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

MONSTER MASH: Hillbilly Hellcats play 10th annual Zombiefest at Satellite

  Ten years ago, Zombiefest began as a night of a monster (music) mash. When The Phantom Playboys moved their popular underground Halloween-inspired concert to Satellite in 2017, drummer and festival founder Jimmy Kaylis told encore he wanted to keep this monster music creation full of fun, laughs, and most importantly, original rock n’ roll. It was Kaylis who tapped rockabilly brethren Hillbilly Hellcats to … Continue reading MONSTER MASH: Hillbilly Hellcats play 10th annual Zombiefest at Satellite

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, Music

CAPTURED MAGIC: The Wood Brothers discuss live album ahead of GLA concert

  When The Wood Brothers dropped their 14-track live album in September, taken from a two-night run at The Fillmore in San Francisco, upright bassist Chris Wood said it reflects the fact “the longer [they] play together, the more [they] can read each other’s thoughts and anticipate each other’s musical choices.” For his brother, Oliver (guitar, vocals), the sets’ songs “Chocolate on My Tongue” and … Continue reading CAPTURED MAGIC: The Wood Brothers discuss live album ahead of GLA concert

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, Music

FALL ‘GRASS: Folkstone Stringband return to 2nd Cape Fear Bluegrass & BBQ Fest on October 12

  “Spring” and “fall” are loose terms in North Carolina. Nowadays, it feels like we have “early summer” and “extended summer” (I mean, the calendar says October 3, but at 95 degrees outside, it feels like August 64). While this might extend summertime activities, the heat index can make outdoor events a little less enjoyable. Last year’s inaugural Cape Fear Bluegrass and BBQ Festival learned … Continue reading FALL ‘GRASS: Folkstone Stringband return to 2nd Cape Fear Bluegrass & BBQ Fest on October 12

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, Music

UP, UP & AWAY: UNCW wins contest to bring Elephante to GLA

  At face value Monster Energy’s Up & Up Festival competition seems like a pretty simple numbers game: a contest between participating colleges across the country to see who can cull the most votes/pre-sale tickets in 48 hours. The top five schools get to host an Up & Up concert in their city. With roughly 17,000 students, UNCW is an underdog compared to the 99,000 … Continue reading UP, UP & AWAY: UNCW wins contest to bring Elephante to GLA

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, Music

TAKING ACTION: Music and arts are brewing this Sunday at Waterman’s

    “I have instant respect for people who use their talents and influence to help kids and communities in need,” Tumbleweed’s McKay Glasgow says of fellow musician Jason Andre of The Midatlantic. “I don’t know Jason well, but I’ve seen him out in the water and he’s a good surfer. I also see him supporting other musicians at shows and doing cool things in … Continue reading TAKING ACTION: Music and arts are brewing this Sunday at Waterman’s

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, Music

SONIC STRUT: Donna the Buffalo return to BAC this Sunday

  Donna the Buffalo has been a part of the Americana festival scene for years. 2019’s fall edition of Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival (October 3-6) in Pittsboro has them headlining among acts like Galactic, Roosevelt Collier and 54 other performers. They join thousands of musicians, artisans, festival-goers and organizers who return year after year because they are drawn to the music and everything the community … Continue reading SONIC STRUT: Donna the Buffalo return to BAC this Sunday

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, Music

UNTETHERED INNOVATION: Rare Creatures heads to Palate with latest music

  More bands are making concerted efforts to produce music untethered to one genre. Innovative outfits like Australia’s King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard come to mind. In just nine years they’ve released 15 albums, spanning everything from garage and punk rock (“12 Bar Bruise,” 2012), to acoustic folk-rock (“Paper Mâché Dream Balloon,” 2015), to psychedelic rock (“Nonagon Infinity,” 2016). King Gizzard’s last two albums … Continue reading UNTETHERED INNOVATION: Rare Creatures heads to Palate with latest music

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, Music

STAYING ALIVE: Live at Ted’s reopens with four days of music

  Hourglass Recording Studio’s Trent Harrison and his wife, singer-songwriter Whitney Lanier, remember their first time visiting Ted’s Fun on the River about three or four years ago. Like many loyal patrons, after that Fourth of July show featuring local indie-folksters Stray Local, they were hooked on Ted’s unique listening-room atmosphere. “When you’re at a show at Ted’s, you’re sitting, paying attention, maybe enjoying a … Continue reading STAYING ALIVE: Live at Ted’s reopens with four days of music

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, Music

GRACE AND CANDOR: Shelby Smoak shares his life in prose and song

***EDITOR’S NOTE: THIS SHOW HAS BEEN POSTPONED DUE TO HURRICANE DORIAN*** To call Shelby Smoak’s life story “compelling” would be inadequate. The memoirist and songwriter fronts an indie-rock outfit Bleeder, which will open for Team Player at Satellite on the 6. But in 1990, as an 18-year-old preparing to start his freshman year at UNCW, Smoak’s parents told him he had contracted HIV when he … Continue reading GRACE AND CANDOR: Shelby Smoak shares his life in prose and song

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, Music

TOP GOAT: Folk and friendship are at the center of Capricious

  Here’s something to really get your goat … in a good way. Vanessa Lynch (vocals, guitar) and Cole Mancini (vocals, violin) officially call their duo Capricious, but their motto (and website) is “two goats and a dream.” Both Capricorns, they have long used their astrology sign (a goat) in their literal and figurative branding. “When we were just starting out we used to tell … Continue reading TOP GOAT: Folk and friendship are at the center of Capricious

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