantly watching out for fists coming my direction. I wasn’t very familiar with their material besides their first album featuring the delightful “Ffunny Ffriends,” which they played to the great joy of the audience. The set featured a jammy drum solo at one point that the audience ate up, as well as a T-Rex puppet during the encore. It was an eclectic evening of bands that all put on one great rock n’ roll show.
1. GIRLPOOL – Before The World Was Big – Wichita 2. ESKIMEAUX – O.K. – Double Double Whammy 3. UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA – Multi-Love – Jagjaguwar 4. HOP ALONG – Painted Shut – Saddle Creek 5. JOANNA GRUESOME – Peanut Butter – Slumberland 6. MEWITHOUTYOU – Pale Horses – Run For Cover 7. ELVIS DEPRESSEDLY – New Alhambra – Run For Cover 8. THEE OH SEES – Mutilator Defeated At Last – Castle Face 9. METZ – II – Sub Pop 10. SPEEDY ORTIZ – Foil Deer – Carpark 11. TURNOVER – Peripheral Vision – Run For Cover 12. SURFER BLOOD – 1000 Palms – Joyful Noise 13. ETERNAL SUMMERS – Gold And Stone – Kanine 14. HOT CHIP – Why Make Sense? – Domino 15. MY MORNING JACKET – The Waterfall – Capitol 16. NO JOY – More Faithful – Mexican Summer 17. VAADAT CHARIGIM – Sinking As A Stone – Burger 18. PINS – Wild Nights – Bella Union 19. TORRES – Sprinter – Partisan 20. J. FERNANDEZ – Many Levels Of Laughter – Joyful Noise 21. HEARTLESS BASTARDS – Restless Ones – Partisan 22. CAYUCAS – Dancing At The Blue Lagoon – Secretly Canadian 23. SHARON VAN ETTEN – I Don’t Want To Let You Down [EP] – Jagjaguwar 24. MIKAL CRONIN – MCIII – Merge 25. NICK DIAMONDS – City Of Quartz – Manque 26. CEREMONY – The L-Shaped Man – Matador 27. TORO Y MOI – What For? – Carpark 28. MITSKI – Bury Me At Makeout Creek – Don Giovanni 29. CHASTITY BELT – Time To Go Home – Hardly Art 30. WAXAHATCHEE – Ivy Tripp – Merge
Phian interviewed The New Schematics on June 11th before they played at Tir Na Nog Irish Pub for Local Band Local Beer. The interview starts with The New Schematics song “Born without Borders” and includes live performances of “Midnight” and “87 Buick.” If you like what you hear check out The New Schematics at their website.
Phian interviewed Kurtzweil on June 11th before they played at Tir Na Nog Irish Pub for Local Band Local Beer. The interview includes the Kurtzweil songs “Not a Game,” “Lay Down,” and “No One is Watching.” If you like what you hear check out Kurtzweil at their Bandcamp.
