Music
Suzi Analogue and Blu’s “Best 16” Sounds Like The End of the World
A UNC-Chapel Hill professor and a West Coast rap legend combine to make a fitting soundtrack for unnerving times.
Remembering Kevin Joshua “Rowdy” Rowsey II, a Beloved North Carolina Hip-Hop Legend
On April 19, a crowd gathered in Durham’s CCB Plaza to mourn the passing of Rowdy. The Cypher kicked off at 9:19 PM—a marker of our 919 area code, where Rowdy started his hip-hop journey over a decade ago.
Glimpses of Dreamville: Photographs from 2024’s Festival
Photographs from 2024’s Dreamville Festival took place April 6-7 at Raleigh’s Dorothea Dix Park.
On “Spectacles,” Shirlette Ammons Considers the Impact of Being on Display as a Queer Black Artist
On the collaborative new album, intensely personal experiences anchor explorations of similar experiences of Ammons’s Black and queer peers.
Bury Me at the Casa Bacardí: Dispatches From the 2024 Dreamville Festival
Hip-hop feuds, dancing-bear brand activations, and other scenes from one of the world’s largest artist-led festivals.
“It is a new ERA”: Naomi Dix To Open a Queer Nightclub and Bar in Durham
The Triangle drag queen says that the bar will open in the basement of The Fruit in June—just in time for Pride Month.
Super Empty’s Song of the Week: “Other Side,” Kooley High
The Raleigh quintet leans away from Earthly matters like sales and streams, and into mortality and eternal life.
Super Empty’s Song Of The Week: “7 Minute Drill,” J. Cole
The Dreamville leader’s attempt at fiery, pre-festival fireworks pulls punches and leaves numerous opportunities on the table.
Dreamville Preview: Three NC Artists to See in 2024, and Three to Hope for in 2025
Plus, a roundup of Dreamville-adjacent Friday events to fill out the weekend in Raleigh.
On Rosali’s “Bite Down,” Clean Undertones Belie Emotional Murkiness
“Bite Down” finds Rosali Middleman embodying the joyful predator from the album cover, trying to seize life in her jaws and give it a loving shake.
“Free Radio Werewolf,” the latest Release From Land Is, Brims With Giddy Irreverence
Irrepressible Triangle musician and writer Corbie Hill’s latest album fully merges his personality with electronica.
“Cold Cream II” Is a Fun and Furious Record
The band takes evident inspiration from bands like the Ramones, The Clash, and X and hot-rods it down to the chassis, pinstriping the frames with funny, seriously nonsensical lyrics and polishing them with potent melodic hooks.
On “Needlefall,” Magic Tuber Stringband Blends Communal Joy With Minimalist Abstraction
On Magic Tuber Stringband’s fourth full-length release, the old-time band effortlessly inhabits both ends of its sonic spectrum.
This Summer, Music in the Gardens Reads From the Country Soul Songbook
The popular Sarah P. Duke Gardens concert series is back May 29-June 26 with a trailblazing local partner.
Song of the Week: “Hello” by Shirlette Ammons ft. Amelia Meath
Durham’s consummate collaborator pens an uplifting tribute to community and, as usual, brings others along for the ride.
Gibson & Toutant Get Weird and Dig Deep on Debut Album ‘On the Green’
The Durham duo constructs an eccentric world of sonic peculiarity on their debut full-length album, out March 22 on Sleepy Cat Records.
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