Category: Blog

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Non-Music News

EOT81 Double Barrel Benefit 9 1/31/12

Double Barrel Benefit 9 – WKNC’s 9th annual Double Barrel Benefit features two nights of music from local bands, and WKNC’s General Manager spoke with us to explain some of the details.

Occupy Raleigh Interview – In an interview with a local member of the movement to speak about the goals and future of the movement.

Brother Ross – A preacher who spends some time on the NC State campus has attracted some attention lately, and Jake has some thoughts on the controversial speaker.

Krispy Kreme Challenge – With the annual race coming up, we bring you the coverage from last year’s challenge, in addition to a live discussion with a real live K2C runner!

Poet’s Corner – Dave brings a segment featuring some poetry from a student right here at NC State.

Eye On the Arts – In this premier segment, new contributor Rebecca brings us a summary of what’s going on in the arts community around Raleigh.

Holidays of the Week – Did you know that every day of the year is a holiday?  Dave explains what they are for the coming week.

Listen to episode 81

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Band/Artist Profile

DBB9 Band Spotlight: Gross Ghost

Double Barrel Benefit 9 is coming up this Friday and Saturday, Feb. 3 and 4, and oh my is it going to be something wonderful.  Filled with an eclectic mix of local talent spanned across two nights, The Pour House is going to be housing one of the finest locally-grown lineups of the year,  including The Kingsbury Manx, The Future Kings of Nowhere, Organos, MAKE and more.  Night Two in particular boats some of the Triangle’s most exciting and swiftly rising bands, especially Gross Ghost.

Gross Ghost is a four-piece band based out of Chapel Hill with a mesmerizing sound.  While the instrumentation is usually full of driving rhythms that are tinged with surf-punk vibes, the vocal melodies are infectious and perfectly contrast the fast-paced frenetic indie-punk soundscape.  Gross Ghost took the state by storm last year with two incredible EP’s, Lip City and Wicked Game, leaving fans anxiously awaiting their upcoming LP Brer Rabbit, which is to be released early this year.

Gross Ghost’s Grip Tapes label mate Heads on Sticks will also be playing Double Barrel Benefit on Saturday night, along with Naked Gods and The Kingsbury Manx.  Tickets for one night are $10 in advance while tickets for both nights are $15 in advance.  Under 21 is subject to a $5 cover charge.

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Non-Music News

EOT80 Too Black Too Fast 1/24/12

Alternative Service Break – One group of students will be spending their spring break a little differently this year, Mark has the story.

Too Black Too Fast – The African American Cultural Center is hosting a new exhibit of this title, focused on the history of the African American jockeys that made the sport of horseracing what it is today.

Libertarianism – One of our new contributors, Will, holds an in depth discussion with an economics professor at NC State about Libertarianism and Ron Paul.

Occupy Raleigh Viewpoint – Contributor Mark offers his thoughts on the future of the movement born in Zucati Park.

Listen to episode 80.

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Miscellaneous

Mickey Mouse-Joy Division shirt is great and risky at the same time

Joy Division‘s Unknown Pleasures has one of the most iconic album covers of all time, and throughout the years individuals of all merchandising types have been able to capitalize on Peter Saville’s design. However, with the release of the new Mickey Mouse shirt that takes inspiration from the iconic album cover, one can’t help but ask, “Why?”

Firstly, it’s easy to see why this is such a great idea. Working on the pure novelty of it, music nerds of all shapes and sizes might be brought into the idea of having the altered album cover on their chest. It’s subtle enough to show Mickey’s legendary profile yet still have the essence of that original cover. Combine the love of Joy Division with Mickey Mouse and it’s easy to see why one could fall for this in a heartbeat.

Indeed it might be the sheer impulse buy that Disney is seeking, however, from looking at such a limited market, production could be seen as incredibly confusing. The market necessary for Disney to see this as a worthwhile investment is incredibly limited. Your average Joe won’t be shelling out the money for such a silly purchase. This is also going on the assumption that people who like Joy Division are Disney shoppers or would be willing to pay for some Disney-based product. Personally I couldn’t see the two matching up in perfect harmony. That’s not to say it won’t work, but the odds that this thing is successful seems incredibly low. Like most things, it will be the dollar vote of the consumer that decides the ultimate failure or success of this perplexing item.

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Music News and Interviews

Friendly Fires channeling “The Shining” for third album

It hasn’t taken too long for the boys from England to start working on their next album. The follow-up to last year’s Pala has already begun, and the trio is looking for inspiration in different places.

Friendly Fires is channeling the atmosphere of Stanley Kubrick’s classic The Shining for their next album.  In a recent interview with 6Music, guitarist Edd Gibson stated, “I think we are trying to force on an element of the film The Shining, or the book The Shining, as a cultured gentleman who reads and doesn’t just watch films… We’re trying to alienate ourselves into a world of music alone and see what we come up with.”

The group is changing their location to Sweden, where a log cabin will provide a setting all too familiar among the musicians. Although their time will be short-lived, as their stay will be under two weeks, the group is trying to make the most of their time in their frozen living quarters.

What could this all possibly mean for the group? They won’t be trying to pull off any Bon Iver tricks any time soon, and any attempts to do so will be interesting. Despite the implication of channeling The Shining I highly doubt their next release would be able to pull off a longer, slow-paced sound. Hopefully, the next album won’t leave us wanting to murder our families. Additionally, listening to it won’t be able to make us communicate with each other telepathically (unfortunately). If the band can develop the telepathy The Shining gives its name to, the band will be able to craft an album more refreshing than Pala and if lucky, one better than their debut as well.

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DJ Highlights

Local Beat Recap 1/20/12

Last Friday on the Local Beat Jeff Crawford from Arbor Ridge Studios dropped by to chat about his newest project: Hymns From The Gathering Church. The new LP features 12 traditional hymnals performed by members of the Gathering Church (where Crawford is Music Director) and many well known local musicians. Phil Cook (Megafaun, Phil Cook & His Feat), Heather McEntire (Mount Moriah, Bellafea), Seth Kauffman (Floating Action), Mandolin Orange, Skylar Gudasz, Ryan Gustafson, Brett Harris, Nick Jaeger (The Tomahawks), Mark Simonsen (The Old Ceremony), and James Wallace all made contributions to the album.

Jeff and I chatted about many things, including the album, The Gathering Church, and his role in the local music scene. You can listen to that conversation here:

The release show is this Friday evening, Jan 27, at the Carrboro Arts Center. Tickets are $10 and the show begins at 8pm.

Categories
Concert Preview

Double Barrel Benefit 9 Day Party & Market

With the success of the previous 8 Double Barrel Benefits, WKNC is broadening its emphasis on all things local. This year, DBB will include a day party and market Saturday, February 4 from NOON to 5 p.m. at Tir na nOg Irish Pub, just two doors down from The Pour House. The event is free and all ages!

Raffles will be held for WKNC merch, concert tickets, and VIP passes to Hopscotch 2012! There is also a fantastic list of Triangle charities, artists, and businesses important to WKNC.  Check out the following artists

HypeArt Collective –  N.C. State and WKNC alums bring you paintings and more!

Hopscotch Music Festival – What everyone in the Triangle looks forward to every September

Afternoon Owl Designs – Beautifully crocheted hats, scarves, and more

Woodcrafty –Original handmade wood items, from jewelry to cuff links…

Skillet Gilmore – If you’ve ever seen a poster for American Aquarium or Small Ponds, its this guy.

Plastic Flame Press – Illustrator for Hopscotch 2011

Turtle Grass Body – Soaps, lotions, and everything that makes you smell good

Tiny Peepers – Musically inspired screenprinted clothing, towels, and the like

Haden Design – Unique jewelry, I love these chalkboards!

Metamorphosis Metals – Simple yet elegant metal jewelry

Redress Raleigh – Eco-conscious design, leading up to a fashion show in April

Matt Butler – hand-printed TOMS,  prints, etc

MisterMisses – Student designers with NC on their mind

City Fabric – Awesome  prints of the city of Raleigh

Windhover + Technician – Windhover is an annual literary and arts magazine, Technician is your friendly N.C. State newspaper

Scrap Exchange – Durham based re-users bring local art and a craft for everyone to make

Rebus Works – Raleigh-based art for artists

Grip Tapes – Local record label, home of Gross Ghost, Heads on Sticks, Juan Huevos, and more

Activate Good – Facilitator of volunteerism in Wake County and beyond.

NCSU WESA – Wolfpack Environmental Student Assoc.; will be leading bike rides to and from the Market and both nights of DBB9

NCSU Sustainability – Turns Wolfpack red “green”

Of course, we couldn’t forget music. Prepare to enjoy music throughout the afternoon, with performances by:

Luego (Patrick solo)

Jeff Crawford

Baobab

Magnolia Collective

Driftwood

Big Picture

Juan Huevos (special, ALL AGES act)

Come out and support local art, local music, and local business February 4 from 1-5 p.m. at Tir na nOg.
Categories
DJ Highlights

The Local Beat Preview 1/20/12

This week on The Local Beat we only have one guest to welcome. At 6 p.m. Jeff Crawford of Arbor Ridge Studios is coming on to chat about a new project. In addition to being active in over five dozen bands (only a slight exaggeration) and heading popular local recording studio Arbor Ridge Studios, Jeff is also the music director at The Gathering Church in Durham. The Gathering Church has been meeting since 2009 at Creekside Elementary School and has become well known for its worship services with Jeff’s musical talents taking stage. In 2010 the church released Christmas Nights: Music From The Gathering Church to great fanfare. Now, just a little over a year later, a new album is being released: Hymns From The Gathering Church. The album features a plethora of well-known local artists performing their takes on traditional Christian hymns.  Phil Cook (Megafaun), Heather McEntire (Mount Moriah), Seth Kauffman (Floating Action), Mandolin Orange, Skylar Gudasz, Ryan Gustafson, Brett Harris, Nick Jaeger (The Tomahawks), Mark Simonsen (The Old Ceremony), and James Wallace all contributed to the record.

Join Jeff and I on The Local Beat as we take a listen and chat about this new album.

As always, the fun starts at 5 p.m. and will last until 8 p.m.! Be sure to follow the Local Beat on Twitter or Facebook and download tons of free local music on our ReverbNation page!

Categories
DJ Highlights

The Local Beat Recap 1/13/12

Last Friday, Jan. 13, on The Local Beat we had two very special guests join us. At 5 p.m. the Kickin’ Grass Band popped in for the first time in about a year to promote their 10th Anniversary Show at the Carolina Theatre the following night. There were plenty of laughs and anecdotes as the band shared stories with us from the past 10 years. Take a listen below:

Kickin Grass Band 1/13/12

At 6 p.m. the quartet from Monoslang joined the program to discuss the group’s new self-titled EP. The band has only been together in this lineup for six weeks and in that time they booked a show at Kings Barcade, recorded a 3-song EP and released it. Quite a busy six weeks! Listen to the interview below to hear their story:

Monoslang 1/13/12

Categories
Non-Music News

EOT79 Walk of the Immigrants 1/17/12

Walk of Immigrants – Saul Flores made his way from Ecuador to Charlotte, NC using any form of transportation he could, and he has quite a story to tell.

Saving Water – With water prices rising, we bring you some tips on how to save water and save money.

Eugenics Task Force Reflection – Mark takes a second to discuss his thoughts on the Eugenics Task Force in North Carolina.

Bad Movie Review – Jake brings us “Parents”, a terrible horror film that’s so bad… it’s good!  A must see for all “bad movie” lovers.