Dopecausewesaid's Hopscotch Music Fest 2017 Video and Pictorial Recap
DCWS's Melina Twyman was live on the scene during last week's @hopscotchfest for epic performances from @solangeknowles, @bigboi, @runjewels, @rapsody, @tei_shi_ and more...
Dopecausewesaid was live on the scene during last week's Hopscotch Music Fest in downtown Raleigh. Our Art Director Melina Twyman aka Sleepy Melina was in and out of music venues taking pics and capturing video footage of incredible performances from the likes of Solange, Big Boi, Run the Jewels, Rapsody, Future Islands, Tei Shi, G Yamazawa, and more.
Enjoy our recap video (shot/edited by Melina) and photos and be sure to check out Hopscotch Music Fest's social media streams (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook) and website for updates and news about next's year event, which guarantees to be even more epic. Also, check out Melina's brand new website Sleepycarolina.com, which features the music of innovative female artists in the genres of Pop, Hip-Hop, Alternative, Rock, and Electronic from around the world.
From Atlanta to Raleigh - The Good Graces Perform at the Hopscotch Music Festival
DOPECAUSEWESAID was able to catch a wide array of talented artists from all walks of life at @hopscotchfest in Raleigh, starting with a duo called @thegoodgraces...
Last week, DOPECAUSEWESAID was able to catch a wide array of talented artists from all walks of life at the Hopscotch Music Fest in Raleigh, starting with a duo called The Good Graces. We kicked off our Hopscotch experience with the corky band from Atlanta who made their Thursday afternoon appearance at a local venue called Slim's Downtown Distillery, a small and cozy bar located in the heart of the city. The stage was small, the venue was dimly lit and every inch of the floor was filled with festival goers having a good time.
Born in Kings Mountain, NC, Good Graces lead singer Kim Ware relocated to Atlanta in 2004 to pursue a life surrounded by good opportunities and even better people. She fell in love with Georgia and decided to keep it as her home base, hitting the road occasionally for performances such as the one we saw in the North Carolina capital city. An avid 90's music lover, Kim takes inspiration from artists such as Liz Phar, Mountain Goats and Indio Girls (sidebar, Kim actually toured with Emily and Amy of Indigo Girls).
Ware also prefers to keep her lyrics on the raw and honest side, a somewhat traditional trait of indie-folk, opting to stay away from the use of metaphors and getting straight to the point. Her subject matter and phrasing are clever, unique and tell a story- keeping the audience attentive and with smiles on their faces throughout. She is also a drummer, so most of the music being produced by The Good Graces is heavily percussion based and acoustic, putting most of the weight on the vocal side of things.
Within five minutes of watching The Good Graces, we were impressed with the on stage charisma Kim possessed. She immediately made the audience laugh with her pre-performance banter before proceeding to silence the room with her catchy melodies and distinct way of singing. Having played at Slim's a few times before, we could tell Ware felt comfortable and had established a modest following of listeners, some of which who were even crowded on the staircase to get a better look. She breezed through her originals making no mistakes, portraying confidence and hitting the more difficult notes with ease and power. DOPECAUSEWESAID was definitely glued to the singer during her 45 minute set, and we hope to see her perform again in the near future.
If you missed The Good Graces in Raleigh, you can catch them next at Nuci's Space in Athens, Georgia today with Pete McDade. Kim is also working on a new album that is set to be released this winter, but in the meantime, you can go to Thegoodgraces.org and download their album Set Your Sights (July 2017), an album Kim worked tirelessly on and is extremely proud of.
Hopscotch Music Festival 2016 - Beach Slang + Adia Victoria + Diet Cig + Sylvan Esso
DOPECAUSEWESAID will be on-site for this year's Hopscotch Music Festival in downtown Raleigh. So many amazing artists...
DOPECAUSEWESAID will be on-site for this year's Hopscotch Music Festival in downtown Raleigh. So many amazing artists will be performing at Hopscotch over the next few days, including Vince Staples, Erykah Badu, Beach House, Young Thug, Gary Clarke Jr., Wolf Parade, Anderson .Paak and The Free Nationals, Kelela, The Coathangers, Kooley High and many more.
Among these mentioned artists, there are four acts that you've got to see perform live this weekend, starting tomorrow night. We'll clue you in on the essentials for Beach Slang, Adia Victoria, Diet Cig, and North Carolina's own Sylvan Esso.
Beach Slang - Friday @10:30pm - CAM
The Philadelphia based band are releasing their new album A Loud Bash of Teenage Feelings on September 23rd. Beach Slang's music evokes the spirit of punk and juxtaposes it into something that's as brutally honest as it is infectiously catchy. Last year, the band released their debut album The Things We Do To Find People Like Us. Watch the music video for their single "Punks In A Disco Bar."
Adia Victoria - Friday @11:00pm - NASH HILL
The Nashville based artist recently released her debut album Beyond The Bloodhounds. She has already received praise from KPCC, Pitchfork, NPR, Fader, Rolling Stone and had her network late night TV debut on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Watch her NPR Tiny Desk Session.
Diet Cig - Friday @12:00AM - DEEP SOUTH
Diet Cig are duo Alex Luciano (guitar) and Noah Bowman (drums). After garnering attention from Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Stereogum, and Spin, Diet Cig returned with the seven-inch, "Sleep Talk / Dinner Date." Alex and Noah have made a big statement out of five highly infectious pop songs released last year via their EP Over Easy. Listen to the EP's epic singalong "Harvard." Watch Diet Cig perform "Sleep Talk" and "Pool Boyz".
Sylvan Esso - Saturday @8:45pm - CITY PLAZA
Last week, North Carolina's Sylvan Esso shared their song "Radio" - it is their first new song since their debut in 2014. 'Radio' has already had over 439,000 streams on Spotify. The band will release their highly-anticipated sophomore album in 2017.