WKNC 88.1 FM - North Carolina State University Student RadioKeep 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.
It was one of those evenings that left you dreaming of lying in an overgrown field, soaking in the sun’s rays. Yes, folks, it’s all due to the harmonious sounds of our Chapel Hill friends, Mandolin Orange.
Thanks to the PineCone, Piedmont Council of Traditional Music Inc., Mandolin Orange was the duo of the night on January 10th as part of a series of Down Home Concerts featuring other local favorite bluegrass and folk artists. PineCone was originally founded in 1984 as a non-profit membership organization dedicated to preserving, presenting and promoting traditional music dance and other folk art.
Commencing their New Year at the classy and cozy Fletcher Opera Theatre in downtown Raleigh, Emily Frantz and Andrew Marlin justified a sold out show since their CD-release party at Cat’s Cradle back in August of 2013. The duo took to the stage, him matching her orange and blue dress- of which she probably made herself, as she’s known to flourish in her hand-made frocks. The band began the evening with the favorite “House of Stone,” a track from their recent record This Side of Jordan. Accompanying the laidback duo was accomplished musician Robbie Link on bass and cello, who is known across the state for his talent with the string family. The duo covered all the corners, performing songs reaching back to their first record Quiet Little Room to the most recent. Marlin and Frantz seemed very at ease and comfortable to be performing, cracking jokes and sweet banter as well as even reminiscing about Andrew’s attempt at ‘flying’ off the Haw River spillway, an incident that later led to a broken pelvis and a stunt in the hospital that inspired the track “Morphine Girl.” From favorites like “Turtle Dove & The Crow,” a song dedicated to Marlin’s father, to “These Old Wheels,” the duo even covered a number of songs, like Garry Harrison’s “Red Prairie Dawn” and “All I Have To Do Is Dream” by the Everly Brothers, in memoriam of the late Phil Everly. A personal favorite was the band’s cover of Tim O’Brien’s “I’ve Endured,” of which Marlin showcased his natural knack for the mandolin. The evening concluded with Frantz showing off her true talent for the fiddle with Marlin matching her on the mandolin.
After being named one of NPR’s top ten folk and Americana albums of 2013, the duo proved that ‘their side of Jordan’ was a pretty sweet side to be on. This was a crowd that was there to appreciate authentic bluegrass and country, and that’s exactly what the evening entailed. It’s cozy concerts like these that the audience is privy to authentic music; inside your heart will be warm and ears will be happy.
– DJ Zaps
The Tipsy Teapot is a great little venue in the heart of downtown Greenville. I went to see The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die there over the summer, and ever since then it’s held a special place in my memory. Seeing Old Gray was an appropriate contrast to that show, it being the dead of winter now instead of the start of summer. They definitely evoke a darker, more painful, mood than The World Is.. too. Old Gray’s music is more comparable to bands like Midwest Pen Pals and Merchant Ships, but lately they’ve distanced themselves from those influences, creating their own sound.
The band opened with, probably their most immediate song, “Wolves” of their powerful debut album, “An Autobiography” that they put out last spring. That song got the crowd singing right off the bat. The attendance was small, maybe 30 or 40, but people were really into it, and all bands brought it. Honestly, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the show. I’ve been a little bummed out on emo music in general lately, but Old Gray brought the world to life for me a little bit, which is such a great thing to be able to say about a band.
Old Gray have heart. They sing about lost love and fading youth. They spill their guts to be a part of something bigger than themselves. Their drummer has to consistently hop off his seat to pound them with enough strength. Their main singer leans into his mic at a runner’s stance as if his problems are staring him down, and he’s about to barrel through them. For the last two songs the guitarist and bassist switched instruments, shifting the mood. The music moved from crescendo-based with heavy distortion to a more twinkly style of emo. They closed their set with the fan-favorite, “Her Tongue Was Tattooed to the Back of Her Teeth”, which starts off with a brilliant bit of spoken word, and turns into an emo anthem. It was a night I won’t forget soon. I couldn’t have asked for more. Great crowd, poignant vibes, good times.
-DJ Nasty Nate
We asked all of the kind DJs we have here at WKNC what their top lists for 2013 are. Over the next few days we’ll post the myriad of lists ranging from top albums to top colors.
DJ SALINGER: Assistant Music Director
Top 5 Albums:
1. Frontier Ruckus: Eternity of Dimming
2. Bill Callahan: Dream River
3. Majical Cloudz: Impersonator
4. Soko: I Thought I Was an Alien
5. Phosporescent: Muchacho
TOP 5 FANGIRL MOMENTS of 2013 :
1. Running after Scott Avett to get a picture and a handshake
2. Basically doing the same thing to Pokey Lafarge
3. Taking about 20 videos of Father John Misty at the Newport Folk Fest
4. Shedding a tear at Frontier Ruckus’s Valentines Day show
5. Getting tongue tied and taking a picture with Amelia of Sylvan Esso
Muta: Afterhours
Top 5 Albums:
1. Pretty Lights: Colour Map of the Sun 2. Bonobo: The North Borders
3. Washed Out: Paracosm
4. Danny Brown: Old
5. Gold Panda – Half Of Where You Live
DJ DiGiorno: Program Director
Top 5 Albums:
1. Speedy Ortiz- Major Arcana
2. Deerhunter- Monomania
3. Places to Hide- Almost Nothing
4. Kurt Vile- Wakin on a Pretty Daze
5. Joanna Gruesome- Weird Sister
Top 5 Shows:
1. Hiss Golden Messenger with Phil Cook and the Guitarheels and The A’s at Haw River Ballroom
2. Deerhunter at Cat’s Cradle
3. Speedy Ortiz at Kennedy Theater for Hopscotch
4. The National with Dirty Projectors at Red Hat Amphitheater
5. Jeff Mangum at Neighborhood Theater
Top 5 Local Albums:
1. Hiss Golden Messenger- Haw
2. Whatever Brains- Whatever Brains (2013)
3. Jackson Scott- Melbourne
4. Airstrip- Willing
5. Gross Ghost- Public Housing
Top Albums:
1. Kurt Vile – Wakin On A Pretty Daze
2. Marnie Stern – The Chronicles of Marnia
3. Bass Drum of Death – Bass Drum of Death
4. Superchunk – I Hate Music
5. Chance The Rapper – Acid Rain
6. Coke Weed – Back To Soft
7. Laura Marling – Once I Was An Eagle
8. Whatever Brains – Whatever Brains
9. Fidlar – Fidlar
Top Shows:
1. Bonnaroo …. everything wtf
2. Hopscotch….. again, everything wtf
3. And So I Watch You From Afar @ King’s Barcade
4. Sylvan Esso // The Love Language @ King’s Barcade
5. BEYONCE – Made In America Music Festival, Philadelphia
6. Every Spiderbags show of 2013
7. September 6th at CAM = Valient Thorr, Colossus, Pontiak, Toon & The Real Law
Top 5 Albums:
1. The Love Language: Ruby Red
2. The Front Bottoms: Talon of the Hawk
3. Mikal Cronin: MCII
4. Allison Weiss: Say What You Mean
5. Grouplove: Spreading Rumors
Top 5 Albums:
1. Thao and the Get Down Stay Down – We the Common
2. Dr. Dog – B-Room
3. Ghostt Bllonde – Trash Pop//Doom Wop
4. Juicy J – Stay Trippy
5. Dirty Heads – Phantoms of Summer
Top 5 ways to Procrastinate While Pissing Everyone Off:
1. Poke wars.
2. Throwing things/shouting out the 8th floor window at passerby, watching as they search for the source and fail.
3. Seeing how many times you can knock on the wall before the people next door start cursing.
4. Blowing bubbles in the hallway, then forgetting to clean them up before someone slips.
5. Explaining that you were only trying to clean the floor and make the hall smell nice, after someone slips.
DJ Walrus: Promotions Director
Top 5 Albums:
1. Disclosure: Settle
2. Nightlands: Oak Island
3. Kanye West: Yeezus
4. Torres: Torres
5. Thee Oh Sees: Floating Coffin
Top 5 Albums From My Nostalgic Bands:
1.The Dodos: Carrier
2. Daft Punk: Random Access Memories
3. Vampire Weekend: Modern Vampires of the City
4. Arcade Fire: Reflektor
5. Local Natives: Hummingbird
After hearing much hype about Perfect Pussy, a Syracuse-based 4 piece punk band, I was excited and eager to see them Thursday night at Kings Barcade. Without looking too deep into what Pitchfork or Rolling Stones had to say, I went in with an unbiased opinion and came out rather disappointed.
The good: Perfect Pussy seems to have a lot of potential. The music itself isn’t that unique but they definitely have punk attitudes. The lead vocalist, Meredith Graves, was carefree and engaging with the crowd, while the other members supported her through their energetic punk sound. When I listened to their demo, I Have Lost All Desire For Feeling, the lyrics had the perfect amount of distortion and everything worked really well together.
The bad: Perfect Pussy sounded nothing like they did on the demo. I’m fairly certain it was the way they were mixed because all I could hear was drum and bass. Grave’s vocals were far too quiet, even when she turned up the amplifier she was running the vocals through. Throughout their whole set I never found myself enjoying the music because the sound was so off.
When they do come back to Raleigh I will try and see them again to get a second opinion. Hopefully they gain more experience as a band, and realize how important it is to communicate with the sound engineer. Overall, I’m glad I went and wish the band the best of luck in their future career.
Future Islands fans, your wait is over! The almighty sweat gods have spoken and procured a new album that will surely not disappoint! The highly anticipated album, entitled “Singles,” will most likely maintain their distinctive dance-your-pants-off, sweat-out-your-soul, distinctive synth-pop sound they have harnessed and perfected over their career.
The Greenville natives, who have since relocated to Baltimore, have planned an extensive domestic and international tour that will include countries like England and Germany, and festivals such as Coachella. The trio will be playing with Wye Oak at The Orange Peel in Asheville, on March 3rd, and The Haw River Ballroom in Pittsboro, on March 4th.
Look out for their album to be released on March 25th on the label 4AD. Stay tuned to WKNC for the future sounds of Future Islands.
This Thursday, January 9th, WKNC presents Local Band Local Beer at Tir Na Nog Irish Pub in downtown Raleigh featuring Embers End and Arcane Heart!
The show starts at 9:30 and it’s a free event!
Prior to the show, DJ Kataclysm will interview both bands in the studio from 5-6pm. Be sure to tune in for a preview of what you can expect to hear from these two local acts!
For the second hour of our first show in 2014 I was joined by the iconic alt-country act Six String Drag. In the late 90s Six String Drag was taking the scene by the horns and delivering a sweltering dose of all-out good ol’ fashioned rock n’ roll. It’s been over a decade since the band broke up and moved on to other projects, Kenny Roby has led a successful solo career while Dave Wright has dabbled in acts like The Countdown Quartet and Bone Slinger and Rob Keller forayed into bluegrass territory with The Welfare Liners. Since their breakup the group has only performed together twice, but on Jan. 4 they made their long awaited return to the Triangle after nearly 8 years at The Pour House.
I had most of the original members in-studio to talk a bit about how this reunion came together and exactly where they’ll go from here. As it turns out Roby has been storing up some songs that feel quite similar to Six String Drag, and while he hasn’t specifically stated that it’s going to turn into another Six String Drag album…the band is certainly all here. Throughout the hour we cover the looming question on everyone’s mind (more music?!), run down what the band has been doing since their break up, speak of the preparation for the show and hear a slew of in-studio performances from their marquee album High Hat. The band even played a tune that may end up on their new recordings!
We asked all of the kind DJs we have here at WKNC what their top lists for 2013 are. Over the next few days we’ll post the myriad of lists ranging from top albums to top colors.
WALTER EGO: Production Director
1. Anamanaguchi: Endless Fantasy
2. Leverage Models: s/t
3. Thee Oh Sees: Floating Coffin
4. Death Grips: Government Plates
5. Shannon and The Clams: Dreams In The Rat House
DJ Dylan-ger: Chainsaw
1. Queens of the Stone Age: Like Clockwork
2. Waxahatchee: Cerulean Salt
3. Howl: Bloodlines
4. Haim: Days are Gone
5. FIDLAR: s/
DJ C.Biscuit: Afterhours. The Launchpad
1. 3301 ~ The Instar Emergence (Single)
2. Jenova 7 ~ Painkillers & Parasites
3. Beats Antique ~ A Thousand Faces: Act 1
4. STRFKR ~ Miracle Mile
5. Thriftworks ~ Deviation
DJ Mrbarkey
1. Laura Marling: Once I Was An Eagle
2. OK McQueen: Life//EX-LIFE
3. Beach Fossils: Clash the Truth
4. James Blake: Overgrown
5. Blood Orange: Cupid Deluxe
Bonus Albums :
6. Patterns: Dangerous Intentions
7. Wild Nothing: Empty Estate
8. Majical Cloudz: Impersonator
9. Big Black Delta: Big Black Delta
10. Jamaican Queens: Wormfood
1. Arcade Fire – Reflektor
2. Youth Lagoon – Wondrous Bughouse
3. Daft Punk – R.A.M.
4. Volcano Choir – Repave
5. Okkervil River – The Silver Gymnasium
Wizard of DJ: Local Lunch
Top Local Albums of 2013:
1. Mandolin Orange- This Side of Jordan
2. Virgins Family Band- Honeylion
3. Deep Chatham- Flood
4. Daniel Bachman- Jesus I’m a Sinner
Top 5 Albums of the Year:
1. Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zero’s- self titled
2. Frank Fairfield- Ingleside (self released CD)
3. Various Artists- The Music is You (A Tribute to John Denver)
4. Mandolin Orange- This Side of Jordan
5. Beach Fossils- Clash The Truth
Top 5 Songs of the Year:
1. Never- All the Luck in the World
2. Foxygen- On Blue Mountain
3. Prisoners- J. Mascis, Sharon Van Etten (John Denver cover)
4. Country Calling- Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zero’s
5. Posthumous Release- Coma Cinema
MARC KUZIO: Member of GHOSTT BLLONDE and friend of the station
NATIONAL
1.) Thee oh Sees – Floating Coffin
“while thee oh sees have oftentimes been hit or miss for me….i really really get down to this record. It was constantly playing in my car or blowing my ears out on walks into town. While not necessarily innovative, it contains ALL of my guilty pleasures: THICK blow your speakers out by saxaphone like growling fuzzed guitar (i imagine hunched over backs low strung string pounding) coupled with a watery slapback slip and slide of guitar riffs. This is just a noisey FUN album that stood out for me outside of the "bro-fi paint-by-numbers-pop” that 2013 seemed to be
2.) Deerhunter – Monomania
Probably the most accesible of the band’s catalouge, this record is a slinky, fun, groove of sparking socket sounds and lingering hooks. My favorite parts of the songs stem from Bradford Cox’s use of vocal delay. Nothing is consistent and will throw you off guard every listen, making you completely loose (eg: Leather Jacket II) and then dance you around on floating vibes which are totally hand wave moving worthy ( eg: THM ) I think its the production on this album that gives it so much re-listen value but even without that the melodies and compositions get me right in the chest wanting more and wishing i had the ability to write like this.
3.) Vampire Weekend – Modern Vampires of The City
Not even sure what to write about this but it was a huge guilty pleasure which you know what? I’m not even guilty for! I know you’re supposed to separate the artist from the music/creation….but all of the members of this band are such awesome people that all seem so sincere and just emoting of positive vibes which projected the overall feel I got from this record. Full of hooky weird noises (the goofy sax on Diane young or the squeeky zipper vocal thing on “Ya Hey”) and interesting percussion with beautiful melodies provide plenty of great and memorable moments on this record which have kept me picking up the needle to spin it again.
4.) Beck – Song Reader
Some may argue against this being listed as an actual listenable record….but it was released as an album so commonnnn…thats gotta qualify. I think the concept behind this was brilliant. If you’re not familiar with it, Beck put wrote a 20 song album this year but released it EXCLUSIVELY as sheet music. The result is an absolutely gorgeous, beautiful, folky, almost eerie masterpiece wide open to interpretation. Ive spent hours youtube searching “Beck – Song Reader” and listening to dozens of versions of each track. I think it really creates a beautiful connection with the music, musician, and those who are able to listen. It quite literally breathes life into the album and creates a feeling of community. Learn to read sheet music or find a friend who can and you will not be sorry.
5.) Palma Violets – 108
From the opening track “Best Friend” I immideitely feel pumped and ready for a night out. This is a record that makes me feel like im standing elbow to elbow surrounded by sweaty punks in a dirty crusty pbr soaked house watching a band of quintessentially “best friends” go apeshit as if we are the only people who will ever here these songs.. Im a big sucker for those kinds of vibes. But even through this familiar aesthetic flooded with hooks perfect for a huge room group chant, this album still gives me feelings of sincerity which I love
LOCAL
1.) Schooner – Neighborhood Veins
This record hits me in a wave of warbley warmth and sucks me in for the duration. This is a beautiful creation that has such unity from track to track it feels like an album in the TRUEST sense. Jumping from finger-gun pointing knee shaking jams like “Feel Better” into drifty croons like “Still in Love” this record has all I love. It’s such a rewarding listen, especially when you listen again and pick up on all the calculated details of tasteful saxaphone, sparkling piano, and heartstring slide guitar. When you finish this album you have to blink a few times and remember where you are.
2.) Blanko Basnet – Blanko Basnet
I have a problem with this band that I need to confess….I am not able to dance to it. But its not because it isn’t groovy….because oh sweet yes it is….its just every time I listen or watch them live I am left in a trance by Frontman and main guitarist, Joe Hall’s, spider fingers stretching to unhuman lengths up and down the fretboard taking wonderful chords that most likely arent in very many musician’s vocabulary and creating a jazzy poppy dreamy jammable record held together by thick fuzzed steady bass that will play on repeat in my guitar till it disintegrates DID I MENTION THE BUTTERY DELIVERY OF THOSE SWEET VOCALS!?
3.) Free Clinic – Free Clinic
When you meet Ben, Wes, Quinn, and Morgan of Free Clinic its almost strange to picture such a detailed record to come from the high and welcomed energy of these dudes (and dudette). Their self titled release is beautifully padded with harmonies and shaky-chorus-soaked guitars that swirl around your body endlessly. You play this album a few times with your friends and next thing you know you all are singing along diveying up who sings what part, what harmony, what “ooh” and what “ahh”. These 10 tracks feel like the sequential score of a summer romance or maybe the soundtrack to 10 different nights out. And as the final song croons into a fade out you can imagine credits rolling in front of you and feel the grin spread across your face as you cant wait to share this record with everyone you know
4.) Estrangers – Season of 1000 Colors
As soon as you hear the opening snap of “Cape Fear” you can feel your eyes begin to dilate as you get sucked into a swirl of colors brought upon by the warbles of splashing sound and spiraling vocal melody. This remains consistent throughout the duration of all 12 tracks.There is a lot of texture to this album and although this poppy gem came out in june of this year, it definitely has a “keep you warm” feel that will last many replays through the winter and future seasons.
5.) Naked Naps – Naked Nap Demos
Catie Yerkes is one hell of a lyricist and can out talk you about any 90’s midwestern noodely emo band you could dare throw at her. Between running one of Raleigh’s quickley esclating top hangouts and crucial community culture point, she fronts two piece outfit slinging unapologetic broken chord whines in your face. While these are only demos….there is no doubt from me that 2014 can see a full solid quality release from them. Very refreshing and honest.
For the first Carolina Grown of 2014, some of the finest North Carolina songwriters graced the show. One of which stands atop the new era of alt-country goodness while the other serves as a gatekeeper. For the first hour I was joined by Ryan Gustafson of The Dead Tongues to talk a bit about what he’s been up to for the past year since the release of Desert, and of course it’s been quite a bit.
Gustafson staked his claim as one of the area’s premiere songwriters back in 2009 with his debut LP Donkey, but in the four years between his first and second full-length he had his hands in many a pot. Gustafson played with the likes of Max Indian, The Love Language, Mandolin Orange and The Human Eyes all whilst working on instrumental work as well. But when Gustafson announced his return to songwriting with The Dead Tongues it felt like the region let out a collective cheer. Desert was one of the most well received albums of 2013 and Gustafson has stayed busy at work since the album’s release.
Throughout the hour I spoke with Ryan Gustafson about his songwriting origins, the lapse between full lengths, all of the roles he’s been filling around the area and importantly what’s to come from the songwriter in 2014. Amidst all of the conversation Gustafson performed two new songs in the studio as well as a track from Desert. Fans of the songwriter can dig deeper into his psyche and get a stripped down treat of some new and old favorites with this session.