WKNC 88.1 FM - North Carolina State University Student RadioCioffi explores the popularity and risks of heavily caffeinated malt liquor beverages like Four Loko. Cioffi and John sit down with NCSU NAACP president Josh Smith to gauge reaction to recent controversy surrounding the Free Expression Tunnel. Also in this episode: Troika soundbytes, Mark’s recipes for collared greens, and Tyler and Taylor’s analysis of Wolfpack football.
I had the pleasure this past Halloween weekend of attending the inaugural MoogFest in Asheville, North Carolina. Surrounded by the beautiful sight of the Blue Ridge Mountains, I witnessed sets ranging from the achingly beautiful sounds of jónsi to the infectious electro-pop of Hot Chip. The festival was a huge success and one of the most fun weekends I’ve had all year. Instead of doing the usual “write a paragraph about each act you saw,” I offer you a list of various this and that’s. Stay tuned for a gallery of photos from the weekend coming soon. Enjoy.
Best show of the weekend: Massive Attack and jónsi (tie)
Most common theme of the weekend: Acts who are laid-back on record being not-so-laid-back live (see Thievery Corporation, Four Tet, Massive Attack)
Coolest instrument: Neon Indian guitarist Ronald Geirhart’s guitar, featuring an embedded LED screen
Most common smell: It was a music festival. In Asheville. Figure it out.
Best surprise guests: Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale of Devo (who were forced to cancel their set due to a hand injury sustained by guitarist Bob Mothersbaugh) coming out at the end of The Octopus Project’s set to perform a couple songs (including my personal favorite, “Beautiful World”)
Best stage show: Massive Attack’s absolutely stunning set-up, featuring several LED screens displaying socio-political messages alongside striking visuals
Most amusing moment: Part of the floor in the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium sinking in due to hardcore dancing during Sleigh Bells and Neon Indian, forcing security to clear the pit and front row
Best non-musical moment: Yelling “WOOT WOOT” at a gaggle of (real) Juggaloes
Biggest surprises: RJD2 and Pretty Lights, neither of which I’d been a huge fan of before the festival
Best costume: The giant sasquatch
Person having the most fun: According to a brief exchange I had with him, head of AC Entertainment (one of the main forces behind this festival, as well as Bonnaroo) Ashley Capps
Did you attend MoogFest? Who were your favorite acts? What were some of you favorite moments?
Canadian indie rockers, Wolf Parade, made their way to Lincoln Theatre on Saturday night and deejays N!cole and Special K were there to cover the event. Upon arriving, we were greeted by the power chords of the opener band, Ogre You Asshole. Admittedly neither of us had heard of them before, and I personally was a bit confused by their garbled lyrics. As we made our way through the sea of people, it became apparent that these guys were not from around here. Unlike the headliner, Ogre You Asshole wasn’t even from this continent! Hailing from Nagano, Japan, the band members were over 6,500 miles away from home and on tour with Wolf Parade. Overall, they had the crowd swaying despite the fact most of the audience couldn’t understand the vocals.
After what seemed like a long time for setup, Wolf Parade finally made their way on stage. They opened with DJ N!cole’s favorite song, “You Are A Runner and I Am My Father’s Son” and continued their set with a mix of old songs and new songs off their latest album Expo 86 which released this past June. I personally thought there was a rise of energy in the crowd when they began to play “I’ll Believe In Anything” which continued on into a demanding encore later at the end of the show. Wolf Parade ended the night with “Modern World” and “Kissing the Beehive.”
The Final Recap: As best summarized by DJ N!cole, “It was a really good show.” Overall, there was quite a bit of drunkenness among the crowd at Lincoln and Wolf Parade looked like they were having a good time too. I also continued to hear a rumor about a girl throwing up all over the floor throughout the night. However by the end of the show, the vocals and music had been crisp, the audience looked satisfied, our shoes were clean, and there was a pleasant ringing in my ears as we walked to the parking deck. Another successful night of music in Raleigh.
We’ve got some giveaways going down for you all this week, November 8-12.
11/10: Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti at Cat’s Cradle
11/11: Javelin at King’s
The Hotwires at the Pour House
11/12: Scott Biram at Casbah
We also have a few Bob Dylan CDs to give away as well!
This list is not an entire list of shows in the Triangle this week—check out our rock report for a more complete list!
And remember, you have to listen to win!
WKNC was proud to help out with NC State Homecoming 2010: No Wake Zone Sunday night.
Students and Wolfpack fans came out to enjoy free shirts, food, and games. WKNC raffled off Bob Dylan’s The Best of The Original Mono RecordingsCDs as well as copies of Nightsound Studios Presents: Musical Chairs, a compilation of local artists covering other local artists’ songs. Congratulations to our winners!
WKNC will also be at the homecoming parade Friday (6-7 p.m. on Hillsborough St.), emceed by DJ Elly May, as well as PackHowl Pep Rally (7-10 p.m. on Harris Field). The Pep Rally will feature hot chocolate, speeches from some of the football players and head coach Tom O’Brien, cheerleaders, Wolfpack band, student performances, and headlining band, Augustana.
Look for our table and come say hello to your favorite deejays! We’ll have stickers, Fridays on the Lawn information, and more giveaways in the spirit of Wolfpack Football. Go Pack!
Robert Earl Keen gave Sweet Annie Rich a call and, in spite of Sweet Annie Rich’s technology issues, gave a spectacular interview. He talked about his time at a big Ag university (Texas A&M) similar to NCSU, his favorite song lyrically, and how touring with Reckless Kelly and the Randy Rogers Band is just a mix of “all the right ingredients.”
This Thursday will be a New Raleigh Showcase of three lovable acts: Bright Young Things, Gray Young, and Heads on Sticks. WKNC and Tir Na nOg are happy to bring you this FREE, 21 and up event every week. Music starts at 10 p.m. Grab yourself a tasty local brew (they’re on special!) and enjoy some local live music.
With their music famously described as “The Beatles on a really bad day,” there is something especially charming about this music group.
“Raleigh’s Gray Young (who, for the record, use vocals, but in a largely textural way) makes its anthems say a lot in very little time, and such careful editing and composition amps the intensity.” -The Independent
Check out their free download for the track “Mocking Bird” too!
Expect an ACTION PACKED interview with Bright Young Things this Thursday at 7 p.m.!
Halloween in the triangle area is always a must-experience event. As luck would have it, one of my favorite bands, Caribou, played at Cat’s Cradle on Sunday night, so it was guaranteed to be even more celebratory than usual! Costumed characters adorned the streets; walking to the venue, I saw several renderings of Gaga, Devo, and even a fleet of dominoes. The costumes flowed into Cat’s Cradle as well. To my right was a feathery albatross, behind me, a gory zombie. The night was off to a festive start.
As Veelee opened at Cat’s Cradle, the crowd went wild. I’m a new-comer to the Raleigh music scene, so it was my first time hearing their groovy dance beats, but I was instantly hooked. I’m proud to say that they are now in my music library. “When you gonna come home,” and I was already dancing… on the opening act.
After a swift set break, Emeralds played. Boy, did they perform. Every newly synthesized chord was a new revelation—Animal Collective in the style of Philip Glass, who wouldn’t love that? The shimmery instrumental hodgepodge of beautiful textures rained down. My legs were going rubbery from breaking it down, the crowd moving in rhythm. And Caribou hadn’t even been spotted yet.
The headliner of the night played a flawless show spotted with familiar songs with a few throwbacks to their older albums. “Odessa” was of course a crowd favorite, but I adored hearing “Sun” live. The band members were of course in costume, each wearing awesome camouflage suits. It worked—I barely saw them. I was too occupied with dancing at a great show.
Last night, Friday November 6, was the second night of three for Troika Music Festival in Durham, NC. As of this moment, I have watched and photographed 11 bands, and tonight I’ll photograph 6 or 7 more. It’s been an incredible journey for me thus far. First of all, I’ve never driven in downtown Durham, let alone in the dark and in the rain. So the musical rewards were that much more delicious after I circled miles of blocks countless times.
Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.
I’ve been blown away by the epic sounds of Old Bricks in the tiny space of The Pinhook. They radiated so much joyous energy for the creation of music, I have a feeling they forgot we were all standing there listening. I don’t typically like bands that are more noise-based and less lyrical, but they touched a part of my soul.
Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.
Later, I sat on the stage next to Django Haskins of The Old Ceremony as he played acoustic guitar standing on the top of a chair because the sound system gave out, and he wanted to make sure everyone could here and see. He entranced the entire audience with his raw voice, honest lyrics, and witty jokes, mostly making fun of himself. He has a list of over a hundred songs that he was sporadically picking from, and he shared with us the back story to The Old Ceremony most recent release, Wither on the Vines, and he sang a song that he wrote for a girl-rock band in New York.
Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.
I was introduced to a new band that had my calves sore I was bouncing around so much. Onward, Soldier has one of the most talented groups of local musicians I’ve probably seen. The lead singer, Sean, has a soft face with an innocent air, but he plays and sings with such intensity, you’d think he was 6’6. I expect the drum to fall through the stage he was rockin’ so hard, and the second guitar ripped with fingers of gold. There’s no better way to instill love in an audience than to show your own love in the making of music. They had so much energy, such happiness, I was completely taken by their performance.
Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.
But out of the eleven bands I have thus far seen, nothing can compare to the performance of Mandolin Orange. The male/female duo step onto the stage of Fullsteam Brewery with a fiddle, two guitars, and a mandolin. Their presence truly speaks to the power of music that has nothing to do with sound or technique. They made me believe them. I believed in the beauty of the fiddle and the simplistic elegance of an acoustic guitar. I believed that two vocal harmonies singing just the right words could transform a room into a sanctuary. Andrew has a calming presence with long curly hair, but his voice resonates with a deep, slightly twangy serenity. Emily is infallibly beautiful, but nothing in comparison to her radiance while holding a fiddle. This is the duo to watch, and I know I’ll be looking out for their next show.
I will be perfectly happy if I never listen to another band from outside of North Carolina. This state is overflowing with talent in every genre, and I’m so grateful to be a part of it.
In an email sent out earlier this week, the folks behind Hopscotch Music Festival announced the dates for next year’s festival. Go ahead and mark your calendars, for the festival will return to downtown Raleigh on September 8-10, 2011. The email notes to keep an eye on the fest’s Facebook and Twitter accounts, as well as its website, for updates on Hopscotch, round two.