Music
With Ambitious Youth-led Music Festival, Local History Repeats Itself In the Best Way
The volunteer-run Big Pop Show, which sprawls throughout the Triangle March 20-23, is grounded in timeless music festival principles: DIY, RIYL, and IRL.
Lynn Blakey, Angelic Tres Chicas Vocalist and “Everybody’s Cool Older Sister,” Dead at 63
A musician in numerous local bands and the inspiration for The Replacements’ 1985 anthem “Left of the Dial,” Blakey passed on February 6 from complications of metastatic cancer.
‘What’s Good for the Goose is Good for the Propagander’: A Pittsboro Musician’s Song Meets the Moment
Mipso guitarist Joseph Terrell’s new folk song is a biting indictment of ICE and the killing of Renée Good. It’s quickly gone viral.
How Local Music Lovers Keep Music Discovery Fresh
A New Year’s resolution to cancel a Spotify subscription and rekindle greater musical curiosity, featuring ideas from local artists and curators.
Ten Local Songs We Loved in 2025 (And One for the New Year)
A non-comprehensive list of songs that stuck with us this year, with releases from Triangle artists like Reese McHenry, Jooselord, Tre. Charles, Joseph Decosimo, and more.
“A Singing Voice that Could Nail You to the Wall”: How Alice Gerrard and Hazel Dickens Became a Legendary Bluegrass Duo
Alice Gerrard and Hazel Dickens first bonded at Baltimore house parties in the early 1960s. The pair would go on to form a bluegrass collaboration that has influenced generations of musicians.
Katharine Whalen Flexes Verve and Versatility On Two New Records
Out this fall, a pair of brand-new records from Whalen’s Jazz Squad and Certain Seas showcase the ways that the Efland musician is stretching her stylistic wings.
Talking With Tyshawn Sorey About Max Roach, Spontaneous Composition, and North Carolina’s Musical History
The Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and multi-instrumentalist will play in Durham on November 21 as part of Duke Arts’ “Max Roach at 100” program.
Durham Duo Viv & Riley’s New Collaboration Has “Sleepover Energy”
Vivian Leva and Riley Calcagno join collaborator Rachel Baiman as kissing other ppl for a new experimental album of folk covers and October 5 show at The Pinhook.
Solomon Fox, IRL
The Durham native’s absurd Instagram videos have garnered praise from the likes of Erykah Badu and Jill Scott. But as he rolls out his first solo album in four years, going viral is one of the last things on Solomon Fox’s mind.
Rebirth of the Cool
Talking with Art of Cool cofounder Cicely Mitchell about the upcoming Missy Lane’s Block Party—a years-in-the-making tribute to jazz, Durham, and do-overs.
Indie Legacy Acts, Erudite Pop-Rock, and a Little Bit of Doom Metal: What to See at This Year’s Hopscotch
Hopscotch Music Festival is back Sept. 4-6 for its 15th go-round in downtown Raleigh.
Tift Merritt, a True North Carolina Gem, Still Has Plenty of Material to Mine
When Merritt was asked to look back through her archives for a 20th anniversary reissue of “Tambourine,” she found a version of herself—and her music—that she loved and recognized.
Joseph Decosimo Makes Old-Time Music That Brings People Together
To make the rich, responsive release “Fiery Gizzard,” the Durham folklorist and musician enlisted a group of friends far and wide for a generative collaboration.
LesTheGenius and Ricky Ricardo’s In-State Intuition
With Raleighwood Fest 2025, the founders of the homegrown, Carolina-first music festival are dreaming bigger while doubling down on their roots.
How the Blue Note Grill Keeps Its Rhythm In a Changing City
The landscape around the Durham grill—home to a mélange of dancers, barbecue lovers, and musicians—has changed drastically over the past fifteen years. But the music hasn’t stopped playing.
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.