Ray Benson’s been playing western swing with his band, Asleep at the Wheel, for almost 40 years. The group’s latest album, Willie and the Wheel, encapsulates the genre’s history, of which Asleep at the Wheel has become an integral part. The record pairs Benson’s band with his longtime friend Willie Nelson, a former western swing […]
Andrew Ritchey
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Live: Jayhawks Vs. the Tar Heels
Mark Olson & Gary Louris The ArtsCenter, Carrboro Wednesday, Feb. 11 The Jayhawks once again competed against Carolina tonight. Luckily for Tar Heel fans, it wasn’t a repeat of last year’s Final Four drubbing. Though most Carolina fans were suiting up for the big Duke-Carolina basketball game, an early set at Carrboro’s The ArtsCenter by […]
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Live: Double Barrel Benefit Night One
Double Barrel Benefit Night One: Bowerbirds, Lost in the Trees The Pour House, Raleigh Friday, Feb. 6, 2009 A couple songs into his band’s headlining set at The Pour House Friday, Bowerbirds‘ Phil Moore said, ‘This is what we call a party.” A few cheers followed. ‘Just continue to party,” he said. ‘Maybe in a […]
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Tonight: Emmanuel Jal @ UNC
Emmanuel Jal raps over light Afrobeat rhythms stripped down to desolate grooves. Gunshots scatter songs, but not because Jal is a gangsta, but because he is a former child soldier of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army. Smuggled out of the situation by a British aid worker, he began to use music to understand his experiences. […]
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With Obama in office, can political comedians with guitars still land laughs?
Consider for an instant the momentary relief so many people will feel Tuesday when Barack Obama delivers his inaugural address. They’ll weep and cheer and clap and grin and exalt with his every word and gesture. This is a guy who, after all, got a round of applause in Dallas last February when he blew […]
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Local boy, banjo player Ryan Cavanaugh talks touring with Bill Evans’ Soulgrass
Ryan Cavanaugh plays banjo as part of Bill Evans’ Soulgrass touring band. Bringing together jazz and bluegrass, and recommended to Evans by both John McLaughlin and Béla Fleck, Cavanaugh funnels strong, fast and delirious picking into complex solos. He plays a homecoming show of sorts on Saturday, having recently moved from Carrboro to Nashville, Tenn. […]
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Former Miles Davis saxophonist Bill Evans blends jazz, bluegrass
Up a long driveway through the woods of North Salem, N.Y., saxophonist Bill Evans relaxes on Halloween. Not expecting many trick-or-treaters this far into horse country, Evans talks about establishing himself as a musician and bandleader, about where he’s come from and where he’s going. There’s no other band that sounds like his, he says, […]
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Blanket Truth’s “Hanging Out”
Listen up! or stream it below. If you cannot see the music player below, download the free Flash Player. On first listen, “Hanging Out” sounds like happy-go-lucky kid’s pop. Singer Jon Manning strums his baritone ukulele as flute dances around in the background. Cello and bass pick out the bass line on the left channel […]
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Spiritual feeling of the Bailey Elites
On this Sunday morning, the sun shines brightly through the stained-glass windows of the United House of Prayer for All People in Durham. Several elderly women sit in church pews, a few making small talk, fixing their hats. Today’s service starts around 11:00 a.m. More people trickle in during the first fifteen minutes, a gathering […]
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The kid-friendly Harry and the Potters want your help for “the best show ever”
Listen up! If you cannot see the music player below, download the free Flash Player. Book the tour. Pack the gear. Get in the van. Play the show. Pack the van. Drive to the next city. Play the next show: Touring isn’t easy, but at least some bit of routine makes having a home that’s […]