Late last week I sent an email out to the WKNC staff to ask them to tell me what their grievances in music are. It's not quite Festivus yet, but as the school year starts and stress starts to build up, I thought now would be an appropriate time. I left things pretty open. The idea was simple. All they needed to do was send me any pet peeve they had in the music world. From fans, to artists, and everything in between, I received a little bit of everything. Out of all the emails that I have sent to [...]
July 2012 would mark the 100th birthday of one of music's greatest and most influential artists, Woodie Guthrie . Unfortunately, Guthrie would not be able to mark this occasion himself, as he passed away in 1967. However, the Guthrie estate has some big things planned for the would-be 100 year birthday of the artist. 429 Records will be publishing "Note of Hope: A Celebration of Woodie Guthrie." Featuring artists from Tom Morello to Lou Reed to Jackson Browne, the compilation will feature songs which have been interpreted from archival writings of Guthrie. It will be released September [...]
World Cafe has been broadcasting out of WXPN in Philadelphia for 20 years, and in commemoration of their two decades of bringing excellent music, World Cafe has announced plans of a compilation featuring some of the best live performances by many of the best in independent music over the years. In exchange for donations to WXPN listeners can receive Live at the World Cafe, 20th Anniversary Edition on either CD or vinyl. In addition to the compilation there will also be a weekend celebration concert from October 28-30 in Philadelphia. The track listing [...]
On August 17 James Blake's Twitter ( @jamesblake ) sparked mentions of a collaboration between himself and Bon Iver . BBC Radio 1 had the pleasure of debuting the collaboration August 24. The song "Fall Creek Boys Choir" features the experimental electronica sense of both artists, as the vocals layer into a whirlwind of sultry electronica goodness. The vocals were performed on behalf of Bon Iver with James Blake backing the production aspect of the track. The song will be available for purchase on August 29. You can listen to the collaboration below. [...]
Florence Welch, Florence and the Machine press photo Florence and the Machine are set to release their sophomore full length November 7 in the UK. No exact date has been announced for the rest of the world, but it is expected the album it will be released later in November. The currently untitled LP is set to follow-up the massively successful debut, Lungs , which was released in 2009. Alongside of this news, Florence and the Machine have released a new song titled "What the Water Gave Me." The soulful new song [...]
The Shins promo photo by Brian Tamborello After some time apart it looks as if The Shins are back to making music once again. The Shins, who have been working on new material as of late, are set to release a new album sometime next year via Aural Apothecary/ Columbia . Alongside of the news of signing to Columbia, The Shins have also announced a brief tour from August through early October. Share and Enjoy:
Earlier this yea r, Hooray For Earth released their first proper LP "True Loves," an album characterized by loud, sharp synths and poppy vocals. Prior to their performance at King's Barcade for Deja Mi , the band was kind enough to stop by the WKNC studios for an interview. We've uploaded the audio in its entirety for you to listen to here! Hear what the band had to say about filming the music video for "True Loves," their upcoming September concert with Cymbals Eat Guitars [...]
In commemoration of the 20-year anniversary of Nirvana's famous album Nevermind , artists including Telekinesis , Surfer Blood , and Jeff the Brotherhood have each recorded an individual song off of the classic album. Starting Tuesday, July 19 Newermind will be available for free download on SPIN magazine's Facebook page . The track listing is 1. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Meat Puppets 2. "In Bloom" by Butch Walker 3. "Come As You Are" by Midnight Juggernauts [...]
88.1 WKNC’s Pick of the Week 7/7 Coming off of the success of his self-released debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago , Justin Vernon, lead singer of Bon Iver, had a lot to live up to. Where he could have relied solely on the success of his debut, Vernon decided to evolve out of the cold, isolated feelings of the debut, and move into a world of sound that is optimistic yet grounded in reality, and colorful in its production. The execution of tracks is quintessentially different. [...]
Drive-By Truckers Press Photo by Danny Clinch This year's Hopscotch Music Festival is set up to be another amazing event coming to the area. The icing on top of the cake comes with all of the accompanying day parties and various other events held that highlight talent in music. One of these is the Ed McKay Artist and Author Series. Similar to last year's event, this year's event will bring several members of some of the larger acts including The Flaming Lip's Wayne Coyne and Patterson Hood of Drive-By [...]
Sharon Van Etten press photo by Dusdin Condren The folk songstress Sharon Van Etten , who released her amazing album Epic in 2010, has just been confirmed to sign with Jagjaguwar and leave her previous label Ba Da Bing . Although not much is known about her upcoming album, she will release her third record sometime in early 2012 with her new label. She will be joining an impressive list of artists including Bon Iver who just released their self-titled sophomore album. The new labelmates have worked with [...]
As more companies invest their time and efforts into cloud computing, it seemed only fit that we dissect the latest iteration that is attempting to transform how individuals gain access to their music library, namely, Google Music . The service, which is still in beta and currently only available for those that submit themselves for an invite to the beta, is completely free for users to try at this point. How that will change, well, no one is sure just yet. Regardless, Mason and myself, DJ Ones , took a moment to sit down and talk about our experiences [...]
The mini-festival, which will hit Raleigh July 22 and 23, will be bringing some huge names in both Local and nationwide artists to the area. Working alongside the fine people at Hopscotch Music Festival, the free two-day event will bring the likes of Hooray for Earth , Free Energy , Wye Oak , Surfer Blood , and much more. The events kick off on Friday starting at 6pm with acts playing venues including Kings , The Pour House , Tir Na Nog , Slim's , and [...]
Sarah Jaffe Recently I had the chance to talk to Sarah Jaffe before her show at Local 506. We discussed everything from her current tour, to the recent re-release of her 2008 EP Even Born Again . Sarah mentioned everything from how she started, to her time with Kirtland Records , and labels reaction to the success of her debut album Suburban Nature . We also had the chance to talk about the process behind recording her upcoming EP The Way Sound Leaves a Room and her next full [...]
Recently inspired by an NME post that had their staff discuss what the first albums they every bought were, I thought it would be interesting to figure out what the WKNC kids had first picked up. After a bit of work this is what they sent me! Professor X Spice Girls- Spice Spice Girls- Spice [...]
88.1 WKNC’s Pick of the Week 1/31 The world of distorted rock is one that many bands dare to succeed at doing well, but ultimately fail at when it comes to executing at an album level. It is a highly fickle sound that some attempt to manage, but fail to pick up an audience that becomes significant at a larger level. Even with all the disadvantages of taking a path that does not frequently lead to success, Yuck has embarked on this task. [...]
4/26 WKNC Pick of the Week written by DJ Ones, WKNC Daytime deejay Following the immense success of 20082s debut self-titled album, Fleet Foxes took three years of touring, recording and reflecting before their sophomore release, Helplessness Blues . The delay, although difficult for early fans, may have done just what it needed to calm some of the hype for their second full-length. It also allowed time for Fleet Foxes to grow, experiment and hone their skills as proper folk artists. Fleet Foxes, while holding onto [...]
Jack White 1. LCD Soundsystem has announced that they will follow-up their final show at Madison Square Garden on April2 with a national tour. When asked about the change in heart, frontman James Murphy said, "I don't know. I thought it would be cool to go out with a bang. I was probably too hungover to realize what I was doing." (via DerpSounds ) 2. Jack White has announced the latest creation of Third Man Records. In following up with the Double Decker album, a 12 inch with a 7 inch record inside, [...]
Click here to view the embedded video. 1. At SXSW Jack White unveiled his newest idea, the rolling record store. The record store on wheels, which sells Third Man Record albums, t-shirts, and other paraphernalia. (via Third Man Records ) 2. Damon Albarn of Blur and Gorillaz fame, is set to star in a musical that he himself wrote. The play will be performed in London and will be based around a 16th century spy, John Dee. (via BBC ) 3. It has been confirmed that [...]
James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem 1. After a bit of hysteria last week, it has since been confirmed that Gorillaz will not be breaking up. Representatives of the act have come out saying, "Despite rumours to the contrary, Gorillaz are alive and well and misbehaving in London W10." (via Clash Music ) 2. Danger Mouse and Jack White are set to work on a collaboration together called Rome . The work, which features Danger Mouse and a variety of other artist, is set to release on [...]
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