Two Dollar Pistols leader John Howie Jr. is a fan of all types of music, from southern soul to power pop and, of course, vintage country. “I’d like for people to think of us as a country band that likes R&B, that likes rock ‘n’ roll, that likes rockabilly, that likes The Beatles, but not […]
Rick Cornell
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‘World’s mightiest’ soul revue
The Dap-Kings are the house band for Brooklyn-based Daptone Records, and the combustible eight-piece bills itself as the “world’s mightiest live funk and soul revue.” All you have to do is glance at the names (no doubt more than a couple of them noms de soul) on the Dap-Kings’ roll–Homer “Funky-Foot” Jenkins on drums, bandleader […]
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The quiet dog
He only visited for a little over 12 hours, but the whole household still misses him. On our arrival home from work and school, we couldn’t help but notice a rather large dog hanging out in our back yard. There are a couple of nomad canine teams that pass through the neighborhood on a semi-regular […]
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Front porch Friday night
With major league baseball’s first game occurring in March, April now hosts only one important opening day, that being the day of the first offering from the Front Porch Music Series in Bynum. The 2004 Front Porch season began last Friday with roots-folk charmers Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion doing the honors at the […]
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In epics and ballads
Josh Ritter‘s release from last year, Hello Starling, represents the blueprint for folk-rock in the ’00s as it brims with richly detailed scenes brought to melodic, raw-voiced life. Ritter, New England-based by way of Moscow, Idaho, is adept at creating sweeping epics such as the Joan Baez-covered “Wings.” But he’s equally comfortable in the quiet […]
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In twang and thunder
The two-night celebration of Guitartown, a popular Internet music-discussion group that’s celebrating its fifth anniversary, is being billed as the Guitartown Rock ‘n’ Roll Revue, but it could just as easily be called Chip Fest. Expatriate Raleigh-ite Chip Robinson (who moved to New York City a few months back) is both a list favorite and […]
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In songs to wander by
Charlotte-based singer/songwriter Michael Reno Harrell is a folk festival distinguished veteran and a Tom Russell-like song craftsman who has collaborated with such instrumental marvels as Jerry Douglas and Byron House, but still he remains chronically under-heralded in North Carolina and elsewhere. When Harrell was growing up, his family bounced back and forth between Eastern Tennessee […]
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In harmony
As it is, the luminous folk/roots music of Tres Chicas can light up a room. But if lovely harmonies were electricity, the Chicas could illuminate the entire Triangle. The busy members of Tres Chicas–Glory Fountain’s Lynn Blakey, Yep Roc solo artist Caitlin Cary, and Tonya Lamm of Hazeldine–are getting together on Saturday, March 13, to […]
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Farm fresh
If you’ve ever seen Jason Ringenberg do a solo show or front country-punk pioneers Jason and the Scorchers, you know that, to put it mildly, he is a bit animated on stage. Imagine a pogo stick pilot experiencing problems with both pitch and yaw. When Ringenberg inhabits his newly created alter ego, kids-music artist Farmer […]
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Music Spotlight
Washington, D.C.-based Hungry For Music is all about spreading the music as far as it can go–so far that it reaches the folks on the fringes. The organization’s mission, as stated on its Web site (www.crosstownarts.com), is to “inspire disadvantaged children (and others) by bringing positive musical and creative experiences into their lives.” Hungry for […]
