Author: Shannon Rae Gentry

I’m a writer, collaborator, and community-minded creative working to reimagine encore magazine, our region’s longest-running alt-weekly, not just as a newspaper, but as a shared space where culture, civic life, and local voices meet.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, Music

FESTIVAL FOLKS: Local musicians gear up for spring and summer festivals

  With each new Wilmington show announced on Facebook, my husband and I get excited … and simultaneously nervous. “Did you check the calendar?” he’ll ask me, our family’s events manager. “Yes, we’re in town and have [insert name of festival] the following weekend.” We then breathe a collective sigh of relief and go on about our lives. Summer shows and festival trips take planning … Continue reading FESTIVAL FOLKS: Local musicians gear up for spring and summer festivals

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, Music

STORY SONGS: Carolina Pines Fest History Spotlight debuts with Stray Local

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED BECAUSE OF THE NC STATE OF EMERGENCY OVER COVID-19.   History, storytelling, art and music are natural bedfellows. As a history major at UNCW and Carolina Pines Fest founder, Anna Mann has found a way to marry a few of her passions in the new History Spotlight music series at Live at Ted’s. “I’ve been wanting to incorporate historical music … Continue reading STORY SONGS: Carolina Pines Fest History Spotlight debuts with Stray Local

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, Music

MEDIEVAL AF: Indie-rock outfit RITA CASCIA debuts at Gravity Records

  One of the things I love about Wilmington is watching musicians and bands sprout out of the creative cracks of our community’s foundation: from local open mics to music education programs, to sidewalks filled with buskers, to garage parties pulsating with punk rockers. Musicians are everywhere and they seem to have an innate drive to write and play songs for Wilmingtonians. RITA CASCIA’s Davis … Continue reading MEDIEVAL AF: Indie-rock outfit RITA CASCIA debuts at Gravity Records

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FEATURE, Feature

FINDING A SOLUTION: Environmental advocate launches Plaine Products to cleanse ourselves of plastic

Originally published in encore magazine, March 3, 2020 In February Wilmingtonian Lindsey McCoy documented her journey with Exxpedition, an ongoing two-year plastic exploration by sailboat across the world’s oceans. Led by ocean advocate Emily Penn, who founded Exxpedition in 2014, the 2019-2021 venture is broken up into 30 voyages starting and ending in the United Kingdom. McCoy is among 300 women (selected from 10,000 applicants) … Continue reading FINDING A SOLUTION: Environmental advocate launches Plaine Products to cleanse ourselves of plastic

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, Music

LOVE IS HERE: Courtney Lynn & Quinn play first ILM show at Bourgie Nights on February 28

  Love is a lot of things. Love is harmony. Love is power. Love is fire. Love is compromise and support. Love is creative. With all that said, love is Americana duo Courtney Lynn (vocals, guitar) and Quinn Russell (vocals, percussion). The couple’s music and stage dynamic embody all of the above. Their work is personal and tender, which is what the duo wanted to … Continue reading LOVE IS HERE: Courtney Lynn & Quinn play first ILM show at Bourgie Nights on February 28

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, Music

FLYING HIGH: Keep Flying enter the studio before playing the Zoo in ILM

  “Stuck in my head. “Only feel safe in my bed. “But the anxiety is killing me. “These pills don’t help with anything. “Just want to fix all this. “Just trying to do my best without sabotaging everything. “I’m sabotaging everything.” The opening lines to Keep Flying’s “Reason” (from 2019’s EP, “Unbreakable”) seem indicative of a generation dealing with old anxieties (bills, jobs, family problems) … Continue reading FLYING HIGH: Keep Flying enter the studio before playing the Zoo in ILM

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EXTRA & FEATURES, Feature

V-DAY ROMPS: Fun, off-beat and romantic events offered up for Valetine’s Day weekend

  2020 marks 10 years with my significant other … and about seven years since we actually did anything remotely romantic or celebratory on Valentine’s Day. That’s not a complaint, just a fact. Like many long-term loves, we’re seemingly skeptical of the February 14 Hallmark holiday; we just “high-five” each other on another year together and have a beer. Nevertheless, couples, singles, gal pals and … Continue reading V-DAY ROMPS: Fun, off-beat and romantic events offered up for Valetine’s Day weekend

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EXTRA & FEATURES, Feature

DITCHING PLASTIC: Saying ‘no’ to plastic rings, one six-pack at a time

  In 2018 National Geographic reported almost 700 species have been harmed by ocean plastic, and about 18 billion pounds of plastic ends up in the sea annually. These are not just large pieces of identifiable materials, like plastic cups, straws, water bottles and cutlery—though, those are all there. It’s what they can become: 15-50 trillion pieces of microplastics, measuring less than 5 mm long … Continue reading DITCHING PLASTIC: Saying ‘no’ to plastic rings, one six-pack at a time

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, Music

JOYS OF LIFE: Husband-wife duo Sirsy share love in music, play Satellite

  “Cancer changes everything,” Melanie Krahmer muses, “even when you try not to let it. But those changes have made me who I am today—as an artist and a person. I’ve learned a lot from it and gotten stronger because of it.” The impassioned singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has defeated cancer … twice. Her last diagnosis meant more than a three-month hiatus from her rock-pop-soul duo … Continue reading JOYS OF LIFE: Husband-wife duo Sirsy share love in music, play Satellite

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, Music

VOCAL PROWESS: Leme Nolan brings her brand of jazz and funk to Tails

“Music is powerful and can reach billions, no matter the genre,” singer Lemetrius “Leme” Nolan says of her preference for eclectic sounds. Don’t be fooled by her quiet demeanor and low-speaking voice offstage: Nolan knows how to belt it out when it comes to entertaining an audience. Her vocal prowess can be traced to her musical foundation in gospel. At 8 years old, she started … Continue reading VOCAL PROWESS: Leme Nolan brings her brand of jazz and funk to Tails

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