Few hip hop acts since The Roots have had the audacity to attempt live instruments as part of their brand, but Slangston fearlessly goes in with lyricism and showmanship. The key to his success isn’t from traveling with a band, but recruiting talent from the cities he performs in to give his songs a local flair to wherever he is on stage. This is a unique approach to making music in a genre that usually puts a heavy emphasis on representation of an artist’s specific hometown sound.

Slangston Hughes will be performing this Thursday night at Pinhook in Durham (doors at 9pm), Friday night at Proof Five Points in Raleigh (doors at 9pm) with Eternal the MC for his “Age of Eternal” album release party, and a free show at Schoolkids Records on Saturday (starts at 6pm). Check out WKNC’s podcast to hear the full interview with this artist who is sure to put on a great show alongside our city’s strongest MCs.

Throughout the hour the band discussed the motivation behind their local covers EP, the songwriting process, all of the work that goes into their visual projections, and shared a ridiculously hilarious freestyle song. Tune in to the full segment to hear covers of Museum Mouth, Weller and Rogue Band of Youth along with some revelatory discussion on their live performances. 

The trio came in for some live performances and interviews on Carolina Grown this past Friday before their set at the NC Roots Showcase at Tir Na Nog. The band discussed their origins, influences and forthcoming album throughout the segment, but most importantly they laid down some seriously stunning tunes.

Throughout the hour, River Whyless performed three new tracks from their recent self-titled EP and discussed how a new approach to recording altered the sound of this release. Listen below for our full conversation and some gorgeous live takes on “Life Crisis,” “Maple Sap” and “Miles of Skyline.”

Prior to their show on Jan. 23 at Local 506 with Floating Action and Dad & Dad, the founding members of Wild Fur joined us in the studio to discuss the band’s origins, songwriting techniques and news on when fans can expect to hear their heavily anticipated full-length. Check out our full conversation below along with the premiere of “Get Up & Go” the newest single from their forthcoming full length.

After Stack$’s set, a teenager from the crowd sauntered on the stage wearing a paintball jersey and what had to be a fresh haircut. This teenager was none other than Carrboro’s own Cosmoe, a high school student pursuing rap and utilizing local venues to showcase this talent. Sampling an older Rihanna song as a beat is a bold move but I definitely respect it.The previous sentence more or less sums up the entirety of Cosmoe’s set.He’s young, with a lot of untapped talent and has a hidden love for Rihanna (who doesn’t).

Up next to the stage was the special guest G. Yamazawa and he definitely not only put the “spec” in special but also in spectacle. This guy is someone to watch. G. Yamazawa is 24 year old born and raised in Durham, North Carolina by Japanese natives. Small in stature but phat in rhyme. Immediately when he was handed the mic, G was spitting effortlessly constructed double entendres faster than the bartender could hand out Red Bulls to underaged concert goers. 

Completely blown away by the guest, everyone GUESSED that the next to the spit was none other than Charlotte native, Well$. With a few members of the audience wearing t-shirts repping Well$’s record label Immaculate Taste and everyone pumped on adrenaline, Well$ had his work cut out for him. 2014 was a big year for the rapper and I can tell he is planning to go even bigger in the new year. Over the past few years Well$ toured with Ab- Soul, performed with Pac Div and G-Eazy and also signed to record label Immaculate Taste. Something about Well$’s nonchalant manner and casual cool seems to draw people in and his music does not disappoint. He even stopped in the middle of his set to announce that people should mosh and those uninterested should step aside. If that’s not courtesy, I’d like to see what is.

ALL OF THESE GREAT PERFORMANCES AND WE HAVEN’T EVEN GOTTEN TO THE HEADLINER: PROFESSOR TOON.

photos from Facebook

Professor Toon is a Baltimore, Maryland native and a current resident of the 919, more specifically Durham. Also known as Toon from Toon and the Real Laww, Professor Toon had a crazy past couple of years. To clarify I mean crazy as in sharing the stage with names like Run the Jewels and De La Soul, while further establishing himself as an artist by performing at Hopscotch, and co founding the DURM Hip Hop Summit. The DURM Hip Hop Summit is a collective started by Toon and the Real Laww in 2012. They plan on having an event AUGUST 15th, 2015 (SAVE THE DATE.) The event is set to include the original 5 Pillars of Hip Hop:  DJing, Beat Boxing, Break Dancing, Graffiti and the MC. So for all of you complaining about real hip hop being dead (we’ve all seen your YouTube comments) come to its resurrection in August put on by the DURM Hip Hop Summit. Professor Toon brought his “A” game to the Local 506 and after sitting down one on one with the rapper his music and personality both leave little to be desired. The professor kept the crowd going while presenting himself as excited yet humble and truly appreciative for his fan base. Performing his new song “The Elephant” which manifests a part of Professor Toon’s childhood and his love for the special woman in his life that worked to give him a good upbringing, his mother. His mother was front and center at the show rocking a ReverbNation t-shirt, dancing her heart out and she wasn’t the only one.

Check out my exclusive interview with Professor Toon where he talks about Growing up in Baltimore, Lil Bow Wow vs. Lil Romeo, Female rappers and his up and coming ventures.

IMPORTANT DATES: JANUARY 24TH at the DUKE COFFEEHOUSE catch PROFESSOR TOON, TURQUOISE JEEP, and BARF TROOP

AUGUST 15th mark your calendars for the DURM Hip Hop Summit

-Dilemma, WKNC Underground Music Director

Edge of Urge and Lumina Clothing Grand Opening Block Party

T0W3RS LP Release Show at Kings Barcade

You can find out more about DADDY ISSUES at 

http://daddyissuesnc.bandcamp.com

-Blue Cadet-3

Pau Dones, a singer songwriter, has been in this business for 20 years and from the way he speaks he is nowhere close to being done. The album La Flaca was released in 1996 and 18 years later, their new album Somos was released. In the interview we spoke of his inspirations and his motivations for music. We also spoke about their favorite moments. The most revealing moment was when I asked Pau Dones what his hobbies were. He answered that he likes to write music. He also pointed out the irony of a singer songwriter that as a career makes, writes, and performs music that spends his free time making even more music. To me that just shows the passion and dedication that he has to Jarabe de Palo and music as a whole. 

- dJ/dx

But while there are great sets at single venues at the same time the range of diversity and general quality of the festival brings always brings up conflicts and scavenger hunt style show attendance hopping.

I remember at last year’s festival I went to CAM to see Horse Lords on a completely blind suggestion from a friend. Horse Lords have been described as “polyrhythmic krautrockers” that use intonation and repeating tropes in an entrancing psychedelic rock and roll kind of way. It doesn’t sound like the kind of thing that could be catchy or fun but IT WAS. The live performance had multitudes of energy and on top of that I got to have a conversation with Wye Oak’s Jenn Wasner in the crowd. 

Its that kind of liberating feeling that any show you could walk into could be your next favorite band that has kept me coming to Hopscotch year after year and I hope you consider making some spontaneous choices this year as well. 

I have never been to Bar Harbor or anywhere in Maine for that reason, but I like to imagine that their breed of alt/psychedelic rock captures the beauty of the vast, coastal landscape. This show is an absolute must-see at Hopscotch. Be prepared to lose yourself in their warm, inviting music. The laid back sound of the music will catch you off guard as you will leave the venue wondering what happened in a completely unexpected, calm state. Consider it your own personal vacation during Hopscotch. Trust me, you’ll need it by Saturday night and you won’t want it to end.

Saturday, September 6th, 10pm @ Deep South

Toben joined Grant Golden in the studio for Carolina Grown two weeks ago to discuss the inspiration behind his concept album 1, a piece of work that’s as brooding as it is groovy. Compelled by the age-old concept of the four elements, Toben teamed up with Wesley Wolfe (who covered most of the production for the album) to crank out an album’s worth of introspective pop brilliance. Throughout the hour Toben discussed the songwriting process behind these tracks, his inspiration for making this a studio exclusive project (meaning no live shows) and what we can expect to hear from the esteemed songwriter in the near future.

-May 16: Coalition Theater, Richmond, VA with improv comedy by Pigeon
-May 17: The Pinhook, Durham, NC with Alexandra Sauser-Monnig (of Mountain Man) and Matthew E. White (DJ Set)
-May 18: The Pinhook, Durham, NC (Sunday Brunch) with Alexandra Sauser-Monnig (of Mountain Man)

Gustafson staked his claim as one of the area’s premiere songwriters back in 2009 with his debut LP Donkey, but in the four years between his first and second full-length he had his hands in many a pot. Gustafson played with the likes of Max Indian, The Love Language, Mandolin Orange and The Human Eyes all whilst working on instrumental work as well. But when Gustafson announced his return to songwriting with The Dead Tongues it felt like the region let out a collective cheer. Desert was one of the most well received albums of 2013 and Gustafson has stayed busy at work since the album’s release.

Throughout the hour I spoke with Ryan Gustafson about his songwriting origins, the lapse between full lengths, all of the roles he’s been filling around the area and importantly what’s to come from the songwriter in 2014. Amidst all of the conversation Gustafson performed two new songs in the studio as well as a track from Desert. Fans of the songwriter can dig deeper into his psyche and get a stripped down treat of some new and old favorites with this session.

Taylor and Hirsch have released 4 albums as Hiss Golden Messenger including last year’s Haw.  Named for the river that strikes right through the heart of North Carolina, the album is their most adventurous to date as the duo expanded and enlisted the help of some old friends.  The band consisted of Megafaun’s Phil Cook, The Black Twig Picker’s Nathan Bowles, and William Tyler.  Each of these men is a great musician in their own right and came together to round out Taylor’s incredible vision perfectly.  Like their previous albums, Haw brought together wide array of different genres including folk, blues, country, and soul.  While Hiss Golden Messenger is a champion of an older country era, the music is universal and draws people that have never before been a fan of these genres.  As such, Haw was incredibly well received by people of all genres as it made the rounds on both local and national end of year lists.

On January 14th, their second album Bad Debt is being reissued after coming to an untimely end.  All copies of the original CD edition were destroyed in a warehouse fire during the London riots in 2011.  Bad Debt was written during the time of the collapse of the global economy.  Now after its symbolic demise, these songs will see the light of day 5 years later.  While we may not know what the future of the global economy may hold, these songs still hold weight as we look towards the not entirely cheery future.  But the future may be a bit brighter with Hiss Golden Messenger reminding us we aren’t alone in our struggles.

Tune in to hear our interview with Hiss Golden Messenger during Carolina Grown on January 17th as we discuss what lies ahead for them.

Check out a review and listen to a track off of Bad Debt on Pitchfork.

After the interview, they stepped out of the studio and into the lounge, where they performed “Faithbreaker” and “Golden Age” as part of WKNC’s “The Lounge” video series.

And did we mention The Love Language is headlining the first night of WKNC’s Double Barrel Benefit 11 on Friday, Feb. 7 at Cat’s Cradle?

Throughout the hour I spoke first with Kenny Roby about the differences between approaching his songs as a solo artist as opposed to a member of a full band. Roby performed an intimate take on “Tired of Being In Love,” before the focus switched over to the folks in Magnolia Collective. We then spoke a bit about the inception of Magnolia Collective and how it’s grown from their humble start with weekly jams at Carrboro’s The Station. Magnolia Collective then performed a brand new track from their forthcoming full length, set for release sometime next year.

Lastly, we moved onto the newest band of the bill with Texoma. Texoma’s songwriter Zach Terry was one of the original members of Magnolia Collective and we spoke about the differences between working with such a large group as opposed to a “dust-rock” trio. Texoma recently released a self-produced self-titled EP, and having only been a band for 2 months we naturally discussed the difficulties and excitement that comes along with being in such a swiftly moving project. To close out the hour Texoma performed an unreleased track titled “Mary Anne.”

This fresh purveyor of bedroom pop joined me this past week on Carolina Grown to talk a little bit about the inception of this project and how it’s grown from a self-contained bedroom project to a full-fledged band. Franklin and I discuss the transition from solo arrangements to vivacious live shows and the difficulties in bearing your innermost thoughts and feelings before an audience, which when your music is as visceral as Bridges’ must be a bit of an emotional exercise.

To top it all of Franklin performed a few stripped down takes of some tracks from Glass Mask, including “Never Loved You” and “End of the Road.”

Your standard Magpie Feast song feels reminiscent of a dirty southern take on Devendra Banhart. These tracks are firmly based in blues-rock stylings while interspersing traditional folk melodies, yet they somehow find their way into sprawling territory that gives this music a modernistic hue. Magpie Feast’s most recent release Out of the Womb sheds the lo-fi veil in favor of a much more dynamic and engaging approach, taking this already riveting sound and piling on layers to enrich the experience. 

On Friday, December 13 I’ll be joined by Magpie Feast to discuss the evolution of this promising and under-appreciated act and to find out where they stand amongst a crowded North Carolina scene. Magpie Feast will be performing some stripped down takes on tracks from Out of the Womb, so tune in from 6-7 for our last Artist of the Month feature before the new year begins!

Upon hearing Haskins’ song, acclaimed North Carolina artists Caitlin Cary (of Whiskeytown) and Jon Lindsay decided to band together and form the NC Music Love Army, a project that snowballed into something far more encompassing than anyone could imagine. Within the 6 months since the Moral Monday protests, the NC Music Love Army has already written, recorded and now released a full-length album of protest songs geared towards the N.C. state legislators. Last week I spoke with Caitlin Cary, Jon Lindsay and Skylar Gudasz about the formation of the Love Army, some of the pitfalls that they’ve come across since its inception, and where the project will go from here.

This past Saturday (Nov. 30) the group celebrated the album’s release at Cat’s Cradle, a show that was filled with protest anthems both new and old, along with a slew of special guests. During our conversation, we speak about these member’s favorite protest songs, what listeners could expect from the show and heard an unreleased song from the Love Army, “Dear Mr. McCrory.”

When The Art of Cool began it was little more than a way for local jazz musicians to find quaint and intimate places to share their sounds. But what began in art galleries around the Triangle has swiftly flourished into one of the most promising festivals in recent memory. This past summer the Art of Cool announced their plans to hold a two-day festival in downtown Durham and on Nov. 15 they announced their brilliant lineup. Art of Cool is bringing some of the most renowned jazz artists from the area alongside some of the fastest rising upstarts to make for a unique and mesmerizing weekend in Durham.

This past Friday, Al and Cicely joined me in the studio to talk a bit about how the project came together, took of so quickly, and what people can expect from this exciting festival. Throughout the hour we ran down some of the most anticipated artists that will be performing on the weekend of April 25 along with some of the weekends festivities–which include master classes, day shows and artist panels.

Together the band of multi-instrumentalists play on a huge array of instruments, their latest full length The Sea Has Spoken featured over thirty instruments. During our conversation I spoke with the band about just how one goes about learning such a wide variety of instruments, what some of the most unique and region-specific instruments are that they’ve found, and how they go about morphing these songs from studio works to live performances.

Check out our full conversation below to find out about the intricacies that go into working with such a large band and the work that’s gone into their forthcoming full length album.

What resulted was a spastic interview that covered everything from the band’s origins with local music to their favorite cereal and youtube videos. The conversation is a bit indicative of what you can expect from the band’s music, regardless of how the direction you’re taking with it you know that you’re in for something that’s entertaining. While Whatever Brains’ past three untitled full-lengths have displayed a gradual progression from spastic punk stand-outs to electronically leaning front-runners, the band’s humility continually shines through. Whether you’re looking to find out about the band’s upcoming release, slated to be a “rock opera” split-single, or to hear about what they’re listening to in their free time, our Local Artist of the Month feature pinpoints what makes Whatever Brains tick.

Vocalist Rich Ivey delves into his songwriting process and the importance of lyrics while one of the band’s numerous keyboardists William Evans tackles the topics of contemporary influences. For the next forty minutes you can immerse yourself in our off-kilt conversations about the past, present and future of one of the region’s most underrated acts, Whatever Brains.

Little did we know Spitzer was biding her time by crafting insanely dense, yet brief pieces of vibrant music. The Ringtone Album is Felix Obelix’s latest offering, and it’s exactly what it sounds like. Inspired by the often mundane tones that we become so frequently attached to, Spitzer decided to craft a 30-track album of one-minute songs that were intended to be consumed as ringtones. While many may scoff at an idea so far out in left-field, the folks at Potluck Records warmed up to it pretty quickly and agreed to put the album out before even hearing it. When you debut with as strong a record as Tick of the Clock…  though, one can understand why.

The Ringtone Album is filled with just over thirty minutes of whimsy, much to my surprise I found myself unable to turn away from these brilliant tunes. I spoke with Wendy on Oct. 25 to find out what her reasoning was behind this concept and found myself pleasantly surprised at the answers. Throughout the thirty-minute conversation Wendy disclosed a bit of her inspiration for the idea and how she intends the record to be consumed, but the conversation quickly morphs into the state of the recording industry and how this unique idea fits within that structure.

Fans of this swiftly rising local act will have quite a bit to indulge in with this recent conversation, as I for one loved to hear about the origins and future plans for one of my favorite local acts.

Throughout the hour we talked a bit about the origins of Let Feedback Ring, the intended future of the event, as well as the struggles of maintaining regular events while running a record label or writing for numerous local outlets. As we now know, Let Feedback Ring is certainly continuing as a monthly event, as they recently announced their December event which will feature our November Artist of the Month, Whatever Brains, along with Wool and Goner on Dec. 6. Check out our full conversation below to hear the ins and outs of planning these events and the struggle to maintain so many different aspects of the music scene.  

If you’re looking for an immersive conversation that delves into the formation and future of this stellar North Carolina act, then look no further than this Carolina Grown session. Though we’re rather early into this show, I must say that this has by far been my segment, so see what you missed or relive the experience below!

WOOL’s EP Release Show is this Friday, October 25 at Kings Barcade with See Gulls and Derek Torres of T0W3RS.

During the second hour, I was joined by Johnno Potts of Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance. Throughout the hour I played tracks from Shakori performers and alumni, but most importantly we talked a lot about the inception of the festival, how it's grown and all that it takes to put on such an immense festival on a 75-acre farmland. We recount some personal Shakori highlights, geek out about the stellar lineup for the fall festival, and have a whole lot of fun talking about the rich community that surrounds this grassroots event.

Be on the lookout for the rest of October’s shows within the next few days, but for now you can enjoy the very first episode of Carolina Grown at your own convenience!

After their bold step forward, you can expect Schooner to finally take their place as a North Carolina powerhouse amongst our brimming indie rock scene. That’s precisely why we’ve chosen Schooner as our Local Artist of the Month for October. You can check out their latest video for “Trap” below.  If you missed their interview and live performance, you can check it out below and on our iTunes podcast!

Lapalux sat down with me for an interview on the first day of Hopscotch, hours before his stellar set at The Pour House. Lapalux was embarking on his first U.S. tour, so we spoke a bit about the difference between stateside shows and those in other areas of the globe, how his style came about, and some of his major influences when he first began making music.

Throughout the whole interview and even through the end of it, I was having a hard time letting the thought out of my mind that this band could be the next big thing; because it is definitely possible. Being a fairly young band and on the rise with extremely infectious music, how can one not think that? I was just glad Jamaican Queens decided to drop by WKNC on their quick and inevitable ride to the top.

The question from this interview that stood out the most was the one that we asked most the artists we interviewed at Hopscotch which is “If you could describe your sound as a room, what would that room look like/have in it.” Instead of one of the very obscure rooms that I heard in previous interviews, Jack simply put that his room would be a cathedral. It was in this instance that I gained a whole new respect for Jack and the band as a whole, because they were completely correct in the answer. Not just for its wonderful acoustics, but also religious setting, the room seemed a perfect fit for their echoing and powerful lyrics. Jack was able to represent his band beautifully in the all too short interview that he provided myself and the station with on Friday afternoon. You better bet that I didn’t pass up their set that night either.

The head of Ramseur Records stumbled upon a few demos and immediately signed them. In 2006, they released a self-titled EP. In 2007, John left the band. One Craigslist ad later, they had found James Phillips to man the drum kit. With the new band assembled they completed and released their first full-length album A Buzz, A Buzz in 2008. The album as well as their energetic live shows found them receiving more and more attention. They found themselves touring all across the U.S. and playing festivals such as Bonnaroo and Floydfest. Now with recognition as well as some mileage as a band, they hit the studio again to record Tarpits and Canyonlands. By the time the album was released, the band had fallen into limbo. They declared themselves in a state of hiatus as Stuart had left the band and Daniel was suffering from nerve damage in his hands.

In November of 2010, the quartet reconvened at Pendavavis Farm near Portland, OR (where the Decemberists recorded The King Is Dead) for an intense, ambitious 10 day recording session that would become All That Rain Promises. After more than a year off, Bombadil had come back from the brink. The album was officially released in 2011. 2012 saw the return of Bombadil as they began regaining the momentum that they had. They also began test driving songs for their newest effort Metrics of Affection due out July 23rd. Although Bryan has stopped touring with the band to finish grad school, the other three have hit the road hard this year in support of their upcoming album.

After overcoming every possible obstacle, Bombadil is back and better than ever before. They are hitting the road with a new ferocity and cohesiveness. They are four incredibly talented musicians who continuously write music and hone their skills. There are not too many bands these days with 4 vocalists, 4 songwriters, and a producer. If their recent shows are any indication, Metrics of Affection is bound to be their best album to date. Check out the album cover and tracklisting below.

Bombadil will also be playing having a Metrics of Affection album release show at Lincoln Theatre on July 27th at 9pm. They are sure to have some special surprises in store.  If you missed the Local Artist of the Month interview with Bombadil in which we talked about the new album and debuted quite a few new songs, you can listen to it below or you can subscribe to our iTunes podcast.

Baobab can be seen touring at various venues around the Triangle.  With a double album release party coming up on the 22nd with Virgins Family Band at the Local 506, we can look forward to some great things ahead.  This album, aptly titled BAYOHBAHB, will be released by Hand Eye Records. After playing for a year now with these first batch of songs, we can expect Torres’ restless spirit to have somehow found a way to improve upon his already perfected craft of beautiful, percussive acoustics with complementing electronics.  With a project that started for Torres as a retreat from writing his book, we can only hope that Baobab has become as important to Torres as it has to the Triangle music scene.

http://baobabtheband.com/
http://baobabmusic.bandcamp.com/
http://www.facebook.com/baobabtheband

Check out the interview and in-studio performance with Phil Torres accompanied by the Virgins Family Band below which also included some exclusive premieres off the upcoming album BAYOHBAHB.

1. Kate Nash- My Best Friend is You

2. Tunng- And Then We Saw Land

3. Rogue Wave- Permalight

4. Broken Bells- Broken Bells

5. Dead Weather- Sea of Cowards

6. Arcade Fire- The Suburbs

DJ Ones

1. Marina and the Diamonds- The Family Jewels

2. The Drums- The Drums

3. M.I.A- /\/\/\Y/\

4. Klaxons- Surfing the Void

5. Band of Horses- Infinite Arms

6. Interpol- Interpol

Karen Mann of Mann’s World also joined me on the show for about an hour.  Karen is one of the most prominent, if not the most prominent, local music blogger in our area and having her on the program was a special treat. Karen and I talked about her history in the area and her role within the music of our region. Karen was a fabulous interviewee and had plenty to say, all of it proving to be noteworthy and captivating about her dedication to the music and her blog. Karen is also having a special Mann’s World day party during Hopscotch on September 11th. Check out the flyer below:

One of my favorite journalists in the area, Bryan Reed, made an appearance as well. Bryan is well known for his contributions to Shuffle Magazine where he is Assistant Editor and also the Independent Weekly where he covers local and national music. He was fun, witty, and full of knowledge on music scenes outside the Triangle region.

Linnie Green, the new editor of Diversions at the Daily Tar Heel, got quite a bit of crap from me for going to NC State’s rival school, but after I settled down and matured a little, she gave us some interesting insight into how Diversions works and what priorities they have with local music.

The mastermind behind NBC 17’s Music.MyNC was also a guest that evening. Jake is another extraordinary blogger in the area and also heads the live Sessions for Music.MyNC. I talked with Jake about how the Sessions came to be what it is and his thoughts about his contributions to the music.

• Butterflies covering Erie Choir
• Erie Choir covering Luego
• Luego covering Birds and Arrows
• Birds and Arrows covering SWASO
• SWASO covering The Pneurotics
• The Pneurotics covering New Town Drunks
• New Town Drunks covering Soft Company
• Soft Company covering Lizzy Ross Band
• Lizzy Ross Band covering Pecosa
• Pecosa covering Wylie Hunter and the Cazadores
• Wylie Hunter and the Cazadores covering Puritan Rodeo
• Puritan Rodeo covering I Was Totally Destroying It
• I Was Totally Destroying It covering North Elementary
• North Elementary covering The Big Picture
• The Big Picture covering Butterflies

Wylie Hunter and the Cazadores played some live tracks for us off of their record that is coming out in August.

Phil Cook of Megafaun and Catherine Edgerton of Midtown Dickens were two major proponents in starting the inaugural event. We asked them various questions, such as the types of instruments they planned to use as well as the ideas that jump-started Do Itcha Damn Self.

They also played two songs for us, which we named “Searching for the Thresher” and “Jagannātha”. Andras even impressed me when he played his guitar with a screwdriver. 

T-boz also recollects what it was like meeting Michael Jackson for the first time, shares her favorite songs and videos, and explains what Michael’s overall legacy should represent.

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.

Show poster

Carter Gaj of Max Indian and Tom Simpson of the Light Pines came in to chat with me about this new six-song EP as well as the Drughorse “Cartel.” The guys played four covers of songs by 4 different Drughorse associated bands, which are free to download at the Local Beat ReverbNation page and you can listen to them to the right in the music player. Album artwork, the recording of the EP, and details to certain songs were all topics of conversation. I also spent a great deal trying to pry and gather details about this mysterious musical franchise from the fellas but didn’t find out very much – just that it seems to be a bunch of amazing musicians who hang out and share bands with each other. It is a seemingly exclusive club and begs interest and intrigue to all outsiders. The new EP is absolutely fabulous and will leave you begging for the new Drughorse related albums set to be released this coming year.

Gray Young called the studio during the latter part of the Battle Rockets conversation to let us konw that they’d been locked in the stairwell and unable to get in.  So we went and rescued them and brought them in for the second half of the interview.  They dispelled the self-contrived rumours that they’re playing with U2 in October.  We discussed both bands’ future plans, which include WE Fest.  Check out the interview with the entire cast of characters below.

Now, onto the show that night. 

The lineup at Slim’s Downtown was this:

Battle Rockets

The Proclivities

Gray Young

Battle Rockets were entertaining and have quite a bit of energy, and it’s always fun to watch that level of energy coming from a two-piece.  The Proclivities were–and have been for a little while–sans drummer, so they had D.A.R.Y.L. fill in and rocked out as a two-piece (a very dapper two-piece, might I add).  Although the lack of a real drummer was sort of the elephant in the room (at the risk of using their song lyric), they were obviously having a good time, and so was I.  Matt Douglas was chatting the crowd up as well, as per usual.  Lastly, Gray Young took the stage around midnight.  I must say, I’ve seen Gray Young several times over the past year or so, and every time I’ve seen them they’ve been exponentially tighter (and on this night, louder).  It has been really fun to watch these guys as they play more shows together, and I can’t wait to see them again at the May 22 Lemming Malloy CD Release/Neckbeard Records Debut show at Local 506.  That’s all for now, be sure to tune in to the Local Beat this week, details to follow in another blog post soon…

In the 1960s, the single was the primary means by which an artist released their music before bands like the Beatles and the Beach Boys demonstrated the artistic importance of the album. In 2007, Prabir and the Substitutes demonstrated their respect for the physical release of an album by intending for the duplicate copy included with their EP, Share, to be given to a friend. The group might not save the physical album from certain doom, but they’re putting up a valiant fight.

“And I do the best I can with this head that I got.
And it’s a mighty fine nice head, and it’s got mighty fine nice thoughts.
And if my brain had legs and it could walk around the block,
it would wear a pair of sunglasses and Coppertone sunblock.
And all the people would be jealous as they saw it walk with style,
with its spinal cord a-wagging and its neurons running wild.
But there is no need for bragging all the words that it may speak,
because there are no legs attached to the ideas that it keeps.”

Very clever and playful word use that moves along so quickly that you don’t quite realize it the first few times you hear the song.

But a look at “Wider than White” reveals their other side. From the somber keyboard intro to the overlaying chord progression to Corum’s unmistakable moan to the shredding guitar solo a mere 50 seconds into the song, the entire orchestration has a very epic feel. The lyrics that operate in the not-quite-literal world lead us to the realization that there’s another, more sober side to Lonnie Walker. I’m not sure which I like more, but I do know this: I haven’t heard a song of theirs that isn’t damn good.

They have yet to release an album, but it is reportedly in the works. This means that you’ll just have to check them out at the Pour House on the first night of the Double Barrel Benefit 6, Friday, February 6. See you there.

In the meantime, check out their interview with Mz Kelly on WKNC from June 5, 2008.