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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.

SOLIS is more than just a band name for husband-wife duo Kellie and Leo Solis. To them, SOLIS is an electro-pop collection of sounds and stories about their relationship between themselves, their friends, and their Charlotte community.

In 2008, Self Aware was an “indie zine” highlighting the rock, punk and alternative scenes of Charlotte music. While its mission hasn’t changed much over the course of a decade, Self Aware has now grown to become an award-winning independent record label that helps market and release records for more than 30 regional musicians. In the words of Self Aware co-founders Josh Robbins and Sarah Blumenthal, the keys to the label’s success are the same as the keys to the Charlotte music scene’s success: working with good people, making good music, and sticking around (through the ups and the downs).

Ask anyone in the Charlotte music scene, and they'll tell you: The Evening Muse is one of the best local music venues in the Queen City. Thanks to the work of venue co-founder Joe Kuhlmann, The Evening Muse has helped foster the careers of thousands of local and national artists for nearly two decades. But Kuhlmann wants to do more than provide a stage; he wants to create a healthy music climate, one where the power of music can help foster conversations around personal well-being.

Charlotte has changed a great deal in the past 30 years, but a musical constant of sorts has been Hope Nicholls.The singer-songwriter has kept to her own beat in Charlotte, whether as leader of the CBGB-rocking 80s band Fetchin’ Bones, singer for the Southern indie group It’s Snakes, or owner of the rock 'n' roll boutique Boris & Natasha.

The sights you see, the people you meet, the life experiences that shape your hours, days, and years. How would you paint a picture of your day-to-day? If you were to ask Petrov, named one of Charlotte's most promising up-and-coming bands, you may find that the best kind of journal is a musical one (or, at the very least, one that is soundtracked by dreamy rock music).

In 2006, Billboard Magazine praised Charlotte-based band Noises 10. In the magazine’s words, “The hooks come from all directions in a Noises 10 song, but it’s Jason Scavone’s impassioned vocals that make the band impossible to ignore.”Since the band parted ways, Jason Scavone has kept his music life quite busy, producing hundreds of artists at Charlotte’s Sioux Sioux Studios, releasing his debut solo release “Finding Today” and even collaborating with Grammy Award-winning Americana star Brandi Carlile.In honor of Valentine’s Day, we asked Jason Scavone about his love for singing and songwriting, not falling out of love with music given the up’s and down’s of the industry, and what it takes to make a love song come to life.

With such friendly faces and such a friendly band name, you wouldn’t expect Amigo to be one of the darkest rocking country acts in Charlotte. Amigo's punk-infused-country music highlights the struggles of life (and the light that can be found therein), earning rave reviews along the way from the music magazine No Depression and recognition from Creative Loafing for having the “Best Release of 2018.”

Lunchbox Records is one of the most recognizable record stores in the Charlotte area, not only because it’s painted a very bright blue, but also because of its impact in the music community.It’s known for hosting in-store performances for all ages, stocking records from local acts and even selling concert tickets for Charlotte venues. It may seem like we’re in an age of music streaming, but Lunchbox Records owner Scott Wishart shows that, in actuality, we’re in a record renaissance.

When was the last time a voice stopped you in your tracks, a voice so pure that it simultaneously paints a lush soundscape and transports you to a magical place and time? Because cinematic jazz singer Emily Sage can do just that.

“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots,” said civil rights leader Marcus Mosiah Garvey, a thought that could just as easily apply to the history (or lack thereof) of music.Look at the iconization of Elvis Presley, which rarely mentions the influence of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, or chart-topping Bruno Mars who learned how to bust a move from soul forefathers like James Brown. For Tyrone Jefferson and Toni Tupponce, A Sign of the Times’ legacy is to share these oft-forgotten stories of black history through music, dance and spoken word.

A seven-string guitar is more than meets the eye. In the hands of Vadim Kolpakov, it can be used to entertain with a mix of Spanish flamenco, American jazz, Latin rhythms and Romani groove. But look a bit closer, and you'll see that it's also used to dispel stereotypes of gypsies (see: Esmeralda from Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame) and rebuild that foundation of knowledge through song.

It may take a village to raise a child, but in the case of John Tosco, it took a living room to raise a vibrant music community that's included The Avett Brothers, Rachel Platten and thousands of regional artists.

In the words of author Beau Taplin, "Home is not where you are from, it is where you belong." For folk artist Dane Page, Charlotte is always and forever that musical home.

Steinway artist. Chart-topping pianist. Podcast composer. It's no wonder Chad Lawson is considered the "Chopin for the Spotify generation" with his innovative work in classical music.

Charlotte has changed a great deal in the past 30 years, but a musical constant of sorts has been Hope Nicholls.The singer-songwriter has kept to her own beat in Charlotte, whether as leader of the CBGB-rocking 80s band Fetchin’ Bones, singer for the Southern indie group It’s Snakes, or owner of the rock 'n' roll boutique Boris & Natasha.

It’s been nearly a month since COVID-19 shut down Charlotte in practically every way imaginable. For the local music scene, that means venues of all shapes and sizes closing their doors and hundreds of concerts being canceled or postponed until the coronavirus outbreak comes to an end.But that hasn’t put a stopper on Charlotte’s creativity: singer-songwriter Brit Drozda has created a digital stage to help benefit local music venues as part of the “Charlotte Music Challenge.”This week on Amplifier, we revisit our 2018 interview with Brit Drozda and our conversation about staying inspired (through food and music), being connected and not taking anything for granted.

Modern Moxie is a kaleidoscope of musical genres and generational styles, taking dance-happy cues from The Cars and David Bowie and bringing them to a contemporary pop-rock stage. On the heels of their 2019 debut full-length “Claw Your Way Out” and their recognition as “Charlotte’s Best Band” by Queen City Nerve, Modern Moxie bandmates Madison Lucas and Harry Kollm share how the Charlotte band’s success can be traced all the way back to a small dorm room closet in South Carolina.

Justin Fedor's music identity isn’t just tied to recording, performing and touring (with psych-rock outfit Ancient Cities, roots group The New Familiars or newly formed The Denim Denim) … it’s also tied to bringing the community together for a cause. Since 2013, Fedor has organized bi-annual tribute concerts to benefit the Levine Children’s Hospital, raising more than $70,000 in the process. As Fedor puts it, actions speak louder than words (or even a blaring guitar solo).

Back in the 1930s, more country music was recorded in Charlotte than in Nashville, Tennessee. Some of the Charlotte recordings from that period have become part of the essential canon of traditional country music, from "the first family of country" — the Carter Family — to the first career steps of "the father of bluegrass" Bill Monroe. So how did Charlotte become the center for country music? And why isn't it any longer?Today on the "Amplifier" podcast, we’re sharing an extra special episode: our very first live taping of "Amplifier," recorded on Sept. 4, 2019, in front of an audience of 500 people at the U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte. This conversation was supported in part by a grant from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting in honor of Ken Burns’ "Country Music" documentary (premiering at 8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 15 on PBS stations across the country). So, we sat down with country music historian Tom Hanchett and veteran country rocker Bill Noonan to discuss Charlotte’s country music past, present and future.