Category: Blog

Categories
Concert Preview

Summertime means outdoor concerts: Mollypop’s guide

Being from Florida, summertime is my favorite time. I love it when it gets so hot and muggy that even the mosquitoes can’t fly and your only refuge is a piece of watermelon, an ice-cold beverage and the music in front of you.

My three favorite outdoor venues in the Triangle allow picnics and sell all of the best local brews. Read on for summer shows to look out for at The North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA), Sarah P. Duke Gardens, and American Tobacco.

North Carolina Museum of Art:

Located on Blue Ridge Road in Raleigh, NCMA has the largest concert arena of any art museum in the country and as such can bring brings some of the best acts around. I had the opportunity to see Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Lucinda Williams, and Gillian Welch there last summer.

Summer 2012, NCMA brings us:

AfroCubism:  June 10

If you like Buena Vista Social Club, Malain music, and awesome beats, check this show out.

Doc Watson and Deep River Rising:  June 30

At 89, Doc Watson can still tear up a guitar. If you haven’t heard of Doc Watson but love old-timey music and all things bluegrassy and folk, don’t miss this chance to see one of the trailblazers of this genre.

Andrew Bird w/ Mavis Staples: July 10

Through a collaboration with Cat’s Cradle, indie folk master Andrew Bird will whistle the night away with rhythm and blues goddess Mavis Staples.

Neko Case: July 14

I’ve never seen this woman perform solo, but I had the chance to see her with The New Pornographers a few summers ago. Her voice is everything female vocals should be.

More shows listed later in the summer and further information is available here. Be sure to listen to WKNC all summer, as we usually do a considerable amount of giveaways for these shows. Tickets for these shows range from $15-35, with a discount for children and a prime seating location for members. Parking can be tough: I suggest either arriving early or parking in one of the administrative buildings slightly up Blue Ridge. Get to these shows early so you can spread out your picnic blanket, grab a bottle of wine (sold at the venue) and enjoy the evening.

Sarah P. Duke Gardens:

Located in the heart of Duke’s West Campus, Duke Gardens is a spectacle in itself. 55-acres of native and non-native plants provide the perfect backdrop (and aroma) for the summer concert series. Doors (gates?) open at 6:30, so be sure to set up early behind the Visitor’s Center. I’ve never had the chance to come to one of these shows, but as I’ll be living less than 3 miles away this summer, they’ll have to pry me away. All of the artists presented here are local indie acts.

The Beast + Big Band: June 6

Local hip-hop infused with jazz.

The Old Ceremony: June 13

Indie rock bordering “dad rock,” but in a good way.

Dex Romweber and the New Romans: June 21

I love this description from Independently Weekly, “noir-tinged Americana”

Bombadil: June 27

Rolling indie rock infused with folk, teddy bears, and a bit of sorrow

Mandolin Orange: July 11

One of the best duos around, keeping traditional folk alive with modern inspiration

Midtown Dickens: July 18

Playful and thoughtful, their music makes you literally sing along “this is the best summer ever”

Megafaun: July 25

Do I need to describe these guys? Experimental folk with deep themes and beards.

More information about the shows and tickets is available here. Tickets are $12, with a $5 discounted price for Duke employees and students. There is a cafe on site selling full meals, snacks, wine, and beer. You’ll find me sneaking in some watermelon slices and lemonade. Parking is available after 5 p.m. for free in the Garden Lots. Be careful with parking outside of the garden; Campus Police will get ya!

American Tobacco

Located next to WUNC in the American Tobacco Campus, this venue is secluded with restaurants and shops on all sides and arranged perfectly for concerts. The audience is separated from the band by a moat, which keeps the ravenous fan girls like me off banjo players like Chatham County Line’s Chandler Holt. It also sets the stage, literally, with the babbling of water and a home-town feel as the band plays under the water tower. Like the other venues presented here, they are very family friendly and allow for picnics and serve all of the best beverages.

Music Maker Relief Foundation Blues Revue: May 11

I saw these guys at Shakori Hills and it was like watching the history of Blues before your eyes.

Tony Rice Unit: May 18

Traditional bluegrass, performed immaculately.

Adam Hurt, Stephanie Coleman, and Beth Williams Hartness

Bluegrass trio, with bits of loose mountain music

Pops for Pops: June 17

What better way to celebrate Father’s day than with jazz of all kinds. Durham Jazz Orchestra and Durham Community Concert Band will play all night.

Lizzy Ross Band: June 22

This girl can sing. She is a cute, young musician who can belt out some of jazziest, smoothest music out there. Her band provides a full Americana, folk rock inspired set.

John Brown and the Groove Shop Band: July 4

A 13-piece band full of funk, rhythm, and blues.

Justin Robinson and the Mary Annettes: July 27

Don’t expect Carolina Chocolate Drops sound. Former Drop, Robinson, is experimenting with his musical style with this ethereal genre-break band.

John Howie Jr. and the Rosewood Bluff: August 10

Honky-tonk Americana with an occasional rock-kick.outdoor

For show listings after August 10 and more information, go here. Sponsored in part of by Back Porch Music, all of these shows are family friendly acts with their mind to roots music. All of these shows, unless otherwise noted, are free. There are great restaurants surround the venue and Whole Foods usually sets up a table selling fresh dinners. I usually end up bringing my own snacks, but end up buying a locopop.

 

Phew. There is a lot going on this summer and I hope that this has helped you formulate a plan of action for shows to see. Did I miss any awesome outdoor venues? Comment with your favorites and maybe I’ll blog about those shows as well!

Categories
Concert Preview

My Morning Jacket makes summer stop in Raleigh

My Morning Jacket will team up with Band of Horses this summer for a month-long tour culminating with a Sunday, Aug. 26 performance at the downtown Raleigh Amphitheater. Thanks to our friends at Live Nation, lucky WKNC listeners have a chance to win tickets before they go on sale this Saturday, May 5 at 10 a.m.

For those without fast fingers or who don’t have 860-0881 and 515-2400 on speed dial (remember to add the 919!), lawn tickets will run $36.50 each (fees included), while reserved seating tops out at $57.85 a ticket (again, fees included). A dollar of the ticket price will be donated to the Neuse Riverkeeper Foundation. My Morning Jacket and Band of Horses will also perform Saturday, Aug. 25 at the Time Warner Cable Uptown Amphitheatre in Charlotte. The Charlotte Public Tree Fund will receive a $1 for each ticket sold to the Charlotte show.

Categories
Non-Music News

Last Show of the Year!

As the 2012 year draws to a close, we hope you will enjoy our last show for the school year. This week we bring you stories of the Carolina RollerGirls, the live of Emergency Service Workers, and Chris Hughe’s visit to N.C. State. In addition, Nick Savage spoke with advocates for the Wake County Transit Plan. This is also his last show, and we wish him the best of luck in Europe next year! Tune in!

 

Categories
Concert Review

Whatever Brains LP Release Party with Burglar Fucker, King’s Barcade, 4/26/2012

I thought I’d preface this recap by letting you know that I’ve recently been inundated by a certain musical-consumption plateau known as expectation.

Burglar Fucker met my expectations.  When I saw a drum set forgoing the stage for the crowd-floor, a bass cab directly facing the audience, and an electronic rig that features, at its helm, a miniscule Theremin, I thought sloppy.  I thought loud.  I thought attempts at experimenting that would probably be somewhat interesting but not really cause for contemplation.  And that’s what I got.

Anthony Petrovic, self-proclaimed “baritone guitar attempt and vomit,” plugged up his Danelectro into that bass cab and proceeded to wail some simple drop-tuned chords—the kind where he only had to put his index down to get the jettisoned-via-distortion sound-fill he desired.

His real talent was finding a way to create stage presence while not on stage.  Disappearing from the crowd for a good minute in an alcove, pulling his guitar around the semi-circle that had been formed around him, and screaming some reverbed-to-oblivion lyrical ideas that may or may not have been comprised of logical dialogue, he pushed to the audience the weird and blown-out punk-meets-stoner-metal they were expecting.

I couldn’t gauge if the audience really cared or not, nor could I decide if the electronics guy was really adding anything concrete to the music, or just fucking with it cause he could.  He deep throated that Theremin, so I’m assuming the latter.

After a fairly-standard break, Whatever Brains started off their set with a half-sung scream that wavered in and out of tune.  Actually, it may have not had a tune at all.  It was setting me up for an expectedly similar experience to Burglar Fucker, where everything would fit into a homely little alcove of booming punk and garage.  And the set did start out as a sort of homage to aggressive, bar rock, affirming my personal sentiment all-the-more.

But by the second-or-third song, the lead singer had popped the cable out of his hissy P-90-fitted Strat (interestingly, an entry-level Squier) and into some sort of synth-box from the Technological Hell of Unmarked Knobs and Switches.  What came out was a gritty and uncomfortable sense of spastic movement that was amazing well-developed and seemed sincere.

And not what I was expecting.

A short-while later, the band played a slew of songs fitted with instrumentation that could have fit right in with the best of Shellac or Don Caballero.

My expectations were gone.

Directly after the mathy rhythm-based songs, the band went into a psychedelic lunge for what seemed like a solid 10 minutes.

My expectations had pulled in on themselves, forming some sort of geometric pattern that was both laughable and depressing.  Kind of like this.

In a nutshell, Whatever Brains was aggressive and noisy, but also tight and focused—interested in trying new things, but also desiring to revel with some of their obviously-revered influences.

I would like to think the audience felt as confused and appreciative as I was.  In what may be one of the weirdest displays of affection ever, the crowd started throwing empty cans of beer on to the stage, hitting the band’s front man who had just walked out announcing an encore.

(I don’t want to weigh out the possibly this display could have been fueled by drunkenness or participation in some inside joke unbeknownst to myself.  I could be pulling the whole atypical homage thing out of my ass to prove a point, just wanted throw that out there.)

With what was quite the risk, the set ended with an impressively-cohesive piece that incorporated the various styles they had taken on throughout their time on stage, ending in a slide-equipped riff that was elongated and weird, yet surprisingly conclusive.

Whenever you get to see Whatever Brains in the future, check your expectations at the door.  Even if it seems like nothing can really be unexpected.

-John

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.