Category: Blog

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Music News and Interviews

The Strokes Awaken From the Dead!

It’s been a little over two years since their last live performance in November 2011 in Brazil, but The Strokes are back for a much anticipated performance at this year’s Governor’s Ball Music Festival. Julian Casablancas will also be performing a separate show during the festival. 

The band released their fifth album, Comedown Machine, in 2013 but no tour came along with the new release.

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Other headliners for the Governor’s Ball music festival in New York City include Outkast, Jack White, and Vampire Weekend along with performances from Phoenix, TV on the Radio, Broken Bells, Neko Case, Sleigh Bells, Grimes, Washed Out, Earl Sweatshirt, Kurt Vile and the Violators, Wild Belle, Tanlines, among others. 

Categories
Music News and Interviews

Perfect Pussy Interview

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On January 9th, Perfect Pussy came to Raleigh to blow the roof off of King’s with Whatever Brains and Davidians. Before that, they dropped by the studio and sat down with DJ Phian to discuss sabotaging soda factories, the new Beyoncé album, and navigating around the rules of the FCC when the name of your band is Perfect Pussy. Listen here.

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Concert Preview

The Great Cover Up at King’s Barcade // January 16-18, 2014

This Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, King’s Barcade will be presenting The Great Cover Up. 

This three day event will feature 20+ secret bands. Proceeds will benefit InterAct, KidZNotes, and SPCA of Wake County. 

Doors will open at 8pm on Thursday and Saturday due to the number of participants this year! The show will start at 8:45 on both of these nights.

Friday’s doors will be at 9pm, promptly following the conclusion of The Dangling Loafer comedy show. The show starts at 9:30 on this night!

Categories
Concert Preview

Local Band Local Beer: January 16, 2014

Come out to Tir na Nog Irish Pub tonight, January 16, 2014, for Local Band Local Beer presented by WKNC! This week we are featuring Lowland Hum, Birds and Arrows, and  Small Town Gossip. 

As always, this is a FREE event and it starts at 9:30pm. 

Be sure to tune in at 5pm tonight to hear DJ Kataclysm interview the bands prior to their performance!

Categories
Weekly Charts

WKNC 88.1 FM Charts: 1/14/2014

Radio 200:

1            NO JOY            Pastel And Pass Out [EP]            Mexican Summer           

2            LOW FREQUENCY IN STEREO            Pop Obskura            Long Branch           

3            HISTORY OF APPLE PIE            Out Of View            Marshall Teller           

4            SWEARIN *            Surfing Strange *            *           

5            GHOST DANCE            Ghost Dance            Rough Beast           

6            DUCKTAILS            Wish Hotel [EP]            Domino           

7            THEE OH SEES            Singles Collection, Volume 3            Castle Face           

8            WIDOWSPEAK            The Swamps [EP]            Captured Tracks           

9            HIGH HIGHS            Open Season Deluxe Edition            fine time           

10            MALES            Run Run Run/MalesMalesMales            Fishrider           

11            CASS MCCOMBS            Big Wheel And Others            Domino           

12            DESTROYER            Five Spanish Songs            Merge           

13            SKY FERREIRA            Night Time, My Time            Capitol           

14            LOS CAMPESINOS!            No Blues            Wichita           

15            SALLIE FORD AND THE SOUND OUTSIDE            Summer [EP]            Partisan           

16            MUTUAL BENEFIT            Love’s Crushing Diamond            Other           

17            BLACK HEARTED BROTHER            Stars Are Our Home            Slumberland           

18            NOBUNNY            Secret Songs: Reflections From The Ear Mirror            Goner           

19            CUT COPY            Free Your Mind            Modular-Loma Vista           

20            POLICA            Shulamith            Mom And Pop           

21            THROWING MUSES            Purgatory/Paradise            IT Books-Harper Collins           

22            LINNEA OLSSON            Ah!            Gotterfunk           

23            BLOOD ORANGE            Cupid Deluxe            Domino           

24            STATIC JACKS            In Blue            Fearless           

25            MIDLAKE            Antiphon            ATO           

26            SON LUX            Lanterns            Joyful Noise           

27            GORIES            The Shaw Tapes: Live From 1988            Third Man           

28            BARDO POND            Peace On Venus            Fire           

29            MOONFACE            Julia With Blue Jeans On            Jagjaguwar           

30            COSMONAUTS            Persona Non Grata            Burger

Top 5 Adds:

1            PAINTED PALMS            Forever            Polyvinyl           

2            BOY AND BEAR            Harlequin Dream            Nettwerk           

3            NICK WATERHOUSE            Holly            Innovative Leisure           

4            BURIAL            Rival Dealer            Hyperdub           

5            TOY            Join The Dots            Heavenly           

Categories
New Album Review

New Daytime Music

Linnea Olsson: “Ah!”
This album consists solely of Olsson’s beautiful soft voice, and all the impressive sounds that she can produce with her cello. Linnea is certainly full of a lot of talent and she shows it in this album. 

Milosh: “Jetlag”
Straight out of Canada, Milosh produces minimal electronic beats combined with soft mysterious vocals. Don’t be fooled though, there are other subtle dimensions that make it give the feel of what ‘jetlag’ may be like if put into sound.

Kramies: “The Wooden Heart”
Although the cover of this album looks like a picture from the Pirates of the Caribbean, it is actually full of many soothing soft rock components, soft vocals, and nice synths. I highly recommend this if you’re looking for a slower listen. 

Categories
Music News and Interviews

Giveaways for the week of 1/13 – 1/19

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, January 14 – Against Me! with The Sidekicks @ Cat’s Cradle
Saturday, January 18 – Solar Halos with Irata @ Cat’s Cradle Back Room

Sunday, January 19 – Reggie and the Full Effect with Dads @ Local 506

Categories
Concert Review

Show Review: Mandolin Orange for PineCone Jan. 10th

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.

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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.  

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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

Categories
Concert Review

Show Review: OLD GRAY w/ LOVECHILD and BROTHER BEAST @ The Tipsy Teapot (1/8/14)

Old Gray | Live at The Wood Shop: Copiague, NY -- Shot and edited by Brian Renaldo

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

Categories
DJ Highlights

WKNC DJs’ Best of 2013: Part 3

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

Riff Raff

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

The Matador

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

 

PHIAN

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