Category: Blog

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Music News and Interviews

Carolina Grown Podcast: Let Feedback Ring on Nov. 1

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First Fridays are a time for Triangle residents to immerse themselves in the rich culture of downtown Raleigh. While the monthly event has swiftly become a hub for art galleries to hold special events, with music occasionally taking the spotlight on certain months, Let Feedback Ring is doing their best to change that. Let Feedback Ring, a project formed by local musician/music journalist Corbie Hill and Negative Fun Records owner Chris DeFusco, are now hosting monthly showcases at Legends Nightclub that bring a bit more variety to the First Friday crowd.

The idea got kickstarted after Let Feedback Ring hosted a massive Hopscotch Day Party at Legends that housed 13 bands throughout the day. While the feat would drive most people to hang it up and accept that they’ve done their duty for the area, Hill and DeFusco craved more, as did Legends. On Nov. 1, Let Feedback Ring hosted the first of their monthly showcases with Ghostt Bllonde, Le Weekend and Corbie’s band Alpha Cop. So the week of the show I was joined by Chris, Corbie and Legends’ representative Matt Causey to talk about how this all came together. While many were probably surprised at the location of this indie rock-based event, listeners will quickly realize just how natural this collaboration can be.

Throughout the hour we talked a bit about the origins of Let Feedback Ring, the intended future of the event, as well as the struggles of maintaining regular events while running a record label or writing for numerous local outlets. As we now know, Let Feedback Ring is certainly continuing as a monthly event, as they recently announced their December event which will feature our November Artist of the Month, Whatever Brains, along with Wool and Goner on Dec. 6. Check out our full conversation to hear the ins and outs of planning these events and the struggle to maintain so many different aspects of the music scene.  

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Music News and Interviews

Carolina Grown Podcast: Felix Obelix on Oct. 25

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When I first heard of Felix Obelix’s latest undertaking I kind of scratched my head in bewilderment. When Wendy Spitzer’s Felix Obelix first appeared on the Carolina music scene in 2010 they immediately began to turn heads. Her debut record The Tick of the Clock, The Beat in the Chest was filled intricately woven pieces of art-pop excellence, drawing in listeners with both its rich complexities and simplistic pop structures as well. Nobody could doubt that the classically trained Spitzer was one of the area’s most talented new artists. So when Felix Obelix went through such a long period of stagnation for local artists, many wondered what had happened to the promising act.

Little did we know Spitzer was biding her time by crafting insanely dense, yet brief pieces of vibrant music. 

The Ringtone Album is Felix Obelix’s latest offering, and it’s exactly what it sounds like. Inspired by the often mundane tones that we become so frequently attached to, Spitzer decided to craft a 30-track album of one minute songs that were intended to be consumed as ringtones. While many may scoff at an idea so far out in left-field, the folks at Potluck Records warmed up to it pretty quickly and agreed to put the album out before even hearing it. When you debut with as strong a record as Tick of the Clock… though, one can understand why.

The Ringtone Album is filled with just over thirty minutes of whimsy, much to my surprise I found myself unable to turn away from these brilliant tunes. I spoke with Wendy on Oct. 25 to find out what her reasoning was behind this concept and found myself pleasantly surprised at the answers. Throughout the thirty minute conversation Wendy disclosed a bit of her inspiration for the idea and how she intends the record to be consumed, but the conversation quickly morphs into the state of the recording industry and how this unique idea fits within that structure.

Check out our full conversation.

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Music News and Interviews

Carolina Grown Podcast: Mipso on Oct. 25

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Mipso Press Photo Source: Leon Godwin

One of the joys of being able to host a weekly music talk show is when I get to have an experience like I did with the burgeoning acoustic trio of Mipso. While the band has been rustling around the state for a few years now, the group recently graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill and have finally been able to make the transition into full-time musicians. If you thought the Mipso of old was something to shout about, then you’ll certainly be floored by the concentrated bursts of pop-infused traditional folk that the Mipso crew are currently churning out.

When Mipso joined me in the studio they were preparing for their album release show at Haw River Ballroom, a momentous occasion that combines one of the state’s swiftest rising acts with arguably the finest venue in the area. When Joseph, Wood and Jacob joined me to chat about Dark Holler Pop, their sophomore full-length album that was released in late October, the conversation was free-flowing an all-encompassing. Ranging from the differences in life as a full-time student versus a full-time musician to their tour of Asia and their thoughts on the bluegrass uprising, I had a blast chatting with these immensely talented musicians. To top it all off they performed a few tracks in-studio from Dark Holler Pop, giving an intimate portrayal of the band’s calm but robust sound. Croons and hollers line the tracks of Dark Holler Pop, and as they performed these songs in-studio they held nothing back.

If you’re looking for an immersive conversation that delves into the formation and future of this stellar North Carolina act, then look no further than this Carolina Grown session. Though we’re rather early into this show, I must say that this has by far been my segment, so see what you missed or relive the experience.

Categories
Band/Artist Profile Local Music

Carolina Grown Preview: Nov. 15

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This week’s installment of Carolina Grown is exciting for a few reasons. First off, since the show started I’ve yet to have an entire hour where I get to do nothing but play local music! Granted the whole point of a talk show is to chat with guests, but throughout the second hour of the show this week listeners will get the treat of continuous local tunes from a wide variety of artists and genres. I’m far more excited for this than I probably should be, but combining it with the fact that we’ll be highlighting our November Artist of the Month during the 5:00 hour, this makes for an awesome two hours of programming.

November’s Artist of the Month, and my guest for the first hour of Carolina Grown, is Whatever Brains. For those unfamiliar with this Triangle standout act, Whatever Brains are an amorphous punk band that has swiftly come to command the attention of everyone in proximity. Combining sparse electronic percussion with wrangling instrumentation that teeters simultaneously between noise rock, punk and garage rock, Whatever Brains’ music slowly unfurls with as much aggression as they have precision. With three full-length albums, all self-titled might I add, the band has steadily stayed close to their roots while slightly experimenting with their tried and true sound to make things both exciting and familiar.

Whatever Brains have swiftly become the figureheads of Raleigh’s punk-rock scene, especially with the untimely falling out of Double Negative. The band combines spastic punk rock roots with sprawling bouts of lo-fi psychedelia and riveting lyricism to tightly pull it all together. The band is oozing with tightly wound frustrations that pour out through their caustic live performances, displaying the tact and finesse that many punk bands are devoid of.

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Music News and Interviews

Giveaways for the Week of 11/11 – 11/17

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, November 12th – Kate Nash with La Sera @ Cat’s

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Wednesday, November 13th – Cat’s presents: Girl in a Coma with Almost People and Barron @ Cat’s

Thursday, November 14th – Mako Sica with Canine Heart Sounds @ The Pinhook

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Friday, November 15th – Small Apartments with Prisms and Goner @ The Pinhook

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Friday, November 15th – Basia Bulat with Foreign Fields @ Cat’s (Back Room)

Friday, November 15th – Steep Canyon Rangers with Mipso @ Cat’s

Saturday, November 16th – Deleted Scenes with Grounders @ Kings

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Categories
Concert Review

THE WORLD IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE AND I AM NO LONGER AFRAID TO DIE OCTOBER 28, 2013 – THE LOCAL 506

The World Is… is a midwest emo band from Willimantic, CT. They blend styles from a wide array of influences, including mewithoutYou, Explosions in the Sky, and American Football. The result is powerful and unique. Their name gives a good hint of what you can expect from their music, melodrama and ambition. Though, they don’t take things too seriously, considering all of the playful edits they make to their name. “The World Is A Beautiful Cat and I Am No Longer Afraid to Meow, Meow, Meow”, for example. They have a pretty sweet bag patch with that (and a cat of course).

This was my second time seeing The World Is (They played in Greenville over the summer). The first thing I remember about both performances was how astoundingly clear everything was. The eight-piece dynamic allows for quite a massive sound. Some of their songs are downright anthems (see “Gig Life” or “Getting Sodas”), and their lyrics are tinged with introspection and nervousness. 

They’re one of the forerunners of the so-called “emo revival,” which is all well and good. I’m down for new ears on these bands. After all, it’s what allows TWIAPB to go on nation-wide tours, and heck, my radio show is dedicated to the genre. I just hope all the extra-attention doesn’t water down the genre because it’s the “cool new thing”.

Anywho, to the real story: The band started things off with, “Blank #9”, an instrumental and the first song off their album. Then Shitty Greg sang the first words of the set with “Victim Kin Seek Suit”, from their EP. Their set consisted of mostly new songs, nearly playing through their whole album in order. Hilariously, one of the guitarists filled the space between songs by speaking backward gibberish into his mic. Still, the crowd was pretty stagnant until, by request, they played the heavy hitting “Eyjafjallajokull Dance.“ Right then a little bit of hell broke loose and pushing ensued. They ended their set with “Getting Sodas,” but not before giving the words, “This one’s your problem.” At last, the crowd had warmed up to them and pushed the stage, with David Bello shouting the lyrics “The world is a beautiful place, but we have to make it that way…” I’m definitely looking forward to the next time they come to NC.

                                                                                                            -DJ Nasty Nate

Categories
Weekly Charts

Top Ten Afterhours Albums for 11/11

1 DECO    “Timescales”    (Deceast)

2 ETIENNE DE CRECY    ”Beats N Cubes Vol 2″    (Win)

3 BREAK SCIENCE    “Seven Bridges”    (Pretty Lights Music)

4 Dameron    ”Bronx Showdown”    (Self-Release)          <- LOCAL    

5 BOTANY    ”Lava Diviner (Truestory)”    (Western Vinyl)

6 VARIOUS ARTISTS    ”Verve Remixed: The First Ladies”    (Verve)

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

8 ALLUXE    “Nomad”    (Electronic Creatives)

9 GOLDROOM    “Embrace [EP]”    (Vitalic Noise)

Goldroom – Embrace Lyrics

10 ELIZABETH ROSE    “EP2”    (Inertia)

Categories
Non-Music News

EOT131 The Lounge 11/5/13

This episode of “Eye on the Triangle” brings you a conversation with WKNC’s Walt Lilly, co-founder of the new video series “The Lounge.”

Nick Savage and Andrew Eichen bring you another edition of “Eye on the Triangle,” live each Tuesday at 7 p.m. on WKNC 88.1 FM and wknc.org/listen and available as a downloadable podcast.

Listen to episode 131.

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Non-Music News

EOT130 The Voice Pt2 10/29/13

This episode of “Eye on the Triangle” brings you the second half of our conversation with N.C. State alumna Kat Robichaud and her experience as a contestant on NBC’s “The Voice.”

Nick Savage and Andrew Eichen bring you another edition of “Eye on the Triangle,” live each Tuesday at 7 p.m. on WKNC 88.1 FM and wknc.org/listen and available as a downloadable podcast.

Listen to episode 130.

Categories
New Album Review

New Daytime Music

DeadCat “Transientualism”

With a rocky beginning to the album, I was quite impressed to find such addicting/good tracks at the end. Full of good beats and ambient sounds, DeadCat definitely has a promising future. 

Cobalt Cranes “Head in the Clouds”

Creating their own dreamy sound, Cobalt Cranes new album definitely sounds like their heads were in the clouds when they put together all of these songs. Overall, the band is a really good duo with soothing vocals.

Cass McCombs “Big Wheel and Others”

Not gonna lie, this album is straight up WEIRD, but in a really good way. Cass intertwines soft melodies with wonderful lyrics to create a great album. This album is a really good choice to slow things down a bit. 

Diane Coffee “My Friend Fish”

This is an amazingly beautiful solo album put together by Shaun Flemming (Foxygen’s drummer)! Overall, the album is very impressive and similar (if not better) to the likes of Foxygen’s sound. 

Besides Daniel “This Marvelous Grief”

Consisting of soft acoustics and vocals, Besides Daniel’s new album is very heartfelt and personal. Overall, the album is full of potential and pretty impressive.