Category: Music

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, Music

LEARNING A NEW TUNE: Jeremy Mathews offers private online lessons in instruments, songwriting and more

  For the past few weeks, tribute videos for John Prine have flooded the internet. The folk singer-songwriter, who passed away from COVID-19 complications on April 7, was an influential figure for countless artists around the globe. Like many other musicians nationwide and here locally, multi-instrumentalist and music teacher Jeremy Mathews plans to pay tribute to Prine with covers of song such as “All the … Continue reading LEARNING A NEW TUNE: Jeremy Mathews offers private online lessons in instruments, songwriting and more

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, Music

SING A (QUARAN)TUNE: Pianist Clay Whittington plays live for audiences every Thursday

  It’s been a while since I sat down with pianist Clay Whittington at Port City Java on Market Street in 2013. The Kinston-born North Carolinian had moved to Wilmington only a few months prior in order to fulfill his passion for performance in theatre, film and music. Leading up to his move, Whittington had been in shows like “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Clue,” “TEXAS,” “Disney’s … Continue reading SING A (QUARAN)TUNE: Pianist Clay Whittington plays live for audiences every Thursday

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, Music

RAY OF LIGHT: Sean Thomas Gerard talks latest single and accompanying April 4 livestream

  For the last couple of weeks, encore (like everyone else in ILM) has gotten used to seeing the words “postponed” and “canceled” due to COVID-19. It’s a tough pill to swallow for the arts and entertainment community, especially for musicians who rely on shows and festivals for exposure and a paycheck. Among them is Sean Thomas Gerard of Onward, Soldiers, who books shows for … Continue reading RAY OF LIGHT: Sean Thomas Gerard talks latest single and accompanying April 4 livestream

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, Music

VIRTUAL SUPPORT: Wilson Center Ghostlight Series livestreams March 23, 7 p.m.

  In an effort to keep Wilmington’s vibrant art scene strong in this time of uncertainty for local performers, CFCC’s Wilson Center, WHQR 91.3FM  and The Arts Council of Wilmington and New Hanover County are launching the Wilson Center Ghostlight Series.  In a release on March 17, Arts Council executive director Rhonda Bellamy noted the Cape Fear’s nonprofit arts sector has an economic impact of … Continue reading VIRTUAL SUPPORT: Wilson Center Ghostlight Series livestreams March 23, 7 p.m.

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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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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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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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