| Artist | Album | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | CRYSTAL CASTLES | Crystal Castles II | Universal |
| #2 | SLEIGH BELLS | Treats | Mom and Pop |
| #3 | GORILLAZ | Plastic Beach | Virgin |
| #4 | HOT CHIP | One Life Stand | Astralwerks |
| #5 | BESSNECTAR | Timestretch | Amorphous |
| #6 | RUSKO | O.M.G.! | Mad Descent |
| #7 | CROOKERS | Tons of Friends | Anticon |
| #8 | RATATAT | LP4 | XL |
| #9 | SUGAR AND GOLD | Get Wet! | Antenna Farm |
| #10 | TORO Y MOI | Causers of This | Carpark |
Category: Blog
by Tommyboy and Spaceman Spiff
Atmosphere is not the only thing that matters for a show, but few will argue against it’s utmost importance. The atmosphere at the Cat’s Cradle on the 15th was, forgive the term, awesome. Laid back and congenial, the three bands on the bill obviously got along like good friends. The Cradle was one of the last stops on their long tour together and the amicable vibe that evening was reinforced when each band mentioned the stop to be of personal significance.
The first to play was NYC-based Hooray For Earth (who had earlier in the day paid a visit to the WKNC studio for a live interview with our very own DJ Ones). Several of their instruments appeared to be held together with duct tape, an eccentric detail that complimented the marvelously ramshackle nature of their music. Their songs were slightly off-kilter and poppy and their set was high in energy. Especially intense was the presence of two on-stage percussionists.
Following in rather quick succession, as opposed to the customary half-hour wait between bands, the much-lauded West Palm Beach, Florida, natives Surfer Blood took the stage. The performance was prefaced with lead singer JP Pitts voicing the notion that “we’re all the same; you guys are just like us, and we are just like you.” After plucking the opening notes of “Take It Easy,” Pitts slyly asked the audience, “Do you want the guitar on or off?” His question was met with a few seconds of stunned silence. Surely the musicians behind one of the best guitar albums of recent memory, Astro Coast, would want to thrill us with their riffs? The response for “on” was overwhelmingly enthusiastic, and for the rest of their set Pitts ran around the stage taking power stances, holding his ax like a gun. The energy of the evening built to the soaring one-two punch of “Swim” (for which all willing guests were invited onto the stage) and “Anchorage.” With calm confidence, the band masterfully captured the rich and spacious sound of their album.
Kip Berman of The Pains of Being Pure at Heart took the stage after a short break to play a solo rendition of “Contender” before his full band took their places behind him. With his band poised to start, Berman shyly asked the crowd, “Are you ready to rock?” The band proceeded to breeze through pop gem after glorious pop gem only to peak with the catchy fuzz of “Young Adult Friction” and their new single “Say No To Love.” If Surfer Blood is a guitar band, then the Pains are certainly a drums band. Kurt Feldman, who also fronts the equally fuzzed-out band The Depreciation Guild, plays enchanting beats to which many people in the audience were enthusiastically air drumming. JP Pitts of Surfer Blood and Gary Benacquista of Hooray For Earth gleefully appeared at the right moments to dance onstage and add frantic shakes of their tambourines.
As if the aggregate experience of these acts was not enough, members of all three bands took the stage for the encore, abiding by the crowd’s fervent request for their rendition of Lit’s “My Own Worst Enemy” (see below for a video of a similarly energetic performance of the song in Orlando). With everyone in the room grooving along to the song, it wasn’t clear who was enjoying themselves more: the musicians or the audience. Quite simply, everyone was experiencing the joys of celebrating music together.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvGwGSBUDfQ&feature=player_embedded
(Video source: Pitchfork)
Categories
This Week’s Giveaways!
This week we are giving away tickets to:
6/16 – Lonnie Walker and Woodsman at Slim’s
6/18 – Parmalee with Downfall and Louder Moonlight at The Pour House
6/19 – Irata with Once and Future Kings at Slim’s
We’re also still giving away tickets to “Robin Hood,” “Sex and The City 2,” “Killers,” and “The A-Team.”
Keep Listening to WKNC for these giveaways and others!!!
This Thursday at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, five bands will be getting together to raise money in a show aptly named “A Benefit to Battle Multiple Sclerosis.” Zach Terry, Mark Simonson, Emily Bidgood, and Lee Bidgood all joined me at the station yesterday to talk about this local cause and concert, which will include sets from The Sundowners, Mt. Moriah, Whiskey Smugglers, Mandolin Orange, and Last Of The Great Sideshow Freaks.
Multiple Sclerosis is a disease in which your body’s immune system eats away at the protective sheath that covers your nerves. This then interferes with your brain’s communication with the rest of the body. Ultimately MS can destroy the nerves themselves, which is irreversible. Symptoms of the disease vary widely, ranging from numbness or tingling in parts of your body to loss of vision, double vision, and even dizziness. People with severe cases may even lose the ability to walk or speak (Mayo Clinic).
During the interview, we talked about the show, where the proceeds from the concert will go, the inspiration and reasons behind putting on a Multiple Sclerosis benefit, and other ways people can get involved.
On this Mini Exclusive, you will find two songs performed in studio by Whiskey Smugglers along with a never before released track from Mark Simonson.
Take a listen:
The Hopscotch Music Festival has now become synonymous with headliners: Broken Social Scene, Public Enemy, and Panda Bear. However, the Triangle’s largest music festival features plenty of local acts. That’s why every Friday for the next few weeks, Special K will be getting back to North Carolina’s musical roots by keeping spins local and giving away Hopscotch festival wristbands to lucky callers during the Local Lunch (12pm-1pm).
Listen only on 88.1FM or streaming online during Local Lunch for your favorite local Hopscotch bands like The Rosebuds, Bowerbirds, The Love Language and many more!
[Wednesday June 23, 6-9pm, Harris Field at NCSU.]
“Rock Can Roll,” the newest installment in the recent campaign of free on-campus concerts , will feature Raleigh’s own Annuals and their Terpsikhore Records comrades, What Laura Says .
Attendees are encouraged to bring in-kind (or cash) donations to benefit the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina.
The show is free and open to the public and will take place here, on Harris Field at NC State (in front of Witherspoon Student Center at the corner of Dan Allen Drive and Cates Avenue).
There will be (a limited supply of) pizza and t-shirt giveaways throughout the show. So come out, bring a blanket, bring a donation, and enjoy the free awesome live music!
Many thanks to our friends at the Union Activities Board and Student Government for making this concert possible.
Categories
LBLB!!! June 17th!!
Ok folks, one of this week’s bands is my favorite local live act, hands down.
Get ready for Colossus!!
COLOSSUS
“Colossus oozes talent like a Viking lets blood on a battlefield”- THE INDEPENDENT
Yeah, it really is something like that. Colossus is the kind of band I wish I could be. They are FULL of energy and your face will be melted. Every time I’ve seen them, I practically throw out my neck from rocking out and have the insatiable urge to smash my beer can. You cannot miss this!
WHITE TIGER & THE BED OF ROSES
White Tiger and The Bed of Roses hold their own with rockin’ riffs and lyrics. Face-melting will begin with them. This will be my first time seeing these guys, but I’ve already heard from multiple show-goer friends of mine that these guys are wicked awesome.
Remember, Tir na nOg and WKNC’s Local Beer Local Band Night is ALWAYS FREE and 21+. The show starts at 10pm. There is a stellar selection of delicious local beers on tap (as always) which will be on special. So grab a Shotgun Betty, or whatever else pleasures your pallet, and get ready to seriously rock out!
This week in EOT we took primary focus on the current conflict in the middle east.
1. Bloc Party’s front man Kele Okereke has admitted that he is unsure about the band’s future as he gets ready to release his debut album The Boxer. The band is currently on a year long break and plans for the band to reunite are currently uncertain. (via NME)
2. Bryce Dessner of The National has revealed that the band will be appearing on the next album by Sufjan Stevens. Stevens is currently recording his upcoming album in Brooklyn. Dessner added, “It’s going to be incredible. It’s going to probably blow people’s minds.” (via Exclaim!)
3. Corin Tucker of Sleater-Kinney has revealed plans for her first solo album. The album, which has yet to be named, will be released sometime this fall, and she is planning to complete a brief tour following the release. (via Pitchfork)
4. The Strokes played their first show in four years when they took the stage in London last week. Playing 18 songs, the band did not release any new material. The Strokes plan to hit the festival circuit in the summer. (via NME)
5. Jack White recently took the stage with Conan O’Brien, playing an intimate show to 300 people at White’s Third Man Record Studios in Nashville. The two played everything including White Stripes’ classic Seven “Nation Army,” Radiohead’s “Creep,” and many more. (via Spin)
Categories
Best in the Triangle 2010!
WKNC 88.1 FM is back on top with the release of Independent Weekly’s 2010 Best in the Triangle Reader’s Choice poll. WKNC earned the title of Best College Radio Station after the category was divided into college and commercial categories this year. The station was a finalist for Best Radio Station in 2009 and won top honors in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. WKNC’s DJ Ones was also named a finalist for Best Radio DJ, one of four WKNC DJs to honored in the last five years.
Independent Weekly’s Greg Lowenhagen stopped by the WKNC studio Thursday afternoon to present General Manager Tommy Anderson with the station’s award and talk about Independent Weekly’s Hopscotch Music Festival September 9-11 in Raleigh.