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SPINS: Monch goes to war
Rapper Pharoahe Monch's third CD finds him in an apocalyptic mood, issuing verbal face slaps to wake people from their Matrix-like existence. In Monch's mind, the times we live in are frightening and we should be made aware of it.
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Sam Robinson and his band are in a groove
Sam Robinson, a Winston-Salem native, has established himself as one of the premier guitarists in the Southeast. Like many musicians, he got his start playing anywhere he could get booked. Smoky corners in dimly lit bars and frat parties were typical venues. But it wasn't long before Robinson, 27, found himself gracing center stage at Hollywood's legendary Roxy Theatre and playing with famed musicians such as Artimus Pyle of Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Calvin Napper, a gospel drummer from Winston-Salem.
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Nightscene - 'Great atmosphere'
Saturday night was the first time that Pick Your Switch, a band based in Asheville, has played in Winston-Salem. But it won't be the last, said Elzy Lindsey, the band's drummer. "We'll definitely be back to Winston," he said, adding that Elliott's Revue at 701 Trade St., where the band performed, had "a great atmosphere." Sisters Lyndsey and Ashley Arrinton, who came to the show with Ashley's boyfriend, Ben Thompson, said they hadn't known what to expect but were glad they showed up. "Elliott's always has a good band or hip hop group on the weekends in the spring and summer," Ashley said. "It's rarely a disappointment."
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Spins - Davies' friends no help
Unfortunately for former Kinks frontman Ray Davies, his friends can't save "See My Friends."
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Spins - Wilson jazzes it up
No matter how far contemporary country music wanders from its traditional roots, its leading stars almost always cherish a chance to sing an old-time country standard. Anna Wilson, a popular jazz-influenced vocalist based in Nashville, offers a new twist on that classic theme: She and several Nashville stars, and a few legendary figures, team up for jazzed-up takes on well-known tunes.
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Piedmont chorus' director reaching out
When the Piedmont Chamber Singers presents "Faure and Friends" Saturday, the performance will conclude Wendy Looker's first season as music director.
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UNCSA students to perform on guitar
Joseph Pecoraro's guitar students at UNC School of the Arts will perform at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Watson Hall on campus.
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Audition Briefs
Bel Canto Company will hold auditions May 9 at the UNC Greensboro School of Music, Room 350. All voice parts are welcome.
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Robert Plant offers a quieter stairway to heavenly roots music at MerleFest
Looky who's playing MerleFest, the alcohol-free, family-friendly gathering in the hills where church groups and civic clubs provide the concessions. Why it's none other than Robert Plant, Mr. "I'm a Golden God," who, as lead singer of Led Zeppelin, was the poster boy for rock-star excess and hedonism in the 1970s.
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Spins: Harris sings own songs on 'Hard Bargain'
For an album about life's journey, Emmylou Harris wrote most of the songs herself. Long celebrated as an interpreter with impeccable taste in material, Harris composed 11 of the 13 tunes on "Hard Bargain," and they're up to her high standards.
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SPINS: Earle borrows from Hank epitaph for new album
Veteran singer-songwriter Steve Earle invokes Hank Williams in his new album's title, "I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive," which also serves as the name of his first novel, to be published in May.
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Billboard
Here are the top records in this week's issue of Billboard magazine. Copyright Billboard Publications Inc. Reprinted with permission.
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Spins: Krauss and Simon return, and both are excellent
Even though Alison Krauss is known as an exactingly deliberate record maker, she had remained persistent about releasing new music every two or three years after her 1985 debut — until lately.
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Spins: Paul Simon
For more than four decades, Paul Simon has written songs that transcend generation and genre. Classics such as "Mrs. Robinson" and "Bridge Over Troubled Water" have become part of life's playlist. Aretha Franklin (and "Glee") covered the latter; 1990s pop-punk band the Lemonheads found success with the former.
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Billboard
Billboard music hits
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Artist Profile - Soulstice 7th to showcase blend of styles
Despite being less than a year old, Winston-Salem's Soulstice 7th creates a lot of regional buzz.
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Spin - Spears throws a nonstop party on 'Femme Fatale'
Even when Britney Spears was in the midst of her Charlie Sheen-esque breakdown, she was putting out grooves to wear out the dance floor; 2007's "Blackout" is the best album she ever made, though the drama of that time overshadowed it.
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Zac Brown Band enthusiastic about opening spring tour
A familiar thought will ring through Jimmy De Martini's head on Wednesday when he steps onto the stage with the Zac Brown Band.
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Billboard
Billboard music hits
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Spin - Chris Brown 'F.A.M.E. (Forgiving All My Enemies)'
Chris Brown's "Graffitti," which arrived on the music scene 10 months after his attack on Rihanna, landed with a thud.
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Music Briefs
Old Salem will partner with UNC School of the Arts to present "The Poor Soldier," the favorite opera of George Washington. The performance is at 7 p.m. Saturday in Gray Auditorium at the Old Salem Visitor Center.
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Billboard
Here are the top records in this week's issue of Billboard magazine.
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Spins: Marsha Ambrosius delivers soulful, poignant solo debut
Over three CDs, Marsha Ambrosius' fluid vocals melded with Natalie Stewart's sultry spoken-word poetry to create soulful R&B music as the group Floetry. The combination was, quite simply, magical.
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Spins: REM's 15th studio album
The 15th studio album from R.E.M. finds the band at turns combative and mellow. The opening song, "Discoverer," could have been a bonus track on "Accelerate." It's all hard-driving guitars and that classic Michael Stipe growl.
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Baseball Project bats better than .500
Vol. 2 from The Baseball Project is much like Vol. 1: hit or miss.
Deal of the Day
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