Moogfest Tops Rolling Stone List

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No matter what you like or where you live, this summer almost certainly has a festival for you. Below are the 30 American summer festivals we’re most excited about.

MoogFest

Where: Durham, North Carolina

Why Go: One of the most eclectic festivals in the country, MoogFest blends both mainstream and cutting-edge acts with panel discussions that explore progressive ideas. Some of this year’s speakers include Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo, Chuck Lightning from Janelle Monáe’s Wondaland camp, while Gary Numan, Laurie Anderson and GZA perform nighttime sets. With the recent statewide passage of controversial North Carolina state laws that discriminate against LGBT persons, MoogFest’s eclecticism is particularly relevant. “The liberation of LGBTQ+ is wired into the original components of electronic music culture,” the organizers wrote in a statement posted on the festival site. “We will use the podium, the stage and the dancefloor to manifest a world of inclusivity and compassion.”

Must-See Acts: Odesza, Grimes, Miike Snow, Gary Numan, GZA, Laurie Anderson, Explosions in the Sky, Blood Orange, SunnO))), Oneohtrix Point Never, the Orb, Actress, Daniel Lanois, DΔWN, Floating Points Ensemble, Kode 9, Tim Hecker, Tory Lanez

Official Site: moogfest.com

Read the entire list HERE

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Moogfest 2016: 7 Moog Musts

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Hailed as “a sci-fi dance party with a Ph.D. in STEM” by “The New York Times,” Moogfest 2016 will gather more than 250 technologists, musicians and artists to explore new technologies that are pushing the boundaries of creative expression. It’ll be an experience unlike any other. To prove it, we pulled together seven sensationally diverse, can’t-miss festival happenings.

All photos by Carlos Gonzales.

1. Grimes

Friday, May 20, 8:50 p.m. – Moogfest Main Stage outside of Motorco Music Hall

Moogfest celebrates and continues the legacy of Bob Moog, the engineer who invented the analog synthesizer among other creative tools – so, of course, music plays a huge role.

Since her critically acclaimed third album, “Visions,” was released, the Canadian electronic musician and producer Claire Boucher (aka Grimes) has toured the world and become an international phenomenon. She’s headlined festivals, performed on late-night TV shows such as “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” and “Later With Jools Holland,” and has graced the cover of countless music and fashion magazines. Her latest album, “Art Angels,” is a sprawling, arresting work that’s as uncompromising as it is inviting. Grimes’ performance at Moogfest will include a special AV show, back-up dancers and plenty of Grimes’ fantasy-inspired costumes and visuals.

2. DJ Lance Rock and Yo Gabba Gabba with Mark Mothersbaugh, Bootsy Collins, Malcolm Mooney, Van Partible, Kate Stone, Dorit Chrysler

Saturday, May 21, noon-5 p.m. – American Tobacco Campus Amphitheater

Moogfest celebrates young fans of electronic music and invites both adults and children to experiment with new sounds. The program is anchored by an entire day of free outdoor performances, co-curated by DJ Lance Rock of the award-winning children’s TV show “Yo Gabba Gabba!” Workshops, installations and an open electronic music jam session will explore synthesis, collaborative improvisation and hands-on audio collage. DJ Lance Rock is pleased to be presenting the first all-ages program for Moogfest.

After the DJ sets from Lance and Nanny Cantaloupe, there will be a discussion with Nanny, as well as with music pioneers Bootsy Collins, Mark Mothersbaugh (of Devo fame) and original Can vocalist, Malcolm Mooney. Joining them will be Van Partible, creator of the Cartoon Network show “Johnny Bravo.”

3. RTP Convergence – Moogfest’s marquee art installation

May 19-22, CCB Plaza

In partnership with Research Triangle Park, RTP Convergence will be an interactive installation in downtown Durham’s CCB Plaza that invites people to work with each other and the environment to collaboratively create cityscapes made of light. It’s interactive art, and it promises to be fantastic.

Developed by Floating Point Collective, a field of LED rods form a volumetric display. Each rod is equipped with a touch sensor. When touched by a participant, colored light grows from their fingers, creating a light structure that rises into the sky and spreads outward through the other rods. When people are not interacting with the sculpture directly, another layer of interaction is revealed. The light city is affected by real time light data, shifting colored particles and allowing colors to mix in organic ways. Oh, and this attraction, too, is free.

4. Dr. Martine Rothblatt & “Transhumanism”
 Keynote: The Future of Creativity

Friday, May 20, 2-3:30 p.m. – The Carolina Theatre’s Fletcher Hall

Futurist philosophers set the tone for Moogfest’s mind-expanding series of daytime seminars and workshops. One of the highly anticipated speakers is Dr. Martine Rothblatt: author, entrepreneur, transhumanist, and inventor of satellite radio. Rothblatt’s talk will explore the concept of “transhumanism” and include provocative ideas from her book, “Virtually Human: The Promise – and the Peril – of Digital Immortality.”

As a preview, the book introduces Bina48, the world’s most sentient robot, commissioned by Martine Rothblatt and created by Hanson Robotics. Bina48 is a nascent Mindclone of Martine’s wife that can engage in conversation, answer questions and even have spontaneous thoughts that are derived from multimedia data in a Mindfile created by the real Bina.

5. Afrofuturism Conversation: Can You Remember the Future?

Saturday, May 21, 2-3 p.m., The Durham Armory

A broad discussion featuring Reggie Watts, Tyondai Braxton and others about Afrofuturism – an aesthetic that critiques both the present-day dilemmas of people of color and also re-examines historical events of the past – as a discipline and a practice, its current state and what insights it holds for what’s to come in arts, culture, politics and beyond.

6. Transhumanism Conversation: The Future of Our Species

Friday, May 20, 10 a.m.-noon, The Carolina Theatre’s Cinema 1

Cyborg artist Neil Harbisson joins Pau Riba, BJ Murphy, Rich Lee and Daniel Lock to discuss how humans are taking an active part in their own biological evolution. By becoming technology, instead of using or wearing technology, humans are opening up the possibility of having additional organs and senses beyond the ones confined to our species.

7. Workshop: Music In The Brain with Duke Institute for Brain Sciences

Saturday, May 21, noon-1pm – 21C Museum Hotel, Gallery 6

Explore the effects of music on brain structure and function in this workshop, which will highlight the intersection between artistic and scientific perspectives on this fundamental and aesthetic form of human expression.

Want to Go?

A festival pass costs $249 and offers access to the entire event – performances, conversations, workshops and installations. A VIP festival pass is $499.

Find out more about Moogfest on its website – moogfest.com.

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Durham is 6th-best city for women in the workforce

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Durham is the sixth-best U.S. city for women in the workforce, according to a new report from personal financial website NerdWallet.

The report began with 529 cities and scored them based on the following factors:

  • 2015 unemployment rate;
  • Women’s median earnings as a percentage of men’s median earnings for full-time, year-round workers;
  • Median gross rent as a percentage of women’s median monthly earnings; and
  • The difference between men and women in the workforce as measured by the participation rate, which is the percentage of adults ages 20 to 64 who are employed or who are seeking employment.

Durham is one of only 17 cities where women outearn men. Women’s median earnings are 101.9 percent of men’s, compared to 79.8 percent nationwide.

The top three cities on the list of the top 100 cities for working women are all in Minnesota: Rochester, Minneapolis and St. Paul. Rounding out the top 10 are Iowa City, Iowa; Denton, Texas; Durham; Ann Arbor, Michigan; Bismarck, North Dakota; Skokie, Illinois; and Redwood City, California.

Elsewhere in North Carolina, Asheville is No. 22; Greensboro is No. 86 and Winston-Salem is No. 97.

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10 Extremely Tiny Restaurants In North Carolina That Are Actually Amazing

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Looks can be deceiving, especially when you’re dining in North Carolina. With a handful of diners and drive-ins, ‘small’ is not synonymous with ‘bad.’ It’s actually quite the opposite. While some of these restaurants fly under the radar, others experience a packed-out (albeit small) dining room on a weekly basis. Some aren’t ‘extremely tiny,’ while others are literally just a window you order from. Ready for some big flavor in a small environment? Try these 10 places.1. Soul Gastrolounge, Charlotte

1. Soul Gastrolounge, Charlotte

Yelp / Cristyle E.Soul is a trendy tapas bar and lounge. Despite the above picture, it’s typically packed to the brim. Even on a Tuesday night you’re likely to encounter a two hour wait. Yet the wait is worth it. While the space is tight, it’s incredibly cool and cozy. Not to mention the food, cocktails, and sushi are out of this world.2. Tre Nonne, Winston-Salem

2. Tre Nonne, Winston-Salem

Yelp / Chris T.You really can’t beat handmade pasta, and especially the recipes of three Italian grandmas. Tre Nonne is new to the dining scene of Winston-Salem…but don’t let the exterior or interior fool you. While it’s small and simple, the restaurant packs big flavor. Even down to the unique house salad dressing.3. Big Oak Drive In, Salter Path

3. Big Oak Drive In, Salter Path

Yelp / Jason R.Big Oak is literally just a walk up window, with a few picnic tables outside. But you won’t mind eating in your car or taking it to go….they’re home to some of the BEST shrimp burgers you’ll find on the coast.Click here to view the ENTIRE LIST

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7 Reasons to Visit Durham, North Carolina

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Durham, located at the apex of North Carolina’s famed “Research Triangle,” has recently undergone a transformation. What once was a neglected town is now on its way to becoming one of the state’s most attractive urban landscapes. Yes, it is a college town, and yes, sports do dominate here—really, they dominate the entire state—but Durham is adapting to popular culture by welcoming funky hotels, hip lounges serving craft cocktails, and small boutiques that are quickly filling up the once-abandoned streets. But just because the city might be upping its coolness factor, it’s still holding on tight to its Southern charm, hospitality, and history. So next time you’re in town supporting either Duke or UNC, or are oddly enough not there for basketball, take some time to visit these seven must-see spots in Durham.

21C HOTEL

21c

Right in the heart of downtown Durham, occupying the historic Hill Building, the 21c Museum Hotelis one of only five 21c’s in the country. The 125-room boutique hotel doubles as a contemporary art museum and is home to Counting House restaurant, spearheaded by chef Josh Munchel, who offers a global take on regional dishes with a menu that showcases North Carolina’s seafood heritage. The museum portion of the hotel is open to the public; make sure to head all the way down to the lower level and enjoy the old bank vault, which has been converted into a mini lounge.

AMERICAN TOBACCO HISTORIC DISTRICT

Durham Performing Arts Center

This live/work/play district known as the American Tobacco Historic Campus was developed from the historic one million square-foot American Tobacco Manufacturing plant. Creatively repurposed, the tobacco warehouses which were once the backbone of Durham’s economy, are now used to house the Durham Performing Arts Center, Durham Bulls Athletic Park, a radio station, culinary school, documentary theater, shops, restaurants and bars, and even has a man-made river. The transformation of this area is indicative of the transformation of Durham itself.

DUKE LEMUR CENTER

Best known for being featured on the popular PBS series “Zoboomafoo,” the Duke Lemur Center is an 85-acre sanctuary for rare and endangered prosimian primates. Housing the world’s larges collection of lemurs outside of Madagascar, the center advances science, scholarship, and biological conservation through interdisciplinary research and public outreach, which includes community-based conservation. Plus, it’s hard to resist the cuteness of a lemur, so imagine being surrounded by cuteness in the world’s largest sanctuary for prosimian primates.

View the rest of the list HERE.

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New Belgium Brewing’s Tour de Fat Releases 2016 Schedule

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New Belgium Brewing’s Tour de Fat Releases 2016 Schedule,
Along with Ten Reasons Why This Anniversary Year Can’t be Missed!


Ft. Collins, Colo., March 29, 2016 – This year, New Belgium Brewing celebrates 25 years of brewing up fun, a silver anniversary that means new tricks, musical supersizing, and doubling down on wackiness for the brewery’s annual Tour de Fat. The traveling celebration creates a spectacular sensory experience complete with great beer, bikes, music, comedy, sustainability, and philanthropy. In honor of this monumental year for the brewery, New Belgium has crafted a list of 10 reasons 2016 is a year you and all your friends must attend Tour de Fat:

1. Chances are good it’s coming to a city near you! This year Tour de Fat is traveling to nine locations:

  • May 21 – Washington, DC
  • June 25 – Durham, NC
  • July 9 – Chicago, IL
  • August 13 – Boise, ID
  • September 3 – Ft. Collins, Colo.
  • September 10 – Denver, Colo.
  • September 17 – San Francisco, CA
  • September 24 – San Diego, CA
  • October 1 – Tempe, AZ.

To keep up on the latest info for each city, check out NewBelgium.com/TourdeFat.

2. Tour de Fat 2016 Presents Dr. Dog! This Philly-based Neo-Americana Psych Rock outfit draws inspiration from the Rolling Stones, the Velvet Underground and soul music and will headline the Tour de Fat stage in Tempe and San Francisco. Their new concept album has been garnering rave reviews and earning them sold-out shows. To that end: Tempe and San Francisco will require a $10 ticket this year, well worth the all-day entertainment and shenanigans!

3. Turning a quarter-of-a-century super charges the creative juices. This year marks the 25th anniversary for New Belgium Brewing, which means more variety, local/regional acts and double the zany antics you come to expect at Tour de Fat.

4. Help push Tour de Fat past the $5 million mark! It could happen this year and we need everyone’s support! Although it’s a day of revelry, bike love, and fun times, the main mission of Tour de Fat is to give back to our non-profit friends, who spread bike love year round.

5. Become a trader! Nine people will trade will their car for a bike through an amazingly transformative experience celebrated through the Tour de Fat car-for-bike ceremony. Want to apply to trade your vehicle for the gift of two wheels? Click here to apply.

6. Did someone say great beer? Tour de Fat offers an opportunity to enjoy New Belgium classics, such as Fat Tire and Citradelic Tangerine IPA, along with more esoteric beers from its Lips of Faith series. It’s also the only place to enjoy Carnie Blood, a beer made in honor of the Tour de Fat Carnies that make this all possible every year! Carnie Blood Vol. 3 is an Imperial Stout brewed with two single-origin cocoas and chicory. Yum!

7. One word – costumes! Tour de Fat is the place to bring out the Halloween costume again, dress as your alter-ego and let your freak flag fly. We like to say if everyone is weird, no one is weird. So start thinking about it now!
 
8. Always wanted to be in a parade? Now you can! Tour de Fat offers costumed bike parades in each city, with rolling closures of city streets. It’s a magical feeling to legally own the road on your bike!

9. The entertainment keeps going and going and going. Once it starts it lasts for about five hours with several venues going at once, filled with variety acts that’ll make you scratch your head, tap your foot and laugh out loud.

10. Do you like to win? We have contests! From a Slow-Ride, to a Fashion Show and even The Bike is Right! Gameshow – Tour de Fat is looking for ways to put you in the show and give away New Belgium cruiser bikes. So start shining up your dance shoes and practice your slow-mo bike riding skills.

“During this off-season we’ve been working on how to make this year stand above the rest. We’ve curated incredible acts for our Sputnik mobile stage, Le Tigre Grande and Grotto stages and then of course our main stage presenting Dr. Dog at some stops makes it an epic year,” said Matt Kowal, Tour de Fat’s Impresario. “The performances are going to be dynamic and super creative, making it the best costumed, free-flowing, bike and beer festival you could attend. We’re stoked to hit the road and see the magic happen.”

This year marks the 17th season for Tour de Fat, which has raised more than $4 million for local non-profits since it all began and close to $650,000 last year alone. The daylong festivities are free in all cities except for Tempe and San Francisco, but all proceeds from beer and merchandise sales, along with parade donations, go to local non-profits.

During each tour stop, New Belgium tries to leave as little of an environmental imprint as possible. The tour hosts green vendors, has compost and recycle stations and festival trucks that operate on biofuel sourced from recycled waste oils.

For the Tour de Fat credo, schedule, videos and to submit an entry to swap your car for a bike, check out NewBelgium.com/TourdeFat. To learn more about New Belgium Brewing, visit NewBelgium.com.
 
About New Belgium Brewing Company 

New Belgium Brewing, makers of Fat Tire Amber Ale and a host of Belgian-inspired beers, is recognized as one of Outside Magazine’s Best Places to Work and one of the Wall Street Journal’s Best Small Businesses. The 100% employee-owned brewery is a Platinum-level Bicycle Friendly Business as designated by the League of American Bicyclists, and one of World Blu’s most democratic U.S. businesses, and a Certified B Corp. In addition to Fat Tire, New Belgium brews thirteen year-round beers; Citradelic Tangerine IPA, Ranger IPA, Rampant Imperial IPA, Shift Pale Lager, Slow Ride Session IPA, Snapshot Wheat, Sunshine Wheat, 1554 Black Ale, Blue Paddle Pilsner, Abbey Belgian Ale and Trippel and a gluten-reduced line, Glutiny Pale Ale and Glutiny Golden Ale. Learn more at www.newbelgium.com. 

Is a Different Type of Silicon Valley Possible?

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DURHAM, N.C.—Downtown, sprawling factories are constant reminders of this city’s past life. A few decades ago these massive buildings were owned by tobacco companies and bustling with blue-collar workers. After the tobacco business contracted in the second half of the 20th century, and factory jobs disappeared or were relocated, the buildings—and much of Durham’s downtown—were abandoned.

Now, the city is in the midst of an ongoing, carefully orchestrated plan to boost the economy. These vast spaces are once again teeming with with jobs and workers, but of a completely different variety: white-collar entrepreneurs hoping to make Durham a major destination for start-up ventures.

This did not happen by chance. After the decline of Durham’s manufacturing, the city found itself in need of a revamped economy. Luckily, it had the tools to build one: massive amounts of open, unused office space thanks to the abandoned tobacco manufacturing plants, low (at the time) property prices, and proximity to illustrious academic institutions. So the local government started courting start-ups. In 2011 the city’s Chamber of Commerce launched programs providing free office space, wi-fi, and start-up advice to new companies. That same year the governor of North Carolina implemented a tax credit for developing businesses in the city, geared toward interactive digital media. The Chamber of Commerce has also offered monetary compensation for opening up businesses in the downtown district, and for creating jobs.

In many ways the city’s push has been successful so far. It’s hard to keep count of the incubators, coworking spaces, networking groups, and facilities meant to cater to entrepreneurs. In turn, the city’s start-up community is producing highly-touted, award-winning companies; Durham-based start-ups won Google’s Demo Day pitch competition in both 2014 and 2015. American Underground (AU), one of the larger start-up incubators in the city and one of nine Google Tech Hubs throughout North America, has seen significant growth. The organization started by hosting 25 startups in 2012, and now has 10 times that number on its current roster. Its businesses have brought in over $29 million in funding and added more than 400 jobs to the local economy, according to the group’s most recent annual report.

Read the entire story HERE.

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5 Tech Startups to Watch in Durham, N.C.

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The old tobacco town is smoking with tech.

The old tobacco town of Durham is ablaze with tech know-how, home to companies large and small. Many are part of ­American ­Underground, a community by the former campus of the ­American ­Tobacco Co. Here are five to watch.

1. CloudFactory
Cloud-based software and 3,000 workers in Kenya and Nepal power this service, aimed at on-demand tasks, such as video captioning for ESPN and image tagging for Microsoft.

2. CrowdTunes
The app, which allows a venue’s patrons to bid on the music they want to hear, has partnered with bars, universities, and even Applebee’s. Instead of $1 jukebox plays, bids go as high as $24—and users can “nuke” unwanted songs by paying five times a song’s current value.

3. ShoeBoxed
This service combines a human team and automated optical-character-recognition technology to digitize business cards and receipts for more than 1 million people. Its QuickBooks- and Evernote-ready output is intended to streamline expense reports, tax returns, and other back-office mundanities.

4. SoloPro
Founded last year, this no-commission real estate service raised $1.6 million from investors (such as home-improvement giant Lowe’s) to unbundle the home-buying process into à la carte options. A 3% rebate on the purchase (for buyers) and flat fees for typically unpaid tasks (for agents) keep everyone happy.

5. First
Billed as “predictive intel for real estate,” this startup crunches 370 data points (your kids’ age, the car you own, your income) to message you, with a 74% success rate, at the moment you are statistically most likely to seek your first home.

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Adam Klein Weighs In on Bull City’s Burgeoning Business Scene

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When people talk about Durham, our entrepreneurs are often one of the first things they mention. How did we get here?

Right now is one chapter in a long story of entrepreneurship in Durham. It’s something that’s been a rich part of Durham’s history forever. … People started growing tobacco here, and then it turned out that it smoked really well, and that grew into an unbelievable empire. Move forward 100 years and you have the emergence ofBlack Wall Street, another 85 years later you get Research Triangle Park, and then another few decades later you have American Underground.

Everybody’s trying to get attention right now around entrepreneurs in their city, and part of what we love about this city is that none of that is manufactured. If the economy takes a nosedive, or if something else pops up that’s the next big thing, Durham will continue to be an entrepreneurial town. It is our industry.

What is it that’s drawing businesses to choose Durham, and to stay here?

When entrepreneurs come into Durham, they love the energy that’s here. The energy of great food, great culture, a tech scene that’s booming – all those different pieces they can see and experience that they’re not expecting. Because when you’re flying across country into a relatively small Southern city, most people’s expectations aren’t to see all that here. We have a dynamic environment that’s attracting national attention.

What’s behind the tech explosion here? How did that happen?

While the explosion is recent, the foundational pieces of that have been in the offing for a while. Case in point: Bronto Software, which was just acquired for about $200 million, started at the American Tobacco Campus in the mid-2000s. Everybody sees this story of “wow, that’s tons of money” – well, that story has been in the works for 10 years. They were built in Durham, they were grown in Durham with support from Durham entities, and now Bronto has this incredible story.

READ THE STORY IN ITS ENTIRETY HERE. 

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Raleigh-Durham Is One of the Best Places to Live in America

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The Raleigh-Durham area is No. 4 on U.S. News’ 2016 “Best Places to Live.”

Rankings of the 100 most populous U.S. cities, released Wednesday, are based on five factors: job market, value, quality of life, desirability and net migration. Data was derived from the U.S. Census Bureau, the FBI, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, previous U.S. News rankings on best schools and best hospitals, and a public survey of “thousands” of individuals across the U.S.

Raleigh-Durham’s highest scores are in desirability and net migration.

About two-thirds of the U.S. population resides in one of the metro areas on the list. The top five “best places” are Denver; Austin, Texas; Fayetteville, Arkansas; Raleigh; and Colorado Springs, Colorado.

See the entire list here.

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