Slingshot, hailed as the "international festival of music and electronic arts in the South," returns to Durham, NC, for its 2023 edition on Friday and Saturday, October 6th and 7th. A "categorically inclusive event highlighting a range of dance, electronic, forward-thinking pop, and experimental. music from around the world," Slingshot is yet another destination event for music enthusiasts in the Research Triangle region. Maddie Jennette of the State of Sound Podcast HQ team caught up with Kai Riedl, the festival's director, about the history and future of the festival, and dives into some of the artists you can expect to enjoy!

Check out Slingshot 2023.

The State of Sound Podcast is brought to you by NC State University Libraries and the State of Sound Podcast HQ Team. For more information, visit us at http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/sos

Hopscotch 2023 starts today, September 7, 2023, and the State of Sound Podcast HQ team from NC State University Libraries is here to get very enthusiastic about the artists we can't wait to see at this year's festival. Elizabeth (Lizzo) Esser, Maddie Jennette, and Jason Evans Groth talk about Pavement, Tonstartssbandht, Horse Jumper of Love, Kool Keith, Digable Planets, Japanese Breakfast, Dinosaur Jr., Being Dead, Sunny War, Florry, Truth Club, and more in this passionate, music-filled exploration of the 2023 lineup. We also talk about why we love live music, why we love music from Raleigh and NC State, and how reliable Toyotas are.

The NC State University Libraries promote experiential learning opportunities through all kinds of making, including sound making, and partnering with Hopscotch to encourage community building is one of our favorite opportunities of the year.

Check out Hopscotch 2023 and read more about State of Sound.

We continue our coverage of Music festivals in the famed North Carolina Research Triangle with our first in a short series of podcasts about Hopscotch 2023. It’s the 13th edition of this annual festival which takes place across downtown Raleigh and beyond. With well over 100 artists performing this year, Hopscotch has something for everyone - and the State of Sound Podcast HQ team - Maddie Jennette, Elizabeth (LIzzo) Esser, and me - decided to get together the day the schedule was released to start the process of figuring out how to Hopscotch this year. We’re going to take you through, day by day, what we are excited about. Hopscotch 2023 starts on Thursday, September 7th. As of this publication, 3-day and day passes are still available, but check www.hopscotchmusicfest.com for up-to-date availability and pricing information. Enjoy the episode and remember that Hopscotch - and any music festival you go to - is yours to experience the way you want to - please take all of our discussion with a grain of salt.

Find out more about State of Sound from NC State University Libraries.

LFG Fest debuts on Friday, August 25th at Motorco in Durham, NC, and the State of Sound Podcast HQ team from NC State University Libraries offers a preview of the event that features songs and bios of every artist and an exclusive interview with the Festival's creator, Renee Jonard. This two-day event features an eclectic, diverse lineup of the danceable and dark, of the noisy and novel, and the melodic and moody, with genre-defying, high-energy acts that range from indie to hip-hop to doom to post-punk and everything in-between. We talk to Renee about the ins and outs of festival inception, budgeting, marketing, and the passion it takes to take a chance on good independent music while hearing a little bit from every artist at LFG.

Find out more about LFG Fest at the Motorco Website.
Find out more about State of Sound from NC State University Libraries.