Category: Blog

Categories
Non-Music News

EOT90 Earth Day 4/24/12

The Hunger Games took the world by storm when it was released not too long ago. The movie adaptation of the enormously popular book was filmed right here in the mountains of North Carolina. Grant Buckner sat down with someone who had the opportunity to play an extra.

April 20th was Earth Day. A day set aside to remind us all to take care of our Mother Earth. Deondre’ Jones recently spoke with a member of the office Sustainability at N.C. State.

Dave once agains tells us about the different Holidays that fall upon this week.

Listen to episode 90.

Categories
Weekly Charts

Top 30—WKNC’s Top Albums of the Week 4/24/12

1. Tanlines – Mixed Emotions (True Panther)

2. The Men – Open Your Heart (Sacred Bones)

3. M Ward – A Wasteland Companion (Merge)

4. Emily Wells – Mama (Partisan)

5. Zammuto – Zammuto (Temporary Residence)

6. La Sera – Sees The Light (Hardly Art)

7. Oberhofer – Time Capsules II (Glassnote)

8. Maps and Atlases – Beware and Be Grateful (Barsuk)

9. Vacationer – Gone (Downtown)

10. Zambri – House of Baasa (Kanine)

11. Yppah – Eighty One (Ninja Tune)

12. Motel Beds – Sunfried Dreams/Tango Boys (No More Fake Labels)

13. Bear in Heaven – I Love You, It’s Cool (Hometapes-Dead Oceans)

14. Xiu Xiu – Always (Polyvinyl)

15. Little Barrie – King of the Waves (Tummy Touch)

16. Grimes – Visions (4AD)

17. Coke Weed – Nice Dreams (Self-Released)

18. Trampled By Turtles – Stars and Satellites (Thirty Tigers)

19. Air – Le Voyage Dans La Lune (EMI)

20. Lost in the Trees – A Church That Fits Our Needs (Anti)

21. Spiritualized – Sweet Heart Sweet Light (Fat Possum)

22. Yukon Blonde – Tiger Talk (dine alone)

23. Nite Jewel – One Second of Love (Secretly Canadian)

24. Chairlift – Something (Columbia)

25. Hunx – Hairdresser Blues (Hardly Art)

26. Trust – TRST (Arts and Crafts)

27. Delta Spirit – Delta Spirit (Rounder)

28. Young Prisms – In Between (Kanine)

29. Black Dice – Mr. Impossible (Ribbon)

30. Evan Voytas – Feel Me (Dovecote)

Categories
Non-Music News

Redress Raleigh continues to be innovative and exciting

Redress Raleigh, the premier eco-friendly fashion show of the Triangle, featured 13 outstanding designers, three lovely producers, and an inspiring charity Friday, April 20, in the Warehouse Distric at the Contemporary Art Museum. After starstuff and I arrived downtown, we were ushered into the musuem and shown front row seats right next the show’s other prestigious sponsor, “The Raleigh Downtowner.” The four of us received handmade swag bags, chocolate made right here in Raleigh, a cookie, and a handmade wallet by Aban, the featured organization for this year’s show. Aban (A Ban Against Neglect) is a charity fronted by recent college graduates Callie and Becca which looks to provide an income for girls in Ghana. A portion of the proceeds from the show will go toward the charity, providing the funds needed for the girls in Ghana to create beautiful products from recycled materials as well as instill empowerment and leadership in them.

The show started a little after 8 p.m. on an unconvential runway with a stark white backdrop that allowed for lots of posing; a perfect setup to showcase the garments and models. There was no shortage of quality, innovation, and creativity at the event. Locally-based designers drew inspiration from places as far as Costa Rica to create “no fluff” natural wedding gowns (Kenal Leonard), and edible materials, like the orange peels used by Pamor Designs & Zassdesign to create colorful jewlery. As long as designers maintained a conscious mindset when they created their collections, they had free range to take them in any direction they chose. With this in mind, some designers reinvented the norm of eco-fashion and created high fashion garments like jackets and shift dresses made from organic cotton and wool (Belindabilly). Leopold Designs focused on hand-dyed silk and colorful garments flooded the runway with silk screen, Shibori and Batik techniques. One of my favorite collections from the evening came from the final designer, Rocket Betty, who showcased retro alternative wedding apparel made with modern repurposed fabrics.

During a brief intermission, which was much needed to really absorb the fabulous fashions of the five previous designers, co-producers Mor Aframian, Jamie Powell, and Beth Stewart thanked the sponsors (us, yay!), introduced this year’s featured charity, Aban, and reiterated the goals of Redress Raleigh. Mor announced her desire for eco-fashion to be not just a trend but a lifestyle and how they wish for consumers and designers to use Redress Raleigh as a resource for anything eco-fashion related. Beth continued on how the fashion show has become an integral and exciting part of the organization. She also talked about how events throughout the year, like fundraising concerts, continue to spread awareness on our responsibility as designers and consumers to be concious of what we wear and how it impacts the earth and the people creating the clothes.

Redress Raleigh is an incredible eco-conscious movement happening right here in Raleigh and it is inspiring to see the creativity that we can accomplish with repurposed materials or goods made with little impact on the earth. As a radio station that continues to promote local artists and the good of the earth, it is exciting to be a part of this movement!

Check out more about Redress Raleigh and Aban here.

Categories
Concert Review

Lost in the Trees can do no wrong, ever

Lost in the Trees had their album release show at Cat’s Cradle this past Friday, April 20. Brice Randall Brickford and The Toddlers were the two opening bands. The Toddlers are another side project band of Missy Thangs (The Love Language, Soft Company). Alongside Missy Thangs were Noah Dehmer, Ellis Anderson, and Nathan Toben. They started off with a galloping song and before the set was over I could swear that they were close to resurrecting Jim Morrison on stage. Dehmer’s voice sounded remarkably like the Lizard King himself and everyone seemed really into it.

When Lost in the Trees came out Christmas lights turned on around the stage and everyone knew it was about to be an extraordinary set. They started the set with “Walk Around the Lake,” which pleased everyone to hear a familiar tune right off the bat. Next up they began playing songs off their new album starting with what is probably the most popular song on the album, “Red.” The set list continued to build; all the songs and stage presence were very strong and evocative. Emma Nadeau, dressed in red with glitter on her face, seemed to effortlessly produce the most hauntingly beautiful vocals while she wasn’t playing her French horn. Ari Picker and Jenavieve Varga never hold back in their performances and that was definitely the case at this show. Ari’s fidelity to his songs resounds through his vocals that travel for miles, with a voice so emotionally pure you can tell what he’s singing isn’t forged. Jenavieve is a powerhouse violinist and it’s her performance that lets you know how meaningful the music is.

The apex of the show was their song “Garden,” which was played midway through their set right before they reeled in the rest of their songs. “Garden” is the most involved song off the new album and served as the perfect beginning to the end of their show. They then relaxed and played an old favorite, “Song for the Painter.” Before they began to play “Golden Eyelids,” Ari requested that everyone slow dance to the song to make it special. Specifically asking to recreate scenes from “Back to the Future 1 or 2, but not Back to the Future 3,” he said, laughing. For the encore they performed “All Alone in an Empty House.”  It was a spectacular show as always; I can’t imagine anyone could have walked away disappointed.

By Beth Moore.

Categories
Festival Coverage

Hopscotch 2012 Lineup Release!

I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that last night I was anxiously watching Twitter for teasers and refreshing Hopscotch’s homepage until midnight, when Hopscotch 2012’s lineup was released. I read out loud the 175 bands to my roommates with the occasional (and frequent) yelps of joy. Headliners this year include The Roots, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Built to Spill (one of my personal favorite bands), Yo La Tengo, Liars, Sunn O))), and Zola Jesus. Some others that I’m excited about are Thee Oh Sees, Wye Oak, Deerhoof, The Mountain Goats, Versus, Exitmusix, Ducktails, Samantha Crain, Hubble, Midtown Dickens, Gross Ghost, Heads on Sticks, Jane Jane Pollock, Shark Quest, Airstrip – the list goes on.

They’ve added a few more venues in downtown Raleigh for the third year of the music festival, taking place Sept. 6-8. Festival goers will bounce around Raleigh City Plaza, Berkeley Cafe, Contemporary Art Museum (CAM), Deep South the Bar, Five Star, Fletcher Opera Theater, The Hive, Kings, Lincoln Theatre, The Long View Center, Memorial Auditorium, The Pour House, Slim’s, Tir na nOg, and White Collar Crime. I suggest knowing shortcuts to venues ahead of time, so here’s a map to help.

VIP, weekend, day and city plaza tickets are still available. See you at #hopscotch2012!

Photo recaps of last year’s festival: Day One, Day Two, Day Three

Categories
Music News and Interviews

Spring 2012 Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival, April 19-22. Tickets discounted today ONLY.

The Spring 2012 Shakori Hills Grassroots Music and Dance Festival is only three days away, which means we will begin our ascent onto FestivalMountain. Tickets are on sale at a discounted price today ONLY. A wonderful lineup is in store for this spring’s festival, including Leftover Salmon, Donna the Buffalo, The Red Clay Ramblers, BeauSoleil avec Michale Doucet, Curtis Eller and many more. The complete lineup can be found here.

WKNC will have a table setup where we will be selling merchandise and raffling off prizes. Come by and say hello, and you may get a sticker! We will be reporting all of the exciting festivities via Facebook and Twitter during the festival. Hope to see all you festival goers out there! Looks like we will be getting some rain, so be sure and come prepared!

For the latest news on the festival check out their webpage or Facebook page.

Categories
Concert Review

The Magnetic Fields are Brilliant

The Magnetic Fields at Cat’s Cradle

The Magnetic Fields played Cat’s Cradle two nights this past week to mark the penultimate stop on their U.S. tour. The Magnetic Fields are a band I have always loved, but never got a chance to see—FINALLY! Cat’s Cradle was at capacity Thursday, April 12 (i.e. the show sold out), and fans were shoulder to shoulder from the stage to the bar. The band, consisting of Stephin Merritt, Claudia Gonson, Sam Davol, John Woo, and Shirley Simms, played music from 69 Love Songs, I, Realism, and their most recent Love at the Bottom of the Sea. Between songs, Stephin, Claudia and Shirley entertained the crowd with stories and comedic banter. The band jokingly mentioned several times that there was a serial killer in the audience, suggesting he/she may behind you or it may…even be you. Claudia mentioned a dream that she had involving a kitchen knife.

The concert was spot-on brilliant! Their current tour is promoting their new album released on Merge Records, Love at the Bottom of the Sea. For more info on the tour and band visit their blog, “Tour at the Bottom of the Sea.” It has been documenting the quirks and happenings of the U.S. tour.

Categories
Non-Music News

EOT89 College Republicans and Democrats 4/10/12

College Republicans and College Democrats – With the North Carolina Primary quickly approaching, we invited representatives from the major political groups on campus to give input regarding the current political atmosphere, both locally and nationally.

Occupy Raleigh – Nine Occupy protestors were arrested this week in Raleigh after trespassing on a foreclosed home. Andrew has the scoop.

Nature Research Center – If you’ve been downtown lately, you’ve probably noticed a giant globe under construction.  Yes, the Daily Planet has come to Raleigh, as part of the Natural Science Museum’s brand new Nature Research Center, which is set to open on April 20th.  Deondre’ Jones recently sat down with the director of science communications for the new center.

Beer Brewing – Brewing is fast becoming one of the most popular interests among young entrepreneurs.  So popular, in fact, that NC State recently began offering courses in the brewing sciences.  Mark speaks to a student in the program.

NCSU Rocketry – Each year, NASA hosts a University Student Launch Initiative.  Nick recently spoke with the NC State team to discuss their plan’s for this year’s competition.

Listen to episode 89.

Categories
Weekly Charts

Top 30—WKNC’s Top Albums of the Week 4/10/12

1. The Men – Open Your Heart (Sacred Bones)

2. Little Barrie – King of the Waves (Tummy Touch)

3. Bahamas – Barchords (Brushfire)

4. Zammuto – Zammuto (Temporary Residence)

5. High Highs – High Highs (Rocket)

6. La Sera – Sees the Light (Hardly Art)

7. Andrew Bird – Break It Yourself (Mom and Pop)

8. Islands – A Sleep and A Forgetting (Anti)

9. Tanlines – Mixed Emotions (True Panther)

10. Oberhofer – Time Capsules II (Glassnote)

11. Sharon Van Etten – Tramp (Jagjaguwar)

12. Dr. Dog – Be The Void (Anti)

13. Yppah – Eighty One (Ninja Tune)

14. Daughter – The Wild Youth [EP] (Glassnote)

15. Bear in Heaven – I Love You, It’s Cool (Hometapes-Dead Oceans)

16. Tops – Tender Opposites (Arbutus)

17. Bowerbirds – The Clearing (Dead Oceans)

18. Air – Le Voyage Dans La Lune (EMI)

19. Porcelain Raft – Strange Weekend (Secretly Canadian)

20. Hunx – Hairdresser Blues (Hardly Art)

21. Grimes – Visions (4AD)

22. Nite Jewel – One Second of Love (Secretly Canadian)

23. Perfume Genius – Put Your Back N 2 It (Matador)

24. Trust – TRST (Arts and Crafts)

25. Delta Spirit – Delta Spirit (Rounder)

26. Daniel Rossen – Silent Hour/Golden Mile (Warp)

27. Yukon Blonde – Tiger Talk (dine alone)

28. Young Prisms – In Between (Kanine)

29. Chairlift – Something (Columbia)

30. School of Seven Bells – Ghostory (Vagrant)

Categories
Non-Music News

Classical Meets Electronic Dance Music in Durham

On Friday, April 6, Duke University Ph.D. candidate Alex Kotch presented his dissertation in music composition, a 30-minute instrumental-electronic dance work with a live, eight-piece ensemble and laptop DJ, embedded within a longer set of original dance music from the composer-DJ.

Starting off the night was a violinist who played a fascinatingly odd piece. The performer played a rather minimalist piece of music while a computer gradually sampled his performance and looped the samples in the background. This made the music increasingly dissonant and strange, but oddly intriguing.

After this performance came another avant garde piece performed by an ensemble. This ensemble consisted of an odd collection of instruments such as the previous violinist, a saxophone, flute, propane tanks, wood blocks, a soprano vocalist,  and an instrument that seemed to resemble a huge bassoon. They played possibly the most frightening piece I have ever heard live. The composer used this combination of instruments to their full potential to create a shocking blend of ups and downs of dissonance.

After this ensemble of beautiful horror, the floor was cleared of all chairs to be made into a dance floor. After a huge set change, Kotch took the stage to open with a thank-you speech before diving into an hour of Intelligent Dance Music, often referred to as IDM. Half-way through this set an ensemble took the stage, consisting of a couple members of the previous ensemble. The combination of samples and drum loops intertwined with live trumpets, french horns, and vocals amounted to a gorgeous blend of digital and acoustic. Most everyone in the audience found themselves moving to the syncopated drum beats while Alex live mixed on his laptop, probably using Abelton.

The atmosphere and sets created an intriguing and inspiring blend. Kotch did an excellent job bringing together the old and the new.