96 Rock Tweaks Format, Changes Name
Yesterday 96.1FM made some changes. Instead of playing guitar-driven rock catering to young males, the station is now playing a much more diverse playlist of somewhat softer rock songs. For example, the last 10 songs they played were:
- “Wish You Were Here” – Pink Floyd
- “Tempted” – Squeeze
- “Black Betty” – Ram Jam
- “Born In the U.S.A.” – Bruce Springsteen
- “What It’s Like” – Everlast
- “Highway to Hell” – AC/DC
- “Beautiful Day” – U2
- “Something To Believe In” – Poison
- “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” – Blue Oyster Cult
- “Selling the Drama” – Live
One thing the entire extended playlist has in common is that the songs are all more than 10 years old. While this is a more varied mix that isn’t likely to repeat songs ad nauseum during the workday (eg. Adele, The Script, Train), these are songs that have been played and played and played and played and played. This isn’t an assault on “Alternative”. It’s an assault on anything remotely creative.
Curtis Media Group also has rebranded the station to “Radio 96.1”. While it isn’t a major shift in format, it is a big enough change to warrant new branding.
What makes no sense…NO SENSE, however is the dismissal of Bob The Blade, a great personality in this market for, what, almost three decades now? If we have to endure “Don’t Fear the Reaper” for the 80,000th time, at least do it with a personality that so many people enjoy like a sibling. He was one of the bright spots in a dismal, embarrassing radio market.
If Curtis Media and Clear Channel controlled the production of food and restaurant menus, we would still be eating Pot Roast, Hamburgers, and Hot Dogs. We are one of the best places to live in America, but it surely isn’t a result of local radio’s work.
Wicked Returning to DPAC
Wynton Marsalis Returning to UNC
On March, Wynton Marsalis returns to UNC with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, a great, 15-piece big band. The performance takes place at UNC’s Memorial Hall. From the Carolina Performing Arts season brochure:
The first jazz composer to win the Pulitzer Prize in music, New Orleans native Wynton Marsalis also was the first artist to win jazz and classical Grammy Awards in the same year. His Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO) features 15 of jazz music’s leading soloists, drawing from an extensive repertoire including the masterworks of Ellington, Mingus, Coltrane and other great jazz composers, and original compositions by Mr. Marsalis, Benny Carter, Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter, Joe Lovano, Marcus Roberts, Geri Allen, Christian McBride and others. “Extraordinarily versatile…”
– Los Angeles Times
It appears that general public tickets are not available yet. Information should appear on the CPA page as they are made available.
Low Ceiling
Megafaun to Kick Off Hodgeman Tour
John Hodgman’s "The End Is Nigh" book tour show kicks off on Wednesday, November 9 at the Durham Armory. To get things started, Hodgeman has selected Megafaun to perform at the event. This is Megafaun’s first show kicking off a southeast tour supporting their self-titled album out now on Hometapes.
The event celebrates the release of the final book in of The Daily Show star’s trilogy of fake trivia, That Is All.
Waters’ The Wall Coming to RBC Center
Remember the days when it seemed Pink Floyd was playing The Triangle about every 8 months? Yes, that was David Gilmour’s band, but still, it was surprising to see that the 1994 Division Bell Tour would be the last of the genuine Pink Floyd music for many, many years.
All of that changes on Monday, July 9, when Roger Waters’ tour of The Wall comes to the RBC Center. Waters can’t sing, and never really could, but reviews of this tour point toward it being nothing but impressive. Tickets go on sale on Monday, November 14.
In related news, did you catch Pink Floyd Week on Jimmy Fallon? More specifically, did you see The Shins’ “Breathe”? Wow!
Link (Video): Roger Waters discusses touring with Jimmy Fallon
Kennedy, Walker Shine in Evita
Eighteen years ago Lauren Kennedy took stage in North Carolina Theatre’s Evita. It was a big step from the Broughton High School auditorium to Memorial Auditorium for the young Raleigh native. While some said she was too young to adequately play the role, she did a stellar job and left Raleigh duly impressed. Kennedy went on to Broadway productions of Spamalot, Sunset Boulevard, Les Miserables, among many, many others. Kennedy still kept one oar in the Raleigh waters, though, as she and her husband are running the Hot Summer Nights at the Kennedy in the summer. Recently she agreed to reprise that role of Eva Peron in Raleigh, and returns a mature, commanding version of Argentina’s heart and soul.
Evita first hit the stage in London’s Prince Edward Theatre in 1978, and stands today as one of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s greatest works. The story centers around the life of Argentina’s Eva Peron, a beloved actress from the bourgeois who eventually became Argentina’s most beloved personality. As with many leaders, not all was grand with Evita, and Webber and Rice cleverly use the narrator in the story as the contrarian, Che.
In this production of Evita, Lauren Kennedy (Eva) and Ray Walker (Che) reunite in the roles they played for NCT 18 years ago. I was wowed by that production, but realized this time around how little I remembered from that production. The story is well told, as there seem to be no dragging points, and it leaves one pondering many points long afterward.
I had always considered the show’s hit song, “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina”, to mean “weep”, which it does in the song’s reprise in Eva’s older years. However in the song’s featured placement, on the night of Juan Peron’s election, it really means “don’t call out for the beloved wife of the newly-elected president”. It is Webber and Rice’s understated question to the Argentinian people: you do realize you elected Juan Peron, not his wife?
Musically this is a difficult show. The latter 70s was a period where alternative time signatures were being used frequently, and Andrew Lloyd Webber certainly participated. Additionally, all dialogue is sung in the production, so this really is an opera. Thankfully the orchestra, led by Julie Bradley, is voiced in the more traditional arrangement rather than Webber’s trashy Euro synth-pop arrangement.
Lauren Kennedy is, as always, fantastic. It’s about the 1000th time I’ve seen her perform and it never gets old. Kennedy’s soaring vocals are a treat, but her impeccable movement and grande presence seem to always be underappreciated. Kennedy’s voice is as good as ever, however we felt like she was holding back some power in Act I as her sound got overwhelmed by others a few times. During Act II she was certainly as powerful as anyone on stage, so perhaps there was a sound system problem that got corrected in the intermission.
Kennedy has excellent range with her voice, and a great ear to go with it. She has exquisite control. However what hit me last night is that the prettiest, and most endearing vocal moves she makes is when she dips down to the lower register and soars back up out of that depth. The seductive “I’d Be Surprisingly Good For You” was surprisingly good for us, and was my favorite performance of the night. Singing high and loud is something everyone wants to do, but it is some of the intermediate work where a master displays a craft.
Perhaps my favorite moment of the night, however, was “And The Money Kept Rolling In”. Ray Walker’s powerful vocals are outstanding, and quite forcefully remind the crowd this is not a one-person show. Patrons paid for a full company show and they get that, with no reservations. Walker is the Artistic Director of NCT’s Conservatory, and it appears that Terrance Mann isn’t the only impressive talent to work with Raleigh’s youth theater world.
Jonathon Hammond was good as Juan Peron, and the rest were good, however we wanted better diction from the cluster of nine dancing soldiers. It was the moment were Eva’s class warfare battle was being told, but was somewhat muddied by the cast (or should I say caste?)
NC Theatre has had some hit and miss productions in recent years, but Evita stands as one of their best in recent memory. There are just four remaining Evita performances; two today and two tomorrow.
Recent Stories
- North Carolina Loses The Great Teacher February 9, 2015
- City Lays Markings for Currituck Obstacle Course February 4, 2015
- History Making Heels and Wolfpack Prepare for Battle January 14, 2015
- 25 Predictions for 2015 January 5, 2015
- Raleigh’s 10 Biggest Stories of 2014 January 2, 2015
- 2014: The Rain Year January 2, 2015
- Tupelo Honey Sets New Casual Standard December 1, 2014
- 2013 Predictions. A Look Back November 18, 2014
- Wicked Taco Bringing Fresh-Mex to Western Blvd November 17, 2014
- DOT Unveils I-440 Widening Plans November 12, 2014
- County Power Shift Brings Major Changes to Raleigh’s Future November 5, 2014
- Jarrett Bay Store Coming to Crabtree September 25, 2014
- FirstWatch Coming to Glenwood Avenue September 9, 2014
- Big Shindig Releases Set Times September 5, 2014
- Appearance Commission to Review Residence Inn September 3, 2014