Phian Interviewed Totally Slow last Thursday after they played Local Band Local Beer at Tir Na Nog Irish Pub in Raleigh
Check out Totally Slow at their website.
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Category: Blog
The next time your friend looks at you and says “Hey, we should make a music festival!” you should maybe consider it before looking at them like they’re crazy.
That was almost exactly how Reverb Fest got started a year ago by Phil Pucci when he and his girlfriend were hanging out by the Neighborhood Theatre in Charlotte.
“I come up with good ideas all the time but I never follow through with them,“ said Pucci, “My girlfriend was the one who pushed me to start Reverb Fest. We booked a bunch of local bands to play in Charlotte and ended up raising over $2000 for charity.”
The first Reverb Fest benefitted the Chronic Illness Relief Fund (CIRF). It featured local Charlotte bands including Pullman Strike, Late Bloomer, and Hectorina. There was a mini Reverb Fest earlier this year titled “Eskimo Kisses,” also benefitting CIRF.
“The last one we had the first time we got a headliner, Diarrhea Planet. That was pretty special because it clearly indicated we were growing at a fast pace and getting more appreciation.”
This year, for Reverb Fest III: Slamdunks, the festival brought in a regional headliner – Beach Fossils – and expanded from just Charlotte to include other North Carolina acts like Elvis Depressedly, Jackson Scott and Family Bike. The festival this year benefitted the Humane Farming Association.
Pucci, a member of Charlotte bands Aggrocragg, Serfs, and Melt, believes Reverb Fest is unique from other music festivals in the area for multiple reasons.
“We try to get a lot of under the radar acts to play with bigger headliners. We have lots of these smaller bands playing with these big acts that they normally never would be able to perform with,” he explained “We also put a lot of emphasis on younger bands, people in their 20s…bands playing their first shows…some might just get passed up on other festivals.
“There’s also a pretty big DIY aspect to it. I think a lot of other music festivals lose that DIY feel eventually – which is perfectly fine, they’re still great – but it’s definitely something I want to hold onto with Reverb Fest,” said Pucci.
Pucci hopes the festival will continue to grow in the future – possibly to a 3-day event – but definitely wants it to stay in Charlotte.
“I want Charlotte to have an alternative music festival destination for people in the region…something to help put Charlotte on the map,” said Pucci.
Wherever it’s headed, Reverb Fest has already left a lasting impression on the Charlotte area.
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Thanks to Live Nation, this week we are giving away 5 pairs of tickets to see Dave Matthews Band at Walnut Creek Amphitheatre! Be the correct caller when the DJ asks for it, and you could win a pair of tickets for the May 22nd show! Tickets are available for purchase from Live Nation here, and we’ll be giving away one pair each day during the week of May 18th – 22nd.
Only a few days away from Reverb Fest, I chilled by a pool with Karl Kuehn from Museum Mouth to discuss his newest musical project, Family Bike. Family Bike is playing the day-long Reverb Fest in Charlotte, NC this Saturday. This edition of Reverb Fest benefits the Humane Farming Association, featuring seven North Carolina bands including Double Barrel Benefit 12 alumni Elvis Depressedly. Kuehn and I sipped on Pellegrino and chatted about the band’s upcoming release, their fast-pace touring, and hating FB drummer Taylor Haag.
Emily Ehling: Just so I don’t use the same questions you’re always asked, tell me the normal Family Bike questions. This might be cheating but tell me anyway. [both laugh]
Karl Kuehn: Lately a lot of people have been asking how much I love Taylor Haag, which I think is a really weird question, maybe even cryptic or backhanded, because I love him but I also really hate him. I think I love him as much as I hate him probably. Another question I’ve been getting asked a lot recently is who the “other guy” is in Family Bike, who is actually Tommy Hall. He’s also in another band called Pet Names.
EE: Aw, that’s actually pretty sad to be the “other guy.”
KK: Yeah, but Tommy is the best and he’s super sweet to play bass for us, because there’s bass all over this record.
EE: What an angel. So, already being in a very established band like Museum Mouth, how do you negate away from Family Bike being considered a sort of side project?
KK: I just treat it like another band. It’s easy to be in this band and it was easy to start and record with this band. Taylor and I had already had the songs that appear on the record just sitting around for a while and they were probably never going to get released if we didn’t start this band.
EE: Since we’re on the subject Museum Mouth and Family Bike being separate, how would you describe the difference in sound between the two bands.
KK: I would say that if these bands were cast in a sitcom, Museum Mouth is the important main character, the protagonist. Family Bike is like the weird uncle. Lovable, but just strange. [laughs]
EE: Like the drunk uncle at a wedding.
KK: [laughs] Yeah, just like… why is he like that?
EE: So this band is relatively new, but it seems like you have already done a lot of cool stuff.
KK: We have!
EE: And cool upcoming stuff, like Reverb Fest… which is what this interview is about.
KK: Yeah! Well, we started recording in the middle to the end of last year. As the record was being finished, some friends in Lilac Days hit us up about going on tour. So we did, and we got home, made sure everything was in line for putting out the vinyl [Everything You Own Is Anagrammed] on Negative Fun/EggHunt Records. We went on tour again, and played a bunch of shows in North Carolina and Virginia, then came back and got asked to play Reverb Fest which is really exciting. We’re also touring two more weeks in the beginning of June when the record is actually out. I guess when you make an album, and a label shows some interest, then things just start rolling after that. This was really just started for fun and now we’re on tour a bunch! It’s kind of zany.
EE: That is really cool.
KK: Definitely. Phil Pucci, one of the two people that book all the Reverb Fest stuff, had asked me some questions about the band when he heard I started it. I sent him the record, he really liked it, and asked us to play. Pretty cool.
EE: Nice! So you mentioned earlier that all of you are in different bands?
KK: Yeah, Tommy is in Pet Names and Taylor is in a band out of Richmond called Young Scum.
EE: That is such a good name.
KK: It’s a super good name, but he kind of hates it which is really funny. For months and months he actually kept this other band a secret from me, then slowly started talking about it to me.
EE: [laughs] Woah, very scandalous.
KK: He is still is kind of secretive when he talks about it. Young Scum is good though, I got to meet a few members when we were up in Virginia.
EE: Alright, Reverb Fest [both laugh]. You have to be excited. There are some pretty big names playing and also some of your local favorites.
KK: Definitely! The new Mineral Girls record is really good so I’m excited to hear some of those songs live. Museum Mouth got to play with Elvis Depressedly for Double Barrel Benefit 12, so it’s cool to get to play with them again. They’re rad.
EE: It is definitely cool seeing DBB alumni playing together again. So, I’m not going to lie, I’m a little confused about the release of Everything You Own Is Anagrammed. Let’s clear that up. [both laugh]
KK: Right. The record isn’t out yet, but when you put something out on vinyl, but before you get the copies for the label, you have to approve a test press. Since our vinyl got delayed a bunch and we were about to go on this tour with no merch at all, we ordered a bunch of test presses to sell as an exclusive type of thing. We were really early on in the round of press for the album so we couldn’t give anyone downloads for it yet or it would leak, so that was unfortunate. Once the record comes out for real on May 26th, the people who bought test presses will get the downloads.
EE: Alright, that makes sense. Thanks for run-down.
KK: Totally. Aside from those test presses, we also had two songs stream on BrooklynVegan. The full stream for the album doesn’t go up until next week.
EE: So look for that, readers. As we’re finishing up here, do you have any parting thoughts?
KK: Please buy our album! [laughs] A lot of time and a lot of nice people’s money went into making this happen, so it would be cool if you supported.
Look for Family Bike’s full stream of Everything You Owned Is Anagrammed on Modern Vinyl 5/19 and the album release on 5/26.
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Phian interviewed Wool last Thursday before they played Local Band Local Beer at Tir Na Nog Irish Pub in Raleigh
They Played two songs during the interview: Stars and Bulletin Air.
Check out Wool at their Bandcamp.
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Doc Aquatic talked with Phian last Thursday before they played Local Band Local Beer at Tir Na Nog Irish Pub in Raleigh
They played four songs during the interview: On the Run, Weird Ed, Spinning, and Crook Factory.
Check out Doc Aquatic at their Bandcamp!
Thanks to our friends at Live Nation, we have 5 pairs of tickets to see Death From Above 1979 at The Ritz! They will be playing Monday, August 10. Just be the correct caller when the DJ asks for calls and you could win a pair of tickets! Tickets went on sale today at 10:00 am on livenation.com, via the Live Nation app, all Ticketmaster outlets, or via phone at 800-745-3000. Listen to their latest single “Virgins” off The Physical World here:
On Saturday, Double Barrel Benefit veterans Elvis Depressedly will play the third installment of Reverb Fest in Charlotte.
Last summer, we covered Elvis Depressedly’s show at a very small art space in the North Davidson district of Charlotte. Tomorrow they’ll play Reverb Fest at the Neighborhood Theatre, a 1000-capacity venue in that same corner of the city. It will be their first show since the release of their new album, New Alhambra. The album marks a departure from the lo-fi-ness of their past releases, while still using older recording equipment. The result is something well-produced, yet with a unique sound. Outlining the album are obscure vocal samples that tie into the loose theme of the Second Coming. These often effect-ridden samples push the album forward until the end of its run time of just over 20 minutes.
Some of my favorite cuts from the album include: “Ease” (a song that takes note on self-consciousness and features a beautifully distant-sounding electric guitar), “Rock n’ Roll” (a song that smartly uses a classic rock & roll beat and has lyrics like “Jesus died on the cross so I could quit my job” that seem purposefully laughable), and “New Alhambra” (which boils down to an audacious belief that one can parry death eternally because pain has been replaced with numbness).
The last song, “Wastes of Times,” begins with a sudden dropout of the electronic ambiance that pervades the entire album. It’s a striking contrast that represents an acceptance of the bad if it means being able to look forward to what’s new and worthwhile. It’s also the least lethargic track on the album, and a quick glance at the lyrics will show hopeful and compassionate words: “Heartbreak can’t phase me. I am crazy, but I’m true.“ The brevity and minimalism of the track is refreshing, and heck, it nearly has me convinced that there actually will be “No More Sad Songs” from Elvis Depressedly.
You can still get tickets to tomorrow’s festival with Elvis Depressedly, Beach Fossils, and several of North Carolina’s most worthwhile bands and you can treat yourself to a copy of New Alhambra.
-DJ Nasty Nate
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WKNC 88.1 FM CHARTS: May 12, 2015
Waxahatchee takes the top spot for the second week in a row as Speedy Ortiz moves up to number two.
WKNC RADIO 200
1. WAXAHATCHEE – Ivy Tripp – Merge
2. SPEEDY ORTIZ – Foil Deer – Carpark
3. TORRES – Sprinter – Partisan
4. CHASTITY BELT – Time To Go Home – Hardly Art
5. COURTNEY BARNETT – Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit – Mom And Pop
6. HOP ALONG – Painted Shut – Saddle Creek
7. RYLEY WALKER – Primrose Green – Dead Oceans
8. SUFJAN STEVENS – Carrie And Lowell – Asthmatic Kitty
9. GENGAHR – She’s A Witch [EP] – Transgressive
10. ALEX G – Trick – Lucky Number
11. MY MORNING JACKET – The Waterfall – Capitol
12. MITSKI – Bury Me At Makeout Creek – Don Giovanni
13. PURITY RING – Another Eternity – 4AD
14. MIKAL CRONIN – MCIII – Merge
15. SARAH BETHE NELSON – Fast Moving Clouds – Burger
16.
MOUNTAIN GOATS – Beat The Champ – Merge
17. TORO Y MOI – What For? – Carpark
18. PEACH KELLI POP – III – Burger
19. JEFF ROSENSTOCK – We Cool? – SideOneDummy
20. JEFF THE BROTHERHOOD – Wasted On The Dream – Infinity Cat
21. MATTHEW E. WHITE – Fresh Blood – Domino
22. MOON KING – Secret Life – Last Gang
23. KING KHAN AND BBQ SHOW – Bad News Boys – In The Red
24. BOUQUET – In A Dream [EP] – Self-Released
25. REPTAR – Lurid Glow – Joyful Noise
26. AVA LUNA – Infinite House – Western Vinyl
27. COLLEEN GREEN – I Want To Grow Up – Hardly Art
28. WARM SODA – Symbolic Dream – Castle Face
29. SURFER BLOOD – 1000 Palms – Joyful Noise
30. WEED – Running Back – Lefse
WKNC TOP 5 ADDS
1. ELVIS DEPRESSEDLY – New Alhambra – Run For Cover
2. ESKIMEAUX – O.K. – Double Double Whammy
3. JACCO GARDNER – Hypnophobia – Polyvinyl
4. ICKY BLOSSOMS – Mask – Saddle Creek
5. NOVELLA – Land – Sinderlyn
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WKNC 88.1 FM CHARTS: May 5, 2015
WKNC RADIO 200
1. WAXAHATCHEE – Ivy Tripp – Merge
2. CHASTITY BELT – Time To Go Home – Hardly Art
3. SPEEDY ORTIZ
–
Foil Deer
–
Carpark
4. SUFJAN STEVENS – Carrie And Lowell – Asthmatic Kitty
5. PEACH KELLI POP
–
III
–
Burger
6. COURTNEY BARNETT – Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit – Mom And Pop
7. REPTAR – Lurid Glow – Joyful Noise
8. TORRES – Sprinter – Partisan
9.
MOUNTAIN GOATS – Beat The Champ – Merge
10. MITSKI – Bury Me At Makeout Creek – Don Giovanni
11. ALEX G – Trick – Lucky Number
12. GENGAHR – She’s A Witch [EP] – Transgressive
13. JEFF THE BROTHERHOOD – Wasted On The Dream – Infinity Cat
14. SARAH BETHE NELSON – Fast Moving Clouds – Burger
15. WEED – Running Back – Lefse
16. RYLEY WALKER – Primrose Green – Dead Oceans
17. PURITY RING – Another Eternity – 4AD
18. COLLEEN GREEN – I Want To Grow Up – Hardly Art
19. TORO Y MOI – What For? – Carpark
20. BOUQUET – In A Dream [EP] – Self-Released
21. MOON KING – Secret Life – Last Gang
22. DAN DEACON – Gliss Riffer – Domino
23. MIKAL CRONIN – MCIII – Merge
24. KING KHAN AND BBQ SHOW – Bad News Boys – In The Red
25. DOLDRUMS – The Air Conditioned Nightmare – Sub Pop
26. SHEER MAG – II [7-inch] – Self-Released
27. BOMBADIL – Hold On – Ramseur
28. MATTHEW E. WHITE – Fresh Blood – Domino
29.
SUUNS AND JERUSALEM IN MY HEART- Suuns And Jerusalem In My Heart – Secretly Canadian
30.
AVA LUNA – Infinite House – Western Vinyl
WKNC TOP 5 ADDS
1. MY MORNING JACKET
–
The Waterfall
–
Capitol
2. WARM SODA
–
Symbolic Dream
–
Castle Face
3. HOP ALONG
–
Painted Shut
–
Saddle Creek
4. SURFER BLOOD
–
1000 Palms
–
Joyful Noise
5. LES BIG BYRD
–
Stockholm Death Star
–
A Recordings