WKNC 88.1 FM - North Carolina State University Student RadioBecause of SPARKcon on September 17 we were limited to only one hour once again for the Local Beat. However, that hour was dedicated to SPARKcon as editor of “The Word” Kestrel Lemen joined us to talk about the giant art festival. As many were, I was extremely overwhelmed by the massiveness of all the different sparks, but Kestrel broke it down one by one for us. Give the interview a listen below:
Each week, the WKNC music directors tally up spins for new releases and submit their top 10s to CMJ.
| Artist | Album | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | J. RODDY WALSTON AND THE BUSINESS | J. Roddy Walston and the Business | Vagrant |
| #2 | THIEVING IRONS | The Midnight Hum | Seabird |
| #3 | GRASS WIDOW | Past Time | Kill Rock Stars |
| #4 | CHIEF | Modern Rituals | Domino |
| #5 | GOLD MOTEL | Summer House | self-released |
| #6 | FRANKIE ROSE AND THE OUTS | Frankie Rose and the Outs | Slumberland |
| #7 | TWIN SHADOW | Forget | Terrible |
| #8 | CEO | White Magic | Modular |
| #9 | SOMEONE STILL LOVES YOU BORIS YELTSIN | Let it Sway | Polyvinyl |
| #10 | DARKER MY LOVE | Alive as You Are | Silver Hornet |
| Artist | Album | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | CEO | White Magic | Modular |
| #2 | TWIN SHADOW | Forget | Terrible |
| #3 | !!! | Strange Weather, Isn’t It? | Warp |
| #4 | FOUR TET | Angel Echoes (Remix) | Domino |
| #5 | BATHS | Cerulean | Anitcon |
| #6 | BORGORE | Borgore Ruined Dubstep [EP] | |
| #7 | DREAMEND | So I Ate Myself, Bite by Bite | Graveface |
| #8 | BLUE SKY BLACK DEATH | Third Party | Fake Four |
| #9 | CROOKERS | Tons of Friends | |
| #10 | RUSKO | O.M.G.! | Mad Decent |
New local label Denmark Records, started by UNC-CH graduate and Vinyl Records creator Tripp Gobbel and NCSU graduate Logan Sayles, have just put out their first release, a split seven-inch between electro-soul duo ArnHao and the Flying Lotus-esqu Holygrailers. Entitled Denmark One, you can stream the seven-inch for free here and purchase a copy, including an expanded digital EP, here.
Both acts play Friday at Local 506 alongside Cex, The ExMonkeys, Casual Curious, and The Biters as part of the fifth annual Signalfest.
Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read is an annual American Library Association event observed during the last week of September. Banned Books Week celebrates free and open access to information and intellectual freedom. NCSU Libraries celebrates this annual event with Banned Books Soundwave, a website offering sound clips of excerpts from banned books read by members of the NC State community including faculty, administrators, and students.
Marian Fragola, Director of Program Planning and Outreach for NSCU Libraries, will discuss Banned Books Week and the Banned Books Soundwave project on Mystery Roach. We’ll also listen to some banned songs and hear a few recordings from the Banned Books Soundwave project. Should be a fun morning.
Tune in, Saturday 9/25/2010, 8-10am.
Talk to you then.
-La Barba Rossa
Signal, the Southeast Electronic Music Festival, kicked off its fifth year last night with a hip-hop show at Cat’s Cradle featuring Pac Div, Kooley High, King Mez, and others and continues through Sunday in various Chapel Hill and Carborro venues. The festival features a wide array of acts, both national and local, from many different subgenres, including Le Castle Vania, Cex, Sammy Bananas, Tittsworth, The Beast, The ExMonkeys, and WKNC’s own Brooklyn Airlift.
Weekend passes for the fest are available for $40 today at the Ackland Art Museum from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., Tallula’s starting at 10:00 p.m., and at Vespa on Friday night starting at 10:00 p.m. Individual tickets for each show will be available at the door of the venue the night of the show.
For more information on the festival, including schedules and past acts, check out their website here
Danglin’, one of the lead singers of legendary reggae group The Wailers, took a few moments out of getting ready for their show at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro on September 24 to chat with me via email.
1) I saw that The Wailers were featured on the Solutions For Dreamers: Season 3 album with the song “A Step For Mankind.” How did they get involved in this project, and what does it mean to them to be a part of a humanitarian effort?
The Wailers have continued Bob Marley’s legacy and have done so since his death in 1981. His music speaks to us personally as it does to everyone around the world. The concerns then are the same concerns we have today, and this is the reason why we chose to record the song “One Step for Mankind” because it was our way of giving back. We have collaborated with the World Food Programme for a number of years. Last year we gave out thousands of shoes in Columbia to under-privileged kids. With this song, we are donating all the proceeds to the cause because hunger is such an epidemic around the world, and it is one of the simplest to overcome. It’s heartbreaking to know that a child dies from hunger every 6 songs. It made sense when we were asked to record the tracks for the Solution For Dreamers album because their focus was the same as ours.
2) In a time when musical styles are becoming increasingly more blurred and blended, what do The Wailers see as the state of reggae? Where do they see reggae going in the future?
Reggae music remains with drum and bass; it is the foundation of it and always will be— it’s also the heart-beat of the people. The vocals are always positive; it is political and leans towards change and equality. The drums and bass will always be the same. That is how reggae music is identified, and of course positive vibrations come from the vocals.
Reggae music expanding, whenever we do festivals we see such a wide age gap. From young people to people well into their later years come to dance and absorb the positiveness of our music. Reggae music will always survive because it is timeless, and the themes are universal. Everything is relevant to past, present, and future, and it’s forever expanding. So there’s no doubt whatsoever about it’s future. It’s evolving and merging with different genres like we did with “A Step,” we brought together reggae and rap and have Dr Dre’s protégé Bishop Lamont on the song doing his flow with the rhythm and rhymes.
3) Have global events and globalism itself influenced their music?
The reggae music in the beginning was a medium of expression; it was a way for the public to know what is going on around them. Whatever goes on in the world, The Wailers will speak on it. It is the music we provide that spreads awareness of world suffering and inequality. We are definitely the band to be expressing that.
4) After performing for millions of people all over the globe, what do The Wailers see as the pros and cons of performing in a smaller venue like Cat’s Cradle?
Whether it’s 2 people in the audience or 20,000, with the positive vibrations we bring, it’s a fantastic feeling. The most important thing is the number of people who can feel the music to the core of their being. Seeing people dancing, getting vibed up on the music is exciting. We want the audience to appreciate it for what it is. It doesn’t matter how many people, what matters is the number of people who walk away and really get the positive message we are trying to share. Reggae music is about bringing people together to share a positive experience and walk away with ‘good vibrations.’
5) Are there any important upcoming projects for the band?
The World Food Programme is the number one priority for the band. The Uprising Tour is starting in January. Those are the main projects in the works, but if you want to keep up with us and any new upcoming projects it’s best to go to www.wailers.com to keep track of the band and our whereabouts.
We are looking forward to coming to North Carolina and getting everyone vibed and singing along to all the song.
ONE LOVE to everyone and see you at the show.
The Eye on the Triangle team went out to cover the annual Shack-A-Thon fundraiser on the NCSU Brickyard. Also in this episode: An interview with student body president Kelly Hook, the Gardening Minute, Restaurant Review, and analysis of NCSU’s 3-0 start to the football season.
Stone Temple Pilots have announced a change in tour dates for a handful of their upcoming shows, including two in North Carolina. Previously scheduled to play Tuesday, October 5 at the Raleigh Amphitheater, Stone Temple Pilots will now perform two weeks later on Tuesday, October 19. The October 6 show at Charlotte’s Road Runner Mobile Amphitheatre will now be October 20. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club will still open for both Live Nation shows. All purchased tickets for the original dates will be honored for the rescheduled shows.
WKNC will also have tickets to the rescheduled show to give away the week of October 11.
Durham-based signer/songwriter Brett Harris will be playing a free live acoustic set this Thursday (9/23) at the WKNC shack in the Brickyard at NCSU. The set will start at 7:30pm, and donations for Habitat for Humanity are greatly appreciated!
Shack-a-Thon is an annual fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity in which participant student groups build shacks on the Birkcyard to be consistently occupied by their members for the entire week. The WKNC shack is located at the far west edge of the Brickyard. Parking will be available on Hillsborough Street and throughout campus.
(If you have flashlights or a lantern– they will be greatly appreciated, as power cords are FORBIDDEN at Shack-a-Thon.)