Blog - Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance

SunQueen Kelcey and the Soular Flares: Bringing the Light to Shakori Hills

August 14, 2019 by David Dean Leave a Comment

Of all the voices to fill the hills of Shakori this fall, there is one that will shine as bright as the sun: SunQueen Kelcey and the Soular Flares.

SunQueen Kelcey has been gifted with a sensual voice that is drenched with vintage soul. Her phrasing dances on top of the Soular Flares’ jazz rhythms and the result makes you want to dance, just as much as it makes you want to hold onto someone that you love.

A staple of the Greensboro music scene, she won a 2017 Bloc Award as the Best R&B Artist of the Year. She explores issues of self love, social justice, and sexual freedom in her music that at once, will make you laugh, blush, and shake your head in affirmation.

We sat down and talked for a bit about her music, her life, and what we can expect from the band’s Shakori Hills debut. With new music in the works, SunQueen Kelcey is the kind of light that we need right now.

Get a taste of her soul with this 2019 submission to the NPR Tiny Desk Contest, or check out her website, and read below for some highlights from our conversation.

Krysten Heberly: How long have you been playing and creating music and what drew you to it?

SunQueen Kelcey: I’ve been playing guitar for maybe eight years now. I’ve been creating my own music for 8 years too. What drew me to it was my personal experiences. I’ve always loved music, I think music is the connection to everyone that we have.

Ever since I was young, it started off as me shouting, thinking that it sounded good when I was a little girl, but when I turned ten, it actually started to sound good. I started writing poems, and I was doing poetry, I wasn’t really performing or anything but I had journals full of it. Then I joined the choirs when I joined middle school and high school, and I fell in love with choral ensemble and just creating music on my own.

KH: Did you go to college, or did you start pursuing music after that?

SQK: Oh good question! So I went to college for 3 years, I was pursuing something so unrelated to music. I was majoring in BIology, I was on a track to do pre-med, and I started flunking out. I just couldn’t concentrate, I was going through a lot of things, I was in a very terrible relationship, and I was just not focused. Plus I think I was just in the wrong lane. So I went for three years, I got kicked out for six months, and then they told me I could come back and I was like nah, fuck it. I have been thrown into the real world and I’d just like to start working and doing music.

KH: It sounds like you’re in a lot better place because of it.

SQK: I am! Y’know, I struggled a lot, but I know that it was all for a great reason, because I never would have imagined that I would be right here. I’ve always loved and wanted to perform music, but I didn’t think it was possible until I started doing it. It’s been a long time coming and I have a ways to go, but shit I am loving it, and you are right.

KH: It’s inspiring, honestly.

SQK: Thank you! I think everyone has their stories about it too. Mine is a little tricky, but y’know.

KH: Where did you come up with the name SunQueen Kelcey and the Soular Flares?

SQK: So I wrote this song called Queen of the Sun which is on my first album. It talks about the power and the impact that Black women have on humanity. When I started to perform it, it was just me and my guitar, and it was a very intimate setting everywhere I would go. Then one time I performed it in front of this open mic, and one of my friends, he called me SunQueen after that. And when he started calling me SunQueen, everyone started calling me SunQueen. And I had been looking for a stage name for a long time. It just fit ya’know? When people caught on like that, I thought ‘maybe it should just be like that.’ I’m the epitome of that song, I am a Black woman, I do have an impact on some of the people in my life, and I know the struggle of being Black and being in the world today. So why not keep that name. The Soular Flares came from me just being so interested in how the sun works. The solar flare is like an eruption of energy, just a burst of energy. I think of it as the sun’s mood swing and the way that the sun expresses itself. When I formed the band for my music, I said ‘everyone has their own personality, we’re all full of fire, we’re all full of a dynamic energy that we bring to the stage.’ SunQueen and the Soular Flares seemed to fit so well.

KH: Who are the Soular Flares?

SQK: I have my homegirl Tai, she is the keyboardist, my friend Malcolm who is one of the guitarists, Darrien who is one of the bassists, Colin, he’s been with me since I started performing in Greensboro and we’ve known each other for about eight years. He’s one of the guitarists as well.

KH: Have you been performing with everyone for a couple of years now?

SQK: Yeah, collectively I think I’ve been performing with everyone for two years now. Other people I’ve known, we’ve done other bands together and performed in other shows, but yeah collectively as the Soular Flares, it’s been about two years.

KH: It sounds like you’ve become kind of a little family.
SQK: Yes! They are my brothers and my sister, and we definitely look out for each other. Like I said, it’s so many different personalities in this band, but when we’re together for shows and for practice, we’re inseparable. I definitely feed off of their energy and vice versa, and we just have fun together.

KH: That’s really what it’s all about. So you talk a lot about social justice being a big part of your music. Why is that?

SQK: I really like to write about my experience, the way I walk through life. When I was growing up, I would hear stories that my mom would tell about living in some of the very rural parts of NC like Candor, Bisko, those parts of Montgomery County. And her being a Black woman from a Black family, she used to experience a lot of racism out there. Even today, being Black in this world, we experience a lot of racism. And I just love to talk about it, and to give those voices of the people who have been highly marginalized out here. Just the chance to say what they want to say. Whether it’s my experience or someone else’s experience, I just want to make sure I give a voice to that. So that’s part of the whole social justice thing.

KH: You also talk a lot about body positivity. Why is that important to you?

SQK: The self love that comes from me…I think I’m talking about self love coming more from my experience of body positivity, and just learning to accept my body, learning to accept other bodies, and making this idea of body neutrality. I think that everyone deserves to feel comfortable in their own skin and to be comfortable in who they are. I think weight is one of those stigmas that we struggle with. People are afraid to eat, people are afraid to wear certain things. People are afraid to even walk into a place because they think they are unworthy of taking up space. So I’ve tried to incorporate the self- love into every show that I do, and with everyone that I meet.

I want people to understand that they deserve and are worthy of love. You should be able to take care of yourself for free. We all need that equity, that equality. We should be able to wake up every day and have everything that we need to be successful and to live a happy and healthy life.

So that’s where the self-love comes from. I’ve struggled with my weight for most of my life, I’ve always been a thick girl, and y’know, when I was at my smallest, those would be the times when I was the most unhappy, the most depressed. Now I’m at one of my heavier weights, and I feel fucking great! I feel amazing, and i have this glow about me that people notice, and that really speaks a lot to how my journey was. It was rough, it took a lot out of me, but through the years when I just learned to accept the way things were and to just work on my mental health first, that’s when I really started to shine.

KH: Acceptance is such a thing to build towards.

SQK: It is. And I think that people get the whole body positivity thing mixed up with people just loving every bit about their body, and just being happy all the time, but it’s not like that. It’s about respect, and learning to be grateful for your body and to take care of your body. You can be a thick girl and work out, eat your greens, eat your vegetables, drink water, you can do all of that and still be thick, but everyone’s body is different. We all store and use nutrients differently. So we’re all gonna look different, and I think that the media pushes us to want to look like something that we just can’t look like without restriction and self-hate. I try to make sure that people understand that those things aren’t realistic…

KH: You mentioned body neutrality, what does that mean to you?

SQK: That means to accept the way that the body is, and that you should accept the way that other bodies look too, especially when you know what your body can do and what it’s capable of. We wake up every day, our heart never stops beating, we make it through the hardest parts of our life, and there is no point in judging someone for the way that they look. So body neutrality is more like accept and normalize that people’s bodies look different. There are fat people, there are tall people, there are small people, everyone looks different. There are skinny people, there are people with disabilities, and people with different skin tones and things that they may not love about themselves.

KH: So why is your music important to you?

SQK: It’s important to me because it’s the way that I connect to everyone around me. I feel like you could make a connection without music, but there’s just something about it that is like a metaphysical connection that you could have with somebody.

Music just has this kind of energy about it. It creates these kinds of bonds that when you see somebody in a bar and y’all start singing, you know all the words, you’re just like ‘Oh this is my soul sister, soul brother.’ Music just does that for people. You could be complete strangers, and because you know the same song you can relate to it, you can cry to it, it just brings people together. I think that I can make an even stronger connection when I perform. I think that’s why it’s important. I love making people feel good, I love seeing people enjoy themselves. You’re not harming anybody, so let’s make magic!

KH: As far as Shakori Hills, what can fans expect from you there?

SQK: They can expect a little bit of twerking, they can expect me to teach them some mantras about self love, and they can expect some new music, because we have some time to get that setlist tight and ready before we come out. I just can’t wait! God, I’m so excited!

MK Rodenbough: Songwriting From the Heart

August 8, 2019 by David Dean Leave a Comment

When it comes to singer-songwriter acts at Shakori Hills, one act not to miss will be MK Rodenbough, a recent graduate from UNC Chapel Hill. Rodenbough is a self-described Americana artist, who passionately tells her story through the strumming of a six-string, and a voice that feels completely honest, in a way that cuts to the soul.

Listening to MK Rodenbough’ soft, yet powerful, songs is like meeting a new friend and the feeling known them your whole life. Perhaps this is because all of her lyrics come from real events that have happened in her life, mostly during her time at UNC Chapel Hill. From the pits of heartbreak, to finally finding the self-confidence you’ve been looking for, Rodenbough really knows how to capture the more sensitive sides of life in a way that feels relatable and down to Earth.

Rodenbough told me, “I don’t write songs that are about a character, about someone else, I don’t really ever do a lot of storytelling in my music, which I would love to do more of. But when I sit down with a guitar, it is kind of therapeutic. It’s like, how am I feeling? How can I express that with the instrument that I have in front of me?”

Expressing herself through her guitar is what Rodenbough has become known for throughout the local music scene. With performances tightly scheduled between her two jobs, Rodenbough is like many musicians fresh out of college – trying to build a music career with a little bit of time, and a whole lot of heart. This also means working on her debut album, which she is hoping to release either this year, or next year, depending on what time allows.

She continued, “I’m in the process of recording some new material with some new musician pals and a new producer, and trying to find the direction I want to go in after college. Not necessarily a full 180. It’s kind of a cool experience because it feels a lot more intimate, and feels like you’re just with friends instead of a high pressure scenario.”

For the album itself, you can expect some Southern inspired Americana music, and some “sad-girl folk” music. Many of the songs will likely be focused on her experiences as a recent graduate, and all of the emotions that life brings during such a chaotic time. However, Rodenbough also had an opportunity to record her debut album somewhere that was as inspiring as it was beautiful.

“We went to a lake house in February, and recorded a couple of songs. It was just for a couple of days, but it was so serene and a great atmosphere for being creative and putting something together. It literally had a private view onto the lake. So while we were tracking, we were able to look at the lake and it was just really beautiful and inspiring. It was awesome,” she said.

Many of Rodenbough’s debut songs will be played this year at Shakori Hills. You can expect a smaller, more intimate performance from Rodenbough and two of her friends, including Justin Ellis from Happy Abandon on bass, and Daniel Faust on drums.

From the trio, she said we can expect, “A mix of high energy, as well as very mellow songs. This year [I’ve] stripped down the live performance to just me, a bass player, and drums. That’s been really great to make that feel bigger and feel full, even though we don’t have that second guitarist or a keys player or whatever it is. So yeah, people can expect to see me playing some really sad songs with some of my friends.”

Make sure to come check out MK Rodenbough at Shakori Hills this fall; the daily schedule will be coming out soon!

In the meantime, you can follow her page on Facebook, and listen to several of her songs on Soundcloud.

TerraBANG: A Band that Lives Up to the Name

August 1, 2019 by David Dean Leave a Comment

When it comes to groovy-funky-soul jams, it’s pretty hard to go wrong. With the smooth rhythms that keep the beat of your heart, to sultry lyrics that break us out of the prisons of our own design, a good R&B band is part of the recipe for a happy life (imho).

One of these rare bands happen to be right in our backyard, residing in the tall pines and cool breezes of Boone, North Carolina. Their name is TerraBANG, and they’re here to bring the vibe.

I met with Sergio Grossi who plays keys and contributes vocals to the band and he explained the band’s ethos, “What we’re trying to do is bring people together, to make people happy. We want to express ourselves to the fullest capability, and express the emotions we feel. People say that they like the album, like the songs, and different songs resonate with different people. We just want to create an experience for people when they hear our music. I want to make them happy, but I also want to make them cry.”

As far as their mission of bringing the feelings to your everyday R&B playlist, they are a massive success. TerraBANG dropped their first album, Seed, in 2018, which was an explosive first move onto the scene. With eleven songs that travel through the trials and tribulations of love and life, the songs are uncategorized by any big-named genres. One of the biggest reasons for the genre-defying sound is because of the varying musical interests of everyone in the band.

Grossi continued, “I would say that we have a bunch of different inspirations, and we take a little bit from everything. I feel like my solo music doesn’t really fall into just one category. I just released this album called Love Chronicles, which is like a hip hop album. I’m rapping on every song, but it’s not a great album to release on a hip hop or rap blog, because it’s unlike anything out there. TerraBANG is just like that, it’s unlike anything else out there.”

TerraBANG is comprised of a metal drummer, a couple of jazz musicians, an indie rocker, and a pop-driven vocalist who all know their way pretty well around just about any instrument you can put in front of them. Most of the members of the band were music majors at Appalachian State, and are putting those years of studying to good use.

Grossi said, “Everyone [has] high musical intelligence. So Hinton is pitch perfect, and Brady has relative pitch, and they all play about a thousand different instruments. They all play bass, trumpet, violin, mandolin, guitar, if you go on their Instagrams you’ll see them playing a bunch of different instruments. I would probably say that Aaron has relative pitch too, because he can transpose into any key at any time. If I wanted to sing a tune, he could just play it on his saxophone. Anything that he thinks of.”

As far as the upcoming fall Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival, this is the group’s first venture down to Pittsboro for the event. After about two years performing together, TerraBANG has the kind of stage-presence that makes them impossible to miss. They plan to bring a couple of covers to get the crowd singing along, throw in a few of their own tunes from the 2018 album, and might even play a few from their upcoming release, due in September.

“They can expect us to blow their minds. For me it’s like every gig is a new chance to work as being a performer, and actually giving someone not just plenty of music, but getting them involved and to clap their hands and sing along, ” explained Grossi.

Make sure to come pay TerraBANG a visit this fall at Shakori Hills October 3 – 6, and watch out on their Facebook page for details on their upcoming new release.

You can stream Seed on their bandcamp page.

Check out their tune “Ambition & Affection” on YouTube:

The Tan & Sober Gentlemen: They Are None of the Three

July 26, 2019 by David Dean Leave a Comment

When it comes to Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival staples, perhaps there is no act that quite embodies the zest for life and enjoyment of their craft quite like the Tan & Sober Gentlemen. Now on their fourth performance with us, the band consistently promises a set that is designed for the audience to really get involved. Yet, they also never take themselves too seriously, as evident by the story of their namesake.

Ben Noblit, bass player for the band, explained, “One of the very first shows that we played was up at this Irish pub in Raleigh, it was called Tir na Nog. We weren’t really a band yet, it was just a bunch of people playing music, and she (pub owner Annie Britton-Nice) introduced us as that because we weren’t any of the three. It went over really well so they invited us back, and before we knew it we were stuck with the name.”

The name ‘Tan & Sober Gentlemen’ has become nearly as iconic of a name as the sound that the band creates. Plus, as Noblit said, “it comes up first on Google.”

The Tan & Sober Gentlemen are a 7-piece coalition that fuse together the folk influences of North Carolina and the old familiar sounds of the Scottish Highlands, with the energy and fire of a punk-rock band. This combination is lovingly deemed “Celtic-punk-grass,” a name which feels as unique and spunky as the band members themselves. Yet, all three elements come earnestly from a lifelong love of each form of music, and a dedication to the genres that formed who they are today.

Noblit continued, “We all grew up playing North Carolina traditional music. We’re all Scottish and Irish to one degree or another. And all of that music, bluegrass, old-time music, country music, that all comes from Scotland and Ireland originally, and some from Africa also. And we wanted to kind of explore the Celtic roots of our kind of music, bring it back home a bit. We also like to play fast and drink liquor and have a good time.”

Having a “good time” has become what the band is truly known for. With their fast-paced tunes and a general enthusiasm for the music that they create, The Tan & Sober Gentlemen have gained a reputation as a kind of party band. Their focus is on creating an atmosphere where a crowd feels comfortable letting loose, and can experience this kind of music as it was meant to be experienced – through dancing.

“This kind of music, like old time fiddle music, it used to be dance music. Those boys were cutting loose as hard as they knew how. It’s party music…I would rather play to a place where people are up-close-and-personal with you, and are willing to interact with you and give you back your energy, and not put you on a pedestal. I want everyone being involved,” said Noblit.

Currently, the Tan & Sober Gentlemen are bringing their unique sound to the homeland of Celtic music. They will be touring through Scotland and Ireland, with stops in Cork, Dublin, Wexford, and Waterford. In Waterford, they will be playing at the Summer in the City Festival, which is a fairly big deal for the North Carolina-based band.

As for Shakori Hills, Noblit said, “Expect absolutely nothing different. It’s gonna be exactly the same as everything else we do. It’s gonna be the drum playing the same beat, and lot’s of fiddles and banjos…I’m very happy and blessed to be where we’re at, and I hope people come out.”

Look out for the Tan & Sober Gentlemen this fall, and make sure to check out their website at tanandsober.com.

School of Rock Chapel Hill: Where Kids Find Their Tribe

July 19, 2019 by David Dean Leave a Comment

When you walk up to the doors of School of Rock in Chapel Hill, the first thing that you’ll see is a smashed guitar. Hanging on by just a few pieces of wire and sheer determination, it proudly welcomes you to the establishment. It is the last of four guitars that were smashed at the grand opening of School of Rock two years ago. The other three lie somewhere in the boneyard, as sacrifices to the craft of Rock n’ Roll.

As you open the doors, you’re transported into an old rock n’ roll diner, complete with booths and a walk up bar. Posters signed by young and hopeful future rockstars line the walls, all boasting past shows and sweet memories. As I walk in to begin the interview with the owner, David Joseph, I am invited to sign the bathroom wall, which is a tradition for newcomers. As a massive fan of the 2003 Jack Black film ‘School of Rock,’ I decided to write, “Stick it to the man” with a hot pink sharpie. It quickly becomes obvious to me that this isn’t your everyday school of music.

School of Rock is a music school which teaches students how to play as a team. Much like the aforementioned 2003 Jack Black film, students create a rock band together to learn how to play music. The lessons consist of one private one-on-one lesson, and one band practice per week, to give students, as Joseph puts it, “ the good stuff, and then the broccoli and potatoes.”

Students range in age from 6-19, and are sectioned off by ability and interest. The beginners go into rookie lessons, where they can try out several different instruments to figure out where their interests lie. Once they’ve got their instrument and a little bit of experience, they upgrade to Rock 101. These students age from 8-13, and learn the meat and potatoes of playing music. Upon completion of Rock 101, they can enter the Performance Program, where they will have the opportunity to play on stage.

If you happened to catch School of Rock’s mind-blowing set last fall, you may not see the same kids playing this year. The traveling group that will be coming to rock the grounds of Shakori Hills are called the House Band, where students can be a “gigging musician in [their] community.” These students alternate based on talent, time-commitment, and of course aging in and out of the program. This year’s official House Band will be chosen in August from the nearly 200 students currently enrolled in School of Rock.

Until then, students will be honing their talents with a variety of showcases. Just recently, the House Band came back from a 6-city tour where they played alongside kids from other Schools of Rock around the Tarheel State. In the coming weeks, they will be performing pieces by some of the greats, such as Elton John, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie and Heart. They will also perform with the School of Rock AllStars, which is comprised of the top 1% School of Rock’s students internationally.

Yet, for the students of School of Rock, it’s not all about becoming the next David Bowie, at least not entirely. It’s about the community created within the school. Students come early and stay late to spend time with their bandmates, and many of these connections last long after the bands have gone their separate ways. Once they’ve aged out of the program, many of these students come back to teach, and thus the cycle begins again.

For School of Rock Chapel Hill owner, David Joseph, it’s the community aspect of School of Rock that really makes it worth doing. The most important part about the organization is its contribution to the community. From the community created in practice rooms, to the greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro community, it’s these connections that are the very foundation of School of Rock’s mission. In fact, this community-based environment was recognized by the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce who named School of Rock Chapel Hill the 2019 New Business of the Year.

Previously, the school has auctioned off free months of lessons in schools throughout Carrboro and Chapel Hill, a donation which only becomes more important as school music programs are becoming increasingly defunded. Recently, the organization has partnered with the Ronald McDonald foundation to sponsor a room for one year. Joseph plans to continue to do this as long as he can.

Joseph said, “From day one, I felt that it was important to give back to the community. Anything that helps kids, [brings] a little joy to people’s lives, [shares] the healing power of music, I want to support.”

Come and learn with the School of Rock when they perform this fall at Shakori Hills, and check out their showcases and class information on their website, www.locations.schoolofrock.com/chapelhill.

If you happen to be in Chapel Hill during rush hour traffic, drive by the School of Rock itself. You might just get to hear their latest gig, if the garage door is open, or be invited to sign the bathroom wall.

Caique Vidal and Batuque: Bringing the Beats of Brazil to Shakori Hills

July 5, 2019 by David Dean Leave a Comment

The hot sun has just set, and a full moon has taken to the sky, as Caique Vidal and Batuque take the stage. Under the electric yellow lights of the dance tent, your heartbeat is quickening to match the beat of the drum. Whether you’ve just taken your first samba lesson, or you’ve been dancing for years, you feel at home busting a move out on the dance floor. It’s moments like these that are what Caique Vidal and Batuque specialize in.

Caique Vidal, the Brazilian-born frontman, leads a ten piece band based in Durham, NC named Batuque (pronounced Ba-too-KEE). Caique brings the sounds of samba to life with the kind of passion that only comes with a life-long love of learning to play music. Vidal is the chief songwriter and, as such, the band’s songs focus heavily on the traditional Afro-Brazilian influences that drew him to music in the first place.

Caique brings the sounds of samba to life with the kind of passion that only comes with a life-long love of learning to play music. Yet, his beginnings were humble, having discovered percussion when he was brought along to his mother’s dance class.

“I kept annoying the drummer, asking him to play his drums. And he was like, you know what? Just take this cowbell, go to the corner, just stay there in the corner. He thought that I had rhythm, and he was like ‘yo, your kid is actually good!”

Vidal’s love of Afro-Brazilian music only blossomed from there. After seeing several children playing the Djembe, he began to branch out into learning more and more instruments. This passion led him to join Olodum Mirin, which was a traveling band focusing on the social, racial, economical. During his time as a percussionist in the group, Olodum Mirin was featured in Michael Jackson’s They Don’t Care About Us.

“I was one of the 300 people to play behind Michael Jackson. Of course, you cannot spot me even in slow motion, but it was a blessing to be a part of that group, to get that training… I was there with the process of making the beat for percussion, to the original track that Michael Jackson has, I was there and it was such a great experience.”

From there, Vidal became a dancer with a premiere Brazilian Afro-Brazilian group called Balé Folclórico da Bahia. As part of their ensemble, he ended up traveling the world, which became an invaluable opportunity to share his culture with a world that was eager to learn. Yet, with long hours of rehearsal and many weeks spent on tour, it was also a crash course in being a professional artist, which Vidal took to kindly.

After his time with Balé Folclórico da Bahia, Caique Vidal came to North Carolina, and immediately became interested in the local music scene. He attended many local performances to learn more about how the music scene worked in the region. It wasn’t long before he began teaching his own classes in Durham about Afro-Brazilian music and culture, which he still does today. It was through his teaching that he met the members of Batuque.

“Through those lessons, I started learning about all of the positions for music and performing, and when I say that it’s a big family, it is true… Members of the band will say, ‘Hey I have this friend who likes the band and he plays this, he plays that, he would like to come to one of the rehearsals.’ Most of the time, these people do not stay. I started the band with five people, and now we have doubled and that is how I met the folks that I have today… The people who stay just really appreciate the music and have a respect and I have mutual respect for them as well.”

Caique Vidal and Batuque have really made a name for themselves in Durham and however inadvertently, gotten involved in civic issues. The group began hosting open-air rehearsals in Durham Central Park, a move which became controversial after several noise complaints were filed by residents in neighboring apartments. After several months of complaints, the Durham City Council decided to move the city’s noise ordinance to 9 PM to allow Vidal, and any other artist, to use the space for practice and performance.

As far as Caique Vidal’s music, he draws significantly from his life and his culture for inspiration. For their song T.Y.S.M. (Thank You So Much), the song combined the energy of the group’s shows with a thank you to Vidal’s ancestors, who paved the way for artists like him to create traditional music.

“A lot of people were killed and pursued to make sure we can practice today, so that we could know Samba, so we could speak a little bit of the Agumba and play the African rhythms that we play today. Without these people in the past, we would not be able to exist today.”

Songs like T.Y.S.M. and the rest of Caique Vidal and Batuque’s first album will be played at the fall festival, as well as three new songs from the group’s next album. Vidal is also hoping to make this year’s performance bigger and better than ever, to create a night that the audience will not forget. One of those surprises may include a 20-30 piece percussion ensemble called Oxembe, but the logistics of that are still being worked out.

Caique Vidal and Batuque will visit Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival for the second time this fall. The band’s spring 2018 performance in the Dance Tent was very well received and festival organizers know Shakori fans appreciate local and World Music so it only made sense to bring them back.

Vidal said the experience of Shakori Hills is, “not just a music festival, it’s a place we go to share music with people, and people really get into it. It’s a carefree [place] where the main mission is to have fun. It’s really fun to me, I love it, I’m actually really happy to come back.”

Caique Vidal and Batuque’s music is available on all major streaming sites, and you can practice your samba at their live rehearsals every Monday night from 6:30-8:30 PM in Durham Central Park. Learn more about the band at www.caiquevidal.com.

Cas Haley: A New Kind of Grassroots

June 25, 2019 by David Dean Leave a Comment

In 2007, Cas Haley made a name for himself as a reggae artist by coming in second place on America’s Got Talent. Fame and fortune had, seemingly, been hand delivered to the Texas-based singer-songwriter on a platter. Yet, with all of the glamour of a big-name record deal came a huge amount of pressure to conform to a specific image. For Haley, that left very little room for exploring the more personal aspects of identity, especially as an artist.

When it comes to musicians self-identifying as, “grassroots,” they often mean that they are starting out in the music industry, or establishing a local base of fans. For Cas Haley however, his grassroots identity refers to a more homegrown sound, and a slower, more mindful pace. This identity comes after nearly thirteen years in the industry, and it’s a title that he wears with pride.

“I hadn’t really realized who I was as an individual or a person. It was a very vulnerable situation to be put into where companies have millions of dollars invested in you, and they’re going to portray you in a certain way and they’re going to write songs for you, when [music] had always been such a personal thing for me and sort of self-therapy.”

In the years since his big break, Haley’s music has returned to that self-therapy that had initially made music so important for him. While many of Haley’s songs do incorporate the island-style reggae tunes that he became famous for, many more of his songs draw on the blues-country influences of his childhood. With every record, Haley’s music becomes more personal, and better showcases him as an individual, and as an artist.

With his latest album, Lessons and Blessings, Haley brings a more personal and evocative view into his life, and into his music. The album was written over the past year after his wife, Cassy, was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of breast cancer. Yet, their family remained optimistic, only growing closer together through her treatment. It was during this time that Cas and Cassy were able to create an album that was truly special for them.

“Over half of the album, me and my wife wrote together. A lot of it was centered around the things that came up through dealing with her cancer, dealing with this whole thing. Me and my wife have been together for 20 years, and we never were creative together in writing songs or anything. It was a really new and interesting relationship, y’know what I mean? 20 years and we’ve never done this, it’s so exciting and so fun. I think it’s the best tunes I’ve gotten to be a part of.”

The album was released on June 21, and was recorded entirely on the Haley family farm, allowing the whole family to be a part of the process. His family has also been accompanying him on tour, making his entourage one of the more supportive in show business.“We know the kinds of places we wanna go, and so our approach has become more mindful rather than just shooting from the hip and playing every rock club we can.”

This fall, their tour schedule will be bringing the family down to Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival for a weekend of grassroots fun in the sun. Though Haley is a newcomer to the festival, he will definitely be an act to remember. As for his performance, Haley says that he and his band will, “try to keep it as real as we possibly can, so we’ll bring our hearts to the table, it’s what we do every time and it’s what we’ll do at Shakori Hills.”

Before seeing him in October check out his YouTube channel to get to know Cas and his family better. Also make sure to check out his website and stream Cas Haley’s latest album, Lessons and Blessings on all major online outlets.

The Fritz Returns!

June 18, 2019 by David Dean 1 Comment

Hailing from the high trees and low tones of Asheville, NC, a funky-fresh new kind of sound has been taking over the nation. For the past eight years, The Fritz has been bringing a fresh new take on funk and soul music to the Tar Heel State and beyond. The band will return this fall to the farm for their second performance at Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance. During a moment of rest for the band, we sat down with guitarist Jamie Hendrickson to learn more about what makes The Fritz so electric.

The Fritz specialize in live shows that are built for dancing, grooving and moving. A typical week for the band includes dates in multiple states and the band embraces the live experience in their writing.

“At the heart of our being, we’re a live band. So everything is kind of made for high energy dance music, and everything that we write is written for the stage rather than for…an album and heavily produced. All of our releases so far have been pretty much how we would do them live. We overdub a little bit, but for the most part it’s just us in a room playing.”

Though the live shows are what they are known for, simply sitting in a room and playing seems to be what really gave The Fritz their unique sound. The band members are masters at improvisation, which helps to keep the energy high. From unworldly keyboard solos that sound like something off of Parliament’s ‘Mothership’, to face-melting guitar solos which channel the very essence of Jimi Hendrix, The Fritz knows how to create the kind of sound that gains a reputation.

The band met while each member was studying music at the University of North Florida. It was here that the group began to hone in on exactly what kind of band they wanted to start, a process which continued through their move to Asheville, and the subsequent eight years. Hendrickson attributes the band’s unique sound to the different musical tastes that each person brings to the group.

“Every person in the band has drastically different influences. Jamar was a classical piano major in college, and then some of the other guys were jazz performance…our bass player loves acoustic, celtic and bluegrass. So we just kinda listen to so many different things. When we do The Fritz, we kind of try to put away our individual influences and just see what collectively works best for what we’re trying to do.”

The Fritz’s sound continues to evolve every year, always reaching bigger and better heights. ECHO, the band’s 2018 release, recorded at Asheville’s Echo Mountain Recording Studios, features a tight horn section comprised of Justin Stanton (trumpet) and Chris Bullock (sax) from Snarky Puppy and Natalie Cressman (trombone) from the Trey Anastasio Band.

Since the release of ECHO last fall, the band has been in “songwriting mode” and planning out the next release. According to Hendrickson, “we’ll hopefully have some more details in the near future about that.”

As for their upcoming Shakori Hills GrassRoots performance, Henderickson says that the festival feels more like a “hometown festival” for the band after several months of touring. Though the location is convenient to their hometown of Asheville, the best part about Shakori Hills for The Fritz, is the energy of the crowd.

“The energy of the Shakori crowd is amazing, [there are] some great music listeners who really pay attention, and at the same time they like to have fun and like to party. We love the people at Shakori, it was a blast!”

The Fritz will surely be an act not to miss this fall. Their music is available online through all of the major streaming sites, with videos of their incredible live performances up on their YouTube page.

Watch the video for ‘Nothing to Find’ below, which was recorded at Echo Mountain Studios and features Chris Bullock, Natalie Cressman, and Justin Stanton.

Sound Advice

May 2, 2019 by David Dean 2 Comments

Guest Blog submitted by Ray Goodrich, Marketing Director Foothills Brewing

Our Five Senses are largely how we perceive the world around us. Sight, Sound, Smell, Taste, and Touch. Everything you know, everything you feel, everything that’s ever happened to you . . . has been aided, abetted or initiated by those senses. And the beautiful thing is, there’s a relationship between all of them. Smell helps taste, hearing helps sight, touch helps . . . well, all of them. And if one stops working? The others will take over and become stronger as a result. The Senses weave together a corporeal tapestry that allows us to immerse ourselves in the known universe.

I bring this up because . . . well, I’m convinced that good beer makes good music sound better. And good music makes good beer taste better.

Now, hear me out. (ha!) Not just any beer, mind you. And not just any music. Well, almost any music. But in particular, live music.

Let’s say you’re at a show (like Shakori Hills). You can be there enjoying the music (sound). You can see the band and the crowd (sight). Smell and touch are in play too (though decorum prohibits me from elaborating).

What’s missing? Taste! Sure, there are probably great food options available at your show. But who wants to rock out while juggling a Philly cheesesteak? Each has their place – just not, in my opinion, to be enjoyed together.

No, what every truly transcendent music experience calls for is an equally superior craft beer. One that stimulates you with the cold touch of the cup, the aromatic whiff of the hops, and the heady sight of white foam atop golden liquid – and ultimately, with the superior taste that this particular situation demands. A taste that, under these circumstances, only a cold craft beer can provide.

When (not if) you come to Shakori Hills this year, please feel free to put this theory to the test. You may find yourself transferring the good vibe you’re feeling from the music to that cold Hoppyum in your hand – and vice versa.

Regional Acts Not to Miss – Spring 2019

May 1, 2019 by David Dean Leave a Comment

Guest Blog submitted by Grant Golden, regional talent buyer for Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance

Arson Daily

If you’re not familiar with these no-frills indie rockers (above photo by Kendall Atwater) then you’ve likely been living under a very dense rock. Arson Daily nearly stole the festival when they played last Shakori and they’ve been swiftly building steam ever since. They land somewhere between alt-rock, blues, garage rock and indie and they’re liable to switch their energy up at the drop of a dime. These boys started out playing the front porch stage with a suitcase as their kick drum, won the band competition, and now have become one of the most anticipated acts of the festival. You’d be foolish to miss one of their two sets this year.

Grove Stage, Friday, 7:15 p.m.

Dance Tent, Saturday, 9:15 p.m.

www.arsondaily.com

Victoria Victoria

This Triad-based crew represents everything good and pure about pop music. Vocalist Tori Elliott’s lyricism is focused on self-reflection, body positivity and self-love and it delicately glides atop creamy soundscapes that bounce between R&B and folk leaning structures. It’s easy to get lost in their sounds, and what better place to do so than the Meadow Stage on a Friday afternoon?

Meadow Stage, Friday, 3:30 p.m.

www.victoriavictoria.org

Young Bull

If you’ve ever been to Shakori Hills before then you know that once the sun goes down, something magical fills the air on our 72-acre farm. Folks dance a little harder, cheer a little louder, and the bands have a way of connecting with that energy to make for unforgettable moments. That’s why I couldn’t be more excited to have Durham’s Young Bull close out the Friday festivities for us. Young Bull is an eclectic hip-hop crew with R&B and Soul leanings. Bouncing seamlessly between smooth ear-worm melodies and swiftly spat bars, Young Bull will compel the Shakori crowd to bounce, shout and sway along to their silky smooth grooves.

Cabaret Tent, Friday, 11:30 p.m.

www.youngbullmusic.bandcamp.com

Chris Frisina

Every good festival attendee knows that your weekend is a marathon and not a sprint. You can’t be boogeyin’ and jiving the whole time, so it’s important to wind down every now and then. I can’t think of a better way to do so than by catching one of Chris’ two sets this festival. Whether it’s his Saturday morning jaunt on the Meadow stage or if you plop yourself down on the Dance Tent floor on Sunday morning, you’d be remiss to miss one of these sets. Frisina’s work is timeless, it’s steeped in country and folk tradition but still feels contemporary and authentic.