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Weekend In Entertainment: Live Music Edition

Dexter Jordan
Adam Davis
Charlotte artist Dexter Jordan.

Music is in the air around Charlotte this weekend. One of the voices you can catch is R&B artist Dexter Jordan at his album release party of his first full length album titled Blue. Joining "All Things Considered" host Mark Rumsey for more on that and other weekend arts and entertainment options in Charlotte is Ryan Pitkin editor of Queen City Nerve.

Ryan Pitkin
Credit Ryan Pitkin
Ryan Pitkin, editor of Queen City Nerve.

Mark Rumsey: Ryan welcome back.

Ryan Pitkin: Appreciate you having me.

Rumsey: Well, tell us a little more about Dexter Jordan and how he fits into Charlotte's music scene?

Pitkin: Dexter, I think is arguably one of the bestselling R&B singers in the community. Last year his single was “Hello New Me,” which was really one of my favorite songs on the local scene in some years and now his new single from the new album Blue is just called “ME.”  He’s sticking with that vibe, loving himself and it's still got that same sort of whimsical sound in it and it's really great. And Friday night he'll be performing his debut full-length album at Resident Culture.

Rumsey: And I think Jordan grew up in Greensboro singing a lot of gospel music and that sort of thing and he's young, in his mid-20s right?

Pitkin: Yeah and he's going to be around for a while. That gospel sound and the sounds that his mother taught him are very relevant in his music and it just makes it an amazing thing to listen to -- very much be looking forward to Friday night's show.

Rumsey: And the time on that?

Pitkin: That's going to start at 9:00 p.m. and it's going to have deejay Vintage Glasses as well as my former "Local Vibes" co-host Mariah Scott will be hosting. So she's always a good time.

Rumsey: Well, there are other musical choices around town this weekend. Also on Saturday, there's an event called Fest in Peace. That's at Petra's in Plaza Midwood and the location for that Ryan is no coincidence, right?

Pitkin: Right, absolutely. That is celebrating the life of Jerry Brown, known as the godfather of Petra's. He passed away suddenly in 2016 and his fellow owner there Perry Fowler is still running things. They were able to put together a show to sort of celebrate his life and it is quite a show - full of very diverse and just a wide range of local performers. And it's going to be quite a show.

Rumsey: Can you tell us anything about Jerry Brown? You know, who he was and what he meant in his community that would bring people out to honor his memory?

Pitkin: Petra’s has always been a very eccentric place before it changed over it was an LGBT bar and it's always been sort of a scene of inclusivity. And Jerry Brown is a big part of that, making sure that everyone felt welcome there. And I think that the lineup here at this show sort of represents that because it's everything ranging from hip hop to indie rock to more hardcore to Latin. It's really all over the place and I think Jerry Brown would be happy. It’s a perfect representation of a show he would have liked to book.

Rumsey: Also on Saturday a combination of live music and poetry?

Pitkin: What's up with this one is a local poet named Lady V. And I just became familiar with her serving as a judge at the Skinny Bully Poetry Slam, which is a monthly poetry event. This event will actually be taking place at Powerhouse Studios, but this is a celebration of her book release. Her book is called “Pain in the Quiet.” It's a compilation of her poetry. It will be a mixture of music and poetry, but also food. She'll be serving food that helped comfort her during her times of trauma. Quentin Talley will also be playing with the work band. So he's a great performer to be added to that sort of event.

Rumsey: Okay, well it sounds like a lot of choices to kick off the month of April here this weekend.

Pitkin: Yeah. It's going to be a good one. So don't sit at home, there's plenty to do.

Rumsey: Ryan Pitkin, who's editor of "Queen City Nerve." Thanks a l,ot Ryan.

Pitkin: Appreciate you Mark.

Mark Rumsey grew up in Kansas and got his first radio job at age 17 in the town of Abilene, where he announced easy-listening music played from vinyl record albums.