Explore the Queen City’s musical influence and history with our curated Spotify playlist.
bluegrass
Red & Blue
North Carolina’s state colors adorn our flag, of course, but they’re also found in the things that make us who we are: food and music, nature and art.
Voices Rising: Live Music Across North Carolina
From famous festivals to summer concert series, the Old North State is full of ways to catch performances by talented singers and musicians. Add a few of these venues to your list.
Beyond Bluegrass in Wilkesboro
Sing a different tune in the foothills of the Brushy Mountains, where you’ll find hiking and mountain biking, apple orchards, famous festivals, and artisan craft trails.
An Our State Playlist: Voices of North Carolina Women
In honor of Women’s History Month, we’ve curated a Spotify playlist featuring a selection of tunes by homegrown female musicians.
A Q&A with Our State’s Resident Playlist Maker: Mark Kemp
Each month, our senior editor, a former music editor of Rolling Stone, curates one-of-a-kind Spotify playlists featuring North Carolina songs and musicians. We sat down with him to find out more about his love of music.
Meet the Maker: Walker Banjos
The twang of banjos and the buzz of power tools have filled the Kinston home of luthier Marvin Walker for nearly 30 years. The fruits of his labor are stringed works of art that he often gives away to lucky — and usually unsuspecting — musicians.
A Circle Unbroken in Newton
Bluegrass musicians love the simple beauty of Old St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Newton. On Christmas Eve, the 200-year-old wooden chapel fills with the sweet sounds of strings and the joy of the season.
City Portrait: Brevard
Pisgah National Forest is the ideal amphitheater for nature’s music. But come summer, the historic hamlet next door erupts in symphonies as gorgeous as waterfalls, and old-time jams as rousing as mountain trails.
