WKNC Interviews

Never before have I seen a band perform on the dance floor and the audience dancing on the stage. Instead of taking a bow, the band marched down the stairs of Kings and out onto the streets of downtown. What Cheer? Brigade was not only one of the coolest shows I saw at Hopscotch 2014, but one of the best shows I’ve seen ever! 

Bringing a soulful, blues-inspired take on the standard singer-songwriter antics, Laura Reed crafts an intensely passionate sound that feels as broad as it does personal. Throughout the hour Laura spoke at length about her songwriting process, the way working with producers can shape your musical output, and the reasoning for returning to your roots. Laura performed two tracks from her latest record The Awakening, along with an older track called “Wanna Show You.”

Lately Gudasz has been touring along with a wide array of musicians in support of Big Star tribute shows, where she performs some of the iconic act’s most influential tracks with some of the band’s original members. A few weeks ago Gudasz joined Grant Golden in the studio for Carolina Grown in advance of the Big Star tribute that took place at Cat’s Cradle. Speaking of how she came to love the legendary indie act, what brought her into this group of highly esteemed musicians, and what we can expect from her solo endeavors, Skylar filled the hour with engaging conversation and a breathtaking performance of Neil Young’s “Needle and the Damage Done.”

Our conversation had me thinking on some of the highlights from my experiences at past years attending the festival. Many of the most fun times I’ve had at Hopscotch or in Raleigh, or at live concerts in general have been sparked by the somewhat spontaneous nature of Hopscotch’s design. By so excellently pairing such interesting and unknown artists together with local acts or more established groups the festival creates an atmosphere that breeds discovery.

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.