My final thoughts on Phuzz Phest 2014 is a quality tip of the hat. Growing up from around the area, I never considered Winston-Salem to be the most hopping place in the triad. However, after experiencing Phuzz for the first time, I can rightfully say that I am impressed with the music scene and efforts that everyone is working towards in this old tobacco town. While there, it was not hard to believe that I was partaking in what could be the beginning stages of something similar to a SXSW. With places like Krankies Coffee, The Garage, Ziggy’s, Reanimator, and top quality restaurants, Winston-Salem is a hot spot that is full of potential.
Not only are wonderful things happening in Winston, but there is so much room for expansion. Be it abandoned warehouses, or the large piece of land that separates Krankies from the highway, I am eager to see the growth of Winston-Salem as a city and music scene over the next few years.
I should not dare forget to mention though that this year’s festival included top performers and was very well organized. One aspect that impressed me was how on schedule most of the acts seemed to be and how professional all the venues were run and organized. Additionally, Phuzz Phest provided a lot more events that were separate from just the lineup. With a coffee conference, brunch, and multiple day parties, Phuzz Phest was an unrelenting outlet of entertainment. Although I enjoyed all of the music acts that I came into contact with; I would say that at the end of the week it is the quality, growth, and potential of Phuzz Phest that ultimately puts the biggest smile on my face.
Slightly Stoopid will be coming through Raleigh this summer, with special guests Stephen Marley and G. Love & Special Sauce. Thanks to Live Nation, WKNC has 5 pairs of tickets to give away!
Tickets will be given away from Tuesday, April 8 until Friday, April 11. Just be the correct caller when the DJ asks for calls on air to win a pair of tickets! Tickets for this concert go on sale Friday, April 11 at 10 am on Ticketmaster.com, at Ticketmaster outlets, and at 800-745-3000.
It is with much deliberation that myself and my partner in Phuzz Records have made the decision to sever ties with Twelve Thousand Armies, whose new album was released on our label two weeks ago.
Two months after signing a contract with Justin Williams, the songwriter performing under the name Twelve Thousand Armies, and days before the album’s release date, a red flag was raised against Justin by a local record store owner suggesting a history of violence against women. As we were unsure of how to proceed with the information at our disposal, the record was released as scheduled, however our recent discussion with primary sources new to us has led us to see no alternative to ending our professional relationship with Twelve Thousand Armies and Justin Williams.
As a new, small and self-funded record label, canceling a record into which we’ve invested significant money and energy translates to a complete and total loss. While we agreed to put the album out because of our love for music, we feel that new information has made this decision the only one we can make in good conscience.
Because of past interactions with Justin, we were aware that he struggled with alcohol abuse, however, we were completely shocked by the depth of allegations against him by numerous individuals. Regardless of any legal documents available or unavailable to us regarding Justin’s history, we do not condone any sort of violent behavior, and cannot in good faith continue promoting the album.
This is not a condemnation of Justin as a human being. We wish no ill will toward him, believing that hate can only breed more hate. We also believe in the power of redemption for people willing to take steps in that direction. We hope Justin and his family can have a peaceful future, but are unable to continue being involved with Justin in a professional capacity.
Additionally, we have decided to make a donation in the amount of $500 to Family Services, our local domestic violence women’s shelter. This equals the amount of money we have recouped from our investment in the record thus far. We realize this does little to ease the pain of the millions of women who are physically abused each year, but we hope to raise awareness about this serious and pervasive issue. We also hope to take steps towards making amends with anyone who may have been offended by our original decision to release this album.
It’s not too often that you find a sold out hip hop show in Raleigh these days, let alone on an unsuspecting Tuesday night. But the formula of the infamous Mobb Deep, North Carolina’s own 9th Wonder, and a fresh album release combined to pack King’s with hip hop heads ready to celebrate some of the greatest craftsmen still in the game.
The show started off with 9th Wonder spinning beats for some of the up and coming artists on his new Jamla is the Squad album. GQ and Rapsody killed it and got the crowd sufficiently hyped up for the main event. 9th Wonder graciously relinquished the stage and the heavy weights entered (literally, Mobb Deep had a 350 pound body guard chilling in the corner). The Infamous kings of east coast rap have not lost a step, as both Havoc and Prodigy spit bar after bar of electrified gold.
WKNC presents Fridays on the Lawn, our FREE OUTDOOR CONCERT SERIES, with Double Barrel Benefit 10’s JKutchma & The Five Fifths and local favorite, Wool! It will be catered by Howling Cow- ICE CREAM!
“The Lawn” is back to its roots at HARRIS FIELD in front of WKNC at the Witherspoon building. This is on the intersection of Cates Avenue and Dan Allen Drive.
Come out for a FREE evening of local music, free food, prizes, and giveaways. Bring some buds and a blanket, and enjoy a wonderful spring afternoon!
Parking is available in Dan Allen Deck and all spots marked “C” at and after 5 PM.
JKutchma & The Five Fifths Jason Kutchma has been a staple of the North Carolina scene for some time now, rising through the ranks of mediocrity and anonymity with one of the most popular local groups of the past decade, Durham’s Red Collar. But when Red Collar decided to take a break back in 2010, Kutchma didn’t and continued on the road performing heartland rock inspired solo material, hardly starting over.
After a year and two live EPs, perfecting his newfound spur jangling, percussive playing craft, the Five Fifths were introduced and their incredible debut album, Pastoral, was released. The Five Fifths combine the punk attitude and energy of his old band, Red Collar, with the boot stomping, soul searching rawness that he became known for while performing solo in between the groups. What emerges is the best of both worlds.
-Adam Kincaid
WOOL From Impose Magazine on WOOL: “Every so often there is a single that transports your entire sense of being to places where even the sky can’t reach. Such is the case with the premiere of this new interstellar song from Wool, with "Stars”. A creative crew that heralds from Raleigh, North Carolina; Troy Brian Hancock, Zack Oden, Johnny Hobbs, and Raymond Finn continue to make music that is not of this planet alone. Following up 2013’s Delta EP and the recent single “Divine”, “Stars” takes off into the hazy density of black holes, red dwarfs, and seltzer water supernovas of the mind’s eye.
With the application of head changing effects, WOOL makes a dream machine spaceship. “Stars” orbits on account of steady percussion programming, Hancock’s moonage-space-dream vocals, with everything wrapped in the rhythm and sustained fuzz guitars generators. Troy and Zack find the right affected keys and treatments for a guitar sound that creates an instant chemical and empathetic response from the listener. The song connects the dots from the star-gazing earthbound folks with ears to hear to the galaxy trekking star-bound fans of the final frontiers. For over three minutes you can experience the bridging of solar systems and planetary collisions compliments of Raleigh’s indie quintet with “Stars” in their eyes.“
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!
Thu April 10 – Roadkill Ghost Choir with Desert Noises @ Kings
Fri April 11 – T0W3RS with Oulipo and Hectorina @ Kings
Fri, April 11 – North Elementary and LUD Dual Album Release party @ Cat’s Back Room
Fri April 11 – Professor Toon & The Real Laww with Must Be The Holy Ghost, Cracker and the Doctor @ Pinhook
Sat April 12 – Pissed Jeans with Thee Tsunamis and Apache Dropout @ Pinhook
Sun, April 13 – Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra @ Cat’s
Eye on the Triangle is WKNC’s weekly public affairs programming, with news, interviews, opinion, weather, sports, arts, music, events, and issues that matter to NCSU, Raleigh, and the Triangle. This week on EOT:
Contributor Saba spoke with an NC State student and WKNC DJ who may have the opportunity to take a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Mars! In our continuing coverage, here is the final part of their discussion.
The Voice is a nationally-broadcasted TV show that highlights untapped talent from around the country. A graduate from NC State got the chance to be on the show, and an interview with her was featured last semester on Eye On the Triangle. She made another visit to WKNC recently, and Sydney had the chance to speak with her. On the previous Eye On the Triangle, the first part of their discussion was aired. In another continuing-coverage piece, here is the second part.
Listen to all this, plus national and international news from Andrew and Sydney, meteorologist Katie Costa’s forecast, 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.
WKNC has 5 pairs of tickets for O.A.R. and Phillip Phillips on July 13 at the Red Hat Amphitheater thanks to Live Nation.
One pair of tickets will be given away each day from Monday, April 7 until Friday, April 11. Just be the correct caller when the DJ asks for calls on air to win a pair of tickets! Tickets go on sale Saturday, April 12 at 10 am on Ticketmaster.com, at Ticketmaster outlets, and at 800-745-3000.
I had the chance to sit down with Keegan DeWitt and Jeremy Bullock of Wild Cub before their performance at Cat’s Cradle on March 30, 2014. They released their first album, Youth, in the beginning of 2014 and are currently touring the U.S. alongside Vampire Weekend and American Authors. Below are some highlights of our interview.
So you guys are familiar with Raleigh?
Jeremy: I grew up here. Cat’s Cradle was the kind of venue growing up that I would look at the concert calendar and that’s how I would discover bands.
How did you both come together in Nashville?
Keegan: Jeremy moved there initially with Pico and my sister was in a band called Roman Candle, which was originally from Chapel Hill. I was in New York for the last eight years and decided I wanted something different. So I came to Nashville and that’s how I met Jeremy. At the time I was doing singer/songwriter stuff and I was kind of stealing him away from Pico whenever I could. Eventually Pico transitioned into something else and I knew I was in a similar place. We had the idea to begin this project so we started recording “Thunder Clatter,” took over Jeremy’s house, and started recording the record. Then the record suddenly was done and we were like, ‘okay I guess we should do this!’
Keegan: In some ways, the record is a year and half old because we recorded it before we were even a band. In January we re-released it to the world.
You guys are signed to Mom + Pop Records alongside some other WKNC favorite artists such as Polica, Andrew Bird, Cloud Nothings, Sleigh Bells. So what made you decide to go with Mom + Pop?
Keegan: That’s one of the reasons we chose Mom + Pop. As you grow you have these couple moments where you have to make strategic choices about how you want people to receive your music. It’s a really precious thing how they encounter the music and how they contextualize it for themselves. We just felt like we’re making pop music that’s hopefully going to reach a lot of people and will speak to a large amount of people. Mom + Pop represents a record label that is so curated and so tastefully put together and has so many artists who kind of skate that same line where we are, which is yeah, we’re making pop music but there’s depth to it. We really labored to make it thoughtful and feel like something special. To say that we signed to Mom + Pop was a big point of pride for us.
Jeremy: You can just look at their roster and it just looks handpicked and it feels like it represents one big family. So that’s kind of how Wild Cub operates.
Where have you guys found inspiration for your sound and how did it develop?
Keegan: We use a lot of organic sounds like with “Shapeless,” we used a little Casio home keyboard. A lot of it was trying to make the record as organic as possible because a lot of what’s happening in music right now is that it’s so sleekly produced- especially electronic music. It’s just so airtight. What was important for us was to make electronic music that still felt really authentic almost like you found someone’s diary with a bunch of photographs stuffed into it. So, although some of the songs are electronic in some formation, it still feels like there’s a breath to it. Jeremy brought in a fourtrack, which had to be the same fourtrack I used when I was like sixteen learning how to write songs. Our producer, Dabney, had the idea to take all the drum parts and all the synth parts we had recorded in the computer and run them onto the tape. It gave it a kind of grittiness to it and made it feel authentic.
Jeremy: We say that we turned my bedroom into a studio, but I don’t know that you’d actually call it a studio. A lot of it, like the Casio keyboard, was stuff that was just lying around. We were just limited to what was around us and the sounds on the record kind of reflect that.
Keegan: It’s sort of funny, we’ll get into a rental car in L.A. and hear Thunder Clatter on the radio we’ll think, “that’s kind of hilarious; we recorded that in a bedroom.” I hope that somewhere that’s why people connect to the song and the record in general. It’s a record that is now reaching a lot of people but it was created in this teeny-tiny way and a lot of us just saying, “I think that’s how you mix a record?”
In terms of influences, a lot of the non-sonic stuff was filmmaking and poetry. I was really digging into this poet, Philip Larkin, who was hinting at the same stuff thematically that I am trying to talk with on the record like growing up, aging, and what it means to get a little bit older. Also, to kind of look back on the developmental years of your life.
My big moment for the record happened two or three years before we formed the band when I came here to UNC and looking at the incredible collection of Walker Percy diaries. He kind of coined this phrase called ‘the sad little happiness.’ That phrase for me was such an exciting idea. The idea of this intimacy that you share with somebody that’s not like the big kiss or the first moment of meeting them. It’s like sitting in a car and listening to a song you both enjoy. You’re both connecting but not talking at all. There’s this intangible, smaller thing. Walker Percy was a big jumping off point for me as far as lyrics.
So, it was kind of those little fleeting moments that really inspired you?
Keegan: Yeah I feel like those are the ones that last. You don’t remember the moment your dad died but you remember how silly it was driving home that night when “Life Is a Highway” comes on and you think ‘this is ridiculous.’ It’s those cool, interesting contrasts that you have in your life. Yeah there’s the big spark moments that seem all impressive but it’s these small, like you said, fleeting things that you appreciate the most.
Random question: what are you guys currently digging right now in music?
Keegan: My favorite record right now is Warpaint’s but I say that too much. The guys in the van really have to suffer through me listening to a lot of Warpaint.
Jeremy: We saw them at SXSW and I think on their last record they were the band that we caught maybe more than we should. Maybe four or five times?
Keegan: Yeah we got addicted. We saw them once and were like ‘let’s just go catch them again!’
How did it go at SXSW?
Keegan: It was great! It feels a little bit like boot camp. It’s the thing where you play ten shows in seven days and I try to keep my voice and still try to talk to people.
Jeremy: I think this was our eighth year? We’re used to it by now. It’s nice you get excited about it but you’re preparing for it mentally. You’re like, ‘alright well, it’s gonna be a lot of vodka Red Bulls!’
Keegan: A lot of tacos at 2am. I remember two or three weeks beforehand we were sitting in Albany in a blizzard in a polar vortex and that was our carrot at the end of the stick. We just thought, ‘okay, two weeks from now we’ll be in Austin eating tacos!’
You guys played on Jimmy Fallon! How did that go?
Jeremy: Oh it was terrifying. It’s the kind of thing where you have a really early load-in and you sound check one song at 11am. Then you sit around until you play at 4:30pm. So you’re like, ‘alright I’ll just pace around our green room and think about the one song that we’re about to play on national television.’
Keegan: We had a great thing where one of our amps didn’t turn on for the first time we did the song so it was especially terrifying. After we played the entire first song we thought, “oh, we’re doomed!” Then, Jimmy came over and was like, “that was awesome. You’ll just do it again. It’ll be fine.” Then we relaxed and did it again but I felt like I aged that day. We’re hoping when we do Conan next week, we’ll just walk in super relaxed. We’ll just high-five the camera man.
