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Music News and Interviews

Carolina Grown Podcast: Songs of Water on Nov. 8

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Although our state is best known for our vibrant and ever-expanding indie rock scene, there’s plenty of gems that are hidden throughout the state that display the sheer depth of our musical talent. Acts like Songs of Water are the perfect display of this scene’s breadth, they’re an immensely talented group of musicians with a wide array of influences that funnel out to produce an all-encompassing brand of world-inspired folk music. It’s hard to peg down this band’s genre, as Stephen Roach proclaims the band has heard everything from “post-traditional folk” to cinematic world music.

Whatever you want to call it, it’s damn good. Last week I was joined by several members of this massive seven-person crew to chat a bit about how so many voices can come together to create such a rich and seamless sound. Roach comments on how the band pulls their influences from a variety of regions, one minute you’ll hear traditional West African rhythms bleeding through and on the next track you’ll hear some Russian-inspired folk musings.

Together the band of multi-instrumentalists play on a huge array of instruments, their latest full length The Sea Has Spoken featured over thirty instruments. During our conversation I spoke with the band about just how one goes about learning such a wide variety of instruments, what some of the most unique and region-specific instruments are that they’ve found, and how they go about morphing these songs from studio works to live performances.

Check out our full conversation to find out about the intricacies that go into working with such a large band and the work that’s gone into their forthcoming full length album.

Categories
Weekly Charts

Top Ten Afterhours Albums for 11/18

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

2  MACHINEDRUM    ”Vapor City”    (Ninja Tune)

3  SLOW MAGIC    ”Triangle”    (LebensStrasse)

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

5 IKONIKA    ”Aerotropolis”    (Hyperdub)

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

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

8  ULTRAISTA    ”Ultraista: Remixes”    (Temporary Residence)

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

10 MINDELIXIR    ”Lunology”    (Outside)          <- LOCAL

Categories
New Album Review

New Daytime Music

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. – The Speed of Things
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This is another great release from the electro-indie-pop outfit. They’ve got that whole indie-nostalgia-feely-thingy down really well, all with some pretty engaging beats.
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Cults – Static

This is a high profile release. Psychedelic, shimmery, female vocals, etc. pop, you know the drill by now. Very heavy Kevin Parker vibes here.
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I absolutely love this album. It’s exactly what indie rock is supposed to be: cool, unpretentious, easy, sincere. 
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Yip Deceiver – Medallius
Two guys from Of Montreal’s analog synth pop side project. Great vibe, without a hint of irony.
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This girl is really popular in Brazil. She blends French pop, Americana, and Brazilian rhythms into an extremely unique style. Very exceptional.
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Categories
Concert Preview

Carolina Grown Preview: Nov. 25

While most episodes of Carolina Grown follow a loosely based theme, I’m incredibly excited to announce that this week’s installment is entirely based around our local jazz scene. While I try to highlight each area of our state’s musical talents fairly equally, it’s hard to do when we cover such a wide array of influences. Thus, when I heard that Art of Cool would be announcing their lineup on the evening of November 15, I made sure that I could get them in as quickly after that as possible to talk about the state of our region’s jazz scene. So this Friday I’ll be joined by one of the first acts to pique my interest in local jazz, Peter Lamb and the Wolves and the organizers from one of the projects that is single-handedly responsible for spearheading the jazz revival in the Triangle.

From 5-6 I’ll be joined by Peter Lamb from Peter Lamb and the Wolves. Peter Lamb gained notoriety throughout the area whilst playing tenor sax for the widely known Countdown Quartet, but after they disbanded he wasted no time in gathering up a slew of talented musicians to form a brand new project. Since 2008 Peter Lamb and the Wolves have been bringing a reinvigorated style of traditional New Orleans-style jazz to both old and new fans of jazz music. Beginning at an inaugural ball at Humble Pie for Obama’s 2008 victory, the band has swiftly risen through the ranks thanks to their seemingly endless pool of talent, gaining countless followers along the way. Their most recent full length Humble Pie, was funded entirely through Kickstarter, a campaign that was so successful that they were able to record another full album from the donations. I’ll be debuting a new track from the second album that resulted from this project, thus far only titled The Bootlegs, featuring Maceo Parker a legendary saxophonist from James Brown’s backing band and the iconic Parliament.

From 6-7 I’ll be joined by trumpeter Al Strong (who coincidentally is a member of Peter Lamb and the Wolves) and Cicely Mitchell, the two folks responsible for the Art of Cool Project. For the past few years this non-profit has been helping to increase the local awareness of our vibrant community of jazz musicians and lovers. While they’ve been best known for putting on showcases at art galleries throughout the Triangle, their public awareness was also raised highly due to a successful Kickstarter campaign, but this one helped fund a massive jazz festival that will be taking place in Durham this April. Last Friday they announced a dazzling lineup for the festival that includes Maceo Parker, the Robert Glasper Experiment, Thundercat, Cody ChesnuTT and tons of other internationally acclaimed artists.

The Art of Cool is simultaneously highlighting the immensely talented local jazz musicians while bringing in some of the world’s most revered acts, resulting in a world-class jazz festival that the Triangle can call home. The state has always had strong ties to jazz, but The Art of Cool is helping to strengthen those ties once more. I’ll chat with Al and Cicely about how the project came together, the ins and outs of coordinating a festival of this caliber, and some of the exciting things to come as we lead up to this incredible festival.

Categories
New Album Review

New Daytime Music

Wooden Shjips – Back to Land

Minimalist psych rock like before, only this release isn’t nearly as good as their earlier stuff. 
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Audacity – Butter Knife

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Garage rock with a stiff pop-punk bend. Good hooks, great energy. Very solid album, if not all that distinct.
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The Dirtbombs – Ooey Gooey Chewy Ka-Blooey!



Silly name for a silly album. Garage band plays bubblegum pop. It’s certainly unique, I’ll give it that. 
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Dresses – Sun Shy

Impeccably produced, upbeat pop a la Jason Mraz. If you’re the type to exhort things as “adorable,” you’re probably going to love this.
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Ezra Furman – Day of the Dog

This guy uses classic rock & roll tropes spiced up with Lennon-esque screamy stuff and a super badass sax squealing solos Ornette Coleman style. Cool stuff.
Categories
Non-Music News

EOT132 Silent Witness Project 11/12/13

The Redress Raleigh 2013 Fall Fashion Expo is this weekend.  Michaela has more.  

This week we introduce a new segment called Poet’s Corner, highlighting poetic talent right here at NC State. Join Selma and our guest poet for the first installment.

The Women’s Center at NC State is hosting the Silent Witness Project, which is a memorial to victims of domestic violence. To maximize awareness, the memorial will be placed in different areas around campus during the course of this school year. This week, Sydney sat down with Otis McGresham to find out more.

Yesterday, a federal grand jury in Raleigh indicted a Cary man on charges of attempting to aid a terrorist group. Andrew has the story.

For the past few years, budget cuts have been affecting almost everyone’s lives. Here’s Michaela with more on NC State’s budget cuts.

Listen to all this, plus national and international news from Andrew and Sydney, weather with meteorologist Katie Costa, Ben with sports, and a community calendar.

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 132.

Categories
Music News and Interviews

Carolina Grown Podcast: Gross Ghost on Nov. 1

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Photo Source: Soleil Konkel

I’ve made few attempts at hiding my love for Gross Ghost. This pop heavy indie rock crew has been making moves around the Triangle for years now, but with the release of Public Housing they’ve begun to reap the benefits of their hard work. On Nov. 1 I was joined by Mike Dillon, the songwriter and vocalist for Gross Ghost to chat about the evolution of the band and the writing process that went on for this new record. While their debut full-length Brer Rabbit displayed much of Gross Ghost’s fundamentals, Public Housing delves into a bit deeper territory for the band. Brer Rabbit on its surface highlighted much of the band’s formative years, but Public Housing, as Dillon says, displays a much more relevant side of the band’s life now.

Throughout the hour Mike spun a slew of his favorite local tunes, which we sadly can’t share with you guys, but we do talk a bit about how he came to know and love the North Carolina music scene. Mike and I chatted a lot about how Gross Ghost has come to solidify their lineup, the process that goes into translating their live energy into studio energy, and who we need to be looking out for in the local scene. Without giving too much away, Dillon gives a fantastic peek into the machinations of Gross Ghost’s songwriting process and how the band comes together to create a cohesive vision that encapsulated every member’s creative voice.

Fans of this swiftly rising local act will have quite a bit to indulge in with this recent conversation, as I for one loved to hear about the origins and future plans for one of my favorite local acts.

Check out our full conversation.

Categories
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.  

Categories
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.

Categories
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.