WUNC Music

The pandemic has devastated the arts industry in North Carolina including musicians, venues and the people they employ. A new recording released Thursday aims to lend a hand to one of the legendary venues in this state, the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro.

Libby Rodenbough is taking a break from the indie Americana band Mipso to release her debut solo album Spectacle of Love. The Durham-based musician is expanding her musical pallet with contributions that include electric piano, synthesizers and even bass clarinet.  The songs are mysterious and beautiful with echoes of artists from Rickie Lee Jones, to Andrew Bird, to Gillian Welch.

It's hard to believe, but Chatham County Line has been making music for two decades. The band's new release is called 'Strange Fascination' and is the first since the retirement of banjo ace Chandler Holt. It's also the first to feature drums across the entire album.

Dave Wilson is the guitarist, lead vocalist and chief songwriter for the band. John Teer handles mandolin, fiddle and soaring harmonies and Greg Readling holds down the bass and plays the piano.

Joe Troop is the lone North Carolinian in the Grammy nominated band Che Apalache.  Like just about everyone else, Joe is staying at home during the pandemic which has taken a heavy toll on musicians who can no longer play in front of live audiences. That's a serious blow to their livelihood.

BJ Barham is back with his band American Aquarium.  The North Carolina native released a solo record called Rockingham a few years ago, returned with his band on Things Change and is now releasing the appropriately titled Lamentations into the world of lock downs and quarantines.

Skylar Gudasz has a new record out today called Cinema. The Durham-based singer-songwriter worked with four co-producers, but guided the project herself, playing most of the instruments while recording in North Carolina and at Justin Vernon's place in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. 

North Carolina native Jonathan Wilson has come home on his new record Dixie Blur.  The long-time California resident was talking to Steve Earle at a session of the live-music radio program E-Town when Earle suggested he take his latest batch of songs to Nashville to record with live musicians.  On past efforts, Wilson often worked alone in his studio outside of Los Angeles, playing all the instruments himself.

WUNC Music is excited to share 'Dream The Sun,' the first single from Durham's The Pinkerton Raid's fifth full length album, due out in early 2021.

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North Carolina musicians made waves on the national stage in 2019. Close to a dozen artists from the state, including Rhiannon Giddens, DaBaby and J.Cole, are up for Grammy Awards in 2020, and new talent keeps popping up.

WUNC Music is excited to share 'Dance It Away' - the new single from Raleigh's Kate Rhudy. It's the first new music from Rhudy since 2017's 'Rock N' Roll Ain't For Me' and was produced by Jack Hallenbeck (Maggie Rogers) and Kate Rhudy in Los Angeles & Raleigh.

This time of year families come back together and share stories.  For Will Blythe, a writer who grew up in Chapel Hill there was one piece of family history that had him convinced he, and the town of Chapel Hill, was connected to this seasonal classic by Joni Mitchell.

We've teamed up with Come Hear NC on a podcast series that explores North Carolina music one song at a time. This week, we look at the one song that most everyone identifies with our home state. Writer Will Blythe joins Eric Hodge to talk about James Taylor's 'Carolina In My Mind.' He says it's a song that affects people both young and old.

We've teamed up with Come Hear NC on a podcast series that explores North Carolina music one song at a time. This time, former Cat's Cradle owner and Crook's Corner chef Bill Smith talks about The Red Clay Ramblers. Smith saw The Red Clay Ramblers perform all the time in the early days of Cat's Cradle. For this episode, he focuses on their version of the song 'Aragon Mill.'

We've teamed up with Come Hear NC on a podcast series that explores North Carolina music one song at a time. On this episode, HC McEntire joins Eric Hodge to talk about Nina Simone's 'I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free.' Like Nina Simone, McEntire grew up in Tryon, NC. She says the music Simone made often illuminates the challenges people in the South face, even to this day.

Michaela Anne grew up the daughter of a Navy officer. That means she moved around - a lot. In turn, that constant uprooting fuels some of the songs on her new album, 'Desert Dove.' She spoke with Eric Hodge about her upbringing and the process of recording the new album.

One of the themes she explores is constantly being on the move, both growing up and as a touring musician. On 'Child of the Wind' Michaela sings that her "home town was a back seat looking at highway signs."