Music Features
-
Indie-Rock Foursome Camisole Puts Community First
Guitarist Justin Thompson kicks off “Vertigo,” the title track on Camisole’s latest four-song EP, with an insistent cantering riff that seems ingrained in our DNA. Then Briella Franciosi’s vocal sweeps in — shorn of illusions and indomitable — surrounded by a whirlwind of propulsive drums, growling bass and slashing guitars:…
Read More » -
Gena Chambers Talks Jazz and Soul in Charlotte Before Lovers’ Night Out
There was a time in the 1990s when Gena Chambers was keeping a roof over her head with karaoke. The soul singer was living in Atlanta, where karaoke competitions were prevalent and rent was low. “I paid rent by going and singing karaoke and doing karaoke competitions, that was the…
Read More » -
‘Fueled By Ma’ Marks Singer/Songwriter’s Expansion, Adding Energy to Heartfelt Tunes
Ma’s March 2025 single “Gaza Sunset,” opens with plaintive coils of guitar, joined by vocals that surge like wind over water. The song’s impressionist lyrics bear a message of empowerment: “It may be dark/ But there is hope/ Although it’s hard to see/ If we’re united we can cope/ And…
Read More » -
Reuben Vincent’s Homecoming Show Bookends a Tale of Return and Rebirth
Reuben Vincent was ready to come home. From just a brief glance at his history, it might seem like the young lyricist has gotten quite a lot out of his career without having to go too far. The Charlotte emcee, originally discovered by renowned producer 9th Wonder on Twitter when…
Read More » -
Dollar Signs Bids Farewell with Slate of Milestone Shows
Despite their veteran status in Charlotte, this year has still seen firsts for pop-rockers Dollar Signs. In April, the five-piece played its initial (and only) wedding. Things did not go smoothly. The band had set up, the guests were gathered for the show, Dylan Wachman plugged his bass in and…
Read More » -
DJ Spider Marks 10 Years of Digital Noir at The Milestone
At around 5 or 6 p.m. on one assigned Saturday each month, Suzann Knudsen rolls up to The Milestone Club, the west side’s most iconic music venue, and begins unloading a trunk full of trinkets and toys. From the vehicle comes Knudsen’s personal controller, mixer and laptop — normal enough…
Read More » -
Heidi Sidelinker Draws on Personal Experience to Make Gravitational Music
Heidi Sidelinker was in her second year at Appalachian State University when she finally admitted that something was wrong. Though she loved living on her own away from home and had been succeeding in school, Sidelinker felt drawn to make music. So, she loaded her 12-string guitar and her 100-pound…
Read More » -
Mo’ Betta Thursdays’ Mix of Jazz Acts Enlivens Confluence 2025
Harvey Cummings II does not claim the annual Confluence music conference and artist showcase in Charlotte was his idea, but he did have some early input on the event when it was still in its preliminary stages that proved integral as Confluence enters its fourth year. An award-winning saxophonist, pianist…
Read More » -
Deore Explores BDSM Kink, Art and Authenticity Through Music
Delicate chamber pop meets cantering alternative folk in the opening bars of “Brat (Humor Me),” the breakthrough 2023 single by Charlotte singer-songwriter Marissa Butler, who creates and releases captivating, challenging music as Deore. On the tune, spare strummed guitar cradles hushed confessional vocals before Deore launches into a flirty, almost…
Read More » -
Heather Victoria’s Latest Album Is a Concept That Defies Closure
When it comes to relationships, the kids are not alright. America’s rightward shift has brought draconian relationship standards bubbling back up into the popsphere. Studies have shown that more and more young adults across gender identities are taking a break from sex and dating. Socially repressive trends like tradwives (read:…
Read More » -
Multifaceted Musician Te’Jani Becomes the ‘Life of the Party’
Te’Jani pulls you into his latest single “This is Why I’m Hot,” with skittering, syncopated hip-hop beats, hypnotic rap-meets-alt rock vocals and alternately grimy and ringing guitars. “Hot take: I don’t need protection/ Don’t color me too reckless/ Don’t know it’s too excessive/ When it comes to self love or…
Read More » -
Adrian Crutchfield Is Bringing Sax Back with Latest Album, ‘Slick’
When Adrian Crutchfield was 4 years old, his parents took him to a Kenny G concert. The smooth jazz saxophonist saw the child sitting on his father’s shoulders and invited him up onstage. After chatting with the preschooler, Kenny G gifted Crutchfield a small Casio synthesizer saxophone. Crutchfield never forgot…
Read More » -
Rapper and Singer Belis Returns Home and Rediscovers Her Voice
Bryce Gotta opens the video for her latest single “Gucci” in an abandoned industrial park at night. Illuminated by a pulsing searchlight, Gotta, who raps, sings and crafts sensual, relatable and mysterious songs as Belis, glances over her shoulder. Her expression is inscrutable, like Mona Lisa without the smile. Is…
Read More » -
Kendrick Cunningham Pivots from Politics to Music as OB Swank
In our 2024 Election Guide, describing the platform of NC State Senate District 41 candidate Kendrick Cunningham, Queen City Nerve wrote, “Cunningham’s approach to politics is encapsulated by his Next Step Framework, a blueprint meant to guide Charlotte’s communities to healing from systematic disenfranchisement” before noting his focus on housing…
Read More » -
PREMIERE: Jon Lindsay and Chris Walldorf Hit the Mark With ‘Dear Assassin’ Video
Jon Lindsay’s “Dear Assassin” video starts like a power-pop gem accompanying a head-over-heels love story. As Lindsay basks in the sunshine, chunky guitars gambol under his crystal-clear reverb-laden vocal. “I’m beggin’ won’t you please bring a steady hand/ If your aim is true, I don’t stand a chance…” Coiling snakelike…
Read More » -
Teen Ettore Buzzini Builds Hope for One of Charlotte’s Oldest Music Scenes
When Ettore Buzzini was 6 years old, his grandfather on his mother’s side, a family that hails from eastern Tennessee, gave the young boy his old iPod and told him he could clear the data and put whatever music he liked on it. Young Buzzini hadn’t quite fleshed out his…
Read More »
