Category: Blog

Categories
Concert Review

Show Review: Dr. Dog brings the heat on a cold Monday in Saxapahaw

Dr. Dog

It’s a firmly held belief for me that Haw River Ballroom is the finest venue in the state, and each show I attend at the gorgeous venue drives that point further and further home.  Between the fine gas station dining of the Saxapahaw General Store (it’s not at all what it sounds like, incredible food with a diverse menu!) and the breath taking aesthetics of the ballroom, there’s nothing to dislike about this place.  The crowd got surprisingly wild for a Monday night, but when you’ve got an incredible act like Dr. Dog on the bill the date is really irrelevant…it’s gonna be a party either way.  Throwing in old favorites and plenty of gems from their latest album Be The Void, Dr. Dog had a little bit of something for everyone on Monday night.

Cotton Jones

Cotton Jones was the opening act, and while the band put on a great performance they suffered from a heart breaking condition that has been sweeping the nation for decades, OBS, or Opening Band Syndrome.  When you’ve got an act like Dr. Dog headlining it takes a lot to maintain the attention of a packed crowd, an opening act has to be bursting with energy to become a memorable part of the evening when you’re opening for a powerhouse.  While Cotton Jones’ folk pop tunes from Maryland blend rustic goodness with vivid lyricism, they lacked the presence needed to be anything other than an opening act.  In any other setting their charm may have shone through brighter, with a one man brass section playing tuba and trombone, the band certainly had the potential to be an incredible opener.  However, once Dr. Dog took the stage Cotton Jones’ laid back folk songs took a backseat to the raucous live act.

Dr. Dog

Allow me to preface this by saying I’ve already had a failed attempt at seeing Dr. Dog this year when I was stuck in a traffic jam on I-40 on my way to see the band at Music on the Mountaintop back in August, so my excitement for this show was through the roof.  Haw River was the PERFECT venue for this band, with fantastic acoustics and a wide open room the ballroom perfectly housed the heart warming sounds of Dr. Dog.  From open to close, Dr. Dog lead the crowd in a joyous singalong with a fantastic career spanning set.  While the bulk of the set came from Be The Void, with tracks like “How Long Must I Wait”, “Lonesome”, and “That Old Black Hole” standing out amongst the crowd, the band scattered in personal favorites from Fate and Shame, Shame like  "The Breeze", “Shadow People”, and set closer, “Jackie Wants A Black Eye”.

The band’s harmonies lived up to all of the high expectations I’d set for them, lead vocalists Toby Leaman and Scott McMicken put on dazzling performances filled with passion and energy.  While there wasn’t much stage banter, the band did plenty of interacting with the crowd, like Leaman grabbing a camera bag from the front of the stage and using their cell phone to make a phone call mid-song.  The band’s lyrical depth can easily define their music in the studio, but their live performance breathes vivacity into otherwise low-key songs.  Dr. Dog is a band like no other, they perfectly blend elements of indie rock with psychedelic folk to make for an array of beautiful textures that are perfectly suited for their devastatingly brilliant lyrics.

 

Categories
Non-Music News

EOT108 Stop Torture Now 10/30/12

Interview with Christina Cowger, NCSU professor and volunteer with NC Stop Torture Now.

Listen to episode 108.

Categories
Non-Music News

Insect Minute – Bioluminescence

Our resident entomology expert Heather Campbell brings us another Insect Minute. This week’s topic: bioluminescence.

If you would like to find out more about bioluminescence visit the museum’s website at insectmuseum.org where you also find information about our museum and read our blog where we talk about interesting stuff going on in the world of entomology.

Listen to episode 10.

Categories
Music News and Interviews

Yung Louie to Visit 88.1FM WKNC Tonight at 9:30 pm

Fayetteville’s own, Yung Louie, will be dropping by the studios of 88.1fm WKNC for an interview with Mir.I.am tonight, November 3rd at 9:30 pm. The rapper is known for his “infectious hooks, straight to the point lyrics, and hypnotic beats.”

Check out the latest video from Louie, ‘Bands,’ which has gained over 1 Million views on Youtube and find the single on iTunes here.

Categories
Concert Preview

NCSU Homecoming Brings Bands to Hillsborough Street

NC State football will face Virginia on Saturday, November 3 for this year’s homecoming game. The game begins at 12:30PM, if you make it through your shotgun-ridden beer pong-playing pig-roasting tailgating, that is. Festivities have been going on all week, including last night’s Pack Howl concert featuring Wale and the week-long “Wear Red Get Fed” campaign, where broke hungry college students are rewarded with free food from local businesses for donning the school’s famous color.

What we here at WKNC are most excited about though  (we have a few hardcore sports fans, a sports show, etc. — but let’s face it, music is the priority here) are the string of free shows taking place all afternoon into the night. Hillsborough Street’s Homecoming Music Fest will begin at 4:00PM at Schoolkids Records. Similar to Halloween’s hike night, bars, restaurants and venues along Hillsborough will have bands playing:

4:00PM – Nick Autry @ Schoolkids Records

5:00PM – Spider Bags @ Schoolkids Records

6:00PM – Homecoming Parade on Hillsborough Street

7:30PM – Jason Adamo Band @ Sadlacks, Love Under @ Hotbox, Bullfrog McGhee @ Chili Bomba, Side Car Social Club @ The Keg, SupaTight @ The Alley, Sai Surrealia @ Pack House, E-Train @ East Village, Future Islands @ Schoolkids

8:00PM – Free Karaoke @ Brickhouse

10:30PM –  MSRP & The Last Tall Boy @ Sadlacks, Windsor Oaks Band @ Hotbox, DJ @ Chili Bomba, DW Band @ The Keg, TheAmateurs @ The Alley, Synergy and Heads on Sticks @ Pack House, Hot Damn Band @ East Village, The Embers @ Pantana Bobs, Spider Bags @ Schoolkids

Categories
Non-Music News

2012 N.C. State Basketball Preview

Justin Leitch

The North Carolina State Wolfpack have been all over the national media spotlight since the ACC tournament last March. The Pack has been ranked sixth by the AP preseason polls and many players have been named to preseason honors.

Junior Forward C.J. Leslie has been named to the preseason All American 2nd Team as well as being named the preseason ACC Player of the Year. Freshman Guard Rodney Purvis has been named preseason ACC Rookie of the Year. The preseason ACC first team (voted on by ACC coaches) included two Wolfpack players, C.J. Leslie and Junior Point Guard Lorenzo Brown.

All of this information is exciting and encouraging, but at this point it is meaningless hype that many teams around the country have received in years past and then fell apart when the games start being played.  In this blog I am going to take a quick look at the roster and tell you why I think this team is NOT going to falter like so many teams riding high expectations have in the past. When building a team, there are a few keys that you must have to be a true contender.

 

The National Caliber Star

C.J. Leslie, Junior F

2011-2012 Stats: 14.7 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.1 apg

As you can tell from the introduction, many people view C.J. Leslie as one of the best players in the nation and a vital part of this Wolfpack team. Over the course of last season, Leslie’s game improved dramatically as he began to dominate games down the stretch of the ACC season and in the ACC tournament. Leslie’s health (cramping problems throughout last season) and on court demeanor (which has been questionable at times but seems to be much improved with time under Gottfried) will be huge things to look out for throughout this season as the junior needs to step into a leadership role. I expect Leslie to increase all his numbers this season as well as cut down on turnovers. His greatest improvement this offseason has been the improvement of the mid range jump shot, which if consistent, has the ability to make him nearly unguardable.

 

Talented, Explosive Playmaker and Distributer

Lorenzo Brown, Junior PG

2011-2012 Stats: 12.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 6.3 apg

Brown has the talent, discipline, teammates, and coaching to be the best point guard in the nation this season. Upon coming to N.C. State as a freshman, the point guard actually was a shooting guard. When Ryan Harrow decided to transfer to Kentucky because of the firing of Head Coach Sidney Lowe, the Wolfpack needed a point guard and last season Zo filled that role, exceeding expectations anyone had for him. With an offseason to better learn the position, although having been slowed by a knee injury, Lorenzo is in position to have a breakout year. Also, because of Brown’s natural size and athleticism he is a ferocious defender at the PG position.

 

Lights Out Shooter

Scott Wood, Senior SF

2011-2012 Stats: 12.4 ppg, 40.9 3P%, 95 3PM

Scott Wood is seen by many people, inside the ACC and out, as the best shooter in the nation. He often struggles to create his own shot and can, at times, be a liability on the defensive end, but if left with any daylight, will knock down shots consistently. When Wood is hitting, not only is that an immediate source of offense, but it also stretches the defense and opens up more opportunities for others in the paint.

 

Supporting Cast

Richard Howell, Rodney Purvis, T.J. Warren

These guys, Rodney Purvis, Senior Forward Richard Howell, and Freshman Forward T.J. Warren, will all contribute big minutes this season. Richard Howell is one of the best rebounders in the ACC (9.2 rpg 2011-2012) and a soft-spoken leader for this Wolfpack team. Infamous for getting in foul trouble, if the Pack is going to have a successful season, Howell will need to be smart on the defensive end in big games. Purvis and Warren both have ACC ready bodies, even as freshmen, and are expected to make an immediate impact in scoring and defensively this season.

Safety Valves

Tyler Lewis, Thomas De Thaey, Jordan Vandenberg

Expect each of these players, Freshmen PG Tyler Lewis, Sophomore F Thomas De Thaey, and Junior C Jordan Vandenberg, to play a decent amount of minutes this year and step into larger roles in the instances of injury and foul trouble. Lewis, a highly touted PG from Virginia has a knack for finding the open man and running talented offense (as seen by his play in high school at Oak Hill Academy) and both De Thaey and Vandenberg are big bodies that have the ability to contribute both defensively and on the offensive end.

Predictions for 2012-2013 Stats

Role

Player

MPG

PPG

RPG

APG

3PMG

Starter

Lorenzo Brown, PG

35

12

4

7

1

Starter

Rodney Purvis, SG

25

10

2

3

0

Starter

Scott Wood, SF

30

14

2

2

3

Starter

C.J. Leslie, F

34

18

8

2

0

Starter

Richard Howell, F

30

8

10

1

0

Bench

T.J. Warren, F

10

5

3

1

0

Bench

Thomas De Thaey, F

8

4

4

0

1

Bench

Tyler Lewis, PG

10

4

1

4

0

Bench

Jordan Vandenberg, C

8

3

5

0

0

Totals

Team

200

78

39

20

5

 

Record: (26-4, 15-3 ACC)

Good Wins: vs. UCONN, vs. DUKE, vs. UNC, vs. FSU, @ UNC, @ FSU

Bad Losses: @GT, vs. CSU

Categories
Weekly Charts

WKNC’s Charts and Top 5 Adds – Oct. 29

Each week, the WKNC music directors tally up spins for new releases and submit their top charts to CMJ.

Top 5 Adds! 

1 SIC ALPS Sic Alps Drag City

2 WHY? Mumps, Etc Anticon

3 CHAD VALLEY Young Hunger Cascine

4 BARBARAS 2006-2008 Goner

really messed up this week ya’ll… The 5th add should’ve been Bat for Lashes..

Top 200!

1 MELODY’S ECHO CHAMBER Melody’s Echo Chamber Fat Possum

2 BLACK MOTH SUPER RAINBOW Cobra Juicy Rad Cult

3 TAMARYN Tender New Signs Mexican Summer

4 MOON DUO Circles Sacred Bones

5 ALT-J An Awesome Wave Canvasback

6 BLACK MARBLE A Different Arrangement Hardly Art

7 CORIN TUCKER BAND Kill My Blues Kill Rock Stars

8 JENNIFER CASTLE Jennifer Castle

9 TAKEN BY TREES Other Worlds Secretly Canadian

10 MUSIC TAPES Mary’s Voice Merge

11 TY SEGALL Twins Drag City

12 WILD NOTHING “Paradise” [Single] Captured Tracks

13 DUM DUM GIRLS End Of Daze SUB POP

14 GRIZZLY BEAR Shields Warp

15 SUN AIRWAY Soft Fall Dead Oceans

16 HELIO SEQUENCE Negotiations SUB POP

17 POOR MOON Poor Moon SUB POP

18 FLYING LOTUS Until The Quiet Comes Warp

19 DARK DARK DARK Who Needs Who Supply And Demand

20 SEAPONY Falling Hardly Art

21 SOFT PACK Strapped Mexican Summer

22 MOUNTAIN GOATS Transcendental Youth Merge

23 LUYAS Animator Dead Oceans

24 FRESH AND ONLYS Long Slow Dance Mexican Summer

25 ARIEL PINK’S HAUNTED GRAFFITI Mature Themes 4AD

26 JOHN CALE Shifty Adventures In Nookie Wood Domino

27 HOW TO DRESS WELL Total Loss Acephale

28 TILLY AND THE WALL Heavy Mood Team Love

29 DJANGO DJANGO Django Django Ribbon

30 TOY Toy coop

Categories
Non-Music News

Are We Looking At Another 2000?

As the final week before Election Tuesday begins, nobody seems to have any answers as to just who or who may not hold the lead in this year’s presidential election. As more and more politicos seem to agree that the House may yet again remain in control of the Republicans, the White House race seems just too close to call. In fact, the word “chaos” seems as apt as a descriptor as any. Charlie Cook, of the highly respected Cook Political Report has suggested that for the second time since the 2000 election, the winner of the popular vote might not be the winner of the Electoral College vote. This scenario was of course thought to be highly improbable, and had been a rare occurrence in American presidential politics. Then came the presidential election of 2000, an election still studied as an anomaly, a once in a thousand years occurrence. The idea that it could happen again, as improbable as it may seem now, is not impossible.

If there is one thing that this election cycle has proven, it is that there are still plenty of factors that could turn this race at any moment. Before Denver, there were few that thought much could hurt the Democratic incumbent in the race. Since his lackluster debate and the Republican candidate’s stellar performance in that first encounter, the race has tightened considerable, despite two other debates since then.

It would be foolish to downplay the possibility that something could, even at this late stage in the race, upset the race in favor of one candidate or the other. One wild card that could have an influence might be the recently passed Hurricane Sandy, which is even now continuing to cause problems up and down the Eastern seaboard. From New York to North Carolina, millions have been devastated. The next few days will be crucial for the current incumbent. All eyes will be on the White House to gauge his response to the latest natural disaster to strike the U.S., and the President is acutely aware of this.

But when it’s all said and done, will Sandy really have an impact on the race? It’s too early to tell, but with Katrina still on the minds of many around the country, a repeat of 2005 would almost certainly spell disaster for the President. Mr. Romney, on the other hands, has had to answer to some inquiries of his own, as many have taken a second look at his stances on disaster relief, which include giving more autonomy to the states or the private sector in times of crises. Rhetoric or not, it has raised questions about how the challenger would respond to a crisis of this scale. For anyone still undecided this late in the race, there is certainly no shortage of information of advertisements coming from both sides of the aisle, but ultimately what could decide this race could be out of the hands of either party.

Categories
Concert Review

Show Review: The Lollipops sweeten up a Thursday night at Kings

The Lollipops

Despite being a college student, I’m pretty much an old man.  I watch my Jeopardy every night and I’m usually nodding off during The Daily Show, but every now and then I’m compelled to drag my lazy ass out of the house on the weekdays.  Thursday was one of those fated days, with a handful of incredible acts playing in downtown Raleigh including a stellar lineup for GZA’s Liquid Swords tour, I chose the local route with DiggUp Tapes standouts The Lollipops and Jenny Besetzt.  While the initial showing was a bit lackluster, as the night went on the crowd got gradually larger and more raucous.  While Jenny Besetzt had a handful of swaying head-nodders, by the end of the night The Lollipops were leading Kings in a full on PBR-fueled dance party.

 

Jenny Besetzt

The night began with one of the most heavily lauded local bands of the year, Jenny Besetzt.  The band just made their way back to North Carolina for their tour after playing a bit further up north and what a homecoming it was.  The band recently added Justin Flythe (formerly of Lonnie Walker) as their new keyboard player, and while their regular drummer wasn’t playing on Thursday the band still proved to be incredibly tight and harmonious.  Blasting through favorites from their debut full length, Only, these songs shine in a new light during live performances.  The band packs a bit heavier of a punch with live performances, guitar lines feel less ethereal and more jaunting, but the vocals still perfectly counteract that added grit with raw intensity while maintaining it’s dreamlike aspects.  Jenny Besetzt continues to impress me with each show I see, they’ve made the leap that many can’t by transitioning their shoegaze-y sound into a driving and powerful live act that not only grasps your attention but leaves you speechless, thirsting for more.

Companion

After Jenny Besetzt was Companion, a stellar Brooklyn band that played with Jenny Besetzt in New York and made their way down the coast for their first official tour.  The band is relatively new but displayed a fantastic sense of self with entrancing three part vocal harmonies that counteracted their driving rhythms perfectly.  Fueled by a tasteful mixture of electronic beats and physical drums, the addition of an electronic percussion sound added an entirely new layer to this already dense and lush arrangement.  I must say I was thoroughly surprised by this band, and I think they were equally surprised by the Thursday night outing, as the band’s lead vocalist Pepi Ginsberg brought out a camera of her own to take a big family picture of the crowd.  This was the perfect band to transition from the depth and wonder of Jenny Besetzt to the simplistic yet equally invigorating bedroom pop sounds of The Lollipops.

As the band was taking the stage, brainchild Iggy Cosky was frantically writing out a setlist, an image that perfectly encapsulates the essence of The Lollipops.  Everything flows together wonderfully yet still feels spastic and urgent.  Painfully infectious pop melodies perfectly counteract the gritty lo-fi bedroom recordings and transition into one hell of a live show, Cosky leads the band with a commanding presence, Iggy seems genuinely excited to be on stage and that excitement permeated throughout the once spread out crowd of Kings.  The crowd condensed into one tightly packed dance party that was bursting with energy, bouncing along to favorites like “I Love You” and “Wolves”.  During the show Iggy announced a soon to be released album, making for their “third release in 8 months”.  To put it simple these guys go hard in the paint.  This lineup was excellent from top to bottom, and ending with the brilliant pop sounds of The Lollipops was the best way to go out.  An incredible way to spend a Thursday night!

Categories
Concert Review

Show Review: El Ten Eleven at Kings Barcade

This was my first time seeing El Ten Eleven. The LA-based post rock (even though they hate being categorized) duo recently released its fifth full-length album Transitions, a fast-paced hypnotically layered ten-track.

Kristian Dunn plays a Wal fretless bass and a guitar/bass doubleneck, using multiple loop and effects pedals to create full sounds.  Tim Fogarty has his drum kit fed into some of the pedals, giving Kristian the ability to control loops on that as well. By the way – this is all done live. No samples, no pre-recorded loops. They made it a point to make sure the audience knew this. Without dropping names, they were able to subtly bash artist who essentially just hit the play button on their Mac.

As a matter of fact, when a mic went out on stage they decided to do an improv song. Kristian asked the audience for a key to play in, and major or minor. This led into an album-worthy rendition he dubbed “Raleigh in F minor.” This equated to the best stage banter I’ve heard, and compensated for when he tried to say something generic like “so how about that local sports team?” to the audience. Usually this wouldn’t have stricken a nerve, but he got booed for that comment. Apparently only NC State fans were at the show. (Our football team unfortunately lost to UNC for the first time in six years, and it was also their first in-state win of the season.) I forgive you, Kristian.

I couldn’t stop smiling or dancing the entire show. Seeing how the songs came together was incredible and added a lot to the experience of listening to them, live or at home. The projection panels behind them intensified the beats. Plus, being surrounded by zombies, mimes and a Bob Ross was great.

A little after 1:00AM, Kristian announced that they would be playing their final song – they’re “real” final song. He called other artists out for “faking” the encore, the say goodbye but let’s still leave our instruments on stage and walk back out after we let the audience tell us how much they love us for approximately 75 seconds. From the opener “Thanks Bill” (my favorite) to the last note of the last song, the band was on point and engaging. I’m looking forward to catching them again sometime.