WKNC 88.1 FM - North Carolina State University Student RadiomusicSPARK, an element of Raleigh’s annual SPARKcon arts festival, is taking applications from local musiciians for for participation in this year’s event.
Last year, musicSPARK involved 94 musicians in 14 venues, and it hasn’t stopped expanding yet. SparkCON will take place September 16 to 19, 2010.
For general information about the 2010 SparkCON festival, check out the Web site. You can allow follow SparkCON on Twitter.
If you’ve never seen Black Lips live, you owe it to yourself to do so the next time they are in town. This being my third time seeing them at the Cat’s Cradle this weekend, I can say with 100 percent certainty that they put on one of the best rock shows out of any touring band playing now.
After a mediocre opening set by the band Box Elders (think Black Lips minus any hooks), the Lips took the stage at full throttle and never let up. “O Katrina” and “Short Fuse,” two of my favorite Black Lips songs, popped up early in the set, along with Beatles-esque crowd-pleaser “Dirty Hands.”
One of the most entertaining parts of a Black Lips show is watching guitarist and singer Cole Alexander flail around the stage. While I’d seen him pull the spit-straight-up-and-catch-it move before, he had a new trick this time which involved spitting on the back of his guitar and raising it up to catch the drip. All this while never missing a note.
A lively crowd who bounced the whole show and a light mosh pit only served to add to the energy being exuded from the stage.
Black Lips are truly the definition of a great live rock show.
1. The Dead Weather have announced details on the release of their sophomore album. The follow-up to last year’s “Horehound” entitled “Sea of Cowards” is set to release May 7. The first single off of the album, “Die by the Drop” is set to be released within the next couple of weeks. (via NME)
2. Legendary musician Alex Chilton has passed away at the age of 59. After complaints of feeling ill, Chilton was rushed to a hospital in New Orleans. Chilton was scheduled to play alongside a reunited Big Star in Austin, Texas for SXSW. (via Pitchfork)
3. The 10-year anniversary of Modest Mouse’s “The Moon and Antarctica” will be reissued on vinyl for this year’s Record Store Day. The vinyl is set to contain the original track listing and original album artwork, unlike the 2004 remaster. (via Pitchfork)
4. French filmmaker Michel Gondry has revealed that he is working with Bjork on what he describes as a “scientific musical.” Gondry said, “We have a very ambitious project, a sort of scientific musical. … [It’s a movie], but maybe more for museums. Like a 40 minute IMAX project in 3D.” The two, who have worked together previously on music videos, have no official plans have been set just yet. (via Pitchfork)
5. Passion Pit are set to release a reissue of their album “Manners.” Alongside this, the band has also expanded their North American tour. The expanded edition will include new artwork, three bonus tracks, and is set to release April 13. (via NME)
Kellie Harper’s first season as head coach of the women’s basketball team will continue into the postseason as N.C. State was selected as the 9-seed in the Kansas City regional Monday night.
Read more at TechnicianOnline.com and catch the game against UCLA Sunday, March 21 at 9:30 p.m. on 88.1 FM. As always, non-sports fans can continue the great indie rock on our sports-free Web stream at wknc.org.
Here we go again. Hype-juggernauts MGMT are back with a new track entitled “Flash Delirium.” It’s a bit chaotic for my tastes, but I’ll let you make your own decision on that. Without further ado I give you…
Fix still not filled?
Check out these videos from a secret show the duo played at the Mercury Lounge in NY for a sneak-preview of their upcoming LP, Congratulations, due out April 13th.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hekGKvIfaV4&feature=related
March doesn’t mean just a plethora of basketball games. For the rest of this month, WKNC will be giving away tickets to three main acts presented by Live Nation. Take a look and see who’s dropping by:
Ben Folds and A Piano: The Fillmore Charlotte – March 19, 2010
This Friday, the Winston-Salem native will be performing at the Fillmore Charlotte. The Ben Folds Five trio was known as a novelty with its guitar-less sound during the grunge era and Folds’ aggressive piano style. Folds was first introduced to the piano at age nine when his carpenter father brought home a piano from a customer in a barter trade. With the constant desire to make up songs, his skills on the piano greatly improved. Today, Folds continues to make music, perform, and expand on his solo career. In 2008, Ben Folds released his third solo album Way t0 Normal, which continues the strong thread of the chaotic piano-pounding sound that has become synonymous with Folds. For the rest of this week, WKNC deejays will be asking various trivia questions about Folds’ life and musical background. Answer correctly and you and a friend will be scoring tickets to the show. Tickets are also available for purchase at Live Nation.
Minus the Bear: The Fillmore Charlotte – May 9, 2010
If you’ve ever listened to Minus the Bear then you’ve probably found yourself enthralled in their echoing, spacey sound mixed with soft yet powerful lyrics. What’s equally mesmerizing is the band’s sense of humor. The Highly Refined Pirates album boasted the likes of lengthy and silly titles like, “Hey, Wanna Throw Up?” and “Get Me Naked 2: The Electric Boogaloo.” First emerging on Seattle’s music scene in 2001, they released their six-song EP This Is What I Know About Being Gigantic. Now on their fourth full-length album, OMNI, many have noted the evolution of Minus the Bear’s sound. With OMNI in 2008, the band teamed up with producer Joe Chiccarelli (My Morning Jacket, The White Stripes, The Shins) to fine tune their sound. Minus the Bear will be performing at the Fillmore Charlotte in May, so be sure to tune in this month to win tickets. Click the banner to purchase tickets through Live Nation online.
Kings of Leon: Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion – September 13, 2010
The Followill brothers are sons of a preacher man, who were raised in the south and traveled from various Pentecostal churches across the states. Who would have expected them to become one of today’s most popular rock and roll acts? After their father’s divorce in 1997, the two eldest brothers moved to Nashville, igniting their dreams of getting into the music industry. With the help of Angelo Petraglia, the members of Kings of Leon were introduced into secular music such as the Rolling Stones and Johnny Cash. The group’s highly anticipated second album, Aha Shake Heartbreak, came out in 2005, debuting at number three on the British charts. The band’s greatest success to date came with the release of their fourth album, Only by the Night, along with the singles “Sex on Fire” and “Use Somebody”, which have become extremely radio friendly here in the United States.
Be sure to check the blog every week with updates on upcoming shows and ticket giveaways. Listen only on 88.1FM or streaming online.
1. Japandroids are set to re-release two five-song EPs that were recorded before the band’s breakout album “Post Nothing.” The songs from both the “All Lies” and “Lullaby Death Jams” EPs are going to be compiled to form “No Singles.” The album is set to release May 11th, courtesy of Polyvinyl. (via Pitchfork)
2. Last fall, after playing a set of shows for the first time since 1994, Sunny Day Real Estate is set to release new material for the first time in 15 years. Although no recording time-line has been scheduled just yet, the band is hard at work at creating new songs. (via Billboard)
3. After the release of her acclaimed “IRM”, Charlotte Gainsbourg is scheduled to complete a two week North American tour. Although (sadly) there are no shows planned for North Carolina, she does plan on playing Coachella (for all you summer festival junkies). (via Pitchfork)
4. In a recent article in The Chicago Tribune, The Strokes have announce that they will be headlining Lollapalooza this year. Alongside that information, frontman Julian Casablancas has contemplated that “I think it’ll (the new album)be out in September.“(via Chicago Tribute)
5. Radiohead has confirmed that an email that had been circulated by a large number of fans, was a hoax. The email in question detailed that the next release from Radiohead would be called "Tehrangles.” A spokesman for Radiohead said to NME, “Most of it is made up and there is no album or album title.” (via NME)
Our very own Laurie Lu (host of the Rockabilly Hour, Sundays 2-4pm) got on the horn for an interview this past week with the legendary Dex Romweber of the Dex Romweber Duo (formerly of the Flat Duo Jets). The Duo will be embarking on a European tour in April, and are playing The Pour House in Raleigh this Saturday, March 13th. Enjoy!
Here are the fantastic shows that are taking place this week that WKNC is giving away tickets to! Be sure to tune into 88.1 FM or stream live for your chance to win!
Tuesday, March 16
Kool Keith w/Juan Huevos @ Cat’s Cradle
Thursday, March 18
Black Lips w/ Box Elders @ Cat’s Cradle
Saturday, March 20
The Rosebuds w/ Mount Weather @ Cat’s Cradle
As always, check out the Rock Report for a complete list of local shows!
Here are the top 30 albums played in WKNC’S Daytime format over the past week, compiled by Daytime Music Director John Hubbard:
1. Shearwater – The Golden Archipelago
2. Quasi – American Gong
3. Mumford and Sons – Sigh No More
4. Toro y Moi – Causers of This
5. Gigi – Maintenant
6. Surfer Blood – Astro Coast
7. Efterklang – Magic Chairs
8. Javelin – No Mas
9. Local Natives – Gorilla Manor
10. Golden Triangle – Double Jointer
11. Via Audio – Animalore
12. Angelo Spencer – Angelo Spencer Et Les Hauts Sommets
13. Gospel Gossip – Drift
14. Laarks – An Exaltation of Laarks
15. Donora – Donora
16. Dinosaur Feathers – Fantasy Memorial
17. Joanna Newsom – Have One On Me
18. Shout Out Louds – Work
19. Beach House – Teen Dream
20. Hot Chip – One Life Stand
21. Titus Andronicus- The Monitor
22. Strange Boys – Be Brave
23. Pantha Du Prince – Black Noise
24. Happy Birthday – Happy Birthday
25. Carolina Chocolate Drops – Genuine Negro Jig
26. These New Puritans– Hidden
27. Electric President – The Violent Blue
28. Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt – I Love You! I Love You! I Love You And I’m In Love With You! Have An Awesome Day! Have The Best Day Of Your Life!
29. Solid Gold – Synchronize
30. Yeasayer –Odd Blood