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Charlotte singer-songwriter duo Courtney Lynn and Quinn are partners in life, love and harmonious country folk music.

Charlotte hip-hop artist (and self-described creator of "folk rap") Nige Hood shares his thoughts on life's unique rhythm, from sharing a stage with Kendrick Lamar to rapping in the woods with Afroman.

Charlotte has a rich history of funk music. Back in 1965, the "Grandmaster of Funk" himself Mr. James Brown recorded his single “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” right here in the Queen City. As one of Charlotte’s longest-running jazz-funk collectives, Groove 8 has its own Charlotte soul story to share.

Amplifier is a bi-weekly podcast, not a full-length documentary. If it were the latter, we could easily dedicate a few hours to the work of Jim Brock, the Charlotte music veteran who has been heralded by various publications as one of the best drummers alive. Between performing at the White House for President Bill Clinton and logging six decades of music (with hundreds of percussion instruments) with Grammy Award winners like Janis Ian, Kathy Mattea and The Eagles’ Joe Walsh, Brock has made North Carolina his home and has found space for his Native American heritage.

Local music veteran David "DK" Kim notes the lack of Asian representation among Charlotte's rock, pop and folk scenes, sharing his thoughts on incremental music progress and his introspection as an artist, a Korean American and a North Carolinian.

The musical road has been a winding one for Charlotte's Fred Lee IV. From cutting hair in his father's salon and slinging hot dogs to Seth Avett, to now leading the Southern roots rock band Late Night Special and hosting the annual Shakedown Music Festival featuring regional musicians.

Tony Arreaza had every intention of becoming the Freddie Mercury of North Carolina. But after immigrating from Venezuela to Charlotte in 1994, his plans changed. Nearly thirty years later, Arreaza has helped create a flourishing Latin music community organizing concerts through Carlotan Talents, performing guitar with his long-standing Latin band UltimaNota and even having the opportunity to channel his ‘80s rock icon on MTV Latino.

Without a doubt, the coronavirus pandemic coupled with ongoing demonstrations and protests have changed the landscape for conversations and creative output. In particular, musicians have taken this time for self-reflection on the state of the music industry and their individual responsibilities in moving the conversation forward. For Charlotte-based singer-songwriter Kelsey Ryan, the past five months have been an opportunity to write, listen, and find new meaning through the "grit and grin" of country music.

This has been a historic year for women in rap and hip-hop, all the way to the 2021 Grammy Awards when Megan Thee Stallion and Beyoncé broke records as the first pair of women to win in the best rap performance category. As NPR Music put it, “To know what tomorrow sounds like, one need only listen to the women in rap today.” And to know what the future of Charlotte hip-hop is, one need only turn to rhythmic lyricist ReeCee Raps.

Girls Rock Charlotte music director Krystle Baller on finding her voice through rock and inspiring the next generation of women and gender diverse artists.

Grammy Award-winning Charlottean Anthony Hamilton shares new music and what we can all learn from being raised in the South and pivoting through the pandemic.

Charlotte-by-way-of-Jamaica songwriter Sanya N'Kanta shares his experience navigating race, religion and reggae music in America.

We’re still in the first month of the new year, which means many make a new year’s resolution to reinvest in local music. That’s exactly what Charlotte City Council discussed at its annual strategy session on Jan. 11 when one of the points of discussion was how Charlotte had been ranked 111th on a national … Continue reading "‘Music Shouldn’t Be An Afterthought’: Tim Scott Jr. On Prioritizing Creative Product Over Profit" The post ‘Music Shouldn’t Be An Afterthought’: Tim Scott Jr. On Prioritizing Creative Product Over Profit appeared first on Amplifier.

Without a doubt, Charlotte-based band Moa made the most out of 2020. From contributing an original song to the Netflix true crime documentary “Night Stalker” to hosting an eye-catching virtual performance at Charlotte’s Neighborhood Theatre and releasing a hauntingly beautiful debut album, the four-piece ambient music group created sparks in a year of such darkness. … Continue reading "The Musical Road Is Lovely, Dark And Deep For Charlotte Band Moa" The post The Musical Road Is Lovely, Dark And Deep For Charlotte Band Moa appeared first on Amplifier.

For the past five years, singer-songwriter Jim Sharkey has taken the 200-year-old lilt of traditional Irish folk music and placed it in a 21st-century context (with contemporary references to Facebook, Whitney Houston and even the 2019 Women’s World Cup). On his 2019 full-length release “A Lovely Day,” Sharkey sings to the theme of home: of … Continue reading "ENCORE: May The Road Rise Up To Meet You: The Journey Of Irish Singer-Songwriter Jim Sharkey" The post ENCORE: May The Road Rise Up To Meet You: The Journey Of Irish Singer-Songwriter Jim Sharkey appeared first on Amplifier.

As NPR Music shared, “2020 was a year defined by the sounds of rage, resolve, mourning and solidarity.” That includes the sound of Grammy-nominated North Carolina trio The HamilTones (Tony Lelo, J. Vito and 2E), who released the incredibly profound record “1964” and shared joyful splendor through “A HamilTones Christmas.” After gracing the world’s stages … Continue reading "Grammy Nominees The HamilTones On Finding (Musical) Joy And Creating (Soulful) Harmony" The post Grammy Nominees The HamilTones On Finding (Musical) Joy And Creating (Soulful) Harmony appeared first on Amplifier.

For the past 20 years, Boris “Bluz” Rogers has expanded the boundaries of poetry, spoken word and musical storytelling. As an Emmy Award-winning performer, he has shared the stage with legends like Outkast, Pink Floyd and Gil Scott-Heron. As a poetry slam master and coach, he's risen through the ranks of spoken word and inspired the next generation to use their voice. And with his recent collaborative album “The Duologue Part 1: Conversations in a Vibe Room” and his organizing of the We Are Hip Hop festival, Rogers is the Shakespeare of Charlotte music and spoken word.

The past few years have shown that nerd culture is the new cool, with "Black Panther" becoming the first comic book film to score a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars, "Game of Thrones" becoming a cultural phenomenon and even Walt Disney World opening up its first official Star Wars-themed hotel in Florida. Which makes it the perfect time to be GameBreax, a North Carolina “nerdcore” duo who stand proudly at the intersection of geek culture and hip-hop.

Alfred Sergel IV has three decades of experience as a professional jazz musician — not as a jazz singer or jazz pianist, but as a jazz drummer. Between performing with Grammy honorees and recording with Billboard-charting artists, Alfred (or, as his friends called him, Al) still finds time to create original music that merges new-age … Continue reading "ENCORE: Drumming Up Memories with Charlotte Jazz Musician Alfred Sergel IV" The post ENCORE: Drumming Up Memories with Charlotte Jazz Musician Alfred Sergel IV appeared first on Amplifier.

In September 2019, hip-hop publication XXL posed a question: “Is North Carolina next up?” What they're referring to, in part, is the A+ rap and hip-hop talent coming out of North Carolina including prominent names like J. Cole, DaBaby and Lute. When it comes to Southern-fried rap and hip-hop in the Queen City, Elevator Jay is the name to know as the king of country rap in Charlotte.