Category: Blog

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Concert Preview

Concert on the Lawn Monday, 8/19 feat Museum Mouth and Heyrocco

WKNC presents a Concert on the Lawn, our part of our free outdoor concert series Fridays on the Lawn. We’re spicing it up for this new year of freshman by hosting in on Monday, August 19th from 5-7 PM to welcome them on their first day on-campus. This event is free and open to the public, so we hope to see you there!

This time around, we have two great indie rock acts, Museum Mouth from Southport and Heyrocco from Charleston. Museum Mouth have been featured numerous times on mtvU, which also featured WKNC last year for college radio, and are known for their lively performances and their indie rock meets pop-punk sound. From loud and bouncy to beat up and lonely, Museum Mouth carry through their sets with a sense of earnest and memorable, catchy guitar riffs. Their vocals are reminiscent of Beat Happening- if you can imagine it put to high powered pop-punk.

Watch “Sexy But Not Happy” by Museum Mouth.

Heyrocco have probably played in North Carolina more than they’ve played in their homestate, so we’ve claimed them as our own. They are the first non-local band to join us in the Concert/Fridays on the Lawn series, and we’re glad to have them! The group has a knack for writing catchy, indie pop songs and adding personality layered behind them. They’re dynamic, and they bring with them a great live performance: from listening to them, you’d think they’d been doing this for years, but they’re just a few years out of high school! Heyrocco composes smiling music- the kind you have to dance to.

Listen to "Elsewhere“ by Heyrocco.
"The Lawn” is at West Campus Amphitheater behind the Bragaw building on Dan Allen Drive. For your GPS needs, its street address is 2520 Sullivan Drive, 27650. Parking is available in Dan Allen Deck and all spots marked “C”.

Come out to Concert on the Lawn at West Campus Amphitheater for a FREE evening of local music, free food, prizes, and giveaways!

Add our Facebook event for updates!

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Festival Coverage

Hopscotch Must-Sees: Marnie Stern

This is a personal artist spotlight on Marnie Stern by C’est La Bri for Hopscotch. 

I became googly eyed over Marnie Stern in the tenth grade, when my cooler-than-I-was boyfriend made me a mixed tape with “Prime” off of This Is It and I Am It and You Are It and So Is That and He Is It and She Is It and It Is It and That Is That. It became the track I played on repeat until I could get all of the words and rhythms down from its off-kilter chaos.

While past releases have excelled in dizzying their listeners, her most recent album, The Chronicles of Marnia, has less cluttered tracks aimed to put her masterful finger tapping to the task of conveying a whimsical indie-pop Stern.  This new album creates a distinction of sounds in tapping versus the past of layering and confusion.  But this isn’t taking away from the musicianship of Stern’s guitar writing- it’s highlighting her new philosophy on songwriting and composition.

And make no doubt about it, Marnie Stern is a show you can’t miss at Hopscotch this year. She brings with her an energy that makes a festival worth seeing. This year’s festival is a study on dynamic- you’ve got an artist like Stern on a lineup with Angel Olsen. High Highs are playing the same gig as Sleep.  So if you’re going to Hopscotch for some diversity, Marnie Stern is definite must-see.

Favorite Track: “Prime” on This Is It and I Am It and You Are It and So Is That and He Is It and She Is It and It Is It and That Is That

Playing: Lincoln Theatre Thursday, September 5th 11:30PM- 12:30AM

Categories
Festival Coverage

Hopscotch Must-Sees: Nightlands

This is a personal artist spotlight on Nightlands by The Walrus for Hopscotch.

When label Secret Canadian states that Nightlands is ultimately the product of bedroom producing, it brings to mind the countless demos crafted by artists as an attempt to exhibit that which could be further polished and refined to produce their ultimately desired sound. Nightlands goes far beyond the assumptions of bedroom producing and often puts them to shame in comparison.

Dave Hartley, bassist of The War on Drugs, began his side project directly from the bedroom, keeping a tape recorder on his bedside table to archive the musical ideas he developed in his sleep. These ideas were the seeds for his debut album Forget The Mantra and were, as you could expect, dazzlingly dreamy.

Three years later, Hartley concludes his production of Oak Island, the sophomore album that has received exceptional critical acclaim for its fantastical and incredibly lush sound, providing the listener with an immersive and engaging inward journey. It’s amazingly polished for a bedroom production and never once depicts that which could be further refined.

Nightlands has been inked into my personal Hopscotch schedule since the day the lineup was released. Oak Island has been a consistent favorite of mine since its January release, and I will certainly be at The Hive at midnight to see them perform.

Favorite tracks: “So Far So Long” / “Other People’s Pockets”

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Music News and Interviews

Giveaways for the week of 8/5 – 8/11

Keep it tuned to WKNC all week long for your chance to win tickets to any of these great shows below! Just be the correct caller when the DJ asks for it, and you and a friend could be hitting up some of the coolest local acts around.

Thursday, August 8 – Clockwork Kids with Revolutionary Sweethearts and No Eyes @ Kings

Thursday, August 8 – Landing with Alpha Cop @ Pinhook

Friday, August 9 – El-P and Killer Mike with Kool A.D. @ Cats*

Friday, August 9 – Blanko Basnet with Speedy Ortiz and Organos @ Pinhook*

Saturday, August 10 – New Town Drunks record release with Crystal Bright and The Silver Hands, and Beloved Binge @ Pinhook

Categories
Band/Artist Profile Local Music

August’s Local Artist of the Month: The Love Language

The Love Language

When you discuss Raleigh music or even North Carolina in general, it is impossible to avoid The Love Language.  They have become a staple of Raleigh music.  Now that they have continued to receive national attention from the likes of Pitchfork and Paste Magazine, they are representing Raleigh to the rest of the world, and they can’t offer a better representation of us.

The Love Language started as the bedroom recording project of Stuart McLamb after a rough breakup and being kicked out of his previous band, The Capulets.  The pop-smart songwriter and multi-instrumentalist set out to make music as a therapeutic excursion in 2008.  The demos made their way around and eventually ended up in the hands of The Rosebuds who invited him along to help kick off their Life Like tour.  Like that, The Love Language became a full-fledged band.

In March 2009, they released their self-titled debut to rave reviews.  They began to grow as their live shows became more renowned with performances at SXSW and Monolith Festival in addition to supporting tours for Cursive and The Rural Alberta Advantage.  Following these highly praised performances, The Love Language was signed to Merge Records.  Their second album Libraries was released in July of 2010 on Merge to even more widespread acclaim.

It has now been three years since The Love Language’s last release and despite its positive reception; those years have not been easy.  With a rotating cast of band members and an on again off again touring schedule, people began to wonder what would happen to The Love Language, but McLamb proved on his latest effort, Ruby Red, that The Love Language is still alive and kicking

Over the past 3 years, Stuart has been carefully crafting the songs for his third album, Ruby Red.  He again teamed up with BJ Burton for what turned into a long road to perfection.   Although the band has still maintained its infectious breed of emotionally-fueled pop, its latest effort is much more sonically experimental as it explores much larger spaces.  This time around they enlisted over 20 other musicians to fully flesh out the songs and fill every corner, and it shines through on this record.  Each song seems meticulously thought out and very carefully put together.  With the release of this new record and a string of strong tour dates ahead, The Love Language boldly state that they are here to stay.
Ruby Red
http://www.thelovelanguage.com/
https://www.facebook.com/thelovelanguage

 
You can check out their new music video for the song “Calm Down” featuring some WKNC DJs over at Pitchfork.TV.

 
Check out The Love Language’s upcoming tour dates here:
Aug 27 Nashville, TN – Stone Fox
Aug 28 St. Louis, MO – Firebird
Aug 29 Chicago, IL – Schuba’s
Aug 30 St. Paul, MN – Turf Club
Aug 31 Kansas City, MO — Czar Bar w/ Schwervon
Sep 01 Omaha, NE — O’Leaver’s
Sep 02 Denver, CO – Hi Dive
Sep 03 Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge
Sep 04 Boise, ID Neurolux ^
Sep 05 Portland, OR – MusicFest NW
Sep 06 Eugene, OR – Cozmic Pizza %
Sep 08 Seattle, WA – Neumos %
Sep 10 San Francisco, CA – Rickshaw w/ Bleeding Rainbow
Sep 11 Los Angeles, CA – Bootleg Bar
Sep 12 San Diego, CA — Soda Bar ^
Sep 13 Scottsdale, AZ – Pub Rock w/ Soft Metals
Sep 14 Tucson, AZ — Club Congress
Sep 16 Austin, TX – Mohawk – Inside ^
Sep 17 Dallas, TX – Club Dada
Sep 18 Houston, TX – Mango’s
Sep 19 New Orleans, LA – Gasa Gasa
Sep 20 Atlanta, GA — Masquerade w/ Man Man
# w/ Eternal Summers
* w/ The Critters
% w/ The Dodos
^ w/ On An On

Categories
Weekly Charts

Top 10 Afterhours Albums for 7/29

1 Pretty Lights    ”Color Map of the Sun”    (8 Minutes 20 Seconds)

2 HERMITUDE    "HyperParadise"    (Elefant Traks)

3  GOLD PANDA    ”Half Of Where You Live”    (Ghostly)

4 RUXPIN    ”This Time We All Go Together”    (n5MD)

5  MAJOR LAZER    ”Free The Universe”    (Secretly Canadian)

6 GAUDI    ”In Between Times”    (Six Degrees)

7  HECTIC ZENITHS    ”Hectic Zeniths”    (Self-Released)

8 BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS    ”Legend Remixed”    (Tuff Gong-UME-Island)

9 JON HOPKINS    ”Immunity”    (Domino)

10 CONGO NATTY    "Jungle Revolution"    (Big Dada)

Categories
New Album Review

New Music Monday — July 29, 2013

Happy Music Monday!
Check out our new music suggestions and tune in to 88.1 this week to hear the best in daytime rock!

Matias Aguayo “The Visitor”

Very strange and yet compelling house electro that takes on tropical and latin influences. Some songs are a lil too repetitive and annoying but nevertheless the album’s pretty decent.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzBMF3sV–g

About Group “Between the Walls”

Soulful melancholia and just weeeird weird electronic blues-inspired songs all made by Alexis Taylor from Hot Chip. Definitely sounds NOTHING like Hot Chip (except the vocals), so don’t expect that.

Smith Westerns “Soft Will”

This is a total pop jammer that you can’t resist. Very summery and Girls-sounding. A much more mature album from a band that everyone thought would quickly burn out. Still got the 1970s glam rock on lock though.

The Multiple Cat “The Return of the Multiple Cat”

If you can think of the MOST Indie music sound that exists out there, it would be from this guy. Very cutesy indie pop from a dude who started Daytrotter. RIYL Belle and Sebastian and all those sweet voiced bands of the older( truer) indie day.s

Beach Day “Trip Trap Attack”

This band is basically a copy of the Shangri-Las (but not as good) but obviously in a more garage-pop setting. Its pretty good if you like going to beach.

Pacific UV “After the Dream You Are Awake”

Dreamy pop that is pretty generic but is very listenable and accessible.

Eleanor Friedberger “Personal Record”

An album chock full of lighthearted indie-pop. It is jam packed with clever wordplay and fleeting emotions.

Future Bible Heroes “Partygoing”

Think electronica-meets-disco. Songs include dance floor anthems and super-sad ballads.

OS Mutantes “Fool Metal Jack”

Their last album was a badass, Brazilian psychedelic mind-fuck. This one isn’t nearly as good but the best tracks are both gorgeous and cheerfully feisty.

Categories
Music News and Interviews

Giveaways for the Week of 7/29 – 8/4

Keep it tuned to WKNC all week long for your chance to win tickets to any of these great shows below! Just be the correct caller when the DJ asks for it, and you and a friend could be hitting up some of the coolest local acts around.

Tuesday, July 30 – The Psychadelic Furs with Spacehog @ Cat’s Cradle

Wednesday, July 31 – Pink Flag with Wojcik, Eros and The Eschaton @ The Pinhook

Thursday, August 1 – Crystal Bowersox with Liz Longley @ Cat’s Cradle

Friday, August 2 – Estrangers with Onward Soldiers and Museum Mouth @ The Pinhook

Saturday, August 3 – Once and Future Kings record release with Wichita Falls and AK-87 @ Kings Barcade

Saturday, August 3 – Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers @ NCMA

Sunday, August 4 – The Melvins with Honky @ Cat’s Cradle

Categories
Concert Review

Show Review: Kurt Vile and The Violators with Swirlies

DJ e-baby recaps his experience below at the Kurt Vile show at Cat’s Cradle:

One could really tell the kids were home for summer. The crowd appeared more refined than one would expect. The Swirlies, an old school band formed in the 90’s, started the show.

They played with much gusto but little uniformity. The band members seemed to be on a different page including the small female vocalist who could barley handle her guitar. I have never been a fan of Mumford and Sons until they used it to cover up the sounds of the Swirlies leaving. I went to the bar and waited with the crowd for Kurt to emerge.

Kurt Vile took the stage and the air was palpable. Kurt was a vision in long dirty hair and torn jeans. He commanded attention. Kurt’s raspy coos and extended lo-fi riffs picked the crowd up after the Swirlies’ disappointing performance. Kurt and his band played a long show, pausing between ten-minute songs to pound Red Bull and mumble mysteriously into the mic. The show felt like a slow motion summer ride. It was sad when it finally winded down. Kurt ended things with “Baby’s Arms,” transfixing the crowd and stepping away into the night.

~ebaby

Categories
Music News and Interviews

Local Spotlight: The North Carolina Music Love Army

In solidarity with the Moral Monday peaceful protest movement, a new alliance,
The North Carolina Music Love Army, has emerged.  Comprised of many notable North Carolina-based musicians, the NCMLA was founded in late June of 2013 by artists Caitlin Cary (of Raleigh) and Jon Lindsay (of Charlotte). The two have assembled an all-star roster to create a recording compilation of original protest songs contributed by its members, with a forthcoming large-scale concert announcement to follow. The organization describes themselves as a united force composed of musicians set to battle against the regressive legislation of the current administration. All proceeds from NCMLA activity will go to the NAACP, Progress NC, and Planned Parenthood.

The following notable artists already have committed to the project: Stu Mclamb/The Love Language, Django Haskins/The Old Ceremony, Eddie Walker, BJ Barham/American Aquarium, Birds and Arrows, and many more.

For interviews, appearances, resource donation, further information, or to be involved contact: NCMusicLoveArmy@gmail.com, or Caitlin Cary: 919-389-9760

You can also follow the action on Facebook, Twitter, & Tumblr