College radio showcase to feature local bands

From KNC to XYC, college radio has helped develop a thriving nightlife in the Triangle. On Sep. 10, four area college radio stations will come together in Raleigh for a showcase featuring their picks of local bands that have won over their audience and dominated their programming. It’s a chance to catch up on a growing scene and learn more about student radio.

UNC-G’s WUAG Greensboro

Tune in: 103.1 FM
Stream: wuag.net
Power: 18 watts
Local program: Carolina Music Storm, 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays
Presenting: The Bronzed Chorus

For a festival based almost 80 miles west of Greensboro, WUAG’s Hopscotch sponsorship might seem like a bit of a stretch.

But for listeners, former General Manager Jack Bonney contends, the Triangle is where it’s at.

“We have a scene [in Greensboro],” Bonney said. “But we know that the scene in the Triangle is a lot more consistent. Plenty of our DJs and listeners travel to Chapel Hill and the Triangle to see shows. We actually do concert announcements for most of the venues there — people are willing to travel.”

Budget cuts at UNC-G ended Bonney’s full time position, but his leadership role at the station continues. This summer, he pitched the idea of a free college radio showcase to Hopscotch’s directors.

“Really, the goal of [the event] was for each station to showcase the best, or most popular, local band that they play on their station.”

For Bonney, picking Bronzed Chorus was a no-brainer. The duo’s brand of heavy instrumental has dominated their local programming for five years.

“[This event] shows that these are more than just radio stations where kids play music,” Bonney said. “These are stations that create a culture and keep a music scene alive.”

UNC-CH’s WXYC Chapel Hill

Tune in: 89.3 FM
Stream: wxyc.org/listen/online
Power: 1,100 watts
Local program: Backyard Barbecue, 8 p.m. 9 p.m. Sundays
Presenting: Whatever Brains

College radio may have a reputation of being off the beaten path, but UNC-CH’s WXYC ventures into an uncharted jungle.

Advertisements are nonexistent save for local PSAs, and DJs are encouraged to spin music from every corner of WXYC’s library — however obscure or label-defying.

WXYC’s contribution to the showcase is Raleigh’s Whatever Brains. Russ said she wanted to bring a more upbeat, high-energy band to a lineup that she felt was more laid back.

Whatever Brains’ energy, in both its performances and its recordings, like its “Nesting” 7-inch record, was a big draw for Russ and other DJs.

“I wanted it to be something that XYC liked and something that was actually played on the radio,” Russ said.

The station’s choice complements it well — neither WXYC nor Whatever Brains adheres to the norm, with an experimental mindset that creates unexpected results.

Duke’s WXDU Durham

Tune in: 88.7 FM
Stream: wxdu.org
Power: 2,150 watts
Local program: Local Live, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays
Presenting: Free Electric State

Promotions Director Candace Mixon only had time to see the headlining Raleigh City Plaza shows at last year’s Hopscotch. This year, she’s making room in her schedule.

“I thought it was just so crowded, but in a good way,” Mixon said. “It really brought a ton of people into downtown Raleigh and the area that wanted to have all of their musical dreams satisfied in one place.”

Mixon says the addition of several free day parties addresses a growing desire for local music in the Triangle. And WXDU hopes to meet the demand with Durham’s Free Electric State, a dark, post-rock quartet consistently featured on the station’s local programming.

Mixon will be trying to enjoy Hopscotch like any other student, setting as much time aside for live music as possible with a careful balance of schoolwork and play.

“I’m looking forward to blocking out my weekend, getting all my schoolwork done ahead of time, and getting everything else I need ahead of time done, so I can just have the weekend to enjoy as much as possible,” Mixon said. “I’m going to go to a lot of shows – as many as I can – and make this a crash course in everything I’ve missed since I moved here a year ago.”

NCSU’s WKNC Raleigh

Tune in: 88.1 FM
Stream: wknc.org/listen
Power: 25,000 watts
Local program: The Local Beat, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Fridays
Presenting: Nests

With a wider distribution, WKNC represents a more mainstream music audience. But that doesn’t mean they ignore the local music community.

Programming like Adam Kincaid’s The Local Beat helps facilitate the nightlife that hosts Raleigh’s Hopscotch with artist interviews, live sessions and an annual, local-only Double Barrel Benefit.

“There’s a story that Mac [McCaughan] from Merge Records heard The Love Language on WKNC,” General Manager Molly Matty said. “And that was kind of the reason that they’re on Merge Records.”

The station’s traditional radio format gives it a certain reliability when it comes to programming. Listeners will never, for example, hear anything but a cappella music between noon and 1 p.m. on a Sunday.

For the showcase, Matty said that Raleigh’s Nests is a band on the rise, and thinks that there’s a good chance the group will find its big break soon.

It’s another example of WKNC’s support of local music, popular or not.

While Matty said that she looks forward to Nests, her “must-see” band for the festival comes with the return of Durham’s Bombadil, which has been on hiatus since mid-2009. Kincaid echoed her sentiment, calling the group his “over-arching local favorite.”