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Concert Preview

Carolina Grown Preview: Oct. 11

For the second week of Carolina Grown we’ll be highlighting one of the most promising acts in the state’s hip-hop scene. Toon & The Real Laww, a hip-hop duo from Durham, will be on the air for the first hour promoting their EP Release Show at Kings Barcade on Oct. 11. The two recently released a Double EP entitled You Know The Name/End The Beginning that features tracks from Toon and The Real Laww respectively. Though the two are billed as a duo, they thrive in their own aural niches. The two create their own beats (mostly), and have carved out their own separate hubs that are capable of stand alone excellence, but together they mesh brilliantly and seamlessly.

Toon & The Real Laww is comprised of Professor Toon and The Real Laww, two rappers that vary in approach but convey similar thematic properties in their music. While Toon & The Real Laww are capable of busting out some impressive lyrical wordplay, delivering witty punchlines with pinpoint precision, the true focal point of these MCs is the personality on display. Toon delves deep into his motivation for making it in the rap game and his humble, albeit sometimes chaotic beginnings. Laww’s military background is an ever-looming presence on his raps, his production style lays a booming foundation for his powerful vocal presence and makes for a powerful listening experience. The two may not always collaborate on their tracks, but when they do the chemistry is palpable and beckons the listener to foray deeper into their psyches. Toon & The Real Laww perform at Kings on Oct. 11 along with Cesar Commanche, SkyBlew and Cosmo.

The second hour will be filled with a wide variety of new and old local music from the WKNC library. Though I’ll be off at Shakori Hills soaking in the grassroots goodness, I’ll be leaving you in good musical hands.

Categories
Music News and Interviews

Giveaways for the week of 10/7 – 10/13

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.

Friday, January 31st 2014 – Live Nation presents: The Pixies with Cults @ Durham Performing Arts

Monday, October 7th – Wavves with King Tuff and Jacuzzi Boys @ Cat’s

Afraid of Heights

Tuesday, October 8th – Junip with Barbarossa @ Cat’s

Wednesday, October 9th – Baths with Groundislava and Time Wharp @ Kings

Obsidian

Wednesday, October 9th – Lake with Ser Onda @ Pinhook

Circular Doorway

Thursday, October 10th – Richard Buckner @ Pinhook

Surrounded

Friday, October 11th – Toon and the Real Laww with Cesar Comanche @ King’s

a mixtape vol 3

Friday, October 11th – Colleen Green with The Memories and White Fang @ Pinhook

Sock it To Me

Saturday, October 12th – Eleanor Friedberger @ Cat’s

Saturday, October 12th – Cat’s presents: The Helio Sequence and Menomena @ Kings

Keep Your Eyes Ahead

Categories
Music News and Interviews

Hopscotch Interview: Cy Dune

WKNC interview with Cy Dune during the 2013 Hopscotch Music Festival. Check out the interview below and on our iTunes podcast!

Listen here.

Categories
Music News and Interviews

Interview: The Dodos

The Dodos played Kings Barcade on October 4, accompanied by Dustin Wong and Raleigh natives First Person Plural, in support of the recent release of their fifth studio album, Carrier (Polyvinyl Record Co.). Before the show, I spoke with drummer and multi-percussionist Logan Kroeber of The Dodos.  The band is no stranger to the triangle, having opened for New Pornographers, Drive-By Truckers and Guided By Voices in recent years. We discussed what influenced the new album’s songwriting and instrumentation changes, collaborations, favorite songs and the critically-acclaimed sport of hacky sack.  Check out the interview below and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes!

Listen here.

Categories
Local Music Music News and Interviews

In With The New–Carolina Grown Makes Its Debut

Beginning on Oct. 4, WKNC will be debuting a brand new local music talk show known as Carolina Grown. With the unfortunate departure of longtime DJ and host of The Local Beat, Adam Kincaid, now comes the time to expand on new horizons. Carolina Grown will follow a similar format, but will bring a fresh new spin to the local music scene.

Every Friday from 5:00-7:00 pm Carolina Grown will showcase some of the area’s finest local music. Hosted by Grant Golden, WKNC’s Local Music Director and founder of The Bottom String–a North Carolina music blog–Carolina Grown will bring in local musicians, label owners, journalists, community members and more. The goal of Carolina Grown is to shine light upon local artists and events that deserve recognition. North Carolina is a fantastic but crowded scene, thus some brilliant artists can get overlooked. Carolina Grown is here to bring these voices to the forefront by providing an outlet for these folks to share their message.

Be it art, music or any other variety of entertainment, we’re here for you. That means you as a listener, as an artist, as a promoter, as a venue owner or as a community member. Carolina Grown is here to serve as a soapbox for those with a message and as a reliable outlet for those interested in immersing themselves in their local community. WKNC has always been an integral part of the local scene and we’re always looking to give back to the community. We want you to be able to trust our voice, to see our stamp of approval and know that you’re about to hear something unique, sincere and most of all good.

Be it indie rock, folk, hip-hop, jazz or bluegrass, there’s always bound to be a music-maker catering to your tastes. It’s just a matter of finding them! But thankfully we’re here to do that for you. So tune into WKNC every Friday from 5-7 to soak in the sounds of your area’s finest musicians.

Categories
Festival Coverage

Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance: October 10-13,2013

It’s that time again! Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival is a music lovers’ paradise full of four days, four stages, and over 60 bands in beautiful Chatham County.

 

This family-friendly celebration of music, dance, art, and education is bringing to the stage a number of great artists including: Yonder Mountain String Band, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Donna the Buffalo, International Blues Express with Sidi Toure and Cedric Watson, Preston Frank, Bombadil, The Old Ceremony, Holy Ghost Tent Revival, Mipso, Birds and Arrows, and much more!

 

A full performance schedule can be found here! Tickets and information can be found here!

Categories
Non-Music News

EOT127 Government Shutdown 10/1/13

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.

For weeks, the threat of a government shutdown has been looming as our nations leaders struggle to agree on a budget plan.  But what does it mean now that it’s actually upon us?  Andrew has the story.

Bike sharing is a common feature in urban areas.  With programs in London, New York City, Copenhagen, and many other cities finding great success, NCSU is seeking to get one started right here on campus.  Desirae has more.

Dave interviewed a professor right here at the College of Natural Resources about the varying nature and functions of fires.  Here’s the second in a series of their discussion.

Transit in Raleigh and the Triangle has been a hot topic in the past few months, and there are lots of options for our future.  Michaela explores one of the potential changes to our city.

Next week is the Raleigh municipal election, and the Wake County school bond is being put to a vote.  Sydney has the story.

Listen to all this, plus news from Andrew, weather with Katie, Ben with sports and a community calendar.

Listen to episode 127.

Categories
Music News and Interviews

Hopscotch Interview: Speedy Ortiz

Boston-based indie noise pop Speedy Ortiz is a band that went from playing house shows to packing Kennedy Theater at Hopscotch 2013. This of course was spawned by the release of their debut album Major Arcana that received overwhelming positive reviews including “Best New Music” from Pitchfork. Within a week, this Boston quartet found themselves growing too large for the house shows they had originally booked for themselves. Speedy Ortiz have become one of our favorites here at WKNC as they have been put into heavy rotation since their release a couple months ago. They stopped by Wristband City the morning after their show to talk a bit about their set, their rise to fame, and food.

Listen here.

Categories
Weekly Charts

Top Ten Afterhours Albums for 9/30

1 HERMITUDE    ”HyperParadise”    (Elefant Traks)

2 Dameron    ”Bronx Showdown”    (Self-Release)    

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

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

5 RUXPIN    ”This Time We All Go Together”    (n5MD)

6  HECTIC ZENITHS    ”Hectic Zeniths”    (Self-Released)

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

8 MODERAT    ”II”    (Mute)

9  GOLD PANDA    ”Half Of Where You Live”    (Ghostly)

10 NIGHTMARES ON WAX    "Feelin’ Good"    (Warp)

Categories
Music News and Interviews

Hopscotch Interview: Lapalux

Electronic music has been on a swift rise throughout the past few years. While some folks may write it off due to the bro-step phenomenon, that discredits all of the fantastic sounds that are coming out of this still burgeoning scene. When one looks into electronic music, the beacon of light–at least for me–comes from Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder label based out of L.A. Flying Lotus, grandnephew of the legendary Alice Coltrane, rose to prominence with his jazzy, psychedelic take on electronic music. Since his rise to fame, he’s used his label Brainfeeder to put the spotlight on equally talented acts from across the globe.

One of the label’s most recent standouts is Essex’s Lapalux. The U.K producer crafts a mesmerizing blend of soulful R&B with contemporary beat music to create a hazy, yet infectious brand of electronic music. Lapalux’s music strikes both the mind and the body. He’s capable of both slow-brooding, pensive beats and outright bangers.  Throughout the past few years he’s been honing his craft, releasing four EPs since 2008. But his full-length debut on Brainfeeder, Nostalchic, displays a full realization of these aforementioned themes. Heady beats are embellished by smooth vocal samples and shuffling percussion, making for an entrancing listening experience.

Lapalux sat down with me for an interview on the first day of Hopscotch, hours before his stellar set at The Pour House. Lapalux was embarking on his first U.S. tour, so we spoke a bit about the difference between stateside shows and those in other areas of the globe, how his style came about, and some of his major influences when he first began making music.

Listen here.