WKNC 88.1 FM - North Carolina State University Student RadioHey Everyone,
I know that I’m a bit behind in the Podcasts currently, but no worries, we will be completely up to date tonight. All of our great shows in past few weeks will be accessible through iTunes within 12 hours.
Thanks for bearing with me,
Deondre’ Jones
Public Affairs Assistant Director
EDIT: Might take a little bit longer, technical difficulties.
Father John Misty
Friday night proved to be another fantastic time at The Cat’s Cradle, as the freak-folk rock act of Father John Misty took the crowd by storm with their swagger and prowess. Father John Misty is the moniker taken on by J. Tillman, former drummer of Fleet Foxes for his latest musical project. Bored with the pedantic, sad-sack songwriting of many of his peers, Tillman took a road trip with no destination and a bag full of mushrooms, eventually leading him to Los Angeles in an unexpected turn of events. Tillman hulled up and found himself writing with a new voice, one that’s filled with equal parts of self deprecation and self aggrandizement. With a bit of snark and honesty, Tillman has created a unique and captivating sound that serves as the perfect outlet for his oftentimes poetic lyricism.
Fear Fun is the debut full-length from Father John Misty and it’s been filling my ears for quite some time now, but hearing the songs live breathes a new life into them. Father John Misty is a refreshing take on the current folk music trend, the songs feel grounded with familiar themes, but explore content that contemporary folk artists wouldn’t dare. If your average songwriter spends his albums licking his wounds, Tillman takes an approach of patching them up and raring past the bad times for a drug-filled haze of enlightenment and wonder. Father John Misty feels like classic country clasping on to its rustic roots while adapting to the commercial and occasionally vapid world we’re surrounded with. Tillman had a presence that I doubt anyone could have expected, he crooned and swayed across the stage for an enchanting and lively set that felt more like a rock n roll show than a display of one man’s lyrical prowess. It’s always awesome going to a show where you can thoroughly enjoy all of the acts that you see, and The Cat’s Cradle usually provides just that.
I arrived just in time for the end of Jeffertitti’s Nile, placing myself dangerously close to the speakers. Just my style. The psychedelic sounds of Jeffertitti’s Nile swirled garage punk with folk for a brief yet welcome encounter. I wish I’d gotten to see more than three songs from the band, their songs weren’t breaking the mold or anything, but I’ll be damned if they weren’t a blast to kick off the evening with. As the bands loaded in and out I pondered upon the state of my hearing and found myself a bit taken aback by the off-kilt crowd at the Cradle. Filled with chatter like, “Yeah, I don’t really go to shows anymore. Nobody good plays around here!” and endless Obama/Romney chatter, I couldn’t have screamed louder when L.A’s La Sera took the stage.
La Sera
La Sera is a bright, upbeat pop act led by Katy Goodman of Vivian Girls. Their songs were the spark of energy needed to get the crowd moving and as the set went on the crowd packed tighter and tighter. La Sera’s music isn’t groundbreaking, but the trails that they blaze for themselves are certainly worth walking down. Their lyrics are intelligent, yet approachable, never too dense to lose yourself in but with enough attention to detail to leave the listener satisfied and waiting for more. Songs like “Please Be My Third Eye” display this perfectly, Goodman prefaced the track with a simple, “This song is about telepathy”, then jumped into another short blast of pop goodness. With soaring vocals and a driving rhythm section, La Sera was a welcome addition to this diverse lineup and the perfect lead-in for Father John Misty.
Father John Misty
As Tillman and company took the stage I turned around to see a surprisingly dense crowd that was arguably more excited than me for this show, something thats always wonderful to experience. The energy was palpable, and as “Fun Times In Babylon” kicked off the set it was clear that the crowd was in for a treat. Tillman played perfectly off of the crowd, his stage banter opening the door for adoring shouts from the audience. An obligatory “I love you” was shouted before the band even began and Tillman responded quickly, “Let me prove my worth first!”, setting the tone with his quick wit and obvious excitement. Tracks like “Only Son of the Ladiesman” and “Nancy From Now On” were songs that took a brand new form on stage, Tillman opens up his soul as he glides across the stage often taking the mic stand with him wherever he pleased. Through his smooth vocals and commanding stage presence, Tillman had the crowd in the palm of his hands. Blasting through staples of the album, the show felt like it was over before it started simply because of how fun it is to watch this band perform. As Tillman sang, “Look out Hollywood here I come” the crowd shouted with joy, and this line can perfectly sum up the new vibe of Tillman’s music. Gone are the days of the sad, sappy songwriter and here’s a new headstrong, vivacious young man that is ready to take on the world in its fucked up glory. As the show was coming to a close with the powerhouse “Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings”, my ears rang loudly and my soar throat was begging me to stop shouting along. The crowd sang along proudly to the helpless reprise, “Someone’s gotta help me dig!” and I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed at how perfect the show was.
I weaved in and out of the crowd as the song was ending, evidently missing the tail end of the show and a bottle being thrown on stage. Tillman apparently shrugged it off as excitement, an endearing snapshot of the character displayed by this act. My old mannish tendencies were rearing their heads on the ride home, the yawns set in, my ears were ringing, and my back was aching…but I’ll be damned if it wasn’t worth it. I know I for one will be making a point of seeing Father John Misty whenever they stop through the area, mostly because it would have been hard to walk away from that show without a smile on. Another night at the Cradle filled with incredible tunes!
Last week our contributor Jay Tomblin interviewed a representative of the Young Americans for Liberty, a Libertarian group here at NC State. What you didn’t know was that Jay also interviewed some college Democrats and Republicans. Here to shed some light on the perspective of the two main parties is Taylor McLamb of the college Republicans, and Rashad Hamilton of the college Democrats.
Andrew profiles the last of the Third Party Candidates running for President.
Deondre’ Jones spoke with a member of the anti-drug group Narcanon, an international organization that operates in over forty countries, educating people about the dangers of drugs.
Speakers thumped out bass-heavy remixes while flashing neon lights danced through a fog machine. Blue banners hung behind the make-shift stage and from the third floor balcony of Witherspoon Student Center, matching the rectangular area on Harris Field bound by Obama yard signs. This was all part of Wolfpack for Obama’s event featuring Rock the Vote with Passion Pit. Two members of the band took turns playing a DJ set, featuring remixes of popular songs and random assortments of beats. The crowd awkwardly toe-tapped during the 6:00 p.m. set. They did take the time out, however, to say, “I don’t care who you vote for. Obama, Gary Johnson, whatever. Just don’t say Romney, because you’re educated. You know better.”
Musicians have been using their celebrity to try to persuade fans’ political opinions for ages, but with the upcoming presidential election and accessibility to every kind of social media platform, we’re seeing more of it than ever before: email blasts, tweets, Facebook posts, Tumblr reposts, stage banter and of course, the sharing of infamous memes. Some artists just want to end the apathy of voting by teaming up with nonpartisan voter registration organizations like HeadCount and Rock the Vote. Wilco, for example, took a team of volunteers with them for every American tour date this year to canvas the audience.
Others want to voice their opinions about politics not so subtly. Many local artists during the spring Shakori discussed voting against Amendment One and what that vote would mean to them – informational calls to action without any sugarcoating. Like Passion Pit, other artists have participated in rallies, forums and concerts supporting a particular candidate or party. President Obama’s reelection campaign has been supported by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, Jay-Z, Beyonce (and probably Blue Ivy, too), Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Katy Perry, Jon Bon Jovi, Kanye West, Dave Matthews, The National, Pete Wentz, Mariah Carey, Lady Gaga, Joel Madden, Jason Mraz, Gwen Stefani, David Grohl, Cyndi Lauper, Adam Levine and more. In 2008, Durham-based Merge Records hosted Obama rallies featuring their artists, including Grammy-winner Arcade Fire. Superchunk, Baobab and Future Kings of Nowhere have more or less live tweeted the recent debates, not being shy whatsoever about their thoughts.
It’s harder to find the same allegiance among musicians on the conservative side. This year’s Republican National Convention’s lineup included Oak Ridge Boys, Conrad Oberg, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Philip Alongi, Neal E. Boyd, Lane Turner, Randy Owen, Jack Blades, 3 Doors Down, Ayla Brown, Beau Davidson, The Kantinas, Danny Gokey, Taylor Hicks and BeBe Winans. Nicki Minaj, despite having Obama’s endorsement in her fight against Mariah Carey, favors Romney on Lil Wayne’s newest mixtape. The Killers, who Romney allegedly enjoys, would “be open” to performing in support of the candidate.
Now, it’s not all that surprising that musicians tend to lean towards more liberal views. The imbalance is interesting though. Why do so few indie bands (that aren’t offered to play big gigs) publicly support conservative ideas and candidates? And if there were a “Wolfpack for Romney” group on campus, who would they get to perform? Even in the 2008 election, there was a significant difference in musicians’ support between parties. Hank Williams Jr. and Gretchen Wilson were among the most prominent McCain supporters.
Is this just a genre division? If you’re trying to reach younger voters through music, what’s the best way to accomplish this?
Following our giveaway of weekend passes, we are excited to have single-day passes for both Friday and Saturday nights of Moogfest, as well as tickets to see Justice LIVE at the US Cellular Center in Asheville. DJs will be giving them away on-air like crazy leading up to both of these awesome events happening next week, so tune in often to WKNC for your chance to win tickets to both Moogfest and Justice Live!
As the second presidential debate is on the brink of beginning, America is watching the pre-show coverage on their preferred news channels and prepping their last-minute rules for drinking games. Meanwhile, the candidates are likely getting a locker-room style pep talk and listening to songs to get them pumped.
WKNC DJs took some guesses at what those songs may be (other than Nicki Minaj):
ROMNEY’S PLAYLIST:
OBAMA’S PLAYLIST:
Tonight marks only the second time in this campaign season that the sitting president will face off against his Republican rival. There’s been much anticipation over the upcoming debate, being held at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. The talking heads and the blogosphere have been abuzz since the strong performance Mitt Romney gave at the first debate on October 3rd. Romney received much praise for his performance, while Obama was criticized as having been lackluster, even apathetic toward a seemingly critical moment in the presidential campaign.
For Romney, the first debate was a crucial “make or break” moment for his presidential ambitions. For weeks beforehand (and especially after the Republican National Convention in early September) Romney struggled with one problem after another. The 47% comment; being outshined by a chair at the RNC; the criticism he received after the Libyan ambassador’s death. The Republican contender struggled to maintain his position in the polls, lagging behind Obama in many critical swing states; Conservative pundits felt almost dejected. Many were hoping for some miracle before Election Day.
Obama, meanwhile, continued to do well in the polls not so much because of his actions, but almost seemingly in spite of them. Romney was Obama’s biggest help in the national polls; he, too gave a lackluster performance at his own convention, having been largely outshined by Bill Clinton the previous evening. And yet he held a comfortable lead in the electorate, so there was no need to worry, right?
Then came October 3rd. The biggest reaction many people seemed to have toward that debate was surprise at how strongly Mitt Romney debated. It wasn’t so much that the President debated poorly; it was simply that it was obvious his contender was much more prepared and eager than the sitting President. But this little detail has made all the difference. In the two weeks since the debate, Mitt Romney has surged, breathing new life into his once dejected supporters. Obama supporters, meanwhile, are wondering just how this could have happened with only one debate. The vice-presidential debate has been largely declared a tie, and has made seemingly little difference.
There are two more debates before the election; two more chances for Mr. Romney to continue his momentum and two more chances for Mr. Obama to turn around a campaign that has begun to lost some of its momentum. If there is one thing political observers and voters alike have learned, it is that as far as the voters are concerned, the race is far from over.
-Jake Langlois
On this week’s Eye on Triangle, we bring you stories from across NC State, as our contributor Jay speaks with students from the Democratic and Republican Parties. In addition, Lucia returns with another Eye on the Arts. Deondre’ spoke with a representative of one of the largest anti-drug organizations in the world. In addition, Gene has some new wacky science facts for us! Tune in at 7, it’s going to be a great show!